A/N: Hey again! Here's another update. Shoutout to wladka peters! You said you wanted more, so I'm updating right now. Thanks for the review, this chapter is for you.
Again, reviews are welcomed and appreciated! Without your thoughts, it isn't worth sharing.
Disclaimer: The Harry Potter series and all its characters are copyrighted to and belong to J.K. Rowling. I am simply playing in her sandbox and receive no financial gain from this.
CHAPTER FIVE
Cedric sat awkwardly at the parlour of the Malfoy Manor, looking at the place in awe. Next to him was one of The Daily Prophet's top photographers, William Hastings, who was busy taking pictures after pictures of the rich and elegant room they were in. He shook his head in disbelief; he could easily fit five times the size of his small apartment room in London in just this parlour alone.
He tried to talk to Mr. Hodkins for days about dropping the story, but the editor-in-chief was insistent on him doing it. He could still hear the older man's voice saying, "Or else," over and over again.
They were scheduled to take pictures of the couple and do a short interview about how they met, and let's just say he was not too enthusiastic about it.
He almost fell off his chair when the double doors opened and revealed Draco Malfoy, all dressed up in an elegant suit. "Good morning," the former Slytherin prince said with a well-played smile.
Cedric stood up to greet him back, while William immediately went to business; the camera flashing as he took pictures of the blond haired man.
Draco smirked and turned his back on them, making his way back to the door. He opened it slightly and Cedric heard him say in a quite serious tone, "Pansy, now is not the time to throw a tantrum. Come inside."
Pansy, he thought. She's just outside the door. He glared at Draco's back and clenched his fists, trying to keep himself calm.
He watched as Draco offered his hand at the slightly opened door. He caught his breath when he saw a small, manicured hand take it. A hand he knew all too well, a hand he used to hold a few years ago at Hogwarts.
Pansy walked inside with a straight face and scowled at the sight of him. Was it just him, or were there slightly dark circles around her eyes? Has she been thinking about him, too?
He studied her and was disappointed to see her avoiding his gaze, holding on tighter to Draco's arm. William's camera had been flashing like mad as he took pictures of the couple from different angles, and it took everything in him not to take it from the photographer's hands and smash it to pieces.
Draco tapped Pansy's arm fondly and smiled, "Now, now, soon to be Lady Malfoy. Surely, you are used to interviews."
She smiled at him and took his hand. "I am. I'm just getting used to this whole ordeal, I guess."
They took a seat on one of the many couches, and Cedric looked on as Draco played with Pansy's hand. He took his seat across them and took out a parchment from his bag with a sigh.
He started asking questions, which Draco answered quite professionally. He also went on to relay how he and Pansy were originally arranged to be married when they were twelve, but Pansy called it off sometime when they were seventeen, after the war.
Pansy looked at Draco in alarm when he asked her why she called it off. He pretty much knew the answer but he wanted to hear her say it. He watched as Draco raised his eyebrows at her, clearly waiting for her answer as well.
Pansy sighed and said, "My family wasn't that fond of the whole Death Eater situation." She then laughed awkwardly and looked down at her fingers.
Lies, he thought as he wrote on the parchment with his quill.
Cedric looked at her and his heart jumped when she looked right back at him. It lasted only a few seconds though, since Pansy immediately avoided his gaze afterwards.
Time passed too slowly and he was already feeling jittery. All he wanted was to have it over and done with so that he can go to his room and sleep.
After what seemed like forever, Draco and Pansy stood up, signaling the end of the day. Draco shook his hand in a very businesslike way, and also did the same for William. He nudged Pansy slightly, urging her to do the same.
She remained stoic and shook William's hand, complimenting him about his previous works. After that, she stopped in front of Cedric and offered her hand. "Thank you for coming today, Mr. Diggory," she said once more using her very un-Pansy businesslike tone. "I'm looking forward to seeing the article."
He took her hand in his, letting it linger for a moment more. He was trying his best not to grab her and hold her in his arms and it took all of his willpower not to do so.
"Pansy?" a voice called from behind them. It was Malfoy. Pansy let go of his hand and turned towards her fiancé with a smile. "Yes?" she said.
"We should get going. Mother asked us to attend a function today."
Cedric watched as she walked towards Draco, and placed her hand on his arm. They said their goodbyes to them and left the room, whispering at each other.
She didn't even bother to look at him before they left.
"They make a good couple," William remarked as he reviewed the pictures he took. Cedric sighed. They sure do, he thought.