Through Different Eyes

year four; of diaries and dances

Christmas shopping was always difficult for Draco. His mother and father were easy – he would get her a fashion piece from a magazine or a book she had been eyeing and for his father he rotated between a new coin pouch, a watch, and now that he was getting older, a bottle of whiskey. It was Hermione that was difficult to shop for.

It wasn't that he didn't know what to get her, it was deciding between what to get her. There were so many things that she would love, but he could only get her one thing – and it had to be the right thing. She would hate it if he bought her so much. He did understand that it was more personal this way. More "look at what I thought you would like" rather than "look at how much I got you".

But this year as he browsed Tomes and Scrolls carrying a small stack of books she had mentioned, he came across a hidden shelf under the display window. A sign marked the shelf SECRET DIARY: 4 GALLEONS OR 2 CONNECTED DIARIES: 6.

Intrigued, Draco crouched down and picked up two of the diaries, weighting them in contemplation. Two connected diaries, he thought, mind whirling. A secret diary hides the writing so nobody else can read, but a connected pair...

"Ah, I see you've found the secret diaries," a wobbly voice said behind him and he turned to see an aged man leaning on his cane with a wistful look on his face. Draco stood, still holding them.

"Uh, yes sir," he responded uncertainly. Was this the shop owner or a someone who had bought one? "I've been here considerably often but I've never noticed them."

The old man chuckled. "Of course you haven't, lad. Hardly anyone does, but I can't imagine a boy like yourself has many secrets to hide." Draco inwardly scoffed at this, but keeping his own secrets was the last thing on his mind.

"These diaries," he began. "When connected, they work together as a form of communication between two people?"

The man held a sparkle behind his eyes. "That is correct. Upon your purchase I will magically bind the two together, so that when one book is written in, it will appear in the other." He paused a moment to look over Draco, who hardly noticed and instead was thinking of how Hermione will love these. "I always forget how much people keep hidden, especially young witches and wizards like yourself."

This is it, thought Draco. With everything happening in Potters life and the future coming up fast he and Hermione could only spend so much time together, and it was likely to decrease. Now, they would be able to talk to each other even when they were apart, and especially over the holidays without the wait or risk of someone catching their owls.

They could be normal friends without having to hide. They could talk whenever they wanted, no matter who was around – even if it was through a secret diary.

"Did you create these?" Was all Draco said, mind still flustered with his long overdue find for Hermione and himself. "How brilliant," he remarked when the man nodded. "I'd love to purchase a pair, please."

"Guess what?" Draco exclaimed, startling Hermione from behind the next morning.

She jumped and slowly turned from her seat in the library studying, her face a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Merlin, what Draco?" He slid into the seat across from her, still unable to keep the grin off his face since he'd found the secret diaries.

"I've got something for you." She opened her mouth to interrupt but he continued. "And before you say anything, it's not a big gift but I'm really excited about it and I just know that you're going to love it, and I couldn't wait to give it to you. So, here you go." Draco slid the wrapped diary over to her, something he had to rewrap multiple times to get it just right because of how excited he was about it.