"Look, Ron, if you only studied once in a while instead of..."
"Study study study! All you want to do in life is study! Even with..."
Harry sighed and did his best to tune them out. They always were like this. The slightest thing would set them off and they would argue until Ron's face turn purple and Hermione began having conniptions. Hours later, they'd disappear somewhere and come back acting as if they'd never argued in their life.
Most other days, their constant arguing didn't bother Harry. He even tended to find humor in it. On that day, however, it annoyed Harry to no end. Another grueling day of Snape's class, combined with a burn from Hagrid's newest "Cute and cuddly pet", had Harry's patience worn thin.
"ME! It was your fault that..."
Harry shook his head and ducked down a side hallway while they were still arguing. He wasn't surprised that Ron and Hermione didn't even notice him gone, because when those two got together they acted like no one else existed. Harry heaved a sigh of relief to have gotten away.
As the sound of their arguing died away, Harry became aware of a different sound. Harry, curious, followed the sound around the bend of the hallway until he saw a boy curled up into a ball sobbing quietly. Next to the boy sat a letter in a tightscrawl, slightly crinkled and with several smudges from where tears had fallen on the paper.
"Are... Are you Alright?" Harry said quietly, so as not to startle the boy.
The boy was startled, despite Harry's effort. The boy jumped to his feet at the sound of Harry's voice, grabbed the letter from beside him and whirled around to face Harry. Harry almost couldn't suppress the moan of dismay when he recognize the tear-streaked face of the boy. He'd almost tried to comfort Draco Malfoy!
"Potter!" Draco tried to scream indignantly while whipping tears from his face. "W-what are you doing here? If you thought I was crying, you were wrong!"
Harry sighed. As much as he desired to taunt Draco and try to make Draco's life as miserable as Draco had tried to make his, Harry found that he could not. It wasn't in him to taunt someone for something so personal. "No, Draco..." Harry said softly. "I didn't think you were crying.
Draco nodded, and Harry could have sworn that the look Draco gave him was grateful. The look only lasted an instant before the same smug and egotistical expression entered his face. The expression Draco wore then looked odd with his cheeks so red from tears.
"That's right, Potter, and don't you forget it." Draco said as a parting shot before he gathered his books up and headed back out of the hallway, brushing past Harry as if he didn't exist.
Harry stood there, staring at Draco until Draco was well out of sight. "What a day I've had..." Harry bemoaned. It was as he shook his head that he noticed a piece of paper lying on the ground where Draco had been. Curious, Harry bent and picked it up, only to drop it again when he realized what it was.
It was the tear smudge ink that made it so easily identifiable. The handwriting was not easily legible, as if the writer were possessed by a strong emotion when he'd written it. At the bottom left hand corner of the letter was the unmistakable signature of Lucius Malfoy, Draco's father.
Harry felt tempted to read the letter than and there. He even scanned the first part of the letter, but stopped from guilt. He had no right to read Draco's mail. No right at all. Torn between whether to take the letter or leave it, Harry decided to take it with him, shoving it in his pocket to keep it hidden. Better to keep it with him, where he knew it would be safe, than to leave it lying around for anyone else to pick it up and read it. That's what Harry tried to tell himself, anyway. The letter in his pocket occupied Harry's thoughts all the way back to the Gryffindor common room.
Harry's revire was broken by Hermione's concerned voice. "Harry! There you are!" She cried upon sighting him. "Where did you go? We were so worried when you disappeared on us. How can you be so irresponsible, leaving off on your own like that?!"
"Careful, Harry," Ron whispered into Harry's ear as Hermione continued to berate him. "Hermione was about to assemble a search and rescue party. I swear she thinks at any moment you-know-who is going to pop out and gobble you up."
Harry mumbled something in response, he could never remember what, and stumbled up the stairs towards his bed, telling Hermione and Ron that he was very tired and needed his rest because it was a busy day tomorrow. Harry was so lost in thought that he didn't even remember that tomorrow was a Saturday, and he had nothing better to do but homework and studying.
"Bloody... do ya' think Harry's gone bonkers?" Ron asked, sharing a confused glance with Hermione.
"I don't know... Maybe he's catching something?" Hermione replied, as baffled as Ron.
"Or maybe he's studied too hard?" Ron suggested. "Maybe that's driven him off the edge."
"Ron, don't be ridiculous. Contrary to what you believe, studying is good for you!" Hermione retorted, whirling away from Ron in a huff. Within moments, both of them had forgotten Harry's odd behavior.
Back up in his room, Harry made sure that no one had decided to retire early before pulling the letter out. He didn't know why he should be so worried, but guilt gnawed at the back of his mind. He knew he should do the right thing. He knew he should throw the letter into the fire, where it would be destroyed and it's contents safe. He knew all that, but still he slowly, gently unwrinkled the edges of the letter.
Harry stopped for his moment, thinking about how quickly Draco had crushed the letter, just so Harry couldn't see it. "Don't be silly, Harry..." Harry said to himself. "For all the evil he's done to you, it can't hurt to have something to fight back with."
Repeating that in his mind, Harry began to wade through the letter. Lucius' script was hard to read, but after reading the first sentence, Harry was dedicated to deciphering every last worked.
Draco, it began simply. Let it be known to you that you are a disgrace to the Malfoy name. Academically, you have the worst notes since your mentally incompetent uncle Mattrim attended Hogwarts decades ago. That, I could forgive. Several days ago, your relationship to... Here several words were blotted by tears. ...and only now the depths of what has been going on before our very noses has come to light. It is not only who, but what. A muggle, Draco. A muggle! Perhaps your taste do run in an odd direction, and that too is forgivable, but not the fact that your choice in... mates is no better than the spawn of worthless Muggles! I would not be surprised if soon you would not be speaking against Lord Voldemort with the rest of that sniveling flock of muggle-lovers. Know now that any hopes of regaining your relationship is pointless. I even went so far as to inform... The next word was smudged, but looked like "His parents" ...about your relationship. They appeared to be even more upset than I that your relationship had taken place. If I were not so merciful, I would disown you this instant and throw you out. Even now I am tempted, but for your mother sake I will keep you for a time and grant you a chance to redeem yourself. Be warned, however. If you do another thing to shame the Malfoy name, you will have no family. It was signed simply "Lucius Malfoy."
A slow, evil grin grew on Harry's face. Finally, life had given him a break! The single piece of paper in his hand was his ticket to freedom from the teasing of Malfoy, and with any luck, the entire Slytherin house!
Harry was so excited, he could not sleep for the entire night. He kept going through his plan of how to confront Draco about the letter, how to finally extract revenge for every second of suffering he had to endure from Draco's hand. Harry couldn't fall asleep until the wee hours of the morning, but when he finally did pass into the land of Nod, there was a wry smile on his face.
