'Picture perfect'

‘‘Hey.’‘ Victoire couldn’t help it. She overheard Diana Nott’s conceited little voice ask for her fiance, Scorpius Malfoy, and her eyes widened like buzzed. It was too early in the morning for that sort of information, especially since she decided to tag along at some tired party as soon as Jonathan Marks’ event went downhill. With two hours of sleep on board, she decided to do the decent thing and visit her family and whoever got hurt the other night. Some statements to fish, shreds of compassion to throw at the ones she was supposed to love more - it was a win-win by default. 

Yet, Diana Nott’s words struck a different way. Firstly, it implied that her fake fiance was her real fiance, which was trouble on many grounds. She didn’t want to be the woman to do the same thing twice to Diana. She suddenly didn’t want in that narrative a lot, and pride was burning in her chest like a bad cough. Knowing it was best to turn on her heels and go back to forgetting how to spell Scorpius Malfoy’s name, she still couldn’t help it, defeated by curiosity. Knowing better than to take a claim at the title of that pale boy’s fiancee, she simply approached Diana like a concerned friend, at best. 

Victoire knew how she looked like, playing the role of the concerned friend, but it was the best she could do, since she wanted to know. Approaching Diana was more difficult than she thought, though. Firstly, she cleared her throat. ‘’What happened to… quote your fiance, Scorpius Malfoy unquote? Was he in the fight?’’ 

@betternott​

Despite the fact that Diana didn’t know Victoire Weasley well, she didn’t like her. What she knew of her was enough for her to know that. Nor did she trust her. How could she? She was the woman Marc cheated on her with after all. The reason her betrothal was broken and she was made out to look like a fool. Her name still left a bitter taste in Diana’s mouth, even if she was over Marc by now. An act like that was not something that she could forgive. Or forget for that matter. 

Diana paused, deciding if her pride or her concern for Scorpius outweighed in this situation. She hadn’t slept at all, waiting for any news from Scorpius. Thank merlin that there were beautification spells or she’d look a mess. “As far as I know, yes. He was in the middle of proposing to me when he suddenly vanished. I need- i need to find him. He needs to take his potions...” Her voice broke a little at the end but she did her best to keep her composure, especially in front of Victoire. 

Poppy could’ve hexed the girl. No spells had thrown through the air - yet. But there was still an obvious tension in the air that she was just waiting to snap. Poppy also had her own people to find - Nerissa, Lucy, Alexzander. Diana was the first person she saw, though, and she doubted the pink princess was nearly as worried about defense at the moment as she should’ve been. “I need to find people, too. We can both look. Just stick with me so no one hexes your pretty face and ruins your career, okay?”

@attitude-mayte-vary @betternott @pridefulpuff

It happened instantly. She was expecting some regrets and drama after midnight, but she wasn’t expecting it so soon. The need to be even remotely professional vanished along with at least half of the party guests. It didn’t take a genius to deduce that wherever they’d gone, it wasn’t going to be pretty once anyone else found their way there. It was only because there were enough familiar faces still present that Poppy didn’t immediately get on a broom and start in whatever direction came to mind. “Shit’s definitely gonna go down,” she declared, though the peace at the hotel hadn’t yet broken. “Stay with me.”

Diana smiling obliviously instead of jumping to conclusions made his job a lot harder. She couldn’t have the decency to accuse him of trying to break up with her so he could fault her for assuming and take the defensive from the beginning, could she? She couldn’t guess other bad news, so he knew she was prepared, or even guess the truth so he didn’t have to actually say it and could just skip to sorry?

His nerves weren’t any better by the time they made it to the door to the balcony–door he didn’t open because he could see through the glass the gold shoulder decorations of Colin’s jacket and the bright red of Roxanne’s dress, and that was not an audience he wanted. So he turned right there to face her, back to the balcony.

“So obviously this isn’t the best place or time,” he began babbling, already sorry on top of other regrets if anyone would overhear, though he kept his voice down. Maybe it was better this way though. Diana couldn’t make a scene if they weren’t  alone, and though he should give her that chance, he couldn’t say it wasn’t a part he’d like to skip. “I should have done this in Paris. I wanted to do it in Paris that first night. I was going to. You remember when I told you to sit down on the couch in the suite and I wanted to have a serious conversation before I went back to my room…and then you told me that I didn’t have to go back to my room and there went all thought about serious conversation out the window.” He was a bit wry at the last, though it was yet another nail in his coffin that he hadn’t come clean that first night and he was even jokingly trying to shift blame for that to Diana.

“I’d wait for a good moment, but there isn’t going to be a good moment. and I need to just say it…unless you really think this isn’t a good time for a conversation.” He was talking around himself in circles, changing his mind when it was already too late, “Probably can wait a little bit longer until after midnight, right? Because it’s going to change some things between us and we should just be Scorpius and Diana tonight, right?” Why did he have to be a motormouthed drunk tonight?

The endearing look in her eyes when she looked at him was obvious even to a stranger. Diana was besotted, looking at him through rose colored glasses. “A party full of people I can tell this to later is the perfect time. You know how i like being the center of attention.” It was a known fact about her. Telling everyone she would start the new year engaged was everything she dreamed of. While they weren’t dating for so long, the concept of dating at all was foreign to her, which is why she thought they were together long enough that this wasn’t rushed or sudden. They went on a romantic get away in Paris and got along great there. They were ready to take the next step. Her eyes widened when he said he wanted to propose the first night in Paris. Why didn’t he? She pushed those thoughts to the side. It didn’t matter. At least he was going to do it now. That was what mattered. Diana blushed when he reminded her about the first night they spent together. It was perfect. 

“I think it’s a great time. I’m ready.” Diana knew what he was going to say. Or at least she thought she did. “Calm down. Take a deep breath. I think it’s the perfect moment. Don’t worry about it.” She thought he was nervous about proposing to her and finding the right words, but she knew that he would do great and if not, she’d just tell everyone how great and romantic it was. No one needed to know that he was nervous if he didn’t want them to. She’d cover for him and paint him in the way she saw him as. Her prince in shining armour. “I know the thought of it scares you, but you don’t have to worry about anything. We’re in this together. I love you. We’re ready for this next step in our relationship. Of course, it’s going to change some things and it will take time for you to adjust to it, but I know you can do it. Change is good. Especially this one. Mother will be so happy.”  She continued smiling none the wiser that this wasn’t what he planned on saying at all. “I’m sorry. I’m just really excited. I’ll be quiet now. You can propose.”

It was almost midnight. Three people had told him in the past five minutes he should find Diana, offhand or joking though for some reason it grated all the more. Don’t want to leave her alone at midnight. Like she was the one to worry about. Like it even would matter if someone else kissed her at midnight. Like he could  have a right to be upset about her kissing someone else even if it wasn’t on New Year’s Eve. 

Scorpius was a little unsteady at that point, though probably not to the extent he felt. The drinks he’d had churned his stomach, going straight to acid, which was nothing new either, just another lesson he never learned. He was carrying another drink, just a flute of champagne this time though. You couldn’t flout tradition.

He did find Diana, pink beacon that she was, or she found him. Next to her, everything, everyone else in the room paled, and every other cliche in the book, angelic halo appearing around her quite possibly included. That moment at least. It made the words that had bubbled up several times that past week at different moments finally find their voice.  

“Dot, we need to talk.” He very nearly visibly cringed at himself. All the words in the world, and he had to choose those in that order. Things weren’t quite that dire. “I have something I need to say,” he amended. “Come on out to the balcony with me.” 

@betternott​

Despite Olivier’s words to her earlier in the night she chose to stay at the party instead of running away back to the Manor. She didn’t understand why he was so panicked, choosing in her naivity to put her trust into Scorpius. She still believed that if he had any doubt about tonight just being harmless fun that they would have gone and spent New Years somewhere else. He would not have put her or himself in danger like that. 

When it was nearing midnight she chose to go looking for him, excited that this was the first New Years she was spending with someone in a romantic sense. She wanted to ring the new year in with Scorpius, kiss him at midnight, the whole spiel. 

Him saying they needed to talk didn’t worry her, she didn’t notice that his tone was slightly off and that he wasn’t smiling. Instead she misinterpreted it as him being nervous about something else entirely. In her mind they were in a great place in their relationship at the moment. The only thing that would make it better was a ring on her finger. “Sure.” She was excited, her smile widening as she followed him outside. 

“Foot,” he succinctly gave the reminder and excuse that he tended to go off balance still sometimes with his prosthetic when carrying anything significant when he hadn’t tuned the spells on the false foot recently enough. “Never mind. You’re ready to make an entrance now, right? Make everyone else jealous?”

“I still don’t doubt you.” Diana trusted Scorpius and she knew how little she weighed, it should not be an issue at all if it came to it. “I am ready, let’s do this.” 

“It was a joke,” he reassured her, the agreement with the logic of it setting less well than if she would have protested. “I wouldn’t have done that. Picked you up and carried you out the door? Maybe, if I didn’t have to worry about dropping you. I wouldn’t have left you. “

“Oh, of course. I figured it would be.” She smiled, her good mood returning at once. Diana really needed to get better at picking up when he was joking and when he was being serious. Scorpius was one of the people she trusted the most. “You wouldn’t drop me, I am very light for my height.”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s why I suggested we meet here instead of me picking you up. This way, we can pretend I wouldn’t have been asshole enough to leave you behind if you made me wait, and there’s no fight to put the evening off to a bad start.”

“Good things come to those who wait. I cannot be rushed. Perfection takes time, you know?” She teased, ignoring that he just said that he would’ve left her behind if he needed to wait for too long. That simply wouldn’t do. “I suppose that does make some sense...”