Under the Willow Tree | Draco Malfoy

chapter 54: i love you too, mean boy

Lorelei Jones | 5th Year

The three of them did everything Lorelei had hoped they would. After eating Gran's delicious soup, Gran and Lorelei put on their favorite Christmas radio station, and they all made cookies together. Draco had been a little frazzled at first and kept apologizing profusely for any minor mistake or ignorance during the process of making the sugar cookies, but Gran just shook her head and laughed every time.

Lorelei didn't understand where this change of heart came from, but she was grateful for it. She wanted Gran and Draco to get along more than anything.

While the cookies were baking, Draco helped Gran and Lorelei hang decorations in the spots they couldn't reach, and Lorelei proudly gave Draco two ornaments she had made just for him to put on the tree. One was a silver ball with a forest green snake hand drawn in. It wasn't anything spectacular — Lorelei thought it looked more like a child did it than anything — but Draco had teared up when she gave it to him.

However, the waterfalls truly came loose when she gave him the other ornament. This one had taken considerably longer for her to make, but she adored the final product. She had sketched the Draco constellation in white on a plain black ornament, and she had drawn in another "constellation" on the back that was one she had created. It was formulated to look like an L to represent herself, but it didn't look forced in her opinion. It was a delicate collection of paint-created stars, but the powerful implications of it shocked Draco into silence.

"Our love is kind of written in the stars I think," Lorelei explained while Draco gaped at it. "I thought it was a good way to memorialize how I felt about you and I. I'm not exactly the best with words, so I hope...I hope that you like it."

This was the point at which Draco began bawling. He had tugged her in close and buried his face in her neck in an attempt to better conceal his uncontainable cries.

Gran was luckily in the kitchen to prepare some tea for the three of them, so she didn't witness Draco's vulnerable moment. Lorelei knew it would have made it so much harder on him if he had cried in front of her too.

Draco placed these two ornaments next to one another and encased Lorelei's proclaimed favorite ornament. It was ceramic and made to look like a small bouquet of purple wildflowers. Lorelei's dad had given it to her on their last Christmas together, so it was one of the belongings she treasured most.

For once, Lorelei felt okay -- felt happy -- letting someone into the most personal parts of her life, although she truthfully never thought she would.

--

"Do you want to play this muggle game called twenty questions?" Lorelei asked at some point that night. They were stuffed full of sweet cookies and hot tea, and she was sleepy from the excitement of the day, but she didn't want to go to sleep because that would limit the time she could spend with Draco.

Draco was currently laying on the floor beside the couch with his arms behind his head. He was staring up at the twinkling, golden lights they had strung across the ceiling earlier that evening. As Lorelei predicted, Gran was very pleased to have him there to help with the task. It always made her nervous when Lorelei climbed up on chairs and the couches to string up the decorations that would be way above their heads.

While Lorelei had been admiring their décor, Gran had sent Draco a pleased smile. She didn't let her granddaughter see this look of approval, but Gran knew to give credit where it was due.