9 Chapter 1

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It's a beautiful, sunshiny day. Two children, about 8 years old, are playing in an expansive back yard. One is a boy, with pale white-blonde hair and enormous gray eyes. The other is a girl, slim and pretty, with auburn hair and flashing green eyes that sparkle as the boy and girl play a game that only they can understand. Their mothers sit on lawn chairs, gossiping in the way of very old friends. Suddenly, the sky fills with clouds and a storm descends upon the happy group. Thunder roars and lightening fills the sky. An angry man storms out of the house, screaming and waving a wand in one woman's face, while the other woman tries to ward him off. Abruptly, the man's rage turns from the woman to the little girl. The blonde boy instinctively throws his body in front of the girl, but to no avail. The sinister man looms overhead, grabs the girl, and shoves her towards the woman he had been screaming at moments before.

"Get out of my home" the man screams, as he holds back the little boy.

"NO Daddy, don't make them go! Come back! Come back…" sobs the little boy….

Draco Malfoy sat up with a start. Where am I? he thought sleepily. Oh, on the train to my sixth year at Hogwarts. Draco tried to remember why he had woken so suddenly, but his brain had already shoved aside a thought that it would rather have forgotten forever. And yet, his heart still beat furiously, although he couldn't remember exactly why. To calm himself, Draco whipped out the one thing he knew would cheer him up.

"Hello gorgeous" he said to his reflection in his pocket mirror. Yes, Draco thought, even after months of being kept at home by father, I still have my charm.

Not that Draco needed any self-reminders. He had already had a visit from several girls leading other, new, first year girls around. Apparently, he was part of the tour. And exhibitionist that he was, he made every girl that came in think that maybe, they would have a chance with rich, handsome, clever Draco Malfoy. He just loved leading people on, and he loved being a nasty bastard even more. Ahh life's small pleasures. This train ride was particularly enjoyable, as Potter seemed to have decided not to join them this year. Probably off with Weasley doing something brave and heroic and award winning, reflected Draco. Those moral Gryffindors never seem to run out of ways to be golden boys.

The train ride seemed to be full of electric tension, and Draco has a sneaking suspicion it wasn't just because he had begun to use a new kind of hair gel (although that fourth year Ravenclaw Laney Graine HAD commented that his hair looked particularly shiny). That same anxiety carried over into the Great Hall and the Sorting Ceremony, but Draco was too busy making snide comments about Potter and Co. and flirting with every female he came across, that he didn't even really notice the gossip going on around him until he heard a single piece of news.

"I heard that their name is Ryann! Maybe it's a new boy!"

At the mention of that name, Draco's heart gave an odd little beat, as if something had actually ruffled his normal calm, cool demeanor. Of course that was just absurd. Nothing ever got to Draco Malfoy. Nothing. Not since that one day…

Before Draco could even finish that thought, Professor McGonagall got up to begin the Sorting Ceremony. After the Aidan Alank was put into Ravenclaw, and Blaire Craine was put into Slytherin, Draco's attention began to drift off to more important things. Particularly, which Slytherin girls had hit puberty over the summer. Seemingly, many had. Although Slytherin usually wasn't the best place to find a date, as most of the girls had some strange tastes and even stranger faces. But hey, they were female. Well, mostly.

Something happened then that called even Draco's attention away from the girls - and there were few things indeed that could accomplish that.

A figure, cloaked in a long black cape with a hood drawn before their face, walked in. Striding in next to the mystery guest was none other than Dumbledore's pet himself, Goodness Incarnate, Potter. As Mr. Can'tDoWrong sat down with Granger and Weasley, the individual in black walked up to the group of terrified first years, and stood there as if waiting for the show to get going.

Gradually, the Sorting got back to normal, although undue attention was being paid to this newcomer and, as usual, Potter. O goody, thought Draco, another year with the Dream Team. Again, Draco's mind wandered off, although he couldn't quite shake the memories that gossip had brought up. The ceremony was winding down, and then McGonagal called out a name that made every head in the room turn:

"Ryann West"

The whole room went silent as the person in black strode up to the Sorting Hat. As they reached the chair and sat in it, this Ryann threw back their hood and revealed their face. A gasp of astonishment went up as people realized that this Ryann was a girl. Everyone in the room immediately turned to their neighbor for some sort of gossip. Everyone that is, excepting for the always-cool Draco Malfoy. But at that moment, Draco was merely trying to recover from the heart attack he was sure he had just had. Ryann West, at Hogwarts.

Over the din of the Great Hall, The Sorting Hat came to its decision.

"GRYFFINDOR" the hat shouted, amidst a roar of approval that house's table set up. The girl slowly stepped down from the platform, and took a seat in between Potter and Granger. The Slytherins around Draco began to grunt in protest and comment on how the Dream Team had just grown 33%, but Draco was still enough in shock to not even be able to say anything.

Ryann West is here, was all that Draco could think or say. Ryann West, at Hogwarts.

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