That evening, they were still no closer to having a decent repertoire of an act. Or even, you know, an act at all.

No Snake.

No Patter.

Big Problem.

Harry leaned back against the wall of the wagon, "If only we had someone to demonstrate..."

This thought was swiftly shoved to the side by the arrival of a familiar-seeming lad, all of sixteen years.

"We met you earlier, didn't we?" Draco asked, with just a slight edge of asperity.

Ah, yes, Harry recalled. They had last seen this lad appear, hanging upside down.

Now he was right-side-up, at least initially. The lanky lad executed a neat bow, nearly rubbing his hair on the ground, before straightening, "I am Pesha the Unfortunately Named!"

Draco quirked an eyebrow at this statement, which left Harry (with a sigh he kept to himself) to ask, "Why are you 'unfortunately' named?"

"Why, because I was named as a babe, and as a babe, I was puny." He half squatted to get down to eye-level with the boys, "Am I short now?" His eyes sparkled, and Harry was reminded of the Twins.

"No, no you're not." Harry said slowly.

Pesha grinned, as if Harry'd gotten the joke, "Which is why I am so unfortunately named! They call me small, when I'm really quite tall."

Harry eyed Draco, as if saying, This is the level of humor we put up with?

Draco, astonishingly, was smirking. "I guess with an explanation like that, nobody ever forgets your name."

"That's right." Pesha executed a quick tap-dance figure (which, without the clackety shoes, looked more like a jump-hop-skip).

Ceija at this point stuck her head around the side of the wagon, her mouth breaking into a smile that wasn't reflected in her cold voice. "Pesha, are you harrassing bunkmates again?"

Pesha pouted, "Just greeting them, honest!" Nevermind that he was twice as tall as Ceija.

"Kak wants your voice, you lanky young fool," Ceija said, jumping up behind Pesha to ruffle his hair.

"By your leave, sister," Pesha said, executing another bow before bounding off in a gangly lope.

Ceija lept up to the edge of the wagon, using it as a seat. She seemed perfectly at ease with her perch, "If I were you, I'd try to be asleep before my brother comes back."

Draco nodded, somberly, "That bad, huh?."

Ceija smirked, "He'll talk your ear off if you let him." Then she jumped off the wagon and darted back into the crowd of people swirling around the military green wagons.

As they lay down, Draco said, "I wish we had a snake."

Harry didn't respond, but inside his head, he agreed.

[a/n: Pesha is a bit of a well-meaning pest. At least that's what Ceija thinks. Leave a review?]