Prologue: Origins
(Wiltshire, England 1990)
A small girl with unruly, ebony curls and bright hazel eyes dramatically flopped onto an over-stuffed chair as she finished reading her book for the third time that day. The eight-year-old had been confined to the Conservatory at Malfoy Manor for at least an hour or three, having been tossed into the large, glass-walled room by her older brother Theodore and his best friends- Draco and Blaise. She was under strict instruction to stay put for fear the evil, scary house elf would catch her and bite her ears clean off!
The room was large and exorbitantly decorated, which was to be expected, considering the state of the Manor itself; a looming, oppressive statement of the wealth and power the Malfoy family possessed.
The small girl stood, her shoes making a slight tap, tap, tap against the marble flooring. She walked over to an animated globe twice the size of her head, on a stand that was charmed to adjust to the height of whomever stepped up to it. She grinned as the stand shrunk at least eight inches until she was face to face with the large orb. The globe itself had been charmed, presenting bright, twinkling, white lights in representation of all of the Magical Beings in the world, and slightly more muted green lights to represent all the muggles.
Small hands reached out to spin the globe to a particularly bright spot shining with white, glittering lights in the highlands of Scotland. The child grinned, her fingertips dancing over the spot, a smile on her face. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It wouldn't be long now, just under three years until she would get her letter in the mail, offering her a place amongst the other magical youth, the future of the Wizarding World.
More time passed as she explored the room. It was large, with two walls made of glass looking out over the impressive grounds of the Malfoy Estate. Perfectly maintained landscaping covered everything from intimidating statues draped in moss and ivy, to pristine flower beds, each punctuated with an enchanted garden gnome. She knew from experience that the horrid little creatures would give an ungodly screech should you attempt to pluck a bud from a plant or Merlin forbid, walk in the flower beds. The large ornate chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting glittering lights across the room, giving just enough light to make the atmosphere serene and reflective. Two massive bookcases manned the opposite walls, though the girl didn't have the patience for reading such grown up things, and it wasn't long before the small girl found herself needing the restroom. She suddenly felt nervous, knowing there wasn't a toilet in the Conservatory, and it had been quite some time since she'd heard her brother and his friends nearby.
She tiptoed towards the door, as if even being near it was an offense itself. She turned the handle gingerly, cringing when a loud creak wheezed from the old hinges. A small curly head poked out into the hallway. "Theo?" she whispered, turning to look down each side of the hallway, not a single soul anywhere in sight. "Theo? Theo, I have to go to the bathroom!" she said, her voice a little bit louder than before, the girl's nerves serving to make her need more urgent. "Theo please!" the child finally huffed and stepped out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Surely the boys couldn't fault her for needing to use the restroom?
She remembered the way towards the fireplace in the main foyer, from which they'd arrived, so she went in the opposite direction, wishing it was common practice to have restroom signs in homes like it was in Diagon Alley.
Turning a corner, the child let out a small squeak as she came face to face with a mounted head of a rather terrifying looking beast. Taking measured steps backward, she continued down the hallway, spying a stream of light coming from a barely opened door into the darkened hallway. Maybe there was someone inside who could tell her if there was a lavatory nearby? She walked towards the door, relief flooding her as she heard voices coming from within.
Standing outside the door, she peeked in, seeing two men wearing casual robes, one with long platinum blonde hair and cold, grey eyes. The child recognized him immediately- Mr. Malfoy, Draco's father. The other had shoulder length stringy black hair and a rather pointed nose. She'd seen the man before on occasion, but had never met him personally. He was a close friend of her father, and Draco's too, apparently.
"Surely retirement isn't a foreign concept to anyone over there? How many teachers do they have over there at that school, over a hundred years of age? Its insane!" Mr. Malfoy boomed; his brow narrowed in irritation. "My son will be joining the student body next year, and the lack of knowledgeable, capable staff at that school is an embarrassment!" he barked, causing the child to shrink back and step on a floorboard that let out a whine of protest. She flinched, and cowered back behind the door. She was terrified of Mr. Malfoy in his pleasant moods, so the child was certain she had no desire to speak with him whatsoever when he was in a cross one.
She dared to peek back around the door, her eyes widening when she found the man she feared staring right at her.
"Draco! How many times have I told you to not eavesdrop on my private conversations?!" the man boomed, flicking his hand, sending the door flying open, knocking the girl onto her bottom with a loud cry, her hands covering her face.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I was just looking for the bathroom!" she said, tears involuntarily streaming down her cheeks.
Mr. Malfoy sighed, pressing two fingers to the bridge of his nose. He raised his wand to his adam's apple and called out, his voice amplified by magic. "DRACO!"
The girl kept her face covered, her tears and blush too traitorous to show. She heard the loud pounding of someone running towards the office. They skidded to a stop, and a loud moan left the person behind her. "Thalia? How did you- Nevermind. Father, my apologies, she was supposed to be in the Conservatory," the 10-year-old huffed, his arms crossed about his chest.
"And I believe I overheard your mother ask you and your friends to keep an eye on her," the man with the pointed nose stated, rising an eyebrow at the boy, nodding his head towards the girl cowering in the doorway. "Fix it."
The boy huffed, his lips narrowed into a scowl as he tapped the girl's shoulder, offering her his hand and pulling her up. Thalia clamored onto her knees and stood, brushing off her bum and wiping her nose. "I-I'm sorry I bothered you, Mister Malfoy," Thalia stuttered, feeling incredibly awkward as Draco grabbed her elbow and dragged her out of the room.
"I used a charmed key on that door, Thalia, how'd you get out?" the boy asked harshly, feeling his throat tighten. He didn't like the idea that the small, breakable girl had been so close to his father.
"I dunno… just pulled I guess. Wait, you locked me in?" she cried incredulously. "That's not nice at all!"
The boy shrugged. "Didn't want you wandering about, lot of good it did anyhow." he said, opening a door and gesturing to the toilet. "There you go, the kitchens are down the hall on the left if you're hungry," he said, moving to walk in the opposite direction. "Oh, and by the way—congratulations on your first bit of magic, Little Snake," he said, smirking at her, and the girl beamed as she ran into the toilet, closing the door behind her.