I just wanna see how beautiful you are
you know that I see it
I know you're a star
Where you go I follow
No matter how far
If life is a movie
Then you're the best part.
It's the sunrise
And those brown eyes, yes
You're the one that I desire
- Best part , Daniel Caesar feat. H.E.R -
˖*. LORCAN'S POV .*˖
The Mansion, week one.
The teens carefully treaded inside the huge entry hall of the mansion. From the ceiling dangled an enormous chandelier, covered in dust and cobwebs much like the rest of the furniture.
'Look.' Saoirse said, holding out the compass in front of her. It's pointer was spinning around inside the glass. 'I guess this means we'll find information on Whitelock here.' She carefully tucked away the object and proceeded to gaze at the grand staircase and large paintings lining the walls.
'Who do you suppose lived here?' Lorcan asked, amazed by the fairly intact nature of the furniture.
'Don't know.' Lysander said, swiping his finger over the surface of a low standing coffee table. 'They haven't been here in a while, that's for sure.' He declared as he wiped the dust now collected on his finger on one of the sofas.
'Lads, come take a look.' Lloyd said, already having climbed the stairs to the second landing. The teens ascended the staircase and strutted over to where Lloyd was standing. 'Look at the amount of rooms.' He smiled, pointing down the hallway. 'No more cramping together in one tiny bedroom.'
'Wait, you actually want to sleep here?' Diane asked. 'In someone else's home?'
'Why not?' Lysander shrugged. 'As much as I love you guys, I'm in dire need of some privacy.' He said while examining the inside of different rooms.
They all claimed a room for themselves, Lorcan taking one of the smaller ones. The bed in his room was still perfectly made, as if it was waiting for its inhabitant to return any day.
They all met up again after dropping off their stuff in their designated rooms and began forming a plan of action.
Saoirse and Lorcan would be the ones to go into town regularly to gather food and water. As well as trying to get some information from the locals on the mansion.
Roxanne and Lloyd would keep busy with searching the grounds that surrounded the mansion, which were extremely vast. Lastly, Diane and Lysander would search the home itself from top to bottom.
✰✰✰
The first three days went by much the same. Waking up, accompanying Saoirse on their daily walk through the village, trying to speak to some of the locals.
Sadly, not much information had come out of this. Half the villagers ignored their whole existence, refusing to speak to them as if scared. The other half seemed nice enough, but didn't understand English all that well.
On the third day, Saoirse was buying some water from a local shop while Lorcan stood waiting outside. He was leaning against the wall, deep in thought about their vampire teacher, when a small shop caught his attention.
Behind the window, lay different sorts of pastries and bread. The sign above the door read Boulangerie, which Lorcan assumed meant bakery. It could very well be his growling stomach, but he felt very captivated by the smells of freshly baked cake and pies wafting over to him.
He looked over his shoulder at Saoirse, who was busy trying to explain something to the shop owner, before strolling over to the small bakery. When he opened the door, a small bell signalled his entrance.
There seemed to be no one inside, so he took his time admiring the different kinds of goods laying splayed out before the shop window.
'Bonjour, comment puis-je vous aider?' A female voice sounded from behind him. He whirled around to see a young girl standing behind the register, she looked not much older than him and had the most beautiful hazel eyes.
'I er- Je ne parle pas er-.' He cussed under his breath while rubbing the back of his neck, searching for the right words to say.
'It's okay.' The girl giggled. 'I speak English.'
'Oh.' Lorcan let out a breath of relief. 'Thank god.' He smiled.
'What can I get for you?' She smiled politely. 'We don't get a lot of tourists around here.'
'I'll have six of those.' he said, pointing to a basket that read pain au chocolat. 'It's kind of a long story how I ended up here.' He laughed, blushing at the attention.
'If you meet me here at seven tonight-' She started packing some of the delicious smelling pastries in a paper bag. 'You can tell me all about it.'
'Oh, okay. I'll be here.' he smiled broadly, handing her some coins before turning away. 'Oh, my name's Lorcan.' he said as he opened the door.
'Charlotte.' She smiled, watching Lorcan exit the store.
Just as he made his way over to the opposite side of the cobblestone street, Saoirse emerged holding several glass bottles of water.
'What are you grinning about?' She teased on their way back to the mansion.
'Nothing.' He said, turning incredibly red.
✰✰✰
That evening, Lorcan snuck out of the large house after having a rather plain dinner of canned beans and dry bread. On his way to the bakery, he plucked a single red rose out of a bush on the side of the road.
When he arrived at precisely seven in the afternoon, Charlotte was already waiting for him outside the bakery.
He approached her with a big smile and handed her the single rose. 'For you.'
'How charming.' She teased, smiling. 'Let's take a walk.'
'How come you're so fluent in English?' Lorcan questioned, trying to get a conversation started as soon as possible while they strolled through the streets of the small town.
'I've always been interested in languages.' She explained. 'I've made a hobby out of perfecting several different tongues. I know it sounds boring, but I really enjoy it.'
'No no, that's not boring at all.' He countered. 'I wish I was that passionate about something.'
'Haven't you got a hobby you enjoy? or a subject in school you really like?' She asked.
'I guess I like working with uhm... animals.' He said, trying his best to not reveal anything about the wizarding world.
'Where are you from?' She asked. 'I like your accent.'
'From England.' He again felt a blush creeping up his neck. 'How come you asked me out tonight?'
'Because I thought you were handsome.' She smiled. 'And I could use some company. I live with my grandparents, and though I love them to death, You can probably imagine the kind of activities we get up to.'
'What's an activity you want to do, then?' He asked. 'One you can't do with your folks.'
'Promise you won't laugh?' She asked, to which Lorcan shook his head. 'I've always wanted to go skinny dipping in the town's lake.' She chuckled when she looked up at Lorcan's flabergasted expression. 'Sorry, I don't even know why I told you that. You're practically a stranger.'
'Let's do it.' He suddenly said, not quite believing he did so himself.
'What? Now?' She looked up at him with a worried expression. 'But it's winter.'
'Lead the way, madame.' he teased, sketching a small bow.
An expression of mischief graced her face as she took Lorcan's hand in hers and sprinted down the street, reaching the small lake in no time.
'I can't believe we're about to do this.' She chuckled. 'Turn around, Lorcan.' She grinned when she saw Lorcan staring at her. He quickly turned around, hearing Charlotte undress. 'We're keeping our underwear on, right?' He called out, his back still turned to the girl.
'Whatever you want.' She called back. He heard her approach the lake, making hissing sounds as she treaded in the water. 'It's really cold.' She called out. 'You can turn around now.'
Charlotte was almost fully submerged in the dark water of the lake, the only things visible her head and part of her shoulders.
He undressed quickly, though he'd also be keeping his underwear on for good measure, and approached the lake. 'Bloody hell, that's cold.' He cussed as he entered the dark waters.
'Don't be a baby.' Charlotte laughed, splashing him with water as he swam next to her, his teeth clattering. But he too could play that game.
'What's that?' He said, pointing at the water behind her.
'What.' She exclaimed as she whirled around. Lorcan came up behind her and playfully pushed down on her shoulders so she was fully submerged.
He laughed, until she wouldn't come up. 'Charlotte?' He called into the waters below. His panic started to rise as he looked around the lake and found no sign of life. 'Oh god.'
Then he heard splashing noises behind him and was pushed down below the surface himself. As he came back up, Charlotte was howling with laughter.
'I thought I'd drowned you.' Lorcan exclaimed, basking in the sound of her laughter.
'I haven't had this much fun in a long time.' She admitted, combing her hair out of her face with her fingers. 'Thank you, handsome stranger.'
'You're very welcome.' he mockingly said. 'It's weird. We only met each other a few hours ago, but I feel like I've known you for years.'
'I feel the same way.' She said, swimming closer to him. Lorcan took in her beautiful face under the white glow of the moonlight, staring into her gorgeous hazel eyes.
'I've never felt this way with anyone else.' He said, their bodies drifting closer together.
'Tell me what you feel.' She nearly whispered, gazing into his eyes.
'I- I feel happy.' He started. 'And, I feel like I can't get enough of you.'
Charlotte softly placed her hands on his shoulders. Lorcan felt goosebumps all over his body, but they were not from the cold.
Their faces hovered extremely close together, lips nearly touching.
Just when Lorcan thought they would finally connect, he heard someone laughing heartily from the edge of the lake. He whirled around to see Lysander standing there, clutching his stomach from laughter.
'What the hell.' Lorcan exclaimed. 'What- How?'
'I thought you'd been kidnapped, mate.' Lysander laughed. 'What a fun surprise we have here.'
'I'm so sorry Charlotte.' Lorcan sighed. 'That's my twin brother.'
Charlotte's confused expression softened. 'Oh, that makes sense.'
She swam to the edge of the lake, gracefully getting out as if she was not just dressed in her soaked underwear. She walked over to Lysander and held out her hand. 'Charlotte, nice to meet you'
'Very nice to meet you too.' Lysander smirked, looking the girl up and down while shaking her hand. 'How did you do that, dear brother?' he turned to Lorcan after he'd quickly put on his clothes, slinging an arm around his shoulder.
'I'm sorry, Charlotte.' Lorcan groaned, his gaze fixed upon the grass beneath his shoes. 'I- I'll leave now.'
'Wait.' She said, grabbing him by the arm. 'When do I get to see you again?'
'You- you want to see me again? After this?' he asked, motioning to his smirking brother.
'Of course, Lorcan.' She giggled. 'His cocky attitude won't scare me off. I'll see you around, handsome stranger.' She smiled, placing a kiss on his cheek and running up toward the village.
'Come on, loverboy.' Lysander grinned, waiting for Lorcan to join him on his way back to the mansion. 'I'm starting to really like French people.'
'Of course you would.' Lorcan grumbled. 'How did you know I was gone?'
'I wanted to check if you were alright.' Lysander shrugged. 'Just because I don't act like it, doesn't mean that I'm not actually worried about you.'
'Thanks.' Lorcan smiled halfheartedly. 'Though you really did ruin the moment.'
'Sorry about that.' He smiled. 'I'll try my best not to make an entrance next time. Though, I can promise nothing.'
✰✰✰
The next day, Lorcan and Saoirse got some very useful information from one of the villagers.
They learned that the mansion was previously owned by a young engaged couple. Though nobody saw them very often, they tended to keep more to themselves. The elderly woman also told them she was just a toddler when the couple left the mansion. It has been abandoned ever since.
They immediately went back to the mansion with this news, excited about finally having found something. The searches of the house and its grounds remained fruitless for now.
At the end of the first week there, they once again stopped at a local store to buy some water. This time, Saoirse hung back outside while Lorcan went in.
He asked for trois bouteilles d'eau, a sentence he'd memorised by now. In the corner of his eyes, he saw another figure browsing the goods.
He found it weird to see another teenager in the town. The only one he'd seen this far had been Charlotte. When he handed the man a couple of euros, he turned around and almost let the bottles drop in amazement. 'Parker?'
The girl turned around and her expression immediately matched his own. 'Finally.' She exclaimed. 'I've been searching for you guys for ages.'
As the two exited the store, they were met with a very similar expression from Saoirse. 'Parker? How?- What?'
'I'll explain everything later, I need you to bring me to the others.' She abruptly said. the two teens led Parker up to the mansion.
When they entered, Diane was just on her way down. She stilled on the staircase, gazing at Parker. 'Wha-.' Before she finished her sentence, she ran down and flew in the girls arms.
'How did you get here?' Diane asked, looking toward Saoirse and Lorcan, who both shrugged.
'Listen, the minister for magic sent me.' Parker started explaining. 'I apparated out of Hogwarts before the spells prohibiting it became intact again. I've been bothering the minister every since, begging her to give me your locations. I knew she had to have at least an inkling of where you guys where, since you've been practising magic outside of school while being underage. As soon as she gave me a location, I came to search for you, although she forbade me from doing just that.'
'I was so close to giving up too. Thought I'd never find you, but then I saw Lorcan.' She said.
'What's happening over there?' Lorcan asked.
'Nobody can get in or out of Hogwarts.' She said. 'The ministry's gathered enough forces to battle Whitelock and his giants, but they won't do it until they're sure the students are safe. I overheard Madame Maxime explain what you guys were doing, and I was tired of sitting on my ass, so I came looking.'
The rest of the evening was spent catching up and they gave Parker one of the rooms in the hallway on the second floor.
✰✰✰
The Mansion, week two.
Days and days went by, but Saoirse and Lorcan didn't get much more information out of the locals. It seemed as though a lot of them never even knew about the abandoned mansion that stood hidden in their own town.
On one of the last days of the week, Lorcan decided to take a stroll through the quiet streets once more.
'Hi there, handsome stranger.' He heard someone say. He looked around to see Charlotte smiling down at him from a small balcony on the second floor of a building. 'Stay there.'
Seconds later, she exited the house and joined Lorcan on his stroll. 'So, what are we doing today?'
'You tell me.' Lorcan smiled. 'I didn't prepare for anything.'
'I know a place.' She smiled as she once again took his hand in hers and walked him toward the edge of the town.
She led him to a large willow tree, where she sat herself down on the grass in its cool shade. Lorcan sat down next to her, supporting his weight on his elbows and stretching his long legs out in front of him.
'How come you came to this village?' She asked after a while.
'Would you believe me if I said my friends and I were running away from a vampire.' He said. To which Charlotte chuckled. 'Okay don't tell me then.' She looked up at him. 'When are you leaving?'
'I don't actually know.' He admitted. 'Depends on a lot of things.'
'Am I one of those things?' She said, staring into his eyes.
'Do you want to be?' He asked, his body starting to heat up.
She turned to look at the sky, a small smile splayed on her lips. 'I feel good when I'm around you.' She confessed. 'I don't want you to go.'
'I wish we could've met under other circumstances.' He said, laying down on his side, facing her. She did the same, once again their faces were mere inches apart. 'I would've taken you out on a real date.'
'Yeah?' She asked. 'And what else would you've done?' She didn't look away from his eyes for one second, and neither did he.
'I would've bought you flowers.' he started. 'We would've gone on fun dates. I would've put on my best clothes.' he smiled. 'And when the time was just right, I would've-'
'You would've what?' She whispered, her gaze flickering from his eyes to his lips.
'I would've done something like this.' With all the confidence in his body, he leaned forward and put his lips on hers. It was wonderful and scary at the same time, he didn't have much experience, but being with her made him feel comfortable and utterly relaxed.
he felt her hands go up to his hair, pulling him closer. It only lasted for a few seconds, when suddenly her presence was gone.
He opened his eyes, and before him stood Whitelock. He was holding Charlotte by the hair, yanking her head back.
'Lead me to your friends, boy.' He spat. 'Or I'll have to get rid of this one.'
Behind Whitelock, several other gruffy looking people emerged, a look of fury and excitement mixed on their faces.
Without an other word, Lorcan started the climb up to the mansion. He felt extremely guilty, but he knew he had no other choice. Whether he gave Whitelock the location or not, he'd find it either way.
Soon he stood before the large doors. He creaked them open carefully, Whitelock and his followers standing close behind.
When he looked inside, the terrified faces of his friends stared back at him and Whitelock.