I was alone in the Slytherin common room once more, the remnants of my crying jag streaked across my face.

It had been three days since I'd heard about my Mother's attack, and thankfully she was still alive. Daphne and I had returned to the overwhelming splendour of Greengrass hall for four nights, and had come back to Hogwarts a little over forty minutes ago.

Stupidly, that had been when the tears started to flow. My usual reserve had fallen away and crumpled on seeing the familiar green of my home, and it taken just a few short minutes for their salty wetness to leave tracks across my cheek. Daphne had teared up too, but had run past the deserted common room into her dorm. I watched her go, glad to be alone.

I hadn't cried once at 'home'.

My mind pulled be back to the big estate that was my birthright, and I shuddered. Hogwarts was my real home, the only place I'd ever truly loved. Of course, I'd enjoyed the manor when I was young, but as I got older the hatred and prejudice that the vast rooms seemed to live on unnerved me, and I no longer felt comfortable within it's confines.

It had been worth it to visit my mother though.

Fresh tears threatened to form, my I held them back with my regular control, and forced myself to relive it without crying.

Father had put her in a private ward at St. Mungo's, and paid for the best private Healers money could buy. It wasn't enough.

Her body, always neat and manicured as a new quill, lay in a state of disrepair. Her usual stylish, sleek hair lay in wild knots around her swollen face, and no make up framed her startling blue eyes today. Lines had started to appear over her forehead, and her expression was that of extreme fatigue. Her posture, normally so straight and elegant, was crippled and hunched as she lay alone in the cot they'd placed her in. She kept attempting to throw off the covers and climb out of bed, the healers told us, and so they'd put her in the box like contraption so it was no longer possible.

Like a baby. She looked so helpless. I ran to her, face strained with worry, but Father had held me back. Daphne looked shocked, her face mirroring my internal fear.

Father had knelt by her bed, and taken her hand, kissing it softly. She'd stirred, her limbs flailing uselessly.

"Louisa?" he whispered the words, his voice more gentle than I'd ever head. "Louisa, I've brought the girls. Daphne and Astoria are here to see you, and tell you how much they love you. Wake up, sweetheart."

He'd beckoned us then, and we'd crept forward, scared of the shell that was our ever composed Mother.

I let Daphne speak first, but she only managed a few words before she'd torn from the room, hot tears dripping off of her trembling chin. Father had followed her, and so I was left alone, with my dying Mother and the sobs of Daphne for company.

I'd kissed her semiconscious forehead and whispered softly "It's me, mum. It's Astoria." She'd looked at me uncomprehendingly, blue eyes stony. Slowly, she became more aware of her surroundings, and I'd let a grin spread across my face, happy.

Until she'd started shrieking. Her voice seemed unable to morph itself into words, instead loud, terrified wails poured out of her, something I never thought I'd hear my Mother do.

I'd sprung away from her, petrified, as several healers sprinted into the room and my Father had dragged me out.

I blinked myself back to the present, curling in to the soft silver cushions which adorned the green sofas.

She hadn't recognised me. Whoever had attacked her had altered her brain, and she scarcely remembered Daphne and my Father, but me? She had no recollection of who I was.

The next few days I had spent listlessly staring at my room from my unchanging position on my bed. I'd attempted to go back twice, but every time her eyes turned to me the horrific wailing would start, and I was made to leave by my distressed Father.

Eventually, I'd returned to Hogwarts, knowing that she was in a stable condition. We were to visit her once a fortnight, something I'd thought was generous considering we were an old, prejudiced pureblood family and You-Know-Who was supposedly back.

The Headmaster had said a few sappy words about the dying needing to be shown love in their last days, but quite honestly, I hadn't listened. I just wanted my Mother back.

My feelings were made all the more desperate when nobody had sent me any letters of condolence. Daphne had gotten several a day, but then, I supposed, she was popular.

I tended to stay away from my peers, by and odd mixture of choice and no other alternative. The Slytherins kept their distance - I was known to be... sympathetic to Mudbloods, and as a Slytherin with fantastically noble blood, they treated me with wary, if cold, respect. The same reason that stopped my house from cruelty was the very reason I was mistrusted by everybody else. What good could a Slytherin do? A Greengrass, no less, must be icy and manipulative.

Of course, it didn't help that I was Slytherin to my bones, and icy and manipulative behaviour were just two of the services I offered. A third being sarcasm, they were less than inclined to be my inter-house bff.

I'd never minded though, until I realised I might be lonely. Sitting alone in the dark, dead of night silence, I wished I had somebody to talk to.

I started to wipe the tear-tracks from my face, when I heard a slight 'whoosh' behind me.

Speedy as a serpent, I'd whipped round to the source of the noise, before groaning slightly.

Malfoy.

"Greengrass?" he'd phrased it as a question, and I looked at him, surprised. I assumed he'd known I was here.

He flopped down on a leather chair opposite me, face turned into a web of shadows by the warm, if dying, fire.

"When did you get back?"

I opened my mouth to retort with something witty, but gave up. What was the point? "Just now." I kept my tone carefully free of any inflections what-so-ever, my voice a monotone.

He shifted, and I saw his features better in the half-light. I gasped.

"Malfoy, you look like shit!" the words fell out of my mouth before I could stop them, but they were true. His pale face was haggard looked tired, and the beginnings of frowns threatened to appear on his smarmy face. He wore his school uniform, without the robes or shirt, and the black top he had on instead was creased beyond belief.

The effect was immediate. His eyes flashed and darkened, his mouth shot down into an unpleasant sneer.

"Oh yeah?" he scoffed. "The same could be said for you, Greengrass. Whatever look you were going for, you missed."

I laughed coldly. "Good one Malfoy, that cut me deep." I rolled my eyes. "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything more mature from a smarmy git who was better off as a ferret."

Crap. I'd gone too far.

He sprang off of the chair in one fluid motion, bounding over to me, wand drawn. He took both of my slender wrists in one of his, preventing me from attempting any kind of attack or defence.

He smirked, and suddenly, I felt something spark in me other than the numbness that coursed through my body. Something pulled in my abdomen, a fluttery feeling, and my wrists felt as if they were burning from his touch.

I felt my face warm. How could I be attracted to Draco Malfoy? Even worse, I was attracted to him when he was trying to attack me while my mother lay in hospital.

I shook my head, trying to rid myself of how kissable his lips looked, and how his messy hair complimented his undeniably handsome face, even when obviously shattered, or how close he was, or how the ripple of his muscles were clear beneath his tightly fitting tee-shirt.

"Don't you ever mention that again," he hissed into the dark, somehow sounding menacing and sexy simultaneously. He caught my gaze flickering over him, before locking with his own. "And don't deny you don't want me, Greengrass."

I couldn't help it. With that snarky comment, all attraction left me, and my retort was leaving my lips before I had time to think.

I deepened my voice deliberately, trying to make it rough and sexy, while pouting and making my eyes hold on to the emotion that had just left - lust.

"Draco," I purred, wriggling seductively in his grasp, pushing myself closer to him. His eyes widened slightly. "Of course I want you..."

I deadpanned, and returned to the cool monotone. "I want you to leave. Get. Out."

Immediately, he let go of me as if I burned, and whirled from the room without saying a word.

But I knew what I'd seen. Before he'd left, his eyes had mirrored mine, just for a moment.

Draco Malfoy liked me acting like that.

Stranger still, I had liked acting like that with him.

A/N so I don't want to be like Join-my-review-crew-or-I-won't-update, but it takes thirty seconds and makes my day! I think 6 alerts and a favourite are lovely, but they don't tell me what you think :(

Jokergirl - thanks for reviewing and for the pressure! Haha.

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