twenty five : THE BLACK SWAN

chapter xxv : the black swan

"a powerful, self-assured, stranger."

THE SUFFOCATING HEAT OF SUMMER WAS RELENTLESS, a physical manifestation of the heavy atmosphere at Privet Drive. Valerie Raven Potter sat on the grey carpet of her room, her back against the bed, a muggle magazine lying open and unread in her lap. The vibrant colours on the pages seemed to mock the grey, muted world she now inhabited. Days had passed since the funeral, and a profound numbness had settled over her, a shield against the tidal wave of grief and betrayal that threatened to drown her. Harry James Potter, ever watchful, sat on his bed, his own expression solemn. He didn't speak, but every now and then, he would quietly settle a glass of water or a packet of biscuits towards her.

But she rarely touched it.

A sharp, incessant ringing from downstairs cut through the silence.

It was the doorbell.

Vernon Dursley's bellowing voice followed, laced with irritation.

Valerie flinched, but didn't move. The world outside her room felt a million miles away.

A few minutes later, there was footsteps up the stairs, followed by a tentative knock on the bedroom door.

Harry went to open it.

Pansy Magnolia Parkinson stood in the doorway, a vision completely out of place on Privet Drive. She was dressed in an elegant black dress that fell just below the knee, and a pair of dark sunglasses hid her eyes.

               "—I had to bribe the Dursleys with pastries," Pansy said dryly, a small, weary smile on her face. "Your aunt tried to slam the door on me, but free gourmet pastries was enough to get me in."

Valerie could only stare.

Pansy's presence felt like a crack in the wall of her grief, a foreign force pushing its way into her isolated world.

Pansy took off her expensive sunglasses, revealing eyes that held a quiet understanding. "Come on, Potter. I came all this way to give you a glow up just like what we've been texting through the phone, not to watch you sit on the floor."

Valerie didn't argue.

She followed Pansy into the cramped, floral-patterned bathroom.

Pansy placed the box of hair dye on the sink, her movements precise and confident.

"Don't get me wrong," Pansy said, as she opened the box. "The pain of losing someone... it never really goes away. But you can learn to live with it. All you can do is distract it." She looked at Valerie's reflection in the mirror, her expression soft. "And what better way to distract than by reclaiming a part of yourself that's been lost?"

As Pansy worked the dark red dye into Valerie's black hair, she continued talking. "Ivan, my boyfriend, he's a Durmstrang student. We met during the Triwizard Tournament. We've been doing long distance ever since." There was a wistful tone in her voice. "It's not easy, the distance. But we make it work."

Pansy's voice was a calm, steady presence for the next hour.

As she finished drying Valerie's wet hair, she looked at her reflection with a critical eye. "Now for the final touch." She picked up a thin eyeliner pen. "Let's bring back the old Valerie Potter. The one who wasn't afraid to be seen."

Pansy expertly applied the bold, black line to her eyelids.

Valerie Potter saw the reflection of a girl with rich, wine-red hair and fierce, defined eyes. For a moment, the girl in the mirror looked powerful, untouchable.

Then, the illusion shattered.

Her new, bold exterior was a lie. It was a stark contrast to the hollow girl underneath, the girl who had lost everything.

A single tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek, leaving a clean trail through the newly applied eyeliner.

She began to sob uncontrollably.

"I lost it," Valerie choked out, the words coming in a flood of tears. "I lost my virginity to him. I loved him, Pansy. I still do. So much. And he just... threw me away... He made me feel like it meant nothing..."

Pansy didn't flinch.

She simply set the eyeliner down near the sink and wrapped her arms around her friend, pulling her into a tight hug.

She didn't say it would be okay, because she knew it wasn't. She simply held her, a steady anchor in a churning sea of grief.

                "He's a fool, darling." Pansy whispered into her hair. "And he doesn't deserve you. You need to show him what he's missing. Not for him, but for you."

As the crying subsided, Valerie looked at her reflection again.

The red, wine-coloured hair and the bold eyeliner were still there, but now they felt less like a mask and more like a promise.

A promise to herself that this was not the end of her story, but just the beginning of a different one.

Meanwhile, the summer continued with an unexpected turn. Dumbledore appeared at a subway station cafe, a calming and eccentric presence that momentarily broke through the fog of Valerie's grief. He offered her a gentle word of comfort, a subtle acknowledgment of her pain that felt more meaningful than any lengthy speech. He then explained their mission: to recruit the former Potions Master, Horace Slughorn, back to Hogwarts. Slughorn's introduction was a comedic and colourful affair, a welcome dose of levity in the midst of her sorrow.

The Potters spent their last few days of vacation at the Weasley's Burrow, a home overflowing with warmth and chaotic love that served as a gentle buffer for Valerie. She was not healed, but she was no longer completely numb. The distraction was working.

Her phone became her new confidant as she and Pansy texted and called constantly, their digital conversations filled with plans for a 'glow up' and a shared understanding of pain.

In her quiet moments, Valerie would think of Eric, finding comfort in the thought that he would want her to keep living, to feel something besides sadness.

The humid air on Platform 9 ¾ buzzed with the usual chaos of the start of a new school year.

Students in black robes rushed past, families hugged tearful goodbyes, and the scarlet Hogwarts Express hissed impatiently, ready for its journey. For Valerie, the familiar scene was a distant echo, a world she was returning to but no longer truly a part of. She walked alongside Harry, Hermione, and Ron, but she was a completely different person.

Her hair, once a deep, natural black, was now the rich, dark shade of wine. It fell straight around her shoulders.

She wore a tight, short black dress that stopped well above her knees, paired with elegant nude heels.

The confident stride she had practiced with Pansy felt like a performance.

Her heart still felt heavy and hollow, a painful void beneath the bold new exterior of her precise wing eyeliner and glossed lips.

             "Um... Isn't that too much for school ...?" Harry muttered with a slight worried tone.

Hermione, ever practical, shot a worried look between Harry and Valerie. "The teachers won't allow it, Valerie."

Ron, meanwhile, just seemed stunned, a small blush creeping up his neck as he stared at the outfit.

Valerie didn't even look at them. "Pansy said I need to show Draco what he's missing," She replied, her voice sharper and more resolute than she intended. "And that's exactly what I'm trying to do."

Just then, she spotted Pansy Parkinson from afar, with the unmistakable air of a queen. Their outfits were almost synchronised—Pansy in a similar, form-fitting black dress. A powerful visual of their new, defiant friendship.

Valerie gave a curt nod to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. "See you three around." She then walked away, the click of her heels a final, resolute beat.

The two Slytherins hugged, a tight, firm embrace that was a silent promise of solidarity.

                "You look absolutely fabulous," Pansy declared, her green eyes sweeping over Valerie's new look with a critical, appreciative gaze.

Inside the moving train, Pansy pulled Valerie into a cramped compartment that was already filled with a few terrified-looking first-year students. They squeezed in, Pansy's movements a flurry of purpose. "We need to wait a bit," Pansy explained, her voice low and conspiratorial. "We need to make a grand entrance. And I know exactly where he's sitting."

The first-years, their young eyes wide with curiosity, started asking Pansy questions about Hogwarts.

Pansy simply put a finger to her lips. "—Shush. My friend and I are under a mission here. You'll get your answers later."

                 "Ease up, Pansy," Valerie said with a small sigh, a hint of her old self breaking through her new persona.

When the perfect time came, Pansy and Valerie made their way towards the part of the train with a lounge where mostly older students would be. They stood in front of the glass door. "No emotion," Pansy whispered, her voice a low, fierce command. "Look confident and own it." She gave Valerie a final, steady nod, and she pushed the door open.

Draco Malfoy, sitting at a table across Blaise Zabini and Millicent Bulstrode, saw her the moment she stepped inside.

His grey eyes, which had been fixed on the passing scenery, snapped to her.

She looked gorgeous, undeniably hot, a stunning and defiant vision in a tight black dress.

But she was so ..... different.

Her poise was sharper and her new hair, the dark, rich colour of wine, was a furious contrast to her old self.

He felt a surge of possessive anger at the sight of the short dress, a deep, primitive fury that he had to instantly contain.

He had expected to see her looking miserable, broken, but instead, she looked like a powerful, self-assured stranger.

Valerie and Pansy walked down the aisle.

Valerie's face was a perfect mask of carelessness, her eyes looking straight ahead, refusing to acknowledge the boy who had shattered her.

As they passed his table, her hand moved with lightning speed, placing a small, familiar gold object on the table in front of the blond.

Draco's grey eyes dropped.

It was the special gold bracelet he had given her.

It lay there, a stark, final symbol of their love.

He felt a sharp pang of guilt and hurt pierce through the anger.

This single, silent action was more devastating than any screamed insult, a powerful declaration of 'fuck you' that only he understood.

Valerie didn't break stride. She continued walking until Jason Montgomery's loud, charismatic voice boomed from a table nearby. "There she is! The Girl Who Lived!"

Valerie slid into the bench, her face still an impenetrable mask.

She was positioned in the middle, between Audrey Berkshire at the window and Pansy on the aisle. Across from her, Jason Montgomery sat by the window, a smug grin on his face. Next to him was Mitchell Sinclair, whose eyes were shrewdly sizing up Valerie, and at the end sat Iris Young, a silent, dark presence whose intense gaze missed nothing.

Audrey, with a flick of her blonde locks, immediately leaned over. She gently took a strand of Valerie's new, wine-coloured hair between her pale fingers, admiring the rich hue. "My goodness," She said, her voice a soft purr. "The colour is absolutely divine. I love it."

A small, genuine smile, touched her lips. "Pansy did it," Valerie replied softly, a tiny crack in her defiant exterior.

Pansy gave a small, proud smirk.

"Pansy's been telling us all about you," Mitchell Sinclair said, his voice quiet but sharp, as if picking up on Valerie's subtle vulnerability. He had brown, wavy hair and brown eyes, and there was a definite look of mystery in them—an aura the entire group seemed to share. "We only associate with pure-bloods, you see. But being the famous Girl Who Lived and a seer... well, those are exceptions we're willing to make."

Iris Young, a beautiful Korean girl, didn't say a word, just observed, her dark eyes like two black pearls. She was a quiet power in the group.

Jason Montgomery, his dark blond wavy hair fell over his intense blue eyes, leaned forward. "So, I heard you're single now, Valerie." The words a playful provocation. An unreadable expression crossed Valerie's face just as he turned his head to the side. "Hey, Malfoy!"

He unexpectedly called out to the table where Draco, Blaise, and Millicent were sitting.

"—I heard you lost a hottie!"

Draco didn't move, didn't utter a single word. He simply gave Jason an intense cold stare, the silent fury in his grey eyes a far more chilling threat than any words could be.

When the moment finally passed and Jason turned his attention back to his new prize, the whispers resumed. But at Draco's table, the silence remained.

Millicent Bulstrode, sitting beside Blaise Zabini, was the first to break it, her voice a low murmur meant only for her boyfriend. "Someone's jealous..." She whispered.

Draco, however, heard it.

He shot a venomous stare at the blonde girl. "—Shove off, Bulstrode," He snarled, his voice a low, dangerous rumble.

He wasn't just angry: he was livid.

Blaise Zabini, ever the peacemaker, wrapped an arm around Millicent and pulled her closer, a charismatic smile on his face. "Hey, ease off from my stunning girlfriend," The words a gentle but firm rebuke. "We became a couple over the summer, in case you missed the memo. She's allowed to have an opinion."

Draco's eyes went back to the object on the table, the special gold bracelet, a silent testament to his loss.

His anger was a physical presence, a knot in his stomach. He wasn't just angry at Jason: he was furious with himself, and with Valerie.

He picked up the bracelet, his thumb stroking the smooth gold without a thought. He didn't look at either of them. "That dress is the shortest fucking thing I've ever seen," He muttered grimly, his voice barely a whisper.

Millicent, a true friend to Valerie, furrowed her brows in genuine concern and hurt. "You're the one who broke up with her, Malfoy," Her voice a sharp challenge. "What do you expect? She's not going to mourn you forever."

The truth of her words was a raw wound, and Draco felt a fresh wave of rage.

Before he could retort, Blaise jumped in, his easy charm cutting through the tension. "I can't believe she joined that specific group of Slytherins, though. Of all people. Even her longtime enemy, Parkinson. I never saw that coming."

𓈒𓏸‪‪ 𓇼 𓏸‪‪𓈒

THE GREAT HALL WAS SILENT. Albus Dumbledore's grim speech, a rare departure from his usual eccentric warmth, had cast a heavy shadow over the feast. Students ate in hushed tones, the usual cheerful din replaced by a low, uneasy murmur. At the Slytherin table, Valerie Potter sat between Pansy Parkinson and Jason Montgomery, her black Slytherin crested robes were a perfect disguise for the tight dress underneath.

               "—Well, that was a real mood-killer," Jason Montgomery said, his voice a low, charming rumble that broke the silence between them. He speared a potato with his fork, a smug look on his face.

Pansy Parkinson shot him a withering look. "It's about more than that, you fool. There's a war coming." She turned her attention to Valerie, her expression softening. "Are you alright? You haven't touched your food, sweetie."

Valerie felt a pang of gratitude for Pansy's quiet loyalty. She gave a small, confident smirk. "I'm fine, just not hungry." It was a lie. Her heart felt hollow and heavy, a painful void beneath the bold new exterior.

Across from her, Audrey Berkshire, a social butterfly with an elegant flutter of her blonde locks, chimed in. "I can't believe we have to start the year like this. The whole place feels so... grey."

Iris Young, who had been silently watching the room with her dark, intelligent eyes, spoke for the first time. "It's meant to." Her voice was low and precise. "It's a subtle reminder that the Dark Lord has arrived, and it's time to choose a side."

Mitchell Sinclair, ever the shrewd observer, nodded in agreement, his brown eyes sweeping over the hall with a newfound seriousness. The group was more than just a clique: they were a collection of sharp, dangerous minds.

Valerie's gaze, however, was drawn down the length of the Slytherin table.

She was looking for him.

Though she would never admit it.

She found him sitting across from Blaise Zabini and Millicent Bulstrode, the rest of his usual entourage scattered around. But this wasn't the untouchable, arrogant Draco she had seen on the train. His face was resting in his hand, his eyes distant, lost in thought. He looked... upset. The usual cruel smirk was gone, replaced by a deep-set weariness that seemed to pull at the corners of his mouth.

A jolt, sharp and unexpected, ran through her.

It was the crack she had been looking for, a fissure in the perfectly constructed facade he presented to the world. She saw the boy she had once loved, the one who was just as lost as she was.

It was a moment of dangerous clarity, a memory of a time when she could have comforted him, a time when his pain would have been her own.

She quickly dropped her gaze, her heart now beating with a new, frantic rhythm.

She felt a familiar, cold dread, the kind that always preceded a vision.

Her hands, resting in her lap, began to tremble. The muffled sound of conversation around her started to fade away and the colours of the Great Hall seemed to lose their vibrancy.

A flash.

It was a quick, violent sequence of images: a pale girl with long, black hair thrashing against the crushing weight of water, her mouth open in a silent scream. Her eyes, wide with terror, stared into Valerie's own. Then, the water filled her lungs, a violent, suffocating rush that Valerie felt as a painful, desperate ache in her chest.

Then, just as quickly, it was gone.

The world rushed back in, a deafening wave of noise and colour.

Valerie gasped, a sharp, desperate intake of air, as if she had just surfaced from a deep pool.

A cold sweat beaded on her forehead, and her hands, still clutching her robes in her lap, were trembling uncontrollably.

             "Valerie?" Pansy's voice was a low whisper, her hand gently touching her arm. "What's wrong?"

She didn't answer. She forced her racing heart to slow down, her muscles to relax. She met Pansy's worried gaze with a practiced, casual look. "Nothing, I just... choked on a breath of air. The smoke from the candles is making me dizzy." It was a flimsy lie, but it was all she had. She took a slow, deliberate sip of water, her eyes sweeping over the room, hoping no one else had noticed.

Down the table, she saw him. Draco Malfoy was no longer looking down: his grey eyes were fixed on her, a sharp, knowing intensity in their depths.

The feast was over. Dumbledore gave a final, somber nod to the students, and the tables began to empty. As a prefect, Valerie had her duty. She stood by the massive oak doors, waiting for the Slytherin first-years to gather. She was still wearing the robes, her nude heels silent against the stone floor. Across the way, a familiar figure appeared, also waiting for his charges. Her ex boyfriend.

The two of them stood there, a silent chasm of unresolved anger between them. The students gathered, and they began their walk, the small, terrified-looking first-years trooping behind them. The walk to the dungeons was excruciating. They were forced to be close, their paths aligned, but they walked in a suffocating silence, each a universe away from the other. Valerie kept her gaze fixed on the front, her mask of indifference held firmly in place.

When they finally reached the dungeons, Valerie instructed where the dormitories were, in a clear, firm voice. "You'll find your names on the doors. Go on, get to bed now. Goodnight."

Pansy Parkinson, waiting for her by the fireplace, immediately pulled her into a tight, firm hug.

                "Goodnight, bestie. Please text or call me if you need anything, even if it's in the middle of the night. I'm here for you." Pansy softly smiled before walking away to her dormitory.

Valerie Potter walked away, her heels clicking on the stone floor. She pushed the door open to her prefect dorm, and the world shifted.

It was a space frozen in time. Her bed was covered in a fluffy light pink comforter, and the familiar scent of vanilla filled the air.

Then she saw it.

Sitting in the centre of her pink comforter was a glittering object.

It was a diary, bound in a vibrant purple cover, sparkling with glitter.

Next to it was a folded note.

Her heart stopped.

A cold dread, far worse than any vision, settled in her stomach.

She sat on her bed and with trembling hands, she picked up the note.

As she looked at the diary, a terrible, heartbreaking thought clicked into place.

Eric Lewis must have left it here on the very last day of their fifth year, just before they left for the train.

It had been waiting for her this whole time.

My Sweetheart Valerie, my best friend.

When you're reading this, I'll be gone.

Please don't be sad.

That's the last thing I ever want.

I would want you to live, to laugh, and to love.

The purple diary on your bed... it's been my companion for as long as I can remember.

Every day, I wrote in it.

My thoughts, my dreams, my secrets—they're all there, waiting for you.

I want you to have it.

I want you to know that a piece of me is still with you, always.

Don't mourn me.

Live for us.

I love you soooo much, Valerie.

Your best friend,

Eric

Valerie's brave facade shattered into a million pieces. A sob escaped her lips, then another, until she was crying uncontrollably, the note trembling in her hand. Her body was shaking with grief, and clutched the purple diary to her chest, a final, desperate hug to the boy she had lost.

A sudden sharp knock on the door cut through the silence.

Valerie's body went rigid, a fresh wave of panic washing over her. She stumbled to her vanity, a single sob still trapped in her throat. She looked at her reflection, a devastated, hollow-eyed girl staring back. Quickly, she took a shaky breath, forcing her composure back into place, a mask of cold indifference.

With the note simply held in her hand, she walked to the door and pulled it open.

Draco Malfoy stood in the doorway.

He was wearing his prefect robes, his grey eyes initially holding the cool, bored expression he always wore. But the expression faltered. He saw her red eyes, the way her body was still trembling slightly, and for a split second, a flicker of something unreadable—confusion, maybe even concern—flashed in his gaze. He quickly recovered, his usual cold demeanour snapping back into place. "Potter," He said, his voice flat. "Snape wants to see you in his office tomorrow morning. Don't be late."

His gaze, however, drifted down to her hand, where the folded note lay loosely in her fingers.

His eyes lingered on the small, simple drawing of a heart on the front.

A cold, venomous expression crossed his face, more intimidating than any shout.

His gaze flicked back up to hers.

Draco's mind immediately went to Jason Montgomery, the loud and arrogant Slytherin who had been so carelessly flirting with her on the train.

He knew it was him.

In a low, quiet voice that was more dangerous than any curse, he questioned her.

"Who was that from?"

Valerie felt a fresh wave of mortification and anger.

He had no right.

The grief was still a raw, gaping wound, but his possessive, arrogant question felt like a brutal intrusion. "That's none of your business, Malfoy." She slammed the door in his face, the sound a final, defiant beat.

The lock clicked into place, a small, resolute sound that was for her and her alone.

She was no longer sad.

The tears were gone, replaced by a furious, burning anger that felt like a lifeline.

She walked back to her vanity, her movements sharp and deliberate.

The girl Draco had just seen—the heartbroken, vulnerable girl—was not one he would ever see again.

She picked up a makeup wipe, and began to remove the eyeliner and mascara, her movements slow and precise. Her reflection stared back at her: a girl with wine-red hair and a cold, determined gaze. The makeup, the dress, the new persona—it was all meant to be a shield.

But she had let it down, and he had seen.

She hated him for it.

She hated him for forcing his way into her grief, for daring to ask about the note, for thinking it was from an admirer.

Her anger felt pure, a clean and powerful counter to the messy, complicated sadness.

She set the finished wipe down on the white vanity table, and grabbed her school uniform, the Slytherin robes a perfect armour for the day ahead.

She wouldn't be late for Snape tomorrow.

She would go, her head held high, and she would show him—show everyone—that the she was not a girl to be pitied anymore.

˗ˋˏ INTRODUCING ˎˊ˗

those who are prideful . . .

. . . ambitious & cunning

JASON MONTGOMERY

portrayed by dacre montgomery

MITCHELL SINCLAIR

portrayed by benjamin wadsworth

AUDREY BERKSHIRE

portrayed by emily alyn lind

IRIS YOUNG

portrayed by jennie kim

^ what does everyone think of that casting ^ 😼

oh my heart. this chapter was a difficult but necessary one to write, filled with so many different kinds of pain and grief.

i loved writing Valerie and Pansy's friendship. their bond is a quiet and beautiful thing, born from a shared understanding of pain and loss. i wanted to show how a person can find an unexpected anchor in the midst of a storm, and Pansy's support—from the tough love of the makeover to the simple comfort of a hug—was that for Valerie.

the idea for Valerie's new look ..... i have my hair dyed that way too! and i wanted to give Valerie a visual transformation that felt like a shield against the world.

and then, of course, there's the gut-punch of Eric's diary.

i have been foreshadowing his purple diary from many chapters before.

his final, loving message wasn't just a goodbye: it was a plea for her to keep living, to find her joy again. it's a beautiful, tragic final act of love from a boy who truly wanted nothing but happiness for his best friend.

that final scene with Draco—the anger, the misunderstanding, the fierce slam of the door—was a turning point.

we see Valerie trying to cope by building a new, untouchable persona, but her vulnerability is still a raw wound.

in that moment, her pain turns to a powerful, burning anger, and she uses it as a new kind of armour.

She's no longer only sad: she's furious.

has anyone noticed the foreshadowing of the older slytherin group from 5th year? did anyone see it coming that valerie would join in? if so, good job! 😽

( as you may have noticed, i add HEAPS of foreshadowing everywhere hehe )

do you want faster chapter updates? then please continue to leave votes and comments because thats a way to let me know that readers are enjoying my story + i should post more. i try my best to reply :)

i love you allxoxo

( authors personal notes ) published — 7:20am september 5th 2025current amount of reads — 63.2kword count — 4,653