Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, or anything else that may be referenced in this chapter. Google Translate was used for any language other than English.

A/N: Enormous thank you to you all for reading, reviewing, following and favouring, and I hope you all enjoy this chapter! :)

Chapter 1

Four weeks into the summer holidays, Draco awoke one morning with a start.

It was early, that he knew. There was no light coming through the small gap in his bedroom curtains and the clock on his bedside cabinet loomed out at him from the darkness, informing him it was one thirty in the morning. Malfoy Manor was still; all was silent.

Yet Draco was sure something had awoken him. He had definitely heard something. Coming to a decision, he snatched his wand from beside the clock, got out of bed and crossed the room to his bedroom door. As he opened it, the door to the bedroom opposite his opened, and Rose peered out at him, bleary eyed; her glasses hanging off one ear.

"You hear that too?" she mumbled.

"Yeah." Draco nodded, stifling a yawn. "What was it, do you think?"

"I dunno." Rose put her glasses on properly as she spoke. "Reckon it came from downstairs, though; near the kitchen, maybe."

"Coming with me then?" Draco gestured down the corridor, towards the stairs.

"Yeah," Rose came out of her room and fell into step beside him. "I was having a really weird dream, you know." She remarked as they headed down the corridor.

"No, I didn't." Draco grinned. "But continue."

"Well, in the dream I was curled up behind this big deformed stone thing while all these lights flashed around me and really loud cracking noises echoed around everywhere and these people were laughing. Then, everything went quiet, but as I went to crawl out from behind the stone thing I woke up."

"Hmmm." Draco frowned. "That is kind of weird."

"I know. Plus, this is the third time I've had the exact same dream; woke up at the exact same point and everything. The first time was at Hogwarts: the night of the second time Sirius broke into the castle, but the other two times have been this summer. What do you think it means?"

"I dunn- what is that?"

They had reached the kitchen door. Shrill voices could be heard from behind it.

"Dobby you has to stop! Settle down, find a nice family: listen to Winky!"

"I is not wanting a nice family Trinks! I is wanting to help people!"

"But you has stolen, and-!"

"Who's stolen?" Draco asked as he and Rose entered the kitchen. Dobby and Trinks sat at the replica of the Manor's dining table, elf sized cups of tea in front of them. At the sight of them, Dobby disapperated with a sharp echoing pop! Draco recognised the noise; it was what had awoken him.

"Master Draco; Mistress Rose," Trinks stood up and bowed.

"Hi. What was Dobby doing here?" Rose asked. "Didn't Harry free him with a sock?"

"Yeah he did." Draco nodded, remembering something his mother had mentioned in the letter she has sent him at the end of second year, asking him to see if he could stay with Rose for the summer. "Father was furious. But anyway; who's stolen?"

Trinks looked uncomfortable. "Well, you see, Sir, over the past few years Dobby has, er, been up to all sorts of hijinks. He has good intentions, Sir, the best of them, but in your second year he stole a flying car and sent it to the Forbidden Forest to help Harry Potter."

"That was Dobby?" Rose asked incredulously, remembering the night she, Draco Harry and Ron had met Aragog. She had been so relieved to have an escape route from the giant spiders that were chasing them that she hadn't paid much mind to how the car had been in the forest.

Trinks nodded. "Yes Miss."

"I meant to ask you about that, you know Rose," Draco said, his face screwed up in an effort to think back so far. "But then Millicent got kidnapped. Has Dobby done anything else, Trinks?"

"Yes, Sir," Trinks replied. "Dobby told me he found employment with a ministry official- Bertha Jorkins, he said her name was, Sir. He was helping her with her apparition but when he arrived at their destination she had not come with him; he had not felt her let go and she was not at their original location. Winky- a friend of ours- and I think his excitement in getting a job might have led to his being a bit too fast, Sir, and Miss Jorkins might be stuck in the void between the two places. Dobby has filled an anonymous report to Miss Jorkins's Department, Sir, but wants to continue helping people. Winky and I think he should settle down, Sir, but he won't listen."

"Well, I agree with you." Draco said, shaking his head in mild amazement. Rose nodded, yawning slightly.

"I'm going back to bed," she said, moving towards the door. Draco glanced at the kitchen clock, saw that it was two o'clock in the morning and followed her.

"Let us know if anything else happens with Dobby, won't you Trinks?" he said to the elf, as Rose held the kitchen door open for him with her foot.

"Yes, Sir. Goodnight, Sir; Miss."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

When Draco came down to breakfast rather later than usual the next morning, he found Rose was already seated at the dining table, reading a magazine as she ate.

"Since when do you read Witch Weekly?" he asked, sitting down beside her and reaching for the toast rack.

"Pansy sent it to me this morning," Rose shrugged, turning a page, before picking up her pumpkin juice and taking a sip. "Said there might be something interesting in it." she glanced down at the page as she spoke, and choked.

"Die quietly!" Draco patted her on the back. "What is it? Get a bad horoscope?"

"No it- it's Blaise," Rose replied, staring down at the magazine in disbelief.

"Going to have a bad month, huh? Well, rather him than me." Draco bit into his toast.

"No; he's in the magazine."

"What?" It was Draco's turn to choke.

"Look," Rose took a fried egg before pushing the plate away and spreading the magazine on the table. A glossy two page spread shone up at them, the left page of which showed a picture of a smiling and waving Giselle, who was dressed in a leopard print dress and high heels, but was mostly taken up by an article. The face an old, dark skinned, elegant woman with the high cheekbones of Blaise, Irma and Giselle smiled silkily up at them from amidst a necklace and earrings of glittering diamond the bottom right hand corner of the left page. The left hand side of the right page was taken up by a full length picture of Irma, who glowed up at them, dressed in a long blue-green robes made of a floaty sort of material, her long black hair twisted into a bun on the top of her head, the shorter locks of hair that framed her face only accentuating the large triangular gold earrings and, by extension, matching bracelets she wore. Blaise leant against the edge of the magazine on the right hand side of the page, dressed in a black leather jacket, black-t shirt, black jeans and black trainers. His hands were deep in the pocket of his jacket and he was smirking up at them as though he had been modelling his entire life.

As one, Draco and Rose turned to the article for explanation, their eyebrows raised slightly in amazement.

'I Nipoti Splendidi' A Family Legacy

Giselle Zabini (maiden name Allegri) [pictured left], 44, rose to international fame in mid-1974 at the age of 17, when she married the late Troy McLachlan, then-beater on the English National Quidditch team and youngest professional Quidditch player in the world, having begun playing professionally for England at 16. Known for her extreme beauty, Giselle Allegri, as she was following the death of McLachlan in late-1974 (aged 19), went on to marry a further six times in just over two years before settling down with the late millionaire Amato Zabini in early-1977 (died 1988, aged 38). During their eleven year marriage, the Zabini's tripled their combined wealth and had two children; Irma, 17 [pictured in robes; next page left], and Blaise, 14 [pictured in Muggle attire; next page right].

It seems that the Zabini siblings are making good use of their mother's famous genetics whilst on a family holiday to Venice, Italy to visit their grandmother: model manager Clara Allegri, 67 [pictured bottom right]. Under the management of their grandmother- who also managed her daughter's short, but very successful modelling career-, the Zabini siblings have burst onto the Italian Wizard modelling scene and found fame quickly. With many designers and photographers christening them 'I Nipoti Splendidi', or 'The Gorgeous Grandchildren', the two are said to have made an estimated 150,000 British galleons respectively in three weeks through modelling a variety of both Wizarding and Muggle fashions; Muggle attire being popular amongst the younger generation.

"I am delighted that my grandchildren take after their mother and have managed to make such a large and positive impression on the modelling industry during such a short period of time," Mrs Allegri said from her Venetian Mansion last night. "Though they will be returning to England to complete their magical education, I hope that they will return to Italy at some point; my door is always open should they ever wish to peruse a full time career in modelling. Blaise and Irma have enjoyed their stay in Italy immensely, and I have full confidence that they will both return to continue their work."

It was at this point that what appeared to be an enormous mechanical Eagle flew around the side of the mansion and swooped viciously down upon reporters. Mrs Allegri ran, shrieking loudly, back into her mansion, and though no one was injured, the interview was brought to an untimely close as the Eagle was somehow able to dodge all attempts at subjugation, Mrs Allegri refused to open her front door lest the Eagle fly into her home, and reporters were forced to flee.

The phone rang just as Draco and Rose finished reading and looked at each other. Trinks apperated into the dining room, the phone in one hand.

"It's Miss Pansy and Miss Millicent; for Mistress Rose only," she said, handing the phone to Rose. "Miss Pansy was very emphatic about that, Sir." She said apologetically to Draco as Rose got up and took the phone from her with a smile of thanks. Bowing, Trinks disapperated.

"You don't want this, do you?" Rose asked Draco, pointing to the magazine. "I thought not." She smirked as he looked at her incredulously. Picking up the magazine, she left the room. Draco waited a moment before getting up and following her. He crept after her and waited until she had vanished into her bedroom and closed the door behind her before tiptoeing across the hall and pressing his ear to the keyhole. Rose's voice was just audible from within the room.

"-lo? Hey, guys. Yeah… No…. I am not! ... Oh, alright, maybe a bit… yes, just a bit! ... Oh, shut up…What? You're joking. Aww, that's so cute! … Ye-"

"Draco?"

Draco jumped away from the door in alarm. Narcissa stood before him, an eyebrow raised.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing."

"Really?" Narcissa's other eyebrow joined its fellow high on her forehead. "So you weren't trying to eavesdrop on the phone call Trinks just informed me was for Rose and Rose alone?"

"No." Draco answered easily, shaking his head. Narcissa chuckled.

"Come here," she held out her arms. A bit puzzled, Draco stepped forward and hugged his mother. His puzzlement only increased as she hugged him in almost the same way she used to when he was small and came running to her in the middle of the night after awaking from a nightmare: it was almost comforting, though Draco couldn't imagine why.

"I want you to promise me something," she murmured, stroking his hair.

"What?" Draco looked up at her curiously.

"I want you to promise me that no matter what, you will always remember that Rose will always be your sister, and she will always be there for you."

"Why?" Draco frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just promise me you won't forget that."

"Okay… I promise."

"Thank you," Narcissa smiled, hugging him again before continuing down the corridor. "I would suggest you find something else to do until Rose gets off the phone." She called over her shoulder.

"Alright," Draco shrugged and entered his own bedroom, looking for something to do. 'Rose won't be too long,' he thought.

"Two hours. Two Merlinforsaken hours," Draco muttered, as he flew yet another painstakingly slow lap of the Manor's Quidditch pitch- Lucius had turned the patch of grass it once was into a full fledged pitch as a present for Draco's twelfth birthday-, the seventh activity he had taken up while waiting for Rose. "What can they possibly find to talk about for two hours straight?"

"If you fly like that the broom is wasted on you."

"Finally!" Draco exclaimed, hardly caring that Rose almost sent him into a tailspin as she shot past on her own Nimbus 2001, the basket of apples they used to practice with hanging off one arm. "Tell me, what was so fascinating that you needed to be on the phone for two hours straight?"

"Just stuff- you wouldn't be interested in any of it." Rose said quickly, throwing him an apple. "Now, come on; we've got training to do." She said with an obvious change of topic. Draco raised his eyebrows, but said nothing; reflecting that perhaps that he was not the only one allowed to keep things some things secret.

"Merlin," Rose sighed, an hour of Quidditch later, slumping against the trunk of a tree near the Quidditch pitch and blowing a piece of hair from her face. "It is too hot in this country right now. The sun is going to be the bane of my existence."

"I can see why," Draco smirked, lifting up one of her arms and showing it to her. "You're so pale you can't tan; you just go red and peel. How are you so pale, anyway?"

"Pot. Kettle. Black." Rose raised her eyebrows, pulling her arm from his grasp.

"True," Draco acknowledged, "but hear me out. You have red hair- thank Merlin its way darker than the Weaselbee's otherwise we couldn't be friends; but how do you not have freckles?"

"I have some," Rose said, somewhat defensively. "On my shoulders. Anyway, my mum had hair exactly like mine, except way, way neater, and she didn't have freckles on her face, arms and legs either." She reached into the abandoned basket as she spoke, pulled out an apple and threw it to him. Draco caught it and threw it back. They sat in the shade of the tree for a while; passing the apple back and forth in companionable silence.

"I've been thinking," Draco began passing the apple back.

"Painful, is it?" Rose drawled.

"You would know," Draco smirked. "One hand, two fingers." He said, and they altered the game slightly, passing the apple back and forth with the thumb and index fingers of their respective right hands. "I've been thinking about Mother and Father," he continued. "Have you ever gotten the feeling this summer that they're not telling us something?"

Rose frowned thoughtfully, thinking hard. "… I dunno, may-"

"Draco; Rose!" Lucius's patronus, a peacock, appeared before them. "Come to the sitting room, please; Narcissa and I have something to tell you about." The patronus vanished without waiting for a response.

"Maybe we'll find out," Rose finished, smirking slightly as the two got up and headed for the sitting room.

"Hello, you two; please sit." Lucius smiled, gesturing to one of the sofas in the sitting room upon their arrival. Draco and Rose sat, looking between the two adults curiously. "We have two things to tell you about," Lucius began. "The first that the we, Severus, and the families of all your friends have joined forces to contribute a small fortune and several years' worth of advancement in research towards the prevention of untimely deaths to St Mungo's, and have succeeded in obtaining Top Box tickets to the Quidditch World Cup in just over a month's time. The second thing," he continued, raising his voice sightly as Draco and Rose exchanged gleeful looks. "Is that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year. You are perhaps wondering what the Triwizard Tournament is?" he asked as Draco and Rose expressions changed from gleeful to confused. They nodded. Lucius cleared his throat and began.

"I will only be giving you a brief outline to the tournament as no doubt Professor Dumbledore will go into greater detail about it at the beginning of term. The Triwizard Tournament is a competition between Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang- which, incidentally, is where we considered sending you Draco, as I know the headmaster, but your mother thought it was too far away, and when we asked you about it when you were six, you said no because Rose couldn't go with you."

"Aww, you care about me." Rose pushed Draco lightly, smirking.

"Well, why didn't you go to Beauxbatons?" he pushed her back, smirking himself.

"Honestly, one of the main reasons was because your French is appalling." Rose remembered pushing him again.

"Yours is hardly better." Draco pushed her back.

"It's still better, though." Rose pushed him off the sofa.

"I think you two need to officially agree that you're both better off completing your education together and move on so Lucius can continue," Narcissa interposed as Draco grabbed Rose's ankle and pulled her onto the floor before taking repossession of the sofa.

Draco and Rose shrugged in agreement. Lucius waited until Rose had retaken her seat before continuing;

"One person from each school is selected by an impartial judge to compete in the three tasks tournament; and the winner is given fame, glory, and a thousand galleons. Their school is given possession of the Triwizard Cup- a great honour- until such a time that the Tournament is reinstated. At present, the Cup is being held at the French Ministry of Magic because all three competitors died in the last tournament, which was held at Beauxbatons. The three tasks are designed to test the competitor's bravery, magical skill and wits. As a result the inter-house Quidditch Championship won't happen this year. Do you have any questions?"

"Who's the impartial judge?" Draco asked immediately. He and Rose were far too interested in the tournament to mind about Quidditch.

"Don't even think about it," Narcissa said at once. "There's an age limit anyway; no one under seventeen will be allowed to enter."

Draco and Rose looked very disappointed.

"I'm glad we finally told them," Narcissa said to Lucius as they watched Rose and Draco cross the lawn towards the Quidditch pitch, discussing the Triwizard Tournament and deciding who they thought would enter. "I think it was a good idea on Teresa Nott's part for us all to leave out the Yule Ball; gives them all a little surprise."

"Yes," Lucius agreed. Almost subconsciously, he rubbed his left forearm slightly. Narcissa caught the gesture.

"What is it Lucy?" she asked urgently, grabbing his arm and pushing the sleeve of his robe up to the elbow, turning his arm over to view the Mark. "Is it- oh!" her eyes grew wide.

As transfixed as his wife, Lucius watched as his Dark Mark sent a small tingle up his forearm and, continued, as it had begun already once this summer, to fade ever slightly.

A/N: Please review! :)