Harry watched his friends' faces light up as they recognized him, pulling his cart which was piled up with his suitcases behind him. Hermione and Ron had always been his very best friends, ever since that first day at Hogwarts.
However, his eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of the face of one who had never been a friend; who, in fact, had been a very bitter enemy ever since that first day at Hogwarts.
Malfoy saw the bitter glance, and blinked. It wasn't a very noticeable action, but the innocence and surprise in his look made Harry do a double take.
But Malfoy had already turned away. Harry shrugged and went back to talking with his friends, deciding to chalk it up to Malfoy's extreme evilness acting up again.
***
~Could that be him?~ Kiya wondered. But then, the guy with the glasses narrowed his eyes and scowled at her. She blinked in surprise, then turned away.
After all, the Ministry HAD told her that this Draco kid was a very nasty little guy. Really quite too bad about his death. But she still didn't think it was entirely his fault; after all, that hippogriff had just come out of nowhere. It wasn't really his fault… Then again, holding out the piece of steak and calling "Here, Buckbeak! C'mere! I know I saw you up there! Wait until Hagrid gets a load of this. HERE BUCKBEAK, YOU STUPID BEAST!" wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do, either.
It had been a very strange scheme the Ministry had cooked up. After all, they needed SOMEONE to get into Hogwarts, especially since the rumors that Voldemort had arisen through events that had transpired at that school had started last year. And a student at that school had died while alone at the Ministry of Magic. Nobody, not even his own parents, knew about his death.
And of course, there was the very strange coincidence that Kiya Crelsig just happened to look exactly like him.
Not exactly, of course. No two people, even identical twins, can look exactly alike. Kiya's eyes were more blue than the boy's had been. She was several millimeters shorter, and her hair- Kiya winced at the memory- her beautiful hair had been cut short to match his. A simple letter to his parents saying that he was staying with a friend, a quick crash course in what Draco already knew- HAD already known, about Hogwarts, the classes and the teachers, and several letters received from the teachers at Hogwarts had trained her on what to expect, not only from the other Slytherins but also from all students.
The only thing was, Kiya didn't feel very comfortable acting mean and nasty. So, she softened it a bit. Maybe she would just tell her friends- Draco's friends- that she had had a life-changing experience over the summer.
And yet, it was more than just Draco's personality that Kiya had to deal with. It was, to put it bluntly, his maleness. Having to catch herself before she walked into the girl's bathroom. Having to make sure her robes were loose at the top just in case someone noticed *ahem* a couple of things which would give her away immediately. Having to deal with the roughness of the boys around her, even while she ached for the slightly gentler company of other girls.
And yet, she was one of the Ministry's top agents. And the youngest too, only fourteen years old. It was a good thing Draco had been small and delicate, she thought to herself as she boarded the train, or I would never have been able to pass as him.
She opened the door to her car, and saw Crabbe and Goyle sitting there, with Pansy Parkinson on the other side of the car, saving a seat.
"Hi, Draco," Pansy said, giving Kiya a simpering smile, and patting the seat beside her. "C'mon and sit down, and give me a little kiss."
Crabbe and Goyle snickered, and Kiya turned bright red. THIS was an aspect of Draco she hadn't expected to deal with. "I- I- I'm sorry, but I've already promised-" she tried to remember the names of the other Slytherins, "Millicent that I would sit with her. Excuse me." She darted out the door, slamming it behind her on Pansy's yell of rage and disbelief, and dashed down the corridor to the last car, as far away from that girl and her intentions as possible.
***
"So, how're the Chudley Cannons doing in the league?" Harry asked Ron. Ron' eyes brightened as they always did when talking about his favorite team.
"They've already beaten the Wimbourne Wasps! What a fantastic match, I think they're on the rebound from that losing streak!"
"They only won because both the Wasps' Seeker and their backup Seeker got booted from the game," Hermione said in her lecturing tone. "They didn't have a replacement, so they had to play short."
"It was still an incredible match," Ron argued.
At that moment, the door banged open, and a breathless Draco Malfoy leaped through, slamming the door behind him as if Fluffy himself was after him. He heaved a huge sigh of relief, then turned around, spotted Harry, and said a bad word.
"Nice to see you too, Malfoy," Harry said sarcastically. "What's wrong, did you-"
"Just shut up," Draco panted. After a moment, he slid into the seat next to Harry and put his head in his hands. Harry leaned away from the blond boy, who looked absolutely worn out. "There aren't any other seats in the entire bloody train," he said finally. "So I guess that means I'll have to be sitting with you all," he seemed to hesitate, "even though I'm sure the smell will kill me."
"There, that's more like the good old Malfoy we know," Ron said, staring at Harry. "I was beginning to wonder."
Harry gave Malfoy another searching look, then changed chairs so that he was next to Ron. Malfoy was alone on his side of the car, and he still had his head in his hands.
***
~They know, they can see right through me,~ Kiya thought, her head in her hands. ~I've already failed, Harry will find out that I'm not Draco Malfoy and he'll start spreading it around. Then I'll be fired from my job, if I'm not caught and killed by Voldemort first.~
It had been a very long day, and it was only going to get longer. So nobody could have blamed her when she leaned against the side of the carriage and dozed off, with Harry Potter and his two friends still staring at herike se was insane.
A few minutes later, she woke up to the sound of voices, even though she kept her eyes closed.
"Don't you touch him, Ron Weasley!"
"Why not? It wouldn't be permanent."
"And he deserves it, Hermione, you know that."
"But look at him! He's helpless. I think there might be something really seriously wrong with him, the way he came tearing in here. It wouldn't be right to do that-"
"But it would be FUN!" Ron interjected. "After all, it's not like he won't get over walking around with horns sticking out of his head for the next few weeks!"
THAT sentence made Kiya jerk completely awake.
***
"Rats," Ron said, "you woke him up. Now we won't get to do anything."
The train started to slow down, then suddenly jerked to a stop as the Express rested at Hogsmeade Station. Hermione stood up, and opened the door, at the same time Draco stood up. The train had not come to a complete stop, however, and jerked once more, sending Draco crashing into Hermione.
"Oh, sorry! Are you all right?" Draco reached out a hand to help Hermione up, then pulled it back looking stricken. He started to say something, but then turned and walked quickly out the door.
However, his eyes narrowed as he caught a glimpse of the face of one who had never been a friend; who, in fact, had been a very bitter enemy ever since that first day at Hogwarts.
Malfoy saw the bitter glance, and blinked. It wasn't a very noticeable action, but the innocence and surprise in his look made Harry do a double take.
But Malfoy had already turned away. Harry shrugged and went back to talking with his friends, deciding to chalk it up to Malfoy's extreme evilness acting up again.
***
~Could that be him?~ Kiya wondered. But then, the guy with the glasses narrowed his eyes and scowled at her. She blinked in surprise, then turned away.
After all, the Ministry HAD told her that this Draco kid was a very nasty little guy. Really quite too bad about his death. But she still didn't think it was entirely his fault; after all, that hippogriff had just come out of nowhere. It wasn't really his fault… Then again, holding out the piece of steak and calling "Here, Buckbeak! C'mere! I know I saw you up there! Wait until Hagrid gets a load of this. HERE BUCKBEAK, YOU STUPID BEAST!" wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do, either.
It had been a very strange scheme the Ministry had cooked up. After all, they needed SOMEONE to get into Hogwarts, especially since the rumors that Voldemort had arisen through events that had transpired at that school had started last year. And a student at that school had died while alone at the Ministry of Magic. Nobody, not even his own parents, knew about his death.
And of course, there was the very strange coincidence that Kiya Crelsig just happened to look exactly like him.
Not exactly, of course. No two people, even identical twins, can look exactly alike. Kiya's eyes were more blue than the boy's had been. She was several millimeters shorter, and her hair- Kiya winced at the memory- her beautiful hair had been cut short to match his. A simple letter to his parents saying that he was staying with a friend, a quick crash course in what Draco already knew- HAD already known, about Hogwarts, the classes and the teachers, and several letters received from the teachers at Hogwarts had trained her on what to expect, not only from the other Slytherins but also from all students.
The only thing was, Kiya didn't feel very comfortable acting mean and nasty. So, she softened it a bit. Maybe she would just tell her friends- Draco's friends- that she had had a life-changing experience over the summer.
And yet, it was more than just Draco's personality that Kiya had to deal with. It was, to put it bluntly, his maleness. Having to catch herself before she walked into the girl's bathroom. Having to make sure her robes were loose at the top just in case someone noticed *ahem* a couple of things which would give her away immediately. Having to deal with the roughness of the boys around her, even while she ached for the slightly gentler company of other girls.
And yet, she was one of the Ministry's top agents. And the youngest too, only fourteen years old. It was a good thing Draco had been small and delicate, she thought to herself as she boarded the train, or I would never have been able to pass as him.
She opened the door to her car, and saw Crabbe and Goyle sitting there, with Pansy Parkinson on the other side of the car, saving a seat.
"Hi, Draco," Pansy said, giving Kiya a simpering smile, and patting the seat beside her. "C'mon and sit down, and give me a little kiss."
Crabbe and Goyle snickered, and Kiya turned bright red. THIS was an aspect of Draco she hadn't expected to deal with. "I- I- I'm sorry, but I've already promised-" she tried to remember the names of the other Slytherins, "Millicent that I would sit with her. Excuse me." She darted out the door, slamming it behind her on Pansy's yell of rage and disbelief, and dashed down the corridor to the last car, as far away from that girl and her intentions as possible.
***
"So, how're the Chudley Cannons doing in the league?" Harry asked Ron. Ron' eyes brightened as they always did when talking about his favorite team.
"They've already beaten the Wimbourne Wasps! What a fantastic match, I think they're on the rebound from that losing streak!"
"They only won because both the Wasps' Seeker and their backup Seeker got booted from the game," Hermione said in her lecturing tone. "They didn't have a replacement, so they had to play short."
"It was still an incredible match," Ron argued.
At that moment, the door banged open, and a breathless Draco Malfoy leaped through, slamming the door behind him as if Fluffy himself was after him. He heaved a huge sigh of relief, then turned around, spotted Harry, and said a bad word.
"Nice to see you too, Malfoy," Harry said sarcastically. "What's wrong, did you-"
"Just shut up," Draco panted. After a moment, he slid into the seat next to Harry and put his head in his hands. Harry leaned away from the blond boy, who looked absolutely worn out. "There aren't any other seats in the entire bloody train," he said finally. "So I guess that means I'll have to be sitting with you all," he seemed to hesitate, "even though I'm sure the smell will kill me."
"There, that's more like the good old Malfoy we know," Ron said, staring at Harry. "I was beginning to wonder."
Harry gave Malfoy another searching look, then changed chairs so that he was next to Ron. Malfoy was alone on his side of the car, and he still had his head in his hands.
***
~They know, they can see right through me,~ Kiya thought, her head in her hands. ~I've already failed, Harry will find out that I'm not Draco Malfoy and he'll start spreading it around. Then I'll be fired from my job, if I'm not caught and killed by Voldemort first.~
It had been a very long day, and it was only going to get longer. So nobody could have blamed her when she leaned against the side of the carriage and dozed off, with Harry Potter and his two friends still staring at herike se was insane.
A few minutes later, she woke up to the sound of voices, even though she kept her eyes closed.
"Don't you touch him, Ron Weasley!"
"Why not? It wouldn't be permanent."
"And he deserves it, Hermione, you know that."
"But look at him! He's helpless. I think there might be something really seriously wrong with him, the way he came tearing in here. It wouldn't be right to do that-"
"But it would be FUN!" Ron interjected. "After all, it's not like he won't get over walking around with horns sticking out of his head for the next few weeks!"
THAT sentence made Kiya jerk completely awake.
***
"Rats," Ron said, "you woke him up. Now we won't get to do anything."
The train started to slow down, then suddenly jerked to a stop as the Express rested at Hogsmeade Station. Hermione stood up, and opened the door, at the same time Draco stood up. The train had not come to a complete stop, however, and jerked once more, sending Draco crashing into Hermione.
"Oh, sorry! Are you all right?" Draco reached out a hand to help Hermione up, then pulled it back looking stricken. He started to say something, but then turned and walked quickly out the door.