Part Two
It was a cool, crisp December morning, the kind you've longed to wake up to until it finally comes. Ron pulled himself out of bed, and rubbed his eyes. This marked the day he indefinitely lost all he had hoped for the day of September 4th. Taking off his pinstriped pajamas, he headed towards the shower; pining to relieve the agony his muscles were holding. Stepping under the hot water, and emitting a soft sigh of comfort, he just let the water fall on him for a long while. After what seemed to be about a good hour, he stepped out, wrapping a towel around his slim waist.
It seemed like only yesterday he was cuddled up next to her on the couch downstairs. That day had always seemed like yesterday, and it most likely would five years from now. He rubbed his eyes, and got dressed. It was a Monday. He sighed. It was the week before Christmas holiday. He'd be staying at Hogwarts again, hanging out with Harry, wishing he had Hermione to detest while she was away with her parents. Ugh, things could be a lot simpler if Malfoy would just drop off the face of the earth already. Obviously it had come to him many a time that he could just find a new girl to carry on with. Since his first year, Ron had developed into a man. Though he was still tall, and skinny...He had become leaner, and his face grew from homely boyish looks to tall silent stud. He wasn't what Cedric Diggory was, and he would never look much like his brother, Bill, but he did have quite the selection of females. Shrugging these useless thoughts off, he sat on his bed, and ran his fingers through his hair a few times, letting it air dry as always. "Pfft. I'll bet Malfoy blow-dries his lock...probably styles it, too..." he was getting frustrated again. Deciding it'd be better to continue these charades downstairs, Ron carried himself to the common room and slid into an easy recliner. "Things could be worse, couldn't they? I mean..." he trailed off on that sentence.
Since word had gotten out that Lindsey was finally with Draco... well...things had been a lot harder. Not only because the girl of his dreams was courting with some dufus, but because all of his friends seemed be dating girls. Seamus and Hermione had been going steady for about 3 months, going on four. Harry started seeing Parvati Patil, and Dean was railing some fifth year in Hufflepuff. He was left out. The only one of 'the guys' to be single. Single since he was born, and that was how it was going to be until Lindsey gave up on that promiscuous git, Malfoy. But, deep inside, he knew already that there was no hope. Supposing there was only one way out of this rut, he decided he was going to do what Dean and a lot of other boys had been doing: Hufflepuffs. Not only were they duffers, but they were seemingly naïve, and didn't really care that they were being used. It seemed like the only way Ron could ever get over Lindsey was to start doing a fourth year.
At 9 o'clock in the morning, Lindsey walked briskly towards the Charms classroom on the second floor. While cutting through all the students in the study, she noticed a familiar backside: Gavin. She stopped short, and felt her breath being cut-off. He was about to turn around. Looking around her frantically, Lindsey pulled her friend, Larisse Badtmen, in front of her, and said quietly "It's Gavin..." Larisse nodded, and tried her best to keep Lindsey out of view. And she did quite well...Until Gavin decided he wanted to walk around the both of them while they were absent-minded. He took Lindsey by the wrist, playing it off at a loveable notion, and dragged her behind the nearest bookcase.
"You've been avoiding me since September."
"I know. I've got someone to look after me. I love him."
"You don't."
"I don't? What are you aiming at, I don't?"
"He doesn't love you. No body cares about you."
"Fuck you. People care."
"No, they really don't. They all want you because you have a pair of breasts. No body wants to be your friend. They feel obligated due to your lack of cultural sameness."
Lindsey slapped Gavin. She knew it was a bad idea, but at that point, she could hardly give a damn. Just as she was turning on her heel to leave, he grabbed her by the collar, and slapped her just as hard (if not harder) as she had him. Holding the right side of her face, her eyes watering, Lindsey ran from the spot, and literally jumped into the Charms classroom. All eyes were on her, and the right side of her face, which she so blatantly forgot about. Her skin burned with humiliation, a bruised side of the face in front of her friends, her peers, teacher...and boyfriend. She shamefully walked to her desk next to Draco, and took a seat. He was awed, and the anger shown fierce fully in his eyes. Lindsey glanced at him meekly, and shown a weakened smile.
When Professor Flitwick was giving his daily talk outside to an unruly student, Draco slid his chair close to Lindsey to examine her face. "Who did this, babe?" He asked, in a very particularly shrew voice.
"G-...no one. I slammed into a bookcase, is all."
"Bull. It was Gavin." Lindsey looked at him. She was terribly troubled that Draco saw her like this. She wanted to put her head down and cry. Cry it all away. She was stronger than that, though. She knew she would get through this. "That fuckin' bastard. He's dead. Pulverized when I get the hell outta this bloody classroom." Lindsey loved how he cared about her. Loved how he'd kill just about anyone who touched her. But, she did NOT want Draco to get hurt whilst 'pulverizing' Gavin Brown. "No, don't. It'll be okay. I just... I don't want you to get hurt or in trouble. I'll just have to like, stay away from him better, that's all." "Stay away from him? Jesus, Lindsey, you're in the same house as him!" Her cheeks went red, and she could tell something else was on Draco's mind. Picking right up on it might have been she said clearly, "I'm not cheating on you." His face dropped, and when he gathered himself back together, he said quite shortly, "That doesn't surprise me." He smiled, and grazed her cheek with his lips, turning back to the front to pay attention to the class.
They learned mostly about a silencing charm, which was mostly used for the Unspeakables in the Ministry. Draco failed horribly at this charm. Half of the class did. Only a few Ravenclaws actually got the hang of it, silencing people in the class at random, and each other. When the class was over, Draco made sure everyone knew that Lindsey was his. He held her by the hand, and occasionally would nuzzle her cheek, whisper in her ears, making her giggle. By this time, her face wasn't as red, and only a simple bruise resided where Gavin had struck her. He wasn't found in the study room, and no body knew where he was, for that matter. Of course how all stories go, every man in the school was on the watch for him. Not only had he hit a girl, he had hit Lindsey Nolan, the girl. Draco had every Slytherin on the look out for him, and Ron had every Gryffindor. Of course, there were some who had no interest in it, because they were fearful, or were Gavin's friends. But, it had seemed almost like Gavin disappeared off the face of the planet.
Still kind of fuming, Draco went to his dormitory, and collapsed onto his four-poster, and looked angrily at the canopy. There wasn't any way he could protect her. He promised himself he would never let anything ever happen to her. And look what happened: He hit her. He laid hands on her. He remembered how her face looked. So scared, and hurt. That stupid bastard. What did he have against Lindsey? What did he have against me? Draco couldn't find any answers, and it frustrated him even more. It was his last year of schooling, and he wanted to marry Lindsey. He planned on asking her after their graduation; he had given her the ring already, but he had another. That ring was merely a promise one. He had everything planned out. He had more than enough money in an account set aside for his first house. He'd get furnishings passed down to him...they were going to have a beautiful life, and he knew it well.
Ron fell on the bed, naked, next to Peth Albi. She looked at him adoringly, and caressed his chest, kissing his shoulders, bestowing all of her love on him. He looked away in disgust. Disgust for her, himself...disgust of everything he had just done. He got up from her bed, and wrapped a sheet around his waist, and walked to the end of the four-poster to retrieve his clothes. Peth sat up, and scowled, knowing she was being used. She was a very pretty girl, long blonde hair, and violet eyes. She was tall, and slim, her long legs dazzled most of the male population at Hogwarts. She knew, like everyone else, that Ron longed for that Lindsey Nolan number. She spoke up, "Was it okay?" Ron looked at her with pity showing absolutely in his face. "It was fine." He whispered quietly. She sighed heavily, and joined him looking for clothes. She picked up her jeans and pink shirt, and slipped them on, quietly. Tears were welling in her eyes. She loved Ron desperately, hence why she gave herself to him when he asked. She was a fifth year in Slytherin. Normally, a Gryffindor and a Slytherin wouldn't be caught in the same room. But she had admired him the first day she stepped foot in Hogwarts. She remembered when she was a first year, how Sirius Black had broken into the school. How she heard that Ron's leg had gotten broke, and how she had visited him everyday. He wanted nothing to do with her. Until this year, he hardly even knew she existed. She was a Slytherin, he, a Gryffindor. He wasn't very tolerant of these two houses mixing.
He looked at her, she was deep in thought, and he wondered what she was thinking about. Grief over-took him. He wondered why he couldn't be a suitable...partner... and just cuddle with her sometimes. Hold her. After all, it's what he wanted, wasn't it? Yes. He couldn't lie to himself. His heart wanted to rule his decisions, but he wouldn't allow it. Not unless she turned into Lindsey. He let out a sigh. Even as they were making love, they weren't close. He was full of greed, taking it all for himself, not caring whether it had hurt her or not. What am I turning into? He asked himself in shame. He walked to her, wrapping his arms around her in the still quiet. Her arms were tense for a moment or two, but she embraced him full-heartedly. Ron knew she was savoring it. It was what she wanted all along. He let go of her, and kissed her softly on the cheek, and walked out of the dormitory, down the stairs, into the Slytherin common room. And who else should he see there but Lindsey? His ears were absolutely red, and he turned away from her when she waved happily. The only thing he had seen was her ring. That beautiful ring.
He stormed out of the room, tears of aggression forming in his eyes. He knew why she was there: to be with Draco. She loved him, he loved her...it worked out for everyone but Ron. Everyone knew it, but didn't want to admit it. Hell, even he didn't want to admit that his life was going down the drain. His last year in Hogwarts would be spent fucking a fifth year with no respect for herself. He wiped his tears of rage away calmly, and just walked to Gryffindor tower. He knew no one there would notice if he was gone or present, but it was the only place he felt needed.
Lindsey felt horrible. She knew what Ron had been doing. She saw his hair a mess, and she saw Peth saunter down the stairs. She cringed to herself in mere disgust. How could a nice guy like Ron go and do something like that? She didn't know. She tried not to care, but it was in her head for a good portion of the night. She went up the Boys dormitory stairs and knocked on Draco's door. "Come in." Draco's soft, but audible voice came trailing to her. She smiled, and let herself in. She didn't see him anywhere, but she noticed the bathroom light was on. She smiled anxiously, and decided to get a glimpse for herself. She quietly shut the door, and tip-toed to the bathroom, where the door was slightly ajar. She peeked in, seeing her gorgeous beau stripped down to only a pair of jeans. She had realized that she'd never seen any part of Draco bare, other than his hands and face. His skin was pale, like the color of his face, and he was hairless, too. His smooth back was strong, and sculpted, very sensuous. Longing to see him from the front, and to touch him, and just feel him, Lindsey backed away from the door. She took her own robe off, and took off her shoes, socks, and sweatshirt. She stole a quick glance in the mirror next to her, and studied herself for a moment or two: She wore her old ripped jeans, and studded belts, accompanied with a white tank top. She smiled, and again, tiptoed to the bathroom. Draco was now facing the mirror in the bathroom, where she saw, partially, his wondrous body. He was gorgeous! Not so built to the point of revulsion, but just enough to send any girl wild. She opened the bathroom door quietly, and slipped inside. He saw her in the mirror, and turned around quickly. Smiling sweetly, Lindsey bounded towards him, and wrapped her arms lovingly around his neck. His body was warm on hers, and she felt his hands linger on her back. He smiled down at her. "I thought you were one of the guys..."She laughed, and put her head against his chest. Hearing is heartbeat was a beautiful thing, and she could stand there and listen for hours on end.
As she stood there, just daydreaming on his chest, Draco had a good idea. He picked up Lindsey, making her shriek and giggle with delight. He smiled, and shouted, and put her in the bathtub, and turned on the shower water. She rubbed her eyes and gasped. "You're so dead!" she leaped up, and jumped on him, getting him soaking wet. He didn't mind at all. He laughed and smiled, and let her bring him down into the tub. He was laying length-wise in the tub, letting the water fall on him. Lindsey straddled him, and stretched out high to let the water soak her completely. After she had her fill of fun, she smiled, and looked down at Draco, who looked at her intently. She shifted on his groin, unintentionally arousing him. She snorted and giggled uncontrollably. "Stop, it's not funny." He said while laughing along with her. She stopped for a moment, and looked down at her shirt, which was completely see-through, do the fact that it had been white. And even worse, the top had an attached bra to it, so she didn't bother wearing a separate one. So, now with Draco very pleased himself, and Lindsey's breasts exposed, the two shared an awkward moment. "You know..." Draco started, sitting up a bit, rubbing Lindsey's waist. She smiled. "What?" a smirk slid across his face, and he slipped his thumbs underneath her shirt, right at her stomach. Barely noticing, Lindsey asked again. "What is it?" She was giggling and smiling now, not even realizing her own erectness. "Well, since I have my shirt off, it's only fair for you to take yours off." Her jaw dropped, and she giggled. "You pervert!" she said teasingly, kissing him lightly. She saw the way his brows were cocked, and she knew he wasn't kidding. And for some reason, she didn't even care.
Smiling, he pulled her top off, over her head, and threw it onto the floor beside the tub. She giggled endlessly, and Draco's smirk grew wider. Lindsey's heart was going at a high rate, and she could barely control her breathing. As his hands felt their way up her torso slowly, Draco studied every inch of Lindsey's body. His thumbs rubbed her little belly teasingly, and his long fingers ran down her back, making her shiver slightly. He pressed against her back with one hand, and slowly moved the other in-between her breasts, feeling her heart beat very fast. Her nipples were erect, their pink-fleshy color was something different than Pansy's dark ones. He looked up at Lindsey, who looked down at his hands intently, and seemed like she was concentrating. Her anxiousness was pouring into him, and he finally gave her what she wanted: He pressed both of his thumbs on either one of her nipples, and rubbed lightly, and fixedly, watching as water droplets from the shower slowly ran over her boobies, causing goose bumps to form along the way. She sighed softly in pleasure, and he looked at her and smiled. She arched her neck, and her eyes were closed softly, her head was slightly lulling. He let out a tiny crack of laughter, making Lindsey look down and giggle. He sat up, now, and took her lips into his. She pulled away from him, and looked worried. "I don't know if I'm ready to...you know...do it." Draco laughed. "Babe, we weren't going to." She smiled and kissed him again.
After fooling around a little more, Lindsey got off of Draco, and out of the tub. He followed the suit, and shut off the water. "Man." She said softly, seeing that her shirt was still soaking wet. She looked at her jeans, which were barely on, hanging dangerously low around her hips. Draco smirked, and beaconed her to follow him out of the bathroom, into his dormitory. He went through his drawers, and fished out one of his shirts, and his smallest pair of jeans, and handed them over to her. She smiled, and changed right there, not caring how she looked. She figured one day Draco'd see the rest of her anyhow. She inhaled the aroma of his shirt, and hugged him tightly, his clothes now changed, too. "Listen," she started, giggling as she pulled away from his soft kisses on her neck. "I gotta go. I have to get dressed, and then go to Transfiguration." Draco smiled, and kissed her one last time on her cheek, and let her off. "Hmmm." He sighed, and got his robes on, and headed down the stairs into his common room. Relief washed over him when he saw no one was there. That meant no one would be talking about how Lindsey was sneaking about in his dorm.
He paced a little in the common room, trying to figure out what to do with himself. Eventually, he headed towards his Defense Against The Dark Arts class. The new teacher was ludicrous, and didn't know anything about the dark arts, only making the students read from the book every class, and occasionally making them demonstrate their abilities. He sighed, and pushed the door in. The first one there. As usual, he took his seat in the back, and threw his book upon his desk, ignoring the loud sound that resulted in doing this. He was feeling good; better than he ever had before. He had forgotten what it was like to hold a woman the way he had today. Three months ago he was crying himself to sleep almost every night. And now, having the girl of his dreams, and being so very in love, he did everything but cry.
There was an obstacle, though. Mister Lucious Malfoy didn't know anything about his son's newly found romance. Draco was scared to tell him. He was afraid he'd reject any type of love Draco had for someone who wasn't a pureblood like him. A month ago, Lindsey had sat him down and told him. She explained that if he didn't want muggle flowing through his probable, someday children's veins, he should let go. Draco couldn't hear this. He did want full-blooded wizarding children, but if the price to pay was a quarter way muggle, he'd pay it.
People were coming in the classroom now, gossiping, chatting, and laughing. Draco sat intently, and watched as they all took their seats, occasionally turning around to talk to the person behind them. He let out a sigh in the action of a chest heave, and rubbed his eyes of their stinginess from the water earlier on. He couldn't help but smile to himself, being the only real happy person in the room. He had something over everyone else in that classroom: Love. Six years ago, no body would have thought they'd see the day when he finally reached the point where he had a steady girlfriend. No body had believed he'd ever be happy, and that no sensible, respectable woman would finally cradle him in their therapeutic, revitalizing, loving, arms. Finally...finally, he had proved them wrong. There was a stark unfamiliarity in his mind as he looked around the room. He felt adult, and experienced. He looked around; saw all these seventeen-year-olds acting as if they were thirteen, just upon entering puberty and junior high. It disgusted him totally and absolutely. There were times when he wondered why he bothered with such people as these. There was something surreal about leaving Hogwarts. The place where had called home for the better part of seven years. The teacher finally came to the classroom, but the difference in noise was hardly detectable. They shortly went over vampires and did a review on werewolves, and then the rest of the class was the student's time.
Draco walked slowly out of the classroom, not really sure what he should be doing with himself. In the back of his mind, he knew another class would have to be the next stop, but he really couldn't concentrate on teachers and their subjects today. He felt odd, and uneasy, not exactly right, so to speak. He walked down the second floor corridor, and bumped into countless amounts of people, not realizing for one second after it happened. When he came to a dead halt in his way, he grimaced, and slouched down, his books dropping at his side, laying open for anyone to read.
He cupped his head in his hands, not sure what to feel. For a moment, it had felt like anxiety, an exasperation fueling the flame of this nonsensical way of thinking and behaving. He felt lonely, and somehow, afraid. He dug a little deeper.
He was four at the time, and had just been abruptly awoken from his sleep by the screams of his mother, and the one-toned silent voice of his father. It wasn't the first time it had happened, and now when he thought about it, it was certainly nothing new, either. He remembered getting out of his "big boy" bed and wandering down the hall, remaining in the shadows, watching Lucious sneer at Narcissa, throwing her onto the ground, and hitting her. He remembered standing there, concealed from both parents, silent tears streaming down his cheeks, praying silently that father wouldn't hit mother any more. Mother. She was beautiful: pale skin, and blonde hair. Her eyes were a discriminated shade of blue, and she was tall, thin, and absolutely confident. He went to a time when he was 12, just entering his second year of Hogwarts. He had seen her cry because of Lucious, him being rude and abrupt with her. He shuddered at the thought. He would never treat his wife that way. His mother was an astonishingly wonderful person towards Draco, and towards Lucious, despite his repeated blows of fury cast upon her.
He stood up, and gathered his books; now realizing he was going to be late for Potions. Running towards the dungeons, he soon came to the classroom door, and made it just in time to be the last person to enter the cold, cold Potions classroom. He took his seat next to Hermione Granger, and sighed heavily. She glanced at him quickly. "You okay?" she whispered. He nodded, and sent a smile her way for thanks. He looked ahead of him, and saw Weasley, fire-eyed and upset, talking with Potter. Draco felt a little uneasy. "What's the deal with Weasley?" Hermione glanced up. "Something with some fourth year he's seeing, probably. Ron's been acting strange, these days. Not like he usually acts. You know how those jerk-guys go around sleeping with the under houses? Ron's doing the same. I don't know what's gotten into him." Draco snorted, and smirked to himself. What kind of girl would want to wake up with that next to them? He shrugged it off, not entirely sure why he still felt a little queer about it.