A/n: Hey guys. Another update. Read, review, and enjoy.

Hate's Just A Word

Chapter TEN: A Real Fight

"How do you feel about him?"

Lindsay was innocently working on her essay, when the very quiet Harry Potter sitting near her, suddenly asked her a surprise question. She was startled, and very taken aback.

"What?" She asked, although she heard it clearly the first time.

"How do you feel about him?" Harry asked her once more, his voice below a whisper.

"Malfoy?" She asked, very quietly. He gave a nod. She shrugged. "I don't know…"

Although, she knew perfectly well how she felt about him. She loved him. She sometimes didn't like to admit it, but she loved him. He loved her, as well. She treasured every single moment they spent together. Even if it was a fight in between class. She loved those moments along with laying with him as they talked or didn't talk.

"You looked pretty friendly that night," Harry mumbled.

"Why do you care anyway?" Lindsay asked, coolly, noticing that Harry was acting strange. He sighed and looked right at Lindsay.

"You can feel it, can't you? It's getting closer… You can feel the darkness can't you?" He asked, quietly. She looked down at her paper for a second, and then nodded. "You know about the relationship between him and I. I'm sure he's told you. It has helped you know. It's been easier to go on without having to worry about him being a prat, but you know it's going to end. It'll be soon…"

She sighed. It would be hard, but she knew that time would come. "Harry, I want you to know, I'm on your side. In the end, I'll always be on your side."

He stared at her for a second, and gazed directly at her. His eyes lit up for a moment and he read her, almost as if he was an experienced legilimens.

"You love him?" He asked with a tone of disbelief in his voice. She sighed, and did not answer.

"Harry, I think it's time we have a talk…" She said. She told him what she had told Malfoy some nights ago. She told him the truth about her pureblood family, and what had happened. And, then they finally had a moment of understanding. Both had lived through a terrible attack on their families, and yet survived. Both of them had lived, and both of them…wanted revenge.

The following morning, Lindsay had been rather weary. She had missed Malfoy that night because she was quite busy finishing her essay for Potions. It was a last minute thing, and Malfoy was pretty much the reason that she wasn't finished with it yet. She tried to force something into her mouth at breakfast, but didn't really care for eating. She was exhausted. She hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long while. It was mostly worth it, seeing as she was spending time with Malfoy, but it had been killing her.

The Gryffindors around her were chatting happily about the day ahead, and the day before, and everything they normally did. She couldn't hear anything they were saying. She was too out of it to even care that everything was muffled. Her eyes wandered upon the Slytherin table, as they did every so often. Her gaze rested upon a familiar blond boy, but today didn't prove to have the happiest sight. She saw Pansy Parkinson trying to get quite friendly with him. She had her hand on top of his hand, and her other hand was on his shoulder. She sat facing him, and was talking to the group around him. He didn't brush her hands off or anything, but he let it happen. Lindsay didn't think herself to be the jealous type, but after everything, she was starting become that type.

She felt more awake now and watched and glared as he didn't do anything. She knew that Pansy had always been a member of the DMOC, and a privileged one because he actually knew her. Yet, the president was not feeling very happy that Draco was letting this go on. 'It's just for appearances…just for appearances.' Yet, she knew she would have to pick a fight today. Not with Draco, though. Today her target would be Miss Pansy Parkinson. She never did like Parkinson. Well, she never did like Draco either, but that changed. She had a feeling she would always hate Pansy.

Defense Against the Dark Arts was first today. She spent the whole class glaring at Pansy, who was staring at Malfoy. She hated being the jealous girlfriend. Oh, well. It sounded like promising fun to start something with Pansy. Class was dismissed early that day because their professor did not feel too well. Pansy walked, hanging onto Draco, in front of her. She looked around for someone she could talk loudly too. She saw Lavender, Seamus, Pavarti, and Dean nearby. She mingled with them, innocently.

"'ey Lavender," Lindsay said. Lavender looked at her. Lindsay raised her voice. "How are you feeling about that? It seems that cow Parkinson has hooked up with Malfoy. You liked him right?"

Lavender looked at her and nodded in agreement. Fortunately, Pansy and Draco heard it. They stopped and looked back at the group of Gryffindors.

"Well, they deserved each other, don't they?" Seamus asked. Lindsay could have hugged him. It was the perfect comment.

"Yeah, they do. Gits coming together. I just hope one of them dies or something before they can get married and have kids. I mean, we don't want to see the offspring of a Malfoy and Parkinson. Might as well name their kid, the world's biggest git," Lindsay said. Lavender elbowed her, and Lindsay looked at her, pretending she didn't know that Malfoy and Pansy were staring. She gave a look towards the two, and Lindsay followed that look. She let a smirk appear on her face.

"Oh, here's the happy couple now," Lindsay said. She stepped forward from the group of Gryffindors and walked up to the two. Pansy was glaring, and Draco was simply staring. She put her hands on their shoulders and smirked.

"Congratulations, you two," She said. Pansy jumped back.

"Don't touch me! You're a mudblood, aren't you?" She shrieked. Lindsay smirked.

"Oh, what? Didn't dearest Draco tell you that I'm a pureblood?" Lindsay asked, innocently, her hand still on his shoulder. He continued to stare, and remained quiet. "He knows quite about me, actually. I think he's a tad bit obsessed. Yeah. I hope you're not jealous."

Draco opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it.

"You're just jealous that he likes me and not you!" Pansy shouted. Lindsay laughed.

"Hardly, Parkinson, hardly. I have no interest in him. Have him. I wish you the best of luck. Gits really do belong together," She said. She took her hand from Draco's shoulder. He looked at her for a bit.

"You're insane," He mouthed, quietly. She smiled and nodded. She should have stopped there, but the Slytherin in her just needed to continue. She needed to go on, just as they always did.

"I think you should name your son, Lucius," Lindsay said. "That's a lovely name for…well, the son of gits."

That's when Draco unexpectedly snapped. "I disagree, Caldwell," He said, suddenly, taking her by surprise. "I think Robert takes the name of the world's biggest git."

She stared. That was a slap to her face. Had another one of their fights gotten real? The Slytherin in him became more and more fierce.

"Or, if it's a girl, how about Gretchen?" He asked. Whoa, another slap. He was going too far. Of course, no one had any idea what they were talking about. All, except Harry who didn't know whether this fight was real or not.

"I think Narcissa would be more suitable for a girl, actually," Ronald Weasley, said stepping forward. Draco looked past Lindsay and at Ron. He had a taken aback look. He looked as if he wanted to bash Ron's head in, but Harry was standing right next to Ron. He would do nothing. Luckily, Pansy wasn't friendly with Harry.

"Shut up, you blood traitor!" Pansy yelled. "Why don't you go to your mudblood girlfriend? You a muggle lover, just like your dirt poor, father?"

Half of the Gryffindors raised their wands and started jeering. In response to this, the Slytherins raised their wands. Pansy was about to use a spell. Lindsay grabbed her wand and pointed it at Pansy.

"Silencio!" She shouted. Pansy did not complete her spell. Her voice was gone. "Luckily, she isn't gifted enough to have mastered nonverbal spell use."

The other Slytherins were about to curse her and hex her. Draco raised his hand.

"Don't," He hissed. They looked confused, but lowered their wands. Everyone watched carefully. "Caldwell, and I will settle this."

Harry was sure this wasn't an act anymore. They both turned insane and they were going to fight. He wanted to step forward, but he was afraid that Lindsay would hex him. She was responding to what was in her blood…her family's blood.

Everyone reluctantly lowered their wands. Draco and Lindsay threw aside their book bags, and got out their wands. They both stood in front of each other, with their wands out. They didn't bow as they were supposed to. Instead, they just turned and took their steps.

"1…" Draco stared.

"2…" Lindsay said. She knew Draco well enough. She turned as he turned.

"Impedimentia!"

"Expellia—" He was thrown across the hall and into a bunch of Slytherins before he could finish the spell.

"Lindsay, you're mad," Harry called out from behind her. She turned, with her raised wand, and gave him a threatening look. By the time she turned around, Draco had already risen and he had yelled out a spell before she could even react.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco yelled. The spell hit her, instead of her hand, and she went flying back as he had. She believed he meant it to do this. She didn't even bother getting up.

"Tarantallegra!" She yelled, loudly. Draco dodged the spell and it ended up hitting Crabbe, who lost his balance and fell onto the floor. She stood up and they stared. She knew what he was going to do. He was going to do a nonverbal spell. He was going to do a dark spell. He raised his wand and concentrated.

"Protego!" She yelled in time. The spell did not reach her, whatever it was. It was time to end this. She raised her wand. "Expelliarmus!" His wand went flying out of his hands. He stared at her, slightly in shock. He had just been defeated. Yet, everyone was silent and were staring. She pocketed her wand and walked up to Malfoy. She stared up at him for a few moments.

"Well done," He said, quietly. "I bet your dear father will be pleased."

"So, which one were you going to use?" asked Lindsay, crossing her arms. "Which one of daddy's spells were you going to use? It's so typical of you. You see that you're failing, so you have to resort to one of the dark spells that Lucius taught you. I bet it was the Cruciatus Curse…"

"Oh, that one does cause pain," He said, very quietly. She doubted anyone else could hear him except her. "But I found a better one. How do you feel about blood?"

"Too bad it didn't work. Daddy won't be proud. Well, I doubt it matters from where he is. Although, I hear Azkaban can be nice."

"Shut up about my father," Draco snapped.

"Aw, that's cute. You wanna be just like daddy, don't you?" She asked, coldly. "Can't wait until you get the dark mark, and join the Death Eaters?"

"Well, consider this, Caldwell, or shall I say, Richmond, if it wasn't for my dear old dad, you would be dead," He hissed at her. She glared, and nervously glanced out of the corner of her eyes. No one had heard him.

"You agree with him, then? You believe that my family was just a bunch of blood traitors and deserved to die?"

"They shouldn't have betrayed the Dark Lord," He said, crossing his arms. Everyone could hear now, but they no longer cared.

"It was for me," She said, almost yelling.

"I don't see why you care. Aren't you glad they're dead? Didn't you say yourself that you wanted to thank him?" Draco asked. She stared in disbelief. How dare he say those things in front of all of these people? Harry realized what the conversation was about. "Yeah, you should thank him. You got to be raised by a couple of mudbloods and have a squib for a brother, you muggle-lover."

Harry stepped forward, and raised his wand. "Shut up, Malfoy."

Lindsay turned around in stared in disbelief. Draco was also unable to believe it. The truce was ended…

"Oh, that's right, Potter," He said coolly. "I bet you know all about having a mudblood as a parent, or rather, don't."

Harry was about to hex him and Lindsay was about to punch him, but they were both stopped. Suddenly, Professor Snape appeared.

"EVERYONE BACK TO YOUR COMMON ROOMS, IMMEADIATELY. POTTER, MALFOY, AND CALDWELL, COME WITH ME," yelled Snape. Everyone did as they were told and scurried off as fast as they could. Harry, Draco, and Lindsay followed Snape to his office. They all walked there in silence and sat there in silence. Snape walked behind his desk and stared at the three of them.

"So, the three of you have decided to cause a scene in the middle of the hallway," Snape said. "Draco, please, explain to me what happened."

"Well, Professor Snape, for some time now, Caldwell and I have been romantically involved in a relationship."

Everyone in the room turned and stared at Draco. Did he actually just reveal their secret to Professor Snape? Snape looked especially taken about, but he waited for Draco to continue.

"We both agreed that it would be a secret, and that we would both keep up appearances. That is why we constantly fight and argue. For a long while, Parkinson has fancied me, and sometimes, I cannot control that girl. It's really not my fault that she feels the need to be near me at all times. Of course, I would have let her on for a little while so she would not suspect me, which she has been for a long while. Yet, I wasn't going to choose her, as I'm…or rather…was already involved in a relationship. Yet, Caldwell decided she was jealous and thought I to be a traitor. She insulted Pansy and me, and then insulted my father. So, we fought in a duel. She won, and yet that wasn't enough for her. She started to insult my father, so I calmly insulted her back. Potter, here, decided to get involved, and then you showed up."

Lindsay and Harry were gaping at Draco, who had not only left out half the story but made himself to be a hero. Lindsay's eyes were starting to tear. Snape didn't care.

"Caldwell, what do you have to say for yourself?" He asked, coldly, sounding as if he were going to expel her.

"I'd have to say…" She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "…that my blood was getting a little excited. You know my story, Professor. You know that my family was murdered because they betrayed the Dark Lord." She put emphasize on those last words as if to imply something about Snape himself. "And thanks to Malfoy, so does everyone else."

"It was your fault for telling him," Snape said, coolly. She couldn't believe it. She stood up, as if she were going to attack.

"Sit down," Harry hissed at her. For once, he was being reasonable. Snape stood up as well, and stared her down. She took a deep breath and sat down.

"Now, for punishment," He said, and remained standing. "I think—"

Suddenly, someone opened the door and entered the room. It was Dumbledore.

"Ah, Professor Dumbledore," Snape said.

"I see you have the main troublemakers," Dumbledore said, behind his half-moon spectacles. "Have you punished them yet?"

"I was just about to," Snape said.

"Ah, well, I think fifty points from both Slytherin and Gryffindor will do," Dumbledore said. "And detentions for Ms. Caldwell and Mr. Malfoy."

"What about Potter?" Snape asked.

"From witnesses, I heard his involvement was minimal, and furthermore, he will be meeting with me. There is no need for you to punish him. I will take care of this," Dumbledore said.

"Very well," Snape said, sounding slightly annoyed. "Mr. Malfoy and Ms. Caldwell, you will report to me everyday of this week at nine o' clock sharp. Do not be late."

"Yes, sir," They mumbled. The three were dismissed. Lindsay went into the bathroom, locked herself into a stall, buried her hands in her head and started crying. How did it get that bad? She waited until their next class started to go back into the Gryffindor tower. She didn't want to be faced with any questions. She went into her dorm room, into her bed, and cried herself to sleep. She was awoken by Hermione at night.

"Hey," She said quietly. "I got your homework for you, um, just in case you wanted to do it, and er…get your mind off of things."

She took the things Hermione brought her. "Thank you," Lindsay mumbled. She was silent for a moment. "How much do they know?"

"Everything," Hermione replied. Everything could mean certain things.

"What is exactly is 'everything'?" Lindsay asked.

"That your parents were killed by Lucius Malfoy and that Voldemort sent him to do it. They know that your father was a death eater that betrayed Voldemort and you're family was one…that could be compared to a bunch of those foul Slytherins," Hermione said, quietly. Lindsay let out a sigh of relief. That wasn't everything.

"Oh, nobody holds it against you. They don't think you to be a Slytherin. I mean, you are in Gryffindor and you've fought against them a lot," Hermione said. "But, I must say, I've never heard the name Caldwell as a Death Eater name."

"It wasn't Caldwell," Lindsay said, quietly. "Caldwell is the name of the family that took me in. They are the only family I've known. But, my birth parents, they were Richmond."

Hermione had a look that told Lindsay she recognized the name.

"Well, thanks again for the homework," She said. Hermione nodded and started to head out. She stopped at the door. "I don't know if this means anything to you, but Harry told me to tell you that in one of our classes, Pansy had said that she hoped you meet the same end as your traitorous parents, and Malfoy told her to shut up."

Lindsay stared for a moment. "It seems that Malfoy is angry that he's got detention and doesn't even want to hear of the whole situation any longer."

"Seems so," Hermione said, and then she was off. Lindsay was left alone in the dorm. She started on the homework. She understood most of it from reading the textbooks. She didn't think she would have paid attention in class anyway. She finished most of her homework and left the rest for the morning. She slept that night, but not before having another cry.