At the end of charms (which I found quite easy) I packed up my bag and left the classroom last. I took out my timetable and scanned it, lunch next. I folded it back up and began to walk down the corridor when I heard a voice,

"Haylen." I turned and saw Malfoy leaning against the wall in the shadows.

"Yes Malfoy?" He walked over to stand next to me,

"Lunch?" I nodded and we walked to the great hall together, in silence as usual.

I ate my lunch in silence. Crabbe and Goyle escorted me to Muggle Studies because Malfoy had to do something else. None of this was said, it was understood. I didn't have any lessons after Muggle Studies so I went out to the lake. To be honest it was too cold to swim, but I didn't care. I pulled off my outer robe and dived into the lake, morphing into a mermaid mid jump. I dove under then pushed up, finding myself in a secluded area. A willow tree had bent over the lake creating a circular room made of leaves. In the centre there was a flat rock that stuck out above the water and I pulled myself onto it before lying back and basking in the few rays of the sun that came through the divided leaves. I played with my hair, plaiting the ebony lengths as I had done with my once blonde waves as a child. Suddenly I heard a rustle and a sharper beam of light fell through the leaves. Ginny, Hermione, Harry and a blonde girl I recognised from my year stepped through.

"Luna," said the blonde girl to my unasked question, and I nodded. I transfigured quickly and pulled Ginny into a hug before doing the same to Hermione. I approached Harry and he offered his hand, I shook it and laughed at his blush. We sat, ate chocolate frogs and I showed the wingardiam leviosa spell I'd learnt today and they clapped as I levitated a pebble. Two hours later it was already beginning to get dark and we wandered back into the castle. When we got to the corridor that is the quickest route to either Gryffindor or Slytherin, I saw Malfoy waiting for me. I nodded to him and he responded the same way. Ginny looked at me curiously and Harry and Hermione glared at him. I watched Malfoy sneer, but strangely he gave up the opportunity to start a fight. I said goodbye to the three and walked in silence down the corridor next to Malfoy. I spotted someone walking up a flight of stairs but didn't comment.

"Transfigure into a snake," whispered Malfoy.

"What?"

"A snake, quickly." I did as he said and he picked me up and shoved me in his bag. I poked my head out so I could watch what was happening.

"Hello Father." I noticed that Malfoy said father with a capital F the way I had always been brought up to.

"Draco. Any news on Keyes?" Lucius responded.

"No Father but it is still her first day. I don't think it would be a good idea to subject her to anything so soon, she has already fallen out with her adoptive brother."

"You sound fond of the girl Draco." I heard Malfoy wince as he chose his words carefully as to please his father and not insult me,

"She is intriguing yes, and still holds the manners Petren drilled into her. It's remarkable what she doesn't remember." Responded Malfoy. I hissed at the use of my Father's first name.

"What was that?" questioned Lucius.

"I am out of bed beyond hours, I should go Father." Malfoy covered up easily and he made his farewells and walked round the corner silently before freeing my from his bag. Instead of transfiguring into human form I changed into a black raven and cawed at him, tugging at his clothes with my beak and scratching his hands with my talons.

"Haylen stop it now." I transfigured into a black leopard and bared my teeth at him whilst pacing the corridor. He began to walk away from me and I ran in leopard form and pounced, turning into human form before I crushed him. Now he was lying on the floor and I was on top of him I snarled, rolled him over and spat in his face.

"What do you know?" I held him there, surprised at my strength yet more surprised that he didn't struggle.

"Your mother and father aren't muggles; they are dark and rich wizards. We were brought up together until the age of seven. You were obliviated on your birthday." I shook my head, no I wasn't otherwise I wouldn't know about the party. "You were meant to be obliviated twice. Once before, as the usual start to the year, and when you caused corruption with your open display of magic, once after. Weasley cocked up and cast a spell on you that would keep your mind safe from obliviation until your twelfth birthday, when your letter to Hogwarts would arrive." I shuddered.

"Why was I brought up muggle?"

"You'll have to ask them that." He responded. I scowled and rolled off of him before transfiguring into a butterfly and landing on Malfoys head. He shook me off and held out a finger where I landed softly. I flew off then transfigured into my human form. We walked back to the Slytherin dorm in silence. No tears. No tantrums. Just how Mother and Father taught me.

The days passed quickly as I moved through the halls like a ghost. I felt so numb. Hermione, Harry and Ginny came to see me by the lake occasionally but as I slowly sunk further into the shadows their visits stopped. I still spoke to Fred, George and Percy when I could, but they're much older than me and our lessons clash a lot. I hung round with Miranda, Sophie and Daisy a lot, the three Slytherin girls in my dorm but to be honest none of them were really my friends. I suppose Miranda was but only because we'd been thrust together since we started Hogwarts. I enjoyed my classes, but I enjoyed them in silence. I was an average student in everything except potions, where I excelled above the others. I loved magic, and I tried to use it in everything I did. When Hogsmeade started Malfoy asked me to join him. I politely declined and buried myself in the library. I'd been researching into the background of being a metamorphagus, but metamorphagi can't change into animals. It was on the third declined Hogsmeade offer that I discovered what I truly was. Totusnovomorphagus. What a mouthful. I grabbed my Latin-English dictionary and discovered that "totus" meant whole and that "novo" meant change. Whole change. It made sense. Further background information told me that totusnovomorphagui were incredibly rare. Further information told me that when I changed into an animal, clothes didn't matter. I didn't understand the exact details of the magic that took place but I understood I didn't need to strip off. It took another two weeks before I finally accepted Malfoys offer.

I woke up early that morning and looked in the mirror. Morning hair was never a problem for me as I could morph it away easily. Unfortunately I'd been dreaming about the Weasleys that night and I'd woken up with bright red hair which I immediately shook back into its black sleekness. I added ringlets for fun then pulled it back into a ponytail, letting the trapped curls cascade down my back and as I shook my hair a few extra curls fell down and I tucked them behind my ear and brushed my fringe to the side. I used a few spells Miranda had taught me to give myself smoky eyes then dressed in black stockings, black patent dolly shoes, and an emerald green tartan wrap-around skirt that Molly had sent me to match Ginny's red and gold one. I treasured the skirt as the family didn't have much money as it is and the fact that she'd picked one in green proved that she had accepted that I was in Slytherin. I pulled on a black cashmere sweater and applied a red lip stick charm. I wandered down the spiralled stairs into the common room. Malfoy was waiting for me.

"You're early." He commented,

"So are you." I replied. He nodded then took five packages of varied size out of his school bag and gestured to the large sofa in front of the common room. I wandered over and sat down before asking,

"What are those?" he smirked and handed them to me. They were labelled 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th.

"One gift from every day you declined my offer to join me at Hogsmeade."

"I can't accept these." I said immediately staring down at the 1st boxlike package.

"Just open them," stated Malfoy. I tore at the brown packaging and found a black velvet box. I opened it and found a green/black snake pendant on green, yellow and black thread. .com/usa/product_?l=usa&c=usa&pf_id=am29406-013&id_valore1=&id_valore2=&id_valore3=&id_valore4=&id_valore5=&dept_id=58&source=nxusa&listid=1x

I gasped and turned so that Malfoy could secure it on my neck. I thanked him then opened number two. This was a thin book on totusnovomorphagus.

"You know?" He nodded then gestured towards the third gift. It was another black velvet box, slightly smaller than the one that had held my pendant. Inside were two sterling snake earrings. I morphed my ears pierced then gently put the earrings on. .?name=Sterling%20Silver%20Snake%20Earrings

The fourth present was a silver chain to hold my outer cloak on and the fifth present was a velvet outer robe that felt like water between my fingertips and was as light as a feather when Malfoy wrapped it round my shoulders and attached my new silver chain.

"Draco this must've all cost a fortune." He looked startled at the use of his first name then shrugged,

"Money doesn't matter to me, and it shouldn't to you."

"What?" I was confused.

"All you have to do is unlock your account at Gringotts then you'll get your share."

"How?"

"Pass me a piece of paper and a quill." I did so, fishing them out of his school bag. He scribbled something on a piece of paper and folded it over. He looked sheepish as he asked, "Do you mind flying over to the owlery?" I smiled and shook my head before transforming into a raven. I took the note into my beak and flew out the window to the owlery where I attached the letter to a small brown owl and sent him flying. I transformed back and flew back to Draco. I tumbled a little as I flew through the window and transfigured to human form mid flight but Draco caught me and held me to him. There was a moments silence then his eyes widened,

"Haylen?" He used my first name, I thought to myself.

"Yes Draco?" He gestured towards one of the common room mirrors. I walked over then looked,

"Oh." My hair had turned a platinum blonde, the exact colour of Dracos.

"Haven't quite gotten used to it then?" He smirked. I laughed and replied,

"Sometimes I do it by accident." I shook my hair but it didn't change colour. I tried again. "It won't go back." I morphed into a raven, just to check I could, then morphed back into human form and tried to change my hair colour again. It stayed blonde. I was beginning to panic, "Why won't it change?" Draco moved closer and ran his fingers through my hair and smirked.

"There you go." He moved away again and I released a breath I hadn't known I was holding. I looked back in the mirror and my hair was back into its black curls. I sighed.

"Thank you." Draco sneered and we walked out of the common room to go to breakfast. He never once asked why his presence had turned my hair blonde, and why his closeness had turned it black. I was glad he didn't ask, because I didn't know, and quite frankly I didn't care, I could only think about how Draco had run his fingers through my hair, the first time he'd touched me.