We didn't talk about the kiss afterward. It just stayed quiet, something only he and I knew. Sometimes, when he'd be walking with Susan, I'd catch his eye. He'd wink and I'd blush. I didn't feel upset that he didn't break up with his girlfriend over me. I was twelve and he was going to be fifteen come January. It seemed stupid that I think we'd be together. Of course that didn't stop me from fantasizing.

Surprisingly about a month after that kiss he and Susan broke up. It was a shock to say the least. It was just, one day they were walking hand in hand and the next they're avoiding each other. Ananda had looked at me and smirked. "Only you could get a guy to break up with his girlfriend of two years," she had said to me. I rolled my eyes outwardly, but inwardly I was really hoping that it were true.

And it was true. After waiting a respectable month, he asked me out. Of course, for guys it was respectable. But I know I would hate it after two years with a guy he dates someone else a month later, but seeing how he was asking, I sure as hell wasn't going to say no!

"We're just going for a walk," Maleah ground out. She was frustrated because every girl in her dorm was adamant about making her over.

"With Charles Michaelson," Emmeline said. "You can't just go any way. People might see and as his girlfriend you're expected to look a certain way."

"Hot and innocent," Ananda said. She scrutinized Maleah. "You've got the hot part down, but anyone looking would think you're a slag."

Maleah's eyes widened in horror. "You think I'm a whore?"

Ananda rolled her eyes and took out a white sweater from her closet. "Of course not. I know better. Of course you did try to lure him away from his girlfriend…"

"I did not!"

Ignoring the comment, Ananda put the white sweater on Maleah and continued. "No one is going to be looking at your eyes, Leah. We all know that those give away your innocence, Merlin, you're naïve. It's very easy to notice."

"So what will they be looking at?" Maleah asked as she zipped up her black boots that matched her black jeans.

"Your boobs, of course," Maria said shrugging. "No twelve year old has a body as developed as yours without taking advantage of it."

"Which I still don't understand," Jennifer stated. "I mean, you didn't eat for years. Last year we could like, see the outline of your bones and everything, and now this year you've got all that. It's not fair!"

Maleah frowned and looked down. It was true that she seemed to be the first one to begin developing, but she thought it was just a coincidence. Ananda was following right behind her though. "I don't know why."

"It's all the African and Soul Food she ate this summer," Ananda responded. "Everyone knows that African women are thick. You were in Africa for a couple of weeks. Besides that's not what I meant. I was talking about your Angelina Jolie lips. My goodness they're huge. Every male third year and up wants to snog you."

"Yeah, but I only ate authentic African food when I was with Ayanna. When I was with Daddy and Ginny, we ate gourmet African food, whatever that is," Maleah muttered. Then she remembered Ananda's last sentence and flushed. "Eew!"

"Stop complaining and go meet your man!" Emmeline cried.

Maleah took one last look in the mirror. She approved of what her friends forced her to wear; a pair of form-fitting black Colombian jeans that Ayanna got her for her birthday, a white camisole and a white Mudd sweater to go over it and a pair of black Steve Madden boots.

Maleah took a deep breath and shot a look over her shoulder at her friends. They all smiled and egged her on. She was nervous at first but when she saw him standing at the foot of the steps her fear seeped away.

"Hey," she said lightly.

He kissed her cheek and took her hand and led her out of the common room. "You look nice," he told her.

She blushed and looked down. "My roommates accosted me. I was just going to wear sweats and a cloak."

He laughed. "I'm sure that would've been a sight to see."

"How was it?" Ananda asked Maleah that evening at dinner.

Maleah blushed. "We walked around the lake and talked. Then he kissed me again."

The girls in her dorm squealed loudly and caught the attention of the rest of the table. In embarrassment, Maleah ducked her head and tried to hide her blush. "Merlin, could you guys be any louder?"

"Sorry," Jennifer said sheepishly.

"I'm not," Ananda announced. "And I can go louder. Much louder."

Maleah was sure she was the only one who caught the innuendo, but it wasn't until Michaelson took the seat in front of her did she realize why Ananda said it. Michaelson glared hotly at her. "What do you think you're doing?" he snapped.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Maleah said coolly taking a sip of her pumpkin juice. She winced when it went down her throat. She never did acquire a taste for that drink.

"What do you think you're doing with my brother?" he ground out.

Maleah smiled slowly and placed her cup down. She leaned forward, close enough to kiss Michaelson. "That," she said licking her lips, "is none of your B-I-business!" She leaned back and glared right back at him.

"Don't mess with my brother, Potter," he snapped before walking away to join his gang.

"You can't do that," Emmeline hissed.

Maleah frowned. "Do what?"

"Look, you are dating a Michaelson. Not only were they filthy rich since the time of the kingdoms, but their father invented a bunch of magically run muggle products, you know, like the telly and fellytone," Emmeline explained.

"Telephone," Maleah and Ananda corrected automatically. "I didn't know that the phones were released."

"Whatever," Emmeline snapped. "The point is that they are uber rich, and aristocratic! As Charles' girlfriend you are not to talk to any guys at all. Talking to Michaelson is acceptable since that's his brother, but you were not to be flirting like that!"

Maleah's head spun. "Says who? Who makes this stuff up?"

"That's just the way it is," Emmeline shrugged. "Didn't your mum ever tell you any of this?"

"My mum is dead," Maleah snapped.

Emmeline paled. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-."

"Forget it. Her mum is dead, her stepmother is a witch from Slytherin," Ananda said waving her hand dismissively.

"Ginny was a Gryffindor," Maleah reminded Ananda.

"Well, she should've been a Slytherin, little witch."

"You don't want me to sneak out to Hogsmeade with you?" Maleah asked Charles.

Charles sighed and kissed her head. They were in the common room and his friends were coming toward them. "I don't want to ruin the experience for you. Next year we won't have to sneak, we'll just go."

Holding back a retort, Maleah smiled and kissed his cheek. "Fine. I'll see you before you leave."

"Attagirl," he said smiling.

Once he couldn't see her face Maleah made a dirty facial expression. They had been dating for a month and a half, and Maleah was pissed off. He only held her hand. He never kissed her when it was just the two of them. It was like some kind of show. He never talked to her, only to tell her to lower her skirt a bit before people started thinking she was a slag.

"Ugh! All Michaelsons are bloody assholes!" Maleah cried as she fell on her bed.

"He doesn't want you to go to Hogsmeade?" Ananda asked from her bed.

Maleah rolled over and looked at her friend. "No."

"Go anyway and surprise him," Ananda said with a shrug. "It's not effin Ancient Runes you know."

Maleah fell back on her bed and grinned. Ananda was right, it wasn't Ancient Runes.

The next morning Maleah woke early to get ready to see Charles. She washed her black hair and blow dried it straight. She put on her bathrobe over her tank top and shorts before going to stand in the stairwell. She saw Charles come toward her, frowning.

"What are you wearing?" he asked, casting a look at his friends who were watching them.

Maleah resisted the urge to roll her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm going back to sleep," she lied easily. "I thought wearing the robe would be better than walking down in my pajamas."

He laughed and kissed her forehead. "Only you, Maleah," he said quietly. "I'll see you tonight."

Maleah smiled falsely. "Have a good time," she said leaning to kiss his lips. He turned away and she got his cheek.

"Maleah, there are people around," he reminded her as if she were a child.

Maleah raised an eyebrow and turned away to go back upstairs. "Asshole," she said under her breath.

An hour later, Maleah walked toward the one-eyed humped witch. She glanced around and when she saw no one, she walked through the secret passageway. She left Honeydukes and stepped into the street. The place was so beautiful and colorful, like a dream.

She walked in a random direction hoping to catch Charles somewhere. She caught him alright. She caught him with a girl known to be a slag hanging all over him. She didn't make a move to step closer to them hoping that he would push the girl off. He didn't. He encouraged her by kissing her.

With a sense of control she didn't even know she possessed, she turned away and ran back into Honeydukes and into the castle. The tears didn't fall until she was in her room sitting with her back leaning against the door.

"What's wrong?" Maria asked.

"He's cheating on me with some stupid little slag!" Maleah let out. She wasn't sobbing, in fact, she felt perfectly fine, but the tears wouldn't stop. They just rolled down her face without her having any control over them.

"He told you not to go!" Emmeline said without sympathy.

Maria and Jennifer stared at Emmeline shocked. Ananda ignored the girl and kneeled next to her friend. "Do you want me to beat him up? She asked softly. "I can call my clique, they'd be here five-deep, just say the word."

Maleah let out a giggle at Ananda's use of the magical version of Boyz N Da Hood. "No, I just-I'm okay, just pissed off."

"I don't think you understand how this works, Maleah," Emmeline said.

"Why don't you explain it to me, Emmeline?" Maleah asked snidely.

"As an aristocrat, he's supposed to be with someone respectable, but behind closed doors he can have whoever he wants," Emmeline explained wearily.

"You are a real bitch, you know that?" Ananda said Emmeline as she followed a disgusted Maleah to the bathroom.

When Maleah emerged from the bathroom she was in her robe and her hair was wet. She needed to wash the shame off of her. She sat on her bed and handed Ananda her brush when her friend came to sit behind her. It was their routine. When one of them was upset, they'd go shower and the other would brush their hair. It made them feel better.

"He isn't worth your tears," Ananda said quietly as she brushed Maleah's thick mane.

Maleah didn't say anything. She couldn't. No words would come out.

"Don't you dare let him silence you," Ananda snapped.

Maleah still couldn't form a word.

"Leah?" Maria asked coming into the room.

Maleah looked up.

"Charles wants to see you."

Ananda put the brush down and stepped away from Maleah who took a deep breath and took off her robe revealing her tank top and a pair of her brother Sirius' old boxers that had Dooby Roo all over them. She squared her shoulders and walked down the stairs. She stood at the last one and watched Charles' face flush at her attire and walk toward her.

"What are you wearing?" he snapped.

"I should ask you the same," Maleah said quietly. "Seeing how you wore slut today in Hogsmeade."

Charles frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Maleah shook her head. "Did it occur to you that you had a girlfriend when that thing was all over you today? I went to Hogsmeade, Charles."

"I told you not to," Charles said quietly.

"And that makes it okay?" Maleah exclaimed. "Look, if you want to be with her then be with her. Don't use me to hide from your parents' disappointment. I'm not your little toy for show, Charles. I'm done and you can tell your friends whatever you want, but I want no other part of you outside of you helping me with school."

She turned away feeling empowered. Boys were just so easy to handle.

Okay, Dooby Roo is from my own clever mind. It's supposed to be the magical version of Scooby Doo. Oh that darn Scooby. Anyway, I'm taking another writing break. I will continue to update sometimes, but it's harder to write since it's kind of a chore now. i want to start enjoying it again. the next update should be on tuesday or wednesday of next week, depending on when i can get online. as for Those Darn Potters, updates will come whenever inspiration strikes for a new short story about them. emmer-that's about it.

Happy Reading!