The Serpent's Second Chance

Summary: Soon after graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Draco Malfoy settled down to marry and have children. However, his marriage was not destined to last, and divorce followed a while after. So, when four young bombshells arrived on the doorstep of Malfoy Manor half a dozen years later, could Draco take his second chance?

Disclaimer: Lissy and the kids belong to me. Everything else, to Rowling.

Chapter One

Deep within the heart of Wiltshire, at the vast ancestral home of the Malfoy family, a silver key slid into the lock of the huge front door and turned. The ancient mahogany swung open slowly on its hinges, as the pale, pointed face of Draco Malfoy came into view from behind it. The man made very little noise as he entered his home, the soft click of the heavy wood closing the only sound audible in the manor's entrance hall.

He kept up the silence until he reached the solitude of his private study, at the far end of the third floor staircase. As on any other day, a fire was lit and roaring in its grate, and the Evening Prophet lay creaseless on his desk, beside a plate of his favourite shortbread biscuits. Whether the gestures were by the elves or by his mother, though he suspected the latter, he was grateful for them. Relaxing back into the soft black leather of his chair with a contented sigh, Draco lifted the periodical from the desk and began to read.

He had only reached the midpoint of an article on the fifth page, regarding the Holyhead Harpies winning the league for the first time in two decades, when the distant ringing of the front doorbell reached his ears.

'Who on earth could that be?' thought Draco, glancing briefly down at his silver wristwatch. True, it was a Muggle contraption, but some things could overcome the remaining prejudices in the world just by sheer usefullness. The emerald-studded hands read just gone eight o'clock. 'It's late, and Mother didn't mention anything about visitors.'

Nevertheless, the ringing persisted. Sighing reluctantly, Draco got up from his chair, laying the Prophet half folded on the desk, the Harpies smiling and waving only at the varnished wood.

The man took his time descending the endless flights of stone steps, despite the fact that the ringing was now sounding so loudly and persistantly that he was unsure as to whether it was still there, or merely his tired mind playing tricks.

"Alright, alright!" he exclaimed under his breath, barely managing to keep his voice down. Whoever the mystery caller was, they were already trying the Malfoy heir's patience. Waving his wand to remove the ward on the door, Draco turned the aged key in the lock, clasped his hand around the polished silver handle and, with a little effort, pulled it fully open. However, as he caught sight of the people standing on the doorstep, his mouth dropped wide open, all words of annoyance drying in his throat.

Standing before him were five people, a woman and four children, two boys and two girls. If he hadn't known any better, Draco truly would have assumed that the eldest boy had not been closely related to any but the youngest girl, due to the blonde hair atop his head, a stark contrast to the brunette hair of his other two siblings, and of his mother, who Draco was still staring straight at.

"Lissy." Draco breathed, willing his bone dry throat to allow him to speak properly, while simultaneously willing his brain to allow him to think.

"Hello, Draco." the woman returned, her left eyebrow slightly raised at the blonde's poor composure. Quickly smoothing down his hair a little, the man turned to the group of children, his throat suddenly even drier than before. His mouth opened and closed several times, but still no words emerged from it. Instead, the elder girl spoke with venom the words that Draco had dreaded hearing for six and a half long years.

"Hello, Dad."

A/N: So there you go! By the way, to the people who regularly read my other stories (and if you haven't, please check them out), I am only able to put this story up because I started it after my USB broke. It still hasn't been fixed, but I'm working on it. I put this up because I didn't want to leave you totally abandoned when I had an idea I could write. Please review!