-Chapter 1-
A young woman sat curled up in an oversized cushioned chair in a big office inside of the Ministry of Magic. Her long silky black hair hung down in loose curls, almost completely covering her face from view, while her bright green eyes scanned a letter she appeared to be reading. Her legs were toned and tan as they hung loosely over the side of the chair, while her soft girly giggles floated around the room. From an outsider she looked like a young 16 year old girl, carefree, lovable, friendly, and caring girl, no one would guess she were Allison Potter, the girl-who-lived.
"Allison!" a sharp voice interjected as the door to the office swung open and in stepped her father, looking agitated as usual with his black hair looking wilder than ever.
James Potter, most eligible bachelor in Great Britain, Head Auror, record holder of most Death Eaters captured, and who could forget father of the girl who lived. As loving as a father as he was, he tended to put his work above his family, which in his case was his daughter, and his two best friends.
Ally's sharp green eyes looked up from her letter, looking slightly bored at the sight of her father.
"Shouldn't you be at home?" he questioned, barley sparing her a glance as he started shuffling through the papers in his office.
Her eyes narrowed as she spoke in a slightly defensive voice, "You told me to meet you in your office last night at dinner."
James just grunted in response as he finished shuffling through the papers.
Ally sighed, leaning her head back as she kicked her legs back and forth off the side of the chair.
While her father continued to act as though she wasn't even in the office, she let her mind wander to a faraway place. Ally was her father's pride and joy, he spent almost every waking moment with her, her accomplishments were his happiness, heck he practically worshiped the ground she walked on. Then 2 years ago he was promoted to Head Auror of the Ministry of Magic, everyone was thrilled, but soon his time with Ally was shortened, and his day work filtered over to night work, dinner's turned into work talk, and Qudditch matches, ice cream dates, and letters stopped. Ally thought at first it would soon smooth over and his time more evenly spaced, but 2 years had passed it continued to happen. Sirius and Remus would tell her he was overwhelmed by work, or he really wanted to be wherever he wasn't, but they all know what the real reason was.
2 years ago word of a Voldemort comeback had reached the Ministry's ears, people started to disappear randomly, attacks would happen that no one could explain in the Muggle World. This caused James Potter to revert back to 14 years ago when his wife was murdered, the anger and resentment he held deep inside him released, and he couldn't seem to get a hold of anything else. Then last year Voldemort had returned, and Ally had come face to face with him in a Graveyard during the Triwizard Tournament. A boy from her school was killed in the Graveyard right next to her, and since then the amount of time her Dad spent working increased even more.
Her mother passed away when she was a little over a year old, James was at Hogwarts speaking to Albus Dumbledore about switching secret keepers when Voldemort attacked their home with Lily and Ally inside. No one knows still to this day how Lily died and Ally lived, however it was something not discussed in the Potter-Black-Lupin household.
Deep down Ally knew until Voldemort was taken down for good her father wasn't going to go back to his normal fun self, and she also knew she was the only one who could make that happen, something her father didn't seem to understand or want to understand.
"Have you eaten today?" her father's voice woke her out of her dark thoughts.
"Dad I'm not 5 anymore." She said, fighting the urge to roll her eyes "Was this all you wanted to discuss?"
She use to love being in her Dad's office, it use to be filled of her pictures she drew him or cards she gave him, it use to be cheerful and warm, now it was cold and had pictures of newspaper clippings covering up those old memories, she didn't even think her picture sat on his desk anymore, she thought it was probably stuffed deep in his desk. Now she avoided his office, because it hurt too much to remember the fun they use to have here.
James finally looked up hearing the annoyance in his daughter's voice. Sometimes it still surprised him to stare into the eyes of his beautiful 16 year old daughter who was defiantly not the cute little 5 year old waddling around beside him anymore. She grew up so fast, into a beautiful young woman.
"What are you wearing?" he suddenly asked eyeing her outfit with narrowed eyes.
Ally looked down at her white shorts and grey blazer, matched with a pair of wedges that have her short 5'4 figure into a taller 5'6 figure. "What do you mean?" she asked placing her hands on her hips.
"Did you leave the house last night and forget to tell me?"
"What are you-" she questioned before he threw the morning paper at her.
It was a picture from the night before, she was in Diagon Ally with the Weasley boys and a few friends from school, they were laughing at something as the group drank Butterbeers. Normally the picture wouldn't be that off, except for the fact that the picture was taken at 2am, with a headline that read 'MISS POTTER OUT WITH YOUNG MEN, IS SHE GOING TO RUIN HER CHANCES AT COURTSHIP NEXT YEAR?'
James opened his mouth to speak when a voice spoke over him.
"My two favorite people in the world!" Sirius Black spoke, as he swung the office door open with Remus Lupin trailing behind him.
James nodded in response turning back to his daughter who had a bright smile on her face directed towards his two best friends.
"How was your day?" Ally asked as she hugged Remus tightly from his side.
"Eventful that is for sure," he grumbled kissing the top of her head.
Sirius pouted beside the two, all three unaware of the glare they were receiving from James.
"Where is my hug?" Sirius whined.
Ally smiled, before walking over and practically got tackled by Sirius, "Sirius!" she laughed as he squeezed her tightly, "You are going to suffocate me!"
"Allison, we were speaking!" James' angry voice cut through the three's laughter.
Ally was immediately released from Sirius' grip and turned to meet her father's angry eyes.
"Yes?" she questioned biting her lip slightly at his angry glare.
"I think we still need to discuss that you went out last night and didn't tell me, that these newspaper articles are painting a bad picture of you-"
Running a hand through her long hair she sighed in agitation, "Look I'm sorry I went out with my friends, but I really don't care what those papers say about me-"
James looked furious with her statement, "Well you should Allison, I don't know how many times I have to tell you when you are here or if you are out in Diagon Alley, you need to act like a proper lady-"
"Dad!" Ally growled, her face turning red as her anger started to build up.
"People are watching you Allison, they watch everything you do, they want to see a proper lady, not some girl drinking at a pub with random men!"
"I don't give a damn what those papers say dad-And those aren't random men, they are my friends-"
"Don't you interrupt me!" James roared standing from his desk and causing Sirius and Remus to stiffen slightly. "You best care Allison Potter, you only have a year before your courtship starts, and no prestigious heir will want to be with some crazy teenager who hasn't a care in the world!"
"Since when is it about a courtship?" Ally growled, tears starting to form in her eyes, "What about being young, what about being able to be a teenager and having fun?"
"You are 15 years old and it is about time-"
"I'm 16 Dad!" Ally screamed, causing Sirius and Remus to wince at the sound of her voice breaking, "I turned 16 last week, not that you remembered-"
"Allison-"
Tears were now falling down her cheeks freely, and she wiped them away in agitation, "Merlin Dad its Ally, everybody calls me Ally! I don't want to hear your excuses anymore Dad, I want to live a little and be with my friends, I want to be happy!"
James looked lost for words as she spoke.
"You tell me to act proper and be something that I'm not, but Dad I'm happy I'm not like those stupid girls I see in the newspaper who are the perfect courtship girl," she said, wiping more tears from her eyes, "You can't even remember your own daughter's birthday and yet you remember meetings all across the world every day."
"Allison-"
Ally shook her head at the name, sighing, "If Mum were here you wouldn't be like this-"
"That's enough!" James yelled, his voice practically shaking the walls around them.
"No!" Ally yelled back, her body shaking with anger, "It's the truth! If Mum were here you would be a normal Dad again instead of acting like a crazy all business no play man you have become now!"
"Guys-"Remus tried intervening.
"Don't speak of your mother Allison!" James growled his eyes hardening as he watched the angry figure of his daughter.
"She was my mother I can speak about her all I want!" she yelled back, her hair swinging wildly side to side.
"GET OUT!"
Ally froze at his words.
"James!" Sirius voice sounded stern and angry.
"I said get out Allison."
Ally turned and fled the office before Sirius or Remus could make a grab for her. She ran down the hall ignoring the looks she received from others at the office and ran until she entered an empty corridor. Leaning against the wall she wiped the tears from her cheeks furiously.
"Stupid Prick!" she growled, kicking the wall from behind.
"Merlin Potter I don't even say a word and already you call me a Prick-" a deep husky voice came from a few feet away from her.
Looking up she spotted the handsome figure of Draco Malfoy, leaning comfortably against the opposite wall. His blonde hair sat perfectly atop his head, while his eyes looked deep and dark, with a lazy smirk on his face.
Ally sighed, turning slightly to wipe her eye makeup from under her eyes, she thanked Merlin that it was dimly light in this corridor, "What do you want Malfoy?"
Draco eyed her slightly, his smirk still in place, "Funny finding you in this section Potter, normally you are off parading around with the Auror's."
Ally continued to stare straight ahead, watching as Malfoy watched her curiously. "Well I am here." She said, her voice tight as she fought to keep it from wavering.
Draco stayed quiet for a few minutes, watching as his school nemesis looked ready to crumble at any moment. He had never seen her upset, hell the only emotion the girl actually showed was happiness, besides when she was angry at something, in fact he saw that quite a bit, normally directed towards himself.
Shifting, Ally started to feel slightly awkward at the fact that her number one rival stood just a few feet away from them and still had yet to mock or make a comment on her shaking figure. However she felt slightly grateful for his quietness, if this had been any of her friends she would be questioned up and down, left and right, it gave her a moment to breathe, and collect herself.
"What are you doing here Malfoy?" she finally asked after taking a few deep breaths.
Stepping away from the wall so he was standing at his full 6'3 height, he took a step closer, causing Ally to take one back, "I was just giving my father a moment alone with his business partner, and you stumbled down this hall."
Ally just stayed quiet, running a hand through her long hair.
"Well great chat Potter, but I must be going; I actually have a life to get back too."
Ally stayed quiet, not bothering to respond.
"Potter," his voice had her turning at the sound of normalcy in his voice, "Don't let these people," he indicated, his arms spread out to the walls and down the hall where a light chatter was heard, "bring you down, don't let them change you into one of those people."
Her mouth dropped open in surprise at his clear and honest words.
"Bye Potter."
Ally just nodded her head, watching as Draco walked away, an air of sophistication around him. She stayed in the hallway lost in thought about Draco, why he didn't mock her; surprised that she didn't mind his company at that moment, before she heard the sound of two people calling her name. Taking a deep breath she ran barley even stopping at the floo before she was swished away to her home.
