Dear Mr. Potter

Chapter Twenty-Two

On their way back up the street to The Three Broomsticks, Harry caught sight of his friends. They were just coming out of Zonko's across the street. They saw him at about the same time and waved frantically and started across. Harry waved back and smiled, happy to see them. He stopped to wait for them to catch up.

"I refuse to waste anymore time on those idiots. I expect you at the Broomsticks in fifteen minutes. Do not make me wait." With that warning, Draco continued on his way. Harry was once again struck by Draco's behavior.

"Hey, Harry," Hermione came up to him, looking at the retreating blonde down the road. "What's going on?"

"I just have to meet him in fifteen minutes for lunch."

"Who cares about him," Ron threw a look towards the distant Draco. He turned back to Harry, his eyes lit in excitement. "You'll never guess what happened, Harry! I've got a line of credit at Honeydukes! Ten Galleons!"

Harry smiled. "What did you get?"

"What didn't I get!" Ron started counting off on his fingers. "I got about fifty Chocolate Frogs and enough Ton-Tongue Toffee to last a year. Some Canary Crèmes and about five pounds of treacle fudge."

"Yes, and let's not forget the sixteen Pumpkin pasties you stuffed in your mouth before we even left the shop," Hermione said. She gave Harry a sharp eye. "You knew about this before, didn't you?"

"That Ron can eat sixteen pumpkin pasties?" Harry joked but Hermione wasn't having it.

"You know who gave Ron the credit, don't you?"

Ron's brow furrowed. "It wasn't you, was it, Harry? Cause if it was-,"

"No, no it wasn't me." Harry held up his hands to stop his friend's train of thought.

"Then who, Harry? A bloke's got a right to know who's giving him free stuff."

Harry looked between his friends and scuffed his toe into the dirt. "Alright, I'll tell you, but you have to promise not to freak out or tell him I told you."

"It was Malfoy, wasn't it?" Hermione asked knowingly.

"What?" Ron cried.

"Yeah, it was him. It was our very first stop. He said he wanted it confidential but he didn't specifically tell me that, so... just keep it under your hat, alright?"

Ron was turning red. "What did he do that for? I already ate a lot of it! I can't give it back!"

"Ron, stop it," Hermione ordered. "Harry, did he say why he did it?"

Harry shook his head. "No, he just shrugged it off and said it was less than his shampoo or something."

"Hmm," Hermione put her finger to her chin and frowned in concentration. "What were you doing or saying right before he did it?"

Harry thought back. "Uh, well, we really didn't talk on the way here. I asked him why he liked to walk to Hogsmeade and he said that he just did." Harry shrugged.

"Well, did you bring up Ron at all?"

"Yeah. He saw the mark on my face and wanted to know who did it. And sense he was angry, I ended up telling him about the fight. He asked if I won and I said that I didn't have the chance because Ron got between us too fast."

"Ah," Hermione said.

"What the bloody hell does 'ah' mean?" Ron was turning a strange shade of red. "Malfoy probably had me poisoned and your sounding like a ruddy professor!"

"Oh Ronald, stop it," Hermione pursed her lips in annoyance. "Malfoy wasn't out to get you. He was thanking you."

"Thanking me?" Ron looked like he was just hit with a Stupify. Harry's eyes lit up with comprehension.