PRETENDING TO LIVE~ {The Lestrange Daughter #2}

𝟏𝟖. Durmstrang

Valentine had never been the biggest fan of oranges but Leah had taken all the bananas, apples and grapes to create faces on several pieces of bread. The banana was mushed up for the hair, the grapes for the eyes and noses and the apples cut into slices for the mouth. It would have been quite ingenious if Leah had been, let's say, a two-year-old and not thirteen.

"Could you at least leave something for the rest of us?" Blaze grumbled, staring down at his pilfered lunch in despair.

"Shush." Leah just hissed at him, eyes on her work. "I'm creating a masterpiece."

"You're creating a mess." said Draco.

"You are going to eat all that though, right?" asked Liam. "Otherwise it's just a waste of food."

Leah's head snapped up, staring at Liam in horror.

"Eat my children? How could you ever suggest such a thing! I'd expect it from Blaze and Draco, but not you!"

"Would you calm down?" Blaze rolled his eyes. "It's bread and fruit, Leah."

"I will not calm down! I feel threatened for my children right now! How can you expect me to calm down!"

"Again, bread and fruit."

"Have you ever heard of found family!"

"I seriously doubt that applies to this."

"Well, I say it does!"

"Well, I say it doesn't!"

"I don't care what you say!"

"Tough luck!"

"Could you both shut up?" Draco grumbled.

"Stay out of this!" Leah pointed at him accusingly.

"That's easier said than done when you two aren't screaming!"

"She started it!" said Blaze.

"Actually, Liam started it by suggesting I devour my own children!" said Leah.

"Hey, hey, hey." Liam waved his hands about in surrender. "I want no part in this."

Valentine huffed quietly to herself as she finished the chapter she was reading. It seemed like today was going to be a loud day. They had on average about three per week. Valentine wondered if the other students found her friends' screeching to be particularly annoying. She knew it grated on her nerves after the first few hours of non-stop howling.

"Ah, excuse me." A deep accented voice was suddenly clearing itself behind her. "Valentine Lestrange?"

At the sound of that accent, Valentine's first thought was that Nayden Andonov had snuck off the ship to find her and extract some kind of revenge. That was why her hand was going for her wand as she turned in her seat.

She was faced with a group of nine Durmstrang students all standing before her looking utterly sheepish. They easily made up half of the Durmstrang students at Hogwarts. Each one was tall and muscular, looking every much like they could have bought down a brick wall with one punch, despite this they all seemed nervous.

Draco, Liam, Leah and Blaze turned as well, their shouting forgotten.

"Yes?" Valentine irked a brow when the boy who's spoken didn't continue.

"I'm Dimo." He said, offering her his hand. He was blonde-haired, blue-eyed and very tall. "We've never met."

"Obviously." Valentine drawled boredly, her eyes flicked down to his hand but she made no move to take it.