Estranged • Harry Potter {1}

One

Cora Malfoy put her short blond hair into a half up style, keeping her bangs down and stylish. She was grateful for the new hair. Shorter and easier to take care of. Not to mention she got rid of those god awful black highlights she decided to copy from her mother's hair. Narcissa pulled it off. Cora, however, did not.

She put on a black long sleeved shirt and a pair of dark washed jeans before slipping into a pair of her favourite tennis shoes. Looking in the mirror, she added the necklace her father got her when she was ten. It may have been a way to keep her quiet about all his illegal activities but to this day, it's the only present he had ever given her.

This was a year for a new start. It was either Hogwarts or some other wizarding boarding school in America and Cora couldn't leave her twin. Not now.

"Knock knock." 

Cora stepped away from the mirror and wrapped her arms around herself, turning towards her brother.

"You know saying the words doesn't mean you're allowed access." She smirked.

"Shut up, are you ready or not? We've got some last minute shopping to do." He replied, hiding a smile.

"You know what books we need, why do I have to come?" Cora sighed and grabbed her bag. "Same age, same classes probably."

"Because mum insists and you know we don't argue with mum." Draco said. "Let's go."

Cora let out a groan and followed her brother out of her room and down the grand staircase to the foyer. She stayed near the door, waiting for her mother to be ready while Draco shoved his hands deep into his pockets.

"Draco?" She asked softly.

"What?"

"Do you think this means everything will be different? The school... home." Cora asked, pulling at her necklace a little.

Draco didn't look up. The year before, a Hogwarts student named Cedric Digory died when Lord Voldemort made his grand return. Being at Beauxbatons, a school so far away, Cora still heard about it. As an all girls school as well, gossip was horrendous. She knew her father was a deatheater and to make matters worse, she's had to watch him groom her gullible twin for years.

With all the stories about people hating her family and now this... everyone was bound to find out about her father and with the extra hatred for Draco, Cora didn't know how the students would react to having his twin there as well.

"Hopefully it's a good different." He said.

Cora nodded. 

"Why did you get expelled?" Draco asked suddenly.

Cora shrugged. "I like pranks. Thought it was funny. Guess it just went too far, no biggie."

Draco nodded slowly but didn't press the issue. He couldn't tell if she was lying anymore. Narcissa quickly walked to her teenage children and led them out of the house. They each stood close together on the porch and Narcissa apparated them to one of the entrances to Diagon Alley.

Using the right combination, Narcissa got them onto the bustling street. Cora stayed behind her mother and brother, dodging the large amount of wizards shopping around. She never liked the crowd but every shop was so historic and offered so many cool things, she could endure the crowd for a little while.

"Books love. Draco can help." Narcissa handed her daughter a money pouch and pushed the twins into the book store.

Narcissa had gotten into crystal balls and bowls many other things so the siblings knew that's where she was headed. Draco handed Cora a list of the books she needed and then bounded up the stairs of the book shop. She followed him with her eyes the whole way before rolling them as he met up with Blaise and Pansy. Those two had frequented the mansion most of the summer and Cora really hated Pansy.

She looked at the list and sighed. It would be a long search. The one thing about wizard book shops was that they were never really organized. It drove the blonde girl nuts but she wasn't about to clean an entire store because of a little discomfort.

"I heard she was expelled for setting Madame Maxine's cloak on fire." Someone whispered harshly.

"No way, I thought it was her dorm room." Another girl chimed in.

"Actually," Cora found two of the books and picked them up as she spoke. "It was the entire professor's table in the grand hall. There were even sparks too."

The girls jumped and scurried away, leaving behind a curly haired girl in their place. Cora moved from behind the table, confronting the girl who still hadn't moved.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer." Cora snapped.

"Sorry. I don't mean to stare it's just... you don't look like Draco very much." She replied.

"Lucky me." Cora smiled weakly.

"You're coming to Hogwarts this year?"

"That's the plan. As long as I keep my pyrotechnic skills to myself." Cora smiled, hoping the joke would lighten the whole awkward situation.

She giggled. "Right. Just... be careful. Lots of people talk so..."

"Oh I know. I'm the infamous twin sister nobody knew about for so many reasons lots of people want to guess. The real story as to why, I will take to my grave." The girl smiled and so did Cora. "It's alright. Let them talk."

She nodded and left the shop, leaving Cora there alone to fend for herself.

Finding the rest of the books took much longer than it should have but soon enough, Cora was able to get home and hide in her room. 

She flipped through the pages of the new school books and had a guess that it would probably be a boring year. Get sorted, get through the year with her head down and it should all be a breeze. Right?