My Father's Only Rule {DRACO MALFOY X SNAPE'S DAUGHTER}

Prologue

May 26th, 1994, Summer Before Fourth Year

"Your mum is gone. You're going to live with your dad."

I should have been upset, but I wasn't. I always knew it was a matter of time before my mum left. And when she finally did, I learned many things that made me glad she was gone. I only have good memories of her for the first ten years or so of my life. But when I turned eleven, she started acting strange, and so did I. I started having superhuman intuition. I always knew when something was going to happen. I had this weird ability to read people perfectly. And for some reason, she did whatever she could to keep me away from the mailbox.

As I got older, she couldn't really bring herself to look at me much. She had a bright face with green eyes and beautiful blonde hair. And I looked nothing like her. I had dark brown hair, and a sense of confident dignity in my features. She loved to smile, and I've always been quick on my feet with my dry humor. We're not the same. I'll never forget the day I came home from school to find people dressed in cloaks with a note from my mother.

Grace,

Your father's name is Severus Snape. He doesn't know about you. Snape is the last name on your birth certificate.

That was it. Not "Goodbye my darling daughter." All she did was confess her sins: Not telling my father he had a daughter for 14 years. And she had lied to me about my last name. I had never given thought to who my dad was. It didn't bother me when I was little, because why focus on your lost father when you had a mother as wonderful as mine? And as I got older, it didn't bother me because I had more important things to worry about. But now I had to live with him. Now I had to change my life. Along with my mother's run-away note, was a letter from the men in strange cloaks. It was dated my eleventh birthday.

Dear Miss Snape,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

"You're a witch, Grace," they told me. Now that's a plot twist. Your mum leaves, you're sent to live with your dad who doesn't know about you, and you're a witch.

They explained that my mum had contacted the ministry right before she disappeared, and explained who I was. They said she didn't know what to do with me, and hopefully, my dad would. Only took her 14 years to figure it out. I stayed in a crappy hotel, learning about my new world, while my dad, a Hogwarts professor, finished his school year. So my mum left me, and my dad couldn't even leave work for a few days to meet me. Again, I should have been upset, but I wasn't.

The minister escorted me into Cokeworth, a miserable little town in the countryside. A far cry from London. We walked along the cobblestone path to get to my dad's house. When he opened the door, I had to do a double take, and he did the same. Undeniably, this was my father. From the dark hair to the composure. No wonder my mum couldn't stand to look at me.

"Grace?" he asked. No shit. Who else?

"Dad?" I responded sarcastically. There was a certain energy radiating around us. I could sense it. I liked him. I had his presence. I had his confidence. We were kindred spirits, and the minister was ruining the vibe.

"Well I'll leave you here then," he said. "Good luck at Hogwarts, Grace."

My dad stared at me for a little bit.

"So is my room out here?" I asked sarcastically. He was surprised at me, and he chuckled without even smiling. He only raised an eyebrow.

"Upstairs," he said, moving aside. I walked in, locking eyes with him. "Let me get that for you," he said. And with a wave of his wand, my bags rose off the ground and took themselves to my room. I looked at him. It was the first time I had ever seen real magic. I followed my bags to my room.

I was shocked to see he had actually prepared for a 14-year-old girl to stay there. I could also see that he assumed I'd be a Slytherin. The room was a vibrant emerald color scheme with black accent furniture. It was much different than the same pastel purple little girl room I had since I was a baby. And that's when I knew where I got my taste from.

I walked downstairs to see he had dinner ready, and he was waiting for me at the table. I sat down and began to eat. Neither of us said a word until he broke the silence.

"So I realize that this is a huge change in your life," he said. "Therefore I am prepared to answer any and every question you have."

"How did you meet my mom?" I asked without hesitation.

"One-night-stand. Wasn't for me. Never did it again."

"You really didn't know about me? She didn't try to tell you?" He hesitated.

"She did call me a few weeks after. Only once. I assumed she was trying to get together. I wasn't interested. But that was it." I thought I'd amp up the intensity of the conversation.

"Do you wish you had picked up?" I asked. He hesitated even more. Then I remembered I wanted my dad to like me. "Sorry," I said. "I don't blame you. If she wanted you to know she would have been persistent."

"I don't wish I had picked up," he said, catching me off guard. "As painful as they've been, I believe these last fourteen years have played out exactly how they were supposed to." He stopped and looked up at me. "And you've been a late-in-life gift. I think we found each other at exactly the right time." I smirked.

"Tell me about Hogwarts," I said.

And from then on out, I had a strong respect for my dad. And I could tell he had a strange respect for me as well. It was odd because although I didn't know what a dad was supposed to be, I could tell that he wasn't it. Yet I still liked him. He spent the summer getting me caught up so I could study with the other fourth years. But one moment I had with him stuck out to me the most. About a month away from the start of the school year, he called me into his study. We were surrounded by the dark walls of books as he told me to sit down. 

"You're exceptionally mature for your age," he said. "And I realize you've been living your life at a certain standard. I realize that this standard may be different than my own. I may be your guardian now, but I wanted to let you know I don't think it's my place to instill my own ways of discipline in you. Therefore the only punishment I will be giving you is as your teacher and not as your father. But hopefully, I won't have to do that."

So I don't have to worry about getting in trouble with my dad? Awesome.

"But I should tell you that as a teacher's child, you will not only have a dorm in your house but also your own room in my wing. And it will have an apparition door so you can get anywhere you need. And given this privilege, I feel obligated to tell you one thing. You're a young lady who will be talking to many young men. I just wanted to let you know that I don't care who you talk to. It's none of my concern and quite frankly, I don't care. However, there is one I forbid you from seeing. And given that I am being very lenient, I expect you to follow this one rule."

One rule? Now I'm intrigued. Who am I forbidden from seeing? And why does it make me want him more?

"He is a family friend. In fact, we are going over for dinner tomorrow. They've offered to get you acquainted so you'll have a friend when you start school. Reluctantly, I've agreed. But listen to me when I tell you that there are things that go on beneath the surface. And those things are exactly the reason I forbid you from dating him. Understand?" I nodded. "Good. I'm glad we could have this talk."

"Dad?" I said as he started to walk away. "His name?" He stared at me.

"Draco Malfoy," he said. Draco Malfoy. There's nothing more romantic than some forbidden love, and I wanted him already. And I only had 24 hours to get ready to meet him for the first time.