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After the war had ended and everything had returned to a kind of normal, Hogwarts had gone back and they had set up a pen pal program to promote house unity.
No one got to choose who their pen pals were. They were given a matching diary and their messages would show up automatically in the others. No one was allowed to use it in crowds so they could get to know each other without prejudice.
Hermione signed up straight away and was given an ancient leather bound diary with gold filigree designs interlacing the cover. It was gorgeous and something she would have definitely picked for herself.
The moment she received her diary it lit up from the inside. Opening it up— on the first page was a message.
I don’t know why I am even entertaining the idea of this. But here I am. Want to start asking questions about each other?
Hermione smiled. Whoever it was had the same feelings as her.
Writing back, she thought about her first message.
I feel the same way. I don’t know why I signed up. But here we are. So why not let’s work on getting to know each other. What’s your favourite book? Your favourite subject?
Hermione closed her book as instructed and waited. It didn’t take too long before she got a response back.
Ah, a bookworm. A person? Girl? Boy? After my own heart. My favourite subject is Transfiguration. The complex nature of it is amazing. I feel alive whenever I’m in that class. My favourite book is Theories of Transubstantial Transfiguration.
Who was this person? She didn’t know of anyone with as much of a passion as her with Transfiguration. How had she missed them?
I’m a girl. Are you a boy? Or a girl? What year are you in? I love Transfiguration. I’ve actually been working at becoming an animagus. Would you ever consider doing this?
Hermione realised the time and placed her diary in her bag and raced off to class. Transfiguration to be exact. As she sat in the class— she looked around at the other students that had signed up for Advanced Transfiguration. Was her Pen Pal one of these students?
For the first time since starting at Hogwarts she found herself distracted in Transfiguration. She couldn’t wait to get back to the library and see if her pen pal had responded to her.
When the bell rang, she packed her bags and raced through the corridors and into the library to her favourite spot hidden in the back.
Pulling out her diary— she saw the message.
I am a male. I am an eighth year. My schooling was interrupted due to the war. I have been working on it as well. I am on the last stages of my journey. How far along are you?
Hermione answered back and then got to studying. She had to get some work done.
xXx
Hermione quickly scribbled the invitation to meet and closed her book before chickening out. She had fallen for her pen pal. They had so much in common and they were giving each other pointers on becoming an Animagus.
The diary glowed on the table and Hermione paused before picking it up and opening it.
Meet me by the Black Lake on Saturday five pm.
Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She was worried that he wouldn’t want to meet her.
xXx
Walking down to the Black Lake she sat in the agreed spot and waited. Hoping he wouldn’t stand her up. She watched many people walk past but none of them stopped and none of them had ever shown any interest in learning.
She caught Draco Malfoy's eye as he walked towards her and moved away but then immediately looked back. Surely it wasn’t him. Surely he wasn’t the one she had fallen for.
She knew she had fallen for her Pen Pal. He was the only person she thought of day or night.
“It’s not you..” Draco said before trailing off.
“Surely not, surely we wouldn’t be matched. I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours,” Hermione said.
Draco pulled his diary out and laid it on the grass between them. Hermione gasped and placed the matching diary in front of him.
He had admitted that he had feelings for her in his last entry. And she had responded with agreement.
“What do we do now?” Hermione asked.
“I think we should see where this goes? We obviously like each other and have a lot in common,” Draco suggested.
“We see where this goes,” Hermione agreed.
Draco moved to sit beside her and pulled the picnic he had the House Elves create out and set it up. The two sat there for hours talking and agreed they would still write to each other and meet up for dates.
And they just hoped that it lasted.