Let me know that I've done wrong when I've known this all along. I go around a time or two, just to waste my time with you. Tell me all that you've thrown away; find out games you don't want to play. You are the only one who needs to know – I'll keep you my dirty little secret. – Dirty Little Secret, The All-American Rejects

March 4, 1978

As Layla made it back to the path from the village to the school, she glanced back over her shoulder, worried about Lucius and Dorcas. She hated to leave her friend behind, but she trusted Lucius to protect Dorcas. More concerning was Lucius. The first time he reappears in a month, and it's to attack Hogsmeade Village, briefly chastise her with no explanation of his disappearance, and send her off to relative safety. Why had he simply disappeared without a word? Shouldn't he have at least told her that he was going away and wouldn't be reachable for an entire month? What had he been doing in France all this time that he couldn't send her even one owl?

"Well, well, well." Sirius's voice was an unwelcome intrusion on Layla's stream of consciousness. "Look who it is. I'm surprised you're not still down there in the village under a mask with your buddies. Or is your Death Eater fiancé too misogynistic to allow a woman to fight alongside him?"

Without turning to look at the Gryffindor behind her, Layla muttered under her breath, "Oh, fuck me…"

"Sorry, sweetheart, but I'm afraid I already have, and I'm none too eager to repeat the experience," Sirius snickered.

Ignoring his cruel taunt, Layla finally forced herself to turn around and face him, surprised to find that he was alone, without the band of Marauders that usually followed him everywhere. "What the fuck do you want, Sirius?" Layla snapped.

Sirius said nothing, eyeing Layla in a way she couldn't quite figure out. Suddenly, he asked, "Why are you doing all this, Danes?"

Frowning in confusion, Layla said, "What are you talking about, Black? I'm not the one attacking the village."

"I don't mean that," Sirius huffed, clearly annoyed she didn't automatically understand his vague question. "I mean, why the hell are you being the way that you are? Hanging around Slytherins and suspected Death Eaters, marrying Malfoy who used to literally make you sick with fear, siding with the pureblood elitists as if you've forgotten that you're actually a Muggleborn… Don't look so shocked, you can't really have believed that I'd forgotten all the things you said and did that first night at Hogwarts… Now, you're running around, being a part of all the things you hated and despised when we first met. Why?"

Suspicious, Layla demanded, "Why do you care?"

Sirius shifted his weight uneasily, hesitating for only a moment before blurting out, "Is it because of me? Just to spite me? Was I really that awful to you, that first night back at school, did I treat you so badly that you ran off to the Death Eaters and Malfoy just to get back at me?" Astounded by his self-centeredness, Layla couldn't even consider an answer to his questions for a moment, stunned into silence, so Sirius continued, "Seriously, I have to know. Was I that terrible a lover that you felt like you had no choice but to side with them? I mean, it doesn't seem even remotely natural for you; you're a Ravenclaw, for Merlin's sake. Well, I suppose your friendship with Regulus seems genuine enough, but he's my little brother, so it's just as likely you two simply bonded over a shared hatred of me…"

"Oh my god, Black, are you shitting me right now?" Layla demanded, anger finally overcoming her shock at his words. "You egocentric, arrogant, pompous git! You stupid self-centered bastard! How dare you even think that you could have so much of an effect on my life after one night together that you could actually drive me to join the Death Eaters just to spite you and your rejection. My world doesn't revolve around you, Black. I made the choices that were best for me, and I promise you, Black, that you and your dick were never calculated into that equation. Your brother is my best friend for no other reason than that he happens to be a wonderful, kind, caring person who would do anything for his friends and his family, a loyalty that I can deeply appreciate. As for Lucius Malfoy, it just so happens that I genuinely want to marry him for the simple fact that he is who he is, and you will never be half as good as him."

Puffing out his chest in a show of masculinity, Sirius ran a hand through his long dark hair. "Yeah, right, sure, whatever," he sneered. "I'm sure that the choice to marry him had nothing to do with the fact that you couldn't have me."

"Oh my god!" Layla half screeched in frustration. "It is not my job to soothe your fragile male ego! If you want some empty-headed bimbo to flatter your ego and suck your cock, ask Marlene McKinnon. Marlene is much more your type of floozy, and from the way she hangs on your every word in Transfiguration and giggles every damn time you open your idiotic mouth, I'm sure she'll be more than willing to do the job."

Sirius's jaw dropped at Layla's rant, then he snapped his mouth shut so hard Layla could actually see the tension in his jaw. "Fine," Sirius said coldly. "I thought I'd try to save you one last time and offer you a chance to be one of the good guys again by dating me and joining the Order of the Phoenix, but I see now that I'm wasting my breath. Goodbye, Danes, and good luck with the Death Eaters."

Rolling her eyes at him, Layla retorted, "Goodbye, Black, good luck with your attempt at fitting in with a corrupt, dysfunctional new family."

Sirius seemed a bit confused by her closing statement, and he looked as though he were about to ask her to explain it, but Layla pushed angrily past him as she spotted Regulus further up the trail to the school. She left Sirius behind as she walked up to Regulus. "Layla, there you are!" Regulus exclaimed in relief. "I've been worried sick about you. Wait, where's Dorcas?"

"Unconscious but safe," Layla snapped as she continued to walk past Regulus.

Regulus turned to follow her on her long walk back to the castle. "Layla, what's wrong?" he demanded as he lengthened his stride to keep up with her.

Scoffing, Layla echoed, "What's wrong? Leave me alone, Regulus."

Brows furrowing in a mix of confusion and aggravation, Regulus said, "Hey, no, that's not going to work for me right now. Talk to me."

"I'm so not doing this right now," Layla said firmly, smacking his hand away when he reached for her arm.

"Oh, yes, you are," Regulus growled as he managed to get a grip on her arm and dragged her off the path into the edge of the forest, allowing several frightened Hogwarts students fleeing the attack in Hogsmeade to rush past them without paying them any attention. "We are doing this right now. Tell me what's wrong."

"Bite me," Layla snapped, trying to jerk her arm away from Regulus, to no avail.

"Don't tempt me, or I just might," Regulus snapped back, tightening his hold on her upper arm. "Tell me what's wrong."

"Everything!" Layla said bitterly. "Everything is fucking wrong. Or can't you see the attack happening on Hogsmeade right now?"

"Layla," Regulus said, his voice calm but tight from holding back his frustration. "Of course, I see it. But I also know that this is just how things are, and there's nothing either of us can do to change it. We just have to protect ourselves from it as best we can by choosing the winning side."

"Yeah, well, the winning side sucks," Layla said. "All those evil, disgusting, Death Eater bastards attacking innocent people, torturing kids like Dorcas who did nothing wrong for no better reason than the circumstances of her birth, calling us mudbloods and telling us to go back to the Muggle world like we're nothing but absolute filth…"

"Layla, what on earth are you talking about?" Regulus asked, bewildered. "It's not as though you're one of them; you're a halfblood. None of us are ever going to hurt you, and I truly hope you don't think of me as an evil, disgusting bastard…" He trailed off, frowning as he stared down at her midsection.

"Hey," Layla snarled. "My eyes are up here, Regulus, remember?"

"Haha, very funny," Regulus drawled as he gingerly touched the edge of her coat sleeve. She looked down and saw where her jacket and shirt sleeves had been forced up partially in all the chaos and a jagged raised pink line snaked from underneath the clothing across her skin. "What is that?" Regulus asked worriedly, pushing her sleeve further up, revealing the ragged shape of a "d" on her arm.

Layla jerked hard and practically screeched at him, "No! Don't touch me!"

Shocked into letting go of her arm, Regulus stumbled a step back as Layla practically threw herself back against the trunk of a tree in an attempt to get away from him. Steeling himself, Regulus raised his hand to try to place it on her shoulder to calm her down, but then he saw the tears welling up in her eyes. "Hey, it's all right," Regulus reassured her, keeping his hand raised but not moving any closer. "Layla, it's just me. Don't shut me out now." Too panicked to think straight, Layla shook her head and took off in a sprint up the path to Hogwarts. With a frustrated sigh, Regulus shouted, "Layla, wait!" It didn't take long for Regulus, with his long legs, to catch up with her. He did the only thing he could think of – grabbed her by the arm again and yanked her back to him. She screamed, fighting as hard as she could to get away. When she pulled her wand on him, Regulus grabbed it and wrestled it away from her. "Talk to me!" Regulus demanded, equal parts frustrated and confused. "Tell me what happened."

"I don't know anything," Layla cried, breaking down into sobs. "Please, please, I don't know anything. I don't know anything; just let me go."

Terrified with worry, Regulus asked, "Layla, what's happening right now? What can I do?"

Whimpering, Layla shook her head. "I don't know; I don't know; I don't know."

"Does Lucius know about this?"

Enough self-awareness returned at the mention of her fiancé that Layla replied, "He's down in the village, attacking with the others."

Regulus sighed. "Oh, fuck this," he groaned. "Can you apparate, Layla? You need to take me back to the manor with you, and we'll wait for him to return there."

Layla hesitated, then nodded, still struggling to stop crying as she began to calm just a little. Regulus returned her wand to her, and she accepted it tentatively. Using his strong hold on her left arm to pull him along, Layla disapparated, the pair reappearing just before the gates of Malfoy Manor. They walked up the path from the gate and into the house, and Dobby took their coats before ushering them to the library to wait for Lucius's return. As they entered the library, one of Lucius's large wolfhounds walked up to her with a sweet gruff, bumping his head against Layla's hand, demanding to be pet. She immediately dropped to her knees, hugging the dog around the neck and holding it tightly. Regulus sat down in a nearby chair, slumping over and running a hand tiredly through his hair, allowing Layla some time with the dog to calm down.

When she finally sat in a chair instead of on the floor and the dog curled up at her feet, Regulus finally broke the silence. "Layla, are you all right?" Layla nodded uncertainly. "What is that scar on your arm?"

Layla shook her head. "From an accident, when I was a kid," she said, her voice too small and weak to sell the lie.

Regulus gave her just the slightest of smiles. "Nice try." He stood up and crossed the oriental rug, kneeling next to her chair. "May I see it?" Regulus asked quietly, his hand hovering over the long sleeve of her Pink Floyd t-shirt.

Layla glanced rapidly from her arm to his face. "I wish you wouldn't," she mumbled.

"Layla," Regulus said gently. "Please. I just want to make sure you're all right and understand what's happening here."

Layla fought back tears, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve as she nodded. "Ok, fine," she said.

Regulus gently, tenderly took her arm and pushed her sleeve up her arm, away from the scars. Large, messy puckered pink lines carved the word mudblood across her skin. Regulus's eyes widened in horror. "What – but, why?" Regulus stammered.

Sniffing, Layla explained, "I'm not a halfblood; Lucius lied to everyone about that to protect me. I'm just another stupid, worthless mudblood, like Dorcas and Lily Evans and…"

"Stop," Regulus ordered, and she fell silent at the surprisingly authoritative tone of his voice. "Just stop, please. You're not stupid or worthless."

"Yet you don't deny that I'm a mudblood," Layla accused. "You're just like the other Death Eaters, aren't you? You think I'm trash, that my blood is dirty, that I'm not good enough to be a witch like you."

"I did not say that," Regulus defended. "I would never say that about you. I – I love you, Layla."

"But you would say it about other Muggleborns if you weren't in love with them, wouldn't you?" Layla said, her voice laced with venom.

"Merlin's beard, Layla, stop this," Regulus said, exasperated. "I'm not your enemy. Ok, yes, maybe sometimes I do call people mudbloods, because that's how I was raised, and I am a Death Eater. That's the world we both live in right now, and I have to adapt to that, to fit in. But I would never, ever, dare to use such horrible language against you. I love you too much for that." He paused. "Why is Lucius protecting you then? Did other Death Eaters do this to you? I don't understand."

"You know all you need to know, Black." Lucius's frigid voice floated in from the door to the library, and both students turned to look at him. His robes and mask were coated in a fine mist of blood spatter, and he stepped into the room slowly. "In fact, it's more than you needed to know, but for now, it's most certainly all you're going to know." Regulus nodded, showing deference to his elder, more senior Death Eater. "You will protect her and this secret with your life if necessary, Black; otherwise, I will not hesitate to kill you. Understand?"

"Yes, sir," Regulus said, and Layla could sense Regulus bristling against Lucius's implications that he would ever betray Layla, even if Lucius didn't notice it.

"Return to the school, Black," Lucius said dismissively. "I need some time alone with my fiancée."

Regulus stood, then said, "Lucius, Layla –"

"Can tell me what happened for herself, although I'm sure I can imagine the situation roughly, having experienced a few of her panic attacks myself," Lucius said coldly as he removed his mask and tossed it carelessly on the nearest end table. "You may go now, Black."

Regulus nodded, just on the edge of actually daring to glare at Lucius, then turned back to Layla. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and mouthed the words I love you to her, then crossed to the library hearth, tossing some Floo Powder into the fireplace, then stepped inside, disappearing to the Slytherin common room.

Lucius approached Layla's chair, his dog moving out of his way as he crouched in front of her, his hands on her knees. "Are you all right?" he asked worriedly, brushing a stray curl of black hair out of her eyes and tucking it behind her ear.

Layla flinched away from his touch. "You left me alone," she accused, her voice breaking on the word alone. She scratched violently at the scars on her arm as though they itched like a horrible reaction to poison ivy.

Lucius sighed sadly, glancing down to compose himself before looking up at her with sad eyes. "I didn't want to," he said quietly. "I didn't have a choice. I was given orders, and I had to follow them."

"You could've told me," Layla said tearfully. "You could've warned me that you were going to disappear somewhere off in – you said France? Why the hell couldn't you send me at least one single owl from France to let me know you were alive and safe?"

"Because it would've broken my orders, it would have put my mission and my life at risk," Lucius argued calmly. "I did what I had to do, my dearest."

"No," Layla snapped. "Don't call me that. You don't get to call me that right now. It wasn't fair, you just leaving like that. It wasn't fair."

"I know; I know it wasn't fair to you," Lucius said, more apologetic now. "But it was how it had to be done. I was there recruiting more followers for the Dark Lord, including dark creatures and wizards. I couldn't risk communicating with you, and there was no time to before I had to leave for the mainland. I'm sorry."

"I was worried sick about you," Layla continued to rant. "I spent all this time worrying about you, wondering if you were even still alive. Did you even think about me once while you were gone?"

Hurt blossomed on Lucius's face, and this time he didn't bother to try to hide it behind a mask of composure. "Of course, I did," he said, his voice filled with heartbreak. "How could you think that I wouldn't? I know you're angry with me and hurt right now, but I thought you at least knew me a little better than that." Clearing his throat, he said, more collected, "Anyway, I'm the one who should be asking you if you had forgotten about me."

"Excuse me?"

"I finally get permission to come home after a month, and the first time I see you, you're on the ground, head bleeding, your friend screaming under the Cruciatus Curse, and one of my fellow Death Eaters cursing your name and your affection for Muggleborns, ready to kill you in my name. My name. I kill him to protect you, and when I walk up to you, you don't even recognize me."

"You were wearing a mask," Layla reminded him.

"You've seen my mask enough times by now, I'd have expected you to recognize it. And then I come home to find Regulus Black confessing his undying love for you, in my own home," Lucius sneered. "I can only just imagine what might have happened between you two star-crossed lovers had I not returned home when I did."

"Now that's not fair," Layla said. "We've talked about this before. I would never cheat on you."

"Even when I'm gone for months at a time with no contact?" Lucius sneered, standing to move over to the hearth to stare into the fire. "Even when I have to leave you so tragically alone again in the future, and he's just sitting there, in my home, pledging his undying love and loyalty to you?"

Layla hesitated a moment. "I didn't cheat on you," she said shakily as she stood as well, moving to stand next to him. "I would never cheat on you. You know that."

Lucius shook his head. "How can I know that for sure when I know that you don't love me? When I know you love him?" He asked, torn between anger and sadness. "How am I supposed to just trust that you wouldn't try to leave me for him?"

Growing frustrated with his assertions, Layla snapped, raising her voice, "How am I supposed to love you? I don't know you; I'm starting to feel like I'm never going to be able to truly know you or trust you. At least I know Regulus and can trust him."

"You're in love with him," Lucius alleged bitterly.

"Yes!" Layla retorted. "Yes, I'm still in love with him. Is that what you want to hear?"

"No! I want to hear that you love me, that you care about me, that you think we genuinely stand a chance of being happy together," Lucius snarled.

"Oh, just stop it!" Layla yelled. "Of course, I care about you, you stupid idiot! I want us to stand a chance of falling in love and being happy together, but how is that ever supposed to happen when we don't fucking trust each other, or hardly even see each other?"

Lucius threatened, "Darling, yell at me again, and I'll give you a real reason to scream."

Rolling her eyes, Layla sneered, "Oh, please, you would never hurt me."

"I never said anything about hurting you," Lucius replied darkly, and this time the lustful undertone of his voice was clear. A shiver ran down Layla's spine. He continued, "I know that Black is your best friend. I know that, and I know that I pushed you to become friends with him and that there's nothing I can do to make you stop loving him now. I wouldn't dare ask you to stop seeing him. But you are mine, Layla. You've promised me that, over and over again. And if he so much as lays a hand on you in a way that I don't like…" Layla raised her hand to try to slap some sense into him, but Lucius caught her wrist easily. He pushed her hard against the space between the stone fireplace and the African Blackwood bookshelves, pinning her wrist above her head. In a low, husky voice, Lucius breathed, "Why don't you try that again and see what happens, my dearest?"

Layla squirmed in his hold, her one free hand landing on his chest, though not pushing against him. She could feel him growing hard against her belly. "Lucius…"

"Layla," he said, smirking, her name dripping from his tongue like honey.

She shook her head. "I don't get you. Before, you were offering me permission to cheat on you with Regulus or anyone else I wanted to, as long as I upheld your dignity and family name by coming home every night and practicing safe sex. Now, you're so jealous that you're threatening to hurt him if he tries anything with me. So, which one was the lie?"

"Neither," Lucius said, his voice ringing true through the growing haze in her mind. "I was sincere both times. I was willing to allow you to sleep with whoever you like to make you happy, but then you promised to stay true to me, no matter what, and now… now, I simply want you to keep your word. I desperately want to believe that it's true that I'm the only one you will ever be with from now on."

He leaned forward and brushed a delicate kiss against her jaw just where it met her neck, and she trembled in his arms. "Lucius." She moaned his name softly, unable to help herself.

He smirked with pride at her response to his touch. "Layla," he murmured as he buried his face in her neck. "I don't want to fight with you like this. I'd rather make love with you right now."

Layla couldn't stop the small whimper that escaped her throat at his words. "Lucius," she whispered. "I've missed you this past month while you were gone. I was so terrified that something awful had happened to you, that I was going to be stuck here alone, without you. I wouldn't know what to do if anything happened to you."

Lucius's smile fell a little. "I know. I'm sorry. I hate that I worried you; I really do. I just… I want you to know that I thought about you so much while I was gone." He pressed his hips into her stomach, reminding her of just how hard he was getting from their flirtation. "In more ways than one," he added mischievously.

Layla pulled back enough that she could look into Lucius's eyes, surprised by the intense sincerity she found there, along with something else… love, maybe? She said softly, "Lucius, I – I don't know if I'm ready to try that again."

His face fell from lighthearted mischief to concern. He sighed, and Layla felt him put just enough space between them that they weren't connected at the hips anymore, and she let out a small breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "I want you to be ready," he murmured. "We'll do this on your terms, not mine. Just… just know that whenever you're ready, I am too." Layla nodded. After a beat, Lucius added sadly, "And if you really would rather it be Regulus Black than me, I can accept that… I won't pretend to like it, but I can accept it, even if I'd rather you stay true to me. I won't intentionally and knowingly stand in the way of your happiness."

Sighing heavily, Layla didn't acknowledge his last statement. Instead, she gently pushed against his chest, and he released her wrist and allowed her to extricate herself from him. "I think I need to get back to the school before anyone there starts suspecting that I was part of the attack in Hogsmeade," she said quietly, unsure what to think about Lucius's offer right now. Lucius nodded, knowing she was right. He stepped away, allowing her to take some Floo Powder from the bowl on the mantlepiece. She hesitated in front of the hearth for a moment, then asked quietly, "Lucius? Is – is this going to change, to get better? Us, I mean. When I'm out of school in June, and I'm living here, and we get married, will we – will we really know each other then? Will we be happy together then?"

The heavy silence from where Lucius stood behind her felt like a weighty fog pushing against Layla's back, driving her out, begging her to leave with her questions unanswered. Just as she was about to let the Floo Powder drop into the flickering flames, he answered truthfully, "I honestly don't know. We'll be able to finally get to know one another more intimately, certainly. As for if we'll be happy together… I honestly don't know. I like to think so."

Layla nodded slightly, not looking back at him. "Slytherin Common Room," she mumbled, tossing the powder into the fire, then stepping into the roaring green flames.

Layla tumbled out the other side into Slytherin House, startling Regulus and Barty Crouch, Jr., who were sitting together on the cabriole directly in front of the hearth, previously entrenched in a heavy discussion. Layla took a deep, shaky breath, rubbing a stray bit of Floo ash off her face. Regulus quickly stood and crossed the short space to her, his hands on her shoulders as he unsuccessfully tried to make eye contact with her. "Hey," he said worriedly. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Layla answered automatically, refusing to meet his gaze as she realized that she'd forgotten her coat in the manor library.

"Did the Death Eaters catch you down in the village?" Barty asked curiously.

Layla shrugged, unsure how to answer his question. Regulus answered for her, "Of course not, Barty. You know who she's marrying. No one on either side would have the nerve to harm her and risk Lucius Malfoy's wrath."

Barty chuckled, "Oh, yeah, right, of course." After watching Regulus hover over Layla for a couple of minutes, Barty stood and said politely, "Let me just give you two some time alone; I've got essays to write anyway."

Regulus nodded dismissively to his friend, only just barely paying Barty any attention as he walked away, focused entirely on Layla. "Are you ok?" he whispered, tenderly brushing his thumb across her cheek.

Layla murmured, "Regulus, I don't –"

"Did he hurt you?" Regulus asked, heat rising in his voice.

Layla's eyes widened, and she finally made eye contact with his dark eyes. "No, of course not," she denied vehemently. "Lucius would never."

"The way he was acting earlier, I wouldn't be so sure," Regulus said bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Layla asked, brows knitting together in defensive confusion.

"He was so cold and angry earlier," Regulus said. "And the way he asked for a few minutes alone with you, as if he owned you."

"Because he was angry with you," Layla hissed. "Because he overheard you telling me how much you love me. He wasn't pissed at me; he was pissed at you."

Regulus scoffed, "He was jealous because he knows that you love me just as much as I love you, and he knows that he might lose you to me."

"Yes, you're right, he was jealous," Layla admitted. "But he would never take that out on me in anger or violence."

"Sure, maybe not," Regulus conceded. "But I don't doubt he wouldn't hesitate to kill me if he thought we might be together."

"That's not true; he wouldn't do that," Layla said.

"Wouldn't he?"

"No."

"How would you know? You barely even know him."

"Because we've talked about it, you git," Layla snapped. "Lucius and I have discussed you and the ridiculously high levels of feelings you and I have for each other."

Raising an eyebrow at her, Regulus said, "Really now?"

"Yes, really," Layla sneered, then she thought better of what she was about to say and where she was going to say it. "Regulus, is there somewhere more private that we could discuss this?"

Regulus nodded. "Of course." He took her hand and led her to a corridor off the common room, and she followed him, glancing around at the various banners that hung from the stone walls between doors until he found the room he was looking for. He opened the door and the two walked into the dorm room, where Barty sat on one bed with a book and Evan Rosier stood by another, just tossing a black button-down shirt across his shoulders. "Out," Regulus barked at his two roommates, throwing a genuinely intimidating glare at the both of them.

Barty grinned at the sight of the pair, and Layla blanched slightly, knowing what the boy must be thinking was going on. Steeling herself and attempting to be just as intimidating as Regulus, she snapped, "Stop grinning like a simpleton, Crouch. This isn't personal; we can hardly discuss the Dark Lord's business out in the open, now, can we?"

The smirk was instantly wiped from Barty's face, and he scrambled to get his school things together and quickly departed to do his homework elsewhere. Rosier continued to take his time buttoning his shirt, his eyes darting from Regulus to Layla and back again curiously. "The Dark Lord's business, eh?" he said calmly.

Regulus narrowed his eyes at Rosier. "That's right," Regulus said, so convincing that even Layla halfway believed him. "After the attack on the village this afternoon, Layla and I have received orders of our own, designed to further the Dark Lord's purposes. It's not information for the general public – or you – to know."

"Hmph." Rosier grabbed his broomstick from where it leaned against his bedframe, reminding Layla that he was one of the Slytherin Quidditch team's Beaters and that she would be facing him on the Quidditch pitch competing for the Quidditch School Champion Cup quite soon. As he walked past Regulus to leave the room, he stopped and leaned in to whisper to Regulus, and Layla had to strain to hear him. "Try not to leave the room too big of a mess as you do the Dark Lord's work, hm? I'd like to return to find my own bed, at least, still clean and unsoiled by her halfblood juices –"

As Layla's cheeks heated with embarrassment, Regulus whipped his wand out so fast that the motion was a blur to her eyes. "Get out," Regulus said through clenched teeth. "Before I decide to cut out your disgusting tongue and shove it up your ass."

Rosier smirked, knowing he'd gotten under Regulus's skin. He shoulder-checked Regulus as he strode lazily out of the dorm, closing the door easily behind him. Layla exhaled sharply as Regulus sat on the third bed in the room. He waved his wand, locking the door, and cast a Silencing Charm on the room. He looked up at Layla with tired eyes. "Sorry about that," he said. "I just couldn't think of a better place nearby to talk where we could be truly guaranteed to be left alone."

"It's fine," Layla grumbled. "Let's just get this over with."

"Yeah, get what exactly over with?" Regulus asked, genuinely curious. "You said you and Lucius had discussed the possibility of you and I being together? You mean, since the engagement?" Layla nodded. "Well, what the hell did he say?"

Hesitating, Layla considered lying to him about it. Did she truly want to open this Pandora's box? How incredibly selfish of her would it be to admit that if they wanted to, they could be together, as long as their relationship remained discreet? Not only would it break Lucius's heart, but it would put both of their lives at risk, should anyone other than Lucius discover their secret affair.

"Layla." Regulus's pained voice called her back to the moment. "Please."

"He – he gave me permission to have an affair with you," Layla admitted quietly, crossing her arms tightly over her chest as she told Regulus the truth. "He said – he said that I could run around with you or whoever else I wanted if that was what would make me truly happy, as long as I followed his rules."

Regulus raised an eyebrow at that. "What rules would that be?"

"Essentially? Make sure it stays secret, always practice safe sex, and come home to him every night," Layla said, her voice as weak as her resolve to not cheat on Lucius.

Regulus thought it over for a long minute, then slowly stood and crossed the room again, stopping so close in front of her that she could feel his breath on her face. "What do you want?" he asked gently, never touching her.

Surprised by the question, Layla looked up at him, his chocolate eyes further melting her willpower. "What?"

"What do you want?" Regulus repeated, clenching and unclenching his fists in an effort to control his sexual impulses. "I know that I want you, beyond a shadow of a doubt. But I want to know what you want, Layla."

Shutting her eyes tightly, trying her hardest to shut out her desires, Layla mumbled, "Honestly, I just want to be good. I don't – so many things, over the last couple of years, outside of my control. I've never had a choice; I just try my hardest to do what's right. And then I get here and there's you and there's Lucius, and I feel that much more out of control, because I'm not doing what's true and right and pure anymore; I'm just doing what's right for me. And I'm not sure I even know what's right for me anymore."

Tears threatened to spill out from her clenched eyes, then she felt Regulus's lips lovingly ghost over each of her eyes, kissing her tears away. "Do I feel right to you, Layla?" he asked, his voice a breath against her ear.

Layla inhaled a shaky breath. "If I were being honest with myself," she breathed. "I want you, Regulus. More than anything." She felt Regulus lean in again, this time pressing his lips lightly against hers. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach, and she wanted to throw her arms around his neck and pull him in closer and closer until they were one person. But she could feel the truth in her gut, that the butterflies weren't beating happy wings; they were drowning, dying, desperate to escape the source of their ultimate doom. She whispered against his lips, "But I can't do this, Regulus. I may not love him, and this may not be the right decision, but I belong to him, just as he belongs to me now. He would never cheat on me, and I shouldn't cheat on him either, no matter how badly I may want to. It's wrong, even if you're the right one for me."

Regulus sighed heavily, leaning his forehead against hers. They stayed like that, content for a moment to simply breathe the same air before he broke the silence. "There's nothing I could say to convince you to change your mind and be with me, is there? Even if I can only have you for a single night?"

Layla shook her head slightly. "No, there's not," she said honestly. "Because even if we did only plan to give in to each other for just one night, it would just make it that much harder to resist each other after that. It would spiral out of control so fast. And I'm tired of feeling like I have no control over my life. This is the one thing I can control, and I'm determined to do the right thing for once."

A warm wetness blossomed on her cheek, and Layla was surprised to realize that Regulus's was struggling not to cry. She reached up to touch his cheek, but he stepped back and pulled away from her. "I understand," he said, his voice breaking. "I missed my chance at the gala. You should do what you feel is right. I would never ask you to break your code of ethics." He took a shaky breath in, then said, "I love you enough to let you go."

Shattered inside, Layla murmured, "Thank you."

Regulus nodded, then waved his wand, unlocking the door and taking down the Silencing Charm. "You should go," he said miserably. "I'd hate to tempt you to change your mind by keeping you here any longer." Not hesitating more than half a second, Layla rushed out of his dorm room and out of the Slytherin, desperate for the safety of her bed in Ravenclaw tower.