Hate's Just a Word
Chapter FIVE: The Dance
Lindsay and Draco were in the library finishing their project. They were just about done. It was due in two days, but the sooner they finished, the better.
"The ingredients just mentioned are very important and needed to be mixed in particular order. The potion needs to be precise to work. It takes about a month to make, and a full moon is needed to finish it up. The last ingredient is the most important one. The last ingredient is something part of the person the maker wishes to transform into such as a hair. A successful Polyjuice Potion will turn the maker's appearance into the others. The Potion is only successful for one hour. After an hour, the maker will revert back to his normal appearance. Such an incident has occurred at Hogwarts back in 1994, involving a false Professor Moody and Bartemius Crouch Jr…"
At last they were close to the finish. They just needed to come up with a conclusion paragraph. Draco flexed his fingers. They hurt from all that writing. Both were happy to be done with the project and finally get rid of each other, but secretly, both were kind of disappointed to see the end of the project. They had gotten use to each other, and maybe this project might have been an excuse to see each other.
"So, the Harvest Dance is coming up," Lindsay said, casually, trying to make a non-offensive conversation. "Who're you going with?"
Draco stared for a second. "Probably, Pansy, as usual. Why? You interested?"
Lindsay rolled her eyes. "No."
"You're going to ask Weasel then?" He said.
"No. He'll be going with Hermione. They love each other, but don't realize it yet. Okay, Hermione is well aware, but Ron's view is a bit clouded and preoccupied," Lins said. "No, I'm thinking about asking Harry."
Draco stared with disbelief. "Harry?"
"Yeah, Harry," She repeated. A smirk crept on her face. "Jealous?"
"Pfft, yeah right," He said. "Come on, let's get on with it."
"Good idea," She said. She started to dictate again, and finally the project was complete. They looked it over, but it was perfect.
"YES! Finally done! I'm free," Lindsay said, loudly, with happiness. Madame Pince hissed a warning at her. She didn't care. She was expressing her liberation. "It's been…incredibly annoying and stupid. Now, I'm free. Goodbye, Draco Malfoy."
"Goodbye, Darling," He said, mockingly. "I'll put a good word in for you with Harry."
That meant a bad word, but she didn't care. She was free. The two went their separate ways. It was finally over. Lindsay let the smile leave her face. She didn't feel the satisfaction she thought she would feel. She was happy, but at the same time she was kind of sad. She stopped walking and froze for a second. 'Wait a second… Do I like that…jerk? Did I get attached to him? Jeez, it was the looks. It's ALWAYS the looks…'
It didn't matter. She had no interest in being with him. (If she did, she would hide it well as she was forgetting about it.) But for some odd reason, she felt as if she was going to miss him. It was a weird, and unsettling feeling. 'It IS the looks…' She went back to Gryffindor Common Room and announced to every one that she was free. They applauded her. Lavender and Parvati still claimed that she was lucky. She strongly disagreed with that, but again the word looks kept making a guest appearance in her head.
She decided to go to bed early that night. She wanted to get you-know-who out of her mind. That proved to be an impossible task. She spent half the night, tossing and turning. She couldn't get that thing off her mind. She realized she had to admit it to herself before she could ever get to sleep. She hated when that happened. The truth did hurt… 'You win, you evil inner-me. I miss Draco Malfoy. I got used to him, and I do find him extra attractive. I might even want him in some strange, twisted way. Okay! Happy now? I just want to sleep…'
Needless to say, she fell asleep after the stunning revelation.
---
Potions class came along, and everyone handed in their projects. Lins was quite excited for this. It really meant the end of working with him. But she was also contradicting herself. She knew she would miss the evil, annoying blonde-haired beauty. Oh, well. She was going to get rid of that liking, anyway. Potions went by slowly, though. Snape went on forever about nothing, as usual, and they just took notes. Lins spent the class staring at the Malfoy boy she hated so much.
At the end of class, she headed off with Ron as usual. They were on their way to Care of Magical Creatures.
"Snape is a toad," Ron said to her. She nodded.
"If you ever want to die of boredom, he's the man for you," She said, laughing.
"Hey, you're a free woman now," Ron said. Lins nodded.
"I know and it's very exciting," Lindsay said. "No more working with that thing…for now… It's only November…I have a feeling I'll be suffering for the rest of the year…"
"Nah, well maybe, but hopefully not," Ron said, trying to be encouraging. He failed miserably.
"Hey, Lins!" Ron and Lins stopped and looked behind them. Harry was calling out her name. She stopped and waited for him.
"You go on, okay?" She told Ron. He narrowed his eyes, and stared for a second, but went on. Harry approached her.
"Draco told me," He said. Lins refrained from rolling her eyes.
"Wonderful," She mumbled.
"The answer is yes," He said. She stared, taken aback.
"Yes? Are you sure? Do you even know what the question is?" She asked, making sure this wasn't another one of Draco's fun little pranks.
"You wanted to go to the dance with me, right?" He asked. She nodded, slowly. "Then yes to all of your questions…"
"Oh, okay then," She said. They started to walk to class. Lins was confused about something. Did Draco actually do something…nice? Harry must really be rubbing off on him.
"I'm surprised you didn't ask Ron," Harry said as they walked.
"Ron's a nice guy. He's a friend. Plus, I think he should be with Hermione. They love each other," She said. She quickly looked over at him. "Maybe you didn't want to hear that?"
"It's okay. I'm not jealous…okay, a little. I'm not worried about it," Harry said. "Anyway, Draco said you wanted to go with him, but he turned you down so you settled for me."
Lins remembered why she hated Malfoy. "Harry, you're a friend, but please don't mind me calling you an idiot for believing that crap. Of course he would say that… I'm not in love with Malfoy!"
"Eh, sorry," Harry said, sheepishly. They made it to their class. Lins went and sat in her normal seat. Everyone made it and Hagrid went on the lesson as usual. She wasn't really paying attention. She felt more like not thinking about anything. Suddenly a piece of paper flew by her, barely missing her head. It was a flying note. It landed on her lap, and she guessed it was from Malfoy. It always was. He was determined to never leave her alone. She stared at it, and didn't want to open and act like she cared. But she was curious. She opened up the piece of paper.
To my dearest Lindsay,
I miss you being next to me in the night. You won't even look at me. We should really get together more often. You know you want me. I'm sure you recall a certain potions class. You do find me attractive. Now, admit that you want me… I'll be waiting.
Yours truly,
Draco Malfoy
She looked up at over at him. He was waiting for a reaction. She simply glared and flipped him off. She decided to write a note back to him.
Malfoy,
You're a loser. You're the biggest git the world's ever seen.Get over yourself. I don't want you. Leave me alone. Just go away and die or something. You're quite annoying, but whatever. Bother me if you must. Or you could get a life. The answer will always be no.
-Lins
P.S. Thanks for the 'good words'. He said yes, and he never really believed you when you said that I was in love with you.
She sent the note back to him. She watched him as he read it and frowned. He looked back at her and mouthed some curses, but at the end he had to add a 'You know you want me.' She just rolled her eyes, and looked at Hagrid while he went on talking. God, Draco made life so much more complicated. She liked her new friends, but she wished she didn't have the burden. And the more Draco said that she wanted him, the more she would believe it. Avada-Kedavraing herself seemed like a good idea and she was seriously considering it. It would solve all her problems.
---
The Harvest Dance came. It was a near-end of November event. It was Dumbledore's idea. He wanted the children to keep their mind off the growing danger of Voldemort and such. He knew they needed to have some fun. Everyone got ready. Harry and Lins were going together. Ron and Hermione were going together (as predicted). It promised to be fun. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lindsay headed off together to the dance. They all looked very nice. Especially Hermione. She looked the best out of the group. Harry was becoming more defined and better looking. They went together to the Great Hall. It was decorated with Autumn themes. Music was playing and everyone was filing in. People were already dancing.
Hermione dragged Ron out to dance. Harry and Lindsay looked at each other, and smiled nervously.
"Do you want to…?" Harry started to ask.
"Uh, only if you want to," She said.
"Sure, but I'm horrible," He said.
"Me too," She said. The two went out to the dance floor, near Ron and Hermione. Harry put his hand on her waist, and the other hand grasped on hers. They started to move their feet. Harry led, but it wasn't much help. Hermione was trying desperately to help Ron, but she was being stepped on a lot. The group danced for a while. They took their breaks, standing and talking, and eating, and drinking.
"I like this song," Harry said. He looked at Linds. She nodded, and let Harry lead the way. They started to dance again. Suddenly, Draco appeared out of absolutely nowhere, dancing with Pansy.
"Hey you two," He said, greeting as if they were both his friends. As a matter of fact, only one of them was his friend. Pansy was horrible looking as usual, and she had a nasty smirk on her face. "Having fun?"
"Yeah," Harry replied. Draco looked over at Lindsay.
"Loads of it," Lindsay replied, glaring at the Malfoy boy.
"I bet you're jealous because he took me instead of you. We all know you're in love with him," Pansy suddenly said. Lindsay looked over at her.
"Oh, yeah, jealous," Lindsay replied sarcastically. "You go on and have Malfoy, uh…what was your name again… uh, whatever. I'm satisfied with who I'm with at the moment. He is Harry Potter…"
Pansy glared, and Harry wasn't sure whether to interfere or not.
"Well, we'll be seeing you later," Draco said. He started to wander off, but not before sending a wink Lindsay's way. She felt frustrated, but wouldn't let him ruin her good time.
"Harry, I don't understand how you stand him. He is a Slytherin and more importantly, he's a Malfoy," Lindsay said, with a sigh.
"You don't understand it…" Harry said, softly.
"He said that to me, too," Lindsay said, exasperated. "I have my theories, though."
"Theories?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, you wouldn't be interested…" She said, innocently. Harry suppressed a laugh.
"Try me."
"Okay," She said, smiling. "One of you is using the other. Ron thinks that he was using you. I'd have to disagree. I think you may be using him. You know, Death Eater's son… soon to be follower of You-Know-Who, and you're the defender of all that is good and justice. Anyway, you're in the fight against You-Know-Who, so you should get all the info you can."
Harry stared, before chuckling to himself. "I like it… Yes, I may be using Malfoy to get information about Voldemort…Oh, sorry. You-know…" But she didn't flinch. "You didn't flinch…"
"No, I never really believed in him. I mean, I was just an infant. I don't remember him, so I really never believed in him…"
"You do realize he exists and he's back?"
"Of course, I'm in your classes, Harry. You've told us all…" Lindsay said. "I realized he existed after the Triwizard Tournament, but what's the big deal? He was defeated by a baby…"
"You are aware what he did before I was born, right? He killed tons of people, my parents, included," Harry said, seriously. Lindsay nodded.
"Yeah. My parents were killed as well as my grandparents," She said as if it were just some random tragedy. Harry stared. He didn't know that.
"By Him?" He asked. Lindsay shook her head.
"By a Death Eater named Lucius…"
"Oh. Him…" Harry said, feeling sorry. "Sorry."
"Don't be… I didn't know them…"
"Is this why you hate Draco?" He asked. She shook her head.
"No, I hate him because he's a stupid git," She said, smiling a bit. Harry laughed. "I can tell, he shares the same beliefs as his father, but he'll never be even what half of his father is. He's too cowardly. Lucius does have cowardice, but nothing that compares to his son. Draco can never be a full-fledged Death Eater. He has a lot of cowardice and fear. He'll be on the side that lives…He's a good suck-up. BUT, enough about him. He's a loser."
"Okay, just one more question. Why were your family members killed?" He asked.
"Just innocent bystanders…" She said, with a sigh. They finally dropped the topic. After a little more dancing, they went off to sit down. Harry talked to Ron and Hermione a bit and Lindsay relaxed. The dance went on for a while, and soon it was drawing to a close. Lindsay was relaxed and sat down, listening to the music. Harry had went to talk to Hagrid for a little bit. She was waiting for his return. She stared down at her lap, and listened to the music, intently. Suddenly, she heard her name being called.
"Lindsay," The voice said. It was who she thought to be Harry. She looked up, but she didn't see Harry. Instead, she saw Draco walking towards her at a fast speed. There was no escape. She stood up and faced him, for she had no other choice.
"What do you want?" She asked, bitterly. Draco smirked, and extended his hand.
"This dance, actually," He said. As if on a cue, a slow song came on. She couldn't believe it.
"Why would I ever say 'yes'?" She asked him, crossing her arms.
"Because you want to," He said, simply. She stared at him, frowning a little. She didn't want to, but she decided to be brave. She was going to make a statement and she gave into temptation. She took his hand and he grinned. He led her out to the dance floor. Many stared. They were worst enemies, and now suddenly, they were dancing. Draco put his arm around her waist, and pulled her quite closer than necessary. She kept her patience. She wouldn't be tempted by him. She would dance with him with patience. She wouldn't give him a bloody nose. She put her hand around his neck and they danced. It was a bloody spectacle. Everyone seemed to be watching out of the corners of their eyes. They danced fiercely, and it was attention catching. They didn't take their eyes off each other the whole time. They kept direct eye contact the whole time. He had a smirk on his face, and she had a glare on hers.
The way they danced was perfect. They were in sync and they did not make one mistake. It was perfect fit, except they did not match. Lindsay didn't want to admit that it was comfortable. It was a comfortable fit. She liked his hand on her waist, and she liked touching his neck. She liked that they were so close that they could feel the breath of the other. At the same time, she hated it so much. After what seemed like forever, the song ended. The stopped in their tracks, and stared at each other. It seemed there was the secret message between them. It was loud and clear. They wanted each other. Maybe it was some sexual attraction, lust, or something, but neither would admit it if their lives depended on it.
"What would you do if I snogged you, right here, right now?" Draco asked. Lindsay stared at him, appalled by his question.
"Punch your face in," Lins replied. Draco smiled.
"Good. Just making sure you didn't get too use to me," He said.
"Never," She replied. She took her hand from his neck. He released her hand, and then removed his hand from her waist. They stared at each other for a moment, before going off in opposite directions.
She went back and took her seat. Harry was there. She felt herself redden. She just danced with another guy. Her attractive enemy, in fact. She wondered if Harry felt at all betrayed or ditched. She sat down next to him and looked at him.
"I saw you two," He said.
"I guess everybody did," She said, disappointed by that.
"You danced well with him," Harry said. She shrugged and shook her head.
"He's a loser and I hate him, still. Know that, my friend," She said, clarifying her stance. "I don't care how I danced when I was with him. I only did it because it was unexpected."
"I know you dislike him. You won't let me forget it," Harry said, smiling. Lindsay smiled back. Ron suddenly came towards her, practically flying, and Hermione was trailing.
"What was that?" Ron asked, demanding an answer. "You were just dancing with Malfoy!"
"I think she's aware of that, Ron," Hermione said. She mouthed a 'sorry' to Lindsay.
"It was her way to torment Draco," Harry said. "I tried to stop her, but she refused to listen. She stepped on him bunches."
"No you didn't. I was watching."
"You and the rest of the school," Lindsay muttered, unhappily. "It was nothing, Ron. I was proving a point to Malfoy. And I was tormenting him. If only you were close enough to hear the conversation."
"Nothing more?" Ron asked. She nodded.
"I'm not part of the DMOC," She said. "I never will be. Now, go off and dance."
Hermione mouthed a 'thank you' and the two left.
"Wanna dance?" Lindsay asked Harry. He nodded. The two went up and danced. The dance ended, and everyone headed back to their dorms to go to bed. Lindsay was thinking about Draco again, and luckily, she didn't see him as she was living. She couldn't stop thinking about him. She felt so right being in his arms. She hated her conflicting feelings, and wished she would just make up her mind. In the common room, she gave Harry a hug and kiss on the cheek, and thanked him for the fun. She went up stairs and changed into her pajamas. She laid on her bed, staring at the ceiling. It was his fault. He was good looking, but he was also totally mean. He had his moments, but then he would go and be such a loser.
The other girls came in. Lavender and Parvati came in and they looked at her.
"You awake, Lindsay?" Lavender asked. She sat up and looked at them. She might as well deal with them now instead of pretending she was asleep and deal with them later.
"Uh-huh," She replied, quietly.
"We saw you dancing with Malfoy," Lavender said.
"It was very romantic," Parvati said.
"He wasn't my date, you know," She said. "Harry was, just as friends of course. Malfoy and I aren't involved romantically."
"Oh, then why were you dancing with him?" Lavender asked.
"Good question," She said to herself.
"Nonetheless, you guys look cute together," Parvati said. "If you get together, I will be extremely jealous, but I'll support you."
"Er…thanks…if that were to happen…" Linds said.
"Same here," Lavender said.
"Right," She said. She laid back down and closed her eyes, trying her hardest to go to bed.