After a while, Pansy finally calmed down and stared at Draco. "You really are an idiot.""I know," Draco said smiling a little. "By the way, do my parent"s know about it?"
"No." Theodore said handing out a letter, "Pansy wanted to send a letter but this came back, so I stopped her."
Draco curiously opened the letter, which read.
Dear Draco,
I want to tell you that your mother has successfully delivered the babies. One of is a healthy strong boy and the other one is a beautiful girl, they look very similar to you. Both your mother and babies are okay and are in good health. We have named them, Proteus and Stella. Surprisingly, maybe due to fate, both of them are born on the same day as you. Your mother is really happy about this and so am I. Also Happy Birthday! You will get your presents when you come back home.
So I hope you come back home soon. Take care.
Your Father,
Lucius Malfoy.
Draco folded the letter back sighing.
"Congratulations!" Hermione, Daphne, Pansy, and Theodore said.
"Thanks!" Draco smiled.
Ron and Harry who had no idea looked at each other as they shrugged their shoulders in confusion.
"By the way, why aren"t you hospitalized, Weasley?" Theodore snickered, "Or like Draco do your friends think of you as a burden."
"You.." Ron gritted his teeth but remembering what happened he couldn"t help but feel ashamed.
"Okay, stop acting like that." Draco sighed, "Next time, I will tell you."
"You need to tell us too." Daphne and Pansy said at the same time.
"If you are strong enough." Draco said smiling, "I hope you can pa.s.s the exam first."
"Don"t talk about it." Daphne said since she wasn"t that good at studying.
"So what happened to you two?" asked Harry.
"Well, we got back all right," replied Hermione. "Me and Daphne went round -- the mess you made at the chess floor was too much -- so that took a while -- and we were dashing up to the owlery to contact Dumbledore when we met him in the entrance hall -- he already knew -- he just said, "Harry"s gone after him, hasn"t he?" and hurtled off to the third floor."
"D"you think he meant you to do it?" said Ron and Theodore together. Both of them looked awkwardly at each other and turned away as Ron continued "Sending you your father"s cloak and everything?"
"Well, " Hermione exploded, "if he did -- I mean to say that"s terrible -- you could have been killed."
Pansy looked very angry as well.
"No, it isn"t," said Harry thoughtfully. "He"s a funny man, Dumbledore. I think he sort of wanted to give us a chance. I think he knows more or less everything that goes on here, you know. I reckon he had a pretty good idea we were going to try, and instead of stopping us, he just taught us enough to help. I don"t think it was an accident he let me find out how the mirror worked. It"s almost like he thought I had the right to face Voldemort if I could...."
"Yeah, Dumbledore"s off his rocker, all right," said Ron proudly. "Listen, you"ve got to be up for the end-of-year feast tomorrow. The points are all in and Ravenclaw won," Ron said, his face turning sour "-- you missed the last Quidditch match, we were steamrollered by Ravenclaw without you -- but at least the food will be good."
Draco looked at Theodore who shrugged his shoulders, "They beat us by 50."
At that moment, Madam Pomfrey bustled over. "You"ve had nearly fifteen minutes, now OUT!!" she said firmly.
------------------------------------------
Next day they were sleeping when Madam Pomfrey walked in.
"Professor Dumbledore says you two are to be allowed to go," she said stiffly, as though in her opinion Professor Dumbledore didn"t realize how risky feasts could be. "And you have another visitor."
"Oh, good," said Harry. "Who is it?"
Hagrid sidled through the door as he spoke. As usual, when he was indoors, Hagrid looked too big to be allowed. He sat down next to Harry, took one look at him, and burst into tears.
"It"s -- all -- my -- ruddy -- fault!" he sobbed, his face in his hands. I told the evil git how ter get past Fluffy! I told him! It was the only thing he didn"t know, an" I told him! Yeh could"ve died! All fer a dragon egg! I"ll never drink again! I should be chucked out an" made ter live as a Muggle!"
"Hagrid!" said Harry, shocked to see Hagrid shaking with grief and remorse, great tears leaking down into his beard. "Hagrid, he"d have found out somehow, this is Voldemort we"re talking about, he"d have found out even if you hadn"t told him."
"Yeh could"ve died! Draco could"ve died" sobbed Hagrid looking at the sleeping Draco. "An" don" say the name!"
"VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, and Hagrid was so shocked, he stopped crying. "I"ve met him and I"m calling him by his name. Please cheer up, Hagrid, we saved the Stone, it"s gone, he can"t use it. Have a Chocolate Frog, I"ve got loads...."
Hagrid wiped his nose on the back of his hand and said, "That reminds me. I"ve got yeh a present."
"It"s not a stoat sandwich, is it?" said Harry anxiously, and at last Hagrid gave a weak chuckle. "Nah. Dumbledore gave me the day off yesterday ter fix it. "Course, he shoulda sacked me instead -- anyway, got yeh this..."
It seemed to be a handsome, leather-covered book. Harry opened it curiously. It was full of wizard photographs. Smiling and waving at him from every page were his mother and father.
"Sent owls off ter all yer parents" old school friends, askin" fer photos... knew yeh didn" have any... d"yeh like it?"
Harry couldn"t speak, but Hagrid understood.
Draco had already woken up by Hagrid"s voice but he just pretended to be asleep. Hagrid came over to his bed and put something on his table. "Tell him, I"had come to visit will yeh!"
After Hagrid went out, Draco slowly opened his eyes, he looked at the huge cookie on his table.
Harry went out towards the Gryffindor common room saying bye to Draco while Draco went straight to Professor Snape. The relation between both of them was awkward and weird, they weren"t exactly friends but weren"t enemies either, it was a weird relation nonetheless.
-----------------------------
"What were you thinking?" Snape snapped at Draco. "You could"ve idiotically died."
"I am fine." Draco said but suddenly Snape jumped in front of him holding his arms tightly,
"Is it because of that Muggle- Granger." Snape said glaring at Draco.
"No--"
"Forget about her." Snape said strictly, "Just because you became a Black do you think you can change everything?"
"I--" Draco wanted to explain but Snape wouldn"t let him.
"Don"t try to hide your intentions, I have been watching you this whole year." Snape said with a variety of expressions on his face, "She is Gryffindor and you are in Slytherin. You two aren"t meant to be together and no matter how hard you try it never will. Today she is your friend but tomorrow she will leave because that"s how it is meant to be. What will you do then? Wait? Sob?"
Draco had enough as he pushed Snape"s arm away, "First of all I went there due to Quirrell and second don"t try to throw your insecurities onto me. I will do what I want, even if you torture me to death I will not change my views on things just because someone said so. So stop this G.o.dfather."
Snape stayed silent for a while as he turned back and gave Draco a paper. "Go to the princ.i.p.al"s office."
Draco took the paper and turned around opening the door, "I don"t know what happened to you but I hope you can see a new light G.o.dfather." he said closing the door.