Rhiannon stood on the platform waiting to board the Hogwarts Express. She looked around nervously. Get a grip on yourself already Rhi, it's not like this is your first time going to a school for witchcraft and wizardry. You graduated from the Academy of the Lord and Lady in America, years before you were supposed to. This should be cake for you. But even as she told herself that, Rhiannon watched as old friends reunited after the summer, with smiles on their faces and laughs in their hearts. She had no one to hug and talk excitedly with after her summer. She was the new girl. She was going to Hogwarts to be taught by some of the best witches and wizards in the world. Of course the instructors at the Academy were very good, but the instructors at Hogwarts were the best of the best, and Dumbledore was the most powerful wizard alive.

She nibbled on her bottom lip nervously and felt curious eyes resting on her. Rhiannon looked up and met their inquisitive glances with her remarkable glittering black eyes. Just then the train's whistle blew and she swept her cherry red hair that was streaked with black out of her eyes, gathered her trunk, and her owl's cage and boarded the train.

Rhiannon wandered down the aisle of the train until she found an empty compartment and stored her trunk and Aponi's cage. Pulling out the new spell book her mother had given her; she leaned up against the wall by the window and started to read. Just then, she heard some sort of commotion outside of her compartment, and the door slid open. Three boys trooped in without noticing her. Two of them were large and rather dopey looking, but the third . . . He was breath-taking.

The third boy was tall and lean, and looked as if he had a nice build beneath his robes. His hair was the color of spun sunlight, and when Rhiannon cleared her throat, the boy's eyes turned on her, and she saw that they were a cool, ice blue. Oh yes, she thought. I think this trip won't be quite as boring as I believed.

Draco's eyes fell on the girl who was sitting with her back to the wall, and her legs curled up beneath her. They trailed over her from the top of her wild red and black streaked hair, over her porcelain complexioned face, with it's sparkling and flashing black eyes, elegant nose, cupid's bow mouth and stubborn chin. They continued to trail all the way down her body, taking in her hourglass figure that was displayed in a one shouldered halter top, which had a huge silver buckle at the bottom of it, just below her full bosom, and a black knee-length skirt that had a slit that went up to the middle of her thigh. On her feet was a pair of soft black leather boots that reached her knees and had a three-inch heel.

A slight, smirk crossed Draco's face as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, what have we got here? No one I've ever seen before. Crabbe, Goyle, have either of you seen her before?"

They both shook their heads and sort of grunted as if they didn't know how to say anything intelligent.

"You look too old to be a first year . . ." He thought for a moment. "Oh," he said. "You're the new girl. The one from America who couldn't get enough of school on the first time around."

Rhiannon closed her book with a snap and stood up, the heels on her boots making her 5'9'', and almost as tall as Draco's 6". "My name is Rhiannon Brandy," she said sharply, her eyes going from sparkling to flat black. "I am attending Hogwarts because I can learn things there that were not taught to me at the Academy of the Lord and Lady. And I don't know if you have a problem with individuals who have muggle parents, but I can assure you, that I am a pureblood witch. Now if you are finished being rude, leave."

The smirk wiped itself off Draco's face immediately. "Do you have any idea who I am?" he demanded.

"No, and frankly I don't care," she shot back hotly.

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he snapped at her. "You would do good to remember it."

At this statement, Rhi's eyes flashed. "So you're Draco. I've heard of you, and your family. Your family is well known, though to be called famous or infamous depends on whom you speak to."

A cocky smile slowly spread over Draco's face. "So, you've heard of me in America, huh? Too bad I can't say the same for you."

Draco watched her intensely to see what she would do next.

"Oh, you've heard of my family though. I'm sure you have." Rhiannon gave a little laugh. "Yes, you must have. I mean, you all attend my great-grandfather's school for witchcraft and wizardry."

At this statement from her, Draco's face fell and Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other with uncertainty written across their big, dumb faces. "You mean . . . . Dumbledore? He's your great-grandfather? Are you sure you haven't cracked?" Draco asked doubtingly.

Rhiannon smiled sweetly. "Yes, I'm sure. My grandmother is his daughter. Her name is Antonia, and she married a Spellstein, whose daughter married my father. And then, there's me." A slight smile played on her lips as she watched this information register on Draco's face.

"Crabbe, Goyle, leave. I want to talk to her in private." Again they looked at each other with those dumb looks on their faces, then looked at Draco with the same dumb looks, as if asking if he was sure of what he had just said. After all, Draco had never told them to leave, not even when he kissed Pansy Parkinson last year in school.

Finally, they seemed to decide that Rhi couldn't do any serious damage to Draco and they turned and left, slamming the compartment door behind them in disgust.

"Awww, looks like your trained monkeys are upset," she taunted him.

Draco's cold eyes turned on her. "Let's get one thing straight Brandy. You don't talk like that to me," he leaned in close, so his face was only inches from hers. "Ever. Understand?"

Rhiannon planted her hands on her hips, and stood nose-to-nose, and toe-to-toe with Draco. "well, since we're setting the ground rules Drake, let's get another thing straight. You don't tell me what to do, andI'll speak to you however I want . . ."Her voice trailed off as she stared into Draco's piercing eyes and noticed how close they were. Close enough for a kiss, she thought. And with that, she leaned in and brushed her lips over Draco's, as soft as a whisper.

She was about to do so again when the train slowed and lurched abruptly, signaling the arrival at Hogwarts. As the Express lurched, she and Draco fell into each other and tumbled to the floor. He was about to kiss her again when she hastily jumped to her feet, saying "we're nearly there, I should change into my robes."

Draco just sat on the seat in the compartment and watched her. "Are you not going to leave?" she asked him.

"No, I think I'll sit right here until it's time to board the carriages."

Rhi rolled her eyes. "Fine, either way works, I just didn't want to show off. But since you're so adamant about staying, I guess I will."

She pulled her wand out of her shoulder bag and waved it slowly in an intricate pattern. "Clothes I've worn around the globe, change into my brand new robes." And with that, black and silver fire swirled around her, and her halter top and skirt transformed into Hogwarts robes. Draco's mouth fell open slightly, and she smiled at him.

"Well I wasn't going to strip down and change in front of you. We just met." And with that, she pulled down her trunk and Aponi's cage, winked at Draco, and walked out of the compartment into the waiting carriage.

Draco jumped up and ran off the train, and into the same carriage as Rhiannon. "How did you do that," he asked her.

"Do what?" she asked back.

"Change your clothes like that."

"A spell. Weren't you watching?"

"Yes, I was watching, but how did you do that spell? I've never seen it before, I've never even heard of it."

"That would be because it's one that I wrote. I've been writing spells since I was twelve you know. That one is really easy. Just say it, move your wand the way I did, and picture what you want to wear."

They sat in silence the rest of the way to the castle, and Draco's eyes never left Rhiannon's face as she stared out the window at the black night. Still, neither of them spoke as the carriages rolled up in front of the castle and they climbed out. Draco went to sit at the Slytherin table, but Rhiannon had to wait and be sorted.

Once all the first years had been sorted, Rhiannon walked calmly up to the front of the Great Hall. Her face was blank as white marble, but her palms were sweating and she had bats in her stomach, all fluttering around madly, beating against her to be released. Rhi sat on the stool and Professor McGonagle placed the Sorting Hat on her head.

"Oh," the hat said, as if it were surprised. "Dumbledore's great granddaughter . . . Hmmm . . . But where to put you . . . Any house would be glad to have you, and you would fit in any house nicely as well . . . . But Gryffindor stands out . . . As does Slytherin . . . . A truly difficult sorting this is . . . You're proud and brave, but intelligent and willing to do whatever it takes to succeed . . . You have a hunger for great things . . . . And a desire to live up to your heritage . . . . . Therefore, you will be . . . SLYTHERIN!" The hat shouted out.

As Professor McGonagle took the hat off her head, Rhiannon went to take her seat at the Slytherin table, and was about to sit in an empty place, when Draco called her name and shoved Pansy Parkinson over. Rhi took the seat next to Draco and watched as her great-grandfather stood and gave his beginning of the year speech to welcome everyone.

When the feast was over she walked to the Slytherin common room with Draco and saw Pansy giving her dirty looks the whole time. Climbing through the portrait hole, she turned to climb up to her dormitory and bed, when Draco grabbed her arm tightly, and spun her around to look at him. He stared down at her, his bright eyes cold, as she stared back, her dark eyes defiant.

"Let go of me Draco," Rhi said.

"In a minute. I'm not done looking at you, and you will stay until I'm done."

Rhiannon pried Draco's talon-like grip from her arm, turned, and walked up to her dorm.

As she lay in bed that night, she thought of Connor, the boy who she had left back in America. Okay, so it wasn't as if it was a serious, meaningful relationship, but at least she knew him, and her old school. She thought of how Connor's sandy hair was dark brown hair was always falling into his hazel eyes, and how those eyes stared into hers when she told him she was leaving. But as she fell asleep, Connor's hazel eyes, that revealed his crushed soul, turned a hard and icy blue, and the dark brown hair that was always falling into his face turned white-blond, perfectly trimmed and resting on his head naturally. Eventually, Connor's childish cute face, slimmed and lengthened slightly and became Draco's elegant, aristocratic one. Instead of dreaming of playing wizard's chess with Connor, and sneaking into the kitchen to get sweets from the house elves, she dreamed of going nose-to-nose with Draco again.

Of taking his too-perfect face in her hands and brushing her lips over his. She dreamed endlessly, but her dreams were always of Draco.

Or they were, until an owl flew into her window and dropped a piece of rolled up parchment on her head, waking her from her slumber and her dreams.