A Second Chance (Harry Potter)

Chapter 12

The next morning, Valerie awoke, early as usual.

Helen, her maid, had woken her up, and dropped a large double tray of breakfast by her bed. She summoned her house-elf, instructing him to get breakfast for Draco too.

Then she waved a hand for her curtains to open, letting the knocking sunlight into her room.

She had her breakfast, starting with fruit, then moving on to the finest pastries in the Kingdom. She didn't like tea of coffee, and preferred to seal her breakfast with a glass of golden raspberry juice, the raspberries imported from the largest farm in Canada, while the juice itself was freshly made every morning.

Once done, Helen tidied up while two of her other maids made her bed, and a couple of house-elves cleaned her room. 

She changed into a set of simple black robes, holding her hair in a sleek bun. Topping it off with her mother's crown, she went to her library, picking Draco up on the way.

She scanned the shelves, grabbing all the books she wanted to take to Hogwarts. 

Draco, on the other hand, shouted euphorically every single time he saw a book about quidditch, showing it to Valerie excitedly while she merely rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why you don't find this exciting," Draco muttered, when she showed her Ethan Gerard's Professional Guide to Seeking. "I mean, it's a signed copy," he said for the nth time that minute.

"Probably because it's been in my library for the past two decades. And because I'm not a quidditch obsessed fanatic like you are," she replied nonchalantly.

"You're so lucky. Ethan Gerard was the world's most famous seeker," he droned again.

"Draco, I swear to Merlin, if you don't shut up right now, I'll bury you alive with quidditch books," she threatened.

He huffed, and sat down on a plush black velvet armchair, warming his feet by the fire, grabbing a random book from the quidditch shelf and beginning to read.

She was skimming briefly through piles and piles of books, debating on which would be the most useful to her. 

She settled on five leisure books, and three books about Dark Magic. Then, she ran from shelf to shelf, grabbing any books she found interesting. Finally, she had a pile of over fifteen books. 

She called two of her maids to take them up to her room, while she curled up in an armchair, reading an interesting history book about the Salem Witch Trials.

She was on the first page when Draco emitted a loud shriek-like noise, which she would have never believed to come from him if he wasn't the only one beside her.

She glared at him.

"What, now?" she snapped.

"Th- The book," he said, staring at it wide eyed.

She had a bored look on her face as she raised an eyebrow.

He passed it to her, still wide-eyed and open mouthed.

She looked at the page he had opened. In deep blue ink, the following words were written:

To Your Majesty, Queen Valerie Riddle,

I would like to thank you for a wonderful evening. I had a splendid time in England, much credit to you, as a wonderful host who knows how to entertain her guests. I would like to send you my first ever copy of the book I have written, as a token of my gratitude. May you always prosper in everything you do, and always remain a good Queen. I hope you enjoy it.