on the surface, the two couldn't have been more different.
he was cruel, arrogant, and cold; she was quiet, mellow, and kind.
however, the two students would soon be made aware of how they wore matching scars on their skin and in their souls.
//
"...
An owl beat its wings against her bedroom window, and Lorelei hurried to open it. Summer was rapidly slipping by, and it was nearly over now, but Lorelei still hadn't received her Hogwarts letter that year. Hopefully there was just a slight delay because of Dumbledore's passing, and this would be her letter now.
Lorelei flung open her window and grabbed the letter on the owl's side rather aggressively. She was a bit overeager to receive news of any sort — she hadn't heard from anyone in months, and her worry grew every day that they sent her nothing. She had no idea how to reach them other than continue to send letters, but their silence made her concerned that it might no longer be a safe mode of communication.
Hopefully they could explain everything at Hogwarts.
She finally got the letter free from the unfamiliar owl and flipped it over to see who it was from. She had looked for the Hogwarts crest with a slight smile on her face, but she quickly realized this wasn't from Hogwarts.
It was from Theo.
Lorelei tore into the letter with panic constricting her chest. She had been having awful nightmares about him and Draco lately, so seeing some form of communication from one of them nearly brought her to tears. Did this mean Theo was okay?
Hello angel,
I'm sorry for my silence in the past months. Things have gone from bad to terribly, terribly worse in our world. That is why you have not received your Hogwarts letter, and it is why you will not be receiving it this year at all.
Death eaters have taken over the ministry and the school. They aren't allowing Muggle-borns back, and everyone fears for the worst for this upcoming school year. Frankly, you'll be safer if you stay far away from Hogwarts for now.
I know you also probably haven't heard from Draco. I saw him last week. He's alive, but it's not good. Dozens of death eaters have broken out of Azkaban, and Draco's father was one of them.
All of us are in danger while Voldemort lives, and I fear for you and Gran every day.
I visited once two weeks ago. I briefly stopped by your Gran's and watched as the two of you cooked supper in your kitchen. You didn't look like yourself. I'm sorry if I played a part in that, and I'm sorry I couldn't have stayed or even said hello. I couldn't attract too much attention to you, so I left as quickly as I came.
My father and I are going to go into hiding until the school year begins. As a pureblood family, death eaters have been tracking us down to join their ranks, but we want no part in all of that. So I'm sorry I won't be able to receive a letter from you in response.
Please stay safe, Lorelei, because I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you.
Theo Nott
After reading this letter over three times, Lorelei wept. She hadn't felt grief like this in years, and she hoped it wouldn't swallow her whole this time.
—
"I don't want to go, Gran. It's not safe... Nowhere is safe," Lorelei pleaded.
She was absently stirring her oatmeal around in her bowl while she wished to be eating breakfast in the Great Hall before her first Transfiguration lesson today, not eating at Gran's dining table before her first day back at Muggle school in more than five years.
"I think it's best, Leilee. You need something to occupy you from your worries," Gran said while bustling around the kitchen to make cups of tea for her and Lorelei.
"Draco is in terrible shape, and he needs me. I need to do something to help him. His father... I can't even imagine how terrible it is now that his father's returned." Lorelei put her face in her hands and tried to withhold her tears.
"And you will help him eventually, but there is nothing you can do now, Leilee. You must wait."
Gran was trying to be reassuring, but nothing could console Lorelei. Her chest ached constantly, and there was this strange, heavy feeling there that periodically got worse and then improved. Somehow, she knew this meant her soulmate was suffering, but she couldn't explain how she knew this to be true.
"He's probably back at Hogwarts now, so I need to get back there."
"But you didn't receive your letter. Doesn't that mean you can't get in?" Gran set the tea in front of Lorelei and took the seat across from her. She watched her granddaughter nervously; it was clear Lorelei was in pain and felt desperate to get back to her soulmate.
"Those death eaters shouldn't have gotten in, so I just need to find their path in and use it," Lorelei decided. She sat up straighter with this declaration. Yes. She could find their path and get in.
"Won't the...death eaters be guarding this path? Won't that be dangerous for you, mon rayon de soleil?"
Gran didn't feel like drinking her tea anymore. She was consumed by panic at the thought of Lorelei waltzing into a place full of people who hated her simply because her parents didn't have magic.
Lorelei thunked her head down on the table beside her uneaten oatmeal and cried, "I can't do this anymore! I need something."
A sudden thud at the kitchen window startled Lorelei back into a sitting position. She stared at the window in fear. There was an owl fluttering there, and she suddenly felt ice invade her veins. That wasn't Theo's family owl, nor was it Draco's, and uncertainty in a time of war always had the potential to lead to death.
The bird had a letter attached to its leg, and it kept thudding against the window until Lorelei finally inched closed and slightly propped open the glass. "What news do you bring?"
She removed the letter and watched apprehensively as the owl flew off. The letter was in an official ministry envelope. After what Theo said, she didn't like that the ministry knew her home address anymore.
"What is it?" Gran wondered and started to rise from her seat.
Lorelei swallowed hard and tore open the seal. She pulled out the thin parchment and wondered if Gran could hear her heart simultaneously speed up and shatter all at once.
It was her soulmate letter for the year, and Slytherin was printed neatly across the page. It was confirmation, but it was also a horrible reminder of the experiences that should have been hers that morning with Draco.
With the letter clutched to her chest, Lorelei sunk to the floor and cried.
//
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