Where Loyalties Lie
Prologue
"Family problems come in all shapes and sizes; some are short-lived and easily managed, while others are more chronic and difficult to handle." - Unknown
"I shall expect to hear you're getting good marks," a woman with a rather haughty look about her was saying. The blonde-haired girl standing before her nodded earnestly.
"Choose your allies wisely, Lyra." Lucius fixed steely gray eyes on his daughter, studying her expectantly.
Not friends. Allies.
"Yes, Father." Her voice was quiet and timid, almost like she'd forced the response out reluctantly.
"Mind Professor Snape, now," Narcissa added.
"Go on, or you won't be able to find a compartment without that blood traitor Weasley's brats inside of it."
That was it - no hug, no 'be sure to write', no tearful goodbyes. But then, that was always how it was at Malfoy Manor. As long as she behaved, they exchanged nothing more than polite greetings of 'yes, Father's and 'yes, Mother's. If she misbehaved - something both children were quick to learn not to do - well, that was a different story.
Lyra struggled to pull her trunk across the cobblestones to the train, banging her foot in the process and looking quite undignified. She had just managed to haul it up the first step into the train when a shrill cry reached her ears.
"Lyra! Lyra!" It was a small, nine year old blonde boy with features already sharp, even as a child - her one and only little brother.
"Draco, what are you doing?" She hissed. When she left, he'd been sulking half-way hidden behind their mother's leg. He'd been surly and rather bratty ever since she'd gotten her Hogwarts letter. Well... Brattier than usual, anyway.
"I-I just wanted to say bye," He muttered, ears tinged red as he kicked the stone floor. Looking back, she saw her father, eyes blazing with annoyance in the direction Draco had run towards. Narcissa was murmuring something to him, and Lucius crossed his arms over his chest, watching his two children with an extremely impatient look on his face.
Lyra crouched down so she was at her brother's height and ruffled his hair affectionately. Draco made a small noise of protest, but threw himself at her in a hug, anyway.
"Don't give father a reason to punish you, alright?" She said sternly, eying him until he nodded.
"Will you promise to write?"
"Of course."
"Pinky promise?"
Lyra's lips twitched. Draco seemed, for some reason, to always ask for pinky promises from his older sister - they were much more special, naturally. He never asked anyone else after he learned it 'wasn't proper'. The siblings still held the tradition, just between the two of them, though.
"Be good, squirt," She ruffled his hair again, then hopped up onto the train.
"Don't call me that!"
"Sure, squirt," Draco made a face at her, then took off in a swirl of black and green robes, racing back towards their parents.
The first years were now assembled in an anxious crowd, waiting their turn to get into the boats that would take them across the lake. Finally, it was her turn, and she had one leg stretched out to step into the wobbly boat when a body came crashing into her own. With a great splash, Lyra went underwater and came up sitting in lake mud next to a red-haired boy. There was another boy, one that looked exactly like the one next to her, laughing loudly on the bank.
"Watch where you're going, idiot!" She screamed, spitting out a clod of mud. The boy on the bank stopped laughing and gave her an odd look, while the rest of their class stared at the scene with wide eyes.
"We were just playing around, jeez -"
"-don't get your knickers in a twist!" The one next to her in the lake finished the sentence as he stood back up. Lyra was just about to snap something in response when the enormous man rounding the first years up arrived at their feet.
"Yeh alrigh'?" A huge hand came down and picked her up by the collar, setting her safely inside her boat with such force it felt like the vessel would sink.
"Fine!" She spat, glaring mutinously as the twins and another boy, one with dreadlocks, climbed into the boat. The rest of the ride, Lyra huddled in her corner as far away from them as she could get, shivering in her drenched robes.
And thus began the long enmity between Lyra Malfoy, and the Weasley twins.
Yes, I have other stories in progress already, and I've posted a new one. I had an idea, so here's the prologue - the next chapter is already started, and this will be updated when I'm inspired to write for it. Yes, this is an AU/Draco-has-a-sister story. But they're not twins, so rejoice! ;) Tell me what you think - reviews loved, critique welcome, flames will be used to toast s'mores for the reviewers and I!
EDITED 3/24/13 - Revised slightly to fix a few errors - thanks to my reviewers, and especially to Captain Boo Bear for pointing out a few things I'd missed!