Disclaimer: No. I don't own Harry Potter, and anyone who thinks I do, has serious problems!

The title is a song composed by Howard Shore for "Return of the King".

The Dark Lord, otherwise known as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, turned his red eyes on his servant Lucius Malfoy.

"I am going to reward you for raising such a fine son to be my servant." he hissed, watching carefully for any sign of fear.

"Thank you Master!" the proud man groveled before the tall-backed chair. " I do not deserve it."

Lord Voldemort considered this a moment and then smiled, an evil sort of smile.

"No you do not, but I always reward loyalty." he tapped his long white fingers on the arm of his chair. "You have been asking me for a long time for permission to dispose of your traitorous wife."

"Yes my master." Lucius replied, his eyes on the floor. "But you said the time was not right,"

"You remember well my servant." the Dark Lord approved. "Now I shall honor your request. You may dispose of Narcissa Black as you will."

Voldemort felt a cold tendril of amusement as the groveling man looked up, elation on his face.

"Thank you my Lord! I will serve you always!"

"Yesss." chuckled the Dark Lord. "I know you will."

Lucius Malfoy beat a quick retreat, already scheming.

Voldemort allowed himself a smile. Now all that was left was to inform the young Malfoy boy that his revered father had murdered his mother. Then his plan would be complete. Nothing could foil him this time. Not even that Potter boy.

Reyana lay staring up at the ceiling of the hospital wing. She was bored and felt fine. There was nothing wrong with her! She'd just had a stupid nightmare. The only reason everyone was concerned was because it had happened while she was awake. She'd admit that it was rather frightening to have a waking dream, but she was alright now and wanted to go back to her rooms. She rolled onto her side and scowled. This school was stupid. She'd much rather live alone in some tiny closet of an apartment than here at this stifling castle. Low voices brought her out of her thoughts.

"Look Ron." someone was saying, "I think we should talk to her. What if her dreams are like mine. The Order could use her help."

Reyana's curiosity was piqued. She sat up and leaned closer to the olive green curtains surrounding her bed.

"Harry, we don't know what happened."a girl said. Reyana thought she sounded rather huffy. "What if she had a seizure or something? How do you know that she had a vision?"

"Because I heard her say it was a dream."

Reyana realized that they were discussing her. She felt rather upset. She didn't even know these people and they were talking about her as if they knew her.

"Alright Harry." the girl sighed. "We'll talk to her, but don't try to force her into anything."

Reyana lay back down on the bed and closed her eyes tightly. Talk to her about what? Her dream? It was just a dream. Nothing ever came of a dream.

Someone cleared their throat next to her bed.

"Are you awake?"

Reyana grunted.

"Can we talk to you?"

"Ya. Sure."

The curtains were pulled back and Reyana looked into three eager faces. She groaned inwardly. Do-gooders. She hated do-gooders.

"I'm Harry Potter." the dark haired boy said and waited for a reaction.

"Nice to meet you." Reyana replied. "I'm Reyana Taylor."

"Hermione Granger." the girl said holding out a hand. "And this Ron Weasley."

"Hi."

Without invitation the three pulled up chairs and sat down.

"How do you feel?" Harry asked.

"Fine." she said. "I want to get out of here. There's nothing wrong with me."

"What was your dream about?" Ron asked bluntly.

Reyana was irritated. "That is none of your business."

"Yes it is." Harry said quite seriously. "You see I have dreams too."

"Bully for you." Reyana said sarcastically, "You and the rest of the world."

He flushed a little.

"Not that kind of dream. Dreams of things that are really happening."

Reyana snorted.

"Like a seer?"

He brightened and nodded.

"Kinda. But not exactly. Dumbledore tells me that I get theses visions because of a connection with someone."

Reyana rolled her eyes. Was this scrawny boy trying to get her to believe that she had some mystical connection with someone?

"Bullshit Potter." she shot back. "I am normal. N-O-R-M-A-L. I'm not magical or anything like that. Not like you people."

All three of the students gaped at her.

"W..w..what?" Ron managed.

"Look."Reyana sighed. "Let me make this real clear to you. My family was murdered a week ago by some loonies in robes. I was sent to live with my cousin Severus. I didn't know that magic was real until yesterday. And even now I have my doubts."

"Snape?" Ron asked, eyes wide.

Reyana ignored him.

"Men in robes?" Hermione asked in a small voice.

"Yes." Reyana snarled. "Men in robes like the ones you wear. So forgive me if I don't just pour out my life story to you. Magic killed my family and all of my friends. It's no wonder I have bad dreams!"

She felt tears rising to the surface. She was not going to cry in front of these nosy teenagers.

"Go away."

She rolled over and closed her eyes tightly. She heard three sets of footsteps tiptoe away and felt satisfaction fill her. No one was going to use her!

OoOoOoO

"Wake up Miss Taylor."

Reyana cracked one eyelid open and saw the Headmaster looking down on her rather gravely. With an inward sigh, she opened her other eye and looked into his blue eyes.

"What?"

"Severus tells me that you had an...'incident'." he invited her to fill in the blanks.

"I got lost." she answered. "That bloody map you gave me is worthless! My rooms aren't on it!"

He looked a little abashed.

"Yes. Sorry about that. I gave you an outdated copy by mistake."

She looked at him suspiciously, but decided to trust him for the time being.

"Yes well. So I followed the map to the dungeons and found Severus."

"Ahhh."

Reyana felt a little irritated. Then she realized that she was feeling irritated a lot of the time the last couple days.

"So I waited for him to finish, and I must've fallen asleep because I had a dream and fell off the chair."

She held her breath. She really didn't want to have to tell him about the dream. What if that self-righteous Potter boy was right? She wanted nothing to do with magic, and if she told Dumbledore about the man beating the woman called Narcissa in her dream, then he'd read into it and she'd be stuck here forever.

He didn't ask. He only nodded and rose from his seat.

"You are free to return to your rooms."

Reyana grinned in real gratitude and swung her legs off the bed and stood.

"Thank you sir."

He smiled and nodded, a sly twinkle in his eye.

Reyana went out onto the hall and realized that she had no idea where she was. She groaned. Not again!

OoOoOoO

Reyana had been wandering for a long time before she saw something familiar. She recognized those doors! Severus had taken her past them yesterday. What had he called it? Oh yes. The Great Hall.

She hesitated, one hand on the door. She'd been told not to go anywhere except her rooms and the library. But, she was lost. How was she to find her way back to where she was supposed to be unless she asked?

Gritting her teeth, Reyana pushed the door open and stepped into the Great Hall. A sea of black assailed her eyes. She gulped. Oops. It must be dinnertime. There were 4 long tables filled with students that were talking and stuffing food down their throats. She looked up and gasped loudly. The ceiling looked like the sky! There were gray wisps of clouds moving across the dimming sky. Reyana took a deep breath and headed further into the room toward the head table where the professors were seated. She felt dozens of eyes following her as she walked up to Headmaster Dumbledore.

He looked at her curiously, waiting for her to speak.

"I'm sorry sir, but I still don't know where my rooms are." Reyana felt her throat tighten. It had been a long day, filled with far too many surprises for her liking. "I know I'm not supposed to be here..."

Dumbledore held up a hand.

"It's alright child." his mouth turned up in a smile. "Why don't you eat with us? I believe there is an extra seat at the Slytherin table."

Reyana looked at him blankly.

Severus broke in,

"It's the one in green and silver. Are you sure this is wise sir? Putting her with Slytherins?"

"Yes Severus. I am quite certain." Dumbledore said calmly, putting a forkful of radishes in his mouth.

Reyana nodded her thanks to her cousin and the Headmaster and went slowly to the long table on the farthest right. Magically an extra plate and goblet appeared next to a dark haired boy. She sat in front of it nervously, and smiled at the boy next to her.

"Hi."

He looked startled at seeing her, and all activity at the table stopped and every pair of eyes turned on her.

"I'm Reyana. Severus' cousin."

The boy next to her laughed.

"Severus has a family? I thought he was spawned in the Hogwarts dungeons."

A couple of students laughed too.

Reyana smiled.

"How do you know he wasn't?"

The boy looked startled again, but this time a broad smile crossed his face.

"I'm Blaise."

Reyana felt a glow. Maybe this would all work out after all. She filled her plate with London broil and baked potato.

"I'm Pansy." purred a pug nosed girl across from her. "And this is Draky."

Reyana looked up into a familiar pair of gray eyes.

"Hi."

"The name is Draco, Pansy." he snarled, ignoring Reyana completely as he pushed the simpering girl away. "And don't forget it."

Reyana blinked. She'd heard that name before. Her brow furrowed. Where would she have heard it? She ate absently and listened with half an ear to the conversation flowing around her as she tried to place the sneering blond boy next to Pansy.

"That Potter!" someone spat. "Someone needs to put him in his place!"

She perked up.

"Harry Potter?"

"The one and only." Blaise agreed. "Have you met him?"

"Yes." she said shortly.

Blaise looked interested.

"When?"

"In the hospital wing." she snorted into her goblet. "He thought we had something in common."

"Like what?" Draco smirked. "Passing out in class?"

The other Slytherins all laughed.

Reyana snarled at him, her brown eyes going cold.

"Shut up Draco. You know nothing about it."

"Oh ya?" he challenged, raising his arm and letting the sleeve fall away to reveal a black tattoo of a snake and skull.

Reyana shivered and all the Slytherins backed away a little.

"Trying to be intimidating Draco?" Blaise scoffed. "It might work if you didn't show that off every time you got pissed."

Reyana wondered what the deal was with the tattoo. It was awfully ugly. Who would want one?

"What is that?" she asked

Draco and Blaise's jaws dropped.

"Are you serious?" Draco laughed loudly. "You don't know the Dark Mark?"

Reyana realized that she'd just revealed her ignorance of the magical world to the worst person in the school.

"No. Should I?"

Blaise took her arm and led her away from the table before Draco exploded with rage.

"You're a muggle aren't you?" he stated.

She nodded slightly.

He looked triumphant.

"I knew it. Everyone in the magical world knows the Dark Mark. It is every family's greatest fear to see it hovering over their house."

"I don't understand." Reyana whispered.

Blaise looked around furtively and then pulled her out of the Hall and out of the castle. He dragged her to a bench and pushed her down onto it.

"Let me tell you a story."

oOoOoOoO

Reyana was stunned. She couldn't speak. Blaise's story had taken several hours and by the time he had finished, the moon had risen and the stars were out. She trembled, and not from the cold. To think that there was such evil in the world. And that Draco boy was a part of it. How could anyone willingly join the forces of evil and kill innocent people?

Blaise touched her arm gently.

"I know it's a lot to take in all at once. I'm sorry."

Reyana shook her head.

"No. Thank you." she whispered. "I needed to know."

Her heart was pounding. During the story, she'd learned that Draco's mother's name was Narcissa. The same as the woman in her dream. What if her dreams were real? She wanted nothing more then to go back in time and save her family from the evil that had killed them only one short week ago. Then her life could be normal again.

"Let me take you back to your rooms." he offered. "It's getting late."

She nodded and let him lead her back into Hogwarts.

"So which way?" he asked, lighting the end of his wand, so that they could see in the darkness.

Reyana burst into tears. Everything came down on her at once.

"I don't know! No one showed me."

"Shh." he soothed, awkwardly patting her shoulder. "You can stay in our dormitory tonight."

She sniffed, trying to banish her tears.

"Thank you for being so nice."

He grinned and took her hand.

"I think you're the first person to appreciate it. I'm often called the pussy of Slytherin. I'm a disgrace to the serpent I'm told." he shrugged.

Reyana felt a surge of pity for him. He was as alone as she was.

Her tears vanished as a warmth filled her. Maybe she had just made her first friend.

Well there it is. I'm not as pleased with this chapter as I'd like to be, but thestory stopped writing itself. I'm sure you know what that's like. I'll get back in the groove soon enough.

Thanks for reading.