A Second Chance (Harry Potter)

Chapter 11

Valerie entered her castle, Draco by her side.

"So since I get a treat, I can choose anything I want?" asked Draco who looked like Christmas had come early.

"For the most part, yes," said Valerie, unsurely, knowing that nothing good would come out of this.

"Yay," said Draco, like a little child, a smile evident across his face.

"But remember, don't expect this too often" said Valerie warningly.

"All the more to take utmost advantage," reasoned Draco.

"Fair point," sighed Valerie. She turned to face him. "Okay, what do you want?"

"Hmmm," he pretended to think. He knew exactly what he wanted. Yet, he wasn't sure if she would agree.

"Let's go inside," she gestured as she opened the large oak double doors.

She entered first, then he followed, taking in the sight of the lavishly decorated foyer before his eyes. Up ahead, he could see the pathway leading to another pair of fancy doors, heavily guarded. The throne room. Where Valerie sat when she was being Queen.

To Draco, there were four Valeries. Queen Valerie, Evil Valerie, Normal AKA Boring Valerie, and Fun Valerie. He decided that he was dealing with Fun Valerie right now.

"Have you made up your mind?" Valerie asked, pulling him away from his thoughts.

"Kind of," he replied. "I'm still stuck in between two options. I don't know which to choose."

"Choose both then," she said. Draco knew that if smiling came easy to her, she would be smiling. Instead, she had a calm expression.

He raised an eyebrow. "Is there any particular reason you're being so generous today?" he joked.

"We're going to be leaving for Hogwarts soon. I doubt we'll get another chance," she said, magically locking the doors with a mere waving of her hand.

She led him up the right hand stairs of the foyer. Then they went down a few corridors, up another flight of steps, left, left, right, up some more stairs, right, and finally, they stopped at a long corridor. Valerie pressed a palm to the door. The door opened, revealing a whole new wing of the castle. There was a maze of corridors. Draco had been here many times, yet he could never remember his way around here. He wondered how Valerie navigated her way the first time she came her.

Then again, Valerie never found anything difficult. From what Draco knew about her, she loved challenges immensely.

She led him on until a long circular flight of steps. Finally, they reached the top. She walked down the single corridor that arranged itself before them. Opening a door on her right, she gestured to Draco. His room. Whenever he stayed over with Valerie, she always gave him the same room. It was large and comfortable, and had a fair few of his belongings inside it, which he left purposely, so he wouldn't need to bring them every time he visited.

"How on earth do you remember your way around here?" muttered Draco.

"I live here, obviously," she said boredly, before turning around and strutting to her own private wing, another flight of circular stairs that wound its way around the tallest tower of Pendragon castle.

Entering her chambers, she took off her coat, placed her scepter in its holder and changed her clothes into something more comfortable. Dark, loose pants, and a loose black hoodie. Taking off her crown, she put her black hair in a bun, looking somewhat normal, and not like a queen. She knew that whatever Draco had in mind was not worth ruining her expensive attire, not that she cared anyway. Her dress and cloak made it difficult to do anything else apart from poising around impressing people and ballroom dancing and whatnot.