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.
//
"...
The next day, Lorelei tried to meet up with her friends before breakfast to apologize for missing the DA meeting the night before, but whenever she tried to catch any of their attention, they looked the other way and scowled. After Ron Weasley, the twins, and Hermione Granger all seemed to be unable to see Lorelei's waving or hear her speaking, she started to deflate.
Luna started to walk up to the entrance of the Great Hall, and Lorelei started to have hope again. Luna was a constant and an unceasing source of kindness. She always listened to Lorelei's comments and grinned back at her waving. Luna was strange but warm towards Lorelei, but on that Tuesday morning, something felt off.
"Hey, Luna! I'm so sorry I missed the meeting last night. I have so much to tell you. Can we meet outside my dorms after classes today?"
"No, I'm sorry, Lorelei. I won't be able to meet today," Luna said in an airy voice and shifting eyes.
"Oh... Okay! Tomorrow morning before breakfast then?" chirped Lorelei with a brilliant smile on her face.
Before Luna had a chance to respond though, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan passed them. She heard one of them whisper something under their breath as they walked by. She swore she heard, "Traitor," fall from the lips of one of the boys, but this didn't make any sense to her.
Lorelei watched them walk into the Great Hall with furrowed eyebrows and wide eyes. "Did they just call me a traitor? I'm really sorry for missing the meeting! I promise I won't do it again, if that's what this is about!" Lorelei rambled and met Luna's eyes once again.
"There won't be any more meetings to miss. Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad found us last night, and today we have detention for it," Luna explained and let her eyes drift up to the ceiling, searching for nargles.
Realization dropped over Lorelei like a heavy weight, and her chest ached with the sudden understanding.
"They think I betrayed you all, that I told them where you were," she breathed with eyes glazing over.
Luna hummed a confirmation and watched Lorelei's reactions.
With the back of her hand, Lorelei swiped at the tears dripping out of her eyes and down her cheeks. She pressed her lips together tightly and stared at Luna without having a clue of what to say. She was with Draco, not sending Umbridge on them. Her chest was heavy with the realization that they had already believed this about her, without even talking to her first.
"I didn't do that, Luna. I would never do that. I was with Draco-"
Lorelei froze, and suddenly, everything started clicking into place in the worst way.
They knew that she spoke to Draco, so they assumed that she had told him about their meetings, but Draco was a member of the Inquisitorial Squad. So, he knew they were going to crash that meeting. Instead of warning Lorelei, he kissed her and distracted her and kept her away from her friends who needed her help.
Every lifting, exhilarating emotion from the day before came tumbling down at once, and Lorelei wondered how she was able to remain standing with so much pressing down on her from all sides.
"I believe you, Lorelei, but I'm afraid I'm the only one," Luna murmured, and with that, she floated into the Great Hall to get some breakfast.
Draco approached then, and Lorelei couldn't breathe as she stared at Draco through her tears. Once he saw this, Draco rapidly closed the space between them and demanded, "What happened? Who hurt you?"
"Did you know?" Lorelei choked and swiped at more of her tears with the back of her hand. Her eyes were narrowed as she fought against the tears in her eyes.
"I don't understand what you mean," Draco said in a hurried voice. He looked between her two eyes, flinching at the pain he found there. He lifted his hand to gently touch her cheek, but she didn't lean into his touch today.
"Is that what you were fighting with your roommates about? About how Umbridge was going to crash the meeting?" Lorelei gasped and brought her hands to her chest, feeling as though her heart was going to fall right out of it and splatter on the floor before her.
Recognition flashed across Draco's face, and he looked away. His features were pinched, and Lorelei could tell that he was fighting with himself about something.
If he hadn't known, he would have already said so.
"They're calling me a traitor because of you," she said and used the sleeve of her robes to wipe away the snot and tears on her face. Her eyes narrowed darkly as she realized, "You only kissed me to distract me, didn't you?"
Lorelei gasped after saying this and started to stumble backward and away from Draco. He had only kissed her to distract her, and she had foolishly told him she wanted him to.
Lorelei had never felt more used in her entire life.
"No! Lorelei, wait! That's not the only reason I kissed you-"
She didn't wait. Lorelei only moved away faster, her mind catching on the word only. It was part of it. One motivator to kiss her was to distract her, and now she was a traitor.
Now, she had lost all of the budding friendships she had formed with the other members of Dumbledore's Army.
Now, even Luna felt more distant from her.
And it was all his fault.
//
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/AN: I'm sorry... Keep reading on for better times, besties. 💕/
