It's been so long since I've posted something, and I feel terrible about it. Grad school got really real, really fast. But it's over now; the degree has been obtained *party!* So here's the first chapter of the story that has been my brain child for easily four or five months. The story as a whole has changed so much, and even this chapter has gone through so many edits, that I'm swallowing my anxiety and posting it and hoping for the best. This story is completely AU with sprinkles of the world we all know and love. The HP characters aren't mine, but I'm continuing the trend of create my own characters. Your comments are so helpful in my writing so please please please review. So here we go...Chapter 1!
Ms. Hermione Granger,
Congratulations! You have been approved for your domestic exchange program between Godric University and Salazar Institute for Performing Arts! As you know, this yearlong exchange program will count toward your senior independent study requirement. You will be continuing your studies in vocal performance at the Salazar Institute for Performing Arts for the 2015-2016 academic school year. As part of the exchange, you will be required to maintain a portfolio of your work to be submitted to your supervisor, Dr. McGonagall, at the end of both semesters. You will also be required to perform at their year-end showcase as your senior recital; upon completion, you will have the necessary credits to graduate with the class of 2016.
Below you will find your class schedule and living accommodations for the upcoming year; please check in with the president of SIPA, Dr. Lucius Malfoy, upon your arrival to receive your keys and other necessities.
Signed,
Dr. A. Brian Dumbledore
President, Godric University
On the one hand, Hermione was elated. Salazar Institute for Performing Arts- SIPA for short- was one of the top schools in the world for vocal performances with many of its students going on to become world-renowned performers. The small, posh institution was known to accept only the best of the best, so it was truly an honor to be accepted for the exchange program. The school did have a reputation of being quite pretentious, filled with trust-fund children with a disgusting sense of entitlement (so they say, of course…), and a small part of Hermione was worried about being the scholarship student of dentists who worked a part time job and still had to take out a loan; the large majority of her, though, didn't give a damn and was looking forward to the upcoming year.
For now, though, the letter from Dr. Dumbledore would remain in her backpack and she would focus on the task at hand of her part-time bartending job. Hermione picked up the job a year and a half ago at Jukebox, the small karaoke speakeasy, and she became a crowd favorite within a few months. Her manager, Denise, was not only impressed with her ability to pick up training skills exceptionally quickly but her welcoming personality that kept patrons, many of whom where her fellow Godric classmates, coming back. The fact that she had an amazing voice and sometimes graced the mic with her gift might have helped in her popularity. It was near closing and last call had already been made, so Hermione was starting the clean up process behind the bar. Her best friends and roommates Harry Potter and Ron Weasely were perched on their usual stools at the bar with beers in their hand.
"Will you at least still be working year while you're at your hoity-toity new school?" Ron asked, long limbs stretched under him and the fringes of his bright red hair peeking underneath a grey beanie.
"Of course, Ronald," Hermione slightly chuckled as she wiped down the counter, "and, once again, it's an exchange program for my credits. Stop being so melodramatic."
"Poor bloke can't help himself, can he?" Harry said, taking a swig of his drink with one hand while snatching the beanie off of his friend's head, his black wire glass falling askew in the process. Ron immediately reached out to grab the hat, accidently knocking over his half full bottle in the process causing its contents to spill onto the bar top. Both boys stilled and cautiously looked over at Hermione, who simply stopped her movements to stare at the new mess. She closed her eyes and began taking deep breaths, and the boys braced themselves for the tongue-lashing they were about to receive when they were saved by a voice speaking over the microphone
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, let's hear it for Joseph and Kaitlyn and their…interesting…rendition of Bruno Mars' "Just The Way You Are"", Denise said, as the crowd laughed awkwardly remember the borderline pornographic show the aforementioned couple put on during the song, "Hate to say it, but it's time for last song and I was thinking we should let our dearest Hermione grace the mic before forgetting us little people after she does her year at SIPA. What do you all say?"
Hermione couldn't help the corners of her mouth turn up into a smile at hearing Denise and the crowd's cheers. Sending a very pointed 'This isn't over' look to Ron and Harry (who had the decency to look sheepish and grab a rag to clean up their mess), she made her way through the crowd of classmates and locals to the small stage. She gave Denise a hug and a friendly kiss on the cheek once she stepped on stage.
"Never little people, Nicey, never ever," Hermione giggled, "who knows, might build up a SIPA crowd, yeah?" Sarcastic laughter rolled over the crowd. "Okay, okay play nice. Anyways, let's see what we have…" she flipped through the song selections on the laptop, "….here we go."
She pressed 'play' and began to belt out Sia's 'Chandelier'; you would've never guessed she had gotten less than four hours of sleep the night before and had just come off an eight hour shift based on the power and maturity of her voice. Yes, Hermione may have had her doubts and worries about SIPA, but she decided she would worry about them tomorrow. After a real meal and a long ass nap.
"Psychologists, clinical research, and twins studies show that often times, twins can create secret languages among themselves when they're children. Whether it's through words, a sign language, written, or any verbal/non-verbal, it's one of the many mysteries and phenomena of twins, both identical and fraternal.
Here's a thesis question for you. If you have two people who share the same father but have different mothers, didn't grow up together, and just happened to be born on the same day about a minute apart, would this same phenomena occur? You're probably thinking 'no, of course not, that's ridiculous', and you wouldn't be wrong. It's very unlikely. Then, of course, there's always the anomaly to what the research says, and in this scenario, their names are Draco Malfoy and Zara Taylor-Malfoy.
Draco and Zara aren't traditional twins; in fact, they technically aren't twins at all. The "Malfoy Twins" title was kind of thrust upon them once Zara officially took the Malfoy last name and their story came to light in the performing arts community. The only physical resemblance the two shared was their ice grey eyes inherited from their father and pale blond hair; while Draco had a full head of the telltale locks, Zara's black tresses had one bold streak near the front of the same shade since birth. Both 21-year-olds were relatively tall- Draco standing at a solid 6'3 and Zara 5'7- and fit; while Draco took after his mother and father's pale complexion and sharp, aristocratic facial features, Zara mirrored her mother's caramel and soft facial features, though she did have her father's pointed nose (a fact that made her consider getting a nose job on more than a few occasions). As the story goes, Lucius Malfoy had a long-term affair with the head piano professor at SIPA that resulted in a child. When the child was born barring the Malfoy grey eyes and strand of blonde hair, his wife Narcissa insisted he fire the accompanist and ban her from the university grounds. Lucius purchased a comfortable apartment for Zara and her mother (""Off the record", he said to the renter sliding a significant amount of money across the table) he kept in touch with the child as a "mentor", he and her mother teaching her music and enrolling her in SIPA Youth Summer Program. Neither Lucius nor Zara's mother knew of Zara's curiosity of her grey eyes and blonde streak that matched Mr. Malfoy's too perfectly. Zara's mother died suddenly due to illness when the girl was 17, and she moved into the Malfoy home. She agreed to take the Malfoy last name only if it could be hyphenated after her mother's surname of Taylor.
How does this go back to those twin studies about language? Well, thank you for that question. Prior to knowing they were related, Draco and Zara only interacted during the youth summer program and the two became an odd duo. Draco protected her from bullies who made fun of her grey eyes and black and blonde hair, and Zara wasn't afraid of Draco's piercing stare and silent demeanor. After the truth came out of their parentage, their relationship shifted. Sure they had always been close per say, but upon learning just how close made them see each other, their father, and their new make shift family differently. The two had always been active, running around the large campus and, as they got older, fitness and a gym schedule. Typically, their workouts consisted of trash talk and jokes but the past four years were spent in silence. Their only communication really was going to the gym at the same time, doing their fitness sets, and taking the family's 4-year-old husky Princeton aka Flufferbutt (a gift to Zara on her official first day with the Malfoy's) on their morning runs. It wasn't that they disliked each other now, but they weren't quite sure how to interact with each other, and this went right up their individual relationships with their father and Zara's relationship with Narcissa. Going into their senior year, Zara and Draco thought heavily about what happens next not only career wise in what happens after SIPA but also with their still new and developing sibling-ship.
It was the day before the first day of the academic year, and the Malfoy "twins" went about their morning routine. Draco stared quietly at the SIPA campus as he waited for Zara and Princeton to come outside. When he saw them walk out the door, Zara closing and locking the door behind her, he handed her the custom green and silver Beats headphones (SIPA school colors, another gift from dear old Dad…who's dreadful idea was that, green and silver? Jesus…) before he put in his own simple white iPhone earbuds. After getting a confirming nod from Zara, he gently scratch behind the puppy's ear and took off jogging, Zara and Princeton quickly catching up to him. It truly was a beautiful day, they both thought taking in the scenery around them; here's to hoping the year remained just as beautiful.
It's out in the world now! Ahhh! What do you think? Keep going? Try again? Anything you'd like to see? Hit that review button!xoxo, Nova Porter
