Chapter 1: The Girl Who was a Squib

Pax Malfoy-Griffin had never believed that she was a witch. Her parents insisted that she was, but by the time she was ten, they had begun to doubt it. She had never shown any signs of being one, and her parents suspected she was a Squib like her father.
Mrs. Ariana Malfoy was Lucius Malfoy's younger sister, and indeed, had the whitish blonde hair that seemed to be characteristic of all Malfoys. Her blue eyes sparkled in contrast to her creamy white skin. She was a proficient witch, and was a secretary for the Minister of Magic. She was quite happy with her husband, even though the other Malfoys had disowned her for marrying a Squib and dirtying the pure wizard family line.
Mr. Caleb Griffin was an American who was quite confused about England in general and was happy to let his wife deal with anything that had to do with money or politics. He had light brown hair and jolly green eyes, and was usually laughing about something or other. Every morning as Pax came into the kitchen he would sweep her up in a hug and chortle, "good morning, my little peacemaker!" and sit her down at the table for some breakfast, usually made by him.
Her mother was usually away at work, so it was just them, living in their cottage in Godric's Hollow.
She always listened attentively when her father told her of their dear friends, the Potters. Lily and James had died just a few days after she was born. Being so young, she had never gotten to truly meet their son, Harry. She could only hope that someday, they could meet, and that, wherever he was, he was fine and still living.
Every morning, after breakfast, they would visit the Potter's tombs in the graveyard. She always picked wildflowers and laid them on the stone, their colorful colors a bright, cheery contrast to the creamy white marble.
If it was winter, she would make little snowmen and put them upon the headstones, solemnly observing them for a moment before asking her dad to tell her their story again. He would smile and comply while sadly contemplating the tombstones. She would ask a million questions she already knew the answer to, but asked anyway because she loved hearing all the answers again. And as they walked away from the graveyard, she would always wave goodbye, imagining the couple from the statue waving back at her.
As a child with a magical background, she would try to make something unusual happen, such as having a pine cone grow legs or making a flower bloom before it was ready. Nothing ever happened, and after her 7th birthday, she gave up trying and lived with the fact that she was a Squib for the next four years.
So it was to her surprise when, two days after her birthday, and just as the Dursleys received Harry's first letter, an owl swooped into the Malfoy-Griffin's house, hooting impatiently and clicking its beak. She cautiously approached it, since her family rarely received Owl Mail, and even then, it was always for her mother. She looked around for her father, but then remembered that he had gone fishing with a friend of his and wouldn't be back until dinnertime.
She rewarded the owl with a piece of bacon from her plate, which it happily gobbled down as she removed the parchment from its leg. In golden cursive writing on the front was her name. Her curiosity was quickly aroused, but she put it aside for her father to look at when he returned. She wandered back up to her room, where to her amazement, another owl was waiting. She grabbed a small treat and gave it to the owl, which hooted and flew away.
Pax read the letter carefully. It was from her mother, and read:
My dear Pax,
If an owl comes by today with a parchment with your name written on it in gold ink, DON'T open it. We can look at it together when I get home this afternoon. Tell your father I'll be getting home early.
Love, Mother

P.S. there should be another owl arriving at about noon. Do not open that one, either.
Pax blinked. Her mother never came home early unless it was an emergency. What could possibly be in that mystery letter with her name on it? After some pondering, she came up with a conclusion: whatever that letter said was going to change their lives, whether for better or worse, she couldn't tell.