A/N: I am SO sorry I haven't updated like I said I would. I got really sick last week, and have finally been able to relax for an evening. This is an extra long chapter. I really like how it turned out! So enjoy!

Chapter 9: "I am not my mother!"

Shyla woke up the next morning with her shoulders sore from scrubbing the floor. But she had to admit, the section that she and Ali had worked on looked quite nice. Filch didn't seem to agree, though, and verbalized his hope that someone else would get detention soon to finish the job.

Tuesday meant Herbology and Magical History. While she knew this should be a new start to actually behave, she was giddy with excitement to feed the lake monster in just a few nights. She just had to make it through the rest of the week.

Shyla didn't talk to Eva and Keelee the rest of the night. She felt no desire to be told that her mother had lied to her for the past 11 years. Shyla swallowed and began to feel a lump in her throat. Hogwarts was supposed to be this amazing place, where she would learn about magic with her cousins and make her mum proud. But nothing was going according to the plan that she saw in her head over and over again.

Sitting back on her bed she heard the soft mew of Wiskers. Shyla smiled and hugged her cat tightly, stroking him behind the ears and under his chin. Wiskers purred softly.

Hermione woke up with a start from one of her many nightmares that began after the great war. On mornings like this, she would typically climb into Shyla's bed and they would pretend to sleep until one of them would crack and admit she was hungry. It was silly, but to Hermione, it was one of those rituals that a mother would cherish forever.

Recalling that her daughter was at Hogwarts, she sighed and sauntered to the kitchen. Without Shyla there to make the small home lively, it was quiet. Hermione determined it was a good day to go visit her own mother.

After getting ready for the day, Hermione stepped into her fireplace and released a handful of powder, shouting "29th Bridger Avenue!" A bright green light emitted as she felt her stomach flip and flop until she silently arrived in another home.

"Hermione!" a woman called out. "How many times do I have to tell you to warn me before you do that!"

Hermione smiled. "But Mum, you also said not to be sending owls to deliver letters!"

Martha Granger sighed and hugged her daughter. "What brings you here, this morning?"

Hermione shrugged and picked at a piece of toast from a pile on the kitchen table. "I just felt like visiting you and Dad."

Her mum smiled, "Well, I am glad you came. Your father is out watering the garden, he should be in for breakfast in a few minutes. Would you like some?"

Hermione smiled, "Yeah, that sounds nice. Thanks, Mum."

John Granger walked into the kitchen wearing a gardening apron and green gloves. Hermione couldn't help but smile at his appearance.

"Mione!" He called out, "And what do we owe this pleasure to?"

Hermione shrugged and sat down at the kitchen table. "I just wanted to see my parents. Is that so strange?"

John laughed and hugged Hermione after removing his gardening attire. "As much I want to say, 'No darling, it's not strange.' It is..." John enjoyed teasing his daughter, because generally he got a rise out of her.

Hermione sighed, putting her face in her hands. "Shyla's Grandma Weasley is not being very understanding as of late."

"Ohh! How is my dear Shyla doing at Hogwarts?" Martha cried out.

Hermione scoffed. "Well, you remember how I was a Gryffindor, and our rivals were the Slytherins?"

John and Martha nodded.

Hermione laughed lightly in her attempt to hide her dismay. "Well, Shyla was sorted into Slytherin. And now, Molly is accusing Shyla of ruining their family blood, because every Weasley in history has been sorted into Gryffindor. While Shy isn't the only one. Well, the only one in Slytherin. But her cousin, Justin, Charlie's son, he was sorted into his mother's house, Ravenclaw. They are okay with Justin's sorting. But Shyla? No... Molly demanded a resort to be done. Oh! And Draco Malfoy is her head of house!"

John and Martha had sat at the table in the middle of Hermione's rant. They looked at each other, locking eyes in that way that parents speak silently. Martha broke the glance and looked at Hermione. "Malfoy? Was he the one you were always complaining about?"

Hermione laughed, "Yeah... You met him once. Summer before my second year, at Diagon Alley. He and his horrid father were there. He was the blond boy."

John cringed, "I almost didn't allow you to go back to Hogwarts after we encountered them."

Hermione sighed, "I don't blame you." She ran her fingers through her hair, fiddling with one of her wavy curls.

Martha smiled lightly, "I always thought you secretly liked him. You know, the way school boys are, always teasing and pestering the girl they fancy."

Hermione could not contain herself anymore and began to laugh. "Oh, please! Mum! No! We were friends for a very short time, but once the war was over, there was no reason to continue to pretend we were something that we could never really be. So... we went our separate ways." Hermione's gaze turned to the window, and she stared at nothing in particular.

Martha frowned. "What does your past with him have to do with Shyla being in his house?"

"The Weasleys hate him," she replied softly. "Ginny is always crying about Harry and Ron and when I told them about Draco being there in the last few weeks, she told me that she wishes he had died in their place. Now that Shyla is in his house, they blame me for not raising my daughter right, and letting her be who she wants to be."

"Did Ron like this Malfoy fellow?" John asked.

Hermione shook her head, "Never. They never accepted each other. Harry accepted Draco because he needed an ally, but I was the only one to ever consider him a friend. Ron always hated Draco, and Draco felt the same about Ron." She sighed while being lost in memories from so long ago.

"Shyla isn't like you, 'Mione," Martha finally said. "She grew up in the magic world, and you know she hated visiting us: the Muggle grandparents. We love her dearly. She is our only grandchild. But we always knew that Shyla would choose her own path. You were so young when you had her. Barely 18. I've been very pleased at how well you raised her for not having a husband, and for you never letting us help you out. We love you, Hermione. But Shyla wasn't exactly an expected occurrence. Especially since we didn't see you for over a year, and suddenly you had a baby."

Hermione began to cry. Her parents had never revealed their obviously disgruntled feelings for the way Hermione lived her life.

"Hermione..." John consoled, "We love you and Shyla, regardless of what house she is a part of in Hogwarts. We don't know much about Hogwarts, other than the little bit you told us, but know that all of that, it doesn't matter to us. We would have loved her even if she was non-magical."

Hermione nodded her thanks as she sobbed her stress into her father's shoulder.

Shyla sat in the History of Magic classroom. She glanced around, taking in her surroundings. The Slytherins and Gryffindors shared this class session. Slytherins sat on the right of the room, and the Gryffindors on the left. Shyla sat alone today. Eva was still upset at her for wanting to be friends with Gryffindor students, and Ali was surrounded by her own housemates and Shyla didn't want to intrude. Besides, a Slytherin sitting on the Gryffindor side would have just been weird.

The room was brightly lit from the curtains pushed away from the large windows. A ghost resembling an old wizard with wrinkly, turtle-like skin floated through the wall. He sat to hover about 6 inches above his chair. He raised a hand, pushing his spectacles further up on his cloudy nose. Wispy hairs on his balding head shook as he called for attention. "Welcome to History of Magic, now please quiet down." His voice was shallow and dry.

Once the students had realized their professor was speaking, they stopped talking amongst themselves. In that same dull voice he introduced himself. "I am Professor Binns. I have been teaching at Hogwarts: School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, for a very long time. It is very likely I taught your parents, and your grandparents, and your great-grandparents."

The warmth of the sun was flowing into the classroom through the large windows. Shyla looked around her to see several students' heads beginning to nod into a lull of sleep. She understood how they felt. Professor Binns' voice was like a music box that no one wanted to listen to. It wasn't melodic or pretty, but it made people feel warm and calm, and well, it was really rather boring to listen to.

As Shyla felt her eyelids drift closed she shot her hand in the air. She couldn't take this bore any longer.

Professor Binns stopped mid-sentance and turned to looked in her direction. "Yes?"

"I was told we would talk about the war in here," Shyla said quickly. She felt revived already.

Binns scratched his ghostly head and sighed, "What's your name, Miss?"

"Shyla Granger," she replied.

"Granger?" He asked. "That makes sense. You look a lot like your mother. She fought with Harry Potter."

Shyla nodded, "That's correct. My mum is Hermione Granger."

Binns replied with a nod. "And yes, we will be discussing the Wizarding War. But not until the later part of the course." Shyla sighed as Binns continued to ramble on about what he expected of the students, and what the course would bring.

When it was finally time to leave the class, Shyla felt incredibly relieved. She wasn't sure how much more she could take.

The first year Slytherins decided to walk to Herbology together. They looked much more intimidating when they were all grouped up, at least they thought they did. The sun appeared to be brighter than normal that day, leaving very few areas untouched by the glistening rays.

Shyla allowed her gaze to wander and absorb her surroundings. Then she saw it. The Quidditch Pitch. It was like the sun was directing the majority of its light onto this spot. Beckoning her to take a closer look. She swallowed hard, forcing down the raise of excitement. "When are Quidditch tryouts?" She suddenly asked her housemates.

Eva scoffed, "Don't even attempt it, Shy. First years never get spots on the Quidditch teams."

Shyla looked at Eva and rolled her eyes. "Doesn't mean that I can't try."

Keelee grinned and quickly interjected. "Shyla, was your fathergood at Quidditch?"

Shyla laughed before she realized what Keelee was doing. "No, he was awful."

Keelee smirked and Shyla cringed. "I think you should try out then. It won't hurt anyone..." Eva nodded in agreement to the new plan.

Shyla quickened her pace to avoid the scheming girls.

Inside the greenhouse there were several Hufflepuff students who had already arrived. Shyla was the first Slytherin. She cringed at the site of her uncle, Neville Longbottom. She had forgotten that he was the professor.

Neville smiled at the sight of Shyla and called her over. "I hope your day is going better."

Shyla forced a fake smile and nodded.

He smiled awkwardly and scratched his head covered in floppy hair. "You know, your mother's first few months at Hogwarts were really hard. She had a tough time making friends. So, take your time. It will get better."

Shyla bit the inside of her cheek. Neville had always been nice to her and she didn't want to ruin that. Considering his wife was such a demon. "Thanks," she said softly. Shyla was getting really tired of being compared to her mum. She was nothing like Hermione Granger.

As class droned on, Shyla fiddled with the leaves of a plant in the corner. She assumed it wasn't dangerous, considering there was no warning label, like some of the other plants had. She really did try to focus, but was finding she had reached her limit for learning. Her stomach rumbled and she was more glad than ever that lunch was next.

"I will be working with Professor Malfoy on a project next month, so Slytherins, be prepared for that," Neville said as he was wrapping up the introduction lecture.

The Slytherins smirked in approval while many of the Hufflepuffs turned a pearly shade of white. Shyla liked the fact that the Hufflepuff students were so intimidated by the Slytherins. It meant that she had at least a little bit of control in such a large school.

"Well, enjoy your lunch. And I will see everyone on Thursday," Neville said as students began filing out of the greenhouse. "Be prepared to learn!" The Slytherin students laughed at the last statement. Shyla tried to remain polite until she left the hot and sticky plant domain.

She didn't care for plants. They were rather boring in Shyla's perspective. As much as she liked her Uncle Neville, he was rather boring. Because, mostly, he just talked about plants.

Eva and Keelee joined Shyla at the Slytherin table. The girls sat on either side of Shyla to prohibit her from escaping.

Just as Shyla was about to bite into a large meatball sandwich, Eva interjected. "Shy, I'm sorry I was so inconsiderate to not take your feelings into the matter on trying out for the Quidditch team. I could, you know, talk to my father for you. He is our Head of House, he makes all the final decisions on who makes the team."

Shyla rolled her eyes, "Eva, I know what you are up to, and right now, I really don't care who my father is or was, or even wasn't right now.

Eva smirked, "Well, when you're done pretending to be a Weasley, let me know. It's really not a big deal."

Shyla ignored the gossip and rumors that surrounded her during the rest of the lunch. Even with Keelee and Eva remaining on either side of her.

"Shyla, I heard your mum was a goody-two-shoes Gryffindor," Mac Davis stated. He was a second year Slytherin boy with black floppy hair and dark brown eyes. "My aunt went to school in the same years she did, and said that Hermione Granger was a Muggle born, and that she was one of those girls who always had to be right, and the top of her class."

Keelee laughed lightly at Mac's comments.

Shyla just glared at him. "What about it?"

Mac glared back. "Are you sure you're in the right house? After all, there is a rumor going around that a Slytherin girl was forced to be resorted. Would that be you, Shyla?"

"Mac, shut up!" Shyla snapped, "I am NOT my mother, I am nothing like her!" Shyla paused for a moment before adding, "Besides, WHY were you talking to your aunt about me and my mum?"

Mac blushed and several Slytherins laughed at his expense.

After lunch, the Slytherin first years met outside, due to the perfect weather and the lack of classes for the remainder of the day. They sat around on the grass, lounging under the sun. They found themselves chatting cheerfully, and even played a few games of exploding snap. Shyla always loved playing the game with her cousins, and gotten quite competent at it. Keelee let out a shriek as a card exploded in front of her. The Slytherins laughed as the girl withdrew herself from the game.

"Come on Keels! It's not that bad!" Shyla teased.

"Oh! Says you, miss 'I never lose!'" Keelee replied, braiding her long hair to escape the heat.

The following days flew by, and before Shyla knew it, it was Friday. Surprisingly, she had even managed to stay out of trouble. Friday classes were Charms in the morning, with Astronomy in the afternoon.

Charms was another lesson full of introductions and expectations. The class was shared with Ravenclaws again. The course was taught by Professor Lanny, a middle aged witch with long, silver hair. It glistened in the sunlight, as she pranced around the classroom with excitement. It was obvious that Lanny loved the art of Charms. She used her hands whenever she spoke, which seemed to cause trouble wherever she walked. The other Slytherins made fun of Professor Lanny's nature. Shyla said nothing. At one point during the lecture, Shyla found herself wondering why her mum had been placed into Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw, with how smart she is. But it was merely a passing thought.

Slytherins had Astronomy with Hufflepuffs. Shyla briefly thought back to the book Grandpa Granger had given her for her birthday. She had only cracked the cover once, and it was only for a few moments, before something else caught her attention. Did Muggles have the same Astronomy as Wizards? Now she almost wished she had read the book.

Astronomy was taught by a short, chubby man with a long brown beard, and tiny spectacles. He almost looked like a dwarf from the book her mum had read to her. He introduced himself as Professor Higgins, but Shyla's head was screaming at her to call him Gimli, after the dwarf from stories. With every ounce of self control, Shyla kept her mouth shut the remainder of the lesson. It was going to be a long year.

After dinner, Shyla anxiously waited for midnight to arrive. She wanted desperately to prove to her cousins that she was still the same Shyla Granger that they grew up with. As she pretended to be asleep in her warm bed, which was rather enticing, Shyla recalled the past couple of days. They were decent. She didn't get into any fights and Mac avoided her like the plague. Even during meals, he kept himself from catching her gaze.

Friday had been fun. Shyla, Eva, Keelee, Lydia, and Savannah gathered before dinner to spend more time out doors, exploring the grounds. They talked about their families, and homes. Lydia had wizard family members in Japan, and Eva lived in a mansion. Shyla was silently jealous of both. Keelee's life was privileged, but her parents were never around. Her life was full of broken promises and missed birthdays. Savannah mostly went on and on about boys in her life back home.

It was 11:36pm. Shyla sighed softly and decided she couldn't take it anymore. She grabbed her satchel where she hid some food from dinner. Mostly rolls and some cheese, but she managed to snag a few cupcakes. Shyla looked at her classmates. Eva was curled up in her blankets, and Keelee was sprawled out across the bed. Shyla laughed. Savannah looked all dainty and cute as she slept. And then there was Lydia. Lydia snored every night so far. When Eva complained to an older girl, they taught her the spell muffliato.It worked perfectly. As beautiful as Lydia was, she could really snore.

11:39pm. 'Ugh... it's only been three stupid minutes! That's it! I'm leaving early!' Shyla finally told herself silently. She was far too excited to wait any longer. She slipped from her bed and tiptoed to the door, leaving her shoes by her bed. Her uncles, Fred and George, had explained to the children that if they were to be sneaking around, which of course they would never encourage, but if they did, they should not wear shoes. "They aren't worth the noise they make," Fred explained.

The common room was empty, and the fire had been extinguished. As she left the portrait of the princess with a cat on her lap, she placed a finger to her lips, she felt rather silly doing this. The cat looked at Shyla briefly, but returned its grey head to her mistress' lap. The princess smiled and nodded in a way to indicate she understood. After all, she was the portrait for the Slytherin house. Shyla would have been very surprised if Slytherins stayed put at night.

The dungeon was dark, but Shyla had excellent eye sight at night, so she walked as if it was day. Except now she was extremely cautious, even peaking around corners. It wasn't long until she had reached the main floor of Hogwarts. Being in the dungeons had that advantage.

Shyla's heart sunk when she spied a student standing in front of the doors to the grounds. For a brief moment she considered turning back and calling defeat. But when she saw who it was, she nearly cried out in joy. It was Victor Weasley, her cousin. He must have been scouting ahead, since he was the oldest of the Weasley cousins. Shyla quickly went to his side, where he jumped from excitement.

"Shyla!" Victor whispered harshly, "Don't do that!" He rolled his eyes at his young cousin, and opened the door slightly for her, "You go out first, we'll all be there shortly."

Shyla nodded and slipped between the large doors and began running across the cool grass. It felt nice on her bare feet. Knowing her cousins were on their way made Shyla grin from the anticipation of the night ahead of her.

The lake was perfectly still, capturing an image of the sky above it. Shyla had a hard time believing there was a monster living in such a beautiful lake. She sat down in the grass, setting her satchel beside her. The air was still warm on her skin. As she closed her eyes she heard feet in the grass behind her.

Ali sat down next to Shyla and wrapped her arms around Shyla's shoulders in a hug. "This is perfect. I'm so glad you suggested feeding the lake monster."

Shyla smiled. She had missed her best friend more than she could, or was willing to, explain to any of the Slytherin girls.

James and Thomas soon joined them, followed by Victor and Chloe.

"Where's Justin?" Shyla asked, seeing as he was the only one missing.

James shrugged, "He didn't want to come. Said something about getting in trouble."

Shyla nodded. That was how Justin was: cautious. He usually watched their games, instead of becoming involved. "Well, we should get started." She opened her bag and pulled out a cupcake with bright pink frosting.

Ali squealed, "It's perfect!"

Thomas agreed to have the honors of the first feeding. He took the cupcake from Shyla and walked to the water's edge. As his arm raised over his head, and his hand released the cupcake, letting it land with a 'plop' into the lake, the other cousins cheered. Shyla and Ali even danced together.

"I wouldn't become too excited," a voice said from behind them. "After all, it appears all of you will be having detention for a week."

Shyla cringed and stepped away from Ali. She recognized that voice. She heard it nearly every day.

Professor Malfoy was standing in the dark, his arms folded over his chest, and he did not look amused.

The Weasley children all turned to Shyla and placed a glare on her that would have made You-Know-Who flush. Ali turned her eyes downward after a moment and tears formed in her hazel eyes.

This was not how it was supposed to be! Shyla had planned everything. They were going to sneak out, feed the monster, celebrate, she and Ali would rekindle their friendship, they would sneak back in, no one would know, but they would all be nice to her from then on. Professor Malfoy was not supposed to be there.

Shyla picked up her satchel as bubbles began to float to the top of the lake. Victor pulled Thomas away from the water as two giant, yet beady eyes appeared at the surface.

"Let's go. All of you!" Professor Malfoy demanded. As the children turned their backs to the lake, he smirked playfully. "Let's see now, that would be five Gryffindors? Fifteen points from each student; ten for being out after night, and five for disturbing the lake monster. That totals 75 points taken from Gryffindor, and 15 from Slytherin."

The Weasleys groaned and shot darts of hatred at Shyla, but knew that arguing would only result in them losing more points for their house.

Whenever one of the Weasleys looked back to the lake, they received a smack to the back of the head from Malfoy. Chloe consoled Ali as they walked back to the castle. Shyla really wished she had her shoes now. The grass felt much colder this time, and the walk seemed to be taking an enormously long time.

The group started heading up the stairs of Hogwarts. It was obvious that Malfoy was taking the Gryffindors back first, and then he would deal with Shyla.

Shyla swallowed heavily as they reached the Gryffindor Head of House's office and living quarters. She had heard about Professor Lindbergh from the older Weasley children. The man that answered the knock was a tall and gangly, with long, curly brown hair, and a small beard. "Draco, what can I do for you?" He asked as he placed his thick framed glasses on his slender nose.

"It appears some of your students, all Weasleys, infact, decided it was a good idea to feed the monster in the Great Lake tonight." Malfoy said as he handed off the Gryffindors. "I have taken 15 house points from each of them, but if you find it fit, they will serve detention with the house elves tomorrow."

Lindbergh nodded. "That is fair." He looked down at the Weasleys, and all their red hair. "Let's go back to the tower."

Shyla watched her supposed cousins leave. They adverted their eyes from hers, keeping up with Lindbergh's stride. Once they were out of sight, Malfoy turned to Shyla.

"Why?" was all he asked as they started back down the stairs.

Shyla flushed and looked at the cold floor. She finally replied when they had already descended two floors."I wanted them to forgive me for being a Slytherin."

She heard a sigh escape Professor Malfoy's lips, and she fought back tears. "Shyla, you can't keep getting detention."

She nodded and choked slightly, "I know."

"What can we do to remedy this situation?" He asked softly.

Shyla shrugged. "I'm trying, I really am. I just... I don't know where I belong anymore..." She couldn't take it any longer. Warm tears flowed down her smooth cheeks.

Malfoy shifted nervously as they walked. Even with a daughter of his own, he had a hard time dealing with emotional girls. "Let's go get some tea, before I send you back to bed."

A/N: There it is! Please review and let me know what you think of the story so far. Do you like where it is headed? Things you don't like? Do like? I really like feedback, so pretty please! ;) Look for another chapter on Saturday!

~PurplePygmyPuff