Her first week of school went as well as could be expected. She sat at a table in the library reading a muggle book and hating the school even more.
"Hey.." she heard a voice say. "You're Brynden, the new girl right?" She turned around to see a two boys and a girl behind him. She recognized them from her house, Gryffendor.
"Yes...but..." she took her glasses off. "I think you three have an advantage on me, I have no idea who you are...other than Gryffendors that is." she closed her book and sat her glasses on top of them. She had never really had people just come up to her and start talking like this, at Broxton's she was the lone wolf, everyone thought she was the snobby rich girl knew it all.
"I'm Hermoine Granger, and this is-" Hermoine started.
"Ron Weasly..." Ron turned a little red and looked down.
"Harry Potter." Harry said putting his hand out. Bryn smiled at the three. "Brynden Jorden, but...everyone calls me Bryn." she stood up and shook hands with them all. "You're the Gryffendor Seeker right Harry?" she finally found someone she had actually heard of. "Cedric used to talk about you all the time.."
"You knew Cedric?" he asked sitting down with her. He tried to block out the memories of the other boys death just two years back, but it was hard.
"Yeah...kinda." she started. "He and Oliver were two of my closest friends before I started St. Broxton's. They taught me how to fly...and different Quidditch things like that..." she sighed. "They were both my first and basically only Wizarding friends..."
"Did you go to a muggle school all your life?" Ron asked.
"I started at The Berrington School for Girls of High Intellect, then when I was of age to start Hogwarts, I went to St. Broxton's School for Gifted Young Women." she answered quietly. "Berringston was farther away, so I had to live there...Broxton's..was closer and I was given the option to walk back and forth on weekends." she smiled. "They weren't bad schools, but...My grandfather kind of decided that I needed to be at Hogwarts now..so here I am."
"Well...have you ever studied Magic?" Hermoine asked.
"I was tutored." Bryn answered.
"I've heard about those two schools.." Harry piped up. "Private...Girls only right?"
"Yeah.." she sighed. "This is the first co-ed school I've ever been too. It's...a little strange to me." she started packing her books up.
"So...who's your parents?" Ron asked. "I might know them...through my dad of course.."
"Ohmm....uhm...." she started to fumble. "I...I don't wanna talk about it.." she looked away. "I..I was adopted...so my Adoptive Grandfather's raised me all my life..." she put her bag on and stood up.
"Oh..I'm...uhm.."Ron looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed.
"I..Gotta...go.." she took off out of the library. Great job Brynden...first chance to make friends and I've already screwed things up...I'm never gonna fit in...
She kept walking through the school, and ended up finding herself lost in the dungeon. She heard a voice and started to follow it, against her consciences' decision. She crept up to the room where she heard the voice.
"Finally alone.." she heard it say. "If I have to pretend I like those two bumbling buffoons much more I think I'll scream." She recognized the voice as Draco Malfoy.
"Evil this and Evil that..." she heard him continue. "Father is stupid for going back to it...I won't." he promised himself. "No I won't..."
"Won't what?" she asked standing in the doorway.
"How long have you been standing there?" He almost shouted pulling her in the room and closing the door.
"Long enough..." she said keeping her head held high.
"Ohhh...you've done it now Jorden..." he pushed her against the wall. She just stood there.
"So...you hate Crabbe and Goyle...and you don't want to be like your father..." she took her bag off. "Sounds like you're not such a bad guy after all."
"And what if I'm not?" he said crossing his arms across his chest."
"Nothing...I just think you should stand up for yourself. I mean...if I had to make a decision like that...that's what I'd do." she said pushing her soft brown hair out of her face.
"Well, it's not that easy." he growled. "You know who my father is!" he shook his head and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah..so." she shrugged. "I stood up to Dumbledore when it came time to go to school and said I didn't want to go to Hogwarts...and until the other day..it worked." then she realized what she had said. Her eyes grew big.
"What's...Dumbledore got to do with it?" his eyes turned sharply and fixed themselves on her.
"I....I don't have to tell you anything." she said regaining her strength. "It's none of your business."
"I'm making it my business..." he walked closer to her, backing her up in a corner.
"Well...put two and two together Malfoy, I'm sure you'll figure it out.." she looked him in the eyes. The cat was out of the bag now, but that didn't mean she had to piece everything together for him.
"Dumbledore adopted You?" he said getting the picture clearer now. He sneered, then backed away, a sly grin on his face again.
"Yeah, so what." she sighed. "So, now I know your little secret, and you know mine. What are we gonna do about this?" she turned her head to the side and looked at him.
"Well...If you can keep your mouth shut..." his face softened a little. "I suppose I can keep your little secret about being the Headmasters Granddaughter a secret..."
"Good." she said grabbing her bag. "You know Draco.." she said walking out to the middle of the room. "If you...need a friend..." she started in a nervous voice.
"What? You?" he asked almost shocked, a small conceded laugh escaped his mouth as an automatic reaction. Bryn felt hurt creep in on her.
"Well...if you don't want someone to talk to fine!" the anger and hurt spoke the words more than she did.
"No.." Draco said, grabbing her arm as she started to go. "No. A friend would be nice." he looked her in the eyes. "But...in secret. I have a reputation to keep you know."
"Fine." she said still angry.
"Fine." he returned.
They both knew now that they were not alone anymore; and that things would never be the same.