Catch 22 (Harry/Draco)

Whose Bright Idea Was This, Anyway?

A/N: This story was stolen and posted here on Wattpad originally by the person under the username @drarrycommunity, along with fic by a dozen other HP authors, which has since been deleted. I got a few requests to repost it, so here it is. The art used for the cover was done for this story by Ankamo on Deviant Art, and I can't thank them enough. http://ankamo.deviantart.com

All of the letters written by Harry will be aligned to the LEFT. All letters written by his correspondent will be aligned CENTER.

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Catch 22 -noun [kach-twen-tee-too]
1. a frustrating situation in which one is trapped by contradictory regulations or conditions.
2. any illogical or paradoxical problem or situation; dilemma.

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September, 1998

Am I the only one that thinks this is a stupid idea and a complete waste of time?

'No one will know who your correspondent is, not even your Head of House,' McGonagall is explaining. 'Each seventh-year student has been randomly assigned a number and paired with a student from another House with a corresponding number. You will pass your letters to your Head of House, who will similarly pass them on to the appropriate staff member for delivery.'

'Professor?' Dean Thomas asks, raising his hand. 'I'm sorry, but what exactly is the point of this?'

'The point, Mr Thomas, is to attempt to enforce unity between students of different Houses. The Headmaster believes that in these dark times, it is necessary to forget our differences and learn to appreciate our strengths, and I must concede.'

'But, Professor, why do the letters have to be anonymous?' Parvati says.

'Anonymity removes any possibility of prejudice and provides each student with, shall we say, a blank sheet of parchment. You may know nothing about your correspondent or you may know a lot-but in your letters you will be speaking with, as far as you know, a complete stranger. With the absence of any preordained bias you may have acquired, good or bad, you will find it much easier to communicate freely. A chance to "be yourselves" without having to worry about trivial details such as House, class, gender or heritage.

'You all have already been assigned a number, which you are forbidden to disclose to anyone, be they Housemates or even siblings. You are required to communicate with your correspondent no less than once a fortnight. You may write whatever you wish; the staff will not be reading the letters, or grading you by their content. They are completely confidential. And as the point is for you to form a bond with another student, I recommend that you be honest; just write as you would to anyone else your age.'

Lavender raises her hand and McGonagall nods to her. 'Can we write more than once a fortnight?'

'You may write several times a day, if you wish, Miss Brown,' McGonagall tells her. 'Just be sure that you do not sign your letters. You may leave your notes in an envelope, on the inside flap of which you should write your personal number, and drop them off at my office at any time to be passed along.'

Harry looks down at his letter. The handwriting is not familiar, but Harry sometimes has difficulty even telling Ron's handwriting from Seamus' or Dean's, and the only reason he recognises Hermione's is due to copying six years' worth of History of Magic notes before exams.

'At first, you and your correspondent will be forbidden from arranging encounters, or otherwise revealing yourselves to each other or anyone else,' McGonagall continues. 'However, starting at the holidays and up until the end of the year, if both you and your correspondent mutually agree to meet, inform your Heads of House and we will provide you with the necessary information.