Chapter 1: Revelations

Hermione stood before the class, confident and ready to show off the result of months of hard work.

For their N.E.W.T. level Charms project, all seventh and returning eighth year students had to create a spell that would benefit the wizarding community in some way. Inspired by a muggle website she discovered over the summer designed to find one's ancestry, and her longtime desire to know if she had any distant relatives in the wizarding world, Hermione developed a charm to reveal family relationships.

Professor Flitwick nodded for Hermione to continue with her presentation. After a short explanation on the practical applications of her spell, she waved her wand in a large circular motion.

"Genus commostro!"

Thin strands of golden light started to appear between many of the students. These strands began to change color once the spell determined the extent of the relationship. For instance, the strands connecting Ron and Ginny, and Padma and Pavarti, turned red to indicate their immediate relationship as full siblings. The strand between Ron and Harry turned purple, showing the distant relationship shared from having a great-great-great grandmother in common. Ironically, the strands among many of the Slytherins turned green, illustrating that generations of pureblood marriages formed connections that were probably too close for comfort.

More blue and purple strands crisscrossed the room, revealing several distant relationships which could be expected among the small magical community. What was not expected however, was the strand linking the two blonds in the classroom – now as orange as the mop on Ron Weasley's head.

Draco Malfoy's eyes widened, before he quickly recovered with a sneer. "Clearly, Granger deserves a 'Troll' for her assignment," he gritted out between his teeth. "There is absolutely no way I'm related to daft-and-crazy over here." Meanwhile, Luna Lovegood just smiled dreamily. Hermione was simply stunned.

Astonished by the new revelations, the class began to chatter excitedly. Before Professor Flitwick could reclaim order, the bell rang to signal the end of class. Draco quickly stood up, gathered his things, and stomped out of the room. He could be heard ranting down the hallway, muttering that Granger was a stupid swot whose sole purpose in life was to make his difficult.

But despite his initial disbelief, Draco knew better. The Head Girl was the brightest witch of their age. As Head Boy, he was smart enough to recognize that Hermione Granger did not make mistakes. That meant his father had engaged in some sort of illicit affair, and his secret was just revealed in the worst possible way. What was he going to do… and how was he going to tell his mother?

Fortunately for Draco, he did not have to endure the gossiping whispers for long, as the student body was dismissed for winter holidays the very next day. However, that left him very little time to prepare himself for what surely would be a terrible conversation with his mother. How could he tell his mother that not only did the love of her life cheat on her, but that it resulted in a child? A girl no less, born only a year after Draco. Narcissa Malfoy had always wanted a daughter, but Lucius Malfoy had his heir and there was no need for more children.

At least Lucius no longer lived in the Manor, so Narcissa would not have to face him once she was informed of his betrayal. No, Lucius was currently a resident of Azkaban, serving a life sentence for crimes committed during the Second Wizarding War – a fate that Narcissa and Draco were spared for their hidden contributions to the light. While Narcissa had lied to Voldemort when asked if The-Boy-Who-Lived still lived, Draco had lied to the Dark Lord for much longer. He had taken the Dark Mark willingly to protect his mother, but became a spy for the Order when he realized that he could not stand by and watch a madman come to power. Only Professor Snape, Headmaster Dumbledore, and his Aunt Andromeda had known of his duplicity at the time.

It was over dinner on his third night home that Draco finally summoned to courage to broach the subject with Narcissa. "Mother," he said softly, "there is something that happened over the term which I need to discuss with you."

Ever the proper lady, Mrs. Malfoy delicately placed her fork down, and put her hands in her lap. "Certainly sweetheart, what is troubling you?"

"Well… there was an incident in Charms class. That know-it-all Granger came up with this foolish idea to…"

She smothered a smirk at that. There was hardly a holiday break over the last seven years where her son did not mention the Granger girl. Despite her unfortunate heritage, it was evident that the muggleborn was a formidable witch who challenged Draco and kept him on his toes.

"…and the spell, it revealed that I have a half-sibling."

Narcissa froze. "I beg your pardon?"

Draco rushed on, now looking at his dinner plate, "I am so, so sorry mother. I know that you loved father, but we always came second in his life to the Dark Lord, so it really should be no surprise his loyalty…"

"Draco…"

"…Flitwick confirmed the validity of the spell, and while I have yet to speak with Ms. Lovegood…"

"Draco."

"…I will discuss it with our lawyers to ensure the Malfoy assets are protected and…"

"Draco!"

This caught his attention. His mother never shouted.

"Draco, there is something I must tell you…" Narcissa said weakly. "I ask that you let me speak without interruption, and afterwards you may ask questions."

Draco nodded. Then his entire world turned upside down.