CHAPTER 10
"I'm Done"

Eva tried to focus on Professor Flitwick's lecture on the charm, Carpe Retractum, but found it extremely difficult to do so. Right across the room, the Golden Trio were glaring daggers at her and her group of friends. Hermione's group must have already heard what had happened with her and Draco, who was apparently already used to receiving glares from them, seeing as he didn't show any signs of being bothered by it.

Before, whenever Hermione glared at Eva, it always looked like she was just annoyed. Now, it looked like she was ready to unleash on Eva all the disemboweling and dismembering spells she accumulated over years of burying her nose in those books. And the worst part is...

Eva felt she deserved it.

She dared to look at the Gryffindor girl and received a specially dark glare from said girl, removing any other inclination to take a second look from Eva's mind and resigning the blonde to staring at the small professor and scribbling down notes.

"Hey Eva," Millicent whispered, elbowing the blonde a little too hard in the side. "What's up with you and Granger? She's been giving you extra dirty looks lately."

"Nothing." Eva rubbed her side and went back to scribbling.

"Doesn't look like nothin'." Millicent said incredulously. "Want me to take care of the little Mudblood for you?"

"No, I told you it's nothing," Eva answered firmly this time. "Just leave it be, Millicent."

Draco and Eva hovered on their brooms at the center of the Quidditch pitch.

"Let's move on to something a little harder now, shall we?" Draco pointed to the spectator towers. "You remember those towers, right?"

Eva sighed. "How can I forget?"

With his smirk still firmly in place, Draco continued, "Well you're now going to try practicing swerving between those towers."

The witch just stared. She definitely hadn't forgotten about her close encounter with the spectator towers. She was relieved when Draco instructed her at first to just fly around the pitch, away from said towers. But now, she'd be swerving in between them.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

"What's the matter, Bellator?" He scoffed. "Too much for you?"

Eva looked back at the blonde with narrowed eyes. He was challenging her. But she wasn't one to back down from a challenge. Without replying, she steadily flew towards the towers and placed herself in between two of them. She took a deep breath and started with her exercise.

Eva flew slowly between the towers, making a zigzag pattern around the pitch. She was a little shaky and grazed the towers every now and then, but at least she wasn't falling off of her broom or repeatedly crashing into the towers.

"If I do crash into the towers," she thought, wincing when she grazed one of them again. "It'll probably be karma doing its job."

Needless to say, she couldn't get what happened with Hermione out of her head. How could she, when glares and dirty looks from the trio were constantly reminding her of what she had done...or what she had failed to do, which was to stop Draco or at least help the Gryffindor?

Was keeping her friendship (if they really were friends, since she could never actually tell with Draco) with her fellow blonde worth giving up her principles? Was having a shot at finally being reunited with her childhood friend worth it?

"Bellator!" Draco called out. "Watch where you're going!"

Eva snapped out of her thoughts and immediately steered herself to the side, avoiding a very close, very nasty crash into a spectator tower. "Merlin, that was close..."

In a huff, she landed on the stands where their bags were waiting and took a seat there, unceremoniously shoving her broom to the side.

Draco landed beside her. "Oi, we're not done with practices!"

"We've been at it non-stop for a while now. I need a break...before I break something in my body." Eva reached for her bag, took out her canteen and drank from it.

The boy sighed and sat beside her. "At this rate, you really won't be able to tryout, you know!"

Eva chuckled. "And Theodore and Tracey would kill me...I know, I know." She offered him her canteen, only to have him stare at it. "Aren't you thirsty? It's not poisoned, don't worry."

"No thanks," he smirked. "I don't share."

The witch rolled her eyes. "Of course you don't."

After putting away the canteen, she relaxed in her seat. The view before them this time was comprised of mountains and a thick forest to one side. She had yet to explore the grounds like she had planned on her very first day at Hogwarts, but she promised herself she would soon.

"You seem distracted today, Bellator." Draco reclined in his own seat, resting his elbows on the seat above his. "Either that or you're reverting back to your original flying skills."

Eva's brows furrowed. The witch wondered why he wasn't the least bit distracted. He was, after all, the instigator of the whole thing with Hermione and yet he doesn't seem to be bothered by it at all. Why was she the only one feeling remorse?

She settled for: "Just got a lot on my mind."

Another silence settled between them before Draco spoke again. "Let me guess. Parent problems?"

Eva blinked.

She was more than a little surprised but wasn't exactly sure as to why she was surprised in the first place.

Was she surprised because his fight with Hermione wasn't the first reason to pop into his mind?

Was it because he now knew her enough to make those kinds of conclusions (which to some degree are actually correct)?

OR...

Was it due to the fact that Draco Lucius Malfoy actually cared about what was bothering her? Draco, the indifferent, arrogant, sneering, jeering Slytherin actually cared?

Eva blinked again.

Her surprise was definitely because of the third.

Draco must have noticed the amused smile on her face. Looking away, he cleared his throat and scowled. "Not that it concerns me."

Eva smiled inwardly. "Of course it doesn't."

It was somewhat amusing how her fellow blonde would fervently hide away his emotions, only to have them slip out later on. She noticed he was also like that with his best mates, Blaise and Theodore. Blaise would sometimes talk about problems with his mother and Draco would give actual advice before switching back to scowling or taunting him. Same goes for Theodore whenever the dark-haired boy would share some problems.

Slowly, Eva was starting to really come to know Draco. She was also starting to think that he could really be her childhood friend, even though some of his actions showed the contrary. Although there were many differences between this particular blonde and the blonde from her childhood, there were also many striking similarities.

~ FLASHBACK ~

It was a particularly hot summer day. Little Eva skipped through the field, humming a tune, with her umbrella opened above her fair head for protection from the scorching hot sun. She wore her sleeveless yellow sundress and slung her little bag on a shoulder. With a gleeful smile on her face, she thought up different adventures and games she and her friend would play that day.

When their meeting place (a huge tree in the middle of the area) came into sight, she stopped her skipping and humming. Sitting under the tree's shade, huddled between its large roots, was her friend. Only, he wasn't sporting the cheerful smile he usually had on whenever they met at their tree. He was hugging his knees and his face was hidden in them.

Upon reaching their tree, she closed her umbrella and sat down beside him, not really minding that her dress was getting dirty. It was only then did she notice the wounds and bruises on his thin legs and arms. The bruises were a gruesome purple and green. Some wounds had already turned into scabs while others were still fresh. In her innocent little mind, she thought he had tumbled down a hill or something of the sort. Softly, she asked, "Are you okay?"

Sniffing, the boy replied weakly. "No..." His voice was strained and it sounded like he had been crying for a long time. His ears and the part of his face she could see were also quite red.

"Did you fall?"

Still not looking up, the boy shook his head and sniffed.

Little Eva hugged her knees and stared at the boy. "What happened to your legs and your arms?"

The boy sniffed a couple of times. His little shoulders shook. "Father...F-Father got angry."

She looked at him sadly. "Oh..." After a moment of silence, she opened her bag and rummaged through her things. Eva then took out the band aids she always brought with her (since she rather liked exploring and usually got a scrape during her adventures). Wordlessly, she started putting band aids on the wounds and bruises.

It was only then that the little boy looked up to see what his friend was up to. She saw that his eyes were watery, red and puffy. After the last band aid was stuck on, she smiled up at him. "There! Now you're ready for our adventure!"

He sniffed a couple of times and wiped his face on his shirt before finally smiling back. "Thank you..."

Hand in hand, the two children ran off into a nearby forest and played an assortment of games until sundown.

~ END OF FLASHBACK ~

Like Draco and herself, her childhood friend also experienced some trouble with his parents. That was the first time she saw her friend so wounded and bruised but, sad to say, it wasn't the last time she'd see him in the same state. After that day, he usually had a new wound or bruise to show whenever they met. But, although his eyes were still sometimes puffy and red, she never saw him so miserable or dejected ever again. He would just accept the band aids with a small smile on his face and they would hurry on to some unexplored area for a day's worth of fun and games.

Draco looked impatiently at Eva while she was lost in her thoughts. "So then it is about your parents?"

"Well, now that you mentioned it," she chuckled. "I did finally get another owl from my parents. So now that's a total of two letters from them since I went away to Hogwarts."

Draco sneered, "Well aren't they stingy with letters?" But he continued to listen anyway.

"It's pretty much just like the first one though. It was still going on about getting the highest marks in class, making more pureblood friends...stuff like that." Eva let out a humorless laugh. "So technically...the total number of letters from them is still one."

"Well that's pathetic." He said flatly. Eva turned to him with a frown but the wry smile on his face did not falter. "My parents send me a lot of letters." And with his own humorless chuckle, he added, "Probably more than I care to receive."

Before Eva could ask what that meant, he continued. "Your letters, or in this case letter, isn't the only one crammed with pestering reminders to stay on top of the class and to make the right kind of friends, you know."

"Of course..." Eva thought. He was going through the same things. Merlin, he probably had it worse. She was almost ashamed she was complaining about such things as if she were the only one experiencing them.

The boy stood up and took his broom. "So as it turns out, you've actually got it good, Bellator. The less nagging letters, the better."

She thought he made a lot of sense. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, he actually cheered her up. Draco Lucius Malfoy cheered her up. The world was starting to get strange...and interesting.

And she was really starting to like their flying lessons together. It gave her the opportunity to have these little talks with her fellow blonde.

He then hovered in front of her. "Anyway, enough of this pansy talk! You've slacked off enough already." And with a cocky grin on his face, "Let's see if you can finish the exercise without smacking right into a tower."

Eva chuckled (this time with more than just a hint of humor) before grabbing her own broom and flying towards the spectator towers for yet another round of practicing.

"McGonagall's really outdone herself this time." Draco scowled, thrusting his notes into his bag. "It's just been a couple of weeks since the start of classes and she already has us knee-deep in all this Transfiguration bollocks."

He and Eva had been doing the arduous research work assigned by their Transfiguration professor and were now exiting the library. Eva had noted that she and Draco were spending quite a lot of time together already but decided to forego commenting about it openly to avoid awkwardness or snide comments her new research buddy was rather inclined to make.

They usually got weird looks from their Slytherin friends (and a murderous one from a particular dark-haired girl) whenever they went off to do research together. But seeing as they didn't comment about it, she decided not to think too much into it. Besides, they barely talked whenever they did research in the library. All they really did was share a table and a couple of books.

Eva chuckled lightly. "Maybe she's planning on giving us another quiz."

"Another one?" Draco smirked. "That would be the death of Nott."

She recalled Theodore's hysterical reaction to the words 'pop quiz' and smiled. "Can't really blame him though. Professor McGonagall's quizzes are particularly difficult. I think that would be the death of us all."

Then her smile faltered when she realized they were walking down an empty hallway yet again. She figured students didn't particularly like going to the library. Eva couldn't help remembering what had happened with a certain Gryffindor in that same hallway. She hoped there would not be a repeat of those events.

As if reading her thoughts, Draco added with a darker scowl on his face, "Oh, but I bet that annoying swot Granger would just love a pop quiz."

He said it with so much hatred, Eva wondered what had happened between the two to cause such an anger in the blonde. She meant to inquire but the sudden change in his expression took her aback. He had a strange and menacing look in his narrowed eyes and his scowl was replaced by an equally menacing smirk.

It reminded her of a predator that had just spotted its dinner.

She followed his line of sight and sure enough there, walking towards them and struggling with a tower of books in her arms, was the prey.

Hermione. Bloody. Granger.

"Speak of the devil." Draco muttered, reaching for his wand.

Eva's blood ran cold. There it was again. It was as if the universe was taunting her with a replay of her moment of weakness. The Draco that was her flying coach, her research partner, her possible childhood pal and, she had just started to feel, her new confidante and friend had disappeared. The caring Draco had vanished and the Slytherin in him was now baring its fangs.

"Well look at what we have here." He sneered, crossing his arms.

Hermione peeked from behind the books and immediately frowned upon seeing the familiar face of the blonde. "Go away, Malfoy. I don't have time for your shenanigans."

She shot Eva a glare as well before continuing walking.

"And what makes you think I'm up to something?" Draco asked in a sickeningly innocent tone while holding up his wand and twirling it between fingers.

Hermione was completely unguarded. With all the books she was carrying, she wouldn't be able to reach for her wand to defend herself from whatever it was Draco was planning on doing. Not to mention, her best friends weren't around. It must have occurred to the Gryffindor girl for she stopped cold in her tracks. Her face was drained of color and her scowl was immediately replaced by a look of both hatred and utter fear.

"This is really happening, isn't it..." Eva thought, watching the exchange between the two with bated breath. Her pulse was going crazy. "It's happening all over again...Merlin, no..."

"Let's see..." The boy mused, tapping his wand against his temple in the gesture of thinking. Then, assuming the stance for dueling, "I think the old Incendio would be enough to teach you some manners."

Hermione gasped. "No, Malfoy!"

"Say goodbye to your precious books!"

Everything happened so fast.

There was a scream. Then a jet of scarlet light. And before anyone could register what had happened, Draco was wandless and lying on the stone floor a few feet away from both girls.

He groaned in pain and struggled to sit up. "What the hell..."

Shaking the pain at the back of his head off, his gray eyes immediately searched for the wizard that had cast the Disarming Charm. Hermione couldn't have cast it since both her hands were carrying books. Scarhead and Weasel were no where to be found. So who had the nerve to stand in his way? He turned to his fellow Slytherin.

Draco was shocked to find that her wand was not only out...but was also pointed at him.

Finally understanding what had happened, his expression darkened. "YOU?"

Eva stood firmly, bringing her wand hand back to her side. It shook lightly.

A couple of seconds earlier, Draco had pointed his wand at Hermione but before he could finish pronouncing the spell that would set fire to the girl's books and quite possibly to her as well, Eva had grabbed her own wand and had cast, "Expelliarmus!" Her wand, emitting the streak of red light, had disarmed the boy and had knocked him backwards.

Draco slowly got to his feet, never once taking his eyes away from Eva. She felt his hatred shoot down her spine. He glared at her like he had never done before. It was darker than any glare she had seen him shoot at anybody, including the Gryffindor standing in shock beside her. There was an unfathomable fire behind his darkened eyes and from the look he had in them now, she could comprehend only the following: deep anger, disgust and hatred. She was unnerved by the fact that she caused all of these.

"You? Of all people?" He seethed, clenching both fists until his knuckles turned white.

"Wait, Dra-"

"No! Don't you dare use my first name!" The boy snarled. "Only friends can use it...and you are now far from being one!"

Eva's face fell. So their friendship, if they had one in the first place, was now reduced to ashes... But she wasn't about to back down.

"But what you did was-"

"-wrong?" Draco snapped. His face had turned a violent shade of red and a vein at his temple was starting to protrude. "How dare you?"

He stomped towards Eva and angrily thrusted his finger at Hermione who was still shocked and speechless. "You know what kind of filth she is! She's muggle-born! In case you accidentally hit your head on one of the spectator towers and forgot, that means she's a damn Mudblood for Merlin's sake! A filthy, worthless little Mudblood!"

Something inside Eva just snapped.

Everything came rushing back to her tenfold. The pureblood society's discrimination against anything and anyone different. Her parents' overwhelming cruelty and arrogance. The closet she was once locked in, the bruises, the wounds...all because she was different.

And she was tired - bloody tired of it all.

"I know what it means!" Eva fumed, looking levelly up at him. "I know what is expected of me! Of us! But that's just not a good enough excuse to bloody hurt someone or treat them like trash!"

"Didn't seem to bother you before when I sent her papers out the window!"

"And that was my own mistake! I should have stopped you but I didn't...I just stood there like an idiot. I didn't even have the guts to help her." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Well I'm done just standing around doing nothing! I'm done being a coward!"

Draco gritted his teeth. "You bloody hypocrite...you of all people should understand that purebloods like us and filthy little Mudbloods like her can never get along! She is, and forever will be, beneath us!"

"What I understand is that this pureblood tradition and all those who uphold it can just go to hell!"

That did it. They were standing face-to-face in silence, seething and breathing heavily.

Something flashed quickly in the boy's eyes. It almost looked like hurt...and Eva almost felt sorry for what she said. But before she could delve deeper into it, Draco scowled, "I thought we were on the same page but it looks like you're on a whole different book now, aren't you?"

He took a couple of steps back and picked his wand up. Gruffly stuffing it into his bag, Draco spat, "Guess it was stupid of me to think that we actually shared more than just appearances."

It was Eva's turn to feel the sting. She had also felt the connection with him during the times they spent together. She saw him as a friend then. A good friend, even. She felt her heart break now that everything was crumbling before her and there was nothing she could do to fix it.

"Find yourself a new flying coach, Bellator." He said bitterly as he turned to go. "I'm done with you."

And he left.

A/N: Btw. Don't let the title mislead you into thinking the story's done. HAHAHA. It is far from being over.

Anyway, how was it? :(

Now that was the hardest chapter I had to write so far. I honestly even put off coming up with this chapter because I guess it was just heartbreaking for me. I'm used to writing in a lighter mood and this is by far the most intense fight I came up with hahaha. Unfortunately, it won't be the last for Eva and Draco. *sigh*

We can't really blame Draco though for feeling that way and for doing these things. We all know his background.

Thanks for the reviews! Keep 'em coming! :)