PRETENDING TO LIVE~ {The Lestrange Daughter #2}

𝟔𝟕. Rose

Valentine had suspected for quite a while now that Snape had been arriving to meetings early simply so he could scold her for being late. That was why today she had made a point to walk the halls earlier than usual and catch the man in the act.

"Professor." Valentine said when she saw him, not bothering to halt the smug smile forming on her face.

She had just stepped into the hall leading the Head Master"s office and he was only a few steps away from the door itself, frozen where he stood.

"Enjoy your holiday?" She asked too sweetly to be sincere.

"If I had, I wouldn't tell you." Snape drawled sourly. 

"Ah, so picking up where we left off then?" Valentine nodded. "You hate me, I hate you."

"Were you expecting something else?" 

She could practically hear the raise of his brow.

"From you? Never." 

The door before them then
silently swung open of its own accord, revealing the elderly wizard pacing the floor.

"Professor." Valentine nodded to him as she entered. 

"My dear." Dumbledore nodded back, somewhat absently.

Although she was glad to see him in one piece and still breathing, she couldn't help but notice that the blackness on his cursed hand had spread further since she'd last seen him. The reminder opened up a black hole in her stomach.

Snape stepped in behind her the and door shut of its own accord.

"I'll assume you know about what happened at the Weasley's home." Said Valentine. "I'm not sure if they somehow found out that Harry was or if they just wanted to ruin Christmas for their own amusement."

"There's nothing to be done for it." Dumbledore sighed. "What's passed, is passed. Harry is back at school and safe."

"Yes." Valentine leaned against the edge of his desk. "I checked on the train myself."

"Good." Dumbledore turned to look at her, hands folded in front of himself. "And how was your Christmas?"

"Until the bit where Bellatrix and Rabastan showed boasting about burning down an innocent families house, just fine. More of note happened after Christmas, but first what of your 'travels'?"

"I am dismayed to admit that I'm yet to make much progress. The trail I thought I had was not so much a trail as it was phantom tendrils of smoke with no fire at its source."

"Did you run into any trouble?" Asked Snape.

"None I couldn't handle, I assure you."

"It wouldn't favourable if the Dark Lord believed you were actively searching for these Horcruxes."

"I am aware, Severus." Dumbledore nodded seriously. "And you have my word that I have taken every precaution. Now, back to Miss Lestrange. After Christmas you said? Something of note?"

Valentine stuck her hands into her robes and pulled out a book, bounded in worn dark blue leather.

"The day after Christmas we- Leah, Draco, Blaze, Liam and myself- paid a visit to the Benson household."

"For?" Snape arched a brow at that.

"It was Leah's idea. She wanted to visit Olivia's grave, but I found more than just a grave. This book. It's a dairy. Olivia's. And even more then that, I found out that Olivia Benson wasn't born as such. Her birth name was Caroline Morrison. The Benson's adopted her when she was three months old. I saw the official documentation myself. And Selena Benson admitted to it."