Dearest Mother,
Even though Draco knows that his mother is not the only one who will be reading this letter. Every word that he writes will have a meaning to them.
My initial attempt at having the highest mark at our class was trumped. I am currently working on ways to get to the top and stay there. I thought that it will be harder this time but it's proving to be easier.
He had no luck with the cursed necklace and worse yet, Katie Bell had been involved. What seemed to him as a foolproof plan turned out to be a glorified mess.
I hope to see you again soon.
And he knows that the moment the Vanishing Cabinet in the Room of Requirement is fixed, his plan will be in full swing and he will let all hell break loose on his alma mater. Like it didn't matter in the first place. Like he hated it with passion.
Bellatrix Lestrange will kill and destroy as much as she could.
Fenrir Greyback will try to bite as much of the children as he could. Just like he did to Remus Lupin, someone Draco never expected to look up to. Fenrir is disgusting and smells of death-- he can freely say that in his mind. The Dark Lord probably doesn't have the time of day to give a shit what Draco thinks about the scent of his subjects.
And other Death Eaters who are hungry for glory and destruction will come too. Not caring that the population in Hogwarts is actually innocent children.
He winced. If there's one sound that he can't stand it's the wailing of a child.
He never looked at himself as a child. Not anymore.
I only wish to make you proud.
This, at least, he truly means.
Faithfully yours,
Draco
He folded the parchment and got dressed. Crabbe and Goyle's bed drapes are still closed, they're snoring louder than ever probably an effect of the Polyjuice potion that he is continuously making them drink with hairs of first year girls that he instructed Parkinson to get. Zabini and Nott have gone but Draco didn't wish to run into them. The common room was quiet with only some underclassmen doing some early morning reading. The light from the lake casted a blue shadow on everything.
It was colder than cold and fog has started to creep inside the castle. He pulled the Slytherin scarf closer to his neck and put his hands on his trousers pockets. Even though it was freezing, the colors of the landscape was bright and pure. The color of the dead, he thought bitterly.
The owlery was empty. He hated it here. Hated the sound and smell of animals. Not because they smell bad but because the owls looked so free. They have wings, they can go whenever and wherever they liked but they didn't, they just stayed put.
"Bubo bubo," he held out his sleeved arm and his majestic hawk like owl perched there. He stroked Bubo's soft gray feathers, "You're getting a bit too heavy for me," he whispered, "but that'll be our secret."
Bubo cooed in understanding.
Draco allowed himself a small smile. "I have a letter for Mother. Make sure she gets it, will you?" He let Bubo perch on the railing before he tied the note safely on his leg. "Get back as soon as you can, alright?" He said as quietly as he could again, hoping that no one will hear him talking to a creature so gently.
And Bubo was off. Will probably be intercepted somewhere but he was off into the direction of the sun. The rays of gold against the whiteness of the snow made Draco squint and realized that breakfast in The Great Hall has probably started.
Who cares? It's not like he'll go there.
He has more pressing matters to attend to rather than breakfast.
He must be thinking too hard about these pressing matters because he just bumped into something warm and solid.
"Oh gosh!"
Books and parchments all fell at once but the one holding them did not join them in the floor because Draco managed to catch her before she fell, holding both her elbows. "Watch where you're going, Granger!" He shouted at her. She didn't flinch but instead just stared up at him.
"Hey!" He shook her again. This time it managed to bring her back to the moment.
"You're one to talk, Malfoy!" She snapped back. "If you didn't like people bumping into you then you should have looked where you're going. I had books on me, what's your excuse?"
Thinking too hard.
"I don't have to explain or apologize to the likes of you!" He tightened his grip on her elbow, their faces just inches apart and if he dared it...
"Let go of me if you know what's good for you," Hermione glared at him.
Dare it. He leaned at her face closer, so close that he can smell her skin, see each individual eyelash, count the freckles on her cream colored skin.... "What are you going to-"
She tilted her head back as far as she could and bumped their foreheads so hard he almost heard their brains rattle. Draco yelped in pain, immediately stepping back and releasing her. He looked at her, she was rubbing her forehead as well, eyes damp from the pain. "And I hope I gave you a concussion!"
"And I hope you forgot every single thing that you studied last night!" The statement made Hermione gasp as it made Draco smirk. It's about to go down.
"I bet you'll like that, don't you? You won't place first, not if I can help it," she turned her stubborn little nose up in the air and jutted her chin, arms crossed on her chest.
"Not this time, pighead."
"Oh, no you won't, you bloody minded... Bloody minded..."
Draco laughed heartily, "Prat, prick, bastard, arsehole. Take your pick. Don't make this easy, Granger."
"Cussed," she squinted her eyes at him.
"Vexatious," Draco supplied an equally heavy word for 'annoying'.
"Obstinate!"
"Self- willed!" Draco raised an eyebrow.
Hermione huffed, a little puff of breath came from parted lips, "Bullheaded excuse for a boy!"
"Tenacious, persistent, indelible!" He smirked, hoping that she'll run out.
"Contumacious, recalcitrant, perverse!" She shouted and before he got to thinking of another word for 'stubborn' she said, "This is over, Malfoy. I'll be late for breakfast."
"Goody two shoes," he goaded, trying to get her back. But she started waving her wand to gather the fallen books on her arms.
She sighed and stared at him, he merely shrugged like the sunshine dancing on her brown eyes didn't affect him. "If you want to lose even further, you're more than welcome to join us for a game of Scrabble," there was a mischievous glint in her eyes as she invited him.
As far as he knows scrabble is a muggle game that consists of making words from a limited number of letter tiles and connecting them to the already existing words on a board. Each letter has a corresponding point, the less words that can be made with a word the higher the point on the tile. "I'd sooner befriend a troll than play muggle games with you, Mudblood."
"Suit yourself. Must be warm sitting in the loser's table all the time," she turned her back at him with a scoff.
"Take that back!" He shouted after her but she was already walking down the corridor towards the bustling Great hall, he can hear the loud chatter and silverware scratching the plates. The smell of the food made his mouth water and his stomach grumble but things had to be done.
He took slow steps towards the Room of Requirement.
"Wait!"
He looked back and saw Hermione, the stack of books were gone. "Why didn't you come with me to the Hall? Aren't you going to eat?"
Draco looked at her like she just grew another head. "And this concerns you because?"
"Because you look horrible," she answered simply, amber eyes focused on his pointy face.
He stepped closer to her again, she didn't back away even though he looked at her maniacally, "Well, I beg your pardon, Granger. But you're no swan either."
"What I meant was, you've gotten thinner for one, your skin is turning gray and the bags under your eyes are blue and everyone can see the veins on your hands," she made a gesture as to take his hand but he folded them on his chest in defiance. "All I'm saying is it's no good to get sick at a time like this."
His chest ached that she had noticed so much about him and was even worried to a point of going out of her way to convince him to eat. This is wrong. Probably a war tactic. Someone must have put her up to this.
"We're all going to die anyway. Why bother?" He drawled before turning and walking away.
"Accio apple!"
He managed to face her just in time to catch a perfectly red apple almost bigger than his cupped hands. It would have smacked him in the back of his head.
"You better be thankful it's not a bowl of cereal," Hermione smiled cheekily.
He was warm all of a sudden, like someone opened a bottle of summer in a room perfumed with winter.
"You can take it back," Draco said, he was defying her just on principle even though he is literally dying to take a bite off of the apple. "I don't want it."
This time she was the one who turned back first, "I'm not arguing with you about breakfast, Malfoy."
Neither do I. I want to play Scrabble with you and beat you so hard you'll ask me for a rematch.
"Not thanking you!"
"Have a splendid day!" She waved her hand without turning back.
"Don't get a stroke!" He grinned as he shouted, but she probably didn't hear.
He wiped the apple on the edge of his scarf and took a massive bite. It was sweet and crunchy and smelled of autumn. He chewed it happily to the Room of Requirement, the day's task somehow lighter.
Surely, Voldemort has more important things to worry about than what he had for breakfast, right?
Surely, no one knows.
Just between him and Granger.
Finally.
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Why the fck can't I update on the Wattpad website? This is some massive bullshit, guys. I can't deal with this. I feel like a caveman. (fumes once more) Rant over.
Song up top is 'That Girl' by All Time Low just because I like it. Who knows if I can actually get it up there.
Dedicated to @charoula252 for the wonderful comments.
Goddamnit, I really want to update stellar stuff but wattpad is not cooperating and so are my bitch sisters.
Massive thank you to everyone 2,600+ reads and 300+ stars! Wow!