The Change Love has Wrought

Chapter 4

Draco woke up the next day still feeling awful. As he worked his way downstairs to breakfast, he caught sight of Gwyneth, who turned away from his gaze. Even when the post arrived he didn't share with him news of her mother's condition. It wasn't until Charms class that he thought of a way to apologize to her. He was going to enchant a piece of parchment to explain how sorry he was. He knew he had to do it as soon as possible, so he took his first opportunity at lunch. He quickly at his food and stood up. Goyle looked up. "Where are you going?" He asked. Draco thought quickly. "I'm going for a walk alone" He empasized as the two started to stand, "I need to clear my mind. Besides it's much to stuffy in here the air smells of owls and stale clothes." With that he quickly walked out of the room leaving a confused Crabbe and Goyle behind. As he reached the edge of the forest he patted his pocket to make sure the parchment was still there. It was good. He found a pine tree on the outer edge that would provide enough shelter to remain hidden but close enough that no animals would find him. As he pulled out the parchment and his wand he heard a rustling in the shrubbery behind him. Was he wrong? Did some animal smell him? He dared to turn around, wand ready for defense he saw that it was only a fawn, no more than a week old. Seeing it reminded him of teasing Gwyneth. He sighed. "Look I won't be here long. Just go find your mother little fawn." He watched as it leaped baxk into the forest. "Talking to animals now. Whats wrong with me im going soft." He muttered. With that he turned back to the task at hand. He layer the parchment flat and readied his wand. It had to be perfect. Taking a deep breath he waved his wand over the parchment to cast the spell. He pulled out a quill with ink and touched it to the parchment as a test. No sooner as the first drop landed on it, did the enchantment begin. It turned the single black drop into beautifully written words with drawings of dark green vines on the edges. Once it had stopped he waved his wand over it once more to make the ink dissappear. He gathered the parchment, and quickly headed back to the castle. All he had to do now was slip the parchment in with her other supplies. He raced to his next class, making it just a few seconds before the professor walked in. As he listened to the lesson he couldn't help but drift off into his thoughts. All he had to do was catch her when she was doing her homework. It seemed so simple, yet he was nervous. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he nearly missed the question he was asked. When he answered it correctly the teacher merely looked at him and continued to teach. As the day dragged on he couldn't help but steal glances at Gwyneth whenever he saw her, and each time he did he felt a new wave of regret. He had to do this. He didn't think he could ever apologize enough to her. At dinner even when she had to sit by him she didn't even adknowledge him. Once they were back in. The common room he saw his chance. As she stood up to fetch a book he took out the parchment and slipped it inbetween a few blank pages. He quickly sat back down, and just in time too. Not only did Gwyneth return, but Crabbe and Goyle as well. After a few minutes of conversation he excused himself and fled to the hallway. He stood in the alcove for five minutes, until he heard footsteps. When they finally had stopped he looked up to see Gwyneth. He swallowed his fear and spoke. "Hi." She shuffled her foot a bit and looked up. "I got your note. And-" She paused. "I forgive you." Draco smiled. It had worked! "Thanks. I really am sorry." She nodded. "I know. This was a really impressive charm." Draco smiled. "Thanks. We better get back to the common room before a teacher finds us." She nodded and pulled out a blank sheet of parchment. "Draco I got this letter, and it's..it's my mum. She's getting better. She's coming to visit soon." Draco smiled wider. "That's great, where are you meeting her?" "I'm Hogsmead this weekend during the trip. I was wondering, would you like to meet her?" He paused. She was asking him to come with her. "Yes, that would be nice." With that they hurried back to the common room. And by the time Draco went to bed he couldn't but help to feel happy.