The Dragon's Child Bride

Thank-you for all the wonderful reviews I have recievd so far. They keep me writing. as always a big thank you goes out to my wonderful beta who keeps my work as readable as possible. Also, if any one has any ideas, suggestions or questions about my story, please feel free to email me, I think I finally fixed the address link here, and I will do my best to answer.


CHAPTER 14: Building a Mystery


The morning was coming to take the two of them back to Hogwarts: one returning to a life he had always known and one entering a mystery the intent to solve it. Laylani was nervous. No, \'nervous\' wasn\'t the word. \'Completely fucking terrified\' was more like it. She had thought that being inside the school already would quell her fears, but they only added to it.

Laylani supposed it all boiled down to a social anxiety. She didn\'t have much skill in dealing with others. The only group situations she\'d experienced were between herself and the other vagrants she had met in her lifetime, and she highly doubted that this would be the same situation. On the streets there had been no social standing, no real authority figure; they were all the same worthless scum and that had brought them together. But Hogwarts was a private school consisting of hundreds of students, rich and poor, popular and outcasts. Where did she fit in to all of that? She highly doubted there was a niche for the kidnapped, former homeless hooker types.

In the few hours they had between when they left the Flint household and when they needed to be up, sleep eluded Laylani. Instead she went through her trunk again and again to make sure she hadn\'t forgotten anything. She\'d tried to fit her whole life in one trunk, hoping that wherever she ended up at Hogwarts, she could make feel as much like home as possible. After all, she\'d only recently found home; she was not about to abandon it. She\'d made sure to pack as many pictures as she possibly could.

After the fourth checking, Laylani tried to force herself into sleep again, but to no avail. She paced around her room for awhile, but soon found that it didn\'t calm her busy mind either. She longed to wake up Draco as she\'d done so many nights before and tell him all her worries. But she couldn\'t. They\'d both been through the tiring experience of ringing in the New Year, and they both had a long and hectic day ahead of them. Just because she couldn\'t sleep didn\'t mean he had to suffer as well.

She put on a pair of slippers and a warm robe. Laylani opened her bedroom door and slipped into the empty hallway quietly. She noiselessly descended the steps until she\'d reached the main floor. She softly padded through the dining room and sat herself down at the table. She stared into the darkness of the empty hall and marvelled at the silence. It had always seemed no matter where she went in the Manor there was always some sort of activity. Although, come to think of it, she\'d never really been through that much of the house. She\'d been to her room and Draco\'s naturally, the dining room, the library and Lucius\' study. That was pretty much it. She sat wondering why that was. She\'d been told from the beginning that there were no off-limit places in the house except for bedrooms. And yet she had never really taken time to explore.

With three hours left until the rest of the family woke up, Laylani decided now was as good a time as any to venture through the house that would someday be hers. She stood up and moved to the door leading to the hallway. She knew that if she turned to the right, she would eventually come to Lucius\' study. If she turned to the left, who knew?

Laylani went left. \'If I\'m going to explore, I might as well start in the complete unknown.\' she thought. She dragged one hand along the wall as she walked, waiting to come to a door, any door, that would serve as a first step to unraveling the mystery this house possessed. After countless minutes she arrived at the first door. With trembling hands she reached out and turned the knob.

It was a closet. An empty closet. She closed the door with a laugh. Somehow she had expected to open the door into something surprising, out of the ordinary, something wild. She had definitely not expected a closet.

Laylani moved on down the hallway to the next door. She put her hand to the knob, hoping this wasn\'t another closet. She wasn\'t disappointed. The door squeaked open to a room full of things covered with cloth. The great bay windows let in the full moon\'s light, creating an ethereal glow. She grabbed on to the material covering the object closest to her. She whipped it off in a cloud of dust.

Coughing, she waved her hand in front of her, trying to create a space where she could breath. The dust settled and Laylani stared at the object in front of her. It\'s a painting on an easel. The painting, she was almost positive, was of her and Draco sitting at the edge of a lake or ocean. They couldn\'t have been more then four. She was amazed by the amount of detail and definition in the painting.

Laylani had to practically press her face against the painting to read the signature but she just barely made out the word \'Layla.\' Her mother had painted? Laylani wondered why she was so surprised at that. It\'s not like she knew a whole lot about her mother, aside from her name and that she\'d killed herself. Laylani became aware that she was absentmindedly spinning her engagement ring on her finger. She wondered what her mother would think of her Draco, her engagement. She wondered if her daddy would\'ve cried if he\'d gotten the chance to walk her down the aisle.

Laylani uncovered a couple other paintings. She took a step back and realized that there were definitely two different artistic techniques of painting in front of her. She took the one that was stylistically the most different from her mother\'s. In bold strokes in the upper left corner, she read \'Narcissa.\' Laylani was definitely surprised by that information. Narcissa had always seemed to her a very cool and calculated person, never very artistic. But the painting before her proved her wrong. It was abstract with sweeps and spatters of red, black and silver crisscrossing over the canvas. It was energetic and strangely alluring.

Laylani spent a good half hour uncovering the rest of the paintings one by one and examining them, trying to memorize them as best she could. She noticed her mother\'s paintings were for the most part of people. There was one of Laylani\'s father, several of herself and of Draco; one that she assumed was her mother’s wedding, and one of an older couple holding hands on a porch. The woman looked vaguely like her mother. It was her grandparents perhaps?

She recovered all the paintings before she left. It had been quite obvious the moment she\'d entered that room that it had been left closed for a long time. It would probably be best if it continued to look undisturbed.

Laylani walked further into the length of the hall. In the next hour she found a small room with a piano that was horribly out of tune, French doors to a pool (too bad she couldn\'t swim!), another closet and what looked like some type of wine cellar with about a thousand bottles of wine, one dating back to the early 1800\'s. She came to the last door before the hall ended. It was heavy door with a rusty handle. Still, it opened effortlessly to descending stone steps.

She took the first step and felt the chill of the stone even through her slipper. Laylani crept down the steps in an eerie silence, trying to take in the gothic surroundings. She knew the Manor was an old building, but she never knew any precise era or year. She finally reached the bottom of the staircase into the pitchy blackness. She lifted a hand in front of her and called out \"Lumos!\" A small orb of light appeared, hovering over her palm. She stared at the light momentarily, almost afraid of what this cold place could contain. She highly doubted that this was where the family kept their preserves.

She took her eyes of the light and nearly screamed. She was in a dungeon, some sort of torture chamber. There were chains and racks hanging from the walls and empty iron cells to the left. There were slabs hooked up to intricate systems of pulleys and ropes, and at least four dozen knives on a table. Laylani shuddered. She hated the place instantly; it was too much like all the awful rooms she had been locked in as a child. She resolved that as soon as the house was theirs, she and Draco would have this place boarded up, or renovated. Anything so it wouldn\'t be this.

In the back of her mind, she reasoned that it was only natural a house of this age would have something like this. She\'d always thought the house looked like a fortress or castle of sorts, maybe it had been. It was historic really.....

\'Wait,\' she thought as something caught her eye. \'What was that?\' She drew nearer despite every urge she had to turn and run and to never think of this place again. Laylani held the light in her hand over the slab, lowering it until it was all too clear what she had seen. The reddish-brown stains were a dead giveaway. She nearly vomited, realizing it was blood. Oh Jesus, there were blood stains covering the slabs.

She swung around wildly looking at all the other surroundings. Merlin, it was everywhere, on ropes, the chains....oh Christ, it was on the knives. There was dried fucking blood on over half the knives.

She didn\'t know what to do, her mind was swimming. Somehow, her body turned on instinct and she ran, ran up the stairs and slammed the door behind her with a powerful \'bang\' that must have been heard through the entire household. She didn\'t stop there, she ran back through the hallway, through the dining room, up the two flights of stairs into her room, again shutting her door with a slam.

Only inside the safety of her room did she stop. Laylani put her hand on the wall to steady herself. She bent over letting the tears drip off her face, wheezing and trying to clear her head but she couldn\'t. She knew that blood had to be recent enough, otherwise it would have rotted away to rust. Gods, she could see it in her mind. The blood, all that blood, God...... She ran to her bathroom and threw up. She was there for about five minutes, just retching when there was a soft knocking on her door. It opened to a worried looking Draco in a pair of sweats.

\"Lani, what\'s the matter? Are you sick, love?\" She shook her head, her mouth unable to form the words to tell him what had happened, what she had seen. He kneeled down next to her, ignoring the fact that she\'d just been sick and stroked her hair.

\"Another nightmare?\" She looked up from the toilet bowl into his eyes ripe with concern, uncertainty, and fear. Despite how much Laylani wanted to share her secret with him, to tell him the awful things she had seen, she couldn\'t. He was already so worried about her all the time; he didn\'t need to be burdened down with the fact that there was something or someone\'s blood all over his dungeon/basement.

She wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and nodded. \"Yeah,\" she said, \"A nightmare.\" It was pretty much the truth, anyway. He smiled to her comfortingly.

\"Well, do you feel better now, pet?\" She flushed the toilet and sat on the floor.

\"Um, yeah. I think I just need a shower.\" She tried to stand up but her legs wobbled beneath her, an effect of all the running and being so violently ill. Draco bent down and put one of her arms over his shoulder and hoisted her up.

\"Why don\'t we take a bath in my room, love? Nothing funny, just a nice calm bath, okay?\" She nodded weakly. He brought her through the closet into his room and to the bathroom. He leaned her against the sink counter and pulled out a bottle of mouthwash from the medicine cabinet and measured out a capful.

\"Here,\" he said, guiding it to her lips, \"You probably want to rinse the taste out.\" She gargled and ran the liquid in between her cheeks a couple of times before she spit. Once she was done, he lowered her to sit on the ground. \"I\'m just going to run the tub, okay?\" He left her with a concerned backwards glance.

Laylani heard the bathwater run and smelled the scent of cinnamon fill the air. Despite all the horrible things she\'d seen that night, a small smile formed on her face. She really had a wonderful boyfr -\'Fiancé,\' she corrected herself. She knew Draco was squeamish about things like sickness and he\'d come to her anyway when he knew she’d needed him and taken care of her like he always did. She knew that he had numerous defenses of cruelty, sarcasm and rudeness he used in public and sometimes with her if she touched on a sore point. But when it came right down to it he was thoughtful, kind, and even a little romantic.

The water stopped, and Draco rounded the corner completely naked. He stood her up and began to undress her. When the last of her garments were removed, he asked her if she could walk by herself. She could, but she kept his hand in hers for comfort\'s sake. He got into the tub first and took both of her hands and helped her in.

The warm water felt cleansing on her skin, like it could wash away the horror of what she had seen. It was shallower than last time, reaching about the middle of her ribcage. Draco led her over to the bench on the side of the tub and sat her down. He put a strong arm around her and she leaned into the comforting strength of his chest. They stayed like that in silence for a few minutes when she felt Draco\'s body pull away. She lifted her head up to see him return with a bottle of a blue substance.

\"Lani, this is a potion to relax you and make you feel better.\" She nodded, knowing that whatever it was, it would do what he said it would. Draco would never hurt her, and he had promised no funny business. He continued. \"For it to work I need to wash you with it, alright?\" She was fine with the idea of it, but she didn\'t understand why he had to do it. She asked.

He gave a small smile. \"Because it has to be applied by someone who loves you to work properly.\" She smiled at him and nodded, giving Draco permission to do whatever needed to be done. He pulled her weak form onto his lap, resting her head against his neck. He poured some of the bottle’s viscous contents onto his hands and rubbed them together a bit, letting it suds. He had her lean forward a bit and he rubbed the potion over her back and neck.

Almost instantly Laylani felt her tense muscles relax and the beginnings of a sense of calmness instill inside her. Draco massaged it into her tight shoulders and stiff neck. Gods, it felt like heaven. He dripped more of the potion onto her chest. It felt cool against her skin. He encircled her in his arms and used his hands to spread the liquid over her chest and torso. Its scent reached her for the first time; it was vanilla and something else, something intangible that Laylani dubbed in her mind as ‘love.’ Although he did pay particular attention to her breasts, he didn’t stay there for too long. His large, calloused hands slid down moving the bubbles onto her ribcage and then down to the soft flesh of her stomach.

He took his hands from her and she shivered at the loss of contact. Draco slid Laylani off his lap and he moved to stand in front of her. He softly took one of her long legs and raised it up, placing the heel on his shoulder. She passed him the bottle he’d left on the bathtub’s edge and he ran a line of the liquid down her calf. Handing her back the bottle, he used both hands to wash her extended leg, and then moved to the other. When he was done, the calm had overtaken all of her senses. She had never felt so relaxed.

She leaned back against the side of the tub. Laylani felt him move out from in between her legs. Draco sat down next to her and she leaned her head against his shoulder. She sighed.

“Feel better?” He felt her nod against her shoulder. Draco cupped his hands, scooping a bit of water from the tub and letting it run over her back. He continued this action until he’d rinsed the last of the potion off her body while Laylani dozed on his shoulder. For the first time that night, she felt like she might be able to sleep.

It was almost as if Draco had heard her thoughts. “Would you like to lie down for a bit, princess? We still have about half an hour before we need to be up.”

“That would be nice.” She whispered. He helped her out of the bathtub and climbed out after her. The bath began to drain by itself. She cast a drying spell on the both of them and they walked back to his bedroom. Draco pulled back the covers and they climbed in. She laid her head on his chest and a hand over his heart and sleep finally came, even if it was short-lived.

All too soon, there was a knocking at the door. It opened a crack and Narcissa stuck her head in. She smiled, seeing Laylani in a blissful sleep while Draco rubbed her back. She whispered to her son.

“Did she have another nightmare?” He was surprised she knew. He hadn’t told her so he could only assume his father had which was the surprising part. The amount of times he had seen his parents discuss anything of real substance could be counted on one hand. He shrugged.

“She said she did, but I don’t know… I found her throwing up this morning and she usually doesn’t sleep after a nightmare.”

Narcissa pursed her lips. She had heard the slamming and the running that had taken place earlier but when she had gotten up to investigate, nothing seemed out of place. Had Laylani found something, seen something to startle her so? She knew it would do no good to ask the girl; she’d never tell if she didn’t want them to know.

“Well, don’t press her about it. That Kerrin woman is coming to meet her at school at the end of the day; Laylani can sort it out then. Just let her think you believe it was a nightmare.” Draco nodded. There was an unspoken agreement in the Manor that if lying, whether deliberately or by omission, would keep Laylani feeling happy and safe then that was what was to be done. Needless to say, there were a lot of things about the Manor and the Malfoys that Laylani didn’t know. “Would you wake her up please? Make sure you two are downstairs in twenty minutes for breakfast.” Draco nodded and Narcissa closed the door softly.

Draco slipped out from under her and opened bedroom curtains, letting what little light was produced by the cold dawn in. He decided to get dressed before he woke her to let her have a few extra minutes of rest. She deserved it.

He searched his drawers quietly for his school uniform, including the Slytherin tie and vest he would put on during the train ride. As he put on his uniform pants and shirt, he couldn’t help but wonder how things would be for them once they got to Hogwarts. How would the students react to Laylani? The composition of the seventh years had remained virtually unchanged since they had started as first years, and to have someone added now when they only had another 5 months until they graduated…and how would they explain her absence for the past six and a half years? What could they say if someone asked about her family, her life growing up? Where would she fit in? She was certainly not a Slytherin, nor the polar opposite Gryffindor. But mostly he was concerned with the announcement of the engagement that would appear in the morning’s Daily Prophet. He knew the papers would cover the fact that they had been betrothed at birth. How would she cope being known as the Prince of Slytherin’s child bride?

Whatever would happen he would have to support her, to take care of her like he knew he should. They would weather out whatever came together. She needed him and, although it pained him to admit it even to himself, he needed her just as much.

Draco knew he couldn’t put off waking her any longer. He sat next to her on the bed and shook her shoulder gently. Nothing. He shook her harder and she grumbled to him but didn’t get up. Draco saw this as an opportunity for payback from her little Christmas Eve tickling. As soon as his fingertips reached her ribcage, one of her eyes opened to a slit and she spoke in a menacing tone.

“You do that and you will find yourself castrated in the very near future.” He moved his hands back. He was pretty sure she wouldn’t do that, but she was a very powerful, and presently a very cranky, witch. Draco was not willing to risk the possibility of future progeny.

“Time to get up, Lani. I put it off as long as I could.” He smiled apologetically. She glowered. He didn’t take it personally; he knew she hadn’t gotten much sleep, whatever had happened. She got up, shivering as her naked body met the cold air and stomped through the closet to her room. Draco called to her to be ready in ten minutes. She was back in his room in less than five in gray dress pants and a tight purple blouse. He was shocked; it normally took her forever to decide what to wear. She noticed his reaction and shrugged.

“Narcissa picked this out for me days ago.” He nodded in understanding; his mother always wanted to have every detail planned. He took her small hand in his and they went downstairs for breakfast.

Reaching the dining room, he pulled out her chair and she took her place with the family. Laylani looked around the table with a wary eye. Someone had to be responsible for the blood in the basement; someone had to know how it got there. But who? She looked at her darling Draco; yes, he could be cruel and sometimes even vicious but could he really kill another being? Narcissa was tough with words and wit, but did she possess the physical strength to carry out something so horrific? Or Lucius, doing that ‘extra work,’ always a little vague about where exactly he’d been, but was so sweet and patient in his teachings, could he kill? Would he? Would any of them?

No, of course not. She shook her head, trying to banish those thoughts. None of them could. They may be different from what she was used to, but they certainly weren’t killers. There had to be some other explanation.

The meal passed in almost uninterrupted silence, save for things like ‘pass the butter.’ The tension held thick in the air. No one spoke of it that morning, but all four of them were very nervous about Laylani’s move to Hogwarts. More worried than the Malfoys had been at the beginning of Draco’s first year. Laylani was like their collective child; each wanted to care for her and protect her from any harm, and yet realistically knew that none of them could.

Laylani made a conscious effort to put on a brave face for the family during their goodbyes at King’s Cross. Lucius gave her a tight hug, in one of the rare gestures of affection she’d ever seen from him, and told her how proud he was of her and that he \'had better not hear of any trouble.\' She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. Narcissa kissed her cheeks repeatedly, trying to fit all of her instructions in the few minutes they had before they needed to board the train.

“Remember, behave like a Malfoy lady (kiss) and be good. Ms. Kerrin will come three times a week (kiss) we’ll owl every day we can. Oh! Don’t forget to owl us once you’ve been sorted so we can send you the proper uniform (kiss). Have fun (kiss) and knock ‘em dead.” Laylani was shocked to hear such a lowbrow expression from the Lady Narcissa. She smiled and hugged the woman tightly. Pulling away from them, she grabbed one hand from each in hers.

“Thanks, for everything. I love you both.” She felt Draco tug on her hand, indicating it was time to go. She renewed her look of bravery.

“Goodbye!” Draco waved to his parents, promising to take care of her then lead her onto the Hogwarts Express. They were met by a few curious stares but nothing intense. Draco was thankful that the Daily Prophet would not be seen until it was sold off the sweet trolley. That’s when the real gawking and whispering would begin. He led Laylani further back until he had reached the Head car, which was mercifully empty. ‘Lucky the little mudblood stayed at school for the holidays.’ They had just taken a seat when they felt the train lurch forward and pull away from the station.

Laylani sighed sadly as she watched the scenery pass by the window, knowing that she was now speeding away from her little world of love and safety into the unknown. She felt Draco’s protective arm around her shoulder and she took comfort in it. He would be there with her, so things were going to be okay regardless of what happened at Hogwarts.

All of a sudden her eyelids grew heavy with the sleep that had been so elusive during the night.

“Would it be okay if I slept, Draco?” she asked with a yawn. He turned his head away from the window and looked into her bleary eyes. He nodded.

“Of course.” He leaned further into the corner of the car and she leaned against his chest. She felt his arm drop down to her waist and slip a hand under her shirt, rubbing the small of her back in a soothing manner.

“Draco?”

“Hmm?”

“I love you. Just so you know.” He smiled. She’d never said that before. She had shown it in her actions, and she had agreed to marry him, but to hear the words, even under such mundane circumstances, filled him with a kind of happiness he’d never known.

“I love you too, Princess.”

In minutes, the deep breathing and the slow rise and fall of her chest told him she was sleeping. He resumed looking out the window, his mind clear and blank of anything. Almost two hours had passed when he heard the sliding door to the Head compartment open. Draco turned his head to the shocking sight of one Hermione Granger.

“What the hell are you doing here?” he hissed, doing his best not to wake the sleeping girl. The Head Girl rolled her eyes.

“I’m Head Girl, this is the Head compartment. Use your deductive powers of reasoning.” He scowled.

“No, Granger, I mean what are you doing on the train? I thought you and the rest of the mudbloods had to stay at school.” She ignored his comment.

“We did, but as Head Girl I was asked to supervise the train back to Hogwarts. I’ve had my hands full with your little Slytherin friends. I’d say that your help would’ve been nice, but I see you have your hands full too.” He dropped his head in defeat. Here he had been looking forward to a nice quiet ride with his girl, and now it seemed he would have to deal with the know-it-all kneazle. Just great.

“Fine, but if you’re going to be here, be quiet. She needs more sleep.” He couldn’t help but turn his eyes to Laylani adoringly. He tried to cover, but the damage was done. Hermione had seen.

She sat down across from them with a pleased look on her face. “So, you really do like this one, huh?” It was now Draco’s turn to roll his eyes. ‘Swell,’ he thought, ‘just fan-fucking-tastic, now the mudblood wants to talk.’ There was really no way to avoid conversation. Laylani’s sleeping form resting against his body rendered him unable to leave. He sighed.

“Yes, I do, alright? And she has a name so if you don’t mind, do not refer to her as ‘this one’.” Hermione’s eyes widened a little. It was strange to see her nemesis as anything other than the snivelling little slick-haired prat he’d always been. Even though he’d grown almost a foot and a half, gained muscle, and given up on that ridiculous hair style, his attitude had always stayed the same. To see him behave almost civilly to another human being, let alone caring, was unnatural.

“Well, you be good to this o - to her. I don’t want to have to deal with another crying girl, heartbroken that you used her and dropped her.” Draco was surprised. He’d never known that Hermione was the one who’d had to clean up the messes he’d left behind. Really, he’d never thought much about it; he simply hadn’t cared about the fate of the girls he’d finished with. He could read the disgust in the mudblood’s eyes.

“Right.” He said, making sure to convey that he couldn’t care less. Still, he pulled the sleeping girl closer to himself.

Hermione was bewildered; this was the closest thing to a civilized conversation she’d had with Malfoy in the nearly seven years she’d known him. It was like a queer dream she wasn’t quite ready to end.

“Will she be a student here? What year?” Draco’s mouth twisted into a smirk.

“Seventh year. She’s bright, this one is. She’ll knock you on your ass.”

“Then I guess that’ll put you in third.” She said curtly, hinting at wounded pride. Draco could tell she was trying to bait him but he refused to give her the satisfaction.

“Maybe, but my girl will be first, I promise you that.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of squeaky wheels turning, indicating that the trolley of sweets would soon arrive. Draco used his free hand to reach across his body and fished out a couple galleons from his pocket. The sweet-faced old woman knocked on the closed door of their compartment.

“Granger, can you get me three chocolate frogs, a package of Bertie Botts\' beans, some pumpkin juice and a copy of the Daily Prophet?” She stared at him as if waiting for something. He sighed heavily.

“Please?” She took the money from his hand and opened the sliding door. She made his purchases and bought some pepper Imps and her own copy of the Prophet with her own money. She set his goods next to him and brought him the considerable change. Hermione put it in his free hand and he slipped it in to the closest pocket. He barely managed to reach the newspaper and opened it to the Society section. There they were, kissing on the cover with the title ‘MALFOY HEIR ENGAGED.’ The subheading read ‘Draco Malfoy to wed his betrothed, formerly presumed dead.’

So they had found out. He wasn’t surprised; it had been all over the papers when Laylani went missing.justjust didn’t think they would make an issue out of it. But indeed they did. He scanned over the full page article.

It was worse than he thought. Not only did they drag out every sordid detail they could find about her kidnapping, they had somehow also found her mediwizard for comment about her return. Draco seethed as he read the man’s words.

***

‘Although I cannot divulge much information pertaining to Ms. Stanners care, I will tell you when she came to us she was very malnourished, and I removed various scars from her body that suggested years of abuse.’

***

‘That bastard!’ thought Draco maliciously. He knew she was starting at Hogwarts today, and unless he was completely unaware of the ways of the world, he knew that his ‘statement’ would draw out all sorts of speculation and prying questions from the student body as well as the public at large. Draco gave an audible sigh of disgust, whispering “Damn it!”

This drew the Head Girl’s attention. She cast a furtive glance to the section he was reading. She turned the page and stared wide-eyed at the picture before her. Hermione quickly read over the article.

She was shocked to say the least. This Laylani that she thought she had all figured out was turning out to be quite the mystery, one, of course, that she wanted to figure out. She opened her mouth to ask the first of several questions on her mind when her eyes met Malfoy’s. He had noticed she was reading the article and was giving her a scathing look, almost daring her to even ask. She shut her mouth. Draco returned his gaze to the window.

They heard a loud and angry shriek from somewhere down the train. By the time Hermione had gathered herself enough to get up to investigate, an enraged Pansy ripped open the door to their compartment holding the Daily Prophet. Hermione had never seen the Dog Girl looking so angry. Pansy’s canine-like features were beet red with anger, twisted into a vicious scowl.

Draco was concerned, but tried to retain his composure. “Why, Pansy, whatever brings you to our lovely abode?\" he asked in a bored tone.

“You – she…” she sputtered, “What the hell is this?” She flung the paper at him, narrowly missing Laylani.

“It appears to be a newspaper. Any other mysteries I can solve for you?” She gave a grunt of annoyance.

“What it says! You aren’t really marrying that – that bitch, are you?” He scowled, ever the knight defending his maiden’s honour. His eyes narrowed and he spoke with a cold tone no one knew that even he could possess.

“No, I am not marrying you. I’m marrying Laylani on May 12th.” He gestured to Laylani’s engagement ring. “So if you’ll excuse me, I’d appreciate it if you just say your congratulations and went on your way.” Pansy’s eyes went wide, filled with a vicious madness he’d never seen. She sputtered again.

“Congratulations? Oh, I’ll show you fucking congratulations!” She drew her wand and aimed it squarely at Laylani’s chest. Draco was gripped with fear. There was no way he could get to his wand fast enough. The only thing he could do was try to block whatever came with his body as best he could. But nothing came. He looked up. Granger had Pansy’s throat with her wand.

“Now, now, Ms. Parkinson, I think that is quite enough out of you. That will be fifty points from Slytherin for attacking another student with intent to harm, and believe me your head of house will be informed of exactly why those points were removed. Now if you don’t want to be put in a full body bind for the remainder of the trip, I suggest you go back to wherever you came from and stay there. And if it is ever, ever brought to my attention again that you have attacked this student or any other, you have my word that both Draco and I will do everything in our power to see that you are expelled. Is that understood?”

Pansy, her face now white with fear, nodded and scurried off, but not before giving them a hateful look. Remarkably Laylani slept through it all. Draco watched with awe as Hermione simply settled herself as if nothing happened. He never thought he would see the day when Granger would defend anything that was connected to him, let alone do it with such cool detachment. There was no denying he was impressed.

“Er, thanks M- Granger. I appreciate that.” He was quiet for a moment. “Why did you do that?”

She shrugged, really not knowing for certain. “I don’t know. Because this girl brings out something decent in you that I’ve never seen. Because it seems Laylani’s had enough troubles. Because it was just the Gryffindor thing to do.” He nodded. All things considered, this was probably the most understanding there would ever be between the two of them.

“So,” she said with a sly grin, “I suppose some congratulations are in order.” Draco tried to resist, but he couldn’t help but smile just a little.

“Yeah.” He ran a hand over Laylani’s back. “It’s been a long time coming.”

“So I read. Betrothed at birth, huh? It sounds a little archaic if you ask me.”

“Good thing I didn’t, then.” He drawled. She took the hint and dropped the subject. They spent the next hour and a half making small talk about insignificant things like prefect roles and Arithmancy homework.

Draco checked his watch. They would be arriving within the next 20 minutes. He should probably wake Laylani. He shook her gently.

“Lani, wake up.” She opened her eyes slowly, one a time. She smiled to him and lifted her head off his shoulder, stretching gracefully. She yawned as she spoke.

“Are we there already, Dragon?”

“No but we will be soon. We have company, love.” Laylani looked across from them to see a smiling Hermione.

“Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were here. Hermione, right?” She nodded. “It’s so nice to see you again.” She offered her hand and Hermione shook it.

“Likewise. Congratulations, by the way, on your engagement.”

“Th – thank you. How did you kno…Oh, the papers.” She caught sight of the scattered Daily Prophet Pansy had thrown. She got up from her seat and kneeled to pick up the page with her picture on it. She plopped down onto the floor and began to read with interest. Her eyes got progressively wider the more she read. By the end, Draco was worried her eyes might fall out of their sockets. She pursed her lips so tightly they practically disappeared. With shaking determined hands she began to rip up the paper.

“Bloody fucking hell…today of all days…stupid medi-bastard…” Her mutterings quieted down and the Daily Prophet lay shredded in front of her. She dropped her head pinching the bridge of her nose and gave a deep dramatic sigh.

“Great, now I’m not only the new girl but the mystery kidnapped child, malnourished and abused. A veritable paper bag princess.” Draco didn’t get the muggle reference but Hermione nodded sympathetically, remembering the book from her childhood. “God Almighty, don’t they have to have some sort of confirmation or permission from me before they can print things like that?”

Hermione put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure no one will care.” She heard Laylani snort with disbelief. “And the ones that do aren’t worth your time anyway, I swear.” Laylani looked up at her, fighting to hide tears. Gods, it seemed like she was always crying.

“Thanks, Hermione.” Draco cleared his throat uncomfortably.

“Don’t worry, love, everything will turn out fine, I promise. We’ll stick it out together.” He slipped on his vest and began to do up his tie. “If you’ll excuse me.” He went out the door in the directions of the bathroom, leaving Hermione alone with Laylani.

Laylani tried to regain her composure. She stood up and straightened her clothes. She placed a gentle hand on her hair. She turned to Hermione.

“Is my hair alright?” Hermione checked with a critical eye and cast a quick straightening spell to smooth out the areas ruffled by sleep.

“Perfect.” she said.

“Thanks.” The two girls sat across from each other in an awkward silence. Laylani smiled to Hermione, trying to alleviate some tension. Hermione returned it.

“Sooo……um tell me about your boyfriend…uh, Ron?” Hermione laughed self-consciously.

“No, we’re just friends.” Laylani rolled her eyes.

“But you’d like more than that, yes?” Hermione didn’t know how to answer. Her two best friends hadn’t taken notice of that fact during the near seven years she knew them, and this girl found out after just one evening.

“Well, yes, I suppose…” Just then Draco returned, ending the conversation. He resumed his position next to Laylani, slipping his arm around her shoulder. She leaned into his shoulder. Minutes later the train came to a halting stop. Laylani pulled just a little closer to Draco. This was it.

She stood up and reached for her coat. Draco helped her slip it over her shoulder. She looked around her as if something wasn’t right.

“Where’s our luggage?” He smiled.

“They’ll take care of it for us, love.” She nodded, slightly uneasy. Her life was in that trunk. She wasn’t so sure she wanted a stranger to handle it. However, it seemed that it was out of her power so she took Draco’s offered hand and followed him and Hermione off the train. They led her to a line of carriages pulled by black horses, or so she thought. The closer she got, they looked less and less like horses becoming more horrific with each forward step. These creatures were black and scaly, like some sort of horrible winged reptile with a horse’s skeleton. Draco and Hermione seemed undaunted by this, so she tried to pretend they didn’t bother her, either. However, it didn’t stop her from rushing into the appointed carriage and taking the seat furthest away from the beasts.

“Something wrong, Lani?” asked Draco.

“I just- I’ve never seen anything like those beasts.” Draco and Hermione looked puzzled.

“The ones pulling the carriage?” she prompted. They had to have seen them. How could they not?

Hermione’s face suddenly registered understanding. “You - You can see them?” she said, almost whispered.

“Yes.” She said hesitantly, unsure of where this was leading. “Can’t you?” Both Draco and Hermione shook their heads.

“You can see the thestrals, love?” Draco asked softly. Laylani recognized the word. As if by command she spoke.

“Thestrals: large winged horses with white shining eyes, dragonish faces and necks, and skeletal black bodies. Attracted to the smell of blood. Visible only to those that have witnessed death. Thought to be omens of bad luck in folklore.” She blinked. “I-I’m sorry. Old habits die hard.” she said meekly, praying they wouldn’t ask why recitations of the sort were ‘old habit.’

But Draco was far more concerned with another matter. “Lani, when have you witnessed death? Who did you see die?” She closed her eyes. When had she seen death? Sure, she had seen a lot of awful things in her time, but she couldn’t recall seeing anyone dying. But she must have. She screwed her eyes shut tighter, trying to force the information to come, but it refused. She opened her eyes in defeat.

“I don’t know. I didn’t think I had. But I must’ve, I guess.” All three members of the carriage sat in perplexed silence for the rest of the ride.

They came to a stop and exited the carriage. Laylani clasped Draco’s hand in her own, and he held it tightly. They were both going to need all the strength and support they could get to survive the next few months.

Laylani bid Hermione goodbye and she and Draco proceeded to Professor Dumbledore’s office for her to be sorted. Draco had explained the process to her countless times in the past few days.

“They say a few words, put the hat on your head, it tells you which house you belong in and you’re done. The whole process takes about twenty seconds.”

She replayed his words over and over in her head, taking comfort that soon this would be all over. They reached the door where Professor Snape was waiting to let them into the Headmaster’s office. As usual he extended some common courtesy to Draco and completely ignored her.

“Mr. Malfoy, congratulations on your engagement. I hope you are prepared for the joys and hardships marriage brings.” Laylani had to keep herself from snorting in scorn. ‘Yeah, like he’s been married.’

Professor Snape’s eyes rested on her face momentarily, but moved on almost as soon as she’d caught them. He mumbled something to the gargoyle and it moved aside to reveal the rotating staircase. Laylani leapt onto the staircase eager to get this nerve-wracking ordeal over and done with. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, impatient for the slow moving staircase to take her to her destination. She finally, finally reached the top and bounded out in a very undignified, un-Malfoy manner. She was surprised to see not only Dumbledore but three other professors as well. Laylani stood still, quite unsure of what this all meant.

“Ms. Stanners, welcome. These are the heads of house, the professor in charge of each house.” She nodded to them. “Now, I trust you are ready to be sorted?” She nodded. He pulled out a stool and motioned for her to sit, and she complied. He took what appeared to be a very old witch’s hat of his shelf and placed it on her head.

‘The Rennert child. You’ve been long overdue.’ Her eyes widened in fear. The voice was directly inside her head. She felt some unknown force begin to shift through her mind and she flung the hat off with a scream. She looked around the room, completely terrified. Why would those people who were supposed to look after her do such an awful thing to her? Was it a trap?

From where it sat collapsed in the corner, the hat began to yell at her.

“Why, I never! Awful disrespectful child, I’ll see to it to make you miserable here! Albus, she threw me!” The hat continued to rant as Dumbledore picked it up and dusted it off, and a sinking feeling that she had done something very wrong settled in Laylani’s stomach. All the professors looked to her as if she were positively mad. She turned back to Draco, pleading with her eyes to help her understand what exactly was happening. He took a deep breath and he walked over to her.

“Lani,” he said placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, “What’s wrong?”

“I – it… I could hear it in my head and it was moving through my mind.” Her voice dropped to a whisper. “It was like the Shadow man and it scared me.” He nodded in understanding. Of course. He should have warned her. Still, done was done and the people around them were waiting. Draco’s solemn eyes locked with hers. “I promise that neither the hat nor this school has anything to do with the Shadow Man or the Dark Robes. It looks through your mind to find out where you\'d be best placed for a house.”

She believed him. He was relieved even though he wasn’t sure if he’d told her the truth or not. He still didn’t know exactly who the Shadow Man or the Dark Robes were; he couldn’t guarantee her anything.

“Alright,” she said in a small voice. “Put the hat back on.” The Hat harrumphed as it was placed back on her head. It silently began to move through her mind. She thought her apologies to it, hoping it could hear them. Just then the Sorting Hat came upon That Dream and pulled it forth, causing her to cringe at the memory.

‘Ah, I see. All is forgiven child. I hadn’t known you were exposed to His evils.’ His? Who was He? She tried to ask the Hat more questions but it admonished her. ‘Please girl, I am trying to work.’ Laylani reluctantly quieted her mind and waited. And she waited. And she waited. Why was this taking so long?

After a full two minutes of uninterrupted silence, the Sorting Hat spoke. “She’s neither here nor there. Too ambitious to be Gryffindor, too loving to be Slytherin. Too suspicious for Hufflepuff, too capricious for Ravenclaw. For every trait she has, she has one that counters it. Albus, I hate to say it but we have a Morphose.”

The surrounding teachers gasped. Laylani sat completely still. ‘Morphose?’ she thought. ‘Well, what the hell does that mean?’ She knew whatever it was, it wasn’t a house. Professor Dumbledore spoke.

“This is quite unique indeed. I don’t believe we’ve had a Morphose for the duration of my employment at Hogwarts. How delightful!”

“But what does it mean, sir? What’s a Morphose?” Draco asked.

“It’s exactly as the Sorting Hat said. It’s a place reserved for students who are neither here nor there. It was named after the first student that couldn’t be placed nearly seven hundred years ago, Madrigal Morphose. Morphose students are extremely rare; they only come about every century or so. It’s not an official house, granted, but if that is where Ms. Stanners belongs, then that is where she is to be placed. I will be her acting Head of House for the remainder of the year.”

The other professors took that as their cue to leave, but not without a lingering glance from Snape. Laylani sighed, taking off the hat and placing it on the Headmaster’s desk.

“So where does that leave me? What classes do I belong to? What uniform do I wear? Where do I sit to eat? Where do I sleep?” She knew her questions sounded petty, but all she’d ever really wanted was to fit in here. Now it seemed she couldn’t even have that.

“You’ll have your own quarters and uniform. You are welcome to sit at any house table you choose. As for classes, you’ll receive your schedule tomorrow. Now, I’ll take you to your ‘house,’ so to speak. Mr. Malfoy you are welcome to join us and help Ms. Stanners unpack. I’ll see to it that dinner is brought to you.” The two nodded and silently followed the Headmaster from his office and down the hall. They walked up two flights of stairs and turned right coming to a picture of a maiden by the sea. The girl in the picture seemed pleased to see them.

“Ooo, do tell me that Hogwarts finally has another Morphose!” she squealed, clasping her hands in front of her as if begging for them to confirm her guess.

“You’re in luck. Meet the newest student at Hogwarts, Laylani Stanners.” The maiden jumped up and down and the portrait swung open, having no password yet, and granted them entry. It revealed an extremely dusty room. Dumbledore frowned. He raised his wand and cast a few cleaning charms and spells.

“Much better. Now, your things will be along momentarily, Ms. Stanners. The two of you are excused from supper tonight; however I do expect you to join the rest of the students in the Great hall for breakfast by 9:30 so Laylani might be introduced. Finally, I am aware of your engagement and you have my best wishes. Nevertheless, this is still a school and as such a certain amount of restraint and discretion is required. I do not ask that you hide your relationship; that will be quite impossible after today’s Daily Prophet. But I do ask that you two will abide by the rules and morality of this establishment. Is that understood?” They nodded.

“Wonderful. I must be off now. Welcome to Hogwarts, Ms. Stanners.” The portrait closed behind the retreating form of the Headmaster. Laylani looked around her new room. They were standing in what was the equivalent of her common room: an open area with a desk, a fireplace and a purple couch and chair with white pillows. The bedroom was separated by a single wall that blocked its view from the open area and a few steps. It was decorated with a rich purple and plain white, what she assumed were her ‘house’ colors. There was a door off to the right that held her bathroom, which had both a single shower stall and one in-ground bathtub. All in all, Laylani supposed she couldn’t have hoped for better.

‘Except for having a real house with other people.’ she thought bitterly.

Draco read the fleeting unhappiness on her face. “Something not to your liking, pet? Just owl my father, he’ll have it fixed for you.” She shook her head.

“No, it’s not that. It’s lovely. I just, I mean…” She choked back a sob. “I thought I was finally coming somewhere that I could fit in, belong to something. And somehow I still end up isolated and alone.” A tear ran down her face. Although Draco couldn’t empathize (he loved having his own room) he knew what she meant. She’d been so excited to meet new people, and now she was on her own once more.

Draco knew he couldn’t let her dwell, she’d only cry harder. He hastily tried to point out the perks of having her own room. “But you can do whatever you want with the place, you don’t have to worry about waking or being woken up by noisy roommates, and I’m sure you can have visitors whenever you want. It’ll be great to have your own place.” Laylani tried to force the brave face she’d worn this morning.

“You’re right, love. What do you think I should do first in my very own place?” He could tell she was acting, but it was a start. He played along.

“First things first, you should pick your own password to your room. Whatever you like, love.” She thought long and hard for a minute and decided on the word that seemed to be dogging her all day.

“Mystery.”




TO BE CONTINUED?