I do not own Harry Potter or it's characters. This is merely a work of fanfiction.

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Holly did not immediately realize that they had arrived at Malfoy Manor. She remained tucked into Draco's arms with her eyes closed until she heard a cough and a chuckle.

Holly opened her eyes to see Lord Malfoy looking down at her and Draco with amusement. She hastily stepped back, embarrassed that she had been caught cuddling him.

A small creature with large floppy ears and huge eyes approached Holly. She was wearing a white dress with black ribbons and a crest on the front that Holly assumed represented the Malfoy family.

"You have found the young mistress!" the creature yelped excitedly as it clapped its hands. Lady Malfoy looked down at it indulgently.

"Yes, Mipsy. I have. This is Lady Holly Potter, how did you know she was the future Lady Malfoy?"

Holly blushed but listened all the same.

"I can sense it, Mistress. Their magic is like two halves of a whole. Just like you and Master."

Lady Malfoy nodded happily and patted the creature on the head.

"Lady Potter, this is Mipsy. She is my personal house elf. House elves are creatures that serve witches and wizards. They bond themselves to a family and serve them for life."

Holly paled. She had experience with serving others and it wasn't pleasant.

"L-like a slave?" she asked.

"No!" Mipsy piped up before Lord or Lady Malfoy could respond. "Witches and wizards is needing us, young mistress! They can barely take care of themselves! And we be needing them too!"

"Yes. Yes. Thank you for that, Mipsy." Lord Malfoy said, voice dripped in derision, though he wore a fond smile on his face.

Lady Malfoy then insisted that Holly be allowed to bathe and redress in more suitable clothing, since Holly's Aunt and Uncle had certainly not allowed her any indulgences.

Lady Malfoy explained to Mipsy that they bought a whole new wardrobe from Madame Malkin's, but they wouldn't be delivered until later that day.

Mipsy jumped at the opportunity, and announced that she still had all Lady Malfoy's clothes stored from when she was a child, and would be happy to fetch them.

While Holly bathed in the luxurious bubble bath that Mipsy had drawn, the excited house elf was using her magic to fill Holly's closet with a selection of Lady Malfoys vintage clothing.

A new little mistress to care for! How exciting!

To know that the wee master had found his soulmate so young was heart-warming to the old elf.

The young mistress had clearly been mistreated by whoever she lived with before. She was sickly thin, and shorter than most witches her age.

Her Mistress had sent out an owl to demand the presence of their families personal healer as soon as possible to assess the health of the young lady, and see what might need to be done to help her.

Lady Malfoy then settled into an armchair in the sitting area of Holly's room to await her.

Holly emerged wearing one of Lady Malfoy's favorite dresses from her Pre-Hogwarts days. A pretty green shift dress that was cool in the hot summer air. It had snakes embroidered along the hem, and showed off the dragon mark on Holly's forearm splendidly.

Holly ran her fingers over the dress reverently. She had never been given a dress before, and she loved it. This was beyond her wildest dreams.

"Does it look okay Lady Malfoy?" she asked hesitantly.

"It looks absolutely lovely dear. That was my favorite dress as a girl, and it brings out the color of your eyes!"

Lady Malfoy led her to an ornate built-in vanity and pulled a silver hair brush through her long hair.

Holly watched herself in the mirror, still in shock that this was now her life, but incredibly happy.

"You can call me Cissa sweetheart, everyone in the family does. You may call Lord Malfoy by Lucius as well." Lady Malfoy told her, and Holly felt overwhelmed all of a sudden.

Family. Cissa considered her family.

"Call me Holly, please. All of you." she offered, and Lady Malfoy smiled down at her reflection.

"We would have offered our assistance to you either way, but that dragon mark on your arm makes you family. We take care of our own. I'm only sorry it took us so long to find you."

Lady Malfoy began to work Holly's hair up into an elaborate updo that resembled her own.

Holly felt like her heart might burst from being too full. So many new things were happening, and she couldn't help but be in awe of everything around her.

Things were finally going to be okay.

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While Lady Malfoy and Holly were freshening up, Lord Malfoy took Draco to his study. He expected he would start receiving owls from his lawyer anytime now.

They were paid a handsome retainer to act quickly.

Lord Malfoy sat down at his desk upon their entrance and Draco took up his usual armchair in front of his father's desk.

They had many chats here throughout the years. Draco had private tutors, and etiquette lessons that Lord Malfoy would often review with him after.

Now they were going to have another important chat.

"Draco, you know of course, that finding and cherishing your soulmate is one of the highest callings that any wizard can hope to achieve."

Draco nodded his affirmation, "Of course, Father."

Lord Malfoy looked out at the extensive gardens through the windows next to his desk. Quickly, many things he would need to do today flicked through his mind.

"Yes, well, you have found her, and I congratulate you on that."

Draco beamed, the poor lad was completely smitten already.

"Now you have the long road ahead of you. Lady Potter may not be aware of it right now, but she is an incredibly powerful witch. We have the task of keeping her safe, and showing her that she is cherished. It is likely that there will be those who try to get close to her to use her. Just as there will be those that want to get close to you for the same reason. You must protect each other. She may be wary of others for quite a while. She has not been treated well. We must see to it that she meets the right kind of people, who will cherish her as well."

"I understand father," Draco responded, his jaw set sternly. He would let anyone else hurt his soulmate. He had only met her today, but he already felt incredibly protective of her. His magic recognized hers.

Lord Malfoy made to pick up some letters that needed attending to, but Draco continued to look at his father mutinously, his hands curled into fists in his lap.

"You're not really going to let those muggles get away with what they did to her are you?"

"You assume too much, Draco. Nott and Zabini are already on it. I sent them a coded letter while we were still at the shop. Crabbe and Goyle are good for brute strength, but never for skilled work. You'd do well to remember that. Those muggles will be punished severely, and their memories wiped. We can leave no trace in case the Wizenagamot ever decides to do an investigation into what happened to Holly."

His son's curiosity satisfied, Lord Malfoy once again returned to the letters he needed to respond to. Draco picked up a book and flipped through it idly, while thinking of all the things he wanted to teach Holly about.

He felt relieved to know the muggles who hurt his soul mate would not go unharmed.

Lady Zabini and Lord Nott were the parents of two of his closest friends, and they would see justice done.

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Lady Elora Shacklebolt stood in the floo room of Malfoy Manor awaiting the presence of Lord Malfoy.

She had been at the Ministry all morning, filing the proper paperwork for Lady Potter's new custody arrangement. It was a fairly straightforward matter, though the names on the paperwork did raise a few eyebrows.

She was used to it, having been the Malfoy family's lawyer for nearly ten years now. A few well placed glares tended to calm people down.

The fireplace roared to life behind her and her husband, Lord Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped out, closely followed by Healer Ted Tonks.

"Kings? Why are you here?" she asked, but was quickly silenced by the entrance of Lord and Lady Malfoy.

"Glad you could come so quickly. Though I can't say I was expecting you, Lord Shacklebolt," Lord Malfoy drawled.

Lord Shacklebolt took a deep breath, this should be an interesting visit.

"Dumbledore has been at the Ministry for hours, kicking up a fuss. Legally, he can't do anything, I have been asked, as an Auror, to come and make sure Lady Potter is not under any duress."

Lady Malfoy suppressed urge to roll her eyes. The only thing that manipulative old coot wanted was to have control of Holly again. For some reason he had left her in the custody of those filthy muggles all those years, and she would find out why eventually.

She looked forward to the report that Lady Zabini and Lord Nott would bring back with them. They had been instructed to attempt occlumency to see how severely Holly had been mistreated before they obliviated the muggles.

Lord Malfoy knew only too well that it could be difficult to discuss your own suffering, especially when it happened at such a young age. They needed to know how much help Holly needed, however. Only after the fall of Voldemort had Lord Malfoy been able to seek a mind healer for his own childhood trauma, and time spent under the Imperius Curse.

"Lady Potter is here of her own volition. You may, of course, see her for yourself. She needs to see Healer Tonks, however, as soon as possible. Lord and Lady Shacklebolt, it would be best if you joined us as witnesses, perhaps."

Lady and Lord Shacklebolt shared a look. Anything that required witnesses when it came to a Healer was not good.

"Well where is the patient?" Healer Tonks asked with his usual cheerfulness.

The Tonks and the Malfoys maintained a civil relationship since the end of The War, but it was never completely amiable.

Lady Malfoy's parents had done everything possible to make Ted and her sister Andromeda break up, but Andromeda was determined and eloped in the end. Lord Malfoys actions in the war only further estranged them, despite the fact that he was under the Imperius Curse.

They were only able to reconcile after the war had ended, and their parents passed away.

"This way please, Mipsy is serving them a snack in the sunroom."

Lady Malfoy led the way through the first floor of the manor. After a few moments they entered a circular room with ceiling to floor windows that allowed the sun to filter in and illuminate the space.

There at the large circular table was Heir Malfoy, and what must be Lady Potter.

She raised her eyes to look at the approaching group, and Lord Shacklebolt was struck by how much she looked like James. Except for her piercing green eyes, those were all Lilly. She looked incredibly small for her age, but clean and well dressed. Clearly someone had helped her weave her hair up into the traditional braids for a young woman of position.

Her soulmark was on full display for all to see, a dragon on her right forearm. Well, that much was sure.

Lady Malfoy made introductions, and Lady Shacklebolt noticed that Lady Potter made sure to curtsy and address every person as she should. She was absolutely precious.

They all sat down and Lord Shacklebolt noted with great amusement how Heir Malfoy held Lady Potter's hand under the table, and eyed all of them with great suspicion, as if he could glare them into submission. He distinctly remembered a similar look on James face if he thought someone was going to be rude to Lilly.

"So," Healer Tonks began, "I understand you need a check up Lady Potter. If you'll allow me, I can run the tests right here, and you won't even have to leave your seat."

Holly squeezed Draco's hand under the table. She had never been to a muggle doctor before, and she was scared. He squeezed her hand back and gave her a confident nod.

"That will be fine Healer Tonks," she agreed. He came to stand between her and Lady Malfoy, working his wand in complicated motions as a quill scribbled furiously on a piece of parchment he had conjured.

When the quill came to a stop, Healer Tonks retook his seat. He took his time to look over the parchment while the children finished their snack, and Mipsy cleared away their plates.

He needed to be very careful about how he phrased what he said to Lady Potter. He did not want to make this harder for her.

The results were not great. The spells he cast detected several healed-over broken bones, and even one concussion. She was also underweight, and underheight.

"Would you say you got enough to eat at your Aunt and Uncle's house?"

Lady Potter shook her head no. He suspected as much.

"Well you are smaller than the average magical child your age, but we can give you nutrient potions to help with that. You should be able to stop them by the time you go to Hogwarts, and as long as you eat a well-rounded diet from now on it shouldn't be a problem."

"Lady Potter, there were several broken bones that have long since healed over. Did you get hurt a lot?"

Holly nodded her head in agreement and spoke in a small voice, "It would always heal overnight. There was nothing to show."

Healer Tonks thought he understood. How could she ask for help if she never had any proof she had been mistreated?

It was a terrible cycle.

"You possess an enormous amount of magical power, being the last Potter. Your family magic would have worked overtime to heal you and make sure you were able to survive. I seem to remember that both your parents wore glasses at this age, I wonder if your magic corrected your vision as well?"

Holly shrugged, she really didn't know.

Lord Shacklebolt took a deep breath and sent a quick prayer to James that he would forgive the wizarding world for allowing his only child to be treated so poorly. Despite the fact that they believed her safe.

This was beyond unacceptable.

The fact that Dumbledore had not done a thing about her treatment did not go unnoticed by any of the adults, and Lord Shacklebolt wondered what this meant for the man's future. It would take a lot of fancy maneuvering to work his way out of this one.

The muggles responsible would pay for what they had done, he had no doubt about that. Lord Shacklebolt just hoped whoever the Malfoys had 'take care of it' were good enough at obliviation that they were never caught.

Clearly Lady Potter was not here under duress, she looked at The Malfoys like they hung the sun in the sky, and he well understood why after hearing what Healer Tonks had to say.

He sent a quick wink in Lord Malfoy's direction when Heir Malfoy started explaining to Lady Potter how quidditch worked in excruciating detail. They would have no trouble from the Shacklebolts, nor the Ministry, if they could help it.

Clearly Lady Potter was where she should be.

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Lord Malfoy listened to the report from Lady Zabini and Lord Nott.

Lady Malfoy had gone to tuck the children in for an early bedtime.

Draco did not usually go to bed so early, but upon encouragement from his mother had agreed. All the excitement had worn him out.

The report was just as bad as Lord Malfoy expected it to be.

Those filthy muggles had hurt Lady Potter countless times. They had thrown things at her, disparaged her, allowed their son to torment her, and starved her.

They had been tortured within an inch of breaking point, and then had their minds wiped. The pain would remain, but they would have no idea why they felt so bad. No muggle medicines would be able to help their aches,

The child had been stunned and obliviated. They had no desire to torture a child, no matter how cruel he had been.

Lady Malfoy must have entered the study at some point, because now she spoke from behind where Lord Nott and Lady Zabini stood.

"Thank you, old friends. Your loyalty is always appreciated.".

"Anything for you Cissa," offered Lady Zabini.

"I suspect Draco will want a few days alone with Lady Potter, but why don't you both come over in two days time so the children can meet?"

They all easily agreed and set a time.

Lady Potter would be going to Hogwarts with many new friends.

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Draco stirred, and looked around for whatever had caused the disturbance to his sleep. He didn't usually wake in the middle of the night.

Holly!

There was a sound coming from the door that joined their two suites and Draco raced to wrench it open.

He stepped through the doorway and made his way through the dark room slowly. He could hear Holly crying from her bed.

Why hadn't she come and got him?

Draco finally made it to Holly's bedside and called softly, "Holly, it's Draco," before he reached to open the bed curtains.

The moonlight shone down through the window behind Draco, illuminating Holly's face. It was soaked with tears as she clutched a pillow to her chest.

Her hair was undone and laying out around her. Draco had to stop the gasp that wanted to escape. It was the first time he'd ever seen a witch's hair down, and it was absolutely stunning. The moonlight reflected off the long raven strands, making it look almost iridescent.

Draco hesitated for a moment. It wasn't proper to be in here at all, let alone in Holly's bed, but Holly was his best friend now, and his soulmate. He couldn't let her suffer alone.

So he made his decision, and climbed onto the bed to sit next to her. He laid a hesitant hand on her shoulder.

"Holly? What's wrong?"

Holly turned her face up to look at Draco, and the sound of her door opening caused Holly to sit up with her back against her headboard.

Draco turned to see his mother and father walking in the room, closely followed by Mipsy. They must have placed extra wards on Holly's room to alert them of any entrants.

Lady Maloy came to sit on the bed with Draco and Holly while Lord Malfoy stood at the bedside. Draco was relieved to see they didn't look angry at him being in her bed.

"What's wrong my dear?" Lady Malfoy asked softly.