PRETENDING TO LIVE~ {The Lestrange Daughter #2}

𝟒𝟏. Takeover

"...and then Blaze said I was embarrassing him and then I said that it wouldn't be so much fun to tease him in the first place if he wasn't so cute. And he is cute, in like an angry turtle kinda way. But he totally didn't like it when I told him that. Which just made him cuter. Like, really, he's doing this to himself." Leah prattled on, happy to talk about literally nothing.

Valentine only half-listened as she brushed Leah's hair. It really wasn't anything she hadn't heard before.

When Leah had first cut her hair last year, it had been right above her shoulders, but since then it had grown at least two inches. At its current length, it was perfect for their height differences, which on Leah's end was ever-increasing. If Leah let her hair grow as long as it had used to be again there was no way Valentine would be able to brush it from her position on the bed, especially if Leah was only going to get taller.

"Val?" Leah poked her leg. "Vaaaaallllll?"

"What?" Valentine snapped, realising she hadn't been listening at all for the past several minutes.

"I asked you if I should cut my hair again. I mean, it's fine now, but I've been looking at Anna's hair, you know? Like it's reaaalllly short and I'm super into it. What do you think? Too short? Too long? Maybe I should shave it all off. Get a buzz cut. Oh, hey! Me and Blaze could match! What do you think he'd say if I did that?"

Valentine just rolled her eyes. She pictured her childhood friend almost bald and wanted to laugh. Leah had a pretty face and Valentine didn't think it would have looked awful at all, but it would have been Rose's reaction she'd be watching.

"I really don't care what you do to your own head." Valentine shrugged. "Grow it out, hack it off. You'll still be the same."

"Hmm. Yes. Charming and overwhelmingly attractive."

"I was going to say stupid and childish, but if you feel like lying to yourself go right ahead."

"Oh, come on! I'm a gem!" Leah insisted. "With my long lashes and long neck and long legs, I mean come on! All that length can only mean one thing!"

"You're half giraffe?"

"No- that would totally awesome- but no. It means I have so much beauty it needs room to stretch out!"

"That's nice, Leah."

"Sure is. And so are you, you know. Charming and overwhelmingly attractive, I mean. In scary kind of way mind you but still so pretty. I even heard Liam say so once. Who knows how many people out there have it bad for you!"

Nobody who isn't a masochist.

"Please." Valentine scoffed, pulling the hairbrush through Leah's hair a little more aggressively than necessary. "No one out there is worth my time."

"Oh, don't be like that-"

"AND need I mention again that I haven't the least bit of interest in that sort of thing.

"Hmm." Leah hummed, bobbing about. "This is that 'I don't want to get married' thing again, isn't it?"

"So what if it is?" Valentine smacked her shoulder firmly in warning to stop her from moving about.

"What? Seriously!" Leah twisted abruptly to stare at her. "You really mean that? Never ever?"

"Ever." Valentine forcibly turned the girls head back the other way.

Valentine would never understand everyone's obsession with her future, telling her that one day she would change her mind because apparently every does. Narcissa and Leah were one thing but even Draco had such just things before. She didn't understand why that was any of their business.