Written for Hogwarts Challenges & Assignments - Term 14, Assignment 10 - Demonology, Task #2: Alt. Write about someone having a makeover.

A Fresh Start

"Should I be nervous?" Cedric asked, gazing at Pansy Parkinson with no small amount of trepidation. The dark-haired former Slytherin was circling him, scanning his body with a critical expression that made him want to put his shirt back on.

"Nervous?" She arched her brow. "You have decent bone structure and a set of abs that you should really spend more time showing off, Diggory. All that's left for me to do is make a few tweaks to your wardrobe"—she eyed his hair and her nose wrinkled slightly—"and maybe style your hair better. By the time I'm finished, well, let's just say witches will treat you like one of those Long-Lasting Lollies."

Cedric shot her a puzzled look, and she rolled her eyes.

"Do I have to spell it out for you? They'll keep coming back to suck your—"

"Right, I get it now!" Cedric said hastily, his cheeks flaming. He had always known that he held a certain appeal with the opposite sex, but Pansy's words promised something more. They promised sex appeal. They promised reinvention. They promised a fresh start.

Cedric desperately needed a fresh start. After his near-death experience in the Triwizard Tournament, he had been the subject of great public scrutiny—everyone wanted to know how it felt to see his life flash before his eyes, how grateful he was to have a "second lease on life." Their fascination was downright morbid, and Cedric was sick of it.

Enter fashionista Pansy Parkinson and her renowned makeover skills. She hadn't batted an eyelash when Cedric told her what he was trying to achieve. She merely asked if he knew what he was getting himself into, then had him sign a contract to ensure that he wouldn't sue her if he was unhappy with her results.

Cedric didn't think he would be displeased with her results, though. She had a long list of success stories, including one Gregory Goyle, who was now an extremely sought-after bachelor.

"I'll ask you one last time, Diggory," Pansy said. "Are you sure you want to do this? Are you ready for the ultimate makeover?"

Cedric nodded at his reflection in the gilded mirror. "Yeah. If this gets people to stop focusing on the Triwizard debacle, it'll be worth it."

Pansy pulled out her wand and gave it a flick. A rack of clothes rolled itself over to her and she began to rifle through them, muttering under her breath as she did so. "Too tacky, serial killer vibe, can't pull it off with that chin…"

Cedric frowned and examined his chin in the mirror, trying to figure out what she meant even as she continued to peruse clothing options for him.

"Oh, this will do nicely," he heard her say, and his head snapped over to her. She was holding a charcoal grey three piece suit, which had been paired with a white dress shirt and skinny black tie. Seeing that he was looking at her, she added, "This will bring out those gorgeous eyes of yours."

Cedric nodded again and she handed him the outfit with an order to try it on immediately.

"Right here?" he asked, biting his lip.

"So modest," she grumbled. "Your scruples are completely at odds with your physique. That body deserves to be gazed at, Diggory. Stop hiding it away."

"Thanks, I think." Cedric draped the jacket and vest over the back of an armchair and began to strip off his trousers, still feeling embarrassed. He avoided looking at Pansy while he pulled the suit trousers on. "Well? Do they look...okay?"

Pansy surprised him by letting out a chuckle. "I need to see all the garments on you before I give my verdict."

His cheeks burned again, and he ducked his head as he began to put the shirt on. His limbs suddenly felt heavy when he went to put his arms through the sleeves—he wondered how anyone would find him sexy if he couldn't even be trusted to put a shirt on properly. Thankfully, Pansy didn't make a snarky comment about it, even when his fingers slipped doing up the buttons.

She had picked up the vest while he was preoccupied with the buttons on the shirt.

"It'll be faster this way," she said impatiently. "Hold your arm out."

He did as she commanded, and she slipped the vest on and deftly did up the buttons in less than a minute.

"You're fast," he commented.

"I've had practice," she shrugged. A second later, she sent him a wicked grin. "I've also had practice undoing buttons, you know."

Cedric didn't doubt that, but he couldn't think of a witty response, so he settled for a small smile to show that he understood her this time.

Pansy slipped the tie around his neck and busied herself with tying it for him. Now that she was closer to him, he noted that her perfume smelled like freshly-cut lavender.

"Done." Pansy stepped back and reached for the suit jacket, but he beat her to it and shrugged it on without issue, much to his relief.

He spent a moment fussing with his tie and shirt, making sure they were smoothed down and tucked in before turning back to Pansy. "Now what do you think?"

She gave him the same critical once-over that she had earlier. He held his breath, bracing himself for a negative response, but she clapped her hands and said, "That's perfect. The cut is very flattering, and the color makes your eyes pop." Her gaze drifted up to his head. "Your hair still needs some work, though."

Cedric exhaled slowly. He could handle a new hairstyle—he had kept it in the same long, floppy style he had favored at Hogwarts because it had never occurred to him to try something different.

"That's fine. Whatever you think looks best," he told her.

She twirled her wand between her fingers for a moment before casting a hair-styling spell. Cedric closed his eyes as a light breeze ruffled his hair. He wanted to be surprised by the final result.

"Merlin, no," Pansy tutted. She must have cast the spell again, because Cedric felt another gentle wind move through his hair. A second later, the witch announced, "That's more like it."

Cedric slowly opened his eyes and felt his hands fly to his mouth. He barely recognized his reflection—the sharp suit and tousled hair were quite unlike anything he had ever sported before.

Pansy had one last wardrobe fix for him. "Put these on," she said, handing him a pair of black patent Oxfords. "I've charmed them to fit your foot."

Cedric slipped the shoes onto his feet and allowed Pansy to tie them with another flick of her wand.

"Now we get the full effect." Pansy moved to stand beside him, watching him stare at himself. "How do you feel?"

"Slightly stunned," Cedric admitted, his voice quiet. "But I also feel like a totally different person, and that's what I wanted. That's why I came to you, and you surpassed my expectations. Pansy...I can't thank you enough. Truly."

She waved a hand at him, but he caught the small smile playing at her lips. "Save it for your testimonial, darling."

Cedric grinned. He couldn't wait to show the new and improved Cedric Diggory to the world. Once everyone saw that he had moved on to bigger and better things, hopefully they would too.

Word count: 1,237