Ursula had her hair in pigtails. She was like a diamond tossed on the ground, uncracked, unshaped, and dull.
Ashley had hers cropped short, with just a fringe below her ears, and shaved up the back. It made her look boyish, and stylish at the same time. She was what Pansy Parkinson aspired to be - vivacious and vicious.
They were the same person, of course. But if you hadn't been there to see the change, Draco knew you wouldn't understand.
Ursula had held back, had wanted to be praised and had gotten it by being quiet.
Ashley was her true self, unfurled.
Beside her, stood Heidi, formerly Tasha. Tasha had been a Muggleborn dyke, full of piss and vinegar. Heidi was softspoken, and her r's tended to lilt. Heidi wasn't at all like Tasha, and that was a very fine thing indeed, as Tasha had stood out like a sore thumb. Heidi, if confronted, was likely to hunch down and try to be quiet.
Fiona, who'd dyed her hair red to fit the part, was a former Hufflepuff, who'd been trained to hide her compassion, or better yet, twist it. Slytherins did so love their plots, and the House of the Cunning did compassion... in its own way. It had been a delight to watch the light come on in her eyes. She'd, almost unbelievably, been one of the easiest to convince to join House Slytherin. "You need my help," she'd said, her doughty determination matched by the stone in her gaze.
The three of them were demons, when put together. Draco was proud of them, and knew they'd go far. Heidi now knew how to push someone down the stairs... discretely. Draco had the funny feeling that might come in handy sometime soon - in Slytherin, harassment was plentiful from other houses and your own. It was quite lucky that magicals were so hard to kill - it prevented the steady hum of violence from turning into Blood Feuds constantly.
Of course, Narcissa Malfoy zoomed over to them, lifting each girl's head with a nail pushed under their chin. Ashley put up with the scrutiny, with eyes that said I'm watching you right back, sister. It was only when Narcissa started in on Heidi, who was shrinking back and looking a little afraid, that Ashley chimed in, "We aren't dogs, you know. If you want a display of manners, some tea would be lovely, don't you think?"
[a/n: Needed some more characters. OCs all, I don't intend them to have extremely large roles, but if you like any of them, I can recruit them into helping save Draco Malfoy's worthless hide. Leave a review, dear hearts!
I return from brief hiatus. If you would like to see what I've been up to, read "Read the Last Page First" or "Loose Snakes Loose Ends"]