𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐋𝐎𝐑 || 𝐋.𝐌 ✓

➢Chapter 1- Fallen stars

Note: The words/sentences in italics are used when the characters are thinking unless mentioned otherwise.

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I'm Y/n L/n. My family's famous hotel was once the home away from home for witches and wizards the world over. Important ministry officials even the Minister of Magic himself made special trips just to stay at the L/n hotel.  And someday, when my parents finally retire, it'll all be mine...Though I hope that's soon. I'm not exactly a kid anymore. My morning coffee in hand, I take a deep breath in the lobby. I walk past one of my house-elves and give a little wave. The little creature flinches at my gesture but nonetheless returns a shaky smile.

"Is Miss having a good day so far?" the elf asked in a squeaky voice. I let out a soft sigh and kneeled down to meet its level. Snookey is like family here, he was my nanny elf when I was little but I insisted on keeping him as a worker cause I didn't wanted to let her go. "The day's only started! We will see what it holds!" I replied smiling. I turned to go but Snookey stopped me 'Miss, can I tell you something?" he looked here and there not making eye-contact with me on purpose. "What is it Snookey?" he hesitated for a while before he finally spoke "I saw one of the Malfoy employees poking around the building a while ago..." his voice trailed off...

"Of course it always has to be the Malfoys, the pureblood superiority, part of the sacred 28,  not to mention the most influential and wealthy family in the wizarding world although I had never met the Malfoys in person, I could've sworn they used dollar bills as tissue papers..."

"Miss, are you okay?" I broke out of my trance and looked at Snookey "They're wasting their time if they think they can out class us" smirking to myself I set out to do my walk through of the hotel. As I meandered down the hallways, I suddenly heard a drill whirring away, the echo reverberating throughout the lobby. "A drill? Who could possibly be--?" 

"Hey! That's an antique doorknob! Hello?" I yelled trying to get the attention of the construction worker who was waving his wand and muttering charms to get done whatever the heck he was doing. I walked over to the worker, and he stands up straight looking annoyed. "Excuse me--sir? There's been a mistake. We're not removing those!" I said in an indignant tone "There's no authorized work orders today. I handle the paperwork myself." He gives a shrug "This work order didn't come from you Miss L/n. It came from your mother. I'm installing the new blood-purity detectors she requested." I was smitten with awe "No, no, no. That can't be right. We're not doing that kind of crap!" my voice raised an octave on the last word. "These are originals just like the rest of the building!" "Ma'am?" the worker suddenly spoke, soon enough I realized I wasn't the 'Ma'am' he was talking to.

"Oh, Y/n!" my mother, Lena, appears from behind a door. With a little hop in her step, she walks over to me. "Y/n! Darling, I'm so glad you're here" she smiles but her expression looked a little pained. She kept an airy, friendly lilt to her voice that sounded utterly fake.

"Uh-oh. Mom's got bad news."

"Sir can you give me a minute with my daughter?" Lena said breaking the silence as she dismissed the worker. "Sweetheart....." she began. I knew what that meant! It was not even half-way through the day and I already knew from that tone it was gonna be crappy as hell.

"Mom what's going on?" 

"Come now.  Have a sit" she gestured me towards the office though it was more bar these days. With arms crossed, I walked in. I sidled around the desk, shuffling a few floating letters on the way. I refused to sit down and raised my eyebrows at my mother with an expectant look.

"I know what you are thinking" Lena sighed.

"Do you? Because I am thinking you're changing the hotel behind my back" 

"That's my girl. As stubborn as her parents. I just wished you didn't have to find out like this."

"Find out what, Mom? Is everything okay!?" I replied a bit scared about what might have happened.

"Several changes have been ordered for the L/n in order to modernize it. Blood-purity detectors is just one of them. Also, the portkeys and some of the house-elves will be replaced."

"Why?" I pictured the gold decorative doors with a phoenix, the mythical bird that arose from the ashes of its predecessor, emblazoned on them. If there was a beating heart in the L/n, it was that symbol. My stomach turned.

Instead of answering Lena continued "Then there's the carpeting. The tapestry design won't fit the new scheme. And probably molding and celling will all be replaced. She sighed again. "It's a new era."

"When did you take to day-drinking?" I asked only half-kidding. Lena laughed but it was brief and faded almost instantly. "Sweetheart. We were going to tell you but we wanted to make sure there was no going back" Her eyes strayed the door.

This time my patience fizzled "Tell me what!?"

Lena took a deep breath "You father and I sold the L/n hotel to Abraxas Malfoy six months ago. At the time, he had no plans on making an changes at all, but now he's retiring, the company has fallen to his son. Evidently, Lucius had different ideas"

"Malfoy? As in the jerk from all the gossip magazines and our arch rivals!?" I felt betrayed and humiliated and that too from my own mother

"We've buried that hatchet Y/n" She replied casually as if nothing had happened.

"Since when do we take orders from Lucius Malfoy and his billionaire daddy? The Malfoys are---"

"The new owners of the L/n hotel. As of today" she completed the sentence in a way I never would 

The Malfoys were the biggest corporate outfit in the whole of wizarding world. Local celebrities of sorts. They literally had the entire Ministry of Magic dancing at their fingertips like puppets. You know? The exact definition of power behind the throne.... 

"You can't be serious. Tell me you didn't sell the hotel to the Malfoy family! Have you seen their projects!? They're soulless! Everything is automated, and modern and minimalist, and...just, just awful!" I said in disbelief 

"I was hoping to catch you before you saw the headlines" she said completely ignoring my comment. She slips the Witch weekly magazine out of her purse and unfolds it. As I look at the cover, my heart sinks. The man on the cover is shockingly handsome.

"Lucius Malfoy, huh? The guy looks like another rich-pretty boy...Too bad I have to strangle him and hide the body somewhere no one will ever find it."

"Abraxas Malfoy made us an offer we couldn't refuse. He told us he had no plans to change anything, but..." I knew what was going to be the end of that statement. I'd also read about Abraxas Malfoy's retirement and Lucius's likely ascension to CEO.

But none of that mattered anymore. There was only one newly learnt fact bouncing around my brain. "You sold the L/n?"

I needed the chair after all. I sank into into it, mind blanking of everything except for one name: Lucius Malfoy.