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Mare went to bed that evening feeling very contented. She'd eaten more that day then she'd ever eaten. But something lingered in the back of her mind. Would the fact that this Malfoy kid had lots of similarities to Ash bring on any repercussions? Would she lie in bed at night sobbing for Kestrel? Oh, well. She'd already said yes, and Kestrel and the other girls were three thousand miles away. She'd just have to deal, that was all. Closing her eyes, she let herself dream of Ash.
She woke up early the next morning. Upon leaving her room, she spotted Hermione, who also was up early. The two girls walked down to breakfast together, talking along the way.
"So," Hermione asked, "was everything you said about your boyfriend yesterday true? The stuff about him being a muggle-hating, self-absorbed git, I mean."
Mare had to laugh at that. "Yes, it's true, every single word of it. I love him though. His sisters are my family's next door neighbors, and my younger brother is dating his youngest sister. I guess you could say that in my family, dating vampires is sort of a family affair."
When they arrived at the breakfast table, they found that Moody and Tonks were already there.
"Miss Carter, today we are going to further educate you on what your assignment will consist of. Now we're on to specific details." Moody peered at her, his glass eye spinning wildly around.
"First of all, do you speak French, Miss Carter?
"Yes sir, why?"
"In wizarding Europe, there are three schools of magic. The one in France, called Beauxbatons, is where you are supposedly transferring from."
"Oh."
"Now, pick a French name for yourself, one that will easy for you to remember.
Mare thought for a little bit. "Okay, how about Marie Cartier?"
Moody grinned. It was slightly creepy. "Excellent. I will inform everyone else. Remember, this is who you are from now on Miss Carter, or should I say Mademoiselle Cartier."
Marie nodded, and grinned. (A/n-from now on, everyone except Ash is going to refer to Mare as Marie.)
Just then, Ron and Harry, stretching and yawning, came trooping down the stairs.
"Mornin' Mare," they said.
Hermione cleared her throat. "Don't you mean 'Good morning Marie?'
The boys stared. "What," asked Ron, sounding dazed.
"Marie. That's the name she's going to use when she spies on Malfoy. She's an exchange student from Beauxbatons."
The boys nodded, grabbed knives, and began to paint their toast with butter and marmalade.
Ash stared out his car window. He felt tired. He hadn't fed much yesterday, and now he was paying for it. During his time at Hogwarts, when he wasn't at school, he would be staying at the home of one of his father's friends, a Mr. Malfoy. The Malfoy's young son Draco was not the kind of guy Ash wanted to be spending any time with at all, in fact, the whole family was rotten apples. When his parents punished, they really knew how to punish. Ash had been to the manor for his father's business dinners a few times.( Not that any of his family actually ate, it was more a conversational thing.) But the last time had been years ago.
Now, he gazed out at the things that would surround him on breaks for the next year. His mother had promised him that she and his father would visit at Christmas, and maybe bring his sisters with them.(They had excepted Ash's jurisdiction to let the girls stay in Oregon.) Ash hoped they would.
He saw an eager blonde woman coming toward him. Mrs. Malfoy, I presume, he thought. He plastered a fake grin on his face as she came to greet him.
"You must be Ash. Hawk's told us so much about you." Hawk was Ash's father.
She led him into a very large entryway. Ash couldn't really be surprised, because the fancy furnishing weren't unlike what he had at home.
"And here's Draco." She nodded towards a foppish-looking blond boy slightly shorter then himself.
Ash didn't like him. He had heard that the guy needed to have minions at school to make himself seem threatening. Mare could probably reduce him and his hulks to pixie dust in seconds with her bare hands. That would be funny to see. (a/n- Ash's knowledge of wand magic is practically none existant since all the witches he knows are wandless.)
Ash walked over and met Draco at the entranceway. They both stared at each other. If Ash could have looked at himself in the mirror just then, he would have seen gray eyes. And if Mrs. Malfoy would have looked in on them from the parlor where she was, she would have thought she had twins!
The boys put out their hands and shook once, firmly, then let their hands drop to their sides, each rubbing his hip furiously, as if the other had cooties.
This was going to be a long year.
After a few more days, Marie was surprised it was time to head to Hogwarts. She, Ron, Harry, and Hermione all boarded the school train together, sharing a compartment. Ron had warned her that she most definitely would get a good look at her charge, as he normally stopped by the compartment to taunt them. And he did. But when he looked at Marie, his face held a different sort of expression, a kind of expression that turned her back into Mare and made her wish for her soulmate.
When they got to school, they disembarked from the train, then shared a carriage. As they walked into the castle, they were separated, as Marie still had to be sorted. When she entered the Great Hall, she was all prepared to put on the Sorting Hat. After it placed her in Gryffindor, and all her friends cheered, she went to sit at her house table. Then the next boy stepped up to the stool to be sorted. When Marie saw him, she clutched at Hermione's arm in an effort not to pass out.
"Marie, what's the matter?" Hermione whispered.
"Well, you know the boyfriend I was telling you about? The formerly Malfoy-ish one who was supposed to be on a voyage of self-discovery? Well, that's him." With a shaking hand, she gestured up at the front of the room.
Mouseeee- I love getting new reviewers, so thanks! (Smiles real big.)
Ash and Malfoy's meeting was kind of a letdown, I know, but there'll be excitement later, I promise!
