The next morning, Draco Malfoy's eagle owl swooped, not to the Slytherin table with sweets from home, but to the Gryffindor table with a letter. It dropped the parchment on top of Harry Potter's french toast and glided off.

Ron leaned over as Harry wiped the syrup off. "It's not a Howler. Why would Malfoy be sending you ordinary mail?"

Harry cracked the green wax seal. The letter read simply:

Potter,
I want a word with you. Alone. Name the time and place and, you have my word, I will come unarmed.
Draconis
V L X N
de Malfoy

After reading it quickly, Harry frowned. But Ron was trying to lean past Hermione to see what the parchment said, so he took the quill Hermione thoughtfully provided and scribbled the first thing that came into his head, which happened to be: Quidditch Pitch, tomorrow, nine AM.

Hermione had read Draco's query. "He actually did it," she whispered.

Harry thought she was talking about him, instead of Draco. He melted the seal back with the tip of his wand and tossed the letter up into the air. Half of the Gryffindor table ducked as Malfoy's owl came plummeting down, snatched the paper up in his beak, and soared back to the Slytherin table.

Draco leapt up on his chair and, holding his forearm out like a falconer, let the owl land on it. He took the parchment and inclined his head to Harry before stepping down.

"What the--" "Ron!" "was that all about?"

"Malfoy wanted a word," Harry said nonchalantly. "If he tries anything funny, it'll be a good place to practice my Patronus."

Ron laughed as Hermione looked daggers at him and muttered. "Your time will come."


This chapter is for Akira Gown and Queen Li, who reviewed their hearts out. If there's something you want to see in the fic, guys, you got it. Looong chapter next time.