The Unexpected Twin

~39~

It was a long plane ride to America. Cressida looks at me. "You know, this could be fun." I look up at her. "What do you mean?" Cressida takes my hand. "I am nothing like my brother. When he told all of us that he wanted to get rid of you, I had to step in! I was not going to let him throw away my niece like that." I smiled at her. "Thank you." Cressida cups my cheek. "I know it's been hard for you Y/N, but I'm not going to let anything bad happen to you while you are with me." She seemed so trusting. I felt safe.

After a short car ride after the flight, we got to Cressida's house. It was a small little house in the middle of New York City. Cressida smiles as I run into the house. It wasn't Hogwarts but maybe Cressida was right. Maybe this won't be so bad. My room was right across the hall from Cressida's. It felt nice knowing she was going to be so close. "I know it's not a lot right now, but I had an idea. What if we went to the mall and you could get stuff to decorate your own bedroom?" I smiled. The thought of having stuff to call my own made me ecstatic. "I love that idea!" Usually, I wasn't so trusting, but Cressida made it easy.

Cressida and I got to talking and we got really close. I finally had a family member who cared. That is all I have ever wanted! Turns out, Cressida is a fashion designer. She has made so many beautiful designs that have been showcased in Fashion Week! She even has a store that sells only her brand of clothing! "So, Y/N, tell me, what do you want to be?" I look embarrassed. I knew exactly what I wanted to be, but I didn't have enough confidence to pursue it. "Come on. It's kay. You can tell me." I took a deep breath. "I want to be a famous singer." Cressida looks at her. "That's amazing. You are in the right place." Cressida bends down and whispers in my ear. "Muggles love new music, and this is the town to make it all happen." Cressida takes out her phone and makes some calls. "I'm going to make your dream come true!"

Cressida got me a position as an opener for a new up and coming artist this weekend! I was so excited. I hugged her and ran to my room to write new songs. Cressida looked at me proudly as I worked on writing my new songs. She made me a brand-new dress to wear. It was sophisticated and made me look older. It was a long red dress. It was modern and chic. I was so excited to wear it! Friday night, Cressida and I went to the venue for a sound check. I walk in and I am immediately in awe.

We walked up to get my microphone. I decided to have a stage name. Just in case, it didn't go well. My stage name was Ashlyn. "So, you must be my new opener." I hear from behind me. I turn around and see a tall woman with gorgeous long black hair. "I'm Jade Valentine." She says with a smile. "You must be Ashlyn." I smile back at her. "The one and only! It's so nice to meet you. Thank you so much for taking a chance on me!" Jade smiles at me. "When I heard about a talented long woman who needed a chance, how could I possibly say no?" I smile at her still a little nervous. She puts her arm around me supportively. "Have you ever done this before?" I shake my head. Tori kneels so she's at the same level as me. "'So, what's going to happen is you and I are going to go on the stage and sing a part of our songs at different times. It can get a little loud, so here." She hands me a pair of ear plugs. "They will muffle the sounds of the speakers. It won't be as loud tomorrow when the audience is here." I nod and put the ear plugs in. Jade looks at me and smiles. "Do you want to go first, or would you rather have me go? That way you can get a feel for what to do." I think about it for a second. "Can you go first?" Jade nods her head.

She gets her group, and they all go up on the stage. She waits for the okay from the techie, and everyone starts playing. She starts to sing one of her popular songs and it sounds absolutely amazing. She finishes her song and walks over to me. "You ready Ashlyn?" I nod my head and grab my microphone and go up on the stage. Cressida got me a couple people to play guitar and drums for me. I took a deep breath. When the techie gave the okay. They all started playing. I sang out, not caring about anything around me. I was getting into it. No one would've ever guessed that this was my first time on stage. I finished my song and went down to Jade and Cressida. They engulfed me in a tight hug. "Ashlyn, that was amazing!" Cressida says to me. Jade agrees. "If you are interested, my label is always looking for new artists. How would you feel about making an album?" My jaw drops. "I would love that!" Jade smiles. "As long as it is okay with your aunt, first thing Monday morning I want you to come with me to the recording studio." I look up at Cressida with pleading eyes. "Of course, you can go!" she says.

The concert was a hit. Everyone loved me. Jade was so happy with me. Cressida was so proud of me. I was so excited to start my career as a singer! I just couldn't help but think what was going on with the Weasley's. I couldn't help but wonder if Fred would realize it was me. This was a secret I planned on keeping. No one was going to know that I, Y/N Malfoy, was in fact Ashlyn!