Chapter One: Among Friends
If she had been given the option to skip over one day of her life, Amelia thought this would be it. Tonight, her parents were holding a ball at Malfoy Manor to celebrate her first year at Hogwarts. Along with a surely glorious meal, there would be dancing, performances, and to top everything off: her wand ceremony.
None of this would have been a problem if she didn't have to be there. In fact, for most of the party, she was planning on hiding away in a corner. However, the wand ceremony would require her to be front and center with everyone's eyes glued on her.
Narcissa Malfoy combed through her daughter's golden hair calmly. She looked at her contentedly, a quiet smile on her face.
"You look beautiful, my dear."
Amelia looked up at her timidly, "Thank you, Mother."
"Are you nervous for tonight?" She set the hairbrush down and sat beside her. "You shouldn't be. Everyone is here to celebrate you and what you will become for us."
That's exactly what made her nervous. "What if they don't like what they see?"
"If they don't, they can grow to like you. You may not always make a great first impression but I know you and love you. And," she paused to kiss Amelia's head, "if anyone should stir trouble, they shall have to speak with me. Tonight, you will get your wand and become the witch your father and I raised you to be."
Amelia bit her lip, "Yes, Mother."
Narcissa smiled down at her, "You're ready. Let's make our appearance or your father will have something to say."
Amelia took her mother's outstretched hand. She followed along until they reached the ballroom. One of the house elves swept the door open for them.
"Thank you, Jouli." Amelia said politely.
The young house elf blushed and looked down at the ground, "My pleasure Miss Malfoy."
Amelia could feel her mother's eyes on her. Whenever she was caught showing kindness to the house elves, she was reprimanded and punished later.
"That's no way to be a mistress in our household, Amelia." Her father would say, "You need a firm tone with them or they'll think they can walk all over you." Sometimes Amelia wondered if she was even capable of using a firm tone or being mean to anyone at all.
When she and her mother entered the ballroom, Amelia's father, Lucius Malfoy, greeted them with a wide smile. He gave his wife a kiss on the cheek and his daughter a kiss on the forehead.
"You look nice tonight, Amelia. Your mother's helping hand can do wonders." He leaned closer to her and whispered, "I hope you'll be on your best behavior tonight, darling."
"Yes, Father." She whispered back.
His stare on her relaxed and he cleared his throat, which somehow caught the attention of the whole room. Everyone was seated. The whole room was quiet as the magnificent Lucius Malfoy stood before them, his commanding presence filling the room.
"Tonight," he said, holding up his wine glass, "is a momentous night. This is the eve on which my only daughter, my youngest child, leaves for Hogwarts. She will learn from the best to continue the legacy carried out before her. I have great faith that she will excel in everything she does thanks to the guidance of her older brother, Draco, and those involved in the proud house of Slytherin."
A few people cheered at this. Amelia's insides shriveled. She could feel the eyes of everyone in the room glancing at her. She wondered if they could see the sweat stains soaking through her dress.
"With that said, Amelia has yet to receive her wand. I have called upon Ollivander, the greatest wand maker in the country, to provide my daughter with the wand that will carry her to her future."
Amelia watched as an extremely old man came forward. He brought with him a huge selection of wands on an enormous cart. A pair of her father's friends rushed forward to assist him.
"Miss Malfoy." Ollivander said, bringing out measuring tape. It magically came to life and began to take note of every part of her body. When it was done, he started mumbling to himself. He rifled through the seemingly randomly stacked wands, his fingers dancing over the complicatedly marked boxes.
Finally, he pulled out a box and dusted off the top.
"Hawthorne. 10 ½ inches. Dragon heartstring."
Amelia looked down at it as she held it in her hand.
"Give it a wave."
She did. And nothing happened. He swiped it out of her hand and gave her another one to try. It didn't work either, and a glass across the room shattered.
"No, definitely not."
The next wand he presented her with was a very simple, lightly colored wood shaped with a slight bend.
"Cherry. 10 inches. Phoenix feather. A great wand for charm work."
As soon as the wand was placed in her hands, she felt warmth spread from her fingers all the way down to her toes. It filled her chest and she smiled.
"I believe that's the one, sir." Ollivander said to her father.
"Excellent. How much?"
"Eight galleons, sir."
Lucius nodded and pulled out the money, practically throwing it at the old man. Ollivander humbly packed up his things and started out of the ballroom.
"So now she is a proper witch and I would like to make a toast." Her father said, holding up his glass of wine, "To Amelia. Let fortune follow her and bless her with a stable education. Let her thrive in Slytherin House."
"Hear, hear!" the guests cried, "To Amelia!"
She blushed and hid her face.
The party continued and the attention of the room was no longer trained on her, Amelia was able to join her brother and his friends with relief.
"Draco, please tell Father to leave me alone. Doesn't he know what this is doing to me?" She tugged on her sleeves self-consciously. "Why did the wand ceremony have to be in front of everybody?"
Draco smiled lovingly at his little sister, "He's just proud of you is all. You've done really well with the homeschooling. He just expects a lot out of you and can't wait to see it happen. You know how he likes to flaunt things. He's just showing you off."
"I'm not a show pony." Amelia grumbled, crossing her arms and sitting beside him.
Her brother glanced at his friends. They took off a few seconds later. "Listen, I know you hate being the center of attention. I know you'd rather be hiding somewhere in the library right now. Father knows that too. Why do you think he added that whole wing to the family library last year? That was for you! It just catches him off guard because you're so different from the rest of us. He's still learning."
Amelia looked up at him through her eyelashes, "Are you certain? Sometimes I feel like he hates me. He always seems to prefer you."
Draco shrugged, "I don't know everything that goes through his head. But there's no reason for you to worry about it. Just trust me."
Amelia sighed, "I do trust you. You're my brother."
They were quiet for just a few minutes before another thought came to her head, "I'm dreading tomorrow. What if I don't end up in Slytherin."
Draco looked stunned, "What a ridiculous idea! Of course you'll be in Slytherin. You're a Malfoy aren't you?" Before Amelia could answer, he continued. "You are. There's no way you'll end up anywhere else. I can promise you that everything will end up like it's supposed to."
Amelia looked at him uncertainly, "If you're sure…"
"I am. Everything is going to work out. And tomorrow is going to be the first day of the rest of your life."