Under the Willow Tree | Draco Malfoy

chapter 54: i love you too, mean boy

Lorelei was bundled up under a mountain of blankets Draco had covered her up with once she got cold after finishing her tea earlier. She was completely hidden under them other than her face that peeked out from the covers. She sleepily blinked down at Draco, smiling when he trailed his eyes over to her.

He slowly smiled when he saw the adorable scene in front of him. Lorelei was adorable without even trying, and this drew Draco in. Her soft smiles and messy hair stole his breath and his heart. And, in the dim light on that Christmas Eve night, Draco knew.

"Sure, princess. How do we play?" he asked. He tilted his head to the side when she took a couple tired beats to answer.

"One person asks a question, and the other has to answer honestly. Then, we switch, and the other person asks. We do this until we each have asked twenty questions."

Draco nodded. He was nervous at the thought of answering personal questions about himself, but there wasn't anyone he would rather be vulnerable with than his soulmate.

"I'll start us off easy. What's your favorite creature or animal?" Lorelei wondered. She shifted slightly to get into a more comfortable position under the blankets. She reveled in the warmth she was receiving from them, but part of her wished Draco could be beside her. No blankets could compare to the feeling of being wrapped up in someone's arms while you slept. Unfortunately, Gran said Draco had to sleep in the living room, so Lorelei planned to lay out there with him until she got too tired and had to head off to her room for the night.

"I'm not sure... Maybe an owl. I care greatly for our family owl," Draco decided. He then looked up at her and poked her nose. "And what about you, princess?"

Lorelei giggled at the nickname and smiled up at the ceiling. As she thought, her smile became more subdued, and her laugh fizzled out like a bottle of bubbles slowly flattening.

"I think mine would be a thestral. Even if it's painful, they're sort of a connection to my dad. So, when I miss him, they're a reminder that the world is a magical place with goodness shining through all of the darkness, so maybe...maybe one day, I can see him again," Lorelei whispered.

She hadn't enjoyed talking about her dad much in the past, but with Draco, she was finding herself wanting to tell him all of it. She wanted him to know her, to see her for all of the good and bad parts. She wanted him to care.

Draco reached up and took Lorelei's hand in his own. He wasn't sure what he could say, but he knew better than anyone how hard it was to be vulnerable with someone else, and he wanted her to know that he was listening and he cared.

"Do you have a best friend?" Lorelei slightly squeezed Draco's hand and stared down at him again.

"Theo, possibly? I'm not sure. I don't really get along well with most people," Draco mused.

"Mhm. You're a mean boy," Lorelei softly laughed.

Draco gave her a look of mock offense, which only made her giggles grow in response. He gently pinched her palm in protest before rubbing the spot with his thumb and intertwining their fingers once more.

"I have a question, but I don't want to force you to answer it," Draco said into the stillness. There was a quiet hum from the furnace somewhere in the house, and the sound of rushing wind from cars driving down the street in front of Lorelei's house. All of this combined with the gentle lighting made him feel strange and different.

Draco felt calm.

He felt safe.

"How about we can refuse to answer questions if we aren't ready to answer them?" Lorelei offered, but she was starting to feel a little nervous at the prospect of answering a difficult question. She pushed one of the blankets off to combat her sudden rise in body temperature.