Later that day in the hall, Kathryn was cornered by Crabbe and Goyle. They were teasing her as usual, but oddly enough, Draco wasn't with them. Crabbe pushed her against the wall and laughed. "Stupid good-for-nothing bitch!" Kat kept silent, knowing that they would leave sooner if they couldn't get a reaction out of her.

Suddenly, Crabbe went skidding sideways, and a voice growled, "Don't you ever call her that! And keep your hands off her!" It was Draco! Crabbe got off the floor, a bewildered look on his ugly face. "Shove off!" Draco snarled, and the two bullies scurried off down the hallway, casting fearful looks over their shoulders. "Sorry about that," said Draco, with an apologetic grin. Kat made a noncommittal noise as he helped her gather her things. "So," she said carefully. "What prompted such a change?" Draco got a strange look on his face and whispered, "Not here, I don't want anyone to listen…" He trailed off and stuffed a note into Kat's hand, backing away hurriedly. "I-I have to go," he stammered, and then raced away, leaving her standing perplexed in the hallway, still clutching his note.

****************

Kat rushed into Divination class just as the bell rang, and slid into her seat. Professor Trelawney looked at her through her enormous spectacles, then cleared her throat and said in her dreamy, husky voice, "All right, please open your textbooks to page 23. Today we will learn how to read omens in the stars…"

Kat opened her textbook, and then tuned the Professor out. It looked like another boring lesson. Suddenly she remembered Draco's note, and pulled it out of her pocket and opened it.

Meet me in the Astronomy Tower tonight at midnight. I'll explain everything.

Draco

Kat wondered what could possibly be such a secret, but her train of thought was broken by a cough from Professor Trelawney. "And what, I wonder, is in that note that could possibly be more important than my lesson?" Kat shrugged. "You're the all-knowing Divination teacher. Why don't you tell me?"

She heard several gasps from the students, and Professor Trelawney puffed herself up indignantly. "Twenty points from Gryffindor, Miss Langdon," she said sharply, as Kat mentally kicked herself for her stupid comment. Then she turned back to her lesson on the stars. Kat sighed as she took out a quill and parchment and began taking notes. It was going to be a long day.

**********************

That evening, after everyone was asleep, Kat grabbed her Invisibility Cloak and headed up the stairs to the tower. As she crept along, she pondered this strange new Draco, and when she reached the door at the top of the last flight of stairs, she paused for a moment in thought. Then she took her Invisibility Cloak off and swung the door open.

A strange sight met her eyes. A slumped figure sat in front of the window, sobbing quietly. Was that—Draco? Kat's sense of compassion took over and she walked up silently behind him and laid a hand on his shoulder. He spun around and wiped his eyes, looking up at her with a sad smile. "Sorry you had to see me like this," he said softly.

"Draco, what's wrong?" It was probably the first time Kat had called him by his first name. She sat and listened compassionately as he told her about his past.

"It's the way I was brought up," he explained bitterly. "My father taught me to hate all Muggles and—." He winced as he said the word, "mudbloods," he continued, taking a shaky breath. "After three years of being beaten for not obeying him, hatred became a habit. A habit I kept until I met you." Kat looked confused. "Why until you met me?" she asked. He took a deep breath and looked her in the face. "Because you were different," he said. "Because you made a difference. Because you were you." Kat frowned, still not understanding. He continued. "You had real friends; friends who liked you for who you were, and not because they were scared of you. I envied that.

"My father kept pushing for me to follow in his footsteps, and he even k-killed—he e-even killed my c-cousin. She was the best friend I ever had, and now she's dead." They were both sitting against the wall of the tower, and as he finished his story, he began to cry again. Once again, Kat's compassionate nature took over, and she put her arms around him, and let him cry on her shoulder.

After a while, his tears abated, and he sat up and dried his eyes. Kat were still a little bemused that he should change so completely, but she had pretty much accepted it. She was startled to realize how perfect he felt in her arms, and how much more beautiful the night seemed. Draco looked at her. "W-will you tell me your story now?" he asked.

A shadow passed over Kat's face, and she said, "I-I don't think I'm ready for that yet." She got up hurriedly, saying, "We should probably be getting back now." Then she ran down the stairs back to the safety of her own bed.