A/N: don't own don't sue

The lyrics at the beginning are from 'Goodbye My Lover' by James Blunt (told you)

It's not really the most interesting chapter or the most loveable in terms of content but hey in my defence this part is definitely needed to shove the plot along a little bit more. Thank you guys who updated they're answered at the end as usual and enjoy

Chapter Ten – Goodbye My Lover

Did I disappoint you or let you down?
Should I be feeling guilty or let the judges frown?
Cause I saw the end before we'd begun
Yes I saw you were blinded and I knew I had won
So I took what's mine by eternal right
Took your soul out into the night
It maybe over but it won't stop there
I am here for you if you'd only care
You touched my heart you touched my soul
You changed my life and all my goals
And love is blind and that I knew when
My heart was blinded by you
I've kissed your lips and held your head
Shared your dreams and shared your bed
I know you well I know your smell
I've been addicted to you
Goodbye my lover
Goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me
I am a dreamer but when I wake
You can't break my spirit – it's my dreams you take
And as you move on remember me
Remember us and all we used to be
I've seen you cry I've seen you smile
I've watched you sleeping for a while
I'd be the father of your child
I'd spend a lifetime with you
I know your fears and you know mine
We've had our doubts but now we're fine
And I love you I swear that's true
I cannot live without you
Goodbye my lover
Goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me
And I still hold your hand in mine
In mine when I'm asleep
And I will bear my soul in time
When I'm kneeling at your feet
Goodbye my lover
Goodbye my friend
You have been the one
You have been the one for me
I'm so hollow baby I'm so hollow
I'm so I'm so I'm so hollow

Framed in the doorway he looked terrifying and she took a hurried step back, the dresses in her arms falling silently to her feet as he calmly stepped into her room and closed the door behind him.

"So."

She continued to stare at him blankly, terror flickering in her eyes at the dark look on his face.

"Quite a development really, for a Sunday night it's very exciting."

She dropped her eyes to the floor and stared fixedly at the pile of clothes at her feet as though they held all the answers in the world.

"I'm…"

He cut her off before she even got halfway there and she swallowed against the block in her throat that accompanied the burning at the back of her eyes.

"Sorry? For what?" She chanced a glance at him and wished she hadn't; his face was set and deathly pale even for him, his eyes feverishly bright and boring into her. "For lying to me? For making me believe I knew you?"

She couldn't bring herself to look at him as she fell down onto the edge of her bed and twisted her hands together in her lap.

"How about for hurting me?"

A single tear rolled down her cheek and she hurriedly brushed it away with the back of her hand, biting back the rest before he could see her.

"Didn't think about that one when you were getting paid for it did you?"

She hung her head; her hair falling forwards like a curtain around her face as another tear silently dropped onto her clasped hands. She sniffled, tears leaking out of her closed eyes and dribbling down her cheeks to splash her jeans. She understood now; why he felt so betrayed. He had spent his entire time at Hogwarts building up a nasty hateful reputation to protect himself from the hurt he experienced so clearly when he got home. And she had just ruined all that without realising. By working her way into his affections she had broken down all his carefully set barriers and that was why he hated her. Not because she had lied to him but because she had hurt him where no one else could.

"Bet you, your brother and Potter had a right laugh finding out I could actually behave like a human."

She snapped her head up and shook it furiously; her horrified face a sickly white against the vibrant red hair framing it. She outstretched one of her hands towards him, tears running over her face and her pleading sparkling eyes searching his face.

"No… it wasn't like that, please… please… they never knew… no one ever knew… please… believe me…"

When he made no attempt to reach for her hand she dropped it back into her lap like a dead weight but her eyes refused to look away, the torrent of emotions raging behind the darkened slate orbs fixed on her reflecting her own confusion and yet she couldn't move either her gaze or her limbs.

"Why should I?"

Such desolate words seemed to take forever to reach her as though she were miles away rather than right in front of him. She dropped her gaze to his bare feet before sniffing and getting to her feet. She gathered her bags silently and moved past him towards the door, her eyes never once searching for his face as she left and he in turn refused to look at her. Until the door was closed he kept his eyes on the wall but once the door closed with a soft click behind her he spun around to face it as though expecting to see her there.

Studying the closed wooden door silently he gave a groan of desperation and sank down onto the bed she had just recently moved away from, his head in his hands as he let himself cry for the first time in years.

"She's gone then?"

Crystianna hadn't moved from her place in her chair by the fire when he returned, closing the door silently behind him and resting his back and head against it. He opened his eyes at the sound of her voice but made no attempt to move; in fact he merely shut his eyes again.

"How could you?"

She froze in her examination of her carefully manicured fingernails and looked up at him over them, the foot of the leg she had crossed over her other beginning to jig slightly.

"How could I? Simple; I didn't want to die."

He remained silent and immobile, his hands clasped behind his back on the knob of the door as though expecting to have to make a run for it sometime soon.

"You were safe, you always have been." She laughed bitterly. "I, unfortunately, don't have that luxury. I was trying to stay alive."

His hands tightened their hold on the door knob and he clenched his jaw slightly but gave no other indication of the anger raging inside him.

"So you put someone else in your place."

Crystianna felt a pinprick of shameful guilt which only served to anger her further as she went back to examining her nails.

"She was getting paid for it." She smiled cruelly at him. "And it's not like she was anybody important or anything anyway."

He was across the room in a flash, his hands at her shoulders as he shook her rather viciously for a second.

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare… try and play down the fact you almost got a perfectly innocent girl killed because of your mistakes."

He released her and turned on his heel to stare into the fire, anger curling his hands into fists at his sides. The fire bathed his skin in a warm glow giving him a rather healthier look than normal.

"OUR mistakes darling, you were there too."

He sighed and nodded in agreement at the fire, reaching out he dropped his hands onto the mantle and leant over slightly, his gaze still fixed on the fire.

"That's still no excuse to hurt her. What's she ever done to you?"

Crystianna narrowed her eyes before finally giving up her pretences of examining her nails and dropping her hand onto the arm of the chair. Instead she glared at his back, acutely aware of the powerful muscles on display under his bare skin.

"What is it about this girl that gets to you so much? If it had been anyone else you would have laughed it off, kicked her out and asked how I managed to get away from you for so long without you realising."

He smiled for a moment before letting his habitual cool fall back into place. She studied his still back for a moment before realisation clicked into place.

"Oh Draco, tell me you haven't. Not with her… of all people Draco!"

For a second his mind flickered to the night of the ball and he wondered how she knew when his mind caught on to what she was saying.

"I mean Slytherins falling in love is a stupid concept all together but with a Gryffindor Draco! And a poor, Weasley Gryffindor to boot. Oh Merlin what have you done? But don't worry we can get you back to normal, just keep you apart, feed you a few tasteful bimbos and we're back on track…"

Her voice faded out and he found his mind drifting to their various times alone; laughing, talking, flirting. It had all seemed mindless fun at the time but now… Crystianna had managed to push his mind into a realisation it had been trying to deny for the past month at least. Glancing up at the mirror above the fireplace he studied his reflection as he recalled everything from the night of the ball; every sound, touch, taste, smell of her and longing kicked into his loins so fiercely he clutched the mantle painfully tight.

"Draco are you even listening to me? Its OK there's no need to panic we can get through this just STAY CALM."

Crystianna seemed to be panicking enough for the both of them as she spun him bodily around from the fire and grabbed his shoulders tightly, her nails digging into his sweating flesh. He gazed down at her impassively and wondered how he could have ever gotten the two of them mixed up. Ginny's eyes were much softer and so much more expressive whether they blazed with anger or simmered with passion, she had a few more freckles on her nose and her bottom lip curved much more lusciously downwards.

He also realised that Ginny had only ever worn eye make-up and maybe a little lip gloss whereas Crystianna's face was carefully sculpted full of the stuff. You name it and it was caked to her face. He shook his head and took a hold of her shoulders again but this time only to move her arms from him.

"Crys, I love you right. You're my best friend and you always have been. That being said I'm pretty sure I can forgive you for what you've done to me and to Ginny. But right now… I need to sort a few things out. Alright?"

Crystianna stared at him dully for a moment before nodding and quietly leaving the room leaving Draco to muse over his thoughts and plan how he was going to get Ginny to forgive him for the things he'd said.

Lisi – thank you very much and here's your update

im no Muggle – yes updates updates, I'm rather liking this not having to get up early for classes stuff, it never had the same edge in high school cos no one actually bothered with the lessons anyway. Anyway thanks for the update and yes I did put that bit in just for you, oh alright well not just for you it fitted in nicely with the plot too

Calla-ForEvEa – here's your update

Angel Tears Fall – all girls can be mean and nasty when they want to be, it's a natural defence mechanism against men and the bitches of the world I guess. She's a Slytherin lol you better believe she's gonna pop up when and wherever the hell she likes :D

Nickel – hey one update per story will do me but if you feel like leaving a review per chapter hurray that's great I now love you! I'm easily pleased what can I say :)

Chantal J – updated for you

chrissyangel07 – I'm glad you do here's your update

JuzElizabeth – glad you like it here ya go