Private message to Penelope Clearwater

[alt_draco]

Clearwater,

I'd like to be one of the first to extend an unofficial congratulations to you; word was flying around during CCF that you'll be our Head Girl when the term starts. It just goes to show that you and Percy Weasley are a suitable match - or will be, so long as you bring as much honour and good judgement to the position as he did.

Most sincerely,

Draco Malfoy

Comments

[alt_penelope]

Well, thank you, Malfoy. Cheers. Yes, I learned just before we started the CCF programme that I was selected and I'm quite grateful to the Headmistress and the Governors, of course. I'll do my best to live up to all our past Head Girls' examples.

I was really impressed with you during CCF, if you don't mind me saying so. Not just how you met the challenges yourself but how you exerted some pressure over certain of the others, when they needed it. It's the sort of quality that will make a good Prefect. If that's what you're of a mind to do, of course.

Best,

Penny

[alt_draco]

Being a prefect is something I do aspire to, yes, which is why I've always tried to maintain good relationships with the other prefects, as well as the past Head Boys and Girls.

Thank you for sharing your observation of my performance during CCF. If you don't mind me sharing an observation of my own, though, I'd just like to remind you that when he himself was Head Boy, Weasley always made it clear that he disapproved of spreading gossip and rumours, especially when it was particularly ugly, not to mention one hundred percent unfounded.

[alt_penelope]

Well, yes - all of us among the Prefects do our best to see to it that the students don't spread any sort of gossip, but especially anything malicious. It's a harder task than it ought to be, frankly.

Why, was there something going round at CCF that we weren't able to quash? If you tell me what I assure you I can take it up with the student, or Avery can if you'd rather.

[alt_draco]

I don't know how far it got around, but it did get as far as me. It had to do with Pansy Parkinson and Sally Anne Perks, and the nature of their close friendship - specifically, painting it as something unsavoury.

The person who told me said that they overheard it from you, while you were speaking to Ms. Peel.

I'm sure they were mistaken, though. You were probably talking about something else entirely, weren't you?

[alt_penelope]

WHAT?

Oh, for Merlin's sake!

I'm not sure who could have distorted that conversation to such an extent, Mr Malfoy, but no, that wasn't the tenor of the exchange at all. I might remind you to mistrust anything someone repeats as a result of eavesdropping on a private conversation, as well.

[alt_draco]

Just as I'd remind you to make sure that your private conversations are actually private. And it doesn't matter what the conversation was actually about; since it was taken for something so obscene and absurd, then it obviously shouldn't have happened at all.

My Father's been, for the most part, pleased with Weasley's work, which, as I'm sure you know, puts him in the vicinity of information concerning my family. Father's last secretary didn't work out so well because he was careless with this information.

You can see, then, why I have reason to be personally concerned about this whole affair.

[alt_penelope]

Well, I can assure you, Mr Malfoy, that Mr Weasley will never give your father any cause for worry on that account. And nor will I.

[alt_draco]

It sounds like we're on the same page, then. Good.

Congratulations again.