A Second Chance (Harry Potter)

Chapter 14

Valerie slipped on her hood and made her way down the train, finally reaching the Slytherin compartments.

Unaware that a certain pair of Gryffindor boys were following her, she entered Draco's compartment, and proceeded to entertain herself by torturing the other pathetic Slytherins in his year.

"Well, well, well, look what we have here," she droned, as she entered the compartment.

Her hood was still up, and Draco, who knew it was her smiled. The others, were meanwhile silent.

She looked around.

"Parkinson. Greengrass. Crabbe. Goyle. Zabini. Draco. Where's my greeting?" she asked, calling out the names of the occupants one by one.

She had seen them before, when she was about nine years old. They had all attended a fancy pureblood ball at Malfoy Manor, and Valerie, seeing as she lived with the Malfoys at that time, had attended as well.

She doubted they remembered her, noticing that they were all as about as dumb as a pair of bludgers.

"Your greeting?" seethed Pansy Parkinson. "Why would anybody give you a greeting? If anybody deserves a greeting, it would be me? Right Draco? Right Zabini?"

Blaise Zabini sighed, "sure, Parkinson. Sure. Whatever you say."

Draco shrugged, and inwardly smiled to himself. Pansy had just set off a time bomb also known as Valerie.

"Ah, Parkinson, you're a prefect," cooed Valerie, her voice soft with sarcasm.

"Of course I am. I mean, why wouldn't they make me a Prefect? Even stupid old Dumbledore could see that I make a good prefect, and he's got about enough sense as a four year old," bragged Pansy.

"Well, I'm glad I'm not a prefect then," said Valerie coldly. "Because then I would have to deal with the likes of you."

Draco, and Blaise howled with laughter, while even Daphne Greengrass attempted to hide her smile. Crabbe and Goyle just sat there like two rocks grunting in Troll language, not understanding the joke.

Pansy gasped, astounded that someone dared to put her in her place.

Valerie walked over to Draco, and placed an arm on his shoulder, sitting near him.

"Good one," the blonde said, the smile leaving his lips.

"I know only one person who is capable of making Parkinson mad, and she happens to be the Queen of England. Do you, by any chance know her?" asked Blaise, leaning towards Valerie, and whispering lowly in her ear.

"We've met," said Valerie shortly, slightly smirking.

"Valerie? Is it really you?" he asked, still whispering.

"No Zabini, it's a dementor," mused Valerie.

"Okay. Definitely Valerie," murmured Blaise.

"Ah, Zabini, very good, clever man," said Valerie, clapping her hands once.

She turned to Draco.

"Draco, Zabini has figured it out. It was too easy, wasn't it?" she asked, grabbing his hand and taking out his Slytherin ring, placing it on her own finger.

She had done this many times before, and to those who knew the pair well, wouldn't have found anything wrong with it. 

But to those who didn't, such as Pansy, they seemed a little too close to be friends, which was partly true, because they were both as close as siblings, and would do anything for the other. 

Draco picked her hand up, took off the ring, turned it upside down, and put it back on her gloved finger.

This was the last straw for Pansy, who stood up abruptly and leaned towards Valerie, accusingly pointing a finger at her, towering over her seated figure.

"How dare you? You waltz in here, as if you own the place, ordering people around, when you can't even show your face. Are you that ugly that you have to hide? Ooh, I bet you got a nasty lot of pimples on your face, maybe that's why Draco won't show an interest in you. Oh, and don't call him Draco. It's Malfoy to you, Miss Pimple Face," she spat, her upturned nose flaring.

Draco closed his eyes tight, breathing deeply, not even daring to think of Valerie's reaction. He had a feeling that his imaginary reaction of Valerie would be much worse than the real reaction. He could sense her anger waving off her like radiation.

Daphne caught Draco's eye, and she too, closed her eyes.

Blaise on the other hand, smirked and snickered out loud, gleefully looking at Valerie and Pansy back and forth.

Valerie glared at him, while Pansy narrowed her eyes and turned her stare to Valerie.

"What? Cat got your tongue? Or are ugly words the only thing you're capable of saying?" asked Pansy rudely, noticing that Draco's hand was still tightly clenched around Valerie's.

Valerie shook Draco's hand away, as she stood up, advancing on Pansy, who was standing with her hands on either side of her hips. She was much, much taller than Pansy.

She hummed, then waved her hand at the door, which opened instantly. Valerie raised her hand in midair, and her scepter appeared in her arm, Frances accompanied with two sentries standing at the entrance of the compartment.

She banged her scepter on the ground, and it echoed through the silent compartment.

Her hood fell, revealing her face, hair, and mother's crown, all precariously laid out.

The occupants of the compartment gasped, as did some passers by outside, who had stopped to come and watch the drama, wondering why there were royal guards on the train.

Blaise looked around, finally spotting a way to diffuse the thick tension that packed the air.

Blaise wolf whistled. "Damn, Parkinson, didn't know you had it in you to insult the Queen of England herself."