A/N: Here's the next one. Thanks for reading, and I'll leave you to it. Enjoy!

The week up until Halloween was filled with many happy children excitedly talking about the feast. They didn't stop to consider what that day meant for several families. All except Draco, that is. He had understood Halloween was a touchy day for her for the past few years. He'd always understood not to bother her on this day. He didn't grieve with her, of course. Her mother and stepfather were strangers. It made no sense to grieve for them. He grieved for her sometimes, but mostly he just left her alone.

All of the years at home, she'd watched as Rose and Michelle played with Draco from her window. She'd been happy to see that the anniversary of her parent's death didn't have the same effect on them. They were practically strangers to them as well. She had memories of them, memories of the patience and love they'd given her when she'd been such an angry child. It wasn't something she could forget. It was something she couldn't help but grieve for.

Skyler Black sat on the hospital wing bed, an angry scowl on her lips and arms crossed. Her legs hung down off the side, and she carefully pulled them up on top of the bed. There were plenty of bruises covering her body, as well as many scars. She could feel the slowly-healing whip marks on her back still, though the matron had done her best to heal them. In front of her, three people smiled sadly at her. Her mother's eyes were filled with tears, and the woman cautiously approached her like a scared child. The girl supposed she might just fit in that category. Her father simply stared at her, the familiar eyes locked on her own. There was another man, her stepfather, who also stared at her. They all seemed intent on watching her, of making sure she was okay. They didn't know that okay was no longer in her vocabulary. They would, eventually, notice the changes in the girl's attitude. For now, though, they were grateful she was alive.

She had to admit that was a bittersweet memory. She hadn't seen her parents in a long time, and she'd known almost immediately they wouldn't hurt her. She could see the love in their eyes, all left for her. Still, she'd not trusted many people for a long time. And her parents, though sad at her skittishness, were patient and understanding through it all. More memories flashed by her, and she couldn't help but remember her last birthday with her parents.

Skyler woke up early. She'd been an early riser out of necessity for a long time. It'd been months since the night she'd been saved, months since she'd nearly been killed. She'd become studious, trying to prove her worth to her would-be murderer. It wasn't an easy task, as she knew nothing had been good enough for him. She'd asked her parents to put glamour spells on her every day, which they obliged sadly. Truthfully, she thought they hated the scars as much as she did. It was a slow process, but eventually they'd earned her trust. And today, she didn't know what to expect. Today was her birthday. Today she turned four.

She got up to find her parents in the kitchen already. This was unusual, as her father normally came later in the day. There was a banner overhead, proclaiming 'Happy Birthday!' in block letters. Her parents all gave her a hug and a huge pile of waffles. They did all sorts of things over the day. By the end, she was acting almost like a normal child. That didn't last very long, but they were still happy to see it.


All day, Skyler felt rather depressed. She was plagued by bittersweet memories of her life before that fateful day. It didn't help that she was forced to deal with the high spirits of the rest of the school. She observed her siblings all day as well, and she noticed no one seemed to give a second thought to the anniversary of the day their parents died. She was happy they could have fun, but also felt upset that they didn't care. By the time the feast finished, she felt ready to explode.

She supposed Harry could be upset. He had outright skipped the feast with his friends. She didn't know the boy well enough to figure it out herself. She hoped to one day, but she couldn't know for sure.

After the feast, she followed the rest of the students. She stood by Nate and Eliza, unable to think too well and needing a guide. After a little bit of walking, she saw the crowd had stopped.

"Enemies of the heir, beware. You'll be next mudbloods!" she heard Draco yell. She knew later she'd have to have a talk with the boy. He loved to follow his father, but she knew he didn't truly share the man's views. Still, this confused her. Enemies of the heir? Heir of what? She pushed through the students, ignoring them as they glared at her.

Suddenly, she was at the front. Harry and his friends stood by the words written in blood, and she noticed Filch's cat was hung stiffly from the chandelier. She wondered idly to herself if it was dead, but quickly dismissed the thought. She loved animals, and she couldn't help but hope it was still alive. Everyone was quickly rushed from the scene, though she was too nervous to notice by whom. She got ready for bed filled with shock and confusion. She was nervous to find out what the rest of the year would bring. She just hoped her siblings would stay out of it.