Chapter 1

Lana looked up at the glimmering, scarlet Hogwarts express with sad eyes. She hoped this year would be different form all the others. All she ever hoped for was a friend but it seemed even that was too much to ask.

-

"Lana! Hurry up! Draco's going to be late!" shrieked my mother. I rolled my eyes before I turned to face my mother who was now planting a sloppy kiss on Draco's cheek, his own mother looking on at her son with loving eyes. Draco grabbed my hand and pulled me onto the express, obviously looking for an excuse to escape my mother and another of her long sloppy kisses.

"Bye mum" I shouted back as Draco pulled me up onto the train.

My mum merely waved and blew Draco a kiss as the train left the platform. She treated him as the son she never had, he was of course the perfect pureblood son; in their eyes anyway.

"Eurgh one more of those kisses and I will be sick!" exclaimed Draco, then taking notice of my presence said; "I'm going to go find my friend's, have fun" and at that he walked away. That was as much conversation that went between us; at least it was civil, which is enough to ask. As of yet, Draco is the only Slytherin who can hold a conversation with me, without calling me a "blood traitor".

-

I found a secluded compartment and sighed as I was finally able to put down my suitcase, which I had dragged all the way down every carriage to this very last one. I sat down beside the window and took out a book and began to read. Whilst outside my classmates were retelling their holidays and sharing treats form the food cart.

-

I was jolted from my seat as the train came to an abrupt halt and the lights went dead. Suddenly the compartment felt significantly colder than before, shivering I stared out the window searching for a cause.

My heart skipped a beat at the sight of a black figure outside the compartment door.

As my heart began to race the figures long, bony fingers outstretched to the doors latch.

Taking in a deep breath I watched in horror as the door opened at an agonisingly slow speed.

The dementor stood before me, its towering body draped in billowing black and its hood hiding an immense darkness.

I froze in terror, my arms and legs had gone limp and my voice was non existent. I could neither run nor call for help in this condition.

Then as suddenly as it had come the dementor left.

My heart was beating so fast it felt as though it would break through my chest at any minute.

And I could hardly breathe from the shock.

I closed my eyes and tried to relax.

I jumped out of my seat at the sound of the compartment door smashing open.

"Lana!"