Chapter Two: If All Goes Well

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He smirked and sat back in his seat.

"No, it's just I see how transparent you are and couldn't help but want to see what lies within those eyes of yours." Shayne chuckled.

"Oh yes, that's what you were doing, you've always been a bad liar Zabini, and you manage to be cocky at the same time, it's quite the feat." She smiled a devious little smile over at him and he tilted his head to the side with a brow raised.

"I never knew you to be this mouthy Pryor, you've changed... and for the good I might add." She raised her own brow as Draco scoffed, but kept her attention on Blaise, ignoring the blonde.

"You never knew me at all, but I don't know whether to take that as a compliment, or be sickened by it..."

"I'm sickened by the both of you." Draco shot out in attempts to be the center of attention once more. Shayne sat back in her own seat and shifted her gaze to Draco.

"Yes Malfoy, you would be, or at least you will be once I've finished with you if you don't keep your snide little comments to yourself." He sneered, but it only made her happier, Blaise made a small sound of 'ooh' towards Draco, who shot him a dirty look.

"Shut it Zabini." Draco snapped.

"Now, now Draco, that's no way to treat one of your friends." Shayne reprimanded him teasingly; he scowled at her and sat back in his seat, ignoring her. "What? No comeback?" she asked and he just ignored her further, he had no clue why he was reacting like this when he wanted to say so much.

The rest of the ride she read a copy of Hogwarts: a history, even though she'd read it before, it was the only way to effectively ignore the other two in the compartment. In the great hall, it seemed like everyone noticed her now, as she walked din, whispers began and she just dismissed them.

As she seated herself at the table, Blaise took the seat beside her and she looked at him questioningly.

"You were right Pryor, I don't know you very well, and I admit I never really paid much attention." She smiled.

"And what? You expect me to..." she waited for him to fill in the blanks.

"I ask... that you tell me, so I can know." She saw over his shoulder, down the table, that Draco was looking over at them disgustedly as pansy started to paw at him and he tried to get her away form himself.

"I don't know what you're playing at Zabini, but I suggest that you play it with someone else." He actually laughed and smiled at her, his smile so perfect and beautiful that she couldn't help but notice it.

"I'm not playing, simply trying to right a wrong, get myself on your good side." She laughed, shaking her head.

"And why would you want to do that?" she asked." or better yet, why would you think you could after five years?" he nodded.

"I understand what you're getting at Pry- Shayne, but I think that you and I could be good friends." She was surprised that he actually knew her first name. "Plus, it's about time someone put Draco in his place."Shayne smiled and they actually continued a civilized conversation, interrupted only by the announcements of the headmaster, including one that included Harry potter and introduced the new prefects, to which Shayne couldn't help but sneak a look over at the embarrassed little red-head, yet not so little as she was before. Ginny noticed and smiled awkwardly at her, her brother and friends saw and began to question her, or so Shayne assumed.

"So she's the one who stood up for you in front of Malfoy?" Ron questioned. Ginny nodded. "You're telling me that she stood up to him like he was nothing..."again Ginny nodded. "I'd like to meet her." He added seeming sincere.

"Only because you think she's pretty." Ginny interrupted his smiles, as she turned red. Hermione pretended not to notice what was said, even though she wanted to, she couldn't help these feelings of jealousy. "Anyways, I think that the sorting hat was wrong in placing her, she's rather nice." Hermione scoffed at this comment and finally looked up.

"If she can be as stubborn as she is, mouthing off a Malfoy and not worrying about the re-percussions, then yes, she belongs in slytherin."The group looked at her so surprised, but she just turned her attention back down.

"Hermione, it's not like you to judge people like that." Hermione turned a little red and only Ginny caught on. "Who is she?" Harry asked.

"Shayne pryor, a sixth year Slytherin." Ginny filled in for him.

"But I've never seen her before." Ron cut in. "is she new, or was she hidden or something." Ginny scowled at him.

"She's just changed in appearance you dimwit, I've seen her in the library in the past." Ginny reprimanded him.

"I don't think you should associate with her." Hermione added quickly, her tongue seeming in knots. Ginny was confused, did she not want Ginny to befriend her or was it that she was worried Ginny would bring her into the group and Ron would suddenly fall for Shayne?

"You, Hermione granger don't have to think anything of who I associate with... you have no right to tell me this..." Hermione looked up surprised. "I owe her something after she saved me from Malfoy's stupid, idiotic cut-downs." Ron nodded, both he and Harry staring confusedly at Hermione still.

"Yeah, what's gotten into you Hermione, obviously she doesn't like Malfoy, that gives us nothing to hold against her-"

"Except for the fact that she is still a Slytherin and her father was a death eater." Surprise crossed the faces of both boys.

"And you know this how?" Ginny questioned, not about to give up. Hermione shrugged.

"You said she was a Pryor, her father was a death eater and he was killed shortly after Harry defeated voldemort." Inward shudders erupted from people who shouldn't have even heard that word. "Shortly after her birth, about a year." Ginny smiled.

"Well there you have it, if her parents were killed then there was no-one to teach her to worship voldemort now was there?"

"Her mother..."Ron put in with a shrug, and Ginny looked to Hermione, the human knowledge dictionary for the information, Hermione shrugged.

"H-her mother was a pureblood as well, but n-not a death eater."

"Very well," Ginny answered back. "I guess then we shouldn't be judging her..."Ginny looked pointedly at Hermione, who still ignored the looks from everyone.

After the sorting, the feast was announced and everyone stuffed himself or herself, most of all Ron. After the feast as Shayne made to exit the great hall with Blaise at her side, still playing what Shayne knew was a game, Ginny ran up to her.

"Shayne!" Ginny called, getting her attention as she took the last couple of leaps to her side.

"Ginny?" Shayne questioned, looking towards Blaise for a reaction, but he wasn't even looking, he was pre-occupied as another fellow classmate-Slytherin- came up and lured him into conversation, Shayne had no objections.

"I was wondering if you wanted to hang out tomorrow?" Shayne lifted her eyebrows in surprise, a little caught off guard by the non-existent hostility that a Gryffindor would usually hold to a Slytherin, maybe this too was a game, was she being lured into some sort of insider role... the entire group around them was staring and whispering hushed things to each other as they piled out of the great hall.

"That- that would be great." She really didn't know how to answer, especially as she spotted Ginny's older brother and the other two that made up what was dubbed 'the golden trio' watching them. "Your friends don't seem to like me much." She added, looking back at Ginny. Ginny looked at the others and back with a simple roll of her eyes.

"Don't mind them, they don't disapprove of you as a person, they disagree with me associating with a Slytherin, but personally they never cared before, what makes them care now?" Shayne realized that this was Ginny's desperate attempt for finding a friend- and it couldn't be that bad, she too could use a friend.

"I guess I should've guessed that." Shayne laughed. "I guess they're going to have to learn to accept it, won't they?" Ginny smiled.

"Indeed thy will." She walked more proudly at this.

"What's this? Who will have to accept what?"Blaise interrupted, coming back to Shayne's side. Shayne looked over at him confidently, while Ginny's smile faded as she looked at him in discomfort.

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Hey, hope you liked this little addition, like I said for my other story, I hope for some reviews. I also hope to update tomorrow or Wednesday, likely Wednesday.

AFireInside