A Second Chance (Harry Potter)

Chapter 15

Valerie smirked at Pansy Parkinson's terrorized face.

While everyone else was shocked, and silently scared for what was to come, Valerie was surprisingly calm for a queen who had just been insulted by nothing more than a commoner.

Slowly, she edged towards Pansy.

Everyone else held their breaths.

Then, as her Advisor and Sentry Frances was about to speak, Valerie held up her hand to silence him, finally catching sight of Harry and Ron, who had followed her to see where she went.

She turned to Pansy.

"So you think yourself above me to insult me, don't you?" Valerie purred, in a soft, yet malicious tone. "You think you can easily get away with it because you're a pureblood, hmm?"

Valerie dived into Pansy's head, searching through all of her private memories.

Pansy clutched her head.

"No. No, your Majesty, stop," pleaded Pansy, as Valerie saw her flirting with guy after guy, sleeping with them and then breaking their hearts, taunting them and belittling them.

Valerie left her head.

"Are you sure you don't think I'll forgive you because of your wealth and high pure blood status?"

Pansy nodded. "My father, he..."

Valerie looked at Pansy. "Your father, what?"

"My Regina, please," she whimpered, using the name her father fashioned for her, no doubt confirming that Mr. Parkinson was a Death Eater, seeing as only Death Eaters knew of Valerie's omen.

Valerie banged her scepter on the ground.

"I do not want to hear that from your filthy lips," Valerie demanded. "Is that understood?"

"Please," begged Pansy.

Valerie gritted her teeth, still hiding all the emotion she felt.

Merlin's beard, she is honestly worse than the ministry toad, Umbridge.

"AM. I. UNDERSTOOD?" she threatened, banging her scepter with every syllable.

"Yes, Your Majesty," whispered Pansy.

"Good," sighed Valerie boredly. "Don't mess with me ever again, Parkinson, for I am like a lion, waiting for my prey to fall for my trap."

She sat down on the nearly-empty seat, only occupied by Daphne Greengrass.

Pansy exhaled in relief, thinking that it was over.

But Valerie was not done speaking. She picked on Draco's ring on her finger, touching it with her gloved fore-finger. Then, she drawled, almost lazily, "and I always, play with my food before I eat."

Pansy paled, the meaning of those words finally sinking in.

"So in other words, Parkinson, you, are the mouse, who has calmly and obtusely walked into my trap, not knowing what would happen if you did. You were so clueless, and now the time has come for you to enter the jaws of the lion, and I am not prepared to let my meal go. I am, as you would say, like my father, selfish... And it's been so long since I was last fed..." she trailed off, looking at Pansy with a hungry look.