Hayley woke up dreadfully early the next day. Knowing she had to face Snape alone had, unsurprisingly in her opinion, stopped her from having a good night's sleep.

After heaving a great sigh, she climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom. Resolutely deciding to face the slimy old git before breakfast and lessons.

Half an hour later, she was leaving the common room. Trying and failing to tidy up her bun, even though she knew it was hopeless as numerous strands were already falling down her face.

As she wondered down the corridor she glanced down at her watch and hesitated when she realised it was only 7am. Was that too early? Would she be waking the Professor up? Ha, she realised with a smirk, wouldn't that be good revenge for embarrassing her in the Great Hall yesterday - and anyway, it's his own fault - He didn't specify a time, and so with a mischievous spring in her step, she continued. Only to stop short again about two corridors along when she realised that she didn't have a clue how to get to Snape's office.

She pulled out the crumpled piece of paper that contained a map of the school; she and all the first years had been passed these last night as they entered the common room. Hayley's was now torn in half with a food stain covering the top corner.

She let out a groan as she tried to figure out which way to go. Suddenly very grateful that she had started her day so early.

After what seemed like an age Hayley managed to find herself in the dungeons, only to realise then that with the lighting being so poor in the corridors, she couldn't read the blasted map. After squinting up at a couple of doors and not finding anything that said "Snape's Office", she paused and started rooting though her bag for her wand.

"What on earth are you doing?" Came a drawling voice from behind her.

Letting off a little squeak Hayley dropped her bag on the floor, but no matter, she had found her wand and with it firmly in hand she whirled around to face this intruder.

Who was Draco Malfoy.

Rather than being remotely perturbed by Hayley brandishing her wand at him, he looked...bemused.

"What are you doing??" Hayley asked.

"Taking a short cut to breakfast. Or I was. Now I'm amusing myself with the sight of the little lost Black thinking she's even remotely intimidating" As if to fully evidence the point, Malfoy leant back against the wall and folded his arms.

Realising that, at the very least, the wizard did not appear likely to attack her. Hayley muttered a small "whatever", lowered her wand and collected her bag up from the floor.

"Now, back to my previous question. What are you doing, Black?"

Without the energy to get tangled up in a confrontation, Hayley replied truthfully. "I have a morning meeting with Professor Snape, and since its my first day in this School, I'm lost. Happy?"

With a simple roll of his eyes, Malfoy pushed himself off the wall and walked past her.

After a few steps he turned and called over his shoulder, "come on then!"

"What?" Hayley called back, confused.

"Do you want to get to this secretrative meeting before Christmas or not?" He answered as he continued walking down the hall.

Hayley hesitated. Trying, once again, to figure out this boy's agenda. Why would he help her? Did he have some evil secret plan? Or was it just a coincidence that they had crossed paths?

Another look at her watch made up her mind for her; she needed help and frankly wasn't fussed who by, so she darted after the blonde haired boy.

After walking together in silence for a moment, Malfoy spoke. "I'm sorry about your mothers death. Father said she was a talented pure blood witch. Such a waste"

She looked sideways at him. Although her heart pace quickened a little at the mention of his death eater father, he seemed gunuine, "thank you" she replied quietly.

"Such a shame she got mixed up with blood traitors, and quite baffling that she took off in hiding when so many pureblood families would have welcomed her and you..." he continued with a side eye at her "Especially you. Very stupid move if you ask me".

"Well I didn't ask you" Hayley snapped, finding the direction of this conversation not sitting well with her at all.

"I'm just saying" Malfoy continued, "that, despite your mothers poor decisions, you needn't let it influence you. You can still turn it around."

"Turn what around, exactly?!" Hayley demanded.

"Your name's reputation and yours" Malfoy replied simply.

"That's pretty difficult to do, seeing as my dad is a mass murderer." the lie caught in her throat and she stumbled out the words. But it had been agreed with the Order that Hayley was to maintain the pretence that she has never met her father, and knew nothing of his innocence.

"That's one way of looking at it" Malfoy said with a shrug.

Hayley hesitated for a moment, before asking with dread "And the other?"

"That your father was doing great work to support a noble cause".

Hayley couldn't believe what she was hearing, she had been warned about the pure blood mania that existed in the wizarding world, but this was her first real encounter with it. "You're deluded." she said simply.

"They were mostly muggles that he killed anyway"

"And that makes it any less horrific?"

"Of course it does."

"You're insane."

The boy simply chucked at that. "You'll see the truth soon enough, I'm sure. If not, you'll be sorry...". At that Hayley stopped and faced him head on with a glare, hand gripping her wand so tight that her knuckles went white"

With a glance down at her hand, Malfoy smirked again, but otherwise did not react.

"We're here" he said, nodding his head at the door to there right, which read Professor Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House.

At Hayley's continued shock at Malfoys earlier words. The boy gave her one last smug grin before taking off down the corridor.

Deciding that ignoring him completely, for the rest of her life would be her safest course of action, Hayley took a deep breath and knocked on Snape's door.

She forget her plan as Malfoy called from the end of the corridor "You're welcome, little long lost Black, and now you you know where I am if you need help, turning things around... "

"NO THANK YOU! KINDLY NEVER SPEAK TO ME AGAIN. YOU ARE A HORRIBLE, VILE, SELF RIGHTEOUS BASTA-"

"That, will, do"

Hayley looked up at Snape's face. He did not look pleased. She wondered if she had woke him up after all, though at his expression, decided against asking.

"In. Now" he barked at her, stepping aside to usher her into his office.

With a distinct feeling of dread, Hayley scuttled into the dark dreary office.

The Professor immediately swooped around and addressed her from the other side of the desk.

"Would you care to repeat what it was you were just bellowing down my dungeons, Miss Black?" he asked.

"Not particularly..." Hayley mumbled, keeping her view down to the floor.

"Yes, I thought as much. Perhaps you'll tell me instead if you plan to be just as arrogant and idiotic as your father during your school days?"

Hayleys head snapped up at that, why did he hate her father so, he was brilliant.

"If by arrogant and idiotic you mean legendary and talented then I don't actually think it would be too bad, Professor"

"Do not talk back to me" Snape spat. His black eyes were flashing so dangerously following her words that Hayley couldn't help but look away again. Though with her last little spark of defiance she muttered "Well you did ask-"

"Enough" he interrupted her. "Sit down."

Hayley did so and, after a moment he followed suit and sat opposite her.

"Now, as much as this might shock you, there are a stack of things I could be doing with my time, rather than helping out adolescent witches and wizards because they can't control their own minds! In your case, I have agreed to do so, at the request of the headmaster because your power, if left unchecked, could result in disastrous consequences for all of us."

He paused, glaring at Hayley as if to ensure his words had the desired effect on her. At her look of solum shock he was apparently satisfied, for he continued without quite as much anger, but still in a slow low tone that was just as menacing.

"However, make no mistake, if you disrespect me or continue to act in any way shape or form that reminds me of the pig headed man who you call father, I will gladly leave you to look after yourself. Care to take your chances and see just where you end if the Dark Lord, or anyone else, discovers precisely what you are"

Hayley fought back tears with difficulty. She didn't think she had ever met such a horrid man in her life. She wanted to scream at him that she didn't need his help, or want it, but she knew that wasn't true. She knew that however harsh and horrible his words were, there was no denying that fact that she would be in serious trouble if the wizarding world found out that she was a Pyschadominus. After all, that was why her mother had tried so hard to keep her hidden, and paid the ultimate price.

Professor Snape did not speak for a few moments. Whether to allow Hayley to compose herself or because he just enjoyed the uncomfortable atmosphere and the fact that he had upset her, she didn't know. Though she suspected the latter.

Eventually, he pulled out his wand.

"I'm going to examine your mind now. To check that you occlumency barriers are holding back your other branches sufficiently since your arrival at this school. Understand?"

Slowly, Hayley nodded back up at him.

"Good. Now, Legilimens!"

Hayley drew in her breath but otherwise held herself together as she felt Snape's presence in her head, examining her barriers for several minutes before withdrawing.

"Your barriers are holding, now almost automatically" he said "Though they can be reinforced some more with conscious effort from you. Each morning when you wake, you should concentrate on allowing your magic to solidify the barriers that you're creating in your sleep".

"Okay"

"I will know if you have not done this every day, Miss Black"

"Okay"

"And I want you back here, same time next week, and I don't expect you to have a screaming match with your cousin along the way"

"Okay"

Another pause where the Professor simply glared at her, as if checking for the sincerity of her words.

"May I please go now, Professor?"

Another pause and then, "Yes"

Without another word, Hayley practically fled the office.