OK I am so terribly sorry about the delay. A lot of trouble at home with Christmas and such. I have suddenly realized why suicide rates go up this time of the year. OK not funny but seriously it was pretty bad and I had to escape to my boyfriend's house for a little bit. But I'm back and I swear this hardly happens. So on to the delayed chapter.

Lying awake

Inside a comfortable, little dorm, room with four other girls Hermione laid awake replaying the day's events in her head and waiting to hear from Draco. When they all came into the school, she had inconspicuously let Trevor the toad drop from her purse and the Longbottom boy sighted and retrieved him. The school was so amazing and the feast that evening had been beyond exquisite. She was placed in Gryffindor by the sorting hat, which happened to be the same place Harry Potter was placed. Everything was falling in place.

Suddenly she heard a pecking sound at the window. It was Draco's owl with a note tied to its leg. Quietly she rose from her bed and went to the window to retrieve the note. The owl stuck his leg out, waited patiently for Hermione to untie it, and watched her as she opened it.

Hermione,

I wanted so much to come up and talk to you today but I knew I would have to wait until tonight. How did everything go? Have talked to Potter? I saw him with a Weasley. Can you believe it the great Harry Potter with a Weasley? Father and Mother will be appalled. I tried to talk Potter into bettering himself with a more sophisticated group of people but he got all cocky. I hope you can handle all this. If he says a single thing to upset you, tell me immediately. The slytherin common room is great. Maybe I'll sneak you down here over a holiday or something. Write me back tell me about your day. I miss you.

Draco

After she read the letter, it really began to sink in. She would not be able to speak to Draco in person until Christmas. This was going to be harder than she thought. As she wrote him back, the distance between them seemed further than it ever had. She told him of her frog-napping incident and her meeting with Potter and Weasley. She told him she was not sure if she could wait until Christmas to see him again. Then she told him she was really tired and would talk to him tomorrow night. Then she climbed into bed and tried to go to sleep but it did not want to come easily but finally it came.

Hey I'm sorry this chapter is short but its important because it connects some dots and creates other ones. I want to thank everyone who reviewed.

Sarah I think I may end up having them meet secretly after all the more I think about it the better the idea seems. Now I have to go plan this out. Thanks for the idea.