"Hmm found yourself a little something for dessert, Severus?" came a voice from the doorway. Severus lifted his head and grinned in that direction. I couldn't see who it was.

"Believe I have, although it isn't entirely mine, Lucius," he replied, before returning his attention to my lips.

We continued in that manner for several more minutes, until someone slammed the entrance shut loudly, causing Severus to look up lazily.

"Severus, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Rodolphus demanded, obviously hurt.

"I think that the proper term is snogging," Severus replied sarcastically.

"But with Bella?" Rodolphus pressed.

"What do you care, Lestrange?" I asked suddenly, sitting up and slithering away from Severus. "I'm not with you, I've never been with you, and I doubt I ever will be with you."

He shrugged and walked away only moments before Narcissa walked into the room, her long pale blonde hair swinging behind her. Severus' attention was immediately riveted. I stared at him in anger and hurt. How could he snog me senseless one minute and then go back to staring at Narcissa like that the next?

"She's never going to love you, Severus," I said in a frigid tone. His gaze snapped to mine. "And I'm never going to stop."

I turned and walked to my dormitory, fighting the dangerous desire to hex everyone around me. My gaze fell on Lucius, and I changed direction, stopping in front of him. He lifted his gaze to my eyes, and smiled winningly.

"Bella, my darling, I see you've finished with the Half Blood Prince," he smirked, running a finger over the pale skin on the back of my hand.

"Yes, I'm finished with Severus for the moment," I replied, tossing my head so that my hair flew in a silky arc behind me.

"What can I do for you then, my dear?" he asked, his eyes sliding down to linger on my breasts for a moment before returning to my eyes.

"Find out why Severus feels nothing for me," I said in a very quiet voice. His eyes narrowed and he searched my face.

"I see," he whispered. "What of Lestrange?" he asked.

I waved dismissively. "I have never felt anything for him. I have never encouraged him," I said in a regal tone.

"Bella, listen to me," Lucius said quietly. "You may not like what I will have to tell you."

"I don't care." I responded, before stalking away.

Lucius was watching me from his seat across the table. Severus was sitting beside Narcissa, speaking quietly with her, and entertaining her with a series of stupid charms. I ground my teeth together and looked to the opposite end of the table. I succeeded in looking away for several minutes, before a muffled giggle caused my head to snap back around. Narcissa and Severus were now engaged in a rather innocent snogging session, and my scowl depended. Slamming my fork beside my plate, I stood and swept out of the Great Hall. My hand closed tightly around my wand, and I came very close to hexing a fourth year Hufflepuff who stood at the bottom of the stairs reading a letter. I bit my lip and clenched my fists, seizing a china vase from a pedestal beside me. Before I could stop myself I had flung it against the wall, causing it to shatter into millions of pieces. I turned and ran away to the Defense classroom where I began to dig through the spell books. I already knew how to cast every single one of these dark spells perfectly. Mum and Dad were Blacks after all. I had been capable of dark magic since I had turned eight.

"Bella, you're a bit early today," said Severus as he set his belongings down at a desk two rows ahead of me.

"Hmm," I responded noncommittally, looking for some spell that I could learn. I needed something to distract myself with.

"Ah, an open seat beside the beautiful Miss Black, do you mind?" Lucius asked politely, sitting beside me and placing his books on the table. I flashed him a false smile.

"Of course not, Lucius, my love," I replied through clenched teeth.

"We have things to discuss, Bella," he told me in a conversational tone. "It would, of course, be much easier to have a discussion during old Slughorn's class," Lucius muttered. "But I feel that we ought to discuss this as soon as possible."

I nodded, and pushed my long hair behind my shoulders. I watched as Potter and Longbottom walked in, chatting companionably. I briefly wondered where my ridiculous cousin Sirius was, and was rewarded to see him come sprinting through the door looking for the entire world like a young boy on Christmas day.

"Bella," Lucius said quickly, tapping my shoulder. "I have what you wanted."