Disclaimer: It all belongs to J.K. Rowling, except what doesn't. Some liberties have been taken with the plot (hence the Alternate Universe label). Thank you for reading!

Chapter 1

Carina Malfoy delicately spooned soup into her mouth as she scanned the list of ingredients she would needs for her greatest endeavor yet, which she still needed to reveal to her parents. She'd already discussed the idea with Draco, of course, but Father might need more convincing if she were to become an Animagus.

She was mulling over where she would collect dew that hadn't been touched by a human foot in seven days, a swift kick from underneath the ornate table brought her out of her reverie.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, glaring at Draco. He nodded toward their father and she straightened up, turning her attention towards Lucius Malfoy, perhaps the most formidable figure she could imagine. He sat at the head of the table beside their mother, Narcissa, with perfect posture and a gaze of steel that bore into her as she realized he'd been speaking to her, but she hadn't been listening.

"I trust you have what you need for your debut tomorrow evening," he said, a hint of coolness at her obvious lack of attention.

"Yes," she replied, excitement bubbling up inside of her. She'd been looking forward to her debut into the elite society of the magical world ever since she was eleven years old. "My gown is prepared and I remember the lessons from my tutors. I'm more than ready."

Father gave her a satisfied nod and continued with his own meal. "Good. We want to make a good impression when you are presented, particularly to your suitors."

Carina cringed inwardly at the last word. Despite being one of the highest ranking pureblood families in the modern wizarding world, she'd learned during her time at Hogwarts that most families weren't quite so…traditional. Her best friend, Lyra, had balked at the idea of courtship when she'd first brought up her debut.

"When will you be doing your debut?" Carina asked eagerly at the close of the school year.

"Debut?" Lyra asked, snapping out of some daydream. "What do you mean?"

"Your coming-of-age debut," Carina laughed.

"You mean my birthday party? I'll probably have it over the Christmas holiday. My birthday is later in the year, you know."

"Not a birthday party," Carina insisted. "I mean the event where you're introduced to society and you meet potential suitors…"

"Suitors?" Lyra giggled. "You're joking, right?"

Carina's smile dipped a little as they approached the edge of the lake to relax in the sun after exams. "Don't middle class families do courtships?"

"No, that's called dating." Lyra slipped off her shoes to wade in the shallows. "You know, when a boy who likes you asks you out to Hogsmeade or something like that. Courting is where your parents set you up with some guy you barely know and you pretend to like each other for the sake of looks."

Carina didn't know much about dating, but the way Lyra had described courting sounded more accurate of her situation than she liked to admit.

"Do I have to have suitors?" she wondered.

"Of course, if you're to make a suitable match," Father replied. "You may not carry the Malfoy name after your marriage, but you will have the same responsibility as Draco to carry on a pure line."

Carina shifted uneasily in her chair. According to the family tree, she was related to most of the pureblooded wizarding families—which she was expected to marry into—in one way or another. According to Lyra, that wasn't normal either. Then again, she wasn't from one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight like the Malfoys. She didn't carry the same burden as Carina did.

Still, the subject of marriage was uncomfortable, and she was grateful when Draco picked up on her uneasiness and changed the topic.

"When are we leaving for the Quidditch World Cup?" he asked eagerly.

"Friday morning," Mother replied. "The morning of the match."

"Please tell me we're not taking the peacocks," Carina groaned. "They make so much noise!"

Lucius looked up with an expression akin to distress. "Of course we're taking the peacocks. I don't trust the house elves to take care of them while we're away."

Carina rolled her eyes. The house elves were more than capable of taking care of the peacocks, all albino and all well-mannered, but they were a symbol of the Malfoy family and were most likely a way to display their wealth, prestige, and status in society. If anything, the house elves would be grateful to be rid of them for a few days.

"Now, we'll be sharing a box with the Minister for Magic for the duration of the match, so I expect the both of you to be on your best behavior," Lucius continued, changing the topic ever so slightly. "He has invited us to share it due to our fiscal support, and I intend to stay in his good graces. Carina."

Carina sat up a little straighter at her name. "Yes?"

"He will likely ask about your future. What do you intend to tell him?"

Carina's breath caught for a moment.

"Well, with the N.E.W.T.s approaching this year, I've been researching various career options and would like to learn more about a position in politics. The workings of the Ministry fascinate me," she recited, having rehearsed these words in her head over and over for interviews at her debut.

Narcissa looked up from her bowl questioningly. "You won't need to work, darling, if you marry well."

Irritation sparked in Carina, but she schooled her features into an amicable expression. "Perhaps, but I'd like to keep a sharp mind to advise him well."

Her mother nodded in acceptance and continued to eat. Lucius, on the other hand, was considering the idea carefully.

"It would be wise to have a Malfoy in the government," he concluded. "But you will have to earn high marks on your exams."

"I'm at the top of my class, Father," Carina reminded him. "The N.E.W.T.s won't be a problem at all. In fact, I've been considering developing my Transfiguration skills one step further."

"How so?"

Carina took a steadying breath and met her father's inquisitive gaze. "I'd like to become an Animagus."

The clinking of spoons stilled as silence descended on the table. Carina's stomach clenched like a fist and she hurried onward.

"I've studied out the process, both legal and magical, and I've planned it out in my head. I could begin the process early in the spring before exams when dew is fresh and untouched, before students are too eager to be outdoors and before pressure mounts for the N.E.W.T.s. Depending on thunderstorms, I could be a full-fledged, registered Animagus before exams even start."

"It's a rather dangerous process, as I understand it," Narcissa mulled, exchanging a glance with her husband. "Not to mention inconvenient and time-consuming."

"But I could manage. I'm already at the top of my class, and I've been studying all summer in preparation for my final year," Carina reasoned. "The N.E.W.T.s will be a breeze."

"It's highly unpredictable," Lucius added. "The smallest mistake and you could end up disfigured, dead, or worse. In any case, I can't see what advantage you could gain from this, seeing as you don't know what animal you'll transform into."

"That's the thing," Carina countered quickly. "In most cases, the Animagus form is usually the same as one's Patronus. Mine is a fox, so it's most likely that my Animagus form will be the same."

"Yeah, and then you could sneak around eating mice," Draco snickered, and she shot him a glare. He simply shrugged with an impish, albeit well-meaning smile and returned to his soup.

"Actually, the fox is a common enough animal that, if I so desired, I could gather information that could aid me in my career as a politician." She hoped appealing to her father's drive for power might sway him in favor of her cause, but to her disappointment, he shook his head.

"I'm afraid you simply won't have the time," he told her.

"But I've got it all worked out, even with my classes—"

"You'll have more to concern yourself with than your classes and exams this year," Lucius continued, cutting her off as he buttered a slice of bread. "I have recently discovered that the Ministry of Magic has been working feverishly these past months in order to reinstate the Triwizard Tournament, to be hosted at Hogwarts this year and attended, of course, by contestants from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang."

Carina stared, dumbstruck at such news that had quashed whatever she'd been about to argue a moment before. The Triwizard Tournament was a contest between the three greatest wizarding institutions in Europe, where each selected a champion who participated in three tasks. The winner laid claim to glory, honor, and riches—should they survive, of course. The last she knew, it had been deemed too dangerous after numerous fatalities, and discontinued more than two hundred years ago.

"As such, you will have a unique opportunity to live among and build connections with elite students, which I expect you to take advantage of," Lucius continued.

"Reinstated? Excellent. How are the champions chosen?" Draco asked eagerly.

"The champions are chosen by an impartial judge, whose identity I am not privy to," Lucius replied, somewhat miffed. Whether at Draco or at his lack of information, Carina couldn't tell. "But you will not be entering."

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Because, due to the, ah, perilous nature of the tournament, all applicants must be of age to submit their names. Even so, Carina will not be entering either."

Carina, who had already begun rearranging her schedule in her mind to include both foreign connections and becoming an Animagus, lurched back to the present.

"What? Why not?"

Lucius gave her a disapproving look. "Did I stutter? Even if safeguards and precautions have been taken, this tournament is needlessly dangerous and I'll not have you endangered for glory and riches already exceeded by your birthright. And close your mouth, you are not a fish."

Carina snapped her gaping mouth shut, embarrassed by her slip in manners. "I don't understand, Father. I've been at the top of my class ever since I started at Hogwarts, and I'm more than capable of holding my own in a duel. I can handle the press almost as well as you and Mother, and I can make more ties as a Hogwarts champion."

Lucius considered the points she'd made, but his frown told her that he wasn't convinced. She changed tactics.

"Father, even if I do enter, dozens of my classmates will be entering too. It's not likely that I'll be chosen. But I can try, and that might give me an opportunity to speak with foreign students before the tournament even begins."

Lucius tilted his head to the side, thinking, then nodded. "Very well. You may enter as long as you keep up with your studies." He then turned his attention to Draco. "I trust you've been keeping up with your studies also?"

Her brother straightened confidently, momentarily forgetting to sulk about the tournament. "Of course. My homework has been finished for weeks now, and I've been studying in the evenings."

"As you should. As I understand it, you've still yet to rise to the top of your class," Lucius said pointedly. Carina glanced at her bristling brother as he tightened his grip on the spoon.

"It's not my fault," he grumbled.

"Do not mumble, Draco," Narcissa instructed.

"I said it's not my fault," he repeated grumpily. "I'm doing everything I can."

"And yet you're still passed up by a silly Mudblood girl," Lucius countered sharply. Carina raised an eyebrow in surprise. Draco had failed to clue her in on that little detail.

"She's a stubborn, insufferable know-it-all," Draco argued. "She practically lives in the library and constantly walks around with her nose glued to a book."

"You have the advantage of being born in our world, tutored by the finest witches and wizards money can buy, and yet over three years of schooling she still exceeds you in academics." Their father's voice had lowered dangerously, and Draco dropped his gaze to his soup. "I will instruct your tutors to extend your study times in the evenings, and I expect you to maintain these habits when you return to school."

"Yes, Father," Draco mumbled, slouching in his seat. Carina took pity and changed the subject.

"Mother, I'd like to invite Lyra over tomorrow morning to prepare for my debut," she said.

Narcissa raised her eyebrows. "What more needs to be prepared? We've instructed the house elves already on what needs to be done."

Carina offered a smile. "I'll be helping her, Mother. She feels a little bit rusty on the steps we learned last summer, and I'd like to help her practice."

Her parents exchanged a look. "I don't know that it's appropriate to have somebody of her station at your debut, darling," Narcissa said. Carina wasn't deterred.

"Mother, she's one of my closest friends, and a pureblood. Besides, I can't dance with all of the boys at once," she laughed lightly.

"What will she be wearing?" Narcissa asked, and Carina thought she heard a small groan from Draco.

"She found something fitting for the occasion last week in Italy," Carina assured her. "She'll blend well with our guests."

"I suppose as long as she can carry civil conversation, she will be welcome," Narcissa relented. Carina beamed.

"Thank you, Mother."

The rising moon found Carina in her room later that evening, bent low over a leather-bound journal and a book that still carried the aroma of a bookshop. Draco knocked, sauntered in when she called back, and settled himself lazily on her downy comforter.

"Read many more of those books and you won't even have to cast a spell to become an Animagus," he teased. Carina rolled her eyes, though he couldn't see her.

"It's not just a spell. There's a potion that I have to make, and this book goes more in depth about the details," she explained. She scratched another note in the journal, then laid down her quill and stretched her stiff fingers and neck.

Draco glanced at the gown peeking out of her wardrobe, then at the notes meticulously arranged on one wall—none of which actually detailed plans for the following evening when she would wear the gown.

"I thought you'd be more interested in planning your debut," he said.

Carina sighed and turned in her chair to face him more completely. "There's not much left for me to do," she admitted. "Mother has practically planned everything down to the last detail, except for how I'm going to look, and I figured that part out as soon as the dress was finished."

Draco raised his eyebrows. "Hasn't that thing been there since June?"

"Yes, and I've been dreaming about this debut since I knew what it was," she replied matter-of-factly.

Draco's eyes flicked skyward.

"Keep rolling your eyes," Carina deadpanned. "You might find some brains back there."

Draco glared at her, and the corners of her lips betrayed a smile.

"You're insufferable," he complained.

Carina snickered. "Isn't that what you called the girl who's beating you in classes? Honestly, Draco, you'll have to be a bit more creative with your insults."

Draco gritted his teeth, and Carina saw that she'd struck a nerve. "It's not like I'm not trying," he muttered.

Carina glanced down at a small, inked tattoo of a dragon sulking on her wrist. She and Draco had gotten the tattoos just after the beginning of her fifth year—his second—during the Chamber of Secrets crisis.

"This way we'll always know if one of us is in danger," Carina said, watching the ship rise and fall on her brother's skin. He stared at it, wide-eyed.

"We're connected," he marveled. Carina smiled.

"And we always will be," she replied. "Promise."

"What's yours look like?"

Carina lifted her sleeve to show him the dragon exploring the crease of her arm. "It's your constellation. It shows me exactly how you're feeling, and yours will show you exactly what I'm feeling."

Carina pulled herself from the memory as she watched the dragon. It reflected her brother's mood perfectly, and she was rather proud by that bit of magic.

"Sounds like she's only as good as she is because she's got nothing better to do," she replied airily. "I mean, we've both got Quidditch practice, and that takes up a fair amount of time. She probably doesn't have any friends."

"She's got Potter and Weasley, though they're hardly quality friends," Draco scoffed, his tension easing the slightest bit.

"You're really bothered by it, aren't you?" she asked quietly as Draco picked at a string on her comforter.

Draco clenched his teeth, then spoke dejectedly. "I'm worried that Father's right, and that I'm not good enough to beat a stupid Mudblood." Carina refrained from pointing out that she couldn't be that stupid if she was consistently at the top of their class. "Did you know she was taking practically twice as many classes as anybody else last year? People would swear she was in three classes at once and had never missed any. How the hell am I supposed to beat that?" he burst, frustration evident.

Carina considered what he'd said. "She had to be using a Time Turner. She'd probably be exhausted…" she mused. Draco shot another glare at her, and she shrugged, a bad habit that she'd picked up from Lyra. "I'm just saying, you have to admire her dedication."

Draco flopped onto her bed, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. "Great. Thanks Carina. You're a big help."

Carina sighed. "She's not worth thinking about, Draco. I mean, come on—like you said, she's a Mudblood. She'll never really belong in our world, so she doesn't matter."

Her brother let his hands drop as he stared up at the ceiling. "I just want Father to be proud of me. As long as she's ahead of me, I'll always be second-best."

Carina rolled her eyes, strode over to the bed, and swatted him on the leg. Draco yelped and jerked away.

"What was that for?" he demanded.

"Quit wallowing and grab your broom," Carina told him.

"What?"

"I said grab your broom. Let's go play night Quidditch. I'll bet Granger's rubbish at that."

Draco blinked, then a smile creeped over his face. "Yeah, she's been pretty bad with a broom since first year."

"Then let's get you back in shape so we can crush Gryffindor in Quidditch this year," Carina said. "I'm ready for a break from studying anyway, and I expect you to be the best seeker this school has ever seen. Even better than Harry Potter."

Draco grinned at the thought and strutted out of the room. Carina glanced at her Animagus notes, then strode away to fetch her own Nimbus 2001. She could worry about the rest after her debut.

Author's Note: Hello, dear readers, and welcome to my first published fan-fiction! This has been in the works for about three years now and I've finally taken the leap to publish it.

The concept for this story was published by multiple posts on tumblr, the users of which I will credit as each idea develops in the story. I deeply appreciate you taking the time to click on this, and hope you will leave me your thoughts and feelings as the story progresses, should you choose to pursue it with me.

Without further ado, on to Chapter 2!