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.
//
"...
Draco was antsy as Lorelei led him off the train in London and onto the streets bustling with oblivious muggles. All of the muggles seemed to move in a flurry of organized activity around them, and Draco was the only one who didn't get told the choreography.
Every time Draco bumped into a bustling businesswoman or got in between an overwhelmed parent and their stumbling toddler, Draco felt his stress levels rise.
How on earth did muggles do this?
Lorelei's soft grip kept him on track, and he knew that as long as he held onto her, he would be okay. The thought of losing her in those crowds made his stomach churn.
"We're almost to the bus stop," Lorelei called over her shoulder, and within a few seconds, they seemed to break out of the masses as they strode up to the strange box with a metal bench inside. Draco peered at it curiously until Lorelei tugged him onto the seat beside her.
He opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, and Lorelei giggled at his baffled reaction. She poked his cheek playfully and asked, "What's wrong, Draco?"
In response, he looked around them with wide eyes and continued to flap his mouth open and closed like a fish. Lorelei giggled even louder.
"Have you never been...out here before, Draco?" Lorelei said, barely catching herself from using the word Muggle in public. She was not trying to get herself in trouble with the ministry on her holiday.
Draco was still speechless and very overwhelmed, so he merely shook his head in response. He had never left the wizarding community, so he'd never been around this many Muggles at once before. It was alarming to him. All of it. How did this other world, which he had only heard smeared from the lips of his father, exist so vibrantly?
"Oh look! The bus is almost here. Come on then," Lorelei said happily as she dragged Draco up behind her and herded the two of them onto the bus. She showed him how to stow their luggage overhead, and Draco was relieved that at least this seemed similar to the setup on the Hogwarts Express.
When they sat down and Lorelei leaned her head onto Draco's shoulder, he decided he liked bus rides very much.
However, this comforting ride with Lorelei came to an end far too soon, and Draco was staring wide-eyed at Lorelei again. She was smiling at him sweetly, but Draco felt anything but soothed by it. She was dragging him towards the front door of a small, cozy home on the outskirts of London, and Draco was terrified.
He couldn't imagine what his father or even his younger self would have thought to see him now, trembling at the thought of meeting his girlfriend's Muggle grandmother. Gran was important though, and from what he knew about Gran, her approval may not come easily to the boy who broke Lorelei's heart at the end of last school year.
"Lorelei," cheered an unfamiliar voice a moment later, and Draco nearly vomited with nerves. A short woman with grey hair and the same sky blue eyes as Lorelei was now standing in the doorframe of the house. She wore a pale yellow and white apron with La Meilleure Grand-mère printed in a cursive font across the front. Draco thought this might have meant The Best Grandma or something similar.
She had a warm grin casted towards her granddaughter, and Lorelei didn't delay her reunion with her Gran for another moment. She let go of Draco's hand to sprint up to the house. She and Gran collapsed into a tight hug instantly, and Draco walked up behind them slowly, unsure what to do with himself.
Was it too late to stay at Hogwarts?
Lorelei drew back from Gran quickly and motioned for Draco to join them. She chirped, "Gran, this is Draco. Draco, this is my Gran."
Gran looked at Draco as he stepped up to shake her hand. Her eyes narrowed on him while she ignored his outstretched hand. Draco swallowed hard.
"Leilee, parle-t-il français?" Gran spoke while staring at Draco with a look that could freeze him solid. He blinked in shock at his inability to understand her — he had momentarily forgotten Gran's first language was French.
Leilee, does he speak French? Lorelei wanted to translate, but she could tell from the rigid way Gran was standing that this was meant to be a private conversation.
"Non, grand-mère," Lorelei said politely, although Draco could see the worry forming in her eyes. She didn't seem to know why they were speaking French now either.
Draco was able to deduce this translation from its similarity to English. No, grandma.
"Est-il le garçon stupide?" Gran spoke rapidly while lifting her eyebrows curiously at her granddaughter. Is he the stupid boy?
"Euh, eh bien, il est assez intelligent en fait," Lorelei replied and chewed on her cheek. She knew this wasn't what her Gran meant by her question, but she hadn't lied. Draco was quite intelligent. He was prefect for a reason.
Uh, well, he's actually quite intelligent.
Gran seemed to get her answer from this evasive reply and clucked her tongue in disapproval. Lorelei stared at her with round, pleading eyes, so Gran finally sighed and ran her fingers over the creases between her eyebrows. "D'accord. Si le garçon fait la moindre erreur, je le jetterai dehors."
Fine. If the boy makes even one mistake, I will kick him out.
It was a promise to give him a chance, and that was all Lorelei could hope for and all she would need. Gran would adore Draco as much as she did; she just needed time to get used to him.
//
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/AN: As those of you who follow me already know, I am taking a brief hiatus on this fic after today. I'm going to take some time to rest and work on my lack of writing inspiration. I apologize if this upsets you, but I have not taken a break from writing in nearly a year, and I've just burnt myself out with all of the constant writing. I will see you all in a couple weeks once I'm rested and ready to go again.
