It was the end of their third year at Hogwarts. Harry Potter had once again managed to save the day with the help of his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Everyone was excited to go home this year, everyone except three people. Harry Potter was not excited to go home because he lived with his abusive Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and cousin Dudley Dursley. Hermione Granger was not excited to go home because the one boy she should not be thinking about, she couldn't stop thinking about. And that third person who was not excited to go home, well, it would have shocked even Ron Weasley who it was as it was none other than Draco Malfoy.
Now, Draco had been Harry's nemesis since they met at Hogwarts before the Sorting Ceremony to see which house the first years would be in. Harry had declined Draco's offer of friendship after Draco had insulted Ron and his family. Over the years at Hogwarts, the taunts got worse. Their second year at Hogwarts led to Hermione being called a "mudblood" for the first time by the Malfoy heir. Later in the year, Hermione had ended up petrified by the Basilisk before Harry had found the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets and saved the day again.
Now, Draco knew his father would not take kindly to the thoughts running through his head of a certain bushy-haired Gryffindor, but there was no avoiding going home for the summer if he didn't want to be disowned. He figured he would have to find a way to talk to his mother without his father being around to let her know what was going on and how to proceed with his father. Only his mother knew how to truly handle a man like Lucius Malfoy. The one thing Draco knew he wanted to do before he left Hogwarts for the summer was to send a letter to Hermione Granger, but he didn't know how to do it or what to write.
While Draco was contemplating sending Hermione a letter, she was already writing one to him.
Draco,
We have never seen each other for who the other truly is, but I hope to be given the chance to see who you are for myself and not what the rest of the world sees you as. Yes, you may look a lot like your father, but there comes a time in one's life when one must choose to follow their parents or take a different path altogether to save themselves from the same heartache that the parents have gone through. I, for one, have to say that my path will be very different to my parents because of what I am. The only thing I am sure of at this point is that I can never fully go back to where I came from. If you want to talk to someone, just know that I will listen to whatever you have to say with an open mind and an open heart. I hope to hear from you soon.
A Secret Admirer