Under the Willow Tree | Draco Malfoy

chapter 53: that's how i got the scars

Lorelei Jones | 5th Year

After Gran promised to give Draco a chance, Lorelei latched her hand onto his and cheered, "Wonderful! We're going to eat supper first and decorate after."

Draco blinked in surprise at this shift back into English, but Lorelei didn't give him much time to process. She dragged him into the house behind her with a beaming grin. He noticed the way she visibly relaxed once she crossed the threshold of the home, and this made him feel special. Lorelei trusted him enough to bring him into her safe place.

Did he really deserve that?

"Do you like it? This is just the entryway, but we have a cozy living room that way, and the kitchen is great for baking cookies in. Gran's bedroom is down that hallway, and there is a bathroom down there as well, and I'll show you my bedroom later!" Lorelei ranted as she walked backwards to gauge all of Draco's reactions. He was smiling more by the second. Seeing Lorelei's sweet joy was filling him up with warmth.

Gran moved past them, her scowl softening when she saw and heard Lorelei's liquid joy consuming the room. Her granddaughter was back, and her home felt full again for the first time in months.

"Once you finish showing him around, mon rayon de soleil, I want your opinion on how this soup tastes," Gran said and tugged her hair back into a clip to get it out of her eyes. Draco blinked. He had started to assume that maybe Gran just didn't speak much English, but her perfectly phrased English sentence made him realize his assumption was wildly incorrect. He'd have to ask Lorelei what they were talking about later.

"Of course! Although I'm sure your soup is perfect," Lorelei chirped and then dragged Draco further down the hall with a beaming smile. Gran moved back into the kitchen, and Lorelei drew Draco closer. "Translation: she called me her ray of sunshine."

A wide smile filled Draco's face. "And how do you say that again?"

"Mon rayon de soleil," Lorelei enunciated.

"Mon rayon de soleil," Draco repeated, smugly smiling when Lorelei enthusiastically nodded at him. He tugged her into his side and brushed her hair out of her face to see her blush as he asked, "And that's her nickname for you, princess?"

"Well, yes. That, and sometimes she calls me Leilee," Lorelei said, blushing wildly at Draco's nickname, just as he expected.

Draco brushed his fingertips over her cheekbones and trailed them down and over the edge of her jawline. He used this new position of his hand to lift her chin and bring her eyes to his again. He teased her, "All of these nicknames, and you've never given me one."

"Ma moitié," Lorelei blurted and then immediately averted her eyes. Draco hummed and smiled widely. Lorelei chewed on her lip and gathered up her courage.

"I can call you ma moitié, which means my other half... If that's okay with you of course," Lorelei said with a hopeful smile yet embarrassment was spelled out in her round eyes.

Draco pulled her face up to his, his breath fanning against her lips, and Lorelei temporarily forgot how to breathe.

"That's the most perfect nickname I've ever heard," he whispered against her mouth.

Lorelei smiled and rolled onto her toes, effectively connecting their lips. Her hands snaked their way into the hair at the base of Draco's neck, a bold action that surprised both of them, but they quickly moved past their shock when his hands fell onto the groove of her hips. He drew her in deeper.

They couldn't get enough of each other, so delighted to be reunited after that heart-wrenching fight at the end of last year, but the sound of Gran clanging a pot around in the kitchen forced them apart. They didn't exactly fancy the idea of Gran walking in on them making out. Draco was already on thin ice, so Gran didn't need any more ammunition to hate him.