Draco and Hermione wouldn't talk to each other. Hermione was still angry that Draco would play such a cruel trick, and Draco was astonished at her reaction to it.

She had REALLY been freaked out when she saw his 'lifeless' body. What had come over her? She hated him, mostly because a was a filthy, rich, ungrateful, snob. She had tried to be nice to him, and all he did was repay her with this mean joke? Pathetic.

Draco thought this all to himself when Mr. and Mrs. Granger refined him to his room for giving their daughter such a scare. As if Hermione hadn't gotten over it by now, he thought.

Hermione lay in her room, unable to think of anything but how rude, selfish, rich, and snobby Malfoy was. Of course, he seemed nice enough when he apologized, but that was the only time he had even made a nice gesture since he had been living with the Grangers.

School started in three weeks and Hermione still hadn't finished her homework. It was so unlike her. But, hard as she tried to focus on homework, Draco kept coming to mind.

He looked so sincerely innocent and sorry when he confessed to having set up the joke, she thought. He looked, almost, sad. His big smoky blue eyes were shimmering, and his hair was pushed out of his face so he could look into my eyes. He looked beautiful just then. Hermione was recalling the night he said sorry.

Hermione almost slapped herself when she realized what she was thinking. In fact, the only thing that stopped her was the sound of an owl pecking at the window.

Slowly Hermione got up from her perch on the bed and slid the glass window open. The gray-brown eagle owl looked familiar but she couldn't place it…

She untied the letter attached to the owl's foot and began to read a neatish-scrawl:

My dearest Hermione,

I hope you accept my apology. I have been thinking about what I did, and I am no longer proud or amused. Please begin to look at me in a new light. I promise I won't let you down. Oh yes, and thank you for having me over while school is being set up here. Don't you think the location is quite lovely? Thank your family for me, they have been nothing but pleasant since I arrived. I would have liked to have told you all this in person, but, as you know, your lovely parents restricted me to my room. Please meet me at midnight tonght, under the big oak tree in our backyard.

The truly sorry,

Draco Dragoias Malfoy