Disclaimer: Yep. Characters and ideas not mine. Nope. Not JK Rowling. Sure. Would love to be. Alas. Never will be.

Letters

"Ron! Ron!" Hermione ran up to him after dinner. "I got it!" She waved a piece of paper under Ron's nose. Ron didn't notice. He was in a world of his own.

"I've got loads of homework tonight. I'm totally swamped. I knew that NEWT classes would be hard, but fifteen inches of parchment on the effects of Memory Charms? Who's got time for that on top of the Potions homework and Transfiguration practice?" Ron complained. "I have to get this started soon."

"Ron! I know you are absorbed in your little Auror-in-training world, but I got the letter! This letter contains the secret spell for the book!"

"What book?" replied Ron, confused.

"What book, he says," muttered Hermione. "The Department of Mysteries book, Ronald! I have the spell. We can open it and research the veil!"

A look of understanding crept over Ron's face. "Well, why didn't you say so in the first place? Let's go!"

Halloween was quickly approaching, as was the first Hogsmeade weekend, and Harry had yet to make up his mind about letting Draco stay at Grimauld Place for the Christmas Holiday. Harry was roaming around Hogwarts, trying not to think about his never-ending piles of homework.

Harry wandered past the great stone griffin statue that marked the entrance to the Headmaster's office. The stone staircase began to move. Harry ducked behind a tapestry and watched Draco Malfoy leave Dumbledore's office. Draco was folding a piece of parchment, which he then tucked into the pocket of his robes.

I wonder what that is. And what Malfoy was doing in Dumbledore's office, thought Harry.

Harry had been avoiding Draco as much as possible since the outburst last week. Snape had canceled the rest of the week's training, explaining that the two would need to focus on other homework. During Potions class, Harry and Draco didn't speak, but operated like a well-oiled machine, successfully completing very difficult potions.

Harry had also been avoiding Dumbledore because he still didn't have an answer for the Headmaster about the Christmas Holiday. Now, Harry found himself hoping that Dumbledore would come out of his office so he could ask about a few things, including the Synaesthesia training they would start soon. But no such luck. Instead, Harry followed the hallway that Draco had walked down a few minutes ago.

"Malfoy!" Harry called, jogging to catch up to Draco.

Draco gave a surprised look, which turned into a sneer. "What do you want, Potter?"

"What do I want? I want to know what you were doing in Dumbledore's office!" Harry replied defensively. He wasn't sure that talking to Draco in a public setting was such a good idea. Too late now.

"Are you following me around now, Potter? Haven't got anything better to do, like homework?" Draco mocked.

"Nope. Don't have anything better to do," answered Harry, laughing, thinking of his piles of homework waiting for him back in the Gryffindor common room.

Draco was confused. He's laughing. Like he made a joke or something. Potter's mad as a hatter. "What's so funny, Potter?" asked Draco.

"What did you get from the Headmaster, Malfoy?" Harry asked back, in the same tone of voice Draco had used. But, Harry was smiling.

"None of your business, Potter," replied Draco. For Draco, this phrase was usually laced with disdain, but not this time. This was beginning to sound like a normal conversation.

"Alright, fine. You don't have to tell me. I'll find out eventually anyway," said Harry, nonchalantly, folding his arms across his chest. They had reached the turnoff for the staircase that was to take Draco to the dungeons, to the Slytherin common room. Harry stopped walking.

Draco started down the stairs, but changed his mind on the first step. He turned, "It is just some mis-information about the Order that I'm feeding to my father; it's stuff that has already happened and it's conveniently missing important details. My father will eat it up. Dumbledore helped me with it. With the first Hogsmeade visit approaching, I was sure that since I hadn't really given my father information, he'd come to Hogsmeade. Dumbledore agreed that him coming here was a bad idea. So, we wrote this." Draco held up the piece of parchment, expecting Harry to take it from him.

"Really? That's…" Harry thought for a moment, "That's exceptionally brave, Draco. Well done." Harry smiled and walked away, leaving Draco standing at the top of the stairs, staring and still holding the paper.

Draco's brain slid to a screeching halt. What? What was that? He called me 'brave'. On purpose. And Draco. He called me Draco, not Malfoy. I must be imagining things. That was a normal conversation.

I bet Dumbledore would be proud of us if he knew about it. Draco smiled.

Draco entered the Slytherin common room and found a corner away from all the goings on. He was near enough to Crabbe and Goyle playing Wizard's Chess to pretend to watch the game while he wrote his letter.

Dear Sir,

I am sorry that I have not yet reported as promised. It is difficult to gain information without drawing unwanted attention to myself, but with Professor Snape's help, I was able to overhear some interesting things this morning. I don't know when these events are supposed to happen, but I got the impression they were to happen soon. I have enclosed my notes. I hope you'll be pleased.

Draco

He was just finishing up when Pansy plopped down on the couch next to him. "Who are you writing to, Malfoy? Your new girlfriend?"

"What is it with you and your interest in my love life? My love life is none of your business." Draco said irritably. "And I am not writing my girlfriend, I am writing my father."

"Oh? What are you writing to your father about?" Pansy asked, peering over Draco's shoulder to catch a glimpse of the parchment.

"Shove off, you nosy little…" Draco said angrily, elbowing her away from the parchment. "Pansy, what I do is none of your business. Who I write to is none of your business. And what I write is definitely none of your business. If you keep butting in where you don't belong, I'm going to tell my father, and he's going to tell the Dark Lord and then you and your family will be in big trouble."

Pansy looked angry for a moment, until Draco's words had a chance to set in. Then she looked scared. And she ought to be scared, thought Draco. That was no veiled threat.

Pansy mumbled what sounded like an apology, and retreated to the girls' dormitory.

A/N: OH YOU GUYS!-tear- I just got online and I have SO many reviews, and they mean so much to me. I did the happy dance. :) Sorry it took so long to post this next chapter. I have had company here, and we've been doing the touristy thing. Went on a tour of the Capitol Building and it is amazing! You should try to schedule tours if you come to Washington, DC! -Tink

Festis: Sorry to have kept you waiting! (and after you were so nice in your review...)

Elemental Dragon, RazorbladeRomance, and hpobsessor: thanks!

Karone-sakura: It is Ron, you're so perceptive. :) I liked the mask story about the emotions. very interesting premise!

Miss Extraordinary: Thank you for all the great reviews. (Aren't we all in love with Draco?) I am sure there are numerous other stories out there that have similar story lines, ideas, plot, characters, etc. All I have to say is "Great minds think alike!" I happen to think, while plot is sometimes limited (in order to keep with canon characters), it is possible to have similar fics that provide differences in their own way. And those differences allow readers to see how each author writes, who they like, who they don't, why they take a storyline in a certain direction, and even insight into the character of the author. Keep reading and keep writing!