CHAPTER ONE

Alexander Arthur Malfoy lay awake in his queen-sized bed at three in the morning. He turned to his side and caught sight of his messy room, his robes, scarves, and gloves strewn across the floor. On his other side, his night table was covered with his Hogwarts textbooks, rolls of fresh parchment and bottles of dark ink. He could hear the thunder crashing outside and smell the musty rain trickling on the windows. He smiled as he saw his Firebolt 3000 carefully perched on its mantel above his headboard. His father, Draco Malfoy, had secretly gotten it for him on his fourteenth birthday, without the knowledge of his wife.

--

"Now Alex, don't go telling your Mum about this...but here. It's about time you got a Malfoy worthy broom," Draco Malfoy whispered. It was a bright sunny day and not a single cloud covered the clear blue sky. The conditions were ideal for a good, long Quidditch game. Despite the cheery weather, Draco nervously ran a hand through his sharply cut blond hair as he looked around his son's room for signs of his wife.

Alex had rarely seen his calm and collected father look so nervous, but he and his Dad both knew that when it came to Ginevra Weasley, it was best to stay on her good side. Alex gave one of his rare smiles. He had taken after his father with his blond hair, steel grey eyes, and skinny but toned body. Not only that, but he had also inherited proud and cool demeanor. Still, there was no mistaking that some of his Mother's traits had rubbed off on him; when it came to his family, Alex was a very caring and protective person.

He moved over and leaned against his bed, putting on the classic Malfoy sneer. He cocked his head and stuffed his hands into his pockets, giving the impression of an arrogant boy.

"Scared of Mum, Father?"

"No," said Draco sharply, straightening his back. "But I think we both know that it would be best not to let her know about this."

Alex smirked.

"I promise Dad. Now can we go try it out?" Like his Uncle Harry, Quidditch was Alex's life. He had played on the Gryffindor Quidditch team as a Chaser ever since his second year. It was a known fact that he was the best Chaser that Hogwarts had seen since his own mother.

"'Course. Now, grab your Quidditch robes and we'll head out to the pitch."

--

Alex grinned even wider as he remembered when his mother had found out they had bought the ridiculously priced broom the next day. He had never seen her look so openly in shock. Even though his mother was a diehard Quidditch fan, she didn't approve of spending thousands of galleons on brooms. But even she couldn't complain when Gryffindor won the House Cup due to his spectacular goal in the final game. Still smirking at the memory, he turned around to face the wall on the other side of his bed.

This room had been his hideout for fifteen years; the blue walls and his Snitch bedspread often brought him comfort when needed. Two doors down, he could hear his younger sister, Lily Malfoy, muttering in her sleep. It had been a habit of hers ever since she was two years old; eleven years later, her late night ramblings still managed to get on her siblings' nerves. Never shuts up, Alex thought.

The sound of the pouring rain drilled into Alex's head. He needed to think, unless he wanted to go insane from the showering noise. Alex shivered and grabbed the comforter from the foot of his bed. Still not tired, he contemplated last night's events; the night after his best friend, George Zabini's Christmas Bash. Alex groaned as he thought of his punishment for returning home in a drunken state; his mother, Ginevra Malfoy had not been merciful when giving him the reprimand of cleaning his and his sisters' rooms for a month. It would be easy to clean his older sister, Serena Malfoy's room, as she was the neatest of the three children, but his younger sister's room would be a hefty task. He winced as he thought of yesterday, when the punishment had been given.

--

"ALEXANDER ARTHUR MALFOY, WHERE THE BLOODY HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?" bellowed Ginny Malfoy.

It was midnight according the ancient grandfather clock that stood tall in the corner of the family room. The large room, expertly designed and furnished by his mother, was usually lit with bright chandeliers and the occasional vanilla scented candle. Now it was dark and somber, his mother too furious to bother with lighting. Leather cream couches and Persian carpets and curtains all gave the room a European feel. Up till now, this had been Alex's favorite room.

"Well considering I wasn't here at home, I would guess that I've been out, Mother," Alex sneered. He raised his chin defiantly and stood up straight, his back erect.

"Now don't get cheeky with me young man. I've been worried sick. Serena had to cancel her trip to the museum because I had to stay here, waiting for you. What were you thinking, disappearing at 7:00 in the morning and coming back at midnight! Your father would have had a fit. You're fifteen, and you haven't even begun showing any responsibility. Lily shows more, and she's two years younger than you! What kind of example do you think you're setting them?"

"Well good for Lily. I mean, we can't have two Malfoy failures, now can we?" Alex spat bitterly. "Anyway, Serena should be thanking me. She shouldn't spend so much time studying and shit anyways. She's a nerdy freak, and she doesn't need anything else like a trip to the museum. She's already seventeen, and she probably hasn't even gotten shagged yet!" Alex screamed. A small gasp caused Alex to spin around. What he saw made his stomach churn and he dug his fingernails into his palms.

He gazed at his older red-haired sister in the entrance to the study. She looked shocked and was furiously shaking. Her grey-blue eyes, framed by thick black glasses, were glassy with tears. Her usually steady, poised hands were white at the knuckles, clutching fistfuls of her robe. Alex opened his mouth to say something- anything, but she quickly narrowed her eyes and swiftly turned on her heel, exiting the room. He returned his gaze back to his mother, afraid of what he'd see.

His mother, no longer looking angry but hurt, raised her hand to her temples, as if trying to relieve a migraine. "Alex! How could you say such a thing? She's your sister!" she said in a strangled voice.

Alex's temper flared. It was always about his sisters. What were so special about them? "SO? I'm her brother. That's never stopped Lily and Serena messing with my life. I hate it. It's always been them two against me. Sometimes I just wish they'd just drop dead."

Ginny sharply took in a breath. She looked down and gazed at the Persian carpet. It was beautifully woven with a scene from the Final Battle, Harry's wand pointed at Voldemort. She paused for a moment before asking, "Is that how you truly feel? You want them dead?" She sounded disbelieving- dejected even, and it froze the boy in front of her to the core.

Alex just stared at his mother, expressionless. For once, he was speechless.

Ginny calmly took a deep breath, and Alex involuntarily took a step backwards. A cold, calm mother was much more frightening than an angry one. "Alexander. I...have never been more disappointed in you. You're lucky I won't tell your father about this," Ginny said quietly, almost whispering. She raised her dark eyes, pools of dark chocolate, and Alex was horrified to see that they lacked the usual warmth that had given him comfort so many times in the past. "You will clean your sisters' rooms for a month. No buts," she continued as she turned to exit the room. She paused and whirled around quickly, not meeting her son's gaze. "It hurts me to think that you feel like that about your sisters," she concluded tearfully. With that she continued marching out of the room, leaving Alex weary and confused.

--

Alex grimaced after reliving the horrid memory. He hadn't meant to say those things about his sisters. "She isn't a nerdy freak as I so kindly put it," he thought. However, Serena was extremely studious, and took after her Aunt Hermione; she was at the top of her class every year at Hogwarts and had received more O.W.L.S than anyone had in four years. Even when she was young, she spent her whole summer before her first year memorizing countless spells and practicing endless wand movements with her hairbrush. It was indeed a surprise that she was sorted into Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw, as everyone had expected.

Lily, his younger sister, and Serena had always been close. It was always them two, an inseparable team, against him. At least, that's how it felt. Alex groaned and smothered his face into his goose feather pillow. He wanted to erase what he had said, but couldn't.

Lily was the exact opposite of Serena. She had the same blonde hair as her brother, but inherited her mother's friendly brown eyes. Even more, she was sorted into Slytherin; it was no surprise to Alex, since he knew of his little sister's clever and cunning ways. Even at one year old, she had her father wrapped around her little finger. However, unlike most Slytherins, she was very bubbly and personable; in her third year, she was the most popular girl at Hogwarts and had boys ogling her at all hours of the day. Dutifully, Alex spent his whole fourth year trying to ward the endless amount of boys off his popular sister. It is your duty as an older brother, his father reminded him before letting Alex board the train. Alex knew that his father couldn't stand the thought of either of his daughters having more than friendly relations with the opposite sex; truth was, Alex couldn't stand it either.

Ever since Lily was born, she and Serena had been best friends, despite the age difference. When Serena was being teased, and Alex wasn't there, she'd lift her chin proudly and tell off the seventh year boys that were harassing her older sister. "No one messes with a Malfoy, so bugger off," she would exclaim proudly. Alex smiled fondly at the thought, but it quickly turned to a frown. He groaned and smothered his face into his fluffy pillow. He wanted to erase what he had said, but couldn't. Why did he have to go and say those things to Serena? He hardly ever saw his older sister show such a display of emotion in public.

It began to rain even harder and Alex got up to close the curtains in an attempt to drown out the endless crashing happening outside his window. Minutes after returning to his bed, Alex sharply whipped his head to his bedroom door. No...it can't be. But sure enough, outside his room, he could hear quiet, erratic sobs. Can't be Lily, he thought. Lily hardly cried. The only time he had seen his youngest sister cry in public was when she had fallen off her new broomstick at her tenth birthday party. Alex's father made it very clear that her injury was of the utmost importance, and he skipped work so he could pamper her and her injured wrist. It was typical though; the girls were always the center of attention.

Quickly grabbing his twelve inch mahogany wand, Alex tossed his bedspread aside and swung his feet over the bed. He trudged through his endless piles of clothing and quietly tiptoed out of his room.

As the sobs began to get louder, Alex quickened his pace. His feet hit the cold floor of the Malfoy Manor's corridors, sending shivers up his spine. The torches that graced the marble walls were burned out, and the corridors were somber and dark. He quickly climbed down the long winding stairs, and descended onto the second floor. Listening carefully, he tiptoed toward the right hallway.

He tried to stay alert and glanced behind him. No one. Portraits of his ancestors graced the marble walls, all whispering amongst themselves. "Great," Alex breathed. "Just what I need. Fucking lunatics in a photo frame."

"You'll want to head over there. To the study. Oh, and I heard that, by the way."

Alex turned quickly, his wand drawn. He let out a breath of relief as he saw the voice came from Marius Malfoy, an old ancestor enclosed in a gold photo frame.

"Who's in the study? And don't lie to me. You know what I can do," Alex said coldly. He had never liked the Malfoy portraits, ever since he had heard the story of his grandfather, Lucius Malfoy. He had never seen Lucius' portrait and had no intent on doing so.

Marius simply shrugged.

"Bloody impossible," Alex muttered. Letting out a groan of frustration, he continued down the dark hallway. He stopped in front of the study with a sudden halt. He was right, he thought disbelievingly. The sobs did seem to be coming from inside the large room. He began to get nervous and wish he'd woken up Lily. She always liked an adventure.

Alex desperately tried to find his inner Malfoy. A million thoughts were running through his head; the main one being that he wanted to run away and sink in his bed. False confidence was what he needed at the moment- or a good pep talk. Alex straightened his back and tried to rid himself of the thoughts that were wreaking havoc at the back of his mind. What am I scared of?" Alex thought. "The Manor had some of the most powerful wards ever created; no one got in without his father or mother knowing about it." He put on his classic Malfoy sneer reflexively; it was more of a shield for him than a mocking expression. Nothing to be scared of; it became his new mantra. And besides, Malfoys don't get scared. Just cautious, he thought. Racking his brain with all the hexes he knew of, he slowly turned the brass knob of the mahogany doorway and entered the room, his wand drawn out in front of him.