Chapter One-

Maylora R. Branch sat on the balcony, looking out over the busy city of London. The whispering wind made her long, scarlet hair dance around her face. She watched a family of four- a mother, father, and two small girls, walking on the streets below and laughing together, like a real family. The older of the two girls smiled and took her father's hand. They began to swing their arms happily. Maylora couldn't help but think of her own father, and how she would never again even be able to smile at him, much less hold his hand. She continued to watch as the man smiled down at his daughter, and she heard him faintly whisper "I love you." Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks.

"May?" her mother's voice made her breath catch. "Come on, honey. It's time to go."

Maylora nodded so that her mother would know that she had been heard. She turned her head and wiped away a single tear as it fell, then stood and entered the hotel room to gather her things. As she went to pick up her suitcase, she noticed that one of her bags way empty.

"Where's Lucifer?" she asked no one in particular, scanning the tiny hotel room for any sign of her pet.

"I think I saw him slithering around under your bed a minute ago," her mother said. Maylora proceeded to lie on the floor next to the bed, pulling up the bed skirt so that she could see clearly under it.

"Lucifer?" she called in a singsong voice. "There you are, you naughty little boy." Maylora reached under the bed towards Lucifer, grabbed him around the middle, and pulled the six foot Python towards her. He wrapped himself around her wrist, still clutched in her fist, so that about the last foot of his body hung in the air. She held the snake up to her face, and he slid another inch or so through her relaxed hand to rub his smooth head on her cheek. When he slid the last bit to reach her face, a large lump in his belly moved trough Maylora's hand.

"Lucifer, haven't I told you not to eat grubby rats in dismal places like this? I would have fed you in little over an hour." Maylora hissed in Parseltongue.

"I was hungry. And you would have forgotten, anyway. You've been very…detached since we left America." Lucifer hissed back. He pulled back his head and looked into Maylora's emerald eyes with his own, almost identical ones. "and you know you would have."

Maylora sighed as she looked back into Lucifer's eyes, 'you know me too well.' she thought. Lucifer had been her companion for three years now, ever since she had discovered her gift with snakes. He knew everything about her. Besides her father, Lucifer had been the only one who really knew her, and had been her only friend.

"I'm so sorry, Lu. I'm so sorry, it's just.."

" I know. Now shhh, and put me back into my prison so we can be on our way." Maylora smiled at his remark, and then lowered him gently into the travel bag that her mother had purchased specially for the trip to England.

"Ready?" Mrs. Branch looked at her daughter and smiled weakly. She hadn't understood what had been said between Maylora and Lucifer, but she knew well enough not to ask.

"Lets go." Maylora picked up her suitcase and Lucifer's travel bag, then followed her mother down the stairs and out the door of the hotel to the waiting cab outside.

Maylora walked down the long corridor of the Hogwarts express, Lucifer's travel bag in hand. She finally came to the end of the train, and found the only empty compartment. Being new, she felt slightly anti-social, and didn't want to intrude upon anyone else. She slid the door open and walked inside, then sat next to the window, Lucifer and his case in her lap. Before long, the compartment door slid open, revealing two boys and a girl, all appearing to be about Maylora's age. One boy had untidy, flaming red hair, much like Maylora's, except that her's was neat and straight. His nose and cheeks were splashed with small freckles. The other boy had untidy hair as well, but his was a much darker shade- black. The girl had a small dusting of freckles across her nose, much smaller than the splash across the boy's face. Her hair was long, laying in ringlets over her shoulders, and golden brown. The boys just stared at Maylora for a second or two.

"Boys, don't be rude." the girl pushed past her companions. "I'm sorry, I'm Hermione Granger, and this is Ronald Weasly and Harry Potter." she pointed to the boys accordingly. "May we share this compartment with you?"

"Of course." Maylora smiled as the trio came in, Harry closing the door behind them. The boys sat across from her, Harry by the window, and Hermione sat in the seat next to her.

"I'm Maylora Branch. Um….if you don't mind my asking, what year are you all in?"

"We are in sixth year, and we don't mind at all." Hermione smiled as she answered, "You're new to the school, right?"

"Great!!! Yeah, I'm new. I'm supposed to be in sixth year as well."

"Really? How did that happen?" Ron asked.

"It's kind of a long story, so I'll try to make it short. I transferred from Salem Witchcraft Academy in America. My mother and I met with Dumbledore during the summer and arranged the transfer. He said that I had talent, so I would be put into sixth year, and the prefect from the house I'm put in will help me throughout the year. They will be helping me catch up with everything and practically go everywhere with me for the first semester."

"Really? That's interesting. Do you know what house you're in?" Harry entered the conversation.

"Yeah. Slytherin. What house are y'all in?" Maylora watched the trio's eyebrows raise as she said it.

"Gryffindor." they answered in unison.

"Oh. Is Slytherin bad?" just as Maylora finished her question, the compartment door slid open again. This time, it revealed a tall, slim but muscular boy with white blonde hair. Maylora's emerald eyes met with his cool silver ones for an instant. The boy began to say something, but paused, and a strange look passed over his face, then vanished. 'Wow…he's…' Maylora thought.

"Miss Branch, you are needed in the front compartment. I am to escort you." Blondie never even glanced at the other three in the compartment. His silver eyes studied Maylora in the seconds that her emerald ones studied him. The trio looked at each other curiously. 'What is wrong with him?' Hermione thought. 'He hasn't even so much as snickered at us.'

"Miss Branch?" Blondie made her name a question.

"Alright. I guess I'll see you guys later." Maylora smiled at the three she had just met and followed the handsome boy into the corridor. He turned to her after taking a few steps away from the compartment.

"You'll need to change into your robes before we arrive. The bathroom is just down here."

"Thank you, um…what was your name?" Maylora tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear.

"Malfoy. Draco Malfoy. I am the Slytherin house prefect, and I will be helping you throughout the year." Now she could put a name to the gorgeous blonde hair and stunning silver eyes. And it suited him well, she thought.