Disclaimer: I don't own the universe of Harry Potter or the characters within it: JK Rowling does. All rights to her. No copyright intended. No profit is being made from this. I only own the original characters: Amelia Anne Scarlett, (her parents & grandparents), Andrea Pearce (or any other original characters you spot).

Title: Familiar Ties (mini-series)

Summary: Here's how Draco Malfoy and Amelia Scarlett lost and found themselves all the while finding out whether love could really overcome everything – even old family rivalries and financial statuses. Can Draco manage to earn the Gryffindor's affections before time runs out and if so will he have the courage to admit how he feels, or will he buckle under the pressure?

Rating: M

Word count: 3054 words

Warning/s: Nothing in this first chapter but following chapters will have mentions of sex.

Beta: Nope, all mistakes you find are my own.

Author's Note: I've decided to do 'Familiar Ties' as a BOOK ONE and 'Family Ties' as a BOOK TWO. I'll get around to editing it, so it fits with this story as well. Lots of love everyone! - El x

Familiar Ties

Chapter One

October 3rd, 1996

"How can you always be such a jerk?"

Draco Malfoy looked over to the brunette girl with an exasperated look.

She was standing with her tanned arms crossed, eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. She was leaning more onto her right leg, making herself appear a little shorter than usual. She never stood tall and that irritated him to the core. Her big, bold, brown eyes were looking up at him unblinking. Her stance was cold and unforgiving, much similar to his own. Her robes were hanging loosely by her sides and the Gryffindor emblem on the right, almost mocking him in a way. She wore a plain, grey, sewn down, plait skirt that sat above her knees and her white button-up shirt was no longer tucked into it anymore. The first three buttons were undone and her red and gold striped tie was hanging loosely from her neck. Draco hated that she never wore her uniform correctly and he often thought she did it just to annoy him. His uniform was always in pristine condition without a wrinkle in sight. His tie was always tied correctly. He cared more about outward appearances than Amelia Scarlett ever did.

"After all this time, it's clear you still can't wear your uniform correctly," Draco spat, ignoring her question. They often bickered in the hallways of Hogwarts. They fought almost as much as he and Harry Potter did. Maybe things would've been different if she'd been sorted into Slytherin. The Scarletts were a respectable Pureblood family that even despite the fact they had always been Gryffindors, they were still invited to all the festivals that were held by fellow families. They were upperclassmen, who knew not to step on toes and stick their noses into places they don't belong. Nicholas and Teresa Scarlett were impeccable people, that were well respected for their places in Wizarding society. Nicholas was a renowned Auror before settling into a high-paying Ministry role. He came from an extensive line of Scarletts, that had never stepped a toe out of line before. They were picture-perfect, and always married in the right ranks. Nicholas' mother, Penelope Scarlett, came from a respectable family, the Rosewaters. Her father, Joseph Rosewater, was a Slytherin and often drabbled in the Dark Arts from time to time which earned them a spot in the Malfoy's house of respect.

Despite Penelope becoming a Gryffindor and marrying a Scarlett, their connection still remained in tact with the Malfoys and Blacks. Her younger sister, Kimberley Rosewater, was sorted into Slytherin, turning fellow acquaintances into good friends. She was respected far greater than her elder sister. She was often involved in similar things to her father. Her actions earned her the affections of one William Pearce. He was best friends with a Black and her marriage to him was the greatest achievement the Rosewaters had under their belt. Penelope and Kimberley grew apart over the years they'd shared at Hogwarts. They chose different paths, but still made sure to keep their line pure.

The Newitts were thrilled with the news of betrothing Nicholas to their daughter, Teresa. Their lines would be kept pure and without the Dark Arts being involved. They feared dark times were ahead of them and staying on the side lines was the best option for their family. They refused to make enemies out of the Malfoys or the Blacks. Their mutual contact would keep them safe, despite the house differences.

Lucius Malfoy had been always remembered not to cut ties with the Scarletts, knowing that their contact came in handy at times. He knew that Nicholas was smart enough not to do anything stupid. But once Amelia was of age, Nicholas allowed her to make her own choices. This caused a rift between Lucius and Nicholas. Lucius forbid his son from ever interacting with Amelia again.

"They had made their choice," Lucius would say, reminding Draco and Narcissa that the Scarletts were now blood traitors for siding with the Potters. Draco was forbidden to see Amelia after that, having only known her a short year by then. He hardly remembered that they'd been friends at all as kids.

Teresa Scarlett had refused to sit back and allow a child to die for the Dark Lord's cause and their attempt to save the three lives on October 30th, 1981 earned the Scarletts the 'blood traitor' title. She gave her life to try to do something right for once. Nicholas had warned her against it, but she knew that she could never live with herself if it had been her child who was in danger.

Amelia would grow up without a mother and Nicholas would regret it for the rest of his life. He never attempted to patch up the broken ties with anybody, allowing himself to be seen as a blood traitor. Losing his wife was far worse than being one of them.

Draco and Amelia had no recollection of the year they'd spent as infants and when they got to Hogwarts the first night at eleven years of age, Draco only knew one thing, and so did she: "They were the bad guys. Stay away from them".

The Gryffindor's bravery always got the best of her at times. She often picked fights with Draco, whenever he did something awful to someone. His favourite targets were always the Gryffindors, especially the first years. At sixteen, Draco was growing into a truly awful person and Amelia resented him even more for it.

"At least I don't wear my uniform as if I've got a stick up my ass," retorted Amelia, smirking with one eyebrow arched in the blonde's direction. Draco often found himself, secretly, enjoying their banters in the dark hallways at night. Her insults always kept him hormones in check. It would remind him that despite how beautiful she was becoming, she was still the enemy. Her family had betrayed all of the purebloods, deciding to go their own way. That decision had moulded Amelia into the rule breaking misfit she was and had turned Draco into the rule abiding, perfect son. They had gone their separate paths and neither having a clue about the year they'd spent as infants.

You could hardly tell that they'd been best friends at the age of one by the way they detested each other at sixteen.

"It's called dressing appropriately, try it sometime, Scarlett," Draco said, spitting out her name as if it tasted like a vile substance. Amelia rolled her eyes, leaning back on the wall, regarding him for a moment with a curious glint in her eyes. It almost scared Draco a little but he didn't show it. She was up to something, as usual, and he knew he had to do something about it. If she about to break the rules again, Draco would be more than happy to notify a Professor.

"It's called having no sense of fun at all," Amelia said, looking up at Draco with a smirk placed on her lips. Draco willed himself not to notice the extra pinkness of her lips or the way they curled in such an enjoyable way. He scowled instantly, to distract himself from the heat of her breath along his face. He tried not to notice that they were now standing rather closely, staring at each other: one with a look of curiosity and the other one of mild annoyance.

"I have plenty of fun," he gruffly replied, standing back from her. He rolled his eyes, "It's past curfew, don't you have something better to be doing such as sleeping?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at the brunette. She smirked back, "Have you ever snuck out of Hogwarts past curfew, Malfoy?"

"No," he replied instantly, "That would render me a detention and I don't particularly enjoy spending my Saturdays with Professor Snape."

Amelia laughed, and Draco realised that he'd never actually heard her laugh. She was always yelling at him and telling him off for the stupid things he did to Potter. Her laugh was kind of nice and that made Draco feel uncomfortable. He tried to forget the sound but realised he couldn't.

"Let's get out of here, Malfoy. I'll show you how to take that stick out of your ass."

Draco scowled again, and Amelia took off down the hallways. He tried to tell himself to turn around and go back to the dungeons, his Prefect rounds were over, and he should be in bed now. He knew that if they were caught passed curfew, they'd both get detention. He couldn't afford another one but despite the mental protests he was having, his feet still walked in the direction he'd seen her disappear to.

"Scarlett, you're going to get us both in trouble. Get back here!"

He finally caught up with her and she was standing in front of the doors to leave Hogwarts. She was standing in front of them, smirking. She had that mischievous glint in her eyes that was almost always present. She was too busy breaking rules to have ever earned herself a prefect badge. Draco knew she didn't care though. It was obvious Hermione Granger was always going to get it. She had strived for it the entire time they'd been there, and Amelia instead had strived to keep the light in the castle from burning out.

"What are you doing," Draco asked, slowly, approaching her. Her hand was reached out, on the door opener. She was about to do something Draco thought would get them more than just one detention. His eyes widened as she began opening the door. "Don't do that," he said quickly, "What would you want with the front side of Hogwarts? There's nothing for miles," he said, trailing off until he realised. Judging by the look she shot him, he was more than right.

"You want to visit the Muggle village? Why in Merlin's name would you ever want to do that?"

Draco was beginning to panic, and he didn't realise his voice had gotten louder. He was alerting some of the paintings and they were getting upset for being woken up.

Amelia shushed him, "Yes, now be quiet. They're actually a lot of fun," she said. She opened the door just enough for the both of them to shuffle through. Draco was having second thoughts. "I don't think this is a promising idea," he said, shaking his head. "Snape will murder me," he added. "Your godfather will get over it," she replied, smirking. "Don't you ever want to see what's out there? Don't you want to see what else the world has to offer than just the Wizarding one?" Amelia asked, staring at Draco, giving him a chance to say no but hoping he'd say yes.

Draco shuffled on his feet, still standing in Hogwarts. Amelia was standing outside, the door a little ajar. Her hand started reaching out, "Don't you ever want to see how beautiful the world is without magic ever having to be involved?"

"Not particularly," he answered but still found himself pushing passed her, ignoring her hand. Draco scowled, hating that his curiosity was getting the better of him. "I promise you won't regret it," she whispered into the chilly air. She walked off and Draco followed silently for a moment. "I'm going to regret this," Draco commented to himself with a scowl and Amelia didn't warrant it with a response.

Before they both knew it, they'd reached the Muggle village.

They had decorations up and fairy lights. There was pumpkins everywhere and fake spiders hanging from all of the light poles. Draco had never seen a more beautiful sight in his entire life. He had no idea muggles celebrated Halloween as well. It was a bit early for celebrations and it was clear that they hadn't finished decorating yet. The streets looked deserted at the moment, but the lights were still on and bright. Draco couldn't help but wonder why he'd never stepped outside of his comfort zone like this before.

"It's," Draco said, struggling to talk. "Beautiful," Amelia whispered, smiling. "This time every year they begin decorating the village and on October 31st, they do their annual Halloween festival. The streets are covered in people and there is a smile on everybody's faces. There is more to life than just our world, Malfoy."

"I suppose," he stated, drily. He didn't want her to know that he wasn't regretting this as much as before. "This is just one of the beautiful things that will cease to exist next year," Amelia said, almost expecting Draco to ignore her. She took a seat down on the park bench, feeling nostalgic about this village.

She'd come here a few times with her father before she was old enough to go to Hogwarts. They blended in well with the crowd and she enjoyed the Halloween festival immensely. She'd made so many friends and she almost hardly noticed the absence of her mother. Nicholas and Teresa used to attend the Halloween Festival every year before the latter had died. Teresa had taken little Amelia once, but Amelia was far too young to remember, she could hardly talk. Amelia was merely four months old when Halloween had rolled around that year. Nicholas still found that October 31st, 1980, was his favourite Halloween of all. His family had been whole and happy. This festival was supposed to be Teresa's thing that she wanted to pass down to Amelia. Nicholas still took her every year despite his wife death in 1981. He wanted to keep her memory alive, her legacy would always be the little muggle facts Nicholas had learned from her and in return shared with their daughter.

Amelia was bursting with knowledge about the muggle world. She even carried the muggle currency around with her, in case she ever wanted to visit the village again.

"What do you mean?" Draco's question started Amelia out of memory lane. Draco came to sit down on the bench as well, making sure to sit on the opposite end to her, so that they weren't sitting close together. "Because of what You-Know-Who is doing," she whispered, almost terrified of have the conversation with Draco Malfoy. The blonde boy shuffled awkwardly, his dark mark itching under his clothes. He knew what she was talking about, but he didn't stop her.

"He won't stop until he's killed everything beautiful about the world. He won't stop until he's killed every muggle on this earth, Malfoy," Amelia said, frowning. "There is more to life than the war he is brewing. He wants a war with everybody, even the muggles. The ones who have no idea we even exist and shouldn't be thrusted into the problems of our world. You-Know-Who is making enemies in places he shouldn't."

"You talk as if you know what he's got planned," Draco carefully asked. "I don't know the details, but I know that there is a war knocking on our front doors. When this war ends, if it ever does, there will be no more beauty for the next generations to experience," She said, thinking carefully of her next words. Draco didn't move a muscle, terrified he'd been found out. "This is our legacy, Malfoy," she added, gesturing to the fancy decorations and fairy lights. "What we do today, determines who we will be in the future. If we don't survive this war, we have to think about who we will be remembered as." Amelia stood up, "Can you live with yourself if you're only remembered for being that bigheaded bully?"

Draco couldn't believe he'd heard those words.

"Because I know there's more to you than just Harry Potter's enemy," Amelia said, biting her lip. Draco stood up, staring at her, unsure what to respond to her allegations. "You're Draco Malfoy, son of Narcissa Black, there is so much more to you than what meets the eye."

Draco wondered for a moment why she referred to his mother by her maiden name. His father may have been in Azkaban but that didn't mean his mother was getting a divorce. He'd always dreamt of wanting that mark that bears his forearm. He wanted to make his father proud, follow in the footsteps of his ancestors. He thought it was where he was heading and that it was inevitable. Draco always knew that he had to do what was expected of him and never step a toe out of line. He always did everything he was told to do. Joining the Death Eaters was just another thing expected of him while his mother protested, his father seemed proud of him. Draco had only ever wanted to make his father proud, to be good enough to hold the Malfoy name. He didn't realise that he'd always wanted someone to look just a little further than expectations, families and his hatred of Potter. He wanted someone to see him, Draco without the Malfoy. Nobody ever seemed to care enough to but somehow Amelia made it sound like she'd been doing that for six years, trying to work him out. He wasn't sure if he felt violated or grateful.

"Draco," Amelia said, making Draco's eyes dart to her. She'd never used his first name before and that made him feel uncomfortable. "Stop thinking your life ends here, that your choices are no longer your own. You can still be somebody that makes yourself proud to look in the mirror every morning. It's up to you," Amelia said, standing on her tippy toes and went to softly kiss his cheek. He turned, shocked and accidentally locked lips with her.

Draco vaguely took notice of how soft and sweet her lips were and that the kiss was gentle and kind. He wasn't used to such gestures. Pansy Parkinson always kissed like a sloppy squid. She was rough and always managed to piss Draco off. Amelia, on the other hand, seemed to be a great kisser for the few seconds their lips had mashed together.

Redness appeared on both of their cheeks, hoping the other would only think it was from the cold.

They quickly pulled apart, muttering a few things to themselves. They walked back to the castle hurriedly without a word passed between them.

Silently agreeing to themselves that tonight was a mistake and they would never talk about it again.