Draco,
Sorry we had to race out earlier than planned. We'll spend my
birthday together next year? Dad says we can't talk to anyone
about it, though I wish I could tell you. Just know I'm sorry and
that I'll write you as soon as I'm at Hogwarts. Malcolm says hi.
- Harry

Draco's birthday had come and passed with little complication. Though it was a relatively small party compared to Dudley's usual bash (Draco had only invited those in his class he wanted to be around, including Dudley, a boy named Aaron who was probably his next closest friend, blond twins who were particularly funny named Arthur and Rachel, and a few others who had been the kindest to Draco throughout the year) it was fun, and he was extremely grateful for all the presents he received. However, he couldn't help but note that at the end of the day, he never got the Hogwarts letter that his friend was so eagerly awaiting. There was never going to be any huge revelation of powers. He was just Draco, and for the first time, it really hit him what this meant. He was practically a Muggle. He wasn't special.

Harry, ever the good friend, was the one to pull him out of it. After everyone had gone home, Harry dragged Draco into his room to give him his final present of the night. It was a Quidditch magazine along with a copy of Quidditch Through the Ages and the knowledge that there was a floorboard underneath his bed that Harry had discovered was loose when playing hide-and-seek one day. Seeing the moving pictures and illustrations right in front of him again reminded Draco that the Wizarding world was real and that he had once been apart of it, and he had given Harry a large hug in return for his beautiful gifts.

The two still looked forward to the rest of the summer being spent together. However, around the second week of June, something must have gone wrong in the Wizarding world because Harry was taken away in the middle of the night and all Draco had to wake up to was an owl pecking at his window carrying a note from his friend. And so their two months of innocence was cut short.

The only thing Draco had to look forward to in the year now was Harry's letters. His mother tried to console him by saying that she was sure Harry was fine, but it didn't seem to do much good. Harry didn't show up again to go to Dudley's birthday party, and true to his word, he didn't write until he actually arrived at Hogwarts. Draco had never felt so alone.


Draco,
This has been a crazy couple of months. It's safe to talk about it now
but there were some Dark wizards raising Hell around the Ministry
and Dad thought we were in danger. He promised that I could spend
the majority of my summer break with you if I spent all my other holidays
at home, so we at least have that, right? Everything's fine now, if you
were wondering, though. Just a few morons with too much firewhiskey.

I'm at Hogwarts now, though! I just got back from the Sorting feast. Guess
who's a Ravenclaw! Something about brains, blah blah blah nonsense hat
song here...A girl I met on the train, Hermione Granger, is here too. She's
weird, but I think you'd like her. She's got the same "don't give me that look
Harry Potter" face that you do. Priceless.

Again, sorry our summer was cut short. Keep me updated!
- Harry


Harry,
Ravenclaw? Odd. I always heard that you actually had to be smart
to wind up there. I guess there are black sheep everywhere, though.
Don't even think of trying to replace me in your heart with somebody
named Hermione of all things, though. I will lock you in Dudley's closet
if you even dare try.

Nothing major is going on here, though. We broke out in the third world
war and Dud's been drafted, but they turned me away for being too damn
awesome. Pretty cool story. Oh and I started school and Rachel got all funny
and started asking about you. I think you've got an admirer.

Mum says you can spend the entire summer here if you want to. Says
that she'll write your parents or something. I think she's another admirer
of yours, to be quite honest. Tell me all about your classes. I hear Sev is
teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. You have GOT to tell me what he
is like as a Professor.
- Draco
PS: the war part was a lie. The Rachel part wasn't. She's gone funny. The
closet part wasn't a lie either. I will totally do that if you dare try. Also, Mum
says to give her love to Slughorn. Potions master. You don't have to. But she
said to tell you anyway.


Draco,
An admirer, ay? Obviously she doesn't talk much to Dudley. He's
convinced you and I are married, I swear. He's sort of obsessed
with the idea...which is creepy. Anyway, she was one of the twins
right? Pretty decent. Funny if I remember right. Feed the fire. That
could be fun to mess with later.

Hermione is not even close to replacing you. Even though the way
you worded it was pretty queer, mate. She's sort of overbearing to
be quite honest with you, but she's okay. I mainly spend my time with
Ron Weasley - he's the son of some bloke my mom works with.
He's better. More like you but without the inner Malfoy.

Snape is so weird in the classroom, I swear. He prefers Malcolm
by far. Everyone else thinks he's a bit creepy, but he just takes his
job seriously. Really seriously. You should tell him to loosen up.
I'm gonna tell Malcolm to tell him, too, because he'll scare all the
first years next year if he's still like this. Slughorn says hello to your
mum and told me something about connections...wanted to know
where she was but I didn't say anything.

Hope Dud gets hurt in the war. It'll do him some good to be scarred
for life.
- Harry


Harry,
Don't mess with Rachel, mate, she's a nice girl. I just told
her you said 'hey' and she hasn't asked since. sorry. but
I wouldn't let you make a game of my friends anyway.

Queer or not, I'm not being replaced by a person named Hermione.
I absolutely refuse. Weasley...Familiar last name. I don't think they're
fond of us, whoever they are, though...Mum sort of made this noise
when I asked her about them. Is he in Ravenclaw too, then?

I wrote him to ask about his classes. He says he'll stop being
so hard on you guys when you stop being buffoons. I think he
is just kidding, though...I can never tell with him. Thanks for not
saying anything about where we are...on that note, started hating
Squibs yet? I'm curious as to how many people have already put
me down for being one...

The war is still raging on and I'm still awesome. Nothing really
happening here...Rach is having a birthday party and wants me
and Aaron to go. Asked if you could make it. I've become quite
good at lying for you.
- Draco


"For the last time," Draco said as he walked toward an empty space among the tables for lunch, Rachel close by his side, "Harry really can't make it to your party. I talked to him and things are pretty crazy...Family reunion and all."

"But Dudley said he could go," Rachel argued back, setting her tray down and sitting across from Draco, who just waved the comment away. "They're related, aren't they?"

"On his mom's side, yeah. But the reunion is for his dad's side of the family. They, uh, don't get along."

Rachel had been going like this since she first invited Draco to her birthday party. If she wasn't bothering him about if he was sure he was going to show up, she was trying to harass him into making Harry go, something that he couldn't do even if he wanted to. Harry was at Hogwarts - Draco would have to wait until summer to see him again and he refused to share him with anyone else if he did happen to see him beforehand. Something about the idea just...displeased him. Especially with Rachel, who got a certain shining look in her eyes whenever she said Harry's name.

"Just leave him alone, Rach," Aaron said, taking his spot on Draco's right. "If Harry could make it, I'm sure Drake would say so."

'Drake'. Draco tried not to cringe at the nickname. During his first day of school six years ago, he had been teased relentlessly for his rather odd name. To try and normalize him in their minds, the kids had resorted to calling him Drake and he hadn't been able to shake the abbreviation since. It was stuck to him, like gum to the bottom of the dirty tables they used in the school. He had to admit, though, it was growing on him. It was like a clear distinction between when he was talking to people from the Wizarding world and when he was talking to Muggles. To his mother, the Potters, and anyone else they kept in contact with, he was Draco. To the Muggles, he was Drake. And despite the fact that he was practically a Muggle himself, it was nice to have something, one little thing, to distinguish himself from them.

"That's right," he said, taking a bite of the chicken they were trying to feed them like it was supposed to taste real. "If Potter could make it, I'd have already invited him. So please - hush."

And she did. Though Draco wasn't magical by wizard standards, he did have a way with people that made his commands almost impossible to resist. If he wanted you to stop talking, you did it. If he wanted you to fetch something for him, you did that too, and you never really knew why. When he spoke to people, they were just compelled to listen. His teachers said he had 'charisma', but he always secretly hoped that it was just the magic he was supposed to have finally shining through. Then he'd remember that his eleventh birthday had already come and passed and that it was pointless for him to even dream about it.

"If it helps," Draco said, "I'll write to him about it and see where it goes from there. But he'll probably just tell you to stop being ridiculous, like I've been saying for the past week." Rachel just gave him a shining smile, and Draco rolled his eyes. The things he did to fit in.


Draco,
Sorry I haven't written in a while. A lot has gone on since my last
letter. To answer your last questions, though, no Ron isn't in
Ravenclaw, he's in Gryffindor. I won't bother Rachel and thanks for
lying for me, though I wish you didn't have to. And to be quite
honest, Draco, I haven't had a chance to talk about you...But
I told you before, being a Squib is no big deal. Our kind really
don't care. I think it's just your dad...

Anyway, guess what. I'M ON THE RAVENCLAW QUIDDITCH TEAM!
Yeah some prat named Goyle was harassing this kid during flying
lessons so I tried to put him in his place. I thought I was busted for
sure when I got pulled away from lessons but turns out they just want
me to be their Seeker. Isn't that wicked? I thought you'd be really
excited to hear, since you love Quidditch and all. I wish you could
come see me play...Maybe I could ask. I want you to see the castle
and meet Ron and Hermione anyway.

How was Rachel's party? If it's happened yet...I'm too lazy to
find your other letters to check. Did you have fun? Did Mal
drop by? He hasn't written me in a while but I asked him to go
in my place so you weren't too bored.

Hogwarts is wicked, mate. Wish you were here. You'd have a blast.
I've got loads to show you when I get back to Privet Drive. (By the way
I don't know if you've heard but Mum says I can stay at your place
all summer. Do you think your mum would be okay with Ron visiting?
I really want you guys to meet.) Can't wait to see you. Tell me more about
the war. I'm curious.
- Harry


Harry,
Yeah, Rachel's party was about a week ago. It was okay. She
wouldn't leave me and Mal alone, though. Aaron says she fancies
me. I think he's mental, really. Thanks for sending Malcolm, though.
It was nice to see at least one of you.

Oh, I didn't realize that I never came up in conversation...but I don't
know, Harry. Mum said I had to leave to Privet Drive because of bad
reactions to Squibs. Are you sure it's not that big of a deal?

The Quidditch team? As a first year? Mum says that's really
rare. Congrats, mate! I don't think Hogwarts takes visitors like
Muggle schools do...Maybe if I went with your parents? Get back
to me because I really do want to see you play. And as a Seeker
too! When's your first game?

Mum says other wizards visiting wouldn't be smart...but I can meet
him if I end up going to your match. Nothing good on the war front,
mate. But I'll keep you posted.
- Draco


Draco,
Hate to cut this short but it's late and practice wore me out.
Our first match is next Tuesday. Mum says she'll pick you up
so you can watch. Already wrote to your mum. Can't wait to
see you.
- Harry


Draco's first look of Hogwarts was in a carriage. After arriving around Hogwarts' general location ("We couldn't just travel right into the grounds," James had explained. "That would break safety precautions and all of that.") they moved from the train platform into horseless carriages that he suspected the headmaster had supplied for guests coming in to watch the match. They were beautiful, magical, and Draco wish he knew what sort of spell made them move on their own like they did. In fact, he was so transfixed by the carriages themselves that it took Malcolm tugging on his sleeve to realize that Hogwarts was now in view. "Check it out," the younger Potter brother said, pointing out the window. There, Draco could see the high walls of the castle, the ancient architecture and beautiful towers that he had tried to imagine in his mind over and over again. What he had drawn up in his imagination was nothing compared to the real thing. He found his mouth hanging open in awe. The Manor he grew up in was extravagant and beautiful in it's own way, but compared to Hogwarts, it was like a dungeon. A dark, dirty dungeon that no one bothered to take care of. He had never seen a more beautiful place before in his life. "Welcome to Hogwarts," James said quietly, seemingly amused at the young blond's amazement. The only proper response that Draco would manage was, "Wicked."

His amazement only grew as they entered the actual school grounds. Hogwarts had the greenest grass that Draco had ever seen, and even the lake seemed to sparkle in a way that was surreal. All the kids on the grounds were headed toward a large Quidditch stadium and they were dressed in uniform - black robes with a white shirt and tie and either slacks or a skirt. Draco had never, ever wanted so badly to cast aside the nice clothes his mother had bought him in exchange for something so normal. He had never wanted to be a part of something as badly as he wanted to be a part of that group.

He stepped out of the carriage slowly, wanting to savor every first glance he took at the grounds. He never thought he'd be here. He never thought that he would step foot on the grass like he was doing then, never thought he'd be able to view the castle, never thought they'd let him through the gates. But here he was - standing in the middle of the grounds surrounded by everything Hogwarts had to offer up. He could see how Harry kept too busy to write now. If he attended this school, he'd never be able to sit down long enough to write a letter.

"Come on," James said, resting a hand on Draco's shoulder to steer him toward the crowd. "It's beautiful and all, but if we want to be able to see the game, we should try to snag good seats."

Game. Seats. Quidditch. Right - that's what they were there for. Harry was the youngest Seeker to be on a House team in a century and they were there to cheer him on. Somehow Draco had allowed this to slip his mind but the promise of seeing his friend on the field was enough inspiration to get him moving again, James' hand still firmly gripping his shoulder so that he didn't lose him in the crowd.

The stadium was even more beautiful than the castle. Draco had never been near an actual Quidditch field before, and pictures didn't even come close to the real thing. He surveyed the area critically with his eyes, taking in the green grass, the high hoops, the stands, all the students sitting there anxiously awaiting the game, split almost perfectly down in the middle in who was supporting which side. He could see a woman with a whistle who could only be the referee standing at the edge of the field, waiting, and he wanted to stare at her long enough to see who the captains were when they came out, but James was ushering him up into the stands soon enough and he had to tear his eyes away from the beautiful field.

"I think there's an empty space up there next to Albus," Lily was saying to James when Draco turned back to them. "I hope he didn't save those for us, I told him special treatment wasn't necessary..."

"You know how good old Dumbledore is, though, Lils. He can't resist the opportunity to be courteous."

It took a second before Draco realized who they were talking about. Albus Dumbledore. The man who dueled Grindelwald back in the day and won, bringing the end of the Dark age. The man who was rumored to be the most powerful wizard in the world. They were talking about that Dumbledore...and he had supposedly saved seats for them! He looked up with Mr. and Mrs. Potter with a newfound respect, and Lily smiled down at him. "Well then we must be courteous too," she said to her husband. Then to Draco, "How would you like to meet Albus Dumbledore?" His eyes widened, and she laughed. "I promise, he's very kind. Come, I'll introduce you two."

He glanced nervously at Malcolm, who reassured him with a touch on the elbow as they walked through the stands. "Dumbledore used to visit a lot when we were little," he said quietly, probably trying to reassure his friend. "He really is nice."

"Yeah?" Draco murmured quietly. "How does he feel about Squibs then?" Malcolm, not knowing the answer and not wanting to lie, remained quiet.

"Albus!" Lily called happily as they approached an old man with a long white beard and even longer white hair. "Albus, I do hope you didn't go against my wishes and save seats for us."

"Alas, Lily, that is exactly what I seem to have done," the man replied, a twinkle in his eye behind his half-moon spectacles. "I hope you are not too furious with me."

"We're not going to pass up good Quidditch seats and you know it," James said with a laugh. He grabbed onto Draco's shoulder again to give it a comforting squeeze and the action drew Dumbledore's attention to the young blond. He smiled politely but nervously and quickly averted his eyes to the ground as he had learned to do at a young age around wizards of power.

"I see you were able to bring young Draco to watch," Dumbledore then said, and Draco raised his head, surprised. "Splendid." He then patted the space next to him and said, "Sit down, please, sit down." They did, the Potters insisting that Draco take the spot immediately next to Dumbledore. His heart pounded as he looked up into the kind, smiling face and he looked out toward the field quickly so he didn't seem to be staring. In a matter of minutes, he had arrived at Hogwarts, stepped onto his first Quidditch field, and met the most powerful wizard in the world. How many people got to say that in their lifetime?

"So, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbledore said suddenly, and Draco turned his gaze back to him, "I hear that you and our good friend Mr. Potter have become rather...close since your evacuation." Draco raised his eyebrows curiously, but didn't say a word for fear of it sounding rude. How did he know anything about him? "Ah, you must be wondering," the old man continued, "how I knew these things, correct?" The young boy nodded. "Well, it seems your friend has a particular...fondness for trouble. Not unlike his father." The both took that moment to look at James, who had his arm around Malcolm and a wide grin on his face as he began to explain everything about the field to his youngest son. "As for your evacuation," Dumbledore went on to say, "I make it a habit to watch over the safety of every family I've ever encountered. And after hearing your father's small rampage, I don't think anyone in the Wizarding world could forget that you and your mother left." He said this with a smile and an air of amusement, as though it was supposed to be something funny. But Draco's stomach just turned unpleasantly at the thought of his angry father. Seeming to sense this, Dumbledore leaned in and said, "He is not allowed on Hogwarts grounds, Mr. Malfoy. He cannot hurt you under my watch." Draco just blinked at him, lost as to what to say. It was then that Dumbledore turned away from him and said simply, "I think we should be getting started any minute now."

He was right. Just moments after the words escaped the esteemed wizard's mouth, the two teams stepped out onto the field. The referee instructed the captains to shake hands, said she wanted a nice clean game, and then they were off. Draco searched the skies for his friend as the game started, smiling brightly when he saw the familiar bespectacled face. He was flying much higher than most people on the field, circling the pitch as the Chasers below began to toss the Quaffle back and forth. Somewhere, someone was doing commentary but Draco was getting lost as to who was who so he decided to just block it out and try to figure it out for himself. It was a lot slower than professional Quidditch games, but he supposed that was expected. The playing wasn't much tamer, though. The Ravenclaw beaters were positively ruthless, seemingly trying to calculate exactly where the Bludgers would hit if hurt a certain way and Draco guessed they never missed a target as they hit other players in the arm, back, and even head with ease. The Chasers flew superbly, and their teamwork was absolutely stunning. They worked hard to corner anyone with the Quaffle and it wasn't long until they had gotten a hold of themselves, tossing it back and forth, flying in a V and confusing the Keeper until...

"Ravenclaw scores!"

Draco cheered along with the rest of the crowd as Dumbledore clapped politely next to him.

Good as the Ravenclaw team was, though, the team they were playing - Hufflepuff, Draco soon realized - was good as well. They didn't have the strategic moves that Ravenclaw did, but they did have a pretty nasty habit of ruining said strategies. The Ravenclaws seemed to expect the Hufflepuffs to react in a certain way, and if they happened to change the course of the game, a flicker of annoyance could be seen passing over each Ravenclaw Chaser's face. The match of skill made for a very interesting match, and Draco found himself developing a respect for both Houses throughout the course of the game. However, the real spectacle to watch was obviously Harry. Though the boy was just eleven years old, he looked as comfortable in the sky as anyone else on the team. He circled and dodged Bludgers, flew in large but carefully planned circles so he could survey every inch of the field, and even the Hufflepuff Seeker had taken to watching Harry as well as the field in case his younger opponent was able to spot the Snitch first. Draco felt himself swell with pride for his friend, and he had to remind himself several times that there was a game going on other than where Harry was so he could keep up with what was happening in the game.

"Hufflepuff scores! The score is now 50-30, Ravenclaw!"

50-30. Not hard to recover from at all, Draco thought to himself, unless Harry grabs the Snitch. It was as though his thought was the spark Harry needed. Very suddenly, his friend took off toward the ground, attracting the attention of everyone in the stands. The Hufflepuff Seeker, alerted by the noise all around him, took off after him, but even Draco knew that this was in vain. Harry was going fast, faster than anyone else in the game had dared go so far. He swerved around the goal posts, tried to avoid players as the Snitch raced through the middle of the court, and finally followed it up in a bit of a spiral and then-

"Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! Ravenclaw wins!"

Draco had never cheered so loudly before in his life - he had never done anything loudly before in his life. But his friend's victory filled him with such an intense pride that he couldn't help but jump up in excitement. Harry landed on the field only to be swallowed by the cheering mass that was his teammates, and Draco watched happily as his friend received praise after praise after praise as they shuffled into the locker rooms once more. Draco was still cheering excitedly, but quieted once the teams disappeared from the field. People were now leaving the stands, excited to go and celebrate, and Draco turned with shining eyes to Malcolm, who looked as excited as he did. "If you two want to see Mr. Potter," Dumbledore said from behind them, "I'm sure he would not be upset to see you waiting for him on the field." That was all the boys needed to hear. They scurried off together as the adults laughed, remembering what it was like to be young and witness their first Quidditch game.

"I've never seen flying like that before," Draco said excitedly, as he and Mal pushed through the crowds. "Harry must have had loads of practice before..."

"He was always flying around the house," Malcolm said, "but Mum never let him do anything like that. Did you see that dive?"

The two carried on like this all the way down to the field, talking about the highlights of the game and where they thought the two teams went wrong. They didn't stop until Draco was suddenly tackled to the ground, his breath leaving him under the weight of one Harry Potter.

"That's revenge for this summer," he said, a mischievous grin on his face, and Draco laughed as he pushed against his friend.

"Get off me, you prat," he said, giving up on pushing and grabbing his arms to try and turn them over. "I know you're happy to see me but get off so I can congratulate you properly."

"Never!" Harry laughed out, still high on the adrenaline rush from the game, and the two wrestled for a moment before Draco was able to overpower his friend and pin his shoulders to the ground.

"I win," he announced simply, panting slightly for breath and Harry smiled at him, chest heaving slightly in the same way. Then Draco pulled away from him, extending a hand to pull his friend up and into a tight hug.

"I can't believe you're here!" Harry said finally, letting go of his friend and turning to hug his brother. "Either one of you. I mean, Dumbledore said you guys could come but..."

But he didn't know if Draco's mum would be okay with it. Yeah - he knew. Draco, himself, was a little surprised that she had let him go, too, but he supposed that she had spoken to Dumbledore about his father before giving him the okay to go. "I wouldn't miss a Quidditch match for the world," the blond said, picking grass from his shirt while the brothers said their hellos. "That was some wicked flying out there, mate. I'd say Ravenclaw made a good choice."

Harry smiled brightly at the compliment, but the moment between the two friends was suddenly interrupted as a girl with a mane of bushy brown hair pushed past Draco to throw her arms around Harry in a hug. "You did it!" she was saying excitedly. "Oh Harry, I was so scared; that dive looked terrifying! Ron was absolutely shaking, weren't you, Ron?" She turned to address a red-haired boy who had just walked up behind them, and Draco watched as the boy's pale cheeks flushed.

"I was not shaking," he said, "I was cheering. I knew Harry could pull off that dive." The bushy-haired girl just gave him a knowing look before turning her gaze to Draco and Malcolm.

"Oh," she said simply, "I didn't realize you had other company, Harry." Draco was almost ninety percent certain this was a lie, as if she had been watching to see when Harry was coming out, she would have seen him getting tackled. But he excused her rudeness - some people just simply didn't have social skills.

Harry, however, didn't seem to notice. He just slung his arm around Draco's shoulder and said, "Guys, this is Draco Malfoy. You know, my friend from Privet Drive. Draco, this is Ron and Hermione. I told you about them in my letters." Indeed. Draco's eyes surveyed Hermione carefully, from the bushy hair to the large front teeth displayed clearly when she grinned on him, and when he deemed her not too much of a threat, he allowed himself to smile back. Then his gaze turned to Ron, who looked weedy and a bit disheveled but not hostile. He held out his hand and said, "Pleasure to meet you," as they each shook it in turn. The process was then repeated with Malcolm, who greeted Ron like an old friend, and Harry's arm never left where it sat comfortably across Draco's shoulder.

"Well it was very nice to finally meet the both of you," Hermione said. "Harry never stops talking about you two, especially you Draco. It's always 'Oh me and Draco this and that,' and it was ever so annoying to hear about it all without knowing you."

Harry flushed from next to him and Draco gave him a teasing smile. "Oh really?" he said. "And I thought you didn't get much of a chance to talk about me, Potter."

"I meant to everyone, you prat," Harry replied, dropping his arm. "Of course I'd tell Ron and Hermione." The simple statement made Draco glow again and he turned his attention to Harry's friends.

"I've heard a little bit about you two, as well," he said. "As much as I could get from Harry's poorly written letters."

"Hey!"

"I'm serious, Potter, it wouldn't kill you to work on your penmanship."

Ron mumbled something that sounded oddly like, "He's right, you know," as Hermione snickered behind her hand. Malcolm just bit his lip in an attempt to hide a smile. Harry looked around at the group with an exaggerated look of offense displayed on his features.

"Oh sod off, all of you," he said, putting his hands on his hips, and Draco laughed when he suddenly saw the Dursley-like habits that his friend had picked up.

"Write it legibly, Harry, then we'll think about following," Draco said and Ron snorted as Hermione turned away from the group to smile.

"I will tackle you again, Draco Malfoy. Watch yourself." It wasn't much of a threat and they knew it. The five of them suddenly burst out laughing, as though Harry tackling Draco was the funniest thing they had ever heard in their entire lives. They laughed for what felt like hours until suddenly all the tension between them had broken and they no longer felt like strangers. It was funny, what a good laugh could change.

"Are you staying here long then, Draco?" Hermione asked suddenly. "I didn't know Hogwarts took visitors."

"I didn't know either to be honest," he replied. "Harry's parents just offered and I accepted. I don't think we're staying long, though. Mr. and Mrs. Potter don't like to intrude."

"So you're not going to stay to celebrate or anything?" Ron asked.

Draco shrugged. "I guess not."

Hermione and Ron both looked rather disappointed, but Harry just bumped into him with his shoulder. "We'll make up for it by having bloody awesome birthday parties this summer," he joked, and they all laughed at that and went on to discuss the game, Hermione talking about the dangerous aspects while Draco and Ron told her to sod off and talked excitedly about the more dangerous plays. Malcolm cut in every now and then and it wasn't long until Draco felt more accepted in that group than he ever did at his school back in Surrey.


Harry,
You were right - Ron and Hermione are great. I'll try
to convince mum to let them visit, but no promises.
She's a bit uptight about it all.

Hogwarts is wicked. Keep us posted on Quidditch
match dates. Mum might actually go to one next
time! Don't get too cocky and hurt yourself during
practice. I don't think they could find a Seeker
good enough to replace you.

The war is over. Dudley survived. Pity.
- Draco


Author's Note: The important parts of this story are not when Harry is at Hogwarts and Draco isn't. Most of these next chapters will be mainly letters between Harry and Draco and little snippets like the ones here, explaining the summer and more important events that are happening. I'm sorry to those who wanted Draco to get his letter for his birthday! But I liked the Squib idea and stuck with it. (: I'm a cheater, though. I found a way to get him to Hogwarts anyway. I hope you enjoyed this. And yes, Harry is in Ravenclaw for a specific reason but it's too long for me to explain here. Just know that it isn't a mistake and it was, in fact, well thought out. Thanks for reading. xo.