Chapter Four – The Note

Draco woke up early Sunday morning at about 6:30. He quickly dressed and went down to the Slytherin common room.

Good! No one's here! he thought as he sat down on the couch. He pulled out a quill and parchment and started writing a short note:

Dear Hermione,
About that offer to talk, did you mean it? If you do please meet me in the prefects' bathroom at 7:00pm tonight. If you can't meet me for some reason, send an owl.
Draco

He folded the note in quarters, put the name Hermione on it, and attached it to Mordichai, his owl. He quietly opened the window to let Mordichai out, then closed it again when Mordichai had disappeared out into the early morning. He then pulled out a sketchbook (green and silver with a serpent on the front) and a pen that he had bought in Diagon Alley when his father wasn't looking, for his father would certainly not approve of this purchase. His father would want him to be reading books about the dark arts or practicing the words for curses, in preparation for when he would become a Deatheater. Truth was, Draco wasn't entirely sure he wanted to become Deatheater. He liked teasing people, maybe putting a semi-harmful spell (like the jelly-legs curse) on someone, but he didn't really like the idea of killing people. At this point in time, Draco preferred to be drawing a picture of the common room, instead of reading, or practicing curses.

Suddenly, there was a loud tap on the common room window. Draco realized it was Mordichai, maybe back with a reply from Hermione, or just back from delivering the note. Either way, he decided he should open the window and let Mordichai in. Mordichai had a note attached to his leg, written in very, neat tidy scrawl. It was short and to the point:

Draco,
Yes, I did mean that I would talk to you if you wanted to, and I can meet you!
Hermione

Draco looked at his watch: 7:15. He knew that people would be getting up, and going down to the common room. So he put the note, sketchbook, and pen into his bag.

The first person to come down to the common room was Pansy Parkinson.

Ugg... Draco thought, Why do I have to be dating her? She's so dumb! Although, if I wanted to date a smart girl, I would have to date someone from a different house, and my dad definitely wouldn't want that.

"Hi Draco!" said Pansy flirtingly.

"Good morning, Pansy," said Draco, with no tone of excitement.

"Hi Draco!" said Crabbe and Goyle coming down the stairs.

"Hi Crabbe! Hi Goyle," Draco said to some of his best friends. He wasn't sure he wanted to be friends with them anymore, either. They were pretty dumb. Maybe dumber than Pansy, if that was possible. Draco, Pansy, Crabbe and Goyle all went down to breakfast.

"Draco dear, why are you being so quiet?" asked Pansy, worriedly.

"No reason. I guess I'm just tired," replied Draco. Truth was, he was still thinking about Saturday morning. Why was she concerned about what he had been doing - after all he had done to her? Why was she willing to talk to him? Was this just a cruel joke to get back at him? Would she even come to meet him?