The Ladies of the Scarlet Phoenix

Chapter One: The Malfoy Summer Ball

I woke on the last fairly normal morning of my life to the normal, despicably cheery sunlight I've hated. I detested the sun for the way it would shine its garish, arrogant light into the tumultuous reality of my life. For as long as I can remember I have hated it and its bright shining happiness, reminding me that I am not happy. Each day sunlight would creep into my room illuminating the darkness behind my eyelids and waking me from the solitary peace of my slumber. I much preferred the moon and the dark secrecy of night. At least when it was dark I was able to pretend my life was more than the pathetic existence it was. On that particular day I hated the sun more than ever for pulling me out of my peaceful dreams of love and happiness.

"Mistress, is time to get up." A familiar voice I recognized as that of Mina, my house-elf, the one who had pulled open the curtains and allowed the hated sunlight in, filtered through the hazy remnants of my dreams. "Mistress mustn't be late for lessons."

"Yes Mina, I know, now please leave me."

"Yes, Mistress Malfoy."

"There she goes again," I muttered sleepily, "reminding me I'm a Malfoy."

Elyssabeth Narcissa Malfoy, to be exact, named for my mother and grandmother. I hated being a Malfoy. I hated it for all its connotations and responsibilities. My father, Draco Malfoy, was an arrogant bastard, with a Victorian mind set towards women and a very anti-Muggle attitude.

I sighed heavily and swung my feet out from under covers of my warm, lush bed and on to the thick carpeted floor. I shivered and pulled on pale green, silk dressing robe before heading to the bay window that overlooked the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Someday this place would belong to Camulous, my older and only brother. Yet, the only thing even close to inheritance I would get was my wedding, since not even wizards believed in dowries anymore. Though I had a sneaking suspicion that my father would only provide that if my husband was the one he would choose. I knew that Kat and Cam, as Father's favorites, would have their choice of spouses, within limits of course. As the children of one the wealthiest purebloods there were standards.

I wondered briefly if the mother I had never known, Elyssabeth Marie L'Ange, the one who was kind enough to leave me a faithful servant in a house of spies, would have fought for my right to have a say in the matter of my marriage. I quickly blinked back the tears that threatened to spill and swallowed the sobs that tore at my throat at the thought of my mother. No one knew of the issues I had with my father or my mother's death and no one would if I had any say in the matter. After all it was unreasonable for a fifteen-year-old girl to mourn for a woman she had never known, one who died bringing her into the world, wasn't it?

I was lost in my fantasy world, the one of my own creation, where my mother lived, my father was kind, and I was loved, when I remembered a disturbing conversation I had over heard the night before. I made a mental note to tell Kat later.

Kat.... or Kathryne to those who did not know her well, was my best friend, always had been. She was the only girl my age I knew, my adopted sister. Granted she was a bit...feisty and could sometimes come off as harsh and uncaring, but that wasn't true. You had to really know her to understand her and even then she was confusing. After all, she knew little of her own past, she didn't even know who her parents were. Besides all that she was involved in a power struggle she didn't want to be a part of, one that had something to do with her mysterious heritage. My father alone knew the truth and an explanation was long overdue.

I shook my head and moved to dress for my lessons with Kat. I let the dressing robe fall to the floor and pulled a silver and green wizard's robe from my wardrobe. I slipped the robe on and put away the silk dressing robe, unlike some purebloods I didn't lay total responsibility on my house-elves.

I spent fifteen minutes searching for my wand, 10" unicorn hair, typical Lyssie, misplacing and forgetting things... Not that the wand mattered since we were working on wandless magic now. We had long since mastered wordless magic, well, Kat had. She had an intense concentration level that I couldn't match. I let my mind wonder, day dreaming myself into another life. I was a dreamer, Kat was a fighter.

I found my wand, ate the light breakfast Mina left me, and then headed down to my lessons with Kat.

The lessons were rough as always, but Kat was there, so it wasn't as bad as the physical training when we separated. I didn't understand why we had to endure the training when most witches and wizards, including Cam, went to renowned Hogwarts to learn their art. My own family had been attending Hogwarts since its founding. I had asked Cam about what he study their once and I was surprised to find that the only difference between my lessons and his were the physical training and the use of wandless and wordless magic. I knew also that those who could accurately use wordless and/or wandless magic were a rare type of witch or wizard known to all as sorcerers or sorceresses. I truly believed my father to be addled if he believed me to be a Sorceress, I failed nearly every time, though Kat I could believe.

It was during one of our rare breaks Kat reminded me of something that wiped all other thoughts from my mind.

"What will you wear to the ball tonight, sister?"

"I've not thought about it..."

"Ah... I see..." She then proceeded to describe the dress she would be wearing. A bold statement, I thought, wearing an old fashioned Muggle dress to a pureblood ball. Typical of Kat though. I decided then I would follow her lead, and wear one of my Muggle dresses., though unlike her I'd not choose the constrictive Victorian style.

After the lessons I went to my chambers upstairs and decided to wear a dark green dress, in the medieval style favored by old-time sorceresses such as Morgain, the benevolent healer and half-sister of King Arthur, and my idol. I showered, put the dress on and turned to the vanity where I kept my jewelry, make up and hair products. I ran a comb through my hair and fixed it so that my choppy white-blonde bob flared out above the bottoms of my ears. I looked in my jewelry box and pulled an ornate Muggle-made necklace, chains of silver snakes entwined around each other, I put on the matching earrings, small silver snakes that dangled from my ears, and put on two bracelets that were designed to look like silver snakes entwined around my wrists. Kat had gotten my mother's jewelry from my father, but she had given me a ring, against my Father's wishes, that he had said was my mother's particular favorite. I placed the ring, a small, round emerald held in the mouths of two silver snakes entwined in a band, on my finger. I also opted for a silver snake-shaped cornet to place on my brow. I decided to vex my father even more by wearing the make-up he so detested. I applied a light base, and a faint pink blush. I placed some neutral brown eye shadow on my eyelids and applied black kohl eyeliner around my green eyes. I finished with a pale red lip gloss and smiled into the mirror, deciding I looked like a snake queen. Perhaps Father would find it appropriate after all.

Satisfied with my reflection I moved to the window and leaned my forehead against the cool glass of the window pane as I imagined a life away from Malfoy Manor. I was so far lost in my imaginary world that I didn't hear the person who had entered my room, and was completely caught off guard when he slung me over his shoulder, flung me onto my bed and began to tickle me relentlessly.

"Camulous! Stop it!" I cried between laughter, as my big brother tickled me into hysterical laughter. Once he finally stopped, I wiped the tears from my eyes. "Now look you've gone and mussed my hair! Now I shall have to fix it again," I said playfully slapping his shoulder.

"Sorry Lyssie, I forgot it takes you an hour just to fix your hair, I like the new style by the way. I hate that father insists on home schooling you and Kat, I miss you two terribly during the year. I'm glad you two will be joining me in time for my last year. You know there's no one to impress here just the bigoted pureblood Death Eaters you hate," he added looking at me quizzically.

"Yes, but you know our Father...."

"True. Well, I am going to escort both you and Kat to the Ball, I just wanted to see my baby sister alone, before we are swarmed by Death Eaters."

I fixed my hair after he left and moments later I was entering the dining hall, where everyone was already seated, on Cam's arm, with Kat on his other arm. Kat was stunning with her long raven hair swept into a chaotic mass of curls on top of her head, and her blue eyes sparkling as she talked to Cam. She wore no make up tonight and her Victorian style dress was simple and elegant. She wore a dark blue color to further enhance her eyes and wore only a simple silver band for ring, a silver bracelet, a silver locket, and a small pair of silver earrings.

Father sat at the head of the table, he placed Kat on his left and Cam on his right. I was placed between Cam and another boy, who appeared to be my age. He was a very good looking boy, with sandy blonde hair and steely grey eyes. He had a slim muscular build and a charm I'm sure no girl could easily resist.

After Father dismissed us to the Ballroom the boy turned and introduced himself. I noticed that Kat was talking to my Father, so I began to talk to him His name was Daniel Goyle, the son of a loyal Death eater. He was one of Cam's classmates. I suppose he was my first love, but I was sheltered and naive at that time, after all he was the first boy my age, the first boy besides Cam, that I had ever met.

I saw Kat leave the Ballroom and head up the stairs, as Daniel and I danced. After the dance ended I remembered that I had meant to talk to her. I made my excuses to Daniel and went to get Cam to go with me to see what was the matter with her.

"Where do you think you're going?" my father drawled as we reached the stairs.

"We are to going to see if our dear sister Kathryne is well, father," Cam replied.

"Very well, Camulous you may go to her, but Elyssabeth, you must stay and dance with your future husband."

"My....my what?" I asked astonished and incredulous. I was only fifteen and he already was choosing my husband.

"I spoke clearly. It is a well suited match and I am already discussing it with his father. Now you will do as I command, Elyssabeth Narcissia Malfoy," he hissed.

I did not return to Daniel as my father commanded, simply because he had commanded it. I hated my father and he hated me as well. There was no known reason for his hatred, but mine was born of his cruel treatment of me and his arrogance. I waited for Kat at the entrance to the Ball room. After a few minutes she finally appeared on Cam's arm.

"I have news, my sister," I said, whispering, as I grabbed her hands, I could not allow for us to be overheard. "The Death Eaters are holding more top secret meetings. They are trying to recruit more members and are beginning to plan attacks. They are saying you shall rule long. Oh, dear sister, is this true, are you going to betray the light?"

"Thank you," she replied, squeezing my hands reassuringly, "for informing me of these plans dear sister. I have not been informed of these evil plans. You know that I would never join the Death Eaters." I nodded this was true, Kat hated them all, for many reasons, not least of which was their withholding of the knowledge of her heritage. "At Hogwarts we will begin to form our own army to combat these evil monsters."

I nodded silently, it was a good idea, but would it work? After all we had spent our whole lives at Malfoy Manor, sheltered from all outside influences. We were young and naive, we were only fifteen. There were two of us and many Death Eaters, the odds were truly stacked against us.