Nomad
Disclaimer: This thing sucks! You all know how it goes!
A/N: They're going to be a little OOC… but keep in mind that they think of this as pretty much a game. They don't think they'll ever meet, so why not use each other as a diary and spill every secret? K? Just a Note!
X
Hermione sat in a compartment with Harry and Ron, on their way to Hogwarts, when she remembered the letter. She pulled it out of her pocket, simply looking at it for a moment. It was definitely from her pen pal- it was sealed with the same card. She opened it and began reading.
'Venus,
Lovely choice. Roman Goddess of love and lust, right? Nice. In case you can't already tell, I am a guy. My owl's name is Hermes and he seemed to really like Iris. I already know you go to Hogwarts, so could you tell me what House you're in? In all honesty, when I received your letter, I wasn't planning on writing back, but I figured that I should at least give it a shot. In your next letter, why don't you tell me about yourself? Then, maybe I'll return the favor.
Signed,
Nomad
P.S. I chose Nomad as my pseudonym because it tells a bit about me. Is it the same with you and Venus?'
Hermione scoffed at that, but smiled. She was really going to like this fellow. Harry made to grab the letter from her, but she moved it beyond his reach and folded it, placing it back in her pocket.
"Don't even think about it," she chastised, "These letters are private."
"They from Vicky then?" Ron teased.
"No, for your information, I haven't heard from Viktor in quite some time," she said, "This letter is from my pen pal."
"Fine… good," Ron huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.
The compartment door opened and their worst nightmare stood before them- Draco Malfoy. They just stared at each other, neither speaking, moving, or hardly breathing. The usual smirk wasn't even in place.
"Sorry, excuse me," he said, shutting the door again.
"Er… maybe he's not feeling well…" Harry said.
Hermione growled. "He's sorry? All these years of torture, and all he has to say is sorry!" she exclaimed, soaring after him.
"I don't think he was apologizing for that," Harry said.
"I can't believe he was apologizing at all!" Ron gasped, shocked.
In the next train car, Hermione caught Draco by the shoulder and spun him around to face her.
"What was that? You can't just say sorry and expect us to forgive you for what you've done!" she whispered, trying not to draw a crowd. However, she failed and several people were poking their heads out of their compartments to watch the scene unfold.
"I just came to tell you-"
"Not here! Come with me," she interrupted, dragging him into an empty compartment in the back of the train, "Now- after all the torture you've put us through, you think you can just say sorry and everything will be all better?"
"But I-"
"No! You've been calling me that horrible word since our second year- second year- you're always picking on Ron's family just because they aren't as rich as you, you're an ass to Harry because people actually like him, you're mean to Neville, you make fun of my eyes, my skin, my teeth, my hair, my-"
Draco grabbed her by the front of her shirt and pulled her into a crushing kiss. She gasped when his lips covered hers and his hand released her blouse, going to her throat, gently. Just as she began thinking that she would melt, he pulled away.
"I only came to tell you that we were needed in the Head's compartment, but you all looked so- I don't know. I wasn't apologizing for any of that," he said, and her gaze fell to the floor, "But I probably should, so… I'm sorry."
"We're needed at the-? You're-? Okay… okay, good. You should be," she said, faintly, her voice losing all of its previous conviction.
"Is that it? What happened to that whole speech?" he said, grinning.
"Well, you sounded sincere," she replied.
"Right then, we should go," he said, grabbing her upper arm, "Head's Compartment…"
"What? Oh… oh! I'm Head Girl!" she exclaimed, straightening and following him.
They tended to their duties and headed back to their own compartments, the previously shared kiss never leaving either of their minds. Hermione read and reread the letter from Nomad, deciding to write him as soon as she got settled into her new dorm.
X
After the Feast, Hermione retired to the Head's Quarters. She knew, of course, that Draco would be there, be she'd rather have dealt with him than the questions of her peers about her mystery pen pal. Not to mention, she had a letter to write.
She walked into the Common Room to find Draco sitting on the sofa, reading a book, and completely oblivious to the world. She closed the door as quietly as she could and walked toward him. When she was about three feet away, she stopped.
"Hey!" she yelled, making him jump.
"Granger! What the hell was that for?" he exclaimed.
"Dunno," she replied, turning toward the door with the letters 'HG' scrawled across it, "See you."
She walked into her room and shut the door on Draco's insults. She grinned to herself and approached her desk. When she was finished with the letter, she walked over to Iris' cage and the owl began hooting frantically.
"Granger!" Draco yelled through their shared bathroom door, "Keep that damn bird quiet, would you?"
"I'll just send my letter and she'll be gone Drakey!" she yelled back. She heard the door slam and shook her head, attaching the letter to Iris' claw.
Speaking of letters, when was he going to get a reply from Venus? Not that he cared, he was just… alright, he did care. Well, Nomad cared. But Nomad is a part of him, right? So- Draco shook his head. It was all too confusing to think about. He sat down at his desk, staring out of the open window.
Quite suddenly, a ball of golden feathers flew past Draco's head, circling back around to land on his desk in front of him. He grinned broadly and took the letter from the flustered owl. He patted her on the head and Iris flew out of the room again. Draco opened the letter and read;
'Nomad,
I'll answer your questions before I say anything about myself. You were right about Venus. I guess it does describe one side of me, but it's a side that I keep well hidden. No, I won't tell you what house I'm in. I'm glad you wrote back, and you had better return the favor. Alright, here goes. I love to read, I get good grades, and I have a pretty good home life. My favorite animals are cats, dogs, owls, and horses. My favorite colors are blue and green. I'm a seventh year, and damn proud of it, but, of course, I was proud to be a first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and sixth year, as well. Well, that's enough about me. Don't forget- it's your turn!
Write Back,
Venus'
Draco smiled even wider and quickly wrote his reply, sending it with Hermes.
Hermione had been hoping that, since they were in the same school, he would reply soon. However, she hadn't expected him to reply in twenty minutes! She took the letter from Hermes and sent him off with an affection stroke.
'Venus,
Most people think I'm a prat, but that's only the image I show them. I have one real friend, a crappy home life, and I get good grades, too. My favorite animals are dogs, owls, horses, and rabbits. My favorite colors are black, white, and green. I'm a seventh year, also, so we've obviously met. Write back and tell me how your day was.
Nomad'
'Nomad,
You seem so sweet! I'm sure I must have liked you when we met. My day was really confusing. There's this guy that I've never gotten along with, and he did something pretty unexpected. So now I've started seeing him in a new light, I guess. Has anything like that ever happened to you? And then there's this war! I mean, how stupid is this war, really? I hate Voldemort! Sometimes, I wish somebody would come up behind him and shoot him in the back of the head! I'm sorry, I was ranting. Hmm… Well, write back.
Venus'
'Venus,
That has happened to me, and I'm sure you hated me. Maybe you should get to know this guy. Who knows, maybe you would like him. So you're not a follower of Voldemort? Good. I have to deal with them enough as it is. My father is a Death Eater and he's always going on about when I'm going to get my mark. I want to tell him to Sod Off, but the truth is, I'm afraid of him. You did promise confidentiality, right? Because, if we ever find out each other's identities, I don't want this spread all over the school. I don't know why, but you don't seem like the gossipy type. I'm going to hit the hay. Write me tomorrow after classes, okay? Good night,
Nomad'
XXX
Alright? That was a little longer. Just for reference, I've made them both a little more dense than usual… because otherwise they'd know each other's identities much too fast for the plot! Review, folks. Reviews make the world (of fanfiction) go round!