Disclaimer: Anything which you recognize as yours or of another author's is not mine, as I have borrowed liberally from many novels and fanfictions alike.
Chapter One: A Letter
It was a perfectly beautiful, ordinary summer morning that found Lucius Malfoy sitting before a polished desk, busily filling out paperwork of one sort or another. Suddenly a great horned owl swooped in through the open window and dropped a small letter on the pile of papers. Sensing instinctively that its job was not yet completed, it fell back to the safety of the windowsill and began to preen its speckled chest feathers while still keeping an eye on the lanky blond man.
After a few seconds, he reached a hand carelessly to the letter and ripped it open, having spared a glance at the address. The one glance was enough to catch the entirety of his attention: it was from a Mr. Anthony Kwan. "Well, whatever he had to say better be important," thought Lucius, "as he's interrupting business again…"
With long thin fingers he extracted the document and proceeded to read it, glaring at the messenger at the end.
Dearest Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy:
As I write this, I hope I find you and your son well, for I cannot speak the same of my own family. My wife and myself have ingested a fatal poison by a disloyal servant, so I regret to tell you that our business dealings will soon be at an end. However, we have one more day, and we would like your assistance in settling our considerable properties.
Because we have had a long partnership, I entrust you with my estate and business until the heiress comes of age. Speaking of my daughter Elaine Kwan, I have also passed on her guardianship rights due to the fact that my wife and I have no other close relations or acquaintances. She is a few months younger than your son, I believe, and at Hogwarts, I expect her to be Sorted into Gryffindor, relieving most of your parental responsibilities.
Elaine will be arriving tomorrow at noon with our attorney, who will clarify any questions or concerns you may have. Please send the owl back with a brief response showing that you have indeed received this letter.
We are most apologetic for any lasting inconvenience this arrangement may have caused your family, but it was the only possibility save an orphanage. I refuse to allow my heiress to spend her formative years under the guidance of Muggles, so I trust you will raise her well. Further details concerning this are enclosed in my will.
With all due respect,
Anthony Kwan
Lucius heaved a deep sigh and scrawled a few words in reply before lowering his head onto his hands. So the Kwans were as good as dead, and he would be raising their destined-for-Gryffindor daughter? It was unthinkable, could not be possible, and laughable at most, but there was always the matter of the business. He lifted his head, watching the owl fly away with the letter, and rubbed his hands together expectantly; there was nothing in the way now and no reason to regret his quick decision. What part would his wife have in the entire business anyway?
A ringing bell brought a house-elf to the door, bowing furiously, then glancing up with enormous, nervous eyes. Waving a hand carelessly, Lucius ordered, "Bring Draco to me, now." The house-elf bobbed up and down in relief and disappeared with a crack, leaving the man free once more, at least for the brief minutes before his son arrived.
Eleven-year-old Draco ran up the flights of stairs and slowed his pace to a walk just prior to entering. "Yes, father? You called?" He affixed his cool gray eyes to a point across the office, already having learned the characteristic Malfoy look. Impassive, bored, but alert. Draco Malfoy had never truly been eleven, at least not in mind and heart.
"Yes, indeed I did," replied Lucius slowly. "Do you remember Elaine Kwan? She will be arriving tomorrow and staying with us until she becomes of age. As she will almost be a member of the family, I fully expect her to be treated as one." Smiling slightly, he watched and waited for a response of any kind. Draco would not react well to another child in the house…no, he wouldn't at all.
The boy nodded just as slowly, absorbing the slight shock of it all without a noticeable change in expression. "I understand, father." Then he shifted from leg to leg, itching to be dismissed. There was a glint in his eyes that spoke of a novelty waiting to be attended to somewhere downstairs, but Lucius interrupted before he could leave.
"Tell me this," he said finally. "What House do you expect to be placed in this year?"
"Slytherin, of course. All the Malfoys have been in it."
"That's right, absolutely right. Now Elaine will be taking our precious surname as her middle name…will she be a Gryffindor like her soon to be late parents, or a Slytherin like ourselves?"
Draco made no sound for a few moments, then answered hesitantly, "A Slytherin, of course." There was not a trace of uncertainty in his immature voice when he spoke; it seemed that once convinced, his mind would stay that way.
"Draco, you know of the Clans and the Game, do you not?" He waited for a mute nod before explaining more of the complex, highly dangerous political chess match. "The Kwans are not members, nor are they outcasts, folk on the fringe, shall we say. By adopting their daughter, she becomes a true Player in the Game…and only Slytherins even stand half a chance." Suddenly he sighed, as if to blow away all such troubles and conflicts. Draco watched with half-lidded gray eyes, making no comment until his father waved a dismissing hand. Only then did he walk away wearing the same unreadable expression as minutes, or even hours ago.
AN: Okay, that was kind of a short, crappy first chapter, but more will be coming soon. Please review if you have at all the time, as comments have always been most appreciated.