Before you get upset at me, read author's note at the bottom.

I don't understand. Michaelson had never raised his voice at me. He'd always been…well, not gentle, but he'd never scared me like that. For a moment I flashed back to a young girl of eight cowering from Ginny. I suppose that I had a part to do in it as well. I mean, I kept avoiding his questions. I just didn't want him to know that I was affected by what his mum said.

Of course, had I known then what I know now…well, needless to say, I would have handled it differently…

Jake sighed and wrapped his arm around her. "I don't know what to tell you, Leah."

"I'm not sure what I want to hear either," Maleah admitted.

"He shouldn't have gotten so angry, but you really shouldn't have baited him like you did," Jake said.

Maleah nodded and shivered against the January cold as they walked around the lake. "But, Jake, I didn't want him to know that I was such a coward."

"You're one of the strongest people I know," Jake said honestly. "Stop worrying about what others like to say about you. Those people only see you as Harry Potter's biracial daughter. We see you as Maleah Lily Potter, total cutie."

Maleah giggled. "You always make me feel better," she murmured.

"Well, that's what I'm here for: to keep these hormonal hearts from beating too fast."

They heard steps behind them and turned. Michaelson walked up with a tentative look on his face. He nodded at Jake, and then turned to Maleah. "Can we talk?"

Jake looked at Maleah for whether or not he should go. She nodded slightly and stepped out of his light embrace.

"I'll see you later, Jake," she said, waving him off.

Michaelson fell into step with her and they continued to walk around the grounds. When they passed Hagrid's old hut Maleah decided to break the tense silence. "What do you want?"

Michaelson stopped and sighed deeply. "I think we should break up."

Maleah stopped and faced him in complete shock. "What?"

He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't know what's going on with us. You obviously don't trust me. It's like I have to constantly prove to you that I want to be with you."

"If you want to be with me, then why are you breaking up with me?" Maleah cried.

"Because this isn't working out!" Michaelson turned away and began to pace.

"Don't do this," Maleah begged. "Please don't do this."

Michaelson turned and saw tears in Maleah's eyes and they broke his heart. He shook his head. "I don't know what else I'm supposed to do," he shrugged helplessly.

Maleah squeezed her eyes shut, hoping tat when she opened them it'd all just be a horrible nightmare. A second later when she stared into Michaelson's eyes, the reality hit her and she began to cry.

Michaelson stepped toward her-automatic instinct when he saw her cry. But she flinched away from his touch and ran toward the castle.

An hour later, after a steaming shower, Maleah sat on her bed with Ananda brushing her hair.

"I'm sorry," Ananda offered.

Maleah blew her nose. "I can't believe he broke up with me," she wailed.

Maria shot a helpless look to Ananda. "Honey," she started.

"Don't say that it's my fault," Maleah shot. "Until I've reached the acceptance phase then don't friggin say it was my fault!"

"As you wish," Maria muttered.

"He doesn't deserve you, you know?" Ananda said.

"Whatever," Maleah muttered. She stood and placed her hair in a messy bun before taking her brush from Ananda. "I just want to go to bed and never wake up again."

"We have class tomorrow," Maria reminded her.

"Sod classes," Maleah said before covering herself with her thick duvet.

Ananda shifted under her covers but knew the idea of getting comfortable was fruitless, seeing how Ananda knew she wouldn't be able to sleep until Maleah stopped crying. She stepped out of her bunk and tip-toed across the room to Maleah's bed. She slipped in next to Maleah and softly rubbed Maleah's back.

"I hate him," Maleah whispered.

"I know you do, honey," Ananda responded.

"I didn't mean to make him mad," she said in a small voice.

"It's not your fault. Don't let him see you down," Ananda advised.

Maleah sniffled and began to fall asleep. "I could've fallen in love with him," she said sleepily.

"Trust me when I say he already fell for you." When Maleah was asleep, Ananda got up and went back to her own bed. With a large sigh, she shut the curtain around her bed and fell asleep.

To say that the student body was shocked when they saw Michaelson and Maleah walking into the hall without each other the next morning was an understatement. When Maleah walked into the Great Hall with Jake ten minutes after Michaelson walked in with his friends, the quiet whispers grew.

Maleah sat quickly and avoided all the stares sent her way. She turned to Maria. "This is ridiculous."

"You guys were the most famous couple in school," Maria shrugged. "What'd you expect? Nothing remains a secret here."

Seeing she'd get no sympathy from Maria, she turned to Jake who just shrugged. "What can I tell you, Leah? You're just going to have to deal with it."

Nodding, Maleah looked down the Gryffindor table to where Michaelson was. He looked up and caught her eye. Maleah looked away.

"You know what they say?" Ananda asked rhetorically. "The quickest way to get over a man is to get under another." At Maleah's scandalized look she quickly rectified, "Not to take that literally! I'm just saying that maybe you should just hook up with someone."

"Mm," was all Maleah said.

Maleah went for a walk after classes that afternoon around the lake. She found herself in the quidditch stands staring into the forest when she felt someone sit next to her. She didn't know how she knew but she knew it was Michaelson. She sensed him before he sat.

"Go away," she whispered, not looking at him.

"I can't," he responded. "Look, Maleah, I'm sorry."

"Me too, now go away," Maleah begged.

Michaelson stared in the same direction she did. "I tried," he explained.

"No, you didn't," Maleah sighed. "But it doesn't matter anymore. We're over. You'll move on, and I'll move on. That's how it goes."

Michaelson looked at her for a second before looking away. "Yeah," he said finally. "That's how it goes."

Okay, so I'm sure you were expecting a much longer chapter since it's been about three weeks since I updated and I figure you want an excuse. Okay, so, school started for me and I've found that in order to pass you actually have to study, so that's what I've been doing. I'm sorry for the long wait, especially since it was kinda a cliffhanger, but...life sucks and then you die. Or so they say. Also, I have a question, why do all flames come in anonymous reviews? Cause I just got two from the same person. One said Harry was heartless and Maleah was a Mary-Sue, then the next one was this long thing os Mary-Sue being repeated over and over and then, something about how my story sucks and should be deleted. I really wish I could say that it hurt my feelings, but I was just annoyed at the wasted two reviews since they were completely pointless. The next chapter should be up by the end of October, I promise. I have a major project to finish to bring my grade up, so, I'm going to focus on that until I finish. THe moment I finish with it, will not leave my computer until the next chapter is at least half-way done. okay. that's all.