A/n: Here's the next chapter. Oh, I've also decided to give the chapters names. Thanks reviewers. So, read, review, and enjoy. Hate's Just A Word
Chapter EIGHT: Harry Potter
"So in order for this potion to be successful, a man named…" Snape's voice was so far off. It was getting further and further away. Lindsay tried to keep her eyes open. Well, maybe if she closed them for a bit, he wouldn't notice. She closed her eyes for maybe about two seconds. Then a note came flying into her head. She woke up, surprised, and grabbed the note. She read it over.
Meet me in my room tonight… -Draco
She was still very sleepy and didn't react to it. Suddenly, Snape swooped over.
"Passing notes, Ms. Caldwell?" Snape asked. Lindsay jumped, not aware of his presence until that moment. "Hand it over."
She sighed, and handed it to Snape. He would of course read it aloud. Draco's eyes widened, and he looked like he was going to panic. Lindsay was still tired, and didn't show the same reaction. She was calm, although she was slowly waking up.
"Meet me in my room tonight… Ah, this is from Mr…" Snape stared at the note and then looked back at Lindsay. He seemed taken aback by this suggestion. Was Mr. Malfoy, his favorite student, having a secret relationship with Ms. Caldwell, someone who he showed no talents in potions or in life? Lindsay wanted to laugh. That taken aback look was wonderful. Everyone in the class wanted to know who it was from.
"Er, Professor, if it helps, I don't think that note was meant for me…" She said. Snape stared down at her, waiting for her to continue. She tried to keep a straight face, but she wanted to laugh. "I think it was meant for uh… Mr. Potter, or uh…perhaps, Mr. Weasley. I think the sender…" She looked in the general direction of Malfoy's side of the room. "…might have missed his target…"
"Are you sure this wasn't meant for you?" Snape asked, wanting to believe the previous relationship, and not the new possibilities she just fed to him. He looked slightly bewildered. Was his favorite student having a relationship with a male? Not only that but students that he hated… Priceless was the only thought in her head.
"Quite sure. I believe that you are aware with my relationship with the sender. We're not even friends. I'd rather avoid his room…actually."
"Very well," Snape said, coolly. He disposed of the piece of paper. "Oh, and five points from Gryffindor for sleeping in class."
'Figures…' She thought to herself. 'At least he didn't say Draco's name aloud. That would have been worse. I saved myself there…' She looked over at Draco who let out a sigh of relief. She looked back, and listened to Snape talk, and learned to prefect the art of sleeping with open eyes. The bell rang, and Snape called out the homework.
"Also, would Mr. Malfoy please stay for a moment," He said. Lindsay secretly grinned. She might have gotten him in trouble with Snape of all people. Snape always gave Draco special treatment. He favored him. Lindsay hurried out of class so she wouldn't have to answer Ron's questions about the note. She was safe.
That night, she did meet him in his room. She had to use the stupid 'dark lord' password. It was typical of the Slytherins. She crept quickly up the stairs, and into his room. She opened the door, not bothering to knock. She feared knocking might attract attention.
"Oh, fucker!" She exclaimed, a little too loudly. There was Draco Malfoy, standing there, without a shirt. "Please, put some clothes on." She put her hand over her eyes, but she could see through her fingers. He was smirking, happily.
"Why?" He asked, innocently. "I sleep like this. Just pants are needed."
Lindsay could see he was wearing fancy silk pajama pants, probably a Malfoy family thing. He added with a wink, "Sometimes not even that…"
"Put some fucking clothes on, please," She said, bitterly.
"Why?" He asked, once more, clearly trying to annoy her.
"Because…"
"Is it because you find me too damn beautiful that it's blinding?" He asked. Oh, it was so annoying.
"Yes! That's exactly it!" She said, almost in a shout, of course, sarcastically. "So, let's get a shirt on."
"Nope," He said. He went and laid down on his bed. Lindsay sighed, frustrated, and removed her hand from in front of her eyes. She walked over.
"It's not that bad is it?" He asked.
"No, quite the opposite," She said, with a sigh. "You were quite right with your question."
"Thought so," He said, grinning. She smiled, weakly.
"Move over," She said to him. He moved over, and she sat down. After a few moments, she kicked off her shoes and she laid down, taking the space he made. She stared up at the ceiling. "I wonder if anyone figured out…"
"Oh, potions class," Draco said. For the first time, he said 'potions class' as if it were a bad thing. That was normally his favorite class. "You're terrible. That was horrible what you did to me! No, nobody figured it out, but Snape… Snape gave me a long …talk…after class."
"Ooh, this sounds good. About what?" She asked.
"Mr. Malfoy, you have always been a favorite student of mine, and you have expressed to me that you think of me as your favorite teacher. I am quite concerned what Ms. Caldwell expressed to me in class. Is this true that you directed the note towards Potter? Or perhaps Weasley?" Draco started, reciting what had happened. Lindsay laughed. "That's not all. He didn't even give me a chance to answer. Well, I know you must be having difficult times with your current situation. You are a …teenage boy…and it's natural for you to be curious about your sexuality, but I would advise to stay away from Potter or Weasley…"
"He accused you of being…oh, whoa. Priceless. I wish I was there…" She said, happily.
"Ha, ha. Yeah, it was all fun," Draco muttered sarcastically.
"Well, at least I saved us," She said, and looked over at him. "Only an idiot sends over a note in front of Snape, telling a girl to go to his room, and signs his name."
He looked away, reddening. "Fine, I'm an idiot."
"That's what I like to hear… the truth," She said, smiling.
"I'm a sexy, shirtless idiot," He then said. "Is that truth enough for you?"
"It does suffice," She said, laughing. "But seriously, why sign it?"
"So you would know who it was from, naturally."
"Are you kidding me? I would know it to be from you. Do you honestly think I'm that stupid? If you don't sign the note, then I'll think it's from Crabbe or someone."
"It could happen," He said, smiling.
The two looked at each other for a moment, and then went back to looking at the ceiling. They talked about everything and nothing. They talked about things that weren't very serious. That was always better. Whenever they talked about serious things, they always ended up arguing. Once in a while, there would be silences. They weren't uncomfortable silences, but just a moment for them to relax and think. After a while, silence was the only thing that could be heard…
Lindsay opened her eyes. 'Wait, where am I?' She recognized the place. 'Oops, I must have dozed off while we were talking…for how long I wonder.' She looked over at Malfoy who also seemed to have dozed off.
"You awake?" She asked, softly. He opened his eyes.
"Yep," He replied. He had obviously been awake for quite a while. He didn't sound as if he just woke up. She yawned, and then sighed.
"Well, I guess sleeping in Draco Malfoy's bed qualifies me as the president of the DMOC…" She said, wearily. "Pity…"
"Honey, you've always been the president."
"I'm going to have to disagree with that," Lins said. "I'd say Pavarti and Lavender could give me a run for that position…"
Draco made a face. "I prefer you…"
She smiled, and wiped her eyes. "What time is it?"
Draco pointed to the window. "A bit past sunrise…"
Lindsay's eyes widened. "Sunrise? Already? We slept all night…"
She sat up, and put her feet on the floor. She grabbed her shoes, and started to put them on.
"Leaving, already?" He asked, tiredly, followed by a yawn. She finished, and stood up. She straightened her shirt, tie, and vest, and then her skirt.
"I've been wondering why you always wear a skirt," He said, turning onto his side. "It's the end of January, and it's freezing. Everyone else is wearing pants."
"I don't know. I've always worn skirts, I suppose. I used to play tennis all the time. Just used to them, I guess," She said. Draco figured tennis was a muggle thing. She walked over to Malfoy, bent over, and kissed him. They broke away, and she went off. Draco rolled over onto his other side, and closed his eyes with smile on his face.
Lindsay was worried. Usually, Hermione or one of the other girls was awake. They would notice that she was gone, and then be surprised when she walked in wearing yesterday's clothes. She told the fat lady the password and hurried in, quietly. She crept up the stairs and took a deep breath before entering her dorm. Everyone still seemed to be asleep. She hurried, grabbed a change of clothes, and practically ran out of the room. She then carried on as usual, with showering, and was quite happy no one noticed. When she went back, Hermione was awake. She was always awake earlier than everyone else.
"'ello Hermione," She said, quietly, after coming back.
"Hello," Hermione said. "You're up earlier than usual."
"Couldn't…er…go back to sleep after I had woken up. It was sunrise and the light was annoying…" Lindsay said. Hermione nodded with understanding. After a while, the girls started to wake up. She went to breakfast, earlier than usual. She was one of the few alone at the Gryffindor table. There wasn't any food yet, so she put her head down, and closed her eyes. After a while, she could hear the footsteps. The Great Hall was filling up.
"Oy, Caldwell, you alive?" Someone asked, poking her. She lifted her head slightly to see Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom hovering over her.
"Yeah. Alive," She mumbled. They shrugged, sat down, and proceeded to have a conversation with each other. Not too long later, her name was being called again.
"Psst, Caldwell…" She lifted her head and looked at the boys around her. It wasn't Seamus or any of them. "Psst…" She realized the voice came from behind her…from the Slytherin table. She wearily, turned around to see that Malfoy was sitting nearby.
"Yeah?" She asked, indifferently.
"How did you sleep last night?" He asked, with a smirk on his face. She remained calm, without any expression.
"I've had worse nights," She said, expressionless and unfazed.
"Is that so?" He asked, smirking. He could be so immature sometimes.
"Malfoy, leave her alone for once," Said a voice from behind Lindsay. She turned to see Hermione. She stood there with her hand on her hip, looking a bit angry.
"Sorry, was I talking to you?" Draco asked, glaring.
"I don't think you should make her angry," Lindsay said. "I heard she hits pretty well."
Draco reddened with anger and embarassment. "I don't care what she says. She is a filthy mudblood after all."
Seamus, Dean, and Neville stopped talking and turned to watch. Slytherins were also paying attention hoping that Draco would do some damage. He gave Lindsay a challenging look. She just stared at him. Everyone watched in silence, ready for some kind of fight or duel. Seamus was especially anxious for a fight. It must have been totally silent for about two minutes. Lindsay finally opened her mouth to speak.
"Well, by this time, I've thought about a million and one comebacks and insults made especially for you, but I'm not in the mood. Maybe later, perhaps," She said. Everyone stared, jaws dropped. Draco was among the ones who stared. Lindsay just turned around and the food started to appear.
"It shut him up," Hermione said, quietly. Lindsay nodded and began to eat. The first class they had that day was Potions. Lindsay was there pretty early than she usually was. She walked past Pavarti, Lavender, Seamus, and Dean in their seats and happened to hear a very interesting conversation.
Seamus turned around and glared at Lavender and Pavarti.
"Will you two shut up about that git?" He asked with his Irish accent.
"Oh, but he's so pretty," Lavender said, with that far off look on her face.
"Yeah, that's what he wants you to think. I bet he's hideous underneath," Seamus said. Lindsay dropped something, and listened to the conversation, but she could also see Snape looming near, also listening to the conversation, hoping to take points off Gryffindor.
"Ooh, you mean shirtless?" Pavarti asked. She and Lavender looked at each other before giggling.
"Ew, no," Seamus said. "But even so, I bet the rest of him is nothing."
Lindsay stood up, picking up what she had 'dropped' and looked at the group.
"Actually, he's perfect all around. Shirtless and all," She said to them, of course, with a scheme in mind. The four looked at her, with disbelief.
"How would you know?" Seamus asked, frowning. Lavender and Pavarti giggled.
"Oh, heard it from someone…" Lindsay said, innocently.
"From who?" Lavender asked. Lindsay tried to keep a straight face, and tried her best not laugh. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Snape listening to every word.
"Harry Potter," She replied, and then walked away. The group went silent. Snape got that funny look on his face that she loved. It was another wonderful look in potions class. A couple minutes later, after the shock settled down, Snape took away points from Gryffindor for 'no reason'. She knew that would be spread around the school within the day. Lavender and Pavarti would be sure to take care of that. That was Lindsay's revenge. Snape spent the whole class trying to irritate her and treat her unfairly, instead of Neville. She got points off for the littlest thing, but it was quite worth it.
---
The two met in a different place than usual. It was some empty classroom. They liked variety. Lindsay was there first, which was unusual. She sat on a long windowsill, much like those at her old muggle schools, and looked out the nearby window. It was a narrow window, but she could see the moon through it. She put her feet up on the long windowsill and leaned against the supporting part of the wall. She stared out at the night. It wasn't cloudy at all. She could see the moon and the stars. She tried to find constellations she learned from Astronomy, but she could only find one.
Lindsay heard the door open, and looked over. Draco Malfoy quietly entered the room. She moved her legs off the windowsill and they once again dangled off. Draco walked over to her, and sat down next to her.
"Hey," She said to him, in a better mood than usual. Draco, on the other hand, had a scowl on his face. She frowned. "What's wrong?" She wanted to laugh. She knew exactly what was wrong, but it was much more fun to pretend that she didn't.
"Today, Blaise Zabini asked me if I was gay. I don't know where or how he got this idea, but he heard it somewhere. I, of course, told him no. He didn't believe me and told me that I wasn't alone…" Draco said, as if some tragedy took place. Lindsay wanted to laugh so bad. It was hilarious.
"Aw, I'm so sorry," She said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Why would he think that… ever?"
"Apparently, someone, and when I say someone I mean you, started a rumor that Harry was my secret lover or something," He said, as he turned to glare at her. She grinned.
"Caught," She said. "But, I never said that Harry was your secret lover. I simply said that you were very good looking when you were shirtless, and that Harry told me. Lavender and Pavarti assumed you were secret lovers. So, what have we learned here?"
"Never to call Granger a mudblood in front of you…" He mumbled, bitterly. He looked at her, still glaring. "Sometimes, I wonder who's the Slytherin here."
"What can I say? It's in my blood," She said, as if it were an excuse for being mean. Draco rolled his eyes, but Lindsay remained with a grin on her face. She put her arm around Draco's shoulder, and pulled him closer. "You're so overdramatic…"
"Am not," He mumbled. "But, I think a little …snogging… can cure that."
"Isn't that convenient? Snogging just happens to cure everything," She said, sarcastically. He turned and looked her in the eyes. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers. She kissed him back. She moved and leaned against the wall. She put her legs on the windowsill, and Draco moved and positioned himself over her. They began to kiss more and more. She put her left hand on his neck, and ran her right hand through his blonde hair. He put his hand on her thigh, and realized that skirts were a good thing. He pulled away for a second.
"Have I ever mentioned that I really appreciate the fact that you wear skirts in cold weather?" He asked, grinning. She grinned back. They kissed once again. A little while later, Draco stopped again. He pulled back and stared into her eyes. She stared back, but in a confused way. She didn't say anything, though, she just waited.
"I want to tell you something. Well, wanted to, and for a long time," He finally said, in a whisper.
"Oh, yeah, what's that?" She asked.
"Well, I love you. I have for a while actually. A long while…I guess hate is the only way I know how to express myself…" He said, quietly. She looked unfazed, but smiled.
"I know," She said. "Since that very first kiss, right?"
"Yeah, I guess so," Draco said, with a small nod. "You, too?"
She rolled her eyes. "You need to ask. You're the one who figured out that we wanted each other."
"I know," He said, quite proud of himself. Instead of kissing her again, Draco leaned over and rested his head on her shoulder. She took her hands, and put one on his back, and used the other one to stroke his hair. Being together was nice in a way neither of them could describe.
The next night, they returned there, and did as they did the night before, in the same position. Yet, that night was different. Neither of them knew that a friend was watching them. It started that potions class a few days before.
Harry was quite bored. Snape just went on and on. Ron was sleeping next to him, and he wasn't alone. About half the Slytherins, and half the Gryffindors were sleeping. Suddenly, Snape was hovering over Lindsay and confiscated a note. She made up some story about how the note wasn't for her, but he couldn't hear well. He did hear his name though. The thing that Snape didn't do, was tell who the note was from. Harry wouldn't have known, but Snape gave it away when he asked Draco to stay after class for a moment. Harry seemed to be the only to catch onto this. Not even Hermione noticed.
Harry was slightly curious who was going to meet Draco in his room that night. That night, he took out the Marauder's Map, and watched. He was quite confused, and horrified to see that it was indeed the receiver of the note that meet him night. Of course, it had to be a mistake. She hated him with a passion. But the map never lies. So, he watched the next night. They met up again, but in a different place. It was insanity. Maybe it was a fluke of some kind between them. Yet, tonight, they were in some random classroom, together. He had to see it for himself. He had to. He took the map and his wand as he crept out of bed. He followed the map and it led him to a classroom. He muttered 'Mischief Managed' and the map went blank. Harry stared at the door before proceeding to open it. He took a deep breath, put his hand on the doorknob, and turned.
He dropped his jaw, map, and wand and stared, absolutely horrified. It might as well have been Voldemort there. The shock was about the same. There was Draco and Lindsay, sitting there, snogging. The two heard the sound of the dropped items, and quickly turned. They looked just about as shocked to see Harry as he was to see them. The two moved away from each other in a matter of seconds. They straightened up, and Lindsay was blushing.
"Harry, what the hell are you doing here?" She asked. Harry walked over to them and stared. He looked from Draco and then to Lindsay, and then back again. They had separated, and were sitting quite a ways from each other.
"You…and you…" He said, sounding horrified, and a bit angry. "What is…why…Oh god, I'm not even sure I want to know." He was silent for a second, but spoke again, this time looking at Lindsay. "You hate him. You've told me countless times that you hate him. Why are you two…snogging… like there's no tomorrow?"
They silent for a moment. Lindsay looked at Draco. "You explain."
He sighed, but decided to take the task. "Well, you see, it began with that fight…"
He went on for about five minutes, briefly explaining what happened. Harry still had that horrified and angered look on his face. "I can't believe this…"
"What?" Lindsay said, speaking up, getting sick of that look. "Come on. It isn't that big of a deal."
He stared as if she were insane. Okay, she knew it was a big deal. Probably just like how it was when everyone found out that Harry and Draco were friends. Plus, she had just accepted the relationship the night before.
"No, he has the right to be this shocked," Draco said. He looked at Lindsay. "Imagine if you walked in on…I don't know…Harry and I…What would you do and say?"
She looked away, mostly because that was a bad example. She wouldn't mind walking in on Harry and Draco. And, truthfully, the longer they didn't notice her, the better. She didn't say this of course, but Draco knew what she was thinking.
"Okay, bad example," He muttered.
"Alright, Harry, I understand that this is a bit…crazy," Lindsay said to him. "But, please, you can't tell anyone!" Harry looked over at her. "Not a single person."
He didn't say anything. "I mean, I thought the map might be joking, but it's true that you guys are together…"
"Map?" Draco and Lindsay asked in unison. Harry realized what he had said.
"Wait, you have a map that can tell where people are?" Lindsay asked.
"That's not the point," Harry argued.
"You can spy on people? You know where everyone is in the school?" She asked. "That's a disturbing kind of invasion of privacy."
"So, how long?" Harry asked, changing the subject, rapidly.
"Maybe a month and a half," Draco replied.
"That long?" Harry asked, not able to accept this. Could things get any crazier?
"Long? Hardly," Lindsay muttered.
"But you two…You get into fights almost everyday. You insult each other every chance you get, and… you seem like you hate each other," Harry said, confused.
"That's just for appearances," Draco said. At the same time, Lindsay was saying, "That's what I like to do…"
He looked at her and she just smiled with look that claimed guilt.
"But, Harry, you have to promise that you won't tell anyone. Okay?" Lindsay said, getting back to the serious matter. "Especially, Ron."
Harry didn't respond. Draco stood up and walking in front of him. "Okay, mate?"
Harry sighed. "Okay. I promise I won't tell anyone. In fact, .I'll forget it even happened."
"Good idea," Lindsay said. "Well, I think that this is probably one of the most awkward moments of my life, so I'm going to discreetly leave."
She hurried out of the room. Harry stood there, dumbfounded. Draco stood with him for a few moments.
"You know, I think you better be alone for this," Draco said. He left Harry alone, and headed back to bed.