Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, never did and never will.

Title of this chapter is a Bob Dylan song.

Draco Malfoy was disconcerted. And, yes, despite all the rumors slandering his intelligence, he did know what the word meant. He scowled at nothing in particular as he fiddled with his quill and let his thoughts try to sort themselves out.

First, he started with the girl. Reyana Taylor. The girl who claimed to be Professor Snape's cousin. Fine. He could buy that. But if she was his cousin, how could she not have recognized the Dark Mark? Just the thought of it caused his forearm to prickle and he rubbed it. His eyes narrowed. The only way she wouldn't have known about it was if she were a muggle. He spat. A muggle. Sitting at Slytherin table. That was the crux of the problem. Obviously loony old Dumbledore wanted the House to "adopt" her. But that was impossible! If she was a muggle, then she shouldn't even be here. And that led right to the next problem. Why was she here? Sure Snape was her cousin, although he was beginning to doubt that, but she was a muggle. He gnawed on his lip. And there was the fact that he recognized her surname. And it was driving him insane that he couldn't remember why. He snarled aloud and slammed his fist down on the desk. Damn! His brain was useless. He was too tired to think, and yet he couldn't seem to stop thinking about her.

The wall slid suddenly back revealing Blaise. Draco watched as he reached back and led someone else in behind him.

Draco stiffened. It was her. What in hellfire was she doing here?

"Blaise." he sneered, standing gracefully.

"Draco." the other boy nodded. He then turned away, ignoring Draco completely.

Draco felt anger boiling up in his belly. No one turned their back on a Malfoy! He was just about to curse the other boy, when she spoke.

"Thank you Blaise." she sniffed. "It's been a rough day."

Draco paused. Was she crying? Not that he cared. Crying was a sign of weakness. Just another reason why she shouldn't be associating with Slytherin.

"Explain Zabini." he growled.

"Reyana has had a bad day and she hasn't been told how to get to her rooms." he replied, his voice booking no argument. "She'll be staying here tonight and tomorrow we'll find her a map."

Draco laughed.

"What is this 'we'? I don't believe that I offered my assistance."

"Shove it Malfoy." Reyana snapped. "I don't want your help. Even if you'd offered."

He snarled and moved forward, but Blaise stepped in front of Reyana protectively.

"Go to bed Draco." he commanded. "She'll sleep on the couch in front of the fire."

Draco knew that he'd lost. There was only one person who could stand up to him and that was Blaise Zabini. As Draco stomped up the stairs to his dormitory a sudden idea struck him. He'd be damned if Zabini wouldn't make a good Death Eater. But, it was common knowledge that Blaise had no interest in the Dark Arts. He was neutral. Completely neutral. It infuriated many of the Slytherins because they couldn't even bait him. Blaise was a disgrace to the noble House of Slytherin, Draco scorned. And not to mention the fact that no one could say no to the bastard. It was ridiculous. Still fuming, the youngest Death Eater shrugged into a pair of black silk pajamas and curled up on his bed. Relaxing every muscle in his body, Draco let himself slip into the hazy world of sleep and dreams.

OoOoOoO

The next day flew by swiftly for Draco. He'd managed to enrage Potter and Weasel 3 times today, a good start to the year, and had managed to gain Slytherin 25 points and lose Gryffindor 15. A satisfied smirk stretched his mouth as he headed to the common room for his free period. After saying the password "Il Serpant sorgerà ancora", Draco entered the plush room and plopped down on the couch. He looked around and to his intense disgust, the only occupants of the room were Blaise and that muggle girl. They were sitting in a corner, their heads together, concerned looks on their faces. Draco was immediately curious. He tried to restrain it since his father had told him many a time that curiosity could and probably would prove to be fatal. Especially in the service of the Dark Lord. But, as usual his inborn need to know what was going on in everyone else's lives won over. He pulled out his gleaming wand and gave it a gentle flick and muttered the words

"Tendo auditurus".

Now he could catch bits of their hushed conversation

"Is there any way to inform the normal people?" Reyana was asking

Draco snorted. Normal? Who was she kidding? Muggles weren't normal.

"I don't know of any." Blaise replied. "They'd never believe it any how."

"How do you know?" she replied hotly. "I do."

Blaise laughed gently, "Because you have no choice. You had it practically shoved up your ass. And no one can ignore something stuck up their ass."

Draco rolled his eyes. And Blaise of course would know all about that given his... sexual... preferences.

Draco listened, hoping to hear something else useful, but the conversation had disintegrated into laughter and friendly teasing. With a sigh, he nullified the spell, and cleared his throat to alert them to his presence.

They jumped rather gratifyingly and gave him sheepish smiles. He only smirked.

"Having fun are we?" he drawled kicking his black loafers off onto the rug.

"Yes as a matter of fact." Reyana drawled back, mimicking him. "Until you showed up."

Draco, not expecting such a snappy response, snarled for a lack of anything else to say. He glared into her brown eyes and felt himself being pulled into their chocolaty depths. He tried to resist the sensation, but the force pulled even harder and he fell through her eyes.

"Narcissa!" the frail woman cried out, her brown eyes filling with tears. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms about the other woman.

I started in surprise. Mother? I looked at her closely and saw for the first time the blood smearing her dress and caked in her hair. One eye was swollen shut, her lip split, and numerous scratches and slashes adorned her face, neck, and arms. I felt rage well up in me. Who would do such to my mother?

"Brigit dearest." mother slurred, a tear dripping down her cheek. "I am so sorry!"

"Sorry?" Brigit was stunned. "For what Cissa? It's not your fault he beat you."

Mother shifted a tiny bit and smiled, swollen parody of her usual brilliant smile.

"Yes it is. I... went against his wishes. I deserved to be punished."

Brigit shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks.

Mother continued painfully.

"You must leave me! I can never see you again my dearest friend. He will kill you."

Brigit shook her head.

"No he won't. He's not evil, just upset." she sounded as if she was trying to convince herself.

"He is evil." Mother contradicted sadly. An alarm sounded on the nightstand. "Go my friend. I will think of you always! He is coming."

"Draco?"

Draco slowly clawed his way back to consciousness. His head ached horribly and there was a thick cottony feeling in his mouth.

Opening his eyes, Draco found himself sprawled out on the floor of the common room looking up into Blaise's concerned face and Reyana's slightly amused one. He groaned, not from pain, but from the serious blow his ego had just taken. Thank Merlin he was safe in his own House and not in class. He sat up slowly to reduce any dizziness.

"So Malfoy," Reyana mocked, "Joining the 'I pass out on cue' club? Potter and I would love to have you."

Draco tried to snarl, but the result was rather pathetic.

"Shut Up Taylor!"

"What happened?" Blaise asked, leaning back on his heels.

Draco opened his mouth and then closed it again. He blinked.

"I'm not sure. One minute I was glaring at the muggle over there and the next, I'm waking up with your ugly mug in my face."

He glanced at Reyana and saw that she looked confused, and thoughtful, and upset, and intrigued all at once.

The floor was beginning to feel cold and very hard on his backside, so Draco stood and surveyed the two teenagers in front of him. Withdrawing his wand, Draco pointed it at the duo.

"You will not tell anyone about this. Understood?"

They nodded, Blaise in resignation, and Reyana in curiosity.

Smugly, Draco waved his wand and spoke the incantation.

"Voveo Silentium"

A silverly strand burst from his wand and wrapped around their mouths. It disappeared as Draco lowered his wand.

Relief filled him. At least his reputation would remain untarnished with the rest of the school. Now all he had to do was figure out why he'd had a vision of his mother and some woman named Brigit.

Lucius Malfoy. There is no good way to describe him. He is a tall, very handsome man who, when he walks down the street, makes heads turn. But there is a coldness to his perfect beauty. A certain tilt to his head and gleam in his eye that makes shivers of unease ripple through those who meet him. He is an ice sculpture in heart and mind. He belongs to Voldemort body and soul, and glories in the "purification" of the wizarding world. Or in blunter terms, he enjoys killing. The sounds of terror and screams of pain are almost an aphrodisiac. He loves nothing. Not even his own wife and son.

Today was a red letter day for the elder Malfoy. Today was the day that he would finally, after nearly 10 years, get rid of his wife. A sneer crept across his face as he pushed away from his desk. She had been a millstone around his neck and it was time to let the stone fall to the bottom of the lake, so he could swim free. Metaphorically speaking of course. He had something much more interesting in mind for her sudden demise. His twisted mind mulled over the endless possibilities. He could torture her, using the fascinating instruments in the lowest dungeons of Malfoy Manor. He could listen to her screams for days as he exacted his revenge. Or he could make it swift and mostly painless. He crossed that idea off right away. She deserved to suffer. She had betrayed him by associating with muggles! Not only that, but she contaminated his only child, his heir! Bad enough for her to associate with the dregs of society, but to allow Draco to do the same was inexcusable. Perhaps... poison. He knew of a particularly virulent one. One that caused its victim to have particularly sensitive skin and convulsions for several hours before foaming at the mouth, bleeding from the eyes and dying. Lucius raised one perfectly shaped eyebrow in thought. He gathered his papers into a folder, stamped it with "Confidential", and put it in his bag. Yes. The poison it would be. He would have to make a few stops in Knockturn Alley on the way home for the ingredients. As he locked his office door and headed for the elevator, Lucius found himself whistling. A horrible smile crossed his face. This was the happiest he'd been in a long time.

Reyana sighed heavily as she made her way back to her rooms. There was never a dull day at this blasted school! Was it normal for people to pass out randomly in the middle of a conversation? She shook her head in confusion and decided that she would spend the rest of the evening reading the books that Professor Dumbledore had recommended. Maybe they would shed some light on this whole complicated magic thing. She paused in front of the portrait and smiled at the girl. She was braiding daisies into a crown a look of intense concentration on her face.

"How's it coming?" Reyana asked. It was so cool that she could talk to pictures!

The girl looked up startled,

"Oh it's you. I'm making it for the girls on the 3rd floor. It's so dull over there. All those old people."

Reyana grinned, her heart lightened by the conversation.

"Well, I'm sure that they'll love it. Water Lilies."

The portrait swung forward and Reyana slipped into her rooms. The books lay on a end table next to the plush leather couch that dominated the common room. A piece of folded parchment lay on top of the stack, and Reyana picked it up curiously.

It was a map. A very detailed map. It looked as if every room and passageway in the entire castle was on it. A delighted smile lit her face. Now she wouldn't get lost! No more humiliation in front of the students.

Reyana jumped onto the couch and curled up, randomly selecting a book from the table.

"Magic and the Wizarding World for Muggles."

She flipped to the first page and started reading.

Several hours later, a tray laden with pastries, soup, and tea appeared at her elbow.

Reyana shrieked in surprise and dropped the tome on her toes.

"Damn it all!" she hollered loudly at the pain.

"Sorry miss." a repentant voice whispered.

"Trea?"

"Yes miss. Trea very sorry."

Reyana felt like pounding her head against the wall, but smiled.

"It's okay Trea. Just tell me next time."

Trea nodded and rushed out of the room head hung.

Reyana felt a little guilty. She didn't want to traumatize the poor creature. But dinner smelled heavenly, and her guilt faded as she picked up a meat and vegetable stuffed pastry and inhaled. One thing she could say for this place, the food sure was good.

It only took Reyana 10 minutes to demolish the tray. She poured herself a steaming cup of Earl Grey tea and sipped at it carefully. Most people add sugar or cream to their tea, but Reyana had always had hers black and strong. Warmth slid down her throat and into her stomach. A sigh of contentment escaped her. She was almost happy. As happy as she could be in the circumstances.

"I love you Mum, Dad, Ryan." she whispered, looking up at the smiling portrait on the wall. A tear slipped down her cheek and splashed into her tea. "I miss you so much! But I'm going to try to live my life. That's what you'd want me to do." the tears continued down her cheeks, but they were tears of healing.

It would take a long time for the pain in her heart to go away, and it probably never would, but she was going to make a life for herself in this crazy magical world if it killed her. With that thought, Reyana brushed the tears away, drained her cup to the dregs, stretched out on the couch, and finished her book.

There's the next chapter.Enjoy.

1: The Serpant will rise again (italian)

2: Extend Hearing (latin)

3: Vow of Silence (latin)

Don't shoot me if my translations suck. Blame the internet translators.