Disclaimer: For the record, I am not J.K Rowling. All I own is Ismene and her non-canonical family members (i.e.- her mother, father, and brother)

Summary: When it comes between choosing love or choosing your family, how do you decide? For Ismene Malfoy, the choice is much more then she can handle. Both decisions could kill her, but only one can make her happy. The only problem is, she doesn't know how to choose. She's never controlled herself before and it will kill her if she doesn't learn too.

Blood Traitor

Chapter 1.

"It's only fear that makes you run, the demons that you're hiding from."

-Melissa Etheridge, "I'm the Only One"

It was a hot summer, one of the hottest that she could remember as she stared up at the sky. A small smile crossed her lips as she curled her toes in the cool grass, trying to carry that sensation up through her feet to the rest of her body. She didn't like being hot because it made her sweat and that made her sticky. It was last week of August and that realization annoyed her. She was tired of summer, tired of being home with her family that annoyed her at every turn, but she wasn't excited about going back to Hogwarts. It wasn't that she didn't love her family, in some ways they were almost endearing, but it was when they were all together that they annoyed her. She could barely keep away from them without having one cousin or another bother her. The space she was now, tucked away in the middle of the labyrinth her great-great grandfather had planted years ago was one of the only places where she could be alone. Half the time when her cousins were there it was because there was important business that an underage witch couldn't be useful with.

The crack of a twig sent her bolting upright, her fingers curling around her wand as she stood up in a flash. Her father had seen her duel once at school and had commented on how quick she was to cast a spell. She didn't this time, too cautious of the Ministry to do anything until she accessed the situation. Though she knew her father would disapprove of that. She could be dead before she knew who she was fighting. Everything in their world was growing tenser as Lord Voldemort grew in power. Any wizard could be an enemy. The young man standing at the exit of the maze chuckled when he saw her, face contorted in a fighting expression. The girl sighed and let her wand arm drop. It was a false alarm, but he wouldn't drop it, she knew, he'd tease her as long as he could. "Ismene, is that anyway to greet your favorite cousin?" he asked, walking close to her side to seize her chin in his hands. "You certainly are growing up, aren't you?"

Ismene shrugged from his grasp and stomped away. The book she had been reading lay discarded close to the hedges and she picked it up, pressing it close to her chest. "You don't even come close to being my favorite anything, Lucius." She hissed. She tried to make her way out of the labyrinth, but Lucius stopped her and pushed her into the hedges. The branches and leaves scratched at her arms, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of panic coursing through her veins and the sensation of his breath on her neck. She squirmed against the hedges, trying to get away from him, but his grip on her waist was tight. "Get off me, Lucius."

His lips pressed against her neck before he straightened himself, a small laugh squeezing itself from his throat. "One day, you won't be so against my advances."

"I am your cousin." Ismene replied, "I doubt I will forget that."

"You will forget it, I promise you." Lucius replied, "I shouldn't have to remind you about the state of blood purity in our world. It's abysmal, perhaps you should keep that in mind when you return to Hogwarts and stop associating with Muggle borns and blood traitors before you become one yourself."

Ismene scowled. It had been a heated subject her first year at Hogwarts when she had failed to be sorted into Slytherin. She had been placed into Ravenclaw, a house she had thought was fitting. Her father often commented on how she was too smart for her own good, but she had never seen in that way. She was clever, yes, but she hadn't wanted to be in Slytherin, though she knew she was more like them then she liked to admit. It was Lucius who never seemed to let it go that she wasn't in the family house. "They are my housemates, Lucius, I can't exactly ignore them."

"You should." He retorted. He raised an eyebrow and seized the book from her arms before she had a chance to snatch it back. "What is this?" he held it at arms length above his head. "Are we reading Muggle trash?" He let his arm stretch back before he let the book fly, a perfect arch curving over their heads before it landed with a plop into the gurgling fountain nearby.

Smack!

Her hand flew against his cheek fiercely before she ran to recover her book. "It isn't Muggle trash, it's for Defense Against the Dark Arts." She said, "I'm trying to read ahead."

"It's the same thing as Muggle trash. You should be learning Dark Arts at Hogwarts. Dumbledore's a fool to not include it." Lucius replied, "Muggle borns shouldn't even be allowed to enroll."

"I needn't even be at Hogwarts if I was listening to your advice, Lucius." Ismene replied, "I've grown up around the Dark Arts." It was true. There was nothing more then her father and mother enjoyed then fine tuning their skills, performing it for their guests, using the house elves as targets. It had always bothered her for some reason, their total disregard for the poor creatures, though she had to admit, she had done it herself once after being egged on by her father. It had felt good, that power, perhaps that's why they had liked it so much. "I'm going."

Her cousin didn't follow after as she wound her way through the labyrinth, digging the toes of her shoes into the grass as she trudged up the hill to their home. It wasn't as grand as Lucius' home, but it was nice enough. She didn't have any sisters and her brother was rarely spoken about anymore, so she thought the house was too large for her and her parents alone. But there was always company, her parent's friends who never had anything interesting to say. It was hard to be engaged in conversations when everyone agreed with each other. Every so often, she would say something that was opposite of their beliefs just to get something else from their conversations. She was always punished afterwards, but it felt good to be annoying them obviously.

The door creaked open and she tumbled inside, glad that despite the usual heat, the kitchen was cooler then outdoors. House elves bustled around, carrying clean bowls and polishing silverware. They were dressed in a mixture of rags and things that they made themselves. One wore a skirt made out of pot holders and another had little more then a tie wrapped around his bottom. Ismene slumped onto a bar stool at the end of the cutting board, watching an old female house elf chop vegetables. The elf turned her head, large brown eyes staring unblinking at her mistress. "Is their something you need Teensy to do, mistress?"

"No." Ismene sighed, "Yes. Nevermind." She slid off the stool and wandered over to their refrigerator to find something to drink. She pushed past cartons of milk and jugs of orange juice before she found a bottle of Butterbeer that she had forgotten and popped it open. It was cool as it slid down her throat, the perfect refreshment from a hot day, though she couldn't get Lucius out of her head and it made her uncomfortable. She finished her drink and let the bottle drop to the floor. It smashed against the stone floor, sending shards of brown glass scattering across the floor. Ismene smirked as she walked out of the kitchen, feeling Teensy's eyes on her back the entire time. It made her just as uncomfortable as her cousin did.

The house was more impressive inside then it was outside, but one of the more startling discoveries is how dark it was. She had never been inside any of her school friends homes to compare, but part of her wondered if their homes were light and airy. Tapestries depicting wizards performing curses on unsuspecting Muggles hung on the walls in the hall that she walked down, the doors to the rooms that were off the hall had been shut up tight. She could hear her parent's voices coming from one of the open doors that led to their spacious living room full of moving portraits of long dead relatives preaching their beliefs about their hatred of Muggles and praise of the Dark Arts. She hesitated outside of the door, peeking inside to see who all was there.

Her uncle Abraxas was seated in one of the high backed chairs, twirling his wand in his long, slender fingers. His blond hair was pulled back from his face tightly. She had never noticed before just how much he resembled his son, but Lucius did look like his father as if they were twins. Lucius had obviously Apparated into the room and stood by his father's side, laughing at a joke Ismene had missed. Her mother was nearest the window, her ruby red summer robes billowing behind her, dark hair piled on her head. Ismene resembled her father, Cadoc, who was tall and slim with blond hair and hazel eyes. He was handsome and had an arrogant look about him, something Ismene knew she had as well. But she never thought that she could carry off those features she shared with her father, the piercing eyes and the high cheekbones that she thought made her resemble a corpse more then an actual human being.

"It isn't polite to linger in doorways, Ismene." Her father hissed. He waved a hand and sent the door crashing against the wall. His lips moved slightly and Ismene felt herself being jerked into the room against her will. It wasn't uncommon in their family for Unforgivable Curses to be used against the children if they were being particularly stubborn. She had been put under the Imperius Curse many times when she had been younger because of her disobedience. She smiled at her parents and sank down at her father's feet, sliding the book underneath his chair. Cadoc let his hand rest on his daughter's head, running his fingers slightly through the yellow stands. "Have you gotten your supplies for Hogwarts yet, Ismene?"

"All I need are the books and a few supplies for Potions." Ismene replied, "I assumed we might have some lying around here unless Lucius took them like he took away Aja-."

"That's enough Ismene." Her mother said. Ismene noticed the quiver in her mother's voice. "You may go to Diagon Alley today if you want. Actually, go…go now."

"Mum, I…"

"Now Ismene! Don't make me make you go."

Ismene scrambled to her feet and walked to the large fireplace. A pot in the shape of a skull sat on the mantle and she dipped her fingers into it, scooping out a large handful of Floo Powder. She tossed the powder into the flames, her eyes reflecting the green that they transformed into. She turned her head slowly to meet her mother's gaze. "So I suppose now that we aren't even going to mention him anymore? How can you do that, he was your son."

"He is no son of mine." Her mother replied, "And if you don't start showing us some respecting, you'll be in the same place he is."

The girl laughed as she stuck one foot into the flames to feel the familiar tingling sound. "You'd have Lucius kill me too, Mother? Or would you do it yourself?" she sneered before immersing herself completely. "Diagon Alley!" She shouted as she was gone before her mother's curse could hit her.

--

The fireplace spat her out in the middle of the Leaky Cauldron. She had always been fond of the pub and the land lord, a man with curling hair named Tom. He didn't really know her, but she was sure he knew who she was and he was still nice to her because of it. Ismene wiped the dust off of her robes and gave him a small smile and a wave before she walked into the side yard. The brick wall was in front of her and she stared at it, forgetting that this wasn't how she usually came in to Diagon Alley. Ismene patted herself down looking inside her robe pockets before she let out a frustrated scream. She had forgotten her wand and she was certain her mother had probably snapped it out of anger.

"This is just perfect." Ismene murmured to herself, "I'm sure I'll be having to sneak into my room tonight and keeping the door locked from Lucius. Now I'm having to figure out how to break into bloody Diagon Alley. This is just perfect. I'm a witch for crying out loud! I should be allowed in there." Ismene looked around the yard before spying a pile of discarded bricks. She carefully took them and, one by one, stacked them up into a pile that she clambered on top of. It didn't do any good. Diagon Alley was a magical alley after all and she couldn't just climb into it.

"You know, for a Ravenclaw, you are pretty dim." A voice from beside her said.

"Don't be such a git, Black." Ismene said. She had known Sirius Black for her entire life sense at some point in their family tree they were related, just like all pure bloods. At times, he could be alright to be around, but more often then not, he annoyed her. He was handsome and had gotten taller since school had let out. His dark hair fell over his dark eyes like a curtain that he continually had to push back with his hands. "Why are you coming in from Muggle London? Decide to become one?"

"I could ask the same about you." Sirius replied, "Or are you just using those brains of yours to come up with a magical staircase into the street."

"I forgot my wand." Ismene replied, "Now either give me yours or go away."

Sirius twirled his wand around his fingers casually as he paced back and forth along the wall. "You don't need to be so abrasive, Malfoy, I'm only here to assist you."

Doubtful, Ismene thought. She shifted her weight to her other foot while staring down at Sirius. His eyes danced playfully as he watched her and for a moment in time, Ismene wondered what it would be like to kiss him. He had had his share of girlfriends while at Hogwarts and the girls he did not snog followed after him like puppies. A girl a year younger then her had commented that Sirius was "a rebel" for not agreeing with his family, but Ismene thought that he was a fool. She had never loved anyone enough to abandon her entire family for something. Besides, it would never be easy for her to leave. Her father kept watches on her every move and he had eyes everywhere. She looked over her shoulder carefully as if she expected a pair of eyes to peer out at her from the wall opposite them. The punishment would be harsh if she was caught associating even innocently with Sirius Black.

"Just open the wall, Black." Ismene replied, but paused for a moment before adding, "please."

He smiled before he tapped the brick and she stepped down from the bricks and began making her way down the street. "Don't I get a thanks?" Sirius shouted after her, but Ismene only raised a hand to acknowledge him. If her father had seen any of that, the damage was already done and she didn't want to do anymore.

Diagon Alley was all a bustle with wizarding families and Muggle-borns and their wide eyed parents alike walking in and out of the shops. When she was younger and her parents took her here on rare shopping trips before they ventured into Knockturn Alley, she had been enthralled by all of the colors. The street was bright with different stores selling colorful robes or the brightly colored cones from Fortescue's Ice Cream shop. She was still impressed by the simple charm that kept the tall ice cream cones from toppling over into the street. Her parents had always shuffled past anything like the ice cream shop or the sweet shop, claiming it was over run by the "wrong sort". She always knew they meant half-bloods or Muggle-borns. Ismene had never questioned them, but she unconsciously licked her lips when she saw a young boy carrying an ice cream that was blue and yellow. It looked delicious.

Ismene stuck her hand into the pocket of her robes and fumbled around until her fingers brushed a few pieces of hard metal. The silver Sickles were out of her pocket in a flash and for the first time in her life, she decided she was going to have herself an ice cream. Her mother had let her go to Diagon Alley on her own, perhaps out of anger or perhaps because at the age of fifteen she could go shopping for her own school supplies. The shop was crowded with people and Ismene felt the need to make herself as small as possible even going as far as to pulling her hood over her face. She didn't want anyone to recognize her, especially any Slytherins she knew who would call her a hypocrite for patronizing an establishment that catered to everyone.

She managed to go unnoticed for a few minutes before she felt a hand on her shoulder and she spun around. The green eyes and red hair that greeted her were friendly and Ismene felt her chest tighten. She had known Lily Evans for a few years because of double classes with Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. She was Muggle born and Ismene could almost smell it on her. But she was nice enough and completely ignorant of Ismene's family prejudice and she hadn't the heart to ignore Lily Evans who was one of the only people who was genuinely nice to her. Ismene had suffered many a punishment for talking to the girl after her father had warned her to stop. "Ismene!" Lily said, a smile on her face that ended in two dimples. "How has your summer been?"

Ismene shrugged. It was her typical summer. She was bullied by her father six days a week into practicing and studying Dark Arts. Lucius had tried to seduce her again for the sake of blood purity despite that no one in their family had ever married their first cousin before. They usually went to at least second cousins. She and her mother had fought often cursing each other until her father stopped them both. She had spent six weeks under the Imperius Curse doing her father's bidding as punishment for hexing her mother. And she knew her father had nominated her for some organization devoted to the Dark Arts, led by a man who had been gaining power for years. Lucius was already involved with Voldemort and Ismene dreaded the day she would be accepted. Secretly, she hoped that she would be considered unworthy, but her father would make sure that never happened. No daughter of his would be overlooked since her father considered it an honor to work for Voldemort.

So she finely settled with forcing a smile and saying, "It was fine, how was yours?"

Lily nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears. "It was nice, but I'm ready to get back to Hogwarts all the same. I'm a bit worried about taking the O.W.L.s this year though. Are they terribly hard?"

"If you study, they aren't." Ismene said, "And you're smart, I doubt you'll need to study."

The girl smiled. "Thanks." She said and turned to the people standing behind her. "Ismene, have you met my parents? This is my mum and dad."

Mr. Evans stuck out his hand and Ismene stared at it before waving at him. He let his hand drop, a small furrow forming in his brow. She had probably insulted him, but she could only imagine what her father would think if he found out she had touched a Muggle. She felt bad about it though since Mrs. Evans had stepped forward a few moments before that as if to hug her. "I…I…I've had a touch of dragon pox this summer." Ismene lied as if to excuse her actions, "it's contagious and I don't want you to possibly catch it."

"How dreadful." Mrs. Evans said, "Well I'm glad you are feeling well and it's nice to meet a friend of Lily's."

"It's nice to meet her parents." Ismene replied.

"Are yours around here?" Mr. Evan's asked, "I'd like to meet them."

Ismene shook her head as a flood of shock entered her body. She couldn't imagine what her father would do if he met the Evanses. He'd probably kill them on the spot. He had done it once when she had been younger on a trip to France, a French muggle had done something to irritate her father who promptly killed the man much to her horror. The other times he had done it horrified her significantly less, but they had always been duels he had been fighting. "They don't come to Diagon Alley often. We have house elves to do the shopping for us."

"House elves?" Mr. Evans asked and Lily patted his arm gently.

"They're like servants, Dad." She said, "Ismene's from a very old wizarding family."

"Are you now?" Mr. Evans said, "That's wonderful. We were surprised when Lily turned out to be a witch. We aren't sure how it happened. We don't even have a magician in the family."

"You've got a Squib somewhere in your family tree." Ismene said. "Squibs are children born to witches and wizards who don't have any magic. It's really rare, but they tend to integrate with Muggles and then generations later, the magic resurfaces." She took a step closer to the ice cream case before biting her lip and deciding that she needed to leave. She felt a pressure starting to ache in her chest and she knew her father had found out. He was a powerful wizard and must have placed a Taboo on a word. She thought for a moment and then remembered. She had said Muggles and that would have tipped him off. "I need to go." Ismene said hurriedly before stepping out of line without saying good bye to Lily and her family.

Once outside, the pressure seemed to vanish, but it was still there, a hollow aching in her chest. She decided to finish her shopping quickly and managed to get everything she needed from books to robes to potion ingredients. She even got a new set of Exploding Snap cards to replace her old ones whose edges were charred. The Leaky Cauldron was still crowded when she got back and she purchased a bit of Floo Powder to get herself back home. She reluctantly shouted out her address and was spat out in the sitting room fireplace.

Her father seized her by the scruff of her neck the second she got home.