Under the Willow Tree | Draco Malfoy

chapter 67: some much-needed dance therapy

Lorelei Jones | 6th Year

It turned out that Theo's friend was Bill Weasley. All of them were shocked when Theo revealed that Bill's hidden home would be their safe haven, but everyone was so scattered and scared that they didn't bother to question it. At least it was a place to stay, and that was all they cared about then.

But as Lorelei and their group approached the small cottage Bill had led Theo to, Lorelei began to have lots of questions. How did Theo and Bill know one another? With so many years between them? And how on bloody earth were all six of them going to cram inside that cottage with Bill and Fleur?

It turned out that the rooms were small but plentiful. Bill had used magic to add on extra rooms so that each person had a bed to sleep in. After receiving an awkward tour from Fleur, who kept stealing worried glances at Draco and Narcissa throughout the whole thing, they quickly decided on the sleeping arrangements.

Lorelei and Luna planned to share the bed in the small tower bedroom Bill and Fleur had added on. The room felt like it was built for a princess with its beautiful view out the windows and fluttering pink sheets on the canopy bed.

Theo and Draco reluctantly decided to share the other guest room with the large bed. They decided since they were already roommates at Hogwarts, it wouldn't be much different. Draco was concerned, however, that Theo might be a bit of a bed hog, but it was always too hard to tell in the dorms since Theo had a habit of disappearing under his pile of blankets and pillows.

This left the two single-bed rooms to Narcissa and Gran, who were both relieved to have their own space. Their beds were miniscule, and they took up most of the space in their rooms despite their small size, but the promise of private space was appealing enough.

So now it was the evening after their long and frightening day, and Lorelei and Luna sat huddled up on their bed in the tower. Luna had earlier found Bill's record player and a record of the Please Please Me album from the Beatles, and she stole them away to their tower for Lorelei.

The girls now had the record player on the small dresser in the corner, and they were reclining on the small bed while they listened, but when Boys came on, Lorelei dragged Luna to her feet. "We have to dance to this one!"

The girls giggled as they spun around the room and danced with one another. They grabbed each other's hands and shook each other around, effectively forgetting about the trauma of the day for a few minutes.

Lorelei was playing the air guitar and gliding around the room when the door in the floor opened to reveal a grinning Theo. He glanced down to someone below him and said, "I was right. They're dancing."

"Come on," Lorelei said. She danced over to Theo and pulled him up into their room by his hands. Lorelei spun him around goofily and laughed as they danced their way about the room.

Draco came into the room tentatively but smiled when he saw how happy Lorelei was. She was giggling delightedly when Theo spun her in a tight circle, and a quiet squeal slipped out of her mouth when he lifted her and flung her onto the bed in a dramatic move. Luna was spinning in a corner of the room while fully extending her arms and moving them in a strange fluid motion to the beat of the song.

After shutting the door to their room again, Draco was dragged into a spin by Lorelei, and he couldn't help but laugh at her energy. Lorelei was only spurred on by the way his eyes crinkled when he looked down at her, so she dragged down one of the billowy curtains tied around the bedpost and twirled it around Draco. He chuckled, and she just fluttered it around him before crushing him into a hug when the song finally ended.

Ask Me Why came on next, and the slower song allowed Lorelei to catch her breath after all of her chaotic dancing. She leaned against Draco while she blew out a couple long breaths and laughed into his chest.

"You two sure seem to be having fun up here," Theo laughed.

"We are," Lorelei said. "We decided to steal this record player and the record from Bill Weasley's stuff for some much-needed dance therapy."

Draco pushed Lorelei out into a slow twirl when he noticed she was starting to sway to the music again. She beamed at him with a smile so wide that she thought her face would surely snap in two. To Draco, her smile was radiant and completely lit up that small tower room. With her near, he felt warm again for the first time in a while.

"Do you know where the bathroom is?" she asked Draco when he pulled her back in after her spin.

He nodded, eager to help her, and reached for the door.

Lorelei smiled back at her friends since she was sure they had heard what she asked and knew she was about to leave for a minute. Luna was still dancing happily in her own world, but Theo was staring at Lorelei with his mouth tipped downward and eyes heavy. When she smiled at him, he smiled back, but his eyes didn't change.

//

After using the bathroom, Lorelei and Draco ventured outside the cottage to sit on the small porch.

It was peaceful outside, and the stillness of it soothed Lorelei's chaotic mind. The only sounds were of tree branches shifting in the wind or the powdery snow skittering across the ground. The air was bitter cold and made their breath materialize with each exhale, but Lorelei wore her coat and a warm hat to block out the chill. Draco shoved his hands into his pockets to protect his already freezing fingers.

In this state, the two of them remained for some time. They sat in silence beside one another with their legs touching and Lorelei's head laying on his shoulder. They watched their breath and listened to the wind. And despite the horrors of that day, Lorelei felt like her world was perfect in that moment.

Draco didn't realize she felt this way and instead interpreted her silence as sadness, and his guilt grew with each passing second. If Lorelei hadn't had to come save him and Luna, her world would be unchanged and safe. She would still have her home.

"I'm really sorry for all of this," Draco said after feeling that the guilt was unmanageable and the silence was suffocating.

"Don't be sorry," Lorelei said. "I would do it all again if it meant I got to save you."

Draco gave a breathy laugh. "Aren't I supposed to be your knight in shining armor?"

"It was my turn to be the knight," Lorelei said simply.

She stared out into the white wonderland of the yard before them, and she hoped Draco understood this. She hoped he accepted it because just as much as he felt a desire to save her, she felt a desire to save him.

"Alright. But it's my turn to save you next."

"Deal."

Draco slowly let himself relax in Lorelei's presence. The crisp winter air filled his lungs while Draco finally let go of the heavy weight that had been resting upon his shoulders. They were hidden here, safe, and the guilt that wanted to drown him was floating away into the soundless night.

//