I didn't know what was making me feel so sick, what was causing me to feel so dizzy after Draco left.

I went to my window and opened it, staring out at the moon and the stars. The wind was blowing gently, blowing dark wisps of around me.

Only one thing was on my mind that evening, everything else was blurred away. Nothing else mattered except those sapphire eyes, the silken hair between my fingers and against my skin as he was kissing me, the hot, smooth lips like a combination of fire and ice up and down my neck and body.

Draco.

Just thinking of our night together, made chills jump up all over my skin.

I closed my eyes, letting the wind dance across my skin, just like the ghost of his lips, let it tug on my hair like the gentle pull of his fingers combing through it. The mere thought of his name made my blood pound fast and hard through my veins. I wanted to feel him again, his skin against mine, embracing mine, loving mine.

Love....

My eyes snapped open. Love.

There was no way that I was falling for him....was it? That was stupid. I'd seen him about three times. Plus, I didn't fall for guys. They fell for me, and used them. That was how the world worked. I didn't pine, I didn't want to be tied down. Plus, I didn't know how to be a girlfriend. I'd never really "dated" anyone.

I searched my heart, thinking of Draco and expecting what I felt when I thought of him.

"Oh my God, I'm falling in love...."

Bo looked up at me. "And?"

I shot him a look. "Love makes you a weak, pathetic, bumbling fool. I'm stopping this. Now."

Bo sighed and lay his head back down. He'd been looking sick for days.

I pushed my problems aside and sat down, stroking his head and back. "What's wrong, Mi amore?"

His tongue flicked out at me, but he didn't say anything, just lay there, looking pathetic. And pale.

"Boa...." I picked him up and lay on my back, holding him on my stomach. "Talk to me, BoBo, what's wrong?"

"I don't feel well."

"Bad mouse?" I said teasingly.

He just looked at me. "You just won't get it. You don't believe in it."

"Love? Oh please. Who could you be in love...." I trailed off as I looked at my poor little snake. "Nagini?"

He made a hissing whining sound. "Don't say her naaame..."

I stared at him. "First of all, compared to you, she's an anaconda. Second of all, she's a LOT older than you, and a lot meaner."

"Like you and your beaux."

"I do NOT have a beaux. I had a boy toy. Also, he is older than I am, by almost five months if my math is correct."

"Does that really matter? She's beautiful...her scales shine like the light on the water, her eyes are like black diamonds in the firelight, her tail is-"

"Oh, just STOP already! I don't want to hear the poetry of her anatomy, thank you!" He let his head fall back against my stomach, and whined again. "Find a nice garden snake to cuddle up with, not Nagini."

He rolled off of my stomach and drug himself slowly over to the bed post and crawled down. "I knew you wouldn't understand."

I blinked. "Bo-"

"Just leave me alone to sulk, please." With that, he disappeared under my bed.

I felt bad for crushing his little snaky hopes, but I couldn't let him get hurt.

Just as I wasn't going to let myself get hurt or become a weak-minded, dependent puddle, who fawned and worshipped the ground their man walked on. That wasn't me. It was never going to be me.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The beginning of August brought another meeting with it. I stood behind Father's chair, purposefully avoiding having to look at the table. My jaw was set, a hard, cold look on my face, my eyes distant and set on a spot above the door. The meeting was short that night, and I stayed to clean up a few of the glasses.

I walked out the door and down towards the kitchens, searching for one of the filthy house elves to take the glasses and wash them. I heard the sounds of footfalls following behind me on the ancient wood floors of the house.

"What?" I snapped some, turning to face Draco.

He stopped mid-step, one foot hovering a good inch or two above the ground. He set it down gently and looked at me. "Do you wanna go to your room for a little?"

"No," I answered curtly. "I want my book back."

He took it out of his back pocket and held it out towards me.

I snatched it, looking at him, not cracking a smile.

He gave me a weird look. "Are you...alright?"

"I'm perfect, never better."

"Okay....whatever..."

I shook my hair back over my exposed shoulders and saw his eyes linger down to my chest, then flick back up at me. "How's school for you?" I said, not really with much emotion or care.

"Boring. "

"And your snuggling females? Find any yet?" I started towards my room, him following me. I didn't really want him in there, considering what could happen in there, but I did want to talk to him still, even if there wasn't much more than small talk.

"Well, there is this girl, and our parents want us to get married. We date on and off."

"Yes, Pansy Parkinson," I said with a smirk.

He chuckled behind me. "Yeah, her. She's such a bitch, but she's a good shag.

"Yes, I would assume. Her father copped a feel my first night here."

"Ew, sick perverted old men."

"Yes, tell me about it. All of the ones that live here have been grabbing my backside for weeks." I felt myself becoming comfortable around him again, felt myself falling back into the direction in which I was forcing myself to run from. My jaw tightened some. "Some of them have proved to be quiet useful, however." Oh Hell. Where did that come from? Oh well, it'd come out of my mouth, better put the Layla-charm on it to make it believable. I put on a smirk.

He quirked a pale eyebrow at me. "Useful?"

"Yes, useful," I smirked wider.

"Ugh!" He looked disgusted at the sight of me. It stung, but it was better than him taking a fancy to me, I thought, that's for sure. But then a sly smirk wiggled its way onto his face, like a worm would wiggle out of its hole. I didn't like the maliciousness behind that look.

"You like older men?"

"I like men with experience. All of them were purely physical." Myheart was screaming at my brain and my mouth to just shut up and to stop digging me into a deeper hole, or to keep me from pushing him away more than I already was.

"So you'd rather screw old men?"

I whipped around and faced him, my cheeks burning, my eyes narrowed at him. "Show some respect to the elder members."

He rolled his eyes at me slightly. "So, Ms. Riddle, you'd rather screw old me?

I gritted my teeth. I'd rather have someone not whining at me all of the time!" I snapped at him, and of course, meaning him to be the whining party.

He put his hands up in sarcastic defense, and his tone just dripped with mocking. "So sorry, Miss Riddle! Shall I fetch you one of your 90 year olds for you-?"

A smack echoed down the hall, cutting him of as I'd brought my hand down across his cheek. He inhaled sharp when my rings and nails had nicked him for a moment, but in a flash he was just staring down at me, holding his cheek, his eyes glittering, his eyes lips curved into that stupid smirk that made me want to rip his head off so he could never do it again.

I glared at him a few seconds longer, my eyes burning, and turned on my heel, going into my room and slamming my door.

I heard a faint 'pop' on the other side of my door, and knew he was gone. I slammed the flat of my palm and cursed him in silence for being such a prick.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next few times I saw Draco Malfoy, I acted as if he did not exist, because, to me, he could never exist. Not anymore.

I couldn't really blame him for treating me the same way. I was a bitch to him. But it got him to leave me alone, and for that, I had to try to be grateful. He never went out of his way to come and find me.

I think the only thing that was said to me was, "Excuse me, Miss Riddle, I need a word with your father," one evening when I was standing with Father talking to him. It would have been perfectly polite to anyone else, but his eyes, and his tone, they held such a contempt for me, such a loathing, it almost hurt. Almost.

Later that night, Father called me into his study. "Layla."

"Yes, Father?"

"Was it the Malfoy boy?"

I sighed. "Really? Not this again. I told you, Father, I don't know who he was. He was just a random Death Eater."

"I do believe you're lying to me."

"Oh, really?"

He stared at me blankly.

I glared some. "Why do you even care who it was, or what I did? Why is that important?"

"You are my daughter and you will do as I say!"

"Father, that's not even fair! You won't let me leave, yet you won't let me keep company while I'm here!"

"I do not have to have any reason other than the fact that you are my child, and you will obey me!"

"I'm almost 16! That's one year from being an adult!"

"Yet you continue to act like a child!"

"Only because you treat me like one!"

He got up and smacked me across the face before I'd even know what hit me.

I gasped and held my stinging, burning cheek, feeling the blood well and drip to my fingers, making them sticky.

"Layla Rosalie Riddle, I swear on the name of Merlin if you continue the attitude with me, I will have nothing to do with you!" he roared at me.

I shrank back half a step, lowering my shaking hand to my side. "I'm sorry, Father..."

He just looked at me his eyes like the Gates of Hell. "Get out."

I hurried out of the study and up to my room.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following week there was another meeting in preparation for a raid that was coming up. I longed to go, but I knew, after my display to Father, he'd never let me go. I wasn't ready, he was right, I still was acting like a child.

I was walking out of the meeting and up the stairs when Draco caught up to me. We reached the landing and he took my elbow. "Layla...."

I looked back at him, his voice soft and kind, the way it used to be.

He reached up and touched the spot where the scratches still lingered. "What happened?"

"Father hit me," I responded quietly, looking away from his face and down to my feet.

"What'd you do?" He dropped his hand but still stood in close proximity to me. I could feel his warm breaths making wisps of my hair flutter.

"I got into a fight with him."

His breath caught and his jaw dropped. "You what?! Are you bloody stupid?!"

"Apparently," I said, nonchalantly.

"You'd have to be to pick a fight with him! Even if he is your father, that's just stupid."

"Thank you," I said sarcastically. "Thank you so much for pointing out that I'm an idiot!"

"Not a problem. But what in the name of Merlin could have been so important?"

I dropped my gaze again. "Nothing...." Protecting your life from my father....

He shrugged some. "Alright...See you Layla...."

"Bye..." I said softly as he turned and held up a hand in farewell, and ran down the steps.

I sighed and just headed back to my room.