Chapter One

Nine Years After…

Draco sat brooding in the carriage, watching Hogwarts loom closer and closer. He made no conversation with Pansy Parkinson, Crabbe, or Goyle as the carriage clattered its way up the hill to the castle. Unbidden, the memory of the last time he'd seen Ariana popped into his head.

Draco watched, hidden, from the bushes as Ariana's tall blonde mother pulled her towards the packed car. "No!" Ariana yelled, trying to pull away. "I have to say good-bye…"

"Stop it!" her mother cut her off. "That's enough about 'Draco.' The house behind us is empty, Draco doesn't exist, except possibly in your head, and we are already ten minutes late for our flight! Now get. In. The. Car."

As the car pulled out of the drive and began driving away. Draco rushed out of the bushes and watched from the edge of the road as Ariana twisted in her seat to wave goodbye. The sunlight reflected off her bracelet and the tears sliding down her cheek as she waved and mouthed 'good-bye.'

Draco was startled out of his thoughts by their arrival at the school gates. The small party passed quickly through inspection and fought the crowds to reach the Great Hall where dinner awaited. Once the school body was seated, Professor McGonagall brought the battered old Sorting Hat. The sorting went fairly quickly, taking only just under 25 minutes. Once it was over and Slytherin had gained 11 new students, Professor Dumbledore stood up, which was no great surprise for Draco, merely a burden, as it meant he had to wait a few more minutes for the delectable supper that his stomach was aching for. What was a surprise was the substance of the headmaster's speech.

"Good evening!" he announced. "For our old students, welcome back! To our new first-years, welcome! I have a few announcements to make. Firstly, I would like to remind all students that the Forbidden Forest is strictly off-limits." He passed through the normal precautions, warnings, and prohibitions, finally coming to an end with: "And finally… I am pleased to announce that, in addition to our first years, we also have an exchange student. From Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Miss Ariana Rivers will be joining us for her sixth and seventh years of study."

Draco lifted his head from his hands and watched dumbly as a girl walked up to the Hat. She was tall and fair, with long russet hair tumbling past her shoulders nearly to her waist. A thin silver bracelet set with small green stones shone around her right wrist, its simplicity belying its expensive origins. She climbed the few steps to the main platform and waited as the Hat was lowered onto her head.

was the mantra running through Draco's head as he glanced around the Hall, noting the stares from all four tables that ranged from appreciative to curious.

After what seemed like forever, the Hat seemed to make up its mind. Its brim tore and it loudly proclaimed, "Slytherin!"

Draco let out his held breath and clapped heartily with the rest of the table, leaving the other three houses to wonder what could possibly be in that girl's head that put her in Slytherin. Ariana smiled and made her way across the Hall to the Slytherin, coming within a few yards of Draco. The house prefect nearest her stood and shook her hand, welcoming her to the school and to the house. Ariana smiled warmly and thanked him for his kind welcome. Draco tried in vain to get her attention, but she was consumed by a crowd of boys and girls who wanted to hear her speak French and describe the boys in France. When dinner was over, he tried to push through the crowd of students leaving the Hall, but by the time he had reached the place where she had been sitting, she was gone.

After an eventful after-dinner experience of dodging Potter's gang, Draco finally reached the common room and gave the new password, "Aeternus." He entered the large room and looked around hopefully for Ariana. All he could see were girls prattling about boys and boys boasting about quidditch. After waiting some time, he sadly made his way up to his bedroom.

He chased Ariana around the castle, always a few feet behind, turning corners and seeing flashes of red hair disappear around them. He turned again and faced a dead end. Behind him, a bloodcurdling scream sounded and he whirled around. Ariana stood with fear-filled eyes, clutching her throat and choking. The Dark Lord's wand pointed unwaveringly at her, his mouth opening to speak another spell.

"Ariana! No!" Draco screamed, but it was too late. A jet of green light burst from the tip of Voldemort's wand and hit Ariana, throwing her back against the stone wall, her head connecting with a sickening crack. She slid limply to the floor, her empty green eyes staring up at Draco.

Draco woke with a muffled shout, sweaty and shaking. He kicked his clinging bedsheets away and wiped his face. With a sudden thought, he reached under his bed and pulled out a pad of paper and a Muggle pencil. He hadn't drawn much in years, but still remembered when he had revealed his secret hobby to Ariana… Smiling reminiscently, he put the pencil to paper.

He sketched Ariana's face, filling her eyes with as much life as he could give them on paper. Her lips curved up in a brilliant smile, her hair tossing gently in a light breeze. With a sudden thought, he picked up his wand and used simple coloring spells to flood the picture with all the color of the real Ariana.

Finished, he leaned back and surveyed his work. To the casual observer, the face in front of him looked exactly like the girl who had been sorted into Slytherin earlier that night. Draco, however, could see the flaws. The hair wasn't quite the right shade, her smile was a bit too wide, but it would do. He took his wand again and muttered a quick spell to make the paper impervious to water, dirt, and rips. Finally, he tucked in the front of a hard cover portfolio where other drawings of his, mostly old, rested. His mind eased, he lay back down on his bed, sleeping the next few hours without dreams.