Hermione, Ron, and Harry were on the Hogwarts Express traveling to Hogwarts to begin their fifth year. Hermione was telling Harry what she expected them to be learning that year in Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"Probably some jinxes that the three of us already know, and their counter- jinxes," she told them.
"So, if we know them already, what's the point telling us about them?" asked Ron, biting into a Chocolate Frog.
"I'm just trying to prepare you, that's all!" Hermione said. "This year's going to be a lot harder, with O.W.L.s and everything!"
"Calm down, we were just kidding," Harry began, but he was cut off by the creaky sound of the compartment door sliding open.
"Well, if it isn't Potty, Weasel, and Mudblood," sneered Draco as he stepped into their compartment. His two cronies, Crabbe and Goyle, lumbered slowly after him.
"Shut it," Harry said through gritted teeth.
"Harry, it's OK. Just ignore him," Hermione said.
"Yeah, that's right, act stupider than you already are," Draco drawled.
"Shut up!" Ron yelled, whipping out his wand. "I'll hex you, I will!"
This time, Draco, who had been at the receiving end of several of the Weasleys' hexes before, took a step back. "Well, we were just leaving. I need to get ready for school." Regaining some of his confidence, he added, "Not that any of you deserve to go to that school, even if you're as thick as its headmaster." With that parting shot, he and his sidekicks left.
"Ooh, he makes me so mad!" Hermione said with narrowed eyes. "I can't wait to get to the common room where I can be away from him for a while."
Later that night, when everyone was situated in his or her respective House common rooms, Draco Malfoy was sitting in an armchair by the fire. Goyle had caught a bad cold as soon as they'd reached school, so was therefore in the hospital wing. Crabbe had been given a detention by Professor McGonagall and was in the Transfiguration room, scrubbing the floor. So Draco was left all alone with nothing to do, and he was bored out of his mind. Suddenly, something his father had told him sprang into his memory.
When Lucius was in his seventh year, he had become exceedingly bored, so he had sent out his owl with a letter to no one in particular. He had told the owl to give it to someone in seventh year. When the mystery person responded, the two of them had kept in touch until the end of the year, when they had revealed themselves to each other. That was how he and Narcissa had met.
Ha, maybe I'll get a girlfriend that way, Draco thought to himself. It was worth a try. He picked up a roll of parchment and his quill, and began to write.
Dear whomever this reaches,
My name is not important, so you can call me Green Dragon. I'm a fifth year at Hogwarts. I needed someone to write to, so I told my owl to give this to a girl at Hogwarts. Please write back soon. You don't have to tell me your name, just write back to me.
Green Dragon
He rolled up the letter, and then walked up to the Owlery. He quickly found his owl, Hooter. "Just take this to a girl, somewhere in school, I don't care who," he told him. Hooter hooted to show that he understood, and soared out the open window.
Meanwhile, at Gryffindor Tower, Hermione Granger was standing by the window, watching the trees blow in the wind. Suddenly, a tawny owl came hurtling through the window.
"What in the world are you doing here?" she asked the owl. "Who are you from?" She looked at the nametag around the owl's neck. "Hmm, Hooter. Well, let's see that letter."
Hooter stuck out his leg, and Hermione took the letter. The owl fluttered over to the arm of a chair, which Hermione sat down in. She began to read the letter to herself.
"My name is not important, so you can call me Green Dragon," she read. "I'm a fifth year at Hogwarts. I needed someone to write to, so I told my owl to give this to a girl at Hogwarts. Please write back soon. You don't have to tell me your name, just write back to me." She paused for a moment, and then picked up her quill. "What harm could it do?"
Dear Green Dragon,
What a coincidence! I'm a fifth year too! Wonder if we've met before? I like your owl's name. Why'd you name him that? I won't tell you what House I'm in, that'll keep you guessing. Hope you write back soon!
Ginger Kitty
Hermione tied the letter to Hooter's leg, saying, "Give this to whoever you belong to."
But by the time Hooter returned to Draco, he'd gone to bed. So he went out to catch his dinner, and kept the letter to give to his master the next morning.
The next morning at breakfast, Draco was telling Crabbe and Goyle about his letter.
"I told Hooter to give it to a girl at Hogwarts. I'm hoping to get a reply by the time the owl post arrives." No sooner had he said these words than hundreds of owls flew into the Great Hall, causing quite a commotion. In all the scuffles to retrieve letters, Hooter flew over to his master and stuck out his leg. He hooted softly and pecked at Draco's scrambled eggs before zooming off with the other owls for a nap.
Draco tore open the letter. "Yes! She wrote back!" He read it to himself.
Dear Green Dragon,
What a coincidence! I'm a fifth year too! Wonder if we've met before? I like your owl's name. Why'd you name him that? I won't tell you what House I'm in, that'll keep you guessing. Hope you write back soon!
Ginger Kitty
"Interesting choice of a name," he said. "I'll write back later."
The first class Hermione had was double Potions with the Slytherins. Professor Snape, if this was possible, seemed to hate Gryffindors even more.
"Welcome back to school," Snape said in his silkiest voice. "As you know, you will be taking exams for your Ordinary Wizarding Levels this year, so I will be assigning you some of the potions that come up most often on the O.W.L.s. Today we are making Strengthening Solutions. The instructions are on the board, the supplies are in the cupboard. Begin."
Hermione squinted at the board. This couldn't be too hard. She gathered all the supplies listed and began to mix them.
"Powdered root of a fig tree, three teaspoons of newts' blood, perfect!" she finished just as Snape said, "Time is up. Please wait for me to come around and inspect your mixtures."
He first looked at Draco's, which, instead of being bright pink, was a deep blue. "Well, I'm sure you tried, Mr. Malfoy. Five points to Slytherin for effort." Draco smirked. Snape moved away, looking at other students' cauldrons, until he reached Hermione's.
"Miss Granger, although your potion seems to be done correctly, this is a very complicated solution, and I highly doubt that any student could have done it without help. Perhaps Potter or Weasley gave you a bit of assistance? Yes, I think so. Five points from Gryffindor for cheating."
"But Professor, I didn't cheat. I did it on my own!" Hermione cried exasperatedly.
"Lying about it as well? That won't do. Another five points from Gryffindor."
Just then, the bell rang. Hermione stormed out of the room, followed by Harry and Ron.
"That git, he's the one who's cheating. He gave Malfoy points for getting it wrong!" Ron said.
"And he took points from you for getting it right!" Harry added.
"It's OK, guys. I'm fine, he's done this before." Hermione walked up to the common room, and Ron and Harry left her alone. Hermione began to think about her letter to Green Dragon. Who on earth was Green Dragon anyway? Would he ever write back? If so, when would he write? As if in answer to her last question, a familiar tawny owl swooped in through the window.
"Oh, Hooter, you're back! Have you got a letter from Green Dragon?" Hooter hooted, and stuck out his leg. Hermione pulled off the letter, and watched Hooter fly off to the Owlery. She then opened the letter and read it.
Dear Ginger Kitty,
Thanks for writing back so soon. I was hoping Hooter would find another fifth year. I named him when I was very young; as a result, I'm afraid he has a rather silly name. Well, I'm glad we've kept this up, I was afraid you wouldn't write back. If you need to write to me, just find Hooter somewhere in the Owlery. Bye!
Green Dragon
Hermione read the letter with interest. "Oh, well, I need to get to Charms. I can write back later." She stuffed the letter in her bag, and walked off to her next lesson.
After Charms, she returned to Gryffindor tower, where she lay down on her bed to write her letter.
Dear Green Dragon,
So glad to hear back from you! You know, I was worried you weren't going to respond to my letter. What made you write that first letter to me anyway? Just wondering. You know, I was thinking that I might get an owl of my own. I could just get one over Christmas break. Isn't it odd to think that we probably know each other?
Ginger Kitty
She stuffed this letter into her bag, and ran down to lunch.
After lunch, she was given a few minutes before class to send her letter. She ran up to the Owlery, and after a few minutes she found Hooter. "Here, take this to- whoever you belong to. Hooter hooted and stuck out his leg, and Hermione tied the letter on. Hooter soared out the window and out of sight. Hermione watched him for a few seconds, and then hurried on to class.