When Worlds Collide

Chapter One: Of Memories and Dreams

The dying fire cast dancing shadows across the black, green, and silver décor of the Slytherin common room. A small figure sat curled up on a black leather couch that was positioned closest to the dying embers in the great stone fireplace. She was completely absorbed by the book that lay open across her lap. Her long copper hair snaked out of its ponytail and coiled around her pale, slender face and shoulders. Emerald eyes scanned the pages of one of her used and abused schoolbooks. The pages of the old book gave off the scent of vanilla every time her delicate fingertips brushed a page. She turned another page and was greeted by a fresh wave of vanilla perfume, her flawless lips curved into a slight smile at the scent. She glanced around the common room and was startled to find that it was totally empty.

'Maybe not so surprising…' She thought to herself, glancing at the face of the great, ebony clock that stood against a wall. It was half past two in the morning. She replaced the maroon tongue-like ribbon between the pages and closed the book before carefully setting it down on the glass-topped table. She stretched, the too-short sleeves of her second-hand robes gliding up over the smooth skin of her arms and past her thin elbows.

"It's after two." A cold voice came from behind her. She could hear the sneer in his tone. Her back and shoulders tensed visibly at having been snuck up on. "Also, it's only the first day of the term."

"I am aware of both those things, thank you." She replied just as coldly as she lowered her arms and turned to glare of her shoulder. Her eyes became as hard as the emeralds they resembled as she took in the platinum blonde hair and the pointed features of the boy behind her. He wore an expensive-looking black housecoat over black silk pajama pants. Even with the housecoat it was easy to tell he was shirtless.

"How did a destitute mudblood get sorted into this house?" He asked as he crossed his arms over his chest, though his question seemed to be directed more at the surrounding walls than at the girl sitting before him.

"Feel free to ask the Sorting Hat." She stated calmly, collecting her book and the bag at her feet. She could feel the sharp glare on her neck as she stood up and turned toward him.

"You don't have the right to talk to me that way." He snapped, his arms dropping to his sides, his hands balled into fists.

"No, you don't have the right to talk to me that way just because I wasn't born into wealth and privilege, or because I have no family. Not everything will always be handed to you on a silver platter. Someday you're going to have to really work hard for something. It's going to wipe that smug look right off your face, and I hope that I'm there to see it!" She hissed, slipping past him so she could get to her dorm room.

"Now this is interesting. You are not what I would consider a typical Slytherin, but you are more ruthless and more cunning than most. You do what you need to in order to survive. You will be great, one day, Sinthiya Prey. SLYTHERIN!" The whispered words of the Sorting Hat rang in her ears through the darkness of the room, drowning out the sounds of the three other girls that were sleeping soundly. It was true what the Hat had said. She was ruthless and cunning and she was still alive because of it. She had grown up on the streets of London with no family and no home. She made money by stealing and selling whatever she could get her hands on. That was until Dumbledore had found her under a bridge on a rainy day. He had told her that she was a witch and that she was accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on the condition that she wouldn't steal from any of the other students. She had told him he was crazy and where he could find the nearest hospital.

"I assure you I am not crazy, nor am I in need of a hospital." He had told her.

"I don't believe in magic, and even if what you said were true, I wouldn't have the money to go to your school." She told him, staring at the grey clouds, desperately wishing there was such a place that could take her away from the constant cold.

"Magic is a part of who you are, whether you believe in it or not, Sinthiya Prey. And as far as money goes, Hogwarts has funds to help students that are in need." Dumbledore told her, his tone carefully neutral.

"I never told you my name. Besides, if you are going to call me anything, I would prefer it if you would call me Sin." She finally looked at him. He wore half-moon glasses on his crooked nose. His hair and beard were silver and long enough to be tucked into his belt. He wore midnight blue robes with tiny silver stars scattered across the velvet. "Prove it, Mr. Wizard." She said suddenly, furious with herself for playing into the old man's delusions. He said nothing and didn't move a muscle, but out of nowhere a fire burst to life, warming the frozen girl. A plate of cucumber sandwiches appeared in front of her and she took one and ate it without thinking.

"I take it we will see you on September 1st?" The man asked smiling as the sandwiches disappeared one by one.

"I don't know when that is and I don't have the money and I don't know where I'm going." She said.

"September 1st is in seven days. There will be a train leaving from Kings Cross at eleven in the morning. As for the money, that too is easily fixed." He held out a canvas bag that clinked with the sound of heavy coins, and a heavy parchment envelope with green writing. "The envelope contains your ticket for the train as well as your list of school supplies."

"Where do I get my supplies from?" She questioned and waited for directions.

"I can take you, if you'd like." He told her, waving a hand and refilling the plate of sandwiches.

"Thanks, but I would rather do it myself." She told him with a small smile and she waited patiently as he told her the directions. "Besides, that's not too far from here." She said when he had finished.

The colors drained from around her, swirling into monotones of grey and black. Images swirled and then began to run like ink splashed with water. Sin stood there, rooted like a tree to the place she stood, watching her memories fade into nothingness. Grey replaced the blackness as her vision took in her new surroundings. The nothingness was replaced by a room devoid of furnishings, yet it was not empty.

"What?" Sin asked herself. She was clearly dreaming, seeing as how the previous run of events was so out of order, by how things where appearing and disappearing, and how the color had drained from the word . She looked around and saw a much older, much more handsome version of the blonde boy she so loathed. He was wearing black slacks and had no shirt, showing off the lean muscles that years of Quidditch had built. The blonde hair that fell into his eyes was ruffled by a nonexistent breeze.

"I need your help. You may be the only one that can save me." He told her.

"Are you fucking kidding me? Now I know it's a dream…"She muttered as he strode towards her, finally stopping as his bare toes touched her own.

"Sin." He breathed, brushing back the loose coils of copper hair, his hand coming to rest on the side of her face. His lips grazed hers…

There was a soft chiming that echoed through the room, telling her that it was five in the morning. Sin opened her eyes and refused to think about the butterflies in her stomach. They somehow seemed to have grown razor-edged metal wings that were beating a painful rhythm across her insides. She sighed and pulled open the black velvet hangings and slipped out of bed and made her way quietly towards the showers, grabbing her towel on her way. She stepped under the torrent of cold water and hoped it would be enough to shake off the remnants of sleep and unease of memories and dreams she had not been prepared for. She reminded herself of some rather important facts. First, she was Sin Prey, and second, it was her sixth year at Hogwarts, not her first.

Yes, she was still living off of the school's charity funds. Yes, she was still a mudblood. Yes, she was still hated within the Slytherin house by all except the Head of House, Professor Snape because she wasn't rich and she wasn't a pureblood. She hated every single last one of her housemates right back, loving that their hate fueled her greatness. Life was normal. Now, if only she was lucky she might just make it through the day without blushing every single time she saw Draco Malfoy, or if he was lucky she wouldn't want to make him swallow his teeth if he said some nasty comment…She hoped luck was on her side and not his, though the first step would be remembering how to breathe properly.

She turned the water off and wrapped the towel around her body, her waist-length hair dripped water down the length of her slender, yet perfectly curved body. Sighing, she finished drying off and twisted her hair into a knot before going to grab her uniform. She pulled on the old uniform and her green lined robes. The other girls were still sleeping. Sin shook her head, grabbed her toiletries bag and slid back into the bathroom, positioning her body in front of the mirror. She brushed her teeth and combed out her hair before she pulled it into a ponytail. She left the bathroom, dropped the toiletries bag in her trunk, grabbed her shoes, socks, school bag and books off the floor, and walked out of the dorm room.

Sitting down on one of the leather couches she pulled on her socks and shoes when she heard footsteps behind her. She shifted slightly so her back was more towards the walls and so she could see the doorways. The moment the blonde head stepped into the room a flood of thoughts danced through Sin's head. He looked distant, his grey eyes as stormy as the seas they looked like.

'He's up early…and he looks like hell…' Sin thought, resisting the urge to speak out. However, it was hardly necessary as he looked up and saw her, his scowl deepening.

"Why are you up so early, Prey?" He snapped.

"I'm always up this early. You're the one that's acting out of the norm." She snapped back, her face expressionless. "It's called people watching. It's called knowing how to read people. I'm good at it."

"You're cocky." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Hardly. I'm confident in my abilities, there is a difference. Cocky is when you have arrogance backing up your claims. I have experience backing up mine. Besides, you're the last person that I need to have telling me that when you are always the one acting like a cocky bastard with a smug look plastered all over that face of yours." She stood up, smoothing out the wrinkles in her skirt and robes. She felt his eyes and glanced up, her hands pausing on her hips. "Can I help you?"

"I highly doubt it, Prey." His arms unlaced themselves and he stalked out of the dungeon common room.