And then she escapes back to her armchair and watches Malfoy pile the dirty dishes up, apparating to the kitchens and returning empty-handed usually, although several times now he has come back with an armful of linens – fresh bedsheets and pillowslips for the bed she sleeps in. He changes it using magic, while she watches surreptitiously from behind her book. And then he sits down at the table – after a glance at Hermione – and begins to read. Occasionally Malfoy sits at his desk before he picks up a book, and spends an hour writing a lengthy letter. Hermione doesn't ask who he is writing to, but she suspects it is his mother. She doesn't know who else he has to write to. When Malfoy is finished writing his letter he picks it up by one corner, and sets it alight with a flick of his wand, dropping it in a small rubbish bin by his desk and watching it burn away to nothing, his face expressionless. And then he dashes off what seems like just a quick note, and sets it aside to post the next day – she thinks it probably has to pass inspection by another Death Eater before being posted.