Prologue

She was dancing. As always. She glided across the floor, her hair tied up with a pink ribbon. Her tights and leotard revealed the muscles on her body from frequent dancing. She spun and leapt. She was in a world of her own. As always. She didn't even realize any one was there.

He watched from the door. He admired her strength, her agility. He remembered the days when they used to dance together. No longer. A tear dropped down his cheek and he turned away, shutting her and the memories away until the next day.

Inside she continued to dance. The music went on and on, ringing in her ears. In her head, she was on stage again, at the ballet. She bowed for the audience then started a new dance much to their delight. Her dance held them captive.

She didn't know that the dance was actually holding her captive, and that she'd never be able to stop…

1.The train ride

He brushed his dark hair out of his eyes and stared out the train window into the gloom. He was tired, and the weather didn't help. He had at least an hour that he could sleep on the train, but it was his "duty" to catch up with his friends again. He thought warmly of his Hogwarts bed that he would be sleeping in that night. He just had to wait a few more hours.

"Harry, stop daydreaming" he heard from a distance. He snapped to attention. A girl stood in front of him, already dressed in her school robes. Her wavy brown hair fell to past her shoulders, longer than the last time he had seen her. She was becoming more and more striking every year. She had interesting features that stood out among the other girls, and unlike them, she didn't hide her face in pounds of makeup.

"Hey Hermione" he mumbled groggily.

Just then, a freckled face topped by red hair poked its head around the corner of the compartment. "He awake?" it asked.

"I wasn't asleep" Harry protested. Ron stepped into the room then and Harry noticed that he had grown several more inches than the previous year, tall and gangly. His wild red mop had gotten longer, and he looked the tiniest bit less awkward.

"Please mate, we've been on the train for an hour!" Ron replied.

"God I've got to get my robes on!" Harry ran past them, found his suitcase and changed. When he was in his robes, he returned to the compartment to find that the snack cart had already been by. He sat down and turned his attention to his friends, trying to ward off sleep.

"So did you hear about the exchange student coming in?" asked Hermione.

"How do you always know all this stuff?" replied Ron.

"It's called a newspaper."

"Now don't get on me about not readin..."

"You could be a little bit more culturally aware..."

"Culturally aware my arse..."

"You guys shut up! What did you want to tell us about the exchange student Hermione?" interrupted Harry. Even in their seventh year, they still acted like second years.

"Well, as I was saying before being so rudely interrupted," she shot an evil glare at Ron, "An American is coming to Hogwarts!"

"An American?"

"Well not just any American, Daredra Salman!"

"No way…" said Ron, thoroughly impressed with this information. "She's my cousin"

"Who is Daredra Salman, besides your cousin?" asked Harry

Ron and Hermione sighed.

"Well, Harry, she's from a famous wizarding family. Her father was a Death Eater, and her great great grandfather started the Salem Witchcraft School in America. She herself grew up with Muggles after her father deserted and Voldemort killed her parents. It's said that she too was tortured by Voldemort. Anyway, she's this totally famous witch, who didn't even know about being one…kind of like you Harry."

She turned the paper over to him, and he saw the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. She was laughing and swinging her long brown-red hair over her shoulders. Her emerald eyes sparkled and she had a sprinkling of freckles across her nose. She looked so confident in herself.

"So why is she moving here now?" Harry questioned when he got his voice back.

"Uh well, she was informed only this year of her being a witch, and her relatives want her to come here to be close to her betrothed."

"Betrothed? Great." Said Harry.

"Yeah well only a few pureblood families are left ...uh so she's promised to…"

"No way! Malfoy?"

Hermione nodded.

"Figures…"