I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters, this is merely fanfiction.

I want to make it clear that there are no horcruxes in this AU. Voldemort is completely dead. Dumbledore, however, has a hard time accepting that as he has spent a large part of his life defeating dark wizards.

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Albus Dumbledore was furious. He had been thwarted at every turn yesterday at the Ministry, and that was not something he was used to.

Usually a twinkle here, a grandfatherly nod there, and he got his way.

Not yesterday.

He had spent years plotting and scheming to beat Gellert Grindelwald, and then Tom Riddle, always one step ahead of the Dark wizards.

Leaving the orphaned Holly Potter with the muggles had been regrettable, sure, but it was necessary. The blood-wards would protect her from any who wished her ill, and if his theory was correct, he may need her to beat Tom if he ever returned.

Over the years, when he did his mandatory check-ins, he realized she was being mistreated.

But sacrifices had to be made for the greater good, didn't they?

Of course they did.

He would have to wait until Holly Potter came to Hogwarts to be able to get to her, though her soulmate could prove a problem. The Malfoy's had always been Dark aligned, and he didn't believe for a moment that Lord Malfoy had been under the Imperius curse.

However, there was no changing it. The law was absolute, there was no separating soulmates. It would seem his only opportunity to get close to Holly Potter would be at Hogwarts.

He would have to make the best of it.

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Lord and Lady Malfoy rose early the next morning. They peered into Holly's room, and after seeing that she and Draco still slept peacefully under the watchful eyes of Mipsy and Dobby, they both went about their business.

Lord Malfoy went to send off letters and floo-call with their allied families. Holly would have to be well protected whenever they went in public, and at Hogwarts. Clearly Dumbledore wanted control of her for some reason. It was time to close ranks.

Lady Malfoy called for a house elf and asked for breakfast to be served in the garden. It wouldn't be too warm this early in the morning, and the view of the garden was spectacular. Generations of Malfoys had improved upon the grounds, making it a true treasure.

Lady Malfoy felt the wards on Holly and Draco's rooms shift. Draco must have awoken and returned to his room via the adjoining door.

She quickened her step. Draco was used to getting himself ready, but she wasn't sure if Holly required assistance or not.

As she opened the door she saw that she needn't have worried.

Mipsy was lovingly but firmly shooing Holly towards the large walk-in closet. Lady Malfoy chuckled affectionately at the scene and sat to wait for Holly's exit. Mipsy had always been her favorite elf, and often bossed her around as well.

Holly emerged wearing a charming shirt-dress made of white eyelet cotton that featured an emerald green ribbon belt, before the full skirt ended at her knees.

"You look absolutely darling, my dear. I'm so glad you picked out that style at Madam Malkin's. Now, come sit down, let me braid your hair."

Holly obeyed, happy to be doted on by Lady Malfoy.

'I wonder if this is what having a mother feels like' she thought. If she had grown up in the magical world, her mother would have done this for her every day. The thought filled her with sadness before it was quickly driven away by the joy on Lady Malfoy's face.

Mipsy brought over a tray with hair combs, also plucked from Lady Malfoys childhood wardrobe. Lady Malfoy motioned for Holly to make the choice, and Holly was flattered. They were all gorgeous.

There was a gold snake with emeralds for eyes, a silver peacock with various gems, a unicorn with a singular diamond for an eye, and a host of others.

Holly trailed her finger over the snake and picked it up.

She liked snakes. A lot.

She always had, and the incident at the zoo endeared them to her further. Draco's constant lauding of Slytherin and it's virtues only cemented their place in her heart. She would be a snake no matter what.

"This one," Holly said quietly, reverently.

Lady Malfoy smiled and went about braiding and placing the comb. She was just tucking it into the crown of Holly braid when she heard the small girl's voice.

"Cissa?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes, my dear?"

"I can talk to snakes. Is that- is that normal for people like us?

Lady Malfoy froze with her hand still on the comb.

Had she heard her correctly?

She hadn't heard of someone speaking Parseltongue since Tom-but no, he was gone. Conquered by the petite girl in front of her.

She knelt in front of Holly, taking her hands into her own.

"Are you sure?"

Holly looked bashful, but shook her head.

"I'm sure. I set a boa constrictor on my cousin at the zoo." A small smile worked its way onto Holly's face, and Lady Malfoy returned it. That awful boy deserved whatever he got and more.

"It is a very special, and very rare talent. The language of snakes is called Parseltongue, and those that can speak it are referred to as Parselmouths. Those descended from Salazar Slytherin are often Parselmouths. We'll do some digging into the Potter family tree and see what we can find."

Holly agreed, and allowed Lady Malfoy to lead her out onto the veranda. Mipsy had breakfast laid out, and Lord Malfoy and Draco were awaiting them.

Lady Malfoy considered what she had just been told.

She looked at Holly and she couldn't deny she certainly possessed the Slytherin coloring. Pale flawless skin, black shiny hair, and striking emerald eyes.

Could they have the Heiress of Slytherin in their midsts?

Lady Malfoy pushed the thought aside for the moment, and focused on breakfast.

Draco pushed a vial of nutrient potion over to Holly and watched her intently as she drank it. When she was done he took a plate from Mipsy and put it in front of Holly, making sure she ate everything on it.

Holly tried her best not to blush at his attention, but failed. It felt amazing to have someone care for her so much.

They finished eventually, and Mipsy took away the plates, leaving them to chat.

"We must return to Diagon Alley today to get your wands. It is the only thing that we can not have delivered to the Manor." Lord Malfoy told them.

Holly beamed, she was incredibly excited to get her wand.

"There are certain things we must discuss first. Holly, I apologize for bringing this up, but it really is necessary. Especially taking your nightmares into consideration. How much did Hagrid tell you about the night your parents died?"

Holly paled, but put on her bravest face. She had a feeling Lord Malfoy wouldn't have brought this up unless it was important.

"Not much. He told me a bad wizard killed them, and tried to kill me, but something about me was special, and I killed him somehow. He didn't want to talk about it."

Lord Malfoy nodded, and regarded the children solemnly. This was going to be a long talk.

Holly held Draco's hand under the table when he offered it, and squeezed his hand when certain parts seemed particularly scary.

Lord Malfoy told them about a boy named Tom Riddle, how he had gained followers by espousing a return to the Olde Ways and pureblood customs. He was charismatic and charming, and easily won powerful families support/

Though he was himself a halfblood, he was descended from Salazar Slytherin, giving his name an importance beyond his blood status. A position that was only further bolstered when he found his soulmate in Lady Malfoy's sister, Bellatrix Black.

They told them he could have done great things, but he was obsessed with immortality. Tom had slowly lost his mind and humanity by delving into black magic, and committing acts of evil. When Bella died during a skirmish, he lost the last bit of his sanity.

Tom became Lord Voldemort, who killed her parents and tried to kill her.

Her parents had trusted in Dumbledore to keep their home and family safe, and picked the wrong person as secret-keeper. The traitor, Peter, was killed by her godfather in retaliation, though not before being hit with a slow-acting curse that would ultimately lead to his death a year later.

Lord Malfoy told them about the Knights of Walpurgis, which his father Abraxas had joined in school, and the Death Eaters that he had been forced to join after Hogwarts. By that time, Lord Voldemort had truly lost his mind, and would simply kill anyone who opposed him.

He told them about the Imperius Curse and it's control over him. He described how awful it felt to lose control of your own actions, unable to stop himself from hurting people. Lady Malfoy put her hand on his, and gave it a squeeze.

"I'm so sorry, children. There will be those who will judge you for my actions. I want you to understand, I never wanted to be a part of his reign of terror. I am merely lucky that he let me live. I suppose that was a favor to my father for being one of his earliest supporters."

Draco looked pale at her side. Clearly this was the first time he had heard a lot of this as well.

He schooled his features into a mimicry of his father's usually implacable face.

"There is nothing to be sorry for father. You didn't do it on purpose."

Holly agreed. How could they hold him responsible for something he didn't want to do? Clearly it still tortured him, you could see it in his eyes when he spoke about it.

"May I ask...that is...do you know how I survived, if nobody else did? What's so special about me?"

Lady Malfoy regarded her gently. No one really knew, but she had her theories. Everyone did. It's what she had done during the first war to protect Draco, and she would do it again in a heartbeat if she had to.

"Your mother, Lady Potter, was exceptionally gifted at charms and ruins. It is most likely that she cast a powerful protection charm over you using blood wards. Such magic is ancient and extremely powerful. Your father's family library would have contained instructions on how to cast it. It requires the giving of one life, to preserve the other. It would have activated when your mother and father died protecting you on Potter property. Lord Voldemort could never have understood such selfless love. He was selfish in everything he did."

Holly sat dumbfounded. Her mother's self-sacrificial love had saved her. She was a brilliant witch who had done what it took to protect that most precious to her.

Holly swore to herself she would grow up to be the same type of witch.

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Mipsy waved her arm over what appeared to be a blank wall, revealing what Holly could only identify as a vault door.

What was this doing in a home?

Lord Malfoy smiled down at her smugly. He set about waving his wand in complicated motions while Lady Malfoy explained.

"Malfoy Manor has been here for hundreds of years, Holly. Each generation of Malfoys adds their own layer of wards to the property. It would be nigh impenetrable to those we wished not to enter. We choose to keep a few of our most precious family trinkets here, instead of at Gringotts."

Holly marveled, the magical world was full of surprises. Something else occurred to her- every generation.

That meant one day her and Draco would add their own layer of wards on the manor- and their children, and their children.

Holly flushed, and pushed aside the thought. Lord Malfoy had finished his wand work and was leading them into the vault room.

Holly looked around with wide eyes, as she dropped Draco's hand in surprise.

He chuckled at her dumbfounded expression. There were long shelves that lined the room on every side, and a large set of small drawers in the middle of the room. Two walls of shelves contained glass cases with various magical artifacts within. Another wall contained what looked to be ancient tomes.

Lady Malfoy headed for the drawers, and flicked her wand to reveal a series of drawers that seemed to contain nothing but jewelry.

Tiaras shone from the bottom drawer, intricate necklaces were arranged on velvet in the second drawer, and all manner of small baubles glittered from the top most drawer.

Draco grabbed her hand and pulled her gently towards Lady Malfoy and the drawers.

Lady Malfoy was looking intently for something, while Lord Malfoy looked on leisurely.

"Ah! Here it is!" Chimed Lady Malfoy as she pulled a velvet lined tray of rings from the top drawer.

They were all dainty and feminine, with various stones and symbols.

"Now my dear, these have belonged to various Malfoy Heiresses of the past. No doubt you have seen the Heir's signet ring that Draco wears?"

Holly nodded her head, he had used it in the robe shop to call Lord Malfoy.

"They are imbued with powerful protection charms, and can be used to call Lord Malfoy or myself to your location. Typically the family would have one commissioned when the heiress is found, but with us going out today, it would be best for you to wear one of these for the time being."

This was brilliant! Holly had been secretly worried about going back to Diagon Alley. What if she got separated from them somehow? This way they would always be able to find her.

Holly traced her fingers over the various rings gently. She could feel magic radiating from them, it felt the way she did when she looked at Draco.

Safe, warm.

Holly's finger came to rest on a gold ring with a large emerald in the center and intricate ruins carved into the band. Something about it felt better than the others, though she didn't quite know how to describe it.

"This one, I think." Holly said shyly.

"Lovely," commented Lady Malfoy as she slid the ring on Holly's finger. Holly's eyes grew wide as it automatically resized to fit her finger.

"That was actually my Heiress ring. It looks divine on you!" Lady Malfoy commented as Draco and Lord Malfoy came and took turns looking at the ring proudly.

"Now we must prepare ourselves to go to Diagon Alley! Follow me!" Lord Malfoy called, leading them out of the vault room, and towards the study.

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Lords Goyle and Crabbe stood guard outside the entrance to Ollivanders while Holly and Draco got their wands.

Draco found his wand almost immediately, but Holly took quite a bit longer.

Lady Malfoy realized that Ollivanders was trying wands similar to her parents, but she doubted if he would have any luck with that.

Holly seemed incredibly different than how she remembered the former Lord and Lady Potter. They had always been confident, brave, and outgoing. Holly was quiet, shy, thoughtful, and already incredibly loyal to Draco. She saw the way she held on to his hand, and how he stood slightly in front of her, glaring at anyone who gave her a second-look.

After several failures, Ollivander seemed to pause and contemplate something.

He disappeared into the back of his shop and came out with a long black wand box.

"Try this one," he said with a curious gleam in his eye, and the air around Holly seemed to shift and glow as she waved the wand. It filled her with a wonderful warm feeling.

"Curious that you should be destined for this wand." Ollivander stated, his tone putting Lord Malfoy on edge immediately. Ollivander had been an early supporter of Tom's, before he went insane. He had quickly retreated and renounced any involvement after the fact.

"I remember every wand I've ever sold. The Phoenix who gave the feather for this wand gave just one other, to that of the Dark Lord."

Lord Malfoy placed a protective hand on Holly's shoulder. She didn't need to listen to this man's ramblings. She didn't need to be compared to anyone, she was remarkable enough on her own. Let alone the man that had murdered her family.

"That is quite enough. The wands, if you please."

Ollivander seemed to come back to himself then, mumbling lowly to himself as he shook his head. He wrapped the wands, took their payment, and handed them off.

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Holly stood in front of her vanity. She smoothed out the front of her blouse and adjusted the bow on top of her braids.

Today Draco's friends were coming to meet her, and she was incredibly nervous. She didn't have many good experiences with groups of boys. Dudley and his friends were cruel, always teasing and hurting her.

Holly knew Draco would never hurt her, he took every precaution to make sure she was comfortable, but what if his friends didn't like her?

Could you dump your soulmate?

Lady Malfoy called her out of her thoughts, "What's bothering you dear?" she asked from the doorway of Holly's room. Holly sighed heavily and sat down on the chair in front of her vanity.

"What if they don't like me?" Holly asked dejectedly, wrapping her arms protectively around herself.

Lady Malfoy walked to her quickly, and knelt down so their eyes were level. Holly appreciated the gesture, especially considering the stilettos Lady Malfoy was wont to wear.

"My dear, how could they not love you?! Draco would be absolutely scandalized if they didn't adore you. You know he thinks the world of you already."

"Really?" Holly asked with a blush.

"Really," Lady Malfoy reassured her, "Malfoy men are incredibly loyal, and they protect what's theirs at all costs."

Holly blushed an even brighter pink, but smiled back at Lady Malfoy.

It would be alright. She and Draco belonged to each other, they were soulmates.

"They're in the garden, shall I walk with you?"

Holly smiled gratefully and buckled the strap on her shoes before she followed Lady Malfoy out onto the veranda.

Draco was leaning over, his hands on his knees, laughing at something one of the other boys had said. The two other boys were tall and lanky like Draco, and had the same dignified air, even while messing about.

All the boys were dressed in shorts and quidditch jerseys. It was the first time she had ever seen Draco wear anything but formal wear, and she could clearly see the holly-leaf mark on the back of his knee. Holly touched the dragon mark on her arm with a fond smile.

She wondered if he had worn more casual clothes just to show off their matching marks.

"My dears, if I may!" Narcissa called to get their attention.

The boys straightened up and ran over to Holly.

"Heir Theodore Nott and Heir Blaise Zabini, may I present Lady Holly Potter."

Holly curtsied and Theo and Blaise bowed as Draco beamed beatifically. He could not be more proud about his soulmate. She was pretty, powerful, and kind. That was a rare combination, or so his father said anyways.