Astoria Greengrass did not like to be kept waiting. Especially when she'd had the interview she was about to take thrust upon her at a moments notice by her boss at Witch Weekly.
"The Malfoys?" she sneered at the file her editor had just chucked on her desk. Elisa turned to look at her, one eyebrow raised questioningly and Astoria immediately schooled her expression. "I just mean I - Why?"
Elisa snorted, "Why? Why would Witch Weekly take this incredibly rare and unbelievable opportunity to interview the rediscovered Royal Families? To tell their story exclusively, pictures of the happy couple and brand new heirs included?"
"Hardly Royalty" Astoria mumbled, sulking as she flipped through the folder that contained a myriad of information about her schoolmates. Elisa rolled her eyes at the girl's attitude but said nothing. She'd have a rude awakening if she showed up to Malfoy Manor with a face like a slapped arse.
Astoria was jolted from her sullenness by the arrival of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, though they weren't alone. Each of them was smiling and babbling- like commoners- Astoria thought, to the infants they had safely ensconced in their arms. Scorpius Draco and Cassiopeia Violet Malfoy were twins who, while Astoria knew that one was a boy and one was a girl, still appeared identical to her and who, at three months old, already apparently had their grandparents eating out of the palm of their hands. Astoria inwardly cringed at the traditional Black family names but put on her best face and stood to greet the parents of the man she'd once harboured dreams of marrying.
"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy" she demurred, bowing her head charmingly with her hand extended in greeting. Neither of them turned away from the child in their arms, and when Narcissa Malfoy finally did look up at her, Astoria was shocked to see the cold look in her blue eyes.
"It's Lord and Lady Malfoy, Miss Greengrass," she corrected crisply.
Astoria was brought up short, she'd known the Malfoys her entire life, they ran in the same social circles as her own parents and she'd certainly never been asked to use such titles before. But Astoria wasn't a Slytherin for nothing, she quickly regained her composure and plastered a smile back on her face. "Of course Lady Malfoy, it's wonderful to see you and it's always a pleasure to be a guest in your home. I believe you've redecorated this room since I was last here?"
If she wasn't mistaken the woman's countenance only hardened. Her husband had finally deigned to look up and he had a funny little smile on his face. Perhaps the rumors were true and his time as a Death Eater had addled his brains.
"Miss Greengrass, I hope there hasn't been a misunderstanding. You are here as a member of the press, a professional here to do a job, you are not a guest. But thank you, Hermione and I have been doing some redecorating."
It was all she could do not to cringe. Hermione Granger, that uppity muggleborn chit was redecorating Malfoy Manor. Generations of purebloods were probably rolling in their graves. She was meant to be the one at Narcissa Malfoy's side, yet here she was, being treated like the help.
She bit her tongue and smiled at the older woman. It's not like she was the one Astoria was there to interview anyway. And then, as if that thought had summoned them, Draco and Hermione Malfoy stumbled through the door. Astoria scowled at them. Hermione was giggling like a schoolgirl at something Draco was whispering into her ear, and whatever it was had the Gryffindor blushing. Astoria tempered her jealousy because as Lady Malfoy had kindly reminded her, she was there as a professional.
She stepped past Narcissa and approached the pair, though she only had eyes for one of them.
"Draco" she exclaimed, throwing herself into the unsuspecting arms of her fellow Slytherin, "I've missed you" she purred, pulling back and dismissing the fact that he hadn't taken the blatant opportunity to feel her up and had simply stood still, "you really must come for tea with my parents soon. They've been asking after you."
Draco glowered down at her, and Astoria finally understood what it felt like to be subjected to the Malfoy glare.
"Miss Greengrass" Hermione interrupted, sending a small smirk to Draco that had Astoria sneering. She stepped into Draco's arms and proffered a hand that Astoria reluctantly shook, taking the opportunity to squeeze it hard in one last attempt to show her just who the superior woman was.
Hermione only smirked at her, even as Draco took a step closer and made a quiet noise at the back of this throat that, nevertheless, had the hair standing up on the back of Astoria's neck. She automatically took a step back from the couple. "I believe you're here to interview us?" he said, all pleasantness again.
Astoria smiled grimly and nodded, "Will the twins be staying?" She asked, glancing across the room to where Narcissa and Lucius had settled with them both.
"Well" Hermione began, and Astoria turned back to see her smirking again at Draco, "they are the newly born heirs to two recently rediscovered Royal Family lines. It would be incredibly irresponsible parenting if I were to let them out of my sight. Not to mention they are the reason we requested this interview."
Astoria rolled her eyes at the girl. Living with muggles had obviously left her a few knuts short of a sickle. "Of course" she drawled, leaning down to remove her quick-notes quill and pad, "the royalty thing."
"The royalty thing?" Hermione asked with the arch of one brow, seating herself almost indecently close to her husband on a settee across from her.
Astoria absently wondered if the witch had to maintain physical contact with Draco to keep him under whatever spell he'd obviously been placed.
"Well yes, Mrs. Malfoy," she said, the moniker tasting like ash in her mouth as she spoke.
"Your Majesty," Hermione corrected immediately.
Astoria couldn't help but scoff. "Well, that's the point, isn't it, you can't possibly expect the public to believe that fairy tale?"
"Fairy tale?" the other witch asked, "I'm sorry Miss Greengrass, did you just refer to the prophesied merging of two ancient royal lines as a fairy tale?"
Astoria sniffed but the other witch was not finished.
"I was under the impression that you were a member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. No," she admonished as Astoria opened her mouth to defend herself, "I will not disrespect your House in pretending not to be completely aware that it is an old and respected one. Yet you do us all," she gestured around her generally, "the dishonor of walking into Malfoy Manor, the seat of House Malfoy for more than a millenium, and accuse us of spinning fairy tales?"
Astoria couldn't speak. She'd never been so thoroughly reprimanded in her life, but Hermione Malfoy was simply watching her, a smirk slowly forming on her lips as she watched the younger witch squirm uncomfortably. "I'm almost certain" she continued, "that your editor told you that you were here to interview the Royal couple. And as certain as I am of that, I know that you, like so many of the other young witches and wizards in our world, grew up hearing about the lost Royals. I'm not sure which insults me more," she pondered, tapping a delicate finger against her lips, "your ignorance or your arrogance."
Astoria blinked at her. This girl who-when she was in a fair enough mood- she could admit had helped restore peace and a sense of normality to their world alongside Harry Potter, was lecturing her, her, on manners and political issues like she'd been born to do so when she was nothing but a muggleborn who'd somehow managed to marry into a good, pure-blooded, wealthy family. Astoria had been belittled into taking a job, something no Greengrass woman had ever had to resort to in the past and the reminder stung. She was startled from her attempts to recall all the hexes and jinxes she knew that would be useful in showing the bitch her place by Draco's voice.
"Hermione" he growled. Astoria looked up to see him leering at Hermione, his fists gripping the edge of the settee they'd perched themselves on. Astoria squirmed uncomfortably, the sexual tension between the married couple was palpable, she just didn't understand it. It was so….so….uncouth. Yes, she thought to herself, very unbecoming of a Malfoy anyway, and especially for someone who proclaimed to be a King. She flicked her eyes in the direction of the elder Malfoys, certain that they would share her opinion, but they seemed only half-aware of the conversation. Their attention was again absorbed by the creatures they were holding; Astoria couldn't fathom the appeal.
"Did you actually have some questions for us," Draco asked, though he made no effort to look away from his wife, "or do we need to request a different reporter? This interview is important to us, and if you can't be relied upon to do the job you were sent here to do then I suggest you not waste our time and tell us now."
Astoria glared at him. It was obvious to her now that this meeting wasn't going to turn out the way she'd anticipated, she could only hope to get something useful from the day and turn it into her editor. "Apologies, your Majesty" she drawled sarcastically, not taking her eyes off the man she'd once upon a time dreamed to call husband. She straightened her posture. "Of course I have questions, I know that our readers are very interested in understanding the progression of your relationship. As a fellow Hogwarts student I think it's safe to say that the two of you openly despised each other for most of your time at school."
She was momentarily caught off guard by the fact that neither half of the couple seemed perturbed by the observation. She had been sure that their behavior towards each other would have been a source of embarrassment for them, but she plodded onward; she was a professional after all, and as much as she hated that, she was certain her journalistic instincts would see her through this.
"Perhaps you could explain to us what first drew you to her Highness?" She tried to keep the contempt she felt for the other witch subtle as she asked the question, open hostility had gotten her nowhere.
Draco smirked, it was an expression that had often been discussed in the Slytherin girls' dorms, the source of endless fantasizing. He had been desirable from the day he'd entered Hogwarts and had only grown increasingly so as the years had passed; she felt herself sitting on the edge of her seat, and slipping back easily into old habits as she waited for his answer.
"My Queen is the most brilliantly cunning little witch you'll ever meet. Looking back on it I think that I was gone from the moment she befriended the wizard my eleven year old self considered to be his greatest enemy" he sighed, bringing Hermione's hand to his lips and gracing her knuckles with his affection; Astoria tried not to retch. "She was absolutely fascinating to me," he continued, "and I haven't been able to look away from her ever since."
Astoria snorted quietly and got comfortable in her chair. She was obviously going to be here a while if this was the tale they planned on spinning.