wow...these reveiws are just pouring in...

note the sarcasm

Chapter 15: The Letter

Feeling thoroughly miserable, I once again left the Great Hall and walked out to the lake. I wanted to forgive Draco, I really did, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Not yet at least. I mean, I knew he didn't actually do anything, but I could feel the spot where my heart had ripped at the sight of Draco and Pansy. I knew I wouldn't be able to forgive him until that was healed.

As I sat under my tree, staring out at the lake, I was unsurprised to find my thoughts wandering. I really had no intentions of trying to think of reasons to forgive Draco. I wanted to, but then I didn't. I know it makes no sense, but since when does love make sense? Here I am, madly in love with a man that isn't supposed to exist, known over the entire planet as a fictional character and an ass. But I still couldn't deny the fact that I loved him.

Nor could I deny the fact that he had caused me a great deal of pain.

After about an hour or two, and after much wandering of my thoughts, I decided I'd go back to my room. Everyone was in class, excluding me. Then I remembered where I was. I was in Hogwarts. Hogwarts. THE Hogwarts. The Hogwarts that kids of all ages everywhere dreamed of going to, that kids dreamed of period, hoping it was real, hoping they could even catch a glimpse of it's magic. And here I was, barely caring anymore because I was so used to it. I slowed and started looking at my surroundings. The walls were all wonderfully carved, and a person could just tell that this school had survived ages. Instead of walking directly to the Slytherin common room, I took a major detour. I took the time to find the Fat Lady, who was sitting with that really gossipy friend of hers. I waved and kept walking, not wanting to raise suspicion. I made my way through the school, close to getting lost quite a few times. I managed to find a statue that seemed like it should be familiar, only to realize two halls later that it was the statue that held the entrance to Honeydukes. I also found a tapestry that gave me the same feeling of familiarity. Looking behind me, I saw a completely blank wall. I figured I had found the Room of Requirement, but I decided against finding out for sure. I found the large portrait of fruit and again decided against finding out whether or not it was actually the entrance to the kitchens. For a while, my thoughts were lost to the majesty of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Then, finally, I returned to the common room. No one was in there, what with one class ended and another started, but I still walked straight through to my rooms. I did not look around after I opened the door; I walked straight up to my dresser thing and picked up the potion I had to drink. In a moment of humor, I wondered how bad it would taste, and I smiled faintly. Only after setting it down again did I spare a look for my bed. There, I did a double take.

Sitting on my bed was a fairly large blue and orange teddy bear with a green and silver bow tie. At its feet was an entire bouquet of red roses. I reached forward and lifted the roses, smelling them gently. They were beautiful. I saw a teardrop land on one petal. I was crying. I knew whom the bear and the flowers were from, even before an envelope appeared in a puff of petals right where the roses had been. Hesitantly, I reached forward and picked up the envelope. 'Shayna' was written very intricately across the front. I let out a sob, and suddenly the bear waddled over and hugged me gently. There was an aura of sparkles around him, so I assumed there was a spell on him making him do that. I wrapped my arm around the bear, and it dropped back into dormancy. I pulled it tighter and set the flowers aside. Then I opened the envelope.

Inside was the most beautiful letter I've ever read in my entire life, and probably the most beautiful letter I ever will read. Draco's spiky handwriting covered six and a half pages. The entire letter covered everything he loved about me, from my laugh to my lips. He repeatedly told me how much he loved me, and even went so far as to put an entire page to how much he loved me. By now I was sobbing. A page and a half was dedicated to how sorry he was for hurting me, how he hated seeing me like that, how he has felt awkward without me being there. I never thought that such breathtaking words could come from Draco. And with every word I read, my heart mended a little more.

At the very end of the letter Draco wrote, "If in your heart you think you could ever forgive me, please come to the Quidditch stadium tonight at eight." I immediately knew I was going. Then, in the biggest writing in the whole letter, Draco told me he loved me in solid caps. I couldn't stop crying. It was just so perfect. I think the bear revived to hug me again, but my arms were wrapped around it so tightly that I don't think it could move.

After a few minutes I stopped sobbing, and awhile later I stopped crying altogether. I set the bear down to put the flowers in a vase that I know hadn't been there that morning. I looked in the mirror and of course my eyes were bright red, but as I watched myself, I saw a smile slowly creep onto my face. Somehow Draco had managed to mend the tear in my heart with his letter.

I missed lunch because of that letter, but I didn't mind. For some reason I thought it better to not see Draco until tonight. I wanted to hug him madly, but I knew I would be able to soon enough. During afternoon classes I made my way back to the giant fruit portrait I had found earlier and tickled the pear, just like I had read. The pear giggled and the door swung open.

(a/n Yes! Dialogue!)

"Miss Shayna!" Dobby yelled, slamming into me in a hug. I guess he was more happy to see me in the kitchens than when he visited my room.

"Er…Hello Dobby," I said. All the other house-elves stopped whatever they were doing to watch me.

"She's a muggle!" I heard one of them whisper to the other.

"How did you know that?" I asked, surprised. Dobby beamed up at me, while the one who had spoken looked stricken with embarrassment.

"Oh, much apologies, Miss Shayna!" it said quickly. "Trinkey meant no offense!"

"Trinkey? Is that your name?" I asked, amused. Trinkey nodded vigorously. "Well, Trinkey, relax. No offense was taken. I'm just curious as to how you knew I was a muggle. I didn't think word traveled down into the kitchen."

"Word doesn't, miss," Trinkey said.

"House-elves have many powers, Miss Shayna," Dobby added to Trinkey's statement. "We can tell how powerful a person is, or if they're a Squib or a muggle."

"Really?" I said, amazed. "I did not know that."

"Most do not," Trinkey replied, giving Dobby a reproving look.

"Would Miss Shayna like anything?" A new house-elf asked me before anything more could happen.

"Well, I did miss lunch…" I answered suggestively. Immediately several trays of food were shoved in my face. When I mentioned off-hand that I would need to sit if I was going to eat all that the house-elves nearly dragged me to a table by the fireplace. There was a small house-elf sitting on a stool, facing the fire. I guessed at who it was by the bottle in her hand and as I sat, I asked Dobby who it was.

"That's Winky, Miss Shayna," Dobby said, disapprovingly.

And then, as if on cue, Winky threw her nearly full bottle of liquor in the fireplace and, in an explosion of flames, jumped off the stool.

"Winky!" Several house-elves exclaimed. "You could have blown up the kitchen!" A few added.

She turned to face the group standing around me. Her face was lit up with determination. "Winky doesn't care. She is going to see Professor Dumbledore," she said with a tone that dared anyone to challenge her.

"What are you going to do Winky?" Dobby asked cautiously.

Winky didn't answer; she just walked out the door. After a moment of stunned silence, I had even more food shuffled in front of me. I ate as much as I possibly could, knowing I would be missing dinner as well, but I still didn't touch at least half of what they had laid out for me.

"I'm sorry…" I said finally. "I can't eat anymore. It was all so lovely, but I am so full."

I heard several things in reply to that. "Thank you, Miss Shayna!" "Don't be sorry, Miss Shayna," and "That's quite alright," were the majority. I looked at a clock on the wall. Just over an hour before dinner. Forty minutes until class was out.

"I should go," I said standing. Only a few loudly objected, Dobby among them. "Dobby, I'll come visit before I go home, I promise," I said, realizing part of the reason of why he didn't want me to leave. After that, they finally let me go.

As I stepped out the portrait hole, my stomach near to overflowing, my heart did a random double beat. And I realized I was ready to forgive Draco.