Wonder // Draco Malfoy

44. Interview

"How long have you been together?" Rita Skeeter asks, crossing her legs and taking a sip of butter beer. Draco grabs my hand and rests them, intertwined, in his lap while linking our arms together.

"We've been together a few months. He asked right before the Yule Ball," I reply. I try hard to not stutter but I can't help but to feel nervous. She's interrogated me about tasks before, but never anything as personal as this. Rita delights at my answer.

"Ah, to be young and in love again! How long have you had feelings for the adorable Hogwarts champion?" She asks, leaning closer to Draco.

His face turns a slight shade of pink. "Longer than she knows," he replies. This earns another squeal from the journalist. Even in silence, the quill squiggles through the air.

"And how does it feel to have the girl you adore facing life-threatening tasks?"

My jaw drops slightly in shock; what a turn in questioning! I look to Draco and expect a smirk and a remark about how he's taught me everything, but he isn't smiling at all.

"It's terrible. I can't sleep or eat before the tasks - I can hardly stand to look at her before them because I'm terrified it'll be the last time I see her."

Rita let's out a sigh of sympathy. Her expression is one of pity. She turns to me now and I hold my breath and wait for the question she has for me. "Valentine. What a beautiful name. How has dating been, since you only have a muggle father to go to for advice?"

My eyes widen; I'm actually shocked that she would bring something like that up. "And knowing that your future father-in-law values wizards that are pure blood, how have you coped?"

Draco squeezes my hand to remind me to calm down before I speak. I look at him and we exchange a look before I continue. "Well, we're not engaged yet, so he's technically not my future father-in-law."

Only after I replied did I realize what just came out of my mouth. Just a small word that I hoped Rita hadn't picked up on. I mentally hit myself for using the word yet. Which means it will happen in the future, or at least I think it will. I just doomed this whole conversation. I've never thought about marriage and by Draco's reaction - his eyes widened and the color drained from his face - he also had never thought of it. If I could use the death spell on myself at this time, I would.

Rita's quill moves faster than ever before. "Does this mean there is a hopeful future for our little champion and her handsome boyfriend?"

I can only stare with my mouth open. I quickly close it in case vomit falls out, because that's how I'm feeling right now. This is the second time I've embarrassed myself in front of Draco with my feelings. Why couldn't a merperson drown me when they had the chance?

Draco quickly recovers my idiotic statement. "There isn't a thing on this planet that could come in between us," he says. I can still see a bit of shock on his face, but he's masking very well. "And just excuse Valentine, she hasn't slept or eaten well in days."

He tries to look at me again but I avoid his gaze, wishing I were anywhere but here right now. "It's quite alright sweetheart! Rest well now. You can expect to see your cute little faces in tomorrows edition!"

We say our goodbyes and she leaves, most likely wanting to find another champion to embarrass. I finally turn to look at Draco and he is already looking at me with a smirk. "We're not engaged yet, eh?"

I groan and stand. I keep my head down as I make my way back to my friends and I plop down in my seat again. My face hits the table hard and I cover my head with my arms to shield myself from any more situations where I could say something as stupid as that. I can hear the chair next to me scrape against the floor as Draco sits next to me. He tells my best friends everything that happened and they gasp.

"It's okay, Valentine! At least you didn't say like, the color of your underwear or something," Rue soothes, putting her hand on mine. "And I'm sure everyone will root for you since you're being made as the sweetheart of the champions."

"Exactly! Who doesn't love a good romance story?" Marcus adds. Draco pats my back soothingly as I slowly find the courage to look up at them. "I mean, surely you aren't that embarrassed that you declared how much you fancy your boyfriend to the woman who is capable of sharing it with the rest of the wizard world!"

I look to Draco with a pout on my face and his hand finds my forehead as he rubs where the red mark is growing. "It was really cute, actually," Draco says. I narrow my eyes in response.

"You looked terrified that I said it!" I half-scream, lowering my voice when I see other students turn to look at us. Draco glares at them and once they've turned away, he looks back at me with care.

"I was just shocked, is all," Draco reassures. I rub my forehead, which is pounding now from where I hit my head on the table. "Come on, I'll take you to get some candy and get some fresh air."

I mumble a goodbye to my friends and follow Draco outside, our hands intertwined. When we enter the candy store, many students turn to congratulate me on the task this morning and offer to buy me candy. It's hard for me to say no, so I end up with a large sack of free candy by the time we exit the store. Draco's hand never left mine, even when he threatened boys who were too cheerful or when he paid for the items he bought for me.

Once we're outside, we find a secluded bench and sit down to eat some candy. "You must be exhausted," Draco says, opening a gummy candy and taking a bite as the small bear wriggles for dear life. "And I've thought about your ideal date."

My heart skips a beat at the mention of what I told him my ideal date was. Like an idiot, I blurted out I wanted to have a sleepover with him before I even thought about it. "I wrote to my mother and she said you could spend the first week of summer break at our house."

Draco pulls out an envelope from his inside coat pocket and hands it to me. "Before you read, this is the photo I sent her."

He hands me a photo. It's the photo taken of us kissing before the first task. It's moving, showing Draco looking down at me and telling me to be careful before we embrace each other in a kiss. After staring at the photo for a while, I turn to the note to read it.

Dearest Draco,
It warms my heart to see you so happy. I've been reading the Daily Prophet and looking for your name - I can't help but to smile when I see Valentine's, knowing she's the one that's holding your heart.

I spoke to your father and he has agreed to vacation for the first week you will be back from school. Please invite Valentine, I know you will be safe with her. Please send her greetings, as well.

I miss you, my son. Please be careful. I look forward to seeing you again in The Daily Prophet with Valentine next to you. I love you.

With love,
Mom

I re-read the note a few times. This means his mom approves of our relationship. How is she so different from his father? I hand Draco the letter back and he folds it, puts it in the envelope, and tucks it neatly into his coat pocket again.

"What do you say? Fancy spending a week with your boyfriend for six nights of your ideal date?"

A/N
I promise there won't be smut or anything when Valentine stays with Draco! I just wanted more (non-sexual)  intimacy between the two. And I know Draco is very rude in the books/movies, but I feel he would have a soft spot for his girlfriend so I wanted to show his compassionate side.

Thank you guys for reading!!