Just a few quick notes:

To those of you who read For All the World to Fall and are freaking out because I'm writing a new story but not updating that one, chill I'll update. It's summer now so I'm going to get somewhere so that when school hits I have a plot line.

As far as this story goes! There are some artistic licenses at play. So if I don't stick to cannon don't call me on it unless you think I made a huge mistake!

Draco Malfoy stepped in front of the floor length mirror in the front hall of his home and checked his suit for the fifth time that hour. It was still midnight black with a deep blue tie and shiny golden cuff links. He shook out his sleeves to rid them of wrinkles and adjusted his tie so it hung perfectly straight even though it wasn't crooked originally. He focused on his reflection for a moment then sighed and walked back to his chair in the den, sitting next to his father with a slightly undignified plop.

Lucius Malfoy turned to his child and stared him down. They'd been over his attitude every time the boy walked to the mirror and Lucius was getting tired of it. He was one step away from cursing Draco into falling in line. He rolled his cane in his hand for a second, letting the cool touch of the black lacquer calm him before letting out the breath that he had been holding and dropping the silver coated bottom on the floor with an audible 'clack'.

"Draco." He said, never letting his eyes stray from the fireplace.

Draco dropped his perfectly straight posture and leaned his elbow on the armrest, bringing his hand to lean against his cheek and shifting his weight to his right side. "Father I simply cannot understand why I need to be here for this. I mean sure this is the child of the Dark Lord and I can understand that it would benefit us for me to get to know them before we go to Hogwarts this year but I simply-."

Lucius cut him off sharply. "You say that you understand all of that and yet you continue to question me. I understand that you would rather be off with your friends but is it not enough that I've allowed you to invite them over later? Must you spend every second with them?"

Draco shook his head and heeded. He knew that his father's tone spoke volumes of what would be done to him if he didn't stop bugging him about it. He let a stream of air flow from his lungs and continued to watch the fireplace. It's not exactly as if you get nothing from my friends coming over. They get to know this kid and you have the added protection of Crabbe and Goyle which you need if our talk earlier was anything to go by.

Seconds ticked by. Then minutes. Then half an hour had passed and still nothing. A house elf came to ask if they wanted anything and Draco took a water, anything to keep him busy. Lucius just continued to sit in his chair, eyes closed in meditation or thought; Draco couldn't tell.

With his usual air Lucius cut through the silence of the room like a knife. "Draco I know that right now you still live in your head. And those things have come crashing down on you because of all this drama as of late. But I do this because…If there ever came a time when I fell from the favor of the Dark Lord and your godfather could not protect you this alliance might keep you alive. You know the state of things with your mother and I no longer trust her with your well being. I want to offer you-."

He was cut off by the sudden burst of green flames that rose in the fireplace. Draco jumped to his feet to greet the newcomer, back straight and eyes alert only to relax a second later when it merely turned out to be Severus Snape. He dropped into his chair again as the Potions Master gave each of them a curt nod and sank into a chair by Lucius.

"Lucius. Draco. Have they arrived yet?"

Lucius uncharacteristically rolled his eyes at his best friend. "If they had do you think we would still be sitting here? That said luggage did arrive this morning but it's sealed tight. I admit that curiosity about the sex of his child got the better of me and I suggested the servants unpack them. Very powerful hexes nearly killed one of the miserable creatures."

Severus let a smirk slither across his features. "Of course you let curiosity overtake you. Any of us would. The situation with Narcissa is…?" Even as Lucius shot him a glare Severus didn't back down.

Draco let out a sigh and Lucius waved a ring decorated hand in the air. "That particular situation is unresolved and can remain that way seeing as she has fled to her home in France. I do not have nor will I take the time to chase her down. But mark my words should she step foot in any magical place in this country I'll know about it and she will be back in this house."

His tone left no room for argument and the subject was wisely dropped.

Severus shifted his attention to the younger Malfoy. "Draco are you ready for the school year? Year five. This could possibly top even last year's tournament."

Draco repeated his father's eye action but bite off his answer when flames once again roared to life in the fireplace. This time everyone in the room dropped to one knee as Voldemort himself stepped out of the fireplace. His eyes roamed over the room taking in every detail of the Malfoy den. Everything in it screamed of the years of dark arts that had been performed in this room.

"Lucius. Severus. Draco." He called each of their names in turn, his voice rough and hissy, and they rose from their kneeling position.

"My lord?" Lucius called out tentatively, ever ready to do the bidding of his master.

Voldemort glided towards one of the last two chairs in the room and slipped down next to Snape, crossing his legs and leaning back with grace and inhuman straight posture. "As you all know I've asked Lucius to take on the important task of watching out for my child this year. She's coming to live with him and will be going to Hogwarts with Draco and Severus this year."

Lucius blinked and slipped. "She my lord? You have a daughter." He tried to cover his interruption. "I mean I just would have assumed you would have a son because I…" He couldn't complete the sentence.

Voldemort let his eyes slip close for a second in a prolonged blink and then opened them again. He would forgive his subject for interrupting, it was natural to be a tad bit curious considering no one knew of her existence until just last week. And even now only the inner circle truly knew she was his.

"Yes Lucius I have a daughter. Now as I told your father and godfather last week Draco I want no one to know that she is my child. I will not have her being attacked or ostracized at school because she can be seen as my weakness or…a way of getting to me. If I find out that it has gotten out my revenge will be swift and painful is that understood?"

Draco nodded and Lucius cringed a bit at the words that came out of his mouth. "Of course my Lord I'll keep the secret and do my best to protect her." Draco needed to be a bit more careful with his promises.

"Excellent. Severus I expect the same from you. I'm tempted to make an unbreakable vow but at the same time I'm…I think it not necessary to ensure your compliance." The statement hung in the air and Snape quickly nodded.

"Of course my Lord."

"Now my plans for this year will be discussed at a meeting of the inner circle tomorrow. Lucius I'll want a report on how my daughter has settled in as well. It goes without saying that it should be done after everyone else has left."

Lucius nodded and the fireplace came to life again for the last time that day, few people were allowed to enter though this particular floo network stop, and each man rose to his feet as a female form stepped into the room.

I inhaled a shape breath that didn't go unnoticed by the room's other inhabitants as I laid eyes on Voldemort's daughter. But it could hardly be helped; the girl was stunning to say the least.

She was a short girl, maybe five foot three inches without her shoes on and yet she seemed perfectly sized. She wore a black and red corset halter and a pure black pencil skirt that went slightly below the middle of her thigh under a lace shawl. Her thigh high platforms met the skirt and as her eyes landed on me I shivered just a bit, trying to squash the thought of ripping those straps off and viewing every inch of skin that her clothes seemed to hide.

Need to kill any and all thoughts like that. Definitely not having any fun with her. All the same she's the perfect arm candy…still and presence.

Her eyes swept to her father and she went directly to him with less than a flicker of thought, taking a seat in the chair next to him and nodding to him in polite respect. I squashed the wish that she was closer to me because it would mean being closer to Voldemort and that was just something that IO couldn't handle. "Father."

"Gentlemen this is my daughter Illyria. Illyria my child this is Lucius, Severus, and Draco." The Dark Lord pointed to each of us in turn and I flashed a smile at the girl. I was supposed to get to know her so what could it hurt to flirt with her. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the chair, acting as if she hadn't seen me at all.

I frowned. That's not normal. Girls typically don't…I wonder…is she maybe not straight?

Her eyes opened again and as I inspected her closer I noticed that her pupils didn't seem to react to the light. Leaning ever so slightly closer to her I waited for it to happen again. She blinked and her lids stayed closed but when they opened her pupils didn't dilate to take in the dim lighting of the room. I blurted out the first thought that came to my mind in the silence. "Are you blind?"

My father inhaled even sharper than I had and I instantly tried to take it back, desperately afraid of his punishment or the Dark Lord's. "Forgive me that was rude. I didn't mean to-."

My voice cut into silence because Voldemort raised his hand. He opened his mouth to answer my question or rebuke me but his daughter cut him off. Her voice was like no other girl that normally flitted around me. Deep yet still feminine and barley above a whisper, I didn't have to strain to hear her and yet I knew that if any of us spoke we could easily drown her out.

"I'm technically blind yes. But I have another way of seeing. Beyond the normal heightened senses that come with the loss of vision."

I heard my father's cane tap the floor harshly and as her eyes flicked in his direction I understood immediately that under no circumstance was I to make the mistake of possibly offending her again. I stood and held out a hand to her, not sure how else to politely invite a blind girl to take a walk with me. This never came up in etiquette lessons.

"Illyria would you like to go to your room or perhaps tour the grounds? I know that my father and yours probably have business to discuss with Professor Snape."

She looked to her father and he nodded. Now how could she possibly see that? She grabbed my hand after leaning over to kiss him on the cheek and I gave her a light tug to pull her to her feet, tucking her arm into the crook of mine."My lord, Father, Uncle Sev. Please excuse us."

They each nodded and I pulled her out of the room, setting a brisk pace. I was a foot taller than her and yet she kept up with my long strides perfectly despite her platforms which I estimated to be three inches.

As we went I pointed out the various parts of the mansion in vague detail, focusing more on the layout rather than the silly vases and paintings my mother had thrown up to decorate the place.

Discreetly I checked my watch every five minutes; I was on a bit of a time limit but didn't want to seem rude. It worked in my favor that she didn't talk much at all the entire time. I desperately wanted to ask her questions and yet I knew nothing of her and this wasn't a typical friendship. I didn't have the luxury of trial and error.

We reached the first landing of the main staircase and she pulled me to a stop, staring at me with eyes that were a midnight blue. She seemed to be appraising me, looking through to my very soul to see what words would be worth using. I shivered, I felt like something was pressing into my mind but the touch was so faint that I couldn't be anywhere near sure. With a tilt of her head that sent her black and silver hair cascading to one shoulder she closed her eyes and smiled.

"Draco I'm aware that my father has forced me upon you and yours. I…do not apologize for that but I will say that you do not have to be so uptight around me. Nor do you need to feel compelled to keep me company. Show me to my room and there your duty to me may end."

I gapped at her before remembering that Malfoy's do not make such expressions in public or private. This girl was so…strange. "I didn't mean to be so uptight. I'm just walking on egg shells." I walked us up the next staircase. "I can hardly deny that if I should upset you my Lord will more than likely kill me and or my father as a warning."

"I can't deny that either. But don't worry about it so much." I threw open the wood double doors to her apartments and quickly told her the layout, glancing at my watch. My friends would start arriving in roughly twenty minutes.

"You have the bedroom door which is directly ahead. The bathroom door is to the left and the walk in closet is to the right. Both rooms have adjoining doors that connect to the bedroom and the bedroom has a balcony that looks out on the back yard. Of course we're standing in the sitting room right now." We stepped back into the hall and I tilted my head in the directions I needed to indicate. "My father is to your left and my rooms are to your right. My mother's room is…Ah never mind that."

I pushed her by the small of her back into her rooms again, leading her to her closet this time. Hopefully she won't catch that mother slip or ask where she is. I wonder if father will tell…no mustn't think on it. "Your luggage is in the center of the room."

She went and kneeled by her bags before I could even finish speaking, raising an eyebrow as she waved a hand over them. Where's her wand? "Did someone touch my bags?"

"Yes. My father was going to have the servants unpack them but there were some powerful-."

"Curses on them? Yes. In general I don't want people going through my things. Safety and all you know?"

I nodded. "Yes. Well when you open them simply call for a servant and they can put everything in drawers for you. I…my friends are coming over and I would like to go change out of this suit. Do you need anything?"

"I told you that your responsibility to me ended with showing me my room Draco." She was de-spelling her bags.

I walked forward and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "My lady you said that but I didn't agree."

A smirk slid across my lips and I stood back up turning sharply and heading for the door. Draco Malfoy can adjust to anything, just you wait and see. "If you need anything do not hesitate to call for me or a servant. I do think that you should come meet my friends seeing as you'll most likely be put into Slytherin and these are top tier Slytherins."

I exited her room and slid into mine that smirk never leaving my face. This was dangerous and yet also seemed a big potential for an injection of fun. With expert fingers I loosened my tie and thought of the beauty that now occupied the room next to me.

She'll look lovely on my arm. Has a brain. Maybe this isn't the absolute worst thing that could happen to me.

Wish me luck with this. This was a spur of a moment write inspired by the fact that I finally finished reading the seventh book last month and was watching these harry potter specials on the bio channel. I'm posting this at midnight so I'll proofread again tomorrow. Right now I just want to get it up. I wanted this opening chapter to be longer so there is a small change that I'll add more to it tomorrow. For now I'm really kind of dead tired.