A/N; I'll be starting to switch between point of views since this is almost as much a story about Draco as it is about Kylera. As always, anything noticeable from the world of Harry Potter does not belong to me. Enjoy, and review!

A few days before the start of the new school term

She made her way to the Great Hall. It was an hour past noon, and after weeks spent holed up in her room, she finally decided to have her lunch in the Great Hall. After all, she thought, she could not spend her whole life hiding behind a door and wishing that everything that had happened was a mere nightmare. As she got to the doors and reached a hand out to grasp the handle, the door suddenly flew open. She gasped and jumped back just in time to avoid being hit by the heavy door. The boy walked out and stopped suddenly in his tracks as he saw that he was about to crash into her. It was him, now that it was daytime there was enough light for her to see him clearly for once. He looked different, more emotionless, cold, and she had to admit to herself, he was attractive. Not only did he have a handsome face and tall athletic build, there was an aura about him, an aura that hinted that he was important, smart, dangerous. She noted with some surprise at how adept he was at concealing his feelings. None of the vulnerability and hurt she had previously witnessed broke through the mask of indifference he carefully upheld. Realizing that he had revealed his weakness to her, a side he was obviously unaccustomed to showing to others made her feel better about the image she must have portrayed to him. She was comforted by the fact that she was not the only one who had cracked.

She gave him a small smile; it was all she could manage, and even then, that once familiar action felt alien to her face. It had been too long since she had let a smile touch her lips. He looked at her, and after an almost unnoticeable moment of hesitation, he gave her a nod of recognition and brushed past her, as if he was rushing off somewhere. She had intended to ask him who he was, but he had left before she could say anything. As she walked through the doors to a table in the middle of the hall, she frowned slightly, deep in thought. She could swear that she had seen a flash of pain in his eyes before he walked off. And that moment of hesitation, it was as if he had no idea how to react. She forcefully pushed the thoughts out of her mind, she was overthinking things. Anyway, there would be more than enough opportunities to talk to him some other time, since they attended the same school.

It was then that she finally noticed the Hall that she had walked into, and she let out a sigh of appreciation. Her father had often told her about Hogwarts, and how impressive it was, but she would never have imagined that it would be this impressive. Far above her head, was the ceiling that reflected the sky outside. It was a bright and sunny day, and natural light illuminated every corner of the Hall. It gave an airy, free, feeling, none of the constrained and caged in feeling that she was afraid dominated the scene of living in a stone castle. On a magical scale, the sheer amount of magic required to sustain this massive illusion over the centuries amazed her. On a personal level, the feeling of dining outdoors and beauty of nature touched her heart. She smiled once again; it seemed easier this time round.

Draco's POV

When he saw her, he was surprised on several levels. Firstly, he had not expected anyone to be in his way as he came out of the Hall and almost walked into her. Secondly, he had only ever seen her in the night in the Astronomy Tower. He had subconsciously thought of her as an almost ghost-like presence that existed solely within the Tower. To see her in the flesh in the middle of the day solidified her and finally made her seem like a real-life person. And lastly, he noted with an appreciative glance that she looked much better cleaned up. Her jet black hair was tied up in a high ponytail and pulled back from her face, he could see that her large black eyes were shining. She was tall and slim, perhaps a bit on the thin side, which could be easily attributed to the fact that she probably hasn't eaten much in the past weeks.

He saw her smile at him, a small one, like she couldn't find the energy in her to give him a proper smile. He didn't mind, he understood what she must be feeling inside. But he was thrown into turmoil. On one hand, he wanted to smile back at her and talk to her. He felt connected to her on a deeper level, a feeling that he had never experienced with any of his so-called friends. Friends? More like acquaintances, he noted with a wry grin. He knew that they only stuck to him because of his money, power, and looks. With her…the nights spent together at the top of the Tower had somehow established in them a bond of mutual trust and understanding, even though they never said a word to each other. In front of her, he had let his shell crack, and he knew that if he wanted to talk to anyone about his problems, she was the only one he could find. Yet another side warred within him. He was not here to make friends, not this year, not with the despicable things he was tasked to do. And he could never tell her about his problems, she would not understand. No one would. She would only fear him and hate him when she found out what a monster he was forced to become. There was only one choice he could make, and though he felt a sense of loss when he made that decision, he knew that he would have to forgo ever having her as a friend. It was a quick decision to make considering that there were no other alternatives, and hoping that she did not notice his slight hesitation, he gave her a nod and walked away before she could react. He had wanted to ignore her completely but he knew that the cold refusal to acknowledge her presence would hurt her greatly and he could not find it in himself to bring to her anymore hurt than she had already experienced. With a start he realised that he was caring about her feelings, a definitely foreign concept to Draco Malfoy.

Lera's POV

She had almost finished eating when she heard someone call her name. She turned around and saw a strict-looking teacher that looked vaguely familiar. She racked her brain for her identity. Ah, Professor McGonagall, she recalled. Professor Dumbledore had left her to bring her to the guest room when she had arrived on that fateful day. The Professor's name must have subconsciously registered in her mind.

"Miss Drae, the Headmaster would like to see you in his office, I'll show you where the office is," and as if she noticed that Kylera was still eating, "I can wait until you are done with your food."

She immediately stood up, Dumbledore was just the person she wanted to see. "It's alright, Professor McGonagall, I'm done here. Let's go."

She was led through several corridors before finally standing before a frightening-looking gargoyle. It let them past after receiving the password, 'Lemon Drops', from Professor McGonagall. For a brief moment she wondered about the sanity of the Headmaster, "what type of headmaster would use the name of a Muggle sweet as a password to his office". Then her mind was swept away by the spiral stairway that moved on its own accord as they stepped on it, depositing them at the top of the stairs outside an ornate wooden door. The life here would definitely be more interesting than the one back at home, she thought, not without a pang of sadness at the reminder of her old home, but also with some excitement at the thought of living in a castle where huge displays of magic were such commonplace.

"Minerva, Miss Drae, do come in," it was Dumbledore's voice from behind the door. She was once again amazed, that Dumbledore knew who was outside his door even without their announcing.

She followed Professor McGonagall into the room and stood respectfully in front of the headmaster until he waved at a comfortable looking plush chair and got her to take a seat. She looked around the room, eyes captivated by the multitude of magical items that decorated the room. She recognized a few, foe glasses, a penseive left on the table, two-way mirrors, but mostly there were objects that she had never seen or heard of before. Curiosity ate away at her and given the opportunity, she could spend days exploring all the contents of Professor Dumbledore's office. Speaking of him,

"Miss Drae," he tried to get her attention. She blushed slightly at the thought that she must have looked like an ignorant child, gazing open-mouthed at the unknown magical objects no doubt familiar to him. She turned to look at him, and saw that he was looking at her with a bemused expression on his face. His eyes twinkled kindly at her over his half-moon spectacles, holding no judgment nor annoyance. She immediately liked him.

"We know that you have no relatives, is there anywhere you could go to?" She shook her head. "In that case, we would like you to remain in Hogwarts, and if you do not mind, you could attend school here. You are in your 6th year, am I right?"

She smiled and nodded. He had just offered her what she was going to ask him for, admission to the school. She could not wait for the school term to start, and more specifically, she could not wait to start learning more about Defense of the Dark Arts. That was just the knowledge she needed to exact revenge for her parents. Her parents had spoken highly of Hogwarts and she was looking forward to the education she would receive.

"You would be sorted in front of the school after the First Years at the Opening Feast," Professor Dumbledore continued. After sorting out a few other administrative details, she was free to go.