Muggle | 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑑 𝑊𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑦

Chapter 112

Turning around, we saw Filch right behind us with Mrs. Norris by his feet as he gave us a nasty smirk. "Sneaking around after curfew, are we? What's your excuse for that this time?"

      "Sleepwalking?" I tried, causing both Draco and Filch to stare at me blankly for a few seconds.

      "You think you're smart, do you?" Filch sneered.

      "Not really." I grinned, shrugging.

      "Oh, yes, you're one of them," said Filch in a snarl. "Those two little devils!"

       "Knowing Fred and George, they would probably take that as a compliment."

     "Those weasels have put you in charge now, have they?" said Filch. "Sent you to do their dirty work now that they're out of school?"

      "That's a big accusation, sir," I gasped dramatically, as if personally offended. "I'm an independent prankster!"

      "Stop making this worse," Draco hissed in a low voice, but I ignored him.

      "Follow me, both of you!" said Filch sharply, walking on.

      "Thanks a lot," Draco huffed at me after a small pause, going after him.

       "What's that supposed to mean?" I said with a frown, quickening my pace to catch up with him.

      "I wouldn't have gotten into trouble if you weren't there!"

      "And why were you there?" I asked, trying hard to suppress my knowing grin.

      But Draco didn't answer and instead walked on even faster, following Filch away and going ahead of me.

      Filch led us to his office and we sat down grumpily on the two seats that were furthest away from each other, waiting for him to finish writing our detention form.

      "Names... Draco Malfoy... Lexi Hooper..." Filch muttered to himself as he scribbled down. "Crime: sneaking out of bed after curfew..."

     "Crime?" Draco repeated in disgust. "How dare you!?"

"Yeah! How dare you! His father will hear about this!" I said in mock-anger, causing Draco to glare at me. I then pursed my lips together, trying hard not to smile.

      "Well, his father can't save you from detention tonight," said Filch, a sneer spreading across his face. "You're gonna be staying up dusting the trophy room."

     "So let me get this straight," I started wittily, "you're saying that our punishment for staying up late is to stay up late even longer?"

      "Do you want me to make it a week of detention?" Filch raised a brow at me, to which I simply shook my head.

     "No, thanks. I'm fine."

***

Filch got us to the trophy room and took away our wands. "I would come to see this place tomorrow morning. Every single trophy better be clean when I come back. You can receive your wands afterward."

      And with one nasty look at us, he left the room and closed its door behind him.

      "That filthy Squib," Draco snarled under his breath, grimacing as he watched him leave.

       "Yes, well..." I said under my breath, grinning. "That's Filchykins for you."

      Draco blinked in confusion a few times before looking back up at me. "What?"

      "You don't wanna know," I said, shaking a hand at him as I got to work.

     We both sat down on the floor next to each other, starting with the bottom shelves as we dusted the trophies.

      "How many of these are there!" Draco growled bitterly, looking around the room.

      "This castle was founded more than a thousand years ago, so I would say a lot."

     Draco rolled his eyes, putting down his trophy and taking another one to clean. But he then suddenly stopped, looking down at me.

       I followed his gaze and shockingly realized that he was staring down at my chest.

So I cleared my throat, saying, "My eyes are up here."

      Draco's cold eyes then looked up into mine. "I was looking at your necklace, so don't flatter yourself."

      I pursed my lips together, hoping that I wasn't blushing from embarrassment. "W-well... I-I don't want you to look at my necklace."

       "Yeah, that's the reason you're all red right now," he scoffed. "Where did you get the necklace, anyway?"

"Er... it was a gift," I answered hesitantly. "Why do you ask?"

"Looks familiar," he said carelessly.

"And — why is it familiar to you?" I questioned, growing both curious and scared as my heartbeat picked up.

"Nothing important," he said wearily, not even bothering to look at me as he impatiently dusted off one of the trophies. "I feel like I've seen a similar one in an old family picture around someone's neck."

"Family picture?" I mused, trying to sound as casual as possible.

"My mother's, when she was young," he replied. "Why do you care so much? It's just a stupid old picture and a similar looking necklace; there must be a ton of it out there."

"I'm just trying to open up a conversation," I said, shrugging.

But things way more important than that were now going on in my mind.

      Draco said he had seen this necklace around someone's neck, in one of his mother's old family pictures.

     I knew well enough that Narcissa Malfoy used to be a Black, which meant that she would be the cousin of Sirius and Regulus Black.

    Draco could've seen the picture of that necklace on either Sirius or Regulus in that photograph, for when they were younger.

       For a moment, as I sat there on the ground motionlessly, I was scared that Draco would somehow figure out that I was Regulus's daughter.

With that thought, a shiver ran down my body. If he told his parents and somehow Voldemort found out my secret, he would not rest until he had killed both me and my father.

       But just then, I forgot all about that as I realized something I had failed to see before until that point.

      My father and his mother were cousins, both being Blacks. Which meant that I had always been related to Draco Malfoy.