Chapter 8: In Trouble Already

Shyla followed Malfoy to his office off of the Potions classroom. She fiddled with her sleeve as she sat down in a large arm chair across from him. The office was dark, but comfortable. Her eyes wandered the room aimlessly.

Professor Malfoy sighed and eyed her carefully. "You've had a rough first 24 hours at Hogwarts, haven't you?"

Shyla shrugged, "Classes were going really well until flying. Then I just couldn't take it anymore... I had been getting looks of despise from my cousins all day and in flying class, Ali acted like we were mere acquaintances. I just can't understand why they won't accept me for who I obviously am!" She was more frustrated than she had expected. "Plus, on top of it, Eva and Keelee are determined to prove that I am not a Weasley."

Malfoy smiled, "To be completely honest, I am having a hard time believing you have an ounce of Weasley blood in you."

Shyla frowned, "Why is that so hard to believe?" She dropped her eyes to her lap and avoided his gaze.

"For one, you look nothing like a Weasley. I know it doesn't seem like much, but they all have the same facial structure. Not to mention the red hair and freckles." He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "And well... I was with your mother... and father... during the last few weeks of his life, and I had no idea they were that close. In fact, he rather hated her at the time."

Shyla looked up, her brow furrowed. "Why?"

Draco ran a hand through his hair and sighed, his cold grey eyes avoiding Shyla's, "Because she was friends with me."

Shyla scoffed, "Friends, right... I remember how you guys treated each other in the book shop..."

Malfoy felt his face flushing, something that didn't normally happen, but he held his composure. "I know it may not seem like it now, but at one point in life we were friends. And before that, we were enemies. So really, even though you aren't getting along with your cousins now, just give it some time, they might just surprise you."

"Why were you enemies?" Shyla asked, ignoring the part about her cousins for the time being.

Malfoy smirked, "Well, I was a Slytherin, she was a Gryffindor. That was really the start of it all. Besides, when we started here at Hogwarts, it was a very different world. Has your mother told you much about the war?"

Shyla shook her head and shrugged, "A little, but it seemed like a really painful subject, so I didn't ask often."

"It was painful for a lot of people. A lot of wizards believed that they were more elite than others. My father included. I'm sure you are aware of the pressure parents can put on you. You were raised to be a Gryffindor. I was raised to be a Slytherin. I am proud of my house, but if you can imagine, at that point in time inter-house unity wasn't exactly encouraged. There were things that I did, things I regret. Some of those regrets involve your mother. It was actually rather surprising that she and Potter allowed me to help them. I didn't deserve their trust. But that was the difference between Granger and I. Even in the darkest days of our young lives, she could still trust," he chuckled slightly. "What I'm trying to say is that your mother is one of the strongest people I know. She raised you to be an individual. I imagine you haven't changed much since you came to Hogwarts."

Shyla shook her head. "I just wanted this year to be perfect."

"Why can't it be?"

"Because I'm in Slytherin. Ali will never accept me now." Shyla choked out. She refused to cry in front of her Professor.

"Then show her you're still the same. A house shouldn't determine who your friends are. If I had known that when I was a kid, it would have saved me a lot of trouble," Malfoy was relieved that Eva was the same age as Shyla. It made talking to the daughter of his rival a lot easier. "Slytherins don't give up that easily. If she still doesn't want to be friends, then let it go."

Shyla nodded and understood, but at the same time, she had reached her limit on touching stories. "Thanks, Professor..." She stood up to leave but turned back as she reached the door. "Um... Where do I go for detention tonight?"

Malfoy laughed, "You will meet in Filch's office. He is the caretaker at Hogwarts. I will have a prefect escort you there from the Great Hall once you are finished with dinner."

Shyla sighed and left her Head of House's office. Detention on her first day of school? Her mum was going to kill her.

After eating dinner by herself, Eva was obviously still bitter, Shyla was greeted by a Slytherin prefect. He introduced himself as Damien. Shyla sighed softly and nodded as she stood up. "I'm Shyla," she stated.

He scoffed, "I know."

She blushed and remained quiet until they were out of the Great Hall. "So... what year are you?" Shyla asked, twirling a section of her hair with her fingers.

Damien rolled his deep brown eyes at her. "I'm a sixth year."

"That's so cool! So, you've been here for like, ever." Shyla lightly bit her lip. She couldn't resist his good looks.

"Here's Filch's office. I wouldn't recommend getting detention so rapidly again." He opened the door and showed her in, ignoring her comment. He quickly left, closing the door behind him.

Shyla's face flushed when she saw Ali sitting in an old wooden chair.

Ali faced Shyla, her red hair was pulled back with a black ribbon. "Let's just get this over with," she said softly.

Shyla didn't allow her gaze to meet Ali's.

Filch coughed as he stood to instruct them. "You will both be polishing the floor in the Great Hall."

Shyla flushed, "But there are still people eating in there!" The last thing she wanted was to be known as the girl who polished the floor on the first day of classes.

Filch grinned a toothy, or lack there of, grin. "Well, then I suggest you don't get detention!" He handed them both a bucket filled with soapy water, a sponge, and a towel for drying.

Shyla and Ali followed Filch back to the Great Hall in silence. Once inside, he directed them to the corner near the Slytherin students and the teachers' table.

"Clean. I will sit and watch," Filch instructed, pointing at the floor. He removed a book from his robe, and began to read. It appeared to be a novel of sorts.

Shyla splashed some of the water onto the floor and began to scrub with the sponge. Right next to the Slytherin table? This is ridiculous, Shyla thought to herself.

The girls scrubbed in silence for the first bit, while chatter still filled the Great Hall. Finally, Ali broke the silence. "Look, I'm sorry I pulled your hair."

Shyla's face shot up and she stared at her cousin. "Can't we be friends, even in such different houses?"

Ali shrugged, "Grandmum is really firm on us keeping our distance."

Shyla glanced at Filch and lowered her voice. "Alisera, I can't believe you... At one point, NOTHING came between us. It was always Shyla and Ali. We were inseparable! And now! You're allowing Molly Weasley to decide we can't be friends?"

Ali blushed and turned away, scrubbing at the floor with more vigor. "Shy... I want to be friends... but it seems like you've changed since coming to Hogwarts."

Shyla rolled her eyes. "We've been here a mere 24 hours, and I've already had a resort forced upon me, detention, and lost my best friend. Yeah... I'm a little moody."

Ali frowned and averted her eyes.

The girls sat there in silence scrubbing the floor. The noise of the Great Hall surrounded them as students were finishing eating. Shyla looked at the professors' table to see Professor Malfoy eating. She admired him and his blunt honesty towards everyone. She recalled his advice from earlier in he day, and looked back at her cousin and best friend. Somehow she'd get her friend back.

It was a good thing that Filch was nearly deaf from his old age, otherwise the girls would have never gotten away with talking so much.

"Hey, Shyla!" Eva called over as she was leaving, "Don't forget what we told you." She smirked as she and Keelee left together.

Ali broke the silence, "What did she tell you?"

Shyla shook her head gently, "Nothing... Don't worry about it... Eva and Keelee are just being, well, Eva and Keelee."

"Oh," Ali replied. She dipped her sponge back into the water and wrung it out on the floor, "Eva seems kind of mean."

Shyla smirked, "Yeah, I guess."

"Then why do you hang out with her?"

"Eva's actually pretty cool. She just likes to have things her way." Shyla looked around the Great Hall, glad that students were beginning to leave. She scrubbed the floor halfheartedly, "Professor Malfoy seems really cool."

"Hardly," Ali scoffed, "I've heard that he is really unfair to Gryffindors. Besides, he wasn't very nice to you in class, today."

Shyla shrugged, "I really wasn't paying attention, and I answered his questions correctly, so I didn't mind."

"Do you think your dad really hated him?" Ali asked casually.

Shyla frowned, "Yes. A part of me feels like I'm not supposed to like him, because of my dad. But, I can't help it. He's the one person that has really been nice to me today. He didn't even yell at me for getting detention."

"I was scolded by a prefect." Ali groaned.

Shyla stiffled a laugh, glancing at Filch, "See, that's one of the many benefits to being a Slytherin. We are almost expected to get into some form of trouble. As if it's a right of passage."

"Aunt Hermione is going to murder you," Ali reminded.

Shyla grit her teeth, "Yeah, I know. It's not like your mum is going to be any happier."

Ali sighed and looked up at the enchanted ceiling. She lowered her voice to be nearly inaudible, "Are we still on for the lake tomorrow?"

Shyla dropped her sponge in the water out of shock. "Um... if you want to."

Ali nodded, "Let's do it."

A/N: Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. With the Stanley Cup Finals going on, I will either post again on Tuesday, or Thursday. (Go Kings! ;-) ) Just as a reminder in case you missed it, I posted the Weasley family info on my profile page. Thanks for reading!

~PurplePygmypuff