Chapter 3

It was odd how London could be so familiar yet so foreign. King's Crossing was the same, but it was the little things that made Malinda look away. The Muggle fashion was old, typical of the 1990's. Women had shoulder pads, men wore loose suits, and the hair… Bloody hell, the haircuts made Malinda want to laugh and cry at the same time.

People bustled, moving quickly along the platforms. Hardly anyone spared more than a glance at her. These were city people and they didn't have the time, or care, to wonder why a teenage girl pushed a trolley with a leather trunk and caged owl. She was tempted to throw a disillusion charm on herself, but Dumbledore warned the trace could flag the Ministry. But the temptation was strong because magic was still new and exciting. She felt like a kid again, with a brand new toy to show off.

But she couldn't. She couldn't be Malinda Roberts anymore. No, from today onward she would be Malinda Selwyn. Malinda arrived at the brick wall between platforms nine and ten. It looked just like the one in her London- except it was missing the photograph prop of a trolley for tourists. There was no prop here, just a brick wall.

It was almost like one last test. One last way to prove this was real. She braced herself and ran forward- Passing through the wall without trouble. On the other side was another busy platform, but gone were the dated 1990's fashion and Muggles. Now, she found herself surrounded by a sea of magical families, dressed in a wide variety of colors and robes. It took her a moment to orientate herself, but Malinda forced herself to move. She took her cart to the back carriages, where luggage and owls were being loaded. Malinda reached through the cage, giving Rowling a pet. The owl hooted, pleased with the attention. "I'll see you in Scotland," Malinda whispered. Hopefully, if J.K. Rowling existed in this world, she wouldn't mind sharing her name with a very friendly owl.

She stepped away, flattening her robes. She already wore the Hogwarts uniform, but the Hogwarts crest lay where her house crest would go. Dumbledore wanted her to be sorted with the first years, as past transfer students were. It was pointless though, both knew she would join Slytherin.

With her wand securely in its forearm holster, Malinda adjusted her satchel and boarded the train. Her eyes swept over every compartment and she couldn't help but wonder which characters she'd recognize. Even if she did, she had to pretend not to know them. She moved, passing nervous first years and excited, older students.

Then she saw them. Malinda's heart beat wildly as she recognized the Golden Trio immediately. It was impossible not to- Harry Potter laughed at something Ron said, his lightning scar on full display. Hermione chuckled, withdrawing a book from her bag. They still wore their normal clothes, but they looked impressively close to their film counterparts. Except, Malinda noticed with relief, Harry's eyes were actually green. Good. She briefly thought of Snape again and wondered how it felt for the professor to look into Harry's eyes. Did he always see Lily?

Hermione noticed her and they locked eyes. The Gryffindor's eyes glanced down, widening at the lack of house crest. Malinda kept walking but she smiled at Hermione. The Gryffindor smiled tentatively back before she vanished from view.

In any other circumstances, Malinda would have stopped and talked to them. They were THE trio- Who had kept her company for years as she devoured page after page of their adventures. Even seeing them though was enough, for now.

Two carriages down, Malinda found the snakepit. She knew it the moment the door shuttered closed behind her. Nearly every student in here wore sharp, expensive robes or already changed into their green themed Hogwarts uniform. They sat proudly, posture straight and their conversation almost… tense. It was quiet in here, oddly quiet. It seemed they hadn't shaken off the summer yet. A summer filled with Voldemort and Death Eater parents.

She lifted her chin slightly as she walked, allowing her brown eyes to sweep over them slowly. One by one they finally began to notice her. Malinda smiled but kept her eyes on the empty seat. She approached the table of three students and asked, "Mind if I join?"

With more courage than she thought she had, Malinda didn't bother to wait for an answer. She simply sat down and looked at the three. Pansy Parkinson's eyes narrowed slightly as she challenged, "And you are?"

"Malinda Selwyn," she replied shortly. "Yourself?"

"Pansy Parkinson," the girl replied, her face now more curious than hostile. "A Selwyn? I haven't seen you before."

"Neither have I," added Blaise, his eyes lingering on Malinda. "I'm Blaise Zabini. Interesting, I didn't think Damien Selwyn had any children."

"He doesn't," said the blond boy from besides Malinda. Draco's eyebrows furrowed and he did nothing to hide the bite behind his accusation. "So who the hell are you?"

"Someone with much better manners than you," Malinda answered, her smile growing. This was the Draco she remembered- Angst, stress, and fear all bottled up. She turned to Pansy and Blaise, "Is your friend always such a gentleman?"

"Draco," Pansy kicked him under the table.

Malinda feigned surprise, "Malfoy? Ah yes, I know of your family."

"And I know nothing of yours, apparently," Draco replied coolly

"I grew up in America, I believe Damien is a distant cousin of mine. Hard to keep track after so many generations apart.".

Blaise leaned forward, "It's rare for Hogwarts to receive a transfer student. What year are you?"

"Sixth year, you?"

"You'll be in our year then," Pansy said, not sounding entirely happy about it. "Where have you been schooled? Beauxbatons?"

Malinda shook her head and provided the rehearsed story. "No, Ilvernmorny actually. My great-great-great grandfather moved to America. Mother and Father like to keep to American society, but word travels fast across the ocean. Rumor is things are about to change here politically… and they thought my education may benefit from the results."

She watched their reactions carefully. Blaise looked downright uncomfortable, his eyes lowering and staring at the table. Beside him though, Pansy appeared quite pleased by the news and gave the newcomer an appreciative nod. It was Draco's reaction that surprised Malinda most. He tensed and his already pale skin blanched, but he said nothing. His expression remained the same tense, empty stare. Pretending not to notice the tension, Malinda continued, "I'm looking forward to my time at Hogwarts."

Then, the carriage was thrust into darkness. They all jumped, but Malinda knew what was happening. Her eyes shifted up towards the luggage shelf, where she knew Harry Potter lay. She looked away though, just as the light returned.

"What just happened? Blaise?" Draco demanded.

"Don't know," the other Slytherin responded.

"Relax boys, it's probably just a first year messing around. We'll be at Hogwarts soon."

A small bag teetered then fell from above.

Oh shit. Just as everyone instinctively looked up, Malinda tapped her fingers on the table loudly and said, "So how long is the train ride to Hogwarts then?"

Her question caught most of their attention again. Thankfully, that included the blond next to her.

"Hogwarts," Draco snorted. "What a pathetic excuse for a school. I think I'd pitch myself off the Astronomy Tower if I thought I had to continue on for another two years."

Pansy frowned and reached over, grabbing onto his wrist. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just say I don't think you'll be seeing me wasting my time in Charms Class next year." He withdrew his wrist from her hold, tucking his arms under the table.

"Draco…" Pansy whined, then glanced uncertainly at Blaise who snorted.

"Amused, Blaise?" Draco snapped. "We'll see just who's laughing in the end."

A silence fell over the group and Malinda sighed, "Well, this should be an interesting year."

"Yeah," Balise gave Draco a dark look. "Welcome to Hogwarts."

...


...

The train ride had been mostly quiet, aside from polite conversation between Pansy and Blaise. The young woman attempted multiple times to drag Malfoy into the conversation, but he merely responded with shrugs and short, clipped responses. Not wanting to push her luck so soon, Malinda withdrew an advanced potions book and read, keeping to herself.

When the train began to slow, everyone rose in their Hogwarts robes. Malinda feigned confusion, "How do we reach the castle?"

"Carriages, of course," Pansy said then paused, a smirk forming on her lips. "Although you ought to join the first years on the boats. Since you need to be sorted and all."

Interestingly, Blaise shook his head. "A Selwyn doesn't need to catch a boat, she'll come with us."

"McGonagall will disagree and-" Pansy tried to protest.

Balise cut her off, "Who cares what that old cow McGonagall says."

Malinda sincerely grinned, "I like you."

"Always here to help," Blaise winked. Pansy on the other hand, glowered. She pushed past them both her shoulder hitting Malinda's, and exited the train with the others.

Blaise sighed, "Don't let her bother you. Her family has been… stressed lately."

"Times are changing," Malinda shrugged. "Some people adapt, some people don't."

"I'll show you the way to the carriages," Blaise offered then glanced back at Draco. The blond stood by the table, hanging behind. "You coming, Draco?"

"You two go on. I want to check something."

Malinda bit her lip, torn between staying or going. Staying though would only annoy Malfoy, so instead she slyly let her book fall onto the ground. "Alright then, let's see what these magical carriages are all about. I read they're pulled by thestrals?"

"Indeed," Blaise said. "A big reader then?"

"Of course. How about yourself?" She followed him out and onto the platform. So far, she liked Blaise. He wasn't mentioned often in the books and always fell in the background of Draco in the films, but he was clever. He possessed a suave, charismatic humor. He made a joke about getting caught in the restricted section and Malinda couldn't help but laugh.

"Oh wait," She searched her satchel. "I forgot my book. You go ahead, I'll catch up."

"You'll be late for the sorting." Blaise warned. "The carriages won't wait much longer."

She rolled her eyes, "What are they going to do? Take away house points before I have a house?"

Blaise stared then outright laughed. "There's no doubt. You'll definitely be a Slytherin, then."

"If that's the case, see you in a bit." Malinda waved and ran back towards the train. She crossed paths with Draco who simply ignored her as he strode towards the carriages. His eyes were full of fury.

Malinda jumped back onto the train and opened the door to her carriage. It looked empty and she scooped up her book from the ground. She stared hard at the floor, frowning. Harry should be hidden somewhere close. Slowly, she approached and reached out. Her hand felt nothing but air-

Until it hit something solid. Gingerly, she pulled up and lifted the invisibility cloak, revealing a bloodied and frozen Harry Potter. His green eyes were wide, staring up at her.

"Hold on," Malinda flicked her wand out of her holster and waved her wand. Harry was released from the spell and panted.

"H-How did you know?" Harry stood, adjusting his glasses on his broken nose.

"The cloak wasn't on properly. I could see your hand just… floating there," she lied easily. "What's your name?"

The question took the young man completely and totally aback. Clearly, Harry wasn't used to people not recognizing him. He shuffled, awkwardly. "Uh, Harry Potter. Sorry, but who are you?"

"New transfer student," she held out a hand. "Malinda Selwyn."

Her shook her hand and winced, his nose clearly broken. Malinda held up a wand and Harry tensed. "Want me to try and fix it?"

"Er-" Harry didn't get a chance to answer before she said, "Episkey" and magically set the nose back in place. He swore under his breath, felt his nose, then took a step back. "Wow, thanks."

The carriage door slid open and they both turned to see a light blonde student walk in. Based on the bizarre glasses on her face, Malinda guessed this could be no other than Luna Lovegood. Harry looked between the two young women and stiffly made introductions.

Luna tilted her head, "Nice to meet you. You don't have any wrackspurts in your head… Curious."

"What are-" Harry paused. "Never mind. We need to hurry if we're going to make the feast."

"And my sorting," Malinda laughed. The thestral carriages were long gone and the trio walked quickly up the path. When they arrived, an impatient Professor Flitwick huffed. "About time! I've been looking all over for you two. Names."

"Professor Flickwick, you've known me for five years." Harry sounded tired.

"No exceptions, Potter."

The two Gryffindors were spared from actually answering when the charms professor noticed Malinda. He checked the list and asked, "Ms. Selwyn, I presume?"

"Yes, Professor."

He frowned, deeply. "You're late."

"Sorry," she said. "Had to run back and grab my book from the train."

"Who are those people?" Luna stared at a group of older wizards, standing some distance away. They surveyed the luggage cases, watching as Draco argued with Filch.

"Aurors," the professor answered. "Sent by the ministry for extra security this year."

"It's not a cane, you cretin. It's a walking stick." Draco's voice was rising, catching their attention.

Filch wasn't buying it. "And what exactly would you be wanting with a walking stick?"

Suddenly, Professor Snape emerged from behind the mountain of trunks. "It was his father's."

"Is my father's. He's not dead."

Malinda glanced at Harry, who was watching the heated exchange with interest. Gingerly, Draco returned the walking stick to his trunk. "It's alright, Mr. Filch." Snape said. "I can vouch for Mr. Malfoy."

Content his things would be left alone, Draco turned away from the luggage. He caught Harry's stare and sneered, "Nice face, Potter."

"Tosser," Harry muttered.

"I'm guessing he broke it then?" Malinda asked quietly.

Harry nodded and whispered, "Watch out for the Slytherins. They're a nasty bunch."

"That's a bit harsh, Harry," Luna said sweetly. "They're just students like us."

"Right… Well then, see you both at the feast." Malinda said, before walking quickly down the path. She briefly met Professor Snape's eyes, but he gave nothing away. Her feet moved fast and she didn't slow until she came side by side to Draco.

"Do you make a habit of attacking other students?" She wondered aloud.

"Potter is a prat. You'll learn soon enough."

"Funny, he warned me off you too," Malinda chuckled. "Haven't even made it to the castle yet and I'm already making so many friends. So what happened with your father?"

Draco nearly stumbled. He glared and hissed, "Don't mock me."

"I'm not. You forget, I've just arrived in the country. Mother is good with following society and gossip back home, but not here."

"Then I'm sure someone else will be happy to fill you in."

"I said my mother is good with gossip, not me," Malinda said. "I don't care what your father did. I judge people for their own actions, not their families."

Draco said nothing and Malinda picked up her pace, leaving him behind to his own thoughts.