by your side. [ d. malfoy ]

➵ | thirty- one, the newspaper says it all

"I'M RITA SKEETER"

the woman shook all of their hands, starting with cedric, who was standing next to thana. "i write for the daily prophet. but of course you know that, don't you?" thana shook her head but rita didn't notice it. "it's you we don't know. you're the juicy news. what quirks lurk beneath those rosy cheeks?" she held her hand against fleur's cheek, moving on to cedric next. "what mysteries do the muscles mask? does courage lie beneath those curls?" she went through cedrics hair and was now standing behind thana, slowly placing a strand of her dark brown hair behind her ear like draco had done the day before. "what is hiding behind the attitude?" thana stepped away, "in short, what makes a champion thick? me, myself and i want to know. not to mention my rabid readers. so, who's feeling up to sharing?"

thana didn't feel like sharing at all. they had just taken some pictures and she already felt like the bright flash would expose her secrets. but she had somehow ended up being the first one to get interviewed. "thana potter. thana merlin." rita started, the pencil immediately wrote it down. "just thana is fine." rita nodded and leaned in a bit, "it must've been hard for you to find out your brother isn't actually your brother. all alone, no parents or known family." thana shrugged, "my friends will always have my back, i've been staying at the malfoys and i'm okay with not knowing who my real parents are." rita seemed to be disappointed but smiled slightly after something was written down. "malfoy? aren't you and blaise zabini dating? or did you two break up after your fight yesterday? or was it because he saw you and malfoy? or did pansy have somethng to do with this?" the questions kept coming and thana wildly shook her head. "we're still together, our relationship is fine and none of your business." Rita's eyes seemed to change, they went full gossip girl mode and thana got more angry with every word the woman said. "how about your other friends? trevor? hailey? cedric?"

"bloody hell i hate that woman!" thana complained to the other champions. her and harry had decided to forget all the fights, they had to stick together in this. they all agreed with her and went back to their common rooms after that. "thana, what the hell did you tell that woman?" blaise, who had been waiting for his girlfriend, asked her. thana gave him a confused look and started reading the paper he had thrown at her.

THANA MERLIN, POTTER OR MAYBE SOON TO BE DIGGORY?

the young slytherin had been chosen to be a triwizard champion. she's only fourteen years old but has been through so much already, while i, rita skeeter, was interviewing this beautiful girl i couldn't help but notice how her eyes often wandered around the room, dreaming of a more simple and less painful life. those eyes had seen some cruel things, hiding hundreds of secrets. but when i asked the girl about her friends, one of them being hufflepuff champion cedric diggory, those eyes lit up. a shining passion for the boy she cannot have. "what are you afraid of?" i asked her, "losing the boy i love the most. i never wanted to enter the tournament, i wanted to sit and cheer on cedric." she answered. she didn't say much about her current, or past? relationship with fellow slytherin blaise zabini, who had been spotted with pansy parkinson during this interview.

thana also doesn't know her parents, she found out gryffindor champion harry potter wasn't her real brother just a few months ago and is still devastated about it. "not knowing who my parents are is killing me, i've never felt the love a mother gives to their daughter, i've never felt the safe feeling a father gives to their daughter. i've never felt happiness."

thana threw the paper on the floor, "are you kidding me? do you actually believe this bullshit?" blaise looked down, "it looks pretty real to me!" the brown haired girl scoffed, "i don't believe the pansy part either, this woman is a liar blaise." blaise let out a shaky breath, "what if she isn't? i should've told you but pansy and i made out last week and kissed again during the interview." his voice was barely above a whisper but thana heard every single word he said. and so did draco.

AUTHORSNOTE

lol rip blaise and thana's relationship.