Owls in the Spring ;; Draco

[Rayne Hope]

The air in Hogwarts was getting a lot warmer. Spring was on it’s way, and it was about time, too. As much as Rayne loved winter, she was getting slightly sick of the snow. It was about mid-afternoon when Rayne crawled out of the Slytherin Common Room to go deliver a letter to her best friend that had moved to Durmstrang during the middle of last year. Even though she missed him, she knew this was better for him. She let her brown hair flow around her body as she walked down the corridors and to the Owlry to send her letter.

Rayne’s robes fell loosely off her shoulders, it was even warmer in the little room filled with owls, and they even seemed to be in a better mood. Her dark chocolate colored eyes fell on a particular bird that she deemed of Nyx. The bird flew over on her shoulder and nipped at her looped cartilage piercings. She smiled at the owl and handed her the letter. The bird already knew who and where she was traveling too, Rayne didn’t send anyone else letters.

Even though Rayne had no other reason to stay in the room, she couldn’t help herself, it was such a nice day, but she knew if she went outside she wouldn’t ever get back to her studies. Not that this was helping either, but who would know? She walked over to the little window in the room and leaned on it. The breezy wind blew against her hair. She loved the first few weeks of spring more then any other season, but she’d never admit that.

[Draco Malfoy]

Spring had always been a good season for Hogwarts, and this year wasn't any different. Other students worried themselves over OWLs and NEWTs, but Draco was more optimistic. Optimism as far as grades went was a common feeling when your dad was the Minister of Magic. After all, was it worth giving a T when your life could be a living hell? Draco strode up the steps to the owlry as if he didn't have a care in the world.

To the surprise of many, Draco tended to write a lot. His letters tended to be long-winded and filled with things no one cared about anyway, but some of the little tangents were amusing, albeit pointless. Draco usually didn't talk as much as he wrote, but when you put it down on paper, things tended to sound nicer, and there were plenty of things that you could exaggerate so that they sounded a lot better. It was a good way of making yourself look better, even if it was mainly your fault (not that it ever was in Draco's case).

Usually there were people in the owlry at this time of day, but today was quite different. There was only one person, and when Draco came in, she seemed not to notice him. It wasn't until he went to let his eagle owl go that he finally recognized her. Then again, he did see her face. She was in his house, and he knew her as Hope, whether or not it was her first or last name. She was pretty, but she could have looked like Glenda Chittock and it wouldn't have made much difference as to whether he was single or not. Well, if it had been Glenda, then it probably would have, but aside from that he was dating Pansy Parkinson.

"S'cuse me," he said, freeing the owl. Taking off his gloves, he started to walk towards the door.

[Rayne Hope]

Rayne's eyes trailed over the shinning lake. She raised an eyebrow as she noticed couples happily playing and flirting aorund in the huge mass of water. Rayne scoffed lightly at them; that lake was absolutely disgusting, who chooses to swim there? Although she supposed it was quite normal seeing as there was no other place you could take a dip. After all, she had done the same thing one night with a boy in her fourth year... but that was never to be repeated.

Her fingers absent mindedly traced the cracks of the freshly cleaned window seal as her thoughts seemed to trail on. But they soon seemed to be interupted by a male voice that had come from behind her. She turned around, letting her hair gracefully land on her upper back. "Sorry." She said lightly as she moved out of his way, along with owl's.

Rayne's eyes first went to watch his beautiful owl head off into the horizon, but then immediately went back to the boy. She recognized him immediately as a Malfoy. Rayne seemed to be quite aware with the people and things that went on with the Ministry, so knowing about Lucius Malfoy immediately rang a bell in her head about his son she heard of; and she had to admit, they looked awfully alike.

He was quite attractive, she'd give him that. But it was strange to her that she had never seen him around before. Rayne had never been curious enough to actually take the time to see what this boy's age was, but she figured he was either older or younger then she was, explaining why they didn't have any of the same classes. Realizing that she had been staring at him, however, she quickly averted her eyes to the opposite direction; hoping he hadn't noticed.

[Draco Malfoy]

Draco would have just kept going, and in fact, until he was about halfway down the steps, he did. Then suddenly, he remembered something desperately important. He snapped as he sometimes did when he remembered something, and started back up the stairs.

This rumor was something he'd been thinking about for quite a while, and now he finally had a chance to ask. When he got to the top of the staircase, the sun got in his eyes. He must have had littler time than he thought. He checked his watch. It was onlt about two thirty, but the tower was high enough up that it caught the bright burning ball of light that had just assaulted his eyes.

Rubbing his eyes in order to drive away the black spots that had just gotten in them, Draco started, "Do you know if Professor Snape's going to - stop teaching potions and just be headmaster? Some sixth year overheard it, figured you might know - Hope?"

[Rayne Hope]

Rayne watched the boy depart down the stairs for a moment and then turned her attention back to looking outside the window. But what new thing was there to go look back at? Rayne almost had the disorder ADD when it came to looking at things twice. Sure, first things seemed beautiful or interesting the first time her eyes landed on it; but the second time she didn't even understand why she took the time to look at it in the first place.

Sighing lightly, she figured that she might as well go back to her bloody dorm room and continue her bloody homework for her attempt to please her bloody father. Walking to the exit door, the same blonde that had left moments previously seemed to quickly rush back the stairs. Rayne couldn't help but jump slightly out of surprise, also being thankful that she had stopped before they ran into each other; that would be embarressing.

Rayne figured that he had made a mistake in his letter and was coming to write another, but when he began to speak to her she couldn't help but raise her eyebrows slightly. "It's Rayne." She found herself surprised that the boy knew her last name. But, why? He was in the same house as her and it's not like she wasn't popular. "Oh yah, I heard that." Rayne replied, her soft voice ringing throughout the empty tower. She shrugged her shoulders though, not really being one to gossip. "Well, it's a definate possibility. You know he barely enjoys teaching the class as it is, and after all, the more power the better... Malfoy, is it?" She questioned, basically telling him that the rumors he had heard were true. But then again, the professor could easily change his mind.