A/n: Welcome back! As we all know, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince just came out so this means the story is officially A/U, and that's exciting, but don't worry. I loved the book so much that towards the end of the school year, you'll be seeing some similairities. I'm now trying my best to insert subtle things in from the book. I shall still continue on. Next chapter will be posted tomorrow. Thanks to reviewers, and everyone please read and review.

Hate's Just a Word

Chapter SIX: Her Attractive Enemy

December rolled on in. Lindsay became more of a loner. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were busy and more secretive. They were probably doing their secret anti-Voldemort stuff. Harry had been spending less time with Draco, and Ron had been spending less time with Lindsay. She didn't really mind. He had other things to deal with and she understood that. She spent most of her time, reading a good book or something like that. Apparition Lessons started, and that was probably the most exciting thing going on.

Malfoy still attempted to make her life a living hell, everyday, but she was becoming more and more used to it. It started to become unfazing. Nothing he did mattered anymore. She felt herself becoming less attracted to him, and that made her happy. They hadn't gotten into any fights, yet in December. The snow soon followed, and Hogsmeade's visits went. She usually went and wandered by herself. At school, they had their tests and things as normal before Christmas break. Other things were happening though, and she could feel them. They were much bigger than her, though, so she left it up to the Golden Trio.

Christmas break rolled around. Most everyone left Hogwarts. It was insanely empty, yet quiet. The trio stuck around. They wanted to remain close to Dumbledore. Lindsay remained at Hogwarts. She didn't want to go home that year. Unfortunately, the only other people in the school were Slytherins, and among them was Draco, of course. As the months had been going on, Lindsay had more and more problems sleeping. She finally gave up at trying to sleep, and decided to take late night walks instead. On the day before Christmas Eve, she was on one of her walks again. It was the only way to clear her mind. She normally walked in the dark. It was quiet and she only heard footsteps, but she could have sworn she heard more footsteps. Lindsay stopped, took out her wand, and listened to the footsteps. They didn't sound like an adult. She whispered the word 'Lumos' and a light appeared from her wand. In front of her, doing the same thing, was Draco Malfoy. She couldn't believe her luck. Well, it seemed she didn't have much of it obviously.

"Lindsay?" He asked, surprised to see her.

"Draco," She said, sounding upset to see him.

"Oh, you've decided you miss me and came to see me," Draco said, smirking.

"No, just walking," She said.

"I've missed you, you know," He said.

"You see me everyday. You torment me everyday. I don't see how you can miss me," She said, bitterly.

"I mean, spending time together," He said. She rolled her eyes.

"I don't feel the same way," She said, although she knew exactly what he was talking about. "Well, if you'll excuse me." She started to walk by him, but he grabbed her arm, preventing her from going on. She turned and glared.

"What is it?" She snapped.

"You…" He stared. "You've been thinking about it too. You've been thinking about me, haven't you? You don't want to, but you do and you hate it, but you might as well accept it, right? Cause you like the gorgeous Malfoy boy and you don't want to, yet there's nothing you can do…"

She stared at him, and frowned.

"Well, I've been thinking about you, too," He said. She continued to stare.

"What are you talking about?" Lindsay asked, as if she had no idea what he was talking about. In fact, he actually nailed it pretty well.

"Come on," He said. "You've known since the dance. That's when you realized it. That's when I realized it. I could tell… I guess it started with that kiss, but we sealed it when we danced."

"I'm sorry, but I don't share your point of view," She said. She shook his hand off and started to walk off. Draco grabbed her again, but spun her around. Before she had a chance to yell and curse at him, he suddenly pressed his lips against hers in a kiss. She was in shock and didn't pull away. It wasn't a deep kiss. It was much like the one from before. He pulled back. She stared at him. His blue eyes were shining in the glare. He looked at her, before going in for another kiss. Instead of retaliating or running away, she kissed him back. His arms went around her waist, and her arms went around his neck and on his face. Lins dropped her lighted wand on the floor.

The two snogged as if they had never done it before. It was kind of fierce and fueled by much relentless passion. Both of them had been waiting so long to do this and the moment was here. They went on for a while actually. Suddenly, Lindsay had a realization. I'm making out with Draco Malfoy. The boy I hate. My attractive enemy, but my enemy nonetheless. She had a feeling that Lavender and Pavarti would be proud, but they would never know. No one would. She suddenly pulled away, confusing Draco. He opened his eyes and looked down at Lindsay.

"We can't do this," She whispered to him. He frowned.

"That's bullshit," He said. "Mood killer, and a dramatic one at that."

Lindsay bent over and picked up her wand. She came back up and looked at Draco, who was frowning.

"What? This is wrong and you know it…" She said, crossing her arms.

"Whatever. That's no reason to stop," Draco said.

"It is," Lindsay insisted. "As far as I'm concerned, this never happened."

She walked off, feeling only a little satisfied. The truth be told, she liked it and wanted more. But she knew it was wrong and made no sense. She couldn't do it.

"See you tomorrow, then?" He asked, being his devilish self. She ignored him. God, it felt so good. It was even better that it was forbidden. She knew it wasn't really love or anything like that. It was lust. She didn't want it to be that. If she was going to have a relationship with someone, it was going to be with love and not simply for sex. But she still had one thought in her head that was never going to leave. Damn, Malfoy is a good kisser.

She went back feeling quite weird. She felt guilty that she had committed such an act, but also there was a feeling of fulfillment. She knew one thing. She went to sleep with a smile on her face and she definitely wanted more. The next day was Christmas Eve. She wrapped her presents for the Golden Trio. She made a thing for Harry that said 'Thanks for saving all of humanity about four or five times. Keep it up.' For Ron she wrote 'You're damn good at Wizard's Chess. Know that.' And for Hermione: 'Thank you for putting up with Harry and Ron so we don't have to.'

She tried her best to avoid Malfoy. During meal times, he would send looks towards her, but she pretended that she didn't see any of them. At night, she was lying in bed, determined not to leave. She would not go and 'meet' Malfoy again. No, she had to prove that she didn't want him. Yet, at eleven-thirty, she couldn't help it. She wanted had to get her walk. Maybe she wouldn't meet Malfoy. It was earlier than the night before.

She crept out of the dorms, and then out of the common room. She left the Gryffindor Tower. She went on her usual walk, and her usual path. She wandered upon the hallway where she had met Malfoy the night before. She could feel chills going up and down her spine. She stopped and listened for a second. There was only silence. She let out a sigh of relief and started down the hallway. She came to the spot where she was yesterday, and had the urge to walk faster. Suddenly, she heard a voice and a light appeared. She looked over to see Draco Malfoy leaning against the wall, obviously waiting for her.

"Unbelievable!" Lindsay muttered angrily. "I can't even take walks anymore."

Draco stepped forward, holding his wand out in front of him. "Liar."

"What?" She asked. Before he could answer, she realized to talk to him was bad. Talking led to more kissing. "Forget it. I'm continuing with my walk."

She started on. Draco Malfoy just smirked, and started to walk along side with her. Lindsay quickly realized this, and looked at him, menacingly. He had the smirk on his face.

"What are you doing?"

"Walking," He said, as if he were doing nothing wrong. He could be so annoying at times. Especially now. "Like you do."

She rolled her eyes and continued walking. He walked right alongside her, in perfect step. He knew it was annoying her.

"Turn off your light," Lindsay hissed.

"Knox," He whispered. The two walked in the darkness. They were relatively quiet. Draco didn't speak at all, which was quite a surprise. He usually loved to talk. He obviously loved the sound of his own voice. It was actually annoying. He kept walking with her, every step of the way.

"Okay, Malfoy, this is absolutely ridiculous," Lindsay said, stopping suddenly. She lit up her wand and raised it to reveal his smirk.

"I was hoping you would say that. Let's get onto business, shall we?" He said, just as he would say. That bastard.

"Forget it," She said. "I don't care if you like it or if I liked it. I don't want a relationship based on snogging. I want a relationship with actual feelings and that is one we obviously don't have. I admit, you've charmed me with your looks, but it's over as of now."

"Over is it?" Draco said. "You think you know everything. You don't know how I feel. I do like snogging, I must say, but that isn't all I like or care about. I do like you in more than one way. You're smart, sarcastic, and quite determined. You reminded me of me…actually, sometimes. It isn't all just a sexual thing, just so you know. Although, I do find the 'playing hard to get' sexy."

"Oh, what are you saying Malfoy? You like me for who I am? A smart Gryffindor who gets foul with people like you? Right. I've learned that you're a wonderful liar," Lindsay said, crossing her arms.

"What if I'm not lying?" He asked.

"Yeah, and your dad's not a Death Eater," She muttered sarcastically.

"I do like you whether you want to hear the words or not," Draco said, crossing his arms, quite angry at the last remark.

"The only reason I haven't walked away and the only reason I have given you the time of day is because of Harry Potter," Lindsay said, very sternly and coldly.

"Harry?" Draco asked, confused.

"Well, he sees something in you if he can stand talking to you for more than five minutes without the urge to punch you or walk away," Lins said. "So, I've tried so hard to tolerate you. I admit, you do have your moments. I think it's something you've picked up from Harry. But because of him, I've tried to see something in you. It's hard. It's hard to tolerate you…But fine. I'm not going to say I'm attracted to you because of your simply charming personality. I say it's mostly about your looks. But you seem to be under the illusion that you like me and we have some chance together… so fine."

"So fine? What the hell does that mean?" Draco asked, bewildered.

"It means, hurry and snog me Draco before I change my mind," Lindsay said. Draco stared for a second, but as soon as he processed the sentence, he didn't hesitate. They started kissing as they did the night before. This time, it wasn't as angry or as fierce before. It was more sweet and savored. They both admitted they wanted each other in a different way. They went on for longer than the night before, and it was better this time.

At last, they stopped, mutually this time. The two looked at each other.

"See you tomorrow then?" Draco asked, with a much softer tone than the day before. Lindsay nodded. They two let go of each other and headed their separate ways.

"Oh, and Happy Christmas," Draco called out. She turned and smiled. Maybe, this could somehow work. Maybe…

Christmas was wonderful. Lindsay felt happy knowing that Draco wasn't just using her for sex. Well, not yet, anyway. The trio loved their presents, and she appreciated the presents she received from them. It was a fun-filled, peaceful day. Of course, the trio was too preoccupied with other things, so she spent it mostly alone. Around late afternoon, she went to the library, and sat in its quietest corners and relaxed.

Of course, who should make a guess appearance, but Draco himself? She sat there, alone and relaxed when she heard his voice.

"I've been looking for you," He said to her, suddenly. She jumped a bit, taken by surprise.

"Oh, have you?" She asked him.

"Yeah. Someone saw you go in here a while ago, luckily. So, here we are," Draco said.

"I suppose so," She said. They were quiet for a second. "Are you going to stand there forever or sit down?"

He grinned and sat down opposite of her. The two started the process of getting acquainted with each other, since they didn't know a lot of things about each other. They spent the time talking about what they liked and didn't like. There was no snogging involved.

"So, what don't you like?" He asked.

"A better question would be what do I like," She muttered. "Ready, here it goes. Potions class, the DMOC, gits, Slytherin, Death Eaters, the 'Dark Lord', sell-outs, evil people, Snape, and of course, you."

"I figured you would say those things," Draco said, although he did not seem the least bit offended. "That's quite lovely."

"To me, Malfoy, you're a walking contradiction," Lindsay said. "You're dad is a famous, rich death eater. For all I know, you're a death eater in training along Crabbe and Goyle , and other Slytherins. You're probably quite excited to get the Dark Mark. Your wonderful lord has finally returned and everyone knows it. You've realized that if he comes to full power no one could stop him. All except one boy. Harry-freakin-Potter. Well, HP is here and your great lord has failed to kill him about five times already. He can't beat HP. I don't know if you have realized that yet, but Potter is the one person Voldemort can't defeat, well, along with Dumbledore. And Harry Potter saves your life once and suddenly, you like him. You're friends. Your lord won't appreciate this. Unless you were using him to get information, then that's a whole different story. But you're not. You're a wonderful liar, but even I can tell that you're not."

Draco stared for a moment. "You know, you don't quite understand this…"

"You both keep saying that. I understand enough. It's impossible for you guys to be friends. It's impossible. After all that has happened, you can't just drop the past and suddenly become friends. You have a reason to like him. He saved you from death, but he has absolutely no reason to have anything to do with you. Sure, he'd accept the truce. He's a wonderful person, but he wouldn't be friends with you. Of course…unless…"

"He's using me for information?" Draco asked. Lindsay hesitated for a second.

"Yeah," She replied. Draco started laughing.

"You and your crazy theories. You just don't—"

"Understand? Yeah, you've said that about 100 times already," She said, wearily. "Fine, I get it. Then why don't you explain it to me?"

Draco sighed, heavily. "Fine. " He paused before going on. "We've never had the need to say it aloud, because we both know it ourselves. When we started talking, you know, in a friendly way, we both knew it would never last. It's an unspoken thing between. We both know the Lord is back and we both have picked our sides. When the time comes, we'll go to our sides, yet that moment hasn't arrived yet, so we're still friends. We both know that it is impossible for this to last, but for now, we won't make each other's lives hard. We'll be friends until that time comes. It's not going to last, of course. But for now, we'll do it."

Lindsay stared. "So, that's it…Doomed and you both know it, but you'll do it anyway."

"Yeah, that's about it," He said, speaking quietly and seriously.

"Sounds like another relationship I know," Lindsay mumbled. Draco looked at her.

"Don't be so optimistic," Draco muttered, sarcastically. "You would have made a fine Slytherin."

"Yeah, I've heard," She said, unhappily. "The hat considered it for me. It said…" She suddenly paused, causing Draco to raise an eyebrow. "It said some stupid things, and asked me if I wanted to go in. I told it Hell no, so it put in me in Gryffindor."

"Pity, you should have said yes," Draco said. "We could have been together much sooner."

"Oh, yeah, pity," She muttered, sarcastically. "Let's not talk about that."

They moved on to other things, to get off of the sore topic. They were still getting used to talking to each other. They were there for a long time talking, which was a surprise. Usually, one of them got annoyed with the other, but they secretly were trying to make it work.

"Well, it seems to be dinner," Draco said. "But I wanted to tell you that…" He paused. "I want to make it work. I know you think this is a disaster waiting to happen. Maybe it is, but I want to make it work. I want to prove that even though I may be a git, I can get with a girl who previously hated me."

"Draco, Draco, it's too bad that this is a secret. Not only that, but I'll always hate you, even if it's just a little," She said.

"Well, we'll have to change that then," Draco said. With a smirk, he walked away. Lindsay rolled her eyes. Why did she like that boy anyway?

She went to a dinner, a good while after Draco left. She didn't eat a lot, though. She wasn't that hungry. She went back to her dorm room, and took a little nap. She knew she probably wouldn't be sleeping later on. She was right. When she woke up, everyone was already asleep. She crept out of bed, still in her uniform, and walked out of the dorm, and then the Gryffindor tower. She walked to the place where she usually met Malfoy. He was there, already waiting. He was standing there, looking a bit alarmed.

"Hey," He said to her. "I think Mrs. Norris just walked by."

Lindsay's eyes widened. "What are you still doing here?" She hissed. She rolled her eyes, and grabbed him by his sleeve, and started dragging him. She started to look around for a place to hide. There was none.

"Great, Filch will find us, and everyone will know that Lindsay and Draco were caught together in the middle of night…" Lindsay muttered. I really need a place to hide…

Suddenly, there was a door Lindsay didn't noticed before.

"Come on," She muttered to Draco, as she stepped through. The two were suddenly in a room. There were a few tables, no chairs, and that was it. "I've never seen this place before."

"Neither have I…" Draco said.

"Well, whatever. As long as Filch doesn't find us…" She said. She looked at Draco and sighed. She went through a lot of trouble to be with him and she wasn't even sure if she really liked him that much. She turned her head from him and started to look around. Well, it was weird room. It served its purpose. There was no sounds. Filch and Mrs. Norris wouldn't find them. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She whipped herself around, but it was just Draco and it was just his way to get her closer to him. She looked up at him, noticing the limited space between them and laughed a little.

"Good try," She said.

"Well, I know you're into snogging, but you think you want to modest or something. I don't care about modesty," He said, smirking.

"Apparently…" She said. He leaned down and kissed her, and she even accepted it. They didn't snog as they usually did for long, periods of a time. They only kissed for a minute or so. It was sweet. Draco broke away, and grinned down at Lindsay. She blushed mostly because she actually liked it. He ran his hands through her long brown hair. She hated the way he made her feel. She hated it so much.

"So, let's talk," Draco said, taking her by surprise. Her jaw dropped and his grin became wider. "Oh, what? Expected to snog? I knew it! I knew you love it."

"No, I don't," Lindsay said, blushing, and turning away at the same time. She was embarrassed because he was totally and completely correct.

"Yeah, you don't, and my dad's not a death eater," He said, sarcastically. She suppressed a laugh and went over to sit down on of the tables. Draco followed and sat down next to her.

"You wanted to talk, so go ahead," She said.

"Aw. What?" He asked, trying to suppress a smile. "You actually believed that."

"Talk now, snog later," She said, trying harder than him not to smile. So the two talked about things. They both tried to stay off the topics that would cause them to fight. Although there was much sarcasm and lewd comments involved, they didn't fight, and there was laughing. Lindsay felt a tad bit guilty that she was actually enjoying this.

"Music? Draco Malfoy has time to listen to music?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah," He replied. "I know. I usually just listen to the classical music of some of the more talented wizards. It's what my dad listens to."

"Oh, classical…" Lindsay said, clearly not appreciative of that type of music. "You're evil. Evil people are always angsty and crazy… I think you'd like Green Day."

"What's that?" Draco asked, frowning.

"Oh, if only you knew. You have yet to be enlightened. If only I had a guitar…" Lindsay said. She looked across the room, almost on cue, as one suddenly appeared. Draco followed her gaze.

"What the hell…?" He asked.

"I think this is the room that Ron was telling me about. I forget what it's call, but he accidentally mentioned it. If you wish for something really hard, it appears or something like that. I did wish for a room to hide from Filch from…"

She jumped off the table, retrieved the guitar, and returned. "Okay, ready… well, I'm not sure if I remember this….And mind you, this would be much cooler if this was not only an electric guitar, but I had a bass player and a drummer…Oh, and if I could sing…that would be helpful…but alas I cannot. At least better than Crabbe…"

Malfoy had absolutely no idea what those things were, but he nodded.

"Do as I say not as I do because …" She went on for a couple of minutes.

"That's just the gist," She said. Draco stared. It was true that she couldn't sing at all, and she wasn't very good on the guitar. He hoped the original was better than that.

"No wonder my father prefers music without words… that made absolutely no sense," Draco said.

"Alas, the great mind of Billie Joe…" She said in admiring way.

"Muggle music…isn't it?" Draco asked. She nodded. He should have known it all along.

"You would like them. If only electronics worked… Well, if that war thingy is ever over, and you survive and are not in Azkaban, you'll have to give it a listen," She said. "Oh, that one was Walking Contradiction. It reminds me of you. I had called you that earlier on…"

"Oh, right…" He remembered. He would still always prefer music without words…or at least something that was wizard in origin. He didn't want to listen to muggle music, but he didn't say anything. He narrowed his eyes. "You know a lot about muggles, don't you?"

"We've established I'm not muggle-born. Yeah, I know you're not into that kind of thing," She said with a tired sigh.

"Half, then?" He asked, although he didn't really prefer that either.

"No," She replied. "Pure, but that's for another time. Let's do something else."

"Something else?" Draco asked, raising his eyebrow and smirking.

"Yeah, something else," Lindsay said as she put the guitar aside. She put her hand on his neck, and softly caressed him. He leaned over and they began their usual routine.