A/N: There were some mistakes that I made in my former first chapter, so I've made some changes and edited the chapter to my liking. A very big thank you to Dragoon Dave; I honestly don't know what I would do without you, you are my savior editor :)

So again, enjoy and please be so kind to review.

...

When had the world become so gray?

When had the color of life slipped away only to be replaced by a suffocating darkness that had consumed everybody? When had hope disappeared and succumbed to this terrible, everlasting midnight?

Oh yes, now she remembered.

It was the day that Harry Potter died.

Regan Westwood sat near the rear of a shuddering bus, the scenery passing in a dull blur. A small faded green suitcase sat beside her, trembling with each bump in the road. A young woman of only twenty five, Regan hardly considered herself anything special. She was of average height with a considerably scrawny body. Her eyes were green and too big for her face while her nose, oddly enough, was too small for her face. The only interesting thing about Regan was her hair, which was a deep violent red. It was long and straight, usually worn parted off to the side and down, but today was different. Today it rested comfortably over her shoulder in a secure braid because today Regan had to look professional.

Regan had been there, that day that Harry Potter's lifeless body had been brought back. She had been amongst the crowd, shifting nervously as the lifeless form was carelessly dropped in front of them. Regan would never forget the screams and the moans of sorrow that quickly followed the triumphant announcement of their hero's demise. She had been a fifth year, barely able to defend herself against the death eaters and the ogres that had stormed the castle all that night. She openly wept, fighting to block the mocking laughter that fell from Voldemort's lips. And then, just as suddenly as he had declared victory, he stumbled as an odd realization seemed to hit him. During the commotion, Neville Longbottom, wielding the Sword of Gryffindor, had cut Nagini in half, seemingly bringing Voldemort to his knees. He collapsed to the ground, his black robes gushing a pile of dust that was swept up in the wind. At first, many had believed that it had been Longbottom cutting Nagini that had destroyed Voldemort, but that would turn out to be completely untrue.

The moment that Voldemort had turned to dust, Draco Malfoy had stepped forward and taken the cracked elder wand. His father had stood behind him, pointing his own wand with dangerously slitted eyes. They shot down a person in the crowd, causing the mass of people to shudder from fear. It was then that they were all shackled together, forced to sit outside as the death eaters rallied inside to celebrate their victory. As they sat there, word slowly spread about the last effort to destroy Voldemort. Horocruxes with pieces of Voldemort's soul had been hidden away, keeping one piece for himself, and the trio that everybody had become so fond of had spent the past year trying to destroy them. Harry had been an accidental horocrux, a piece of Voldemort's soul disappearing when he had died. Then, people became puzzled. If he had split up his soul, even if all of the horocruxes had been destroyed, how was it possible for him to die so suddenly? Nobody had shot him down, at least not from their side, and the question seemed to matter little to the death eaters. While those around her tried to figure out what had really happened, Regan just sat there, her mind puzzled. Her parents had lied; good didn't always triumph over evil.

Regan was suddenly pulled out of her thoughts when the bus driver announced their upcoming destination: Malfoy Manor. Regan pulled her suitcase into her lap, clutching it tightly.

The next morning, they were hauled away to the Ministry where they sat stuffed in prison cells for days without food or water. At first, it seemed that they were all condemned to wait down here until they died from dehydration or starvation, but this was not meant to be their fate. Of course, looking back, Regan quietly wished that they had let her die in that cold, damp room.

Regan stood on the smooth pavement, listening as the bus rumbled away down the road. She waited until she could no longer hear the bus before taking in the sights around her. She couldn't actually see Malfoy Manor thanks to the tall stone walls that encircled the large property. She could only see through the bars of the iron gate the paved road that led to the manor lined with neatly trimmed oak trees. There was a small intercom sticking out of the ground, tall enough for a person in a car. Taking her small suitcase in hand, Regan bent over and pressed the green button.

"Hello, my name is Regan Westwood; I'm here for the maid position." Letting her finger fall from the button, Regan stood up straight and waited for a reply. It took a moment, but finally the intercom came to life with a buzz.

"Identification number?" Came the voice of a stern woman. Regan pressed the call button again.

"2M0S-713-15PB." Regan waited again, this time receiving a much swifter response.

"Natalie will meet you at the front door." The box buzzed again and the iron gate slowly began to open inwardly. She waited a few minutes before walking down the smooth road, her gray shoes clicking against the pavement.

They had divided everybody into groups based on age and education. Because she was a young underclassmen, she and other students were taken to mock classrooms that had been made from old offices. There were no longer any houses; they were just students. Their education continued on, taught by death eaters who modified the courses to fit their needs. Of course there were students that rebelled, but they were quickly removed, never to be seen again. It only took two weeks for the students to comply and do as they were told. They lived in crowded dorms, boys mixed in with girls in bunks that stacked to the ceiling. They were forced to conform or else they would be removed, just like those that had rebelled…and nobody wanted to be removed.

Each person was given a code; a series of numbers and letters to identify that person. They broke down easily enough, stating everything that needed to be known about that person. It didn't make sense to Regan when she had first received her number, but she eventually was able to figure it out.

2M stood for two married parents, though Regan was still unsure of whether or not they were still alive.

0S meant that she had no siblings.

The 7 stood for her completion of seven years of school while 13 stood for her rank among her graduating class.

The 15 showed that she was fifteen when Harry Potter had died.

And, most importantly, the PB stated that she was a pure blood witch.

The manor finally came into view, the pristine grey stone house standing proudly among the dull shrubbery. On the short stone steps in front of the large wooden door stood a young woman that looked no older than Regan. She was dressed in a crisp black dress with a pristine white apron and a black head band that was almost lost against her black hair. Her stockings were black as were her shoes. She had a pretty face, which was surprisingly fixed in a rather warm smile.

"Hello! You must be Regan." She said as Regan approached the small stairs.

"I am." Regan calmly responded, shaking the hand that Natalie had so eagerly offered.

"So glad that you made it here safely, and early too!"

"I suppose the bus was early," Regan responded, not really aware of the time.

"Come in, I'll show you where you'll be sleeping and we'll get you a uniform." Regan nodded, following Natalie into the manor.

It was exactly how Regan had pictured it: freshly painted walls that sported classic pieces of art and antique wood work accenting the walls and doorframes. The furniture looked old as well, but everything was free of dust and the cushions appeared welcoming.

"You'll be working with me. We're not allowed to go anywhere in the house without each other, so it's best to stick to the servants quarters in your off time. We're house servants, which means that we take care of dusting, changing sheets, and serving dinner. Dinner is at seven and we have to remain present through the whole meal, no matter how long it lasts." Natalie smiled at Regan. "Don't worry, you'll get used to just standing there." Regan nodded, only half listening.

"Who comes to dinner?" She asked.

"It's usually just Master Lucius and Master Draco and Mistress Astoria and little Master Scorpio." Regan quirked an eyebrow.

"What about Narcissa?" She asked. Natalie's face grew sullen and she shook her head.

"I'll tell you later, but not now." Her eyes darted around nervously checking to see if anybody was listening. "We don't talk about what happened to Mistress Narcissa."

Regan mentally made a note to never speak about Narcissa in the main house as she was shown down a twisting flight of stairs.

"This is where you'll be living." Natalie said, her cheery attitude quickly returning. "You'll be rooming with me!"

Regan couldn't help but smile at the girl's enthusiasm, following behind her to the third door on the left. Natalie opened the door before stepping aside and allowing Regan to walk in first. The room was a fair size, though it appeared a bit narrow. Two beds sat opposite of each other flanked by blank beige walls. On the far side of the room sat simple, identical desks that faced a window that looked out over the ground level of a small garden. Regan also observed the things that Natalie had decorated her side with. There were slightly aged pictures of her family and drawings that were clearly from a younger sibling. Regan set her suitcase down on the available bed, relieved to see that she would not be sleeping in a bunk bed.

"I hope you don't think it odd, but I made you a welcome present." Natalie ducked down and pulled out a neatly knitted wool blanket. "Winter is coming and it can get a might chilly down here." Regan accepted the gift from her new roommate, running a hand across the fuzzy surface.

"This is really kind of you, thank you."

Kind; the word felt strange in her mouth. Perhaps because she hadn't said the word in so long.

"I'm just glad that you're here, I was getting tired of living alone." She admitted. "All right, let me go to the laundry room and get you a uniform. I'll be right back!"

She rushed from the room, leaving Regan in their now silent room. She took one long look around, the blanket still clutched in her hands. She gave herself some time before resting the blanket on the bed. She set to work on unpacking her things in the short dresser at the foot of her bed. It didn't take her long, since she had few items of clothing. Two dresses, two pairs of jeans, four tee shirts, a sweater, and various undergarments fit nicely into the space that had been given. She placed the two pairs of shoes that she had beside the dresser and slid her suitcase under her bed just as Natalie came back into the room.

"I wasn't able to get you any black shoes. Do you have a pair?" Regan shook her head, standing back up. "Oh, that's all right, it's just for one day." She handed Regan the neatly folded dress and apron that was identical to what she wore. "You get changed and then we'll get to work." Regan nodded as Natalie disappeared once again to give her some privacy.

Regan stood perfectly still for a moment as she absorbed her situation. This was never how she had seen her life. She had wanted to be a teacher; perhaps a professor at Hogwarts that taught Charms. She had been really good at Charms…but that was before her wand had been taken away. But Regan had come to accept that her life would never be as she had expected it to be. So she dressed herself quickly and slid the black headband onto her bright red hair.

This was the life that she had been given and she was just thankful to be alive.