A/N: Beth Taylor and Annalise are back with another installment of… Tales of Hogwarts: Megan's Story. We hope you enjoy.
"Hey, Megan, do you want to finish our homework in the library after lunch?" Annie asked. Megan swallowed her bite of fried chicken before answering.
"Can't."
"Why not?"
"I'm in detention with Snape afterwards," Megan replied in an angry voice.
"How?" Ron asked. Apparently, he'd been listening in.
"I was in his way," Megan answered glumly.
"That's not fair! It's not even a real reason! He can't do that! He's always grumpy, and only likes the Slytherins!" Annie ranted. Megan smiled at her support, but shook her head.
"I appreciate your concern," she said. "But I'll be fine." Annie gave her a disbelieving look. Megan quickly backtracked.
"I just mean that there will be no Slytherins there," she assured her friend. "I'll be okay, really." Privately, she wasn't sure of anything. Who knew if Slytherins would be there? Not her.
Megan left lunch five minutes early so that she could make it to the dungeons on time. She walked down winding corridors and stairs with trick steps. Finally, she made it down to the slimy walkways in the dungeons. She pushed open the door to Snape's office.
"So good of you to join us," came Snape's greasy voice. Us? Who else was there? Megan walked a little farther into the room and saw Draco Malfoy standing next to Professor Snape's desk. She suppressed a shudder at the thought of spending all of detention with the slimy, evil little weasel. He stared back at her, a devilish grin forming on his pointed features. "Abbott, Malfoy, you will be serving detention in here," Snape snapped. "You will be cleaning the ingredient shelves. I have cleared everything off, and you will spend the next three hours washing, drying, and polishing them until I can see the reflection of your grimy little faces in them. If you are near death, go to the Hospital Wing. Other than that, you are not permitted to leave this room. You do not need to know where I'll be. You are not permitted to use magic. There will be no need to talk." With that, he left the room, his black cloak swirling around him and reminding Megan of an overgrown bat.
Megan and Malfoy found cleaning supplies in a closet and began to wipe the dust off of the shelves. Neither student talked for the next two hours.
"So, Megan," said Malfoy, putting down his sponge. "How did you end up here?" Megan decided to play dumb.
"At Hogwarts? I've been enrolled since birth." Malfoy glared at her. He let loose a gigantic sigh.
"No, I mean how did you get in detention," he said in a patronizing tone.
"If I wanted to tell you, you would've already known," Megan retorted. "Why on earth would I have broken that wonderful and peaceful silence?"
"I hate that Potter boy," Malfoy said in a whiny voice. Megan stayed silent. "Well, are you going to ask why?"
"Wasn't planning on it, no."
"I'll tell you anyway. It seems like this is bothering you." Something inside of Megan snapped. She whipped out her wand and held it to Malfoy's throat.
"Listen close, Malfoy," she growled. "Professor Snape said no magic for cleaning purposes, but he said nothing about using magic against each other. Now, if you say anything more, I'll-" They were interrupted by a pretty girl with long blond hair, gray eyes, and a Slytherin crest on her robes. Her face was flushed and her tie was undone. She looked like she'd been running.
"Hey, loser," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Flitwick sent me to tell you that you have-" She broke off; noticing the position Malfoy and Megan were in. Her expression hardened. Megan quickly lowered her wand and stepped away. The girl relaxed a bit.
"Hey P-" Malfoy began. The blond girl whipped her wand out and put it to his throat so fast that if Megan had blinked, she would've missed it.
"Don't you dare finish that sentence," she snarled. Megan let out a small giggle. The girl dropped her wand, distracted. Malfoy took the opportunity to scurry backwards and smooth down his robes.
"Wow, Cassie," he said shakily. "Looks like you're not the only one who hates me." Cassie grinned, turning to Megan.
"Hi," she said brightly. "I'm Annarose Malfoy. Call me Rose. Who are you?"
"Megan Abbott," Megan responded. "Gryffindor. Are you and Malfoy… Brother and sister?" Rose gave Malfoy a look of extreme distaste.
"Unfortunately," she spat in his direction. "Although I prefer to refer to him as my distant cousin. You know, that way it seems like we're not really related." Malfoy glared back at her. Rose smiled sweetly. Megan noticed that her tone had acid in it when she spoke again. "May I ask why you were holding your wand to Draco's throat? Not that I object, but…"
"I told you to call me Malfoy!" Malfoy growled.
"And I told you I didn't care," Rose mimicked.
"You don't, but you should."
"Too bad."
"Rose, to answer your question, he was being an arrogant ferret," Megan interrupted. "I didn't think anyone was here, so…" Rose grinned.
"Right, so Megan, how do you feel about being, I don't know, friends?" Megan nodded. A thought occurred to her.
"Hey, Rose?"
"Hmm?"
"Who's older? You or ferret?" Rose gritted her teeth.
"Creature."
"Oh."
"Great," Malfoy grumbled. Rose and Megan turned to him.
"What?"
"My sister and my… enemy are now friends." Megan couldn't help wondering why he'd hesitated over the word 'enemy.'
Later that day, Megan and Rose were walking down by the lake.
"So, you're not one of those Slytherins who will only be friends with other purebloods?" Megan asked apprehensively. Rose laughed lightly.
"No. My family says that I go out of my way to be friends with 'mudbloods, blood traitors, and half bloods.'" She made air quotes around the words 'mudbloods, half bloods, and blood traitors.'
"No wonder Malfoy hates you," Megan mused. "Just so you know, Annie won't be happy about us being friends." She meant it as a warning, but Rose laughed again.
"Then don't tell her," she reasoned. "She doesn't need to know." Megan shrugged.
"But I don't want to lie to her," She said quietly. Rose face palmed. "I have to go finish my homework anyway. See you later." Megan climbed the hill up to the castle, only to run into Malfoy. Again.
"Move!" She yelled. He just smirked. Rose ran up the hill to her side.
"Wow, look who's friends with a Gryffindor," Malfoy sneered.
"Look who's friends with pigs," his sister countered.
"And you call yourself a Slytherin," Malfoy spat. "Hanging around with all of these Mudbloods! You might as well be a Gryffindor." Rose flinched. Megan could tell that Malfoy had hit a sore spot.
"I wish I was," she murmured softly. Then she shook herself, recovering. "And she's not a mudblood! Your just sore that she doesn't like you, you jumped up little-"
"Cass, I don't think you want to finish that sentence," Malfoy said smoothly.
"Draco, there are no words to describe the height of your stupidity," Megan said, cutting into the conversation.
"My stupidity?" Draco questioned stupidly.
"Look, Rose, he even admits to it."
"How sweet," Rose said, standing up. "Come on, Meggie, weren't you saying something about homework?"
"Yes," Megan agreed. "Bye, Draco."
Megan waited at the bottom of the staircase, waiting for it to change. Seamus came up behind her, startling her.
"Hey, Megan," he said confidently. "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"
"Bye," Megan said quickly, and stepped onto the newly arrived staircase. Unfortunately, Seamus stepped on too.
"Megan, my love for you burns like a dying phoenix," he said earnestly. The staircases shifted yet again, and Megan was able to get off before he could embarrass her any further.