Chapter Text
Since the day she was born, all Lucinda had known was pain. She wasn’t supposed to be born, at least not really, Lucius and Narcissa had only planned for one child, however, they were surprised to find a baby girl following right behind her darling older brother, Draco. Despite being born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, the child lived, much to the dismay of her father. She was named Lucinda Narcissa Malfoy, often called Lucy by her brother, and her father never ignored a moment that he could inform her she was never wanted.
Narcissa didn’t care much for the girl either, however, she never hurt her, not physically anyway. She usually turned a blind eye when Lucius would hit or insult her, often not paying attention or feeling remorse the very few times Lucy called out for her or Draco, or anyone really.
Yes, Lucius couldn’t stand his own daughter, his own flesh and blood, he only really wanted one heir and as far as he was concerned, he’d gotten one. He’d thought about dropping the girl off at an orphanage somewhere when she was younger, however, she bore a striking resemblance to his wife, one that The Daily Prophet surely wouldn’t miss. As a result, he was stuck with the child. Often starving, beating, and berating her for no reason other than the fact that he disliked her, but still gave her decent clothing. If they were going out in public, she had to be presentable after all. What was really the icing on the cake for him and Narcissa though, was the fact that the girl appeared to be a squib. To think, an unwanted child and a squib Malfoy to boot. The child was a disgrace and a nuisance at best, at worst she was the absolute worst thing to ever happen to their happy little family.
While Draco showcased his magic quite early, the twins were about two when he shattered the glass his Aunt Bellatrix had been holding, not at all liking the way she was holding him, Lucinda didn’t show any signs of magic until they were about six.
It was the day after their birthday, Draco had gotten anything his little heart had desired, cake, ice cream, jelly slugs- Lucinda’s favorite, and his favorite, sugar quills, while Lucinda had gotten nothing again for the sixth year in a row. Try as he might to be mean and ignore his little sister, he simply couldn’t ignore her. The two had a deep connection, one their parents had noticed and greatly disapproved of but hadn’t been able to stop as they didn’t dare harm the precious heir to the Malfoy lineage. The twins were playing with Draco’s new toys in his room, namely a small-sized quidditch set that his father had given him in hopes that he would pick up the sport one day when Lucy smacked a bludger and caused it to fly into and demolish a glass piece of artwork that Narcissa’s mother had given to her for her firstborn child. In shock, neither of them moved until the sound of shoes stomping along the marble floor alerted them to their father approaching. Draco snatched the paddle out of his sister’s hand and stared as their father whipped open the door, seething with rage.
“You horrible, ungrateful little bitch!”
“Father, no, it was me! It was just an accident!” Draco pleaded and was promptly knocked down by a slap to the face.
“Don’t you ever cover for her again, do you understand me? As for you,” Lucius gripped the girl’s tiny arm and she screamed and tried to pull out of his grasp. “I should’ve done this the day you were born.”
Lucy dug her heels into the ground, earning a punch to the stomach and now being dragged by her mostly black, shoulder-length hair. She cried and flailed, attempting to get away from her father, crying out for her mother and her brother, but to no avail. Lucius dragged her into her room and into the bathroom, tossing her on the floor and locking the door behind them, Draco beating on it from outside, sobbing and pleading with his father. With a quick spell and the faucets turned on, her bathtub filled rapidly and Lucy attempted to crawl between her father’s legs to escape. Lucius grabbed her leg and dragged her on the tile floor before lifting her up and grabbing her by her hair, submerging her entire body in the tub and holding her down, ignoring her kicking her legs, and flailing her arms. Just as she was about to lose consciousness, she shrieked and in an instant, Lucius was across the room and the bathtub was scattered around the bathroom, broken porcelain, and water everywhere. Lucius stared, obviously startled by what’d happened and in shock that his daughter actually did possess magical abilities.
“Well, good to know you’re not a total disappointment,” he said as he stood, unlocked the door, and made his way to his quarters so he could clean himself up. For months after, Lucy couldn’t sleep, she often waited until her parents and the house elves had fallen asleep before creeping into Draco’s room and sleeping with him, feeling at ease in a space near her brother who’d wanted to save her.
Now, the two are eleven years old and heading off for their first year in Hogwarts. When getting onto the train, their parents doted on Draco, promising to write and send gifts constantly while completely ignoring his sister. Before they managed to board the train, Lucius stopped Lucy and gave her a hug, which caused her to stiffen and stare off as he whispered in her ear.
“You better not cause any trouble whatsoever. Are we clear?”
Letting her go, he simply gave her a pat on her shoulder and she scurried off as quickly as she could manage. The train ride over was uneventful, Lucy didn’t feel comfortable enough to speak to anyone so she simply sat next to her brother while he talked and joked with a couple of blokes, Crabbe and Goyle maybe? She couldn’t recall. All she could focus on was getting into Slytherin, the house that both sides of her family had been in since they first began to attend the school.
While everyone else was in awe over the view of the castle from the boats on the lake, she still couldn’t keep herself focused on what was happening in reality. Draco nudged her shoulder with his own, in a way of asking if she was alright and she simply shrugged, she’d be able to talk to him about it later anyways, in the dormitory. By the time she’d stopped dissociating and began to take in her surroundings, she was among the other children waiting just outside the Great Hall as they waited to enter and be sorted into a house.
She noticed a black-haired kid with glasses, some sort of mark sticking out from under his hair, must’ve been the Harry Potter his parents often spoke about in hushed tones. There was a redheaded boy next to him, his robes a bit older than her’s, definitely a Weasley, although she wasn’t sure which one.
“Harry Potter, your reputation precedes you. Name’s Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, and that’s my sister Lucinda,” Draco spoke, taking a step up and standing in front of the two boys she’d been observing. At this, the red-haired boy scoffed and rolled his eyes, drawing Draco’s attention and mild irritation. “And don’t get me started on you. Red hair, hand me down clothes, must be a Weasley.”
“You’ll soon learn that in this world there are wizards of good stature, and those beneath them,” Draco cast a disgusted look at the redhead who looked down and sunk into himself. “We could help you make the right decisions.”
“I think I can decide for myself, thanks,” Harry replied, ignoring Draco’s outstretched hand. He clenched his jaw and dropped his hand, moving to stand next to his sister once more and making a comment about idiots not respecting bloodlines. A moment later, Professor McGonagall stepped back into the room and led the first-years into the Great Hall. Lucy couldn’t help but notice and feel as though most people were watching her, namely the other redheads sitting at the Gryffindor table. She scratched at her wrist, a small quirk she’d developed over the years, and attempted to ignore her feeling of unease.
“When I call your name, simply step up and sit down on the stool and I’ll place the Sorting Hat on your head,” McGonagall spoke, her voice echoing through the large room. She got through a few names and watched a girl named Hermione get placed into Gryffindor, along with the redhead- Ronald, and then she got to, “Draco Malfoy.”
The hat barely graced the tips of his hair before announcing, “Slytherin” causing the table to applaud and cheer as he strode over.
“Lucinda Malfoy.”
Quickly swallowing and wringing her hands together as she walked up and sat on the stool, a deep voice that only she could hear began to speak to her.
“Well well well, another Malfoy I see. I hadn’t a doubt in my mind that your brother is more cunning than he is brave, but you on the other hand…” it trailed off, and Lucy bit the inside of her cheek. “Cunning, yes, but that’s been stunted by your upbringing, you didn’t get away with as much as your brother did. Intelligent, ambitious, patient, and the desire to be brave, oh yes very brave.”
Please, please just put me in Slytherin. I can’t be any bigger of a disappointment than I am now. He’ll kill me, he’ll surely kill me so I won’t be as big of a laughing stock as I am right now.
“My apologies my dear, while you’re resourceful and ambitious, your desire to be brave greatly outweighs those qualities. When I do this and say it’s for your own good, you really must believe me because it has to be, GRYFFINDOR!” The hat announced and while the Gryffindor table cheered, she knew it wasn’t sincere. She shouldn’t have been put into that house, she shouldn’t have ever come to Hogwarts, she should’ve let her life end when it was supposed to, at the hands of her father five years ago.