A/n: I would have updated yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to come online. Congrats to T. Riddle for meeting the Phelps. I bet they are gorgeous in person. Kurama'sfoxykitsune, I enjoy your long reviews. Not only are they entertaining, but very kind. So, everyone R&R.

Hate's Just a Word

Chapter FOURTEEN: A Calm Ending

The next day, everyone seemed to have seen them together in Hogsmeade. They didn't feel like explaining it. At breakfast, Lavender and Pavarti ambushed Lindsay. They practically attacked her.

"Hey, Lindsay," Pavarti said, appearing from one side of her.

"Hi, Pavarti," She said. Lavender appeared on the other side. "And, hello, Lavender."

"We saw you at Hogsmeade, yesterday," Lavender said, trying to suppress a smile.

"Oh, that's nice," Lindsay said, knowing what was coming.

"You were with Draco Malfoy," Lavender said, as if Lindsay was an idiot.

"I am quite aware of that."

"So, you finally got together, right?" Pavarti asked. She and Lavender giggled.

"We've been waiting for this to happen," Lavender said. "All those fights were just suppressed sexual tension. But, you've finally realized that you love each other and have gotten together."

Lindsay had the biggest urge to correct her and say, 'No, that was in December' but decided against it. She would have to deny everything and explain to them what it was. She would have to use Blaise's lame story.

"You look so good together," Pavarti added.

"You guys, I'm not 'together' with Malfoy," Lindsay said. They stared at her, dumbfounded.

"What?"

"I'm not together with him. There's a whole explanation for it," She said. Suddenly, an idea came to her. If she was going to write Blaise Zabini an essay that she really didn't want to do, he was going to suffer along with her. "You know who knows the truth? Blaise Zabini. Ask him and he'll tell you everything."

Lavender and Pavarti stared, but hurried off to ambush Blaise somewhere. She hated doing his essay for him because he saved Draco and her. Blaise had always been an A student. Lindsay was not as lucky, so she basically had to write an essay the best she could. She was lazy most of the time, and didn't always use all her potential. She wrote her Transfiguration essay, and then started to write his better than hers. It was annoying. She wanted to write a bad one and get him a bad grade, but he would do something to her. He couldn't tell about the relationship, but Slytherins were good at getting revenge.

About a dozen other people asked her, just that morning. She told them all that she was not with 'Draco Malfoy' and told them all to go ask Blaise Zabini. Zabini was quite surprised when everyone started ambushing him and asking him what was going on. He soon realized that someone told them to go to him, and became very angry, but it's not like he could tell the truth. Everyone also asked Draco. He spent a good while telling the story, but soon caught on and realized that Lindsay's way was way more successful. He started to tell people to go to Blaise Zabini. He was quite busy the whole day.

---

He had her cornered and there was nothing she could do about it. She was trapped. Lindsay left the girls' dorms as she normally did, at some late hour in the night. She crept quietly down the staircase, and into the Common Room. It was usually empty. Tonight, someone was occupying the chair near the fire. She froze. She couldn't let someone see her leaving. It was too late to go back. The person turned around. It was…Harry.

She let out a sigh of relief. "Hello, Harry."

She started to walk across the Common Room. "Wait."

Lindsay stopped suddenly. She then realized it. He was waiting here for her. He was planning to intervene and finally have that talk with her. There was no escaping it. She turned around and looked at Harry. He stood up and motioned for her to sit down across from him. She sighed, walked over, and sat down. Harry sat back down and the two stared at each other for a few moments.

"What is it, Harry?" Lindsay asked, very quietly. She knew what he wanted. She knew and she hated it. She couldn't run away, now. He would make her listen, even if he had to use force.

"Let's talk," He said, looking right at her. Her stomach dropped and her heart started to beat faster. She gave a small nod. "It's nearly April… and you've been with Malfoy since December. You probably think it's a short time, and I would think so too…if it were anyone else. But it's Malfoy. You used to hate him. Remember that time? You called him a foul, evil git. Now, you love him and—"

"Harry, you don't understand," She said, interrupting him. She looked down at the ring on her finger. "You don't understand it at all."

"What? Are you going to tell me the real Malfoy is really a nice guy? Is he really on our side?"

"No, I'm not going to tell you that," She said, coldly.

"Lindsay, he has the Dark Mark. He's working for Voldemort. He's doing something here for Voldemort. You know that, right? He won't let anyone know, not even you. No one believes me, but you know that it's the truth."

"Yeah, I'm aware…" She said very, very quietly.

"How can you still be around him knowing that he is doing something for Voldemort?"

"Well, I guess, that sometimes love just doesn't make sense…" She said, her voice losing all confidence. She became very frail.

"You said that you're on my side, right? You said that you'd be on my side, in the end," He said.

"I am."

"You're certainly not acting like it," Harry snapped, coldly. She stared at him, her eyes widening. She could feel her eyes starting to water. It wasn't because Harry was yelling at her. It was because she knew what she had to do.

"What do you want me to do about it?" She asked, fiercely. He stared.

"End it. I don't want you getting hurt. He's not good," Harry said. He was right. They were too different. She just didn't want to end it just yet.

"I—I—"

Harry raised his hand and she quieted down. He sighed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to sound like a jerk. I don't want you to think of me as a jerk. I'm your friend and I'm just trying to help."

"I know, Harry," She said, quietly.

"Well, I'm sure you've already tried, but…maybe you could get him to tell you something. I know you said that he won't tell anyone, not even his friends, but maybe by some chance, you can get him to tell you."

She stared. She did want to know what he was up to and maybe she could gain Harry's trust, but she wasn't really keen on doing it. He didn't plan on telling her ever…

"I'll try, I guess…"

Lindsay left the Common Room feeling absolutely dreadful. She looked down once again at the ring on her finger. Draco had given it to her the night before…

She went to his room as she normally did. He greeted her with a smile. He looked happy, and he hadn't looked happy in a while. He had been looking paler and weaker as of late, but as of now, he had a smile on his face.

"Hey," He said, and greeted her with a kiss. She was surprised by his good mood.

"You're quite happy," She said, smiling back to him. The worst thought went through her head, first. 'Maybe he completed his mission for Voldemort…' She hated that she thought things like that, but it happened. He was marked… He was a Junior Death Eater or something like that. 'No, it's not that. I'd expect things to be…not good around here.'

"Here, I want to show you something."

He walked over to his dresser and opened one of the drawers. He took out something and put it in his hand. He walked back over to her, took her hand, and led her to the bed. The two sat down. She looked at him, confused and not sure what to expect, but eager. He looked at her, still smiling, and then held out his right hand.

My father bought rings just like these for the Slytherins. Mine has the Malfoy name engraved into it, and of course, the 'S' for Slytherin. My father…he's…well, you know how he is. But my mother, someone you probably wouldn't like, but that's beside the point… my mother gave me this ring." He opened up his left hand, and sitting on his palm was a ring much like the one on his finger. It had a mix of silver and green, and had the circle on top. Yet, there was no Slytherin engraving. "My mother says that this wasn't a present to show how the Malfoys or how Slytherins are better than everyone else. It was supposed to have sentimental value. She told me to give it to someone I love, so I want to give it to you."

Lindsay stared at Draco, surprised. "Oh, I cou—"

"Don't say 'no' or I won't be happy," He said, grinning. She smiled at him.

"Fine," She said. He took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. She held out her hand and examined it. "Fits perfectly."

"Good," He said with a smile. Although they were dealing with outside issues, they were both reminded of how much they loved each other.

Lindsay stopped for a second. She was crying. 'No,' She thought to herself. 'I'm not going to cry anymore.' She wiped her eyes, took deep breaths, and headed to the Slytherin Common Room. She entered it, and went up to Draco's room. She stared at the door, and took another deep breath. She opened the door. He was sitting on his bed, waiting for her, as usual.

"Hey," Draco said, as she walked in. She forced a smile.

"Hey," She said. She walked over and sat next to him. He leaned over and kissed her. She was going to miss that. He pulled away and looked at her.

"You okay?" He asked, frowning. She nodded.

"Yeah, fine," She replied, quietly. She looked right at him. "I was just wondering something. Well, not just wondering something. There's something I want to know."

"Okay, what is it?" He asked. Lindsay stared. She didn't know exactly how to word it. She needed to put in words that didn't seem too…Harry Potterish. He would probably shout out something like 'What's Voldemort making you do?'

"I want to know about it. I want to know about your mission," She said, quietly, and looked away from him, and down at her lap. He stared, and chuckled a bit.

"It's come to this, has it?" Draco asked, still chuckling. Lindsay frowned and looked at him.

"Come to what, exactly?"

"I knew it was only a matter of time," He said. He looked straight at her. "So, who put you up to this?"

"What?" She asked, staring.

"I bet it was Potter. Decided to take advantage of your relationship with me. He's been following me like crazy. Almost as bad as Sna—" He quickly stopped short. Lindsay pretended that she didn't notice it, but he was going to say Snape.

"How…how did you know?" She asked, quietly.

"You told me a while ago that we were too different and that we're on different sides. My dad's a death eater, remember?" He said. "It was only a matter of time before one of them was going to make you get information from me. You've never asked before because you knew I wasn't going to tell you."

"I don't know what to say," She said, quietly. "I guess, I'm sort of betraying you."

"No, you've chosen your side. You're on that side, and I'm on this side…" He said. She stared. He sounded as if he had planned this in his head for the longest time.

"Meaning what, Draco?" Lindsay asked, although she could guess the answer.

"Meaning that it's time to break up," He said, quietly. She stared at him. He was proposing the idea of breaking up. She didn't ever think he would be the one to say it. He was the one who tried harder than her to make it work, and now he was proposing they end it. She thought she might burst into tears, but she didn't shed anything.

"I hate it…" She muttered.

"Me too," He admitted. "I hate it, too, but for now, we can't be together. Potter and his friends won't trust you until you've ended involvement with me. I've been practicing Occlumency, but you remember I had a nightmare a while back… if he ever found out my devotion to you, and if I mess up… I just wouldn't want you to get hurt. So, I guess it's kind of less dangerous if we're not together."

"Right, I guess so," She said, quietly. They both had spent the longest time preparing for this moment. Both of them knew it was going to end, sooner or later, and that time had come now. They were both ready for it. There was no big fight or flood of emotions. They were both calm.

Lindsay held out her left hand. "I guess you want this back, then?"

Draco looked down at the ring he gave her and shook his head. "No, I still want you to keep it. I still feel the way I've always felt about you. It's just, we can't be together now…"

"I guess, we'll have to try our best to get over each other…" She said, very quietly. "Maybe … one day… in the future."

"Yeah," Draco said, looking at her. "I promise. We can be together when it's all over."

She gave a nod, but couldn't fully accept his promise. She could never believe it, but she would hope for it, everyday.

"Can we just spend one more night together? Just for one last memory…" She said to him. He smiled, weakly, and nodded. The two laid down on his bed. Lindsay snuggled up against his body, and he held her close. Neither of them slept that night. They just spent time in each other's company, savoring each moment. There wasn't a lot of talking. The words were not necessary. They both had already said what they needed to say, and there was nothing else that could express what they felt.

The sun seemed to rise too soon. They felt the rays of light on their bodies from his small window. They both hated to see that it was light out, but they knew it was time. Lindsay leaned over and gave Draco Malfoy that one last kiss. She stood up, and straightened her clothes out. Draco stood up, and walked her to the door. She stood at it, turned, and looked at him.

"I guess this is goodbye," Draco said. She smiled, weakly.

"Goodbye, then," She said, quietly. "Malfoy."

"Goodbye…" He looked right into her eyes. "Caldwell."

She turned around again and put her hand on the handle. She turned the doorknob and opened the door. Before leaving, she turned around and looked at him.

"Today. Let's fight…" She said. "Just one last fight, for old time's sake. Then we'll back to the way it was… before any of this happened."

He gave a nod, and she was off. She walked, feeling strange. She didn't feel happy or satisfied. She felt sad, but she somehow knew that things were going to be okay. It was going to be okay. She wasn't going to cry like last time. Things were going to be okay.

The day went on as it normally did. Lindsay felt as if she were watching the world go by as she back and did nothing. It was kind of like she was stuck in a dream-state. It seemed so unreal now that she and Draco were no longer together. It was just very different. She realized that this feeling, and this day was something she had experienced before. It was the feeling that things were like before she got herself involved with Draco Malfoy. Things were supposedly back to 'normal'. Yet, she could never think of that as normal. Draco Malfoy fit so perfectly into her life, even though it didn't seem that way. She constantly thought that he made it dysfunctional and very eventful, but it was right. She never felt so alive, and it felt right. From now on, things were going to be quiet.

She didn't really like that, but she really couldn't do anything about it. She would just have to get used to it. Well, Draco wasn't quite gone yet. They agreed to have a public fight, just like they used to do. It would be a good way to clear up any rumors and let those certain people know that it was over. It happened after a very long and boring Potions class.

"Caldwell!" She heard his voice, and almost smiled. It was going to be fun. She turned around, glaring, and held out her wand. Draco, with Crabbe and Goyle following, approached her. He was smirking as he normally did.

"Ooh, look boys. She's trying to be intimidating. I'm so scared…" Draco said, sarcastically. Crabbe and Goyle started to laugh. Of course, all the Gryffindors and Slytherins were gathered around. She looked around quickly to make sure that Blaise, Hermione, and Harry were watching.

"I figured that you were," Lindsay said, still holding out her wand. "I mean, Harry had to save you from you Uncle, but I do believe he had the right idea."

"Oh, yeah?" Draco said, stepping forward.

"Yeah, I do," Lindsay said, glaring up at him. "It would have been a gift to the world if you were killed."

"Guess you're going to have to do that yourself, then?" He said. "Oh, unless you're too afraid."

"I'm not afraid of you," She said, coldly.

"Well, that's a change from the rest of your family. I bet they were cowards. I bet they were scared shit when they were about to be murdered," He said, as nastily as he could. She didn't know if he really meant it or not. It didn't seem to matter now.

"Fuck you."

Lindsay threw down her wand, and punched Malfoy across the face. He was stunned for a second. Everyone was silent.

"Scared, Malfoy?" She asked, loudly and coldly. He just smirked.

"My father really did the world a favor, didn't he? You know the night he—"

His words were cut off and the next sound heard was him going down to the ground. She managed to slam him down and she started to beat on him. Suddenly, everyone became louder. Draco managed to punch her across the face, hitting her nose, causing it to bleed. She continued to hit him, and leaned down close. Her hair hung down from her head, covering her face and his face. She leaned down and kissed him, quickly. It was exactly what he had done to her that day...months ago. He grinned, and then went back to scowling.

A few moments later, she was being pulled off by Seamus Finnigan and Harry Potter. It seemed like déjà vu. It was happening very similar to what happened back then, but today it was for a different reason. She struggled with them and made it seem like she still wanted to hit him, but in the end, she let Seamus and Harry drag her away. They decided to drag her to the hospital wing. Her nose was bleeding pretty badly, but she had that feeling of satisfaction. She had that one last fight with Malfoy and it was pretty damn fun.

Madam Pomfrey was horrified, of course, but fixed her right away. She let Lindsay lay down for a while until her 'mother of all headaches' went away. Harry came later to visit her. He sat down by her bed. He handed her something. It was her wand that she threw aside and he brought her book bag.

"Thanks, Harry," Lindsay said to him.

"Snape came, and he tried to find an excuse to give you detention, but Malfoy kept taking the blame and trying to make Snape give him detention…"

"I'm sorry, Harry, but I got nothing out of him. In fact, he very quickly realized what I was doing. He said that you reminded him of Snape. So, I guess Snape is trying to find out what Malfoy's doing as well."

Harry nodded. "The two haven't been on good term's lately." He looked at Lindsay. "So, does all of this mean…"

"Yeah, it's over." She felt a strange feeling as she said it. 'Over…' She thought to herself. She just said it so calmly. She didn't sound sad, although she felt that way. She didn't like feeling calm. She wanted to be a mess and she wanted to be crying, but she wasn't.

"I know you felt, so I'm sorry. I feel like it's my fault."

Not entirely, she wanted to say. She didn't say anything. She wanted to be mad at Harry, but she wasn't. She wasn't mad at Harry or anyone and she didn't like it. She wanted to be emotional, but it just wasn't happening.

"No, it's okay," Lindsay said. The sad part was that she was telling the truth. It was okay. Everything seemed to be okay. Life was going to be okay without Malfoy. "I don't really want to talk about him anymore." She figured this was the last time she would be talking to Harry Potter, so she might as well make this conversation worthwhile. He wasn't really going to be paying attention to her. She had no more purpose since she was no longer with Draco.

"This year I've been in the hospital wing, a lot," She said. "I mean, I've only been in here once before this year for the flu…"

"I've managed to make it in here a few times," Harry said. "First year, it was the Philosopher's Stone incident. Then second year, it was the time that Lockhart removed the bones in my arm."

"Who was the one in here because of the snake thing?"

"Basilisk thing. That was Hermione."

"Basilisk?" Lindsay asked. "That whole thing was confusing. Ginny Weasley opened the Chamber of Secrets, but she was being possessed by Voldemort."

"It was Tom Riddle's Diary," Harry said. "Tom Riddle was Voldemort. It was his memory."

"Oh…" Lindsay said. "Yep, that is confusing."

Harry gave a laugh. They talked for a while to lighten the mood, but Lindsay couldn't help but think of him. Eventually, Madam Pomfrey kicked them out. They walked out of the hospital wing together, but Harry had to go elsewhere and do something else. Lindsay guessed it was to follow Malfoy. He had been doing a lot of that lately.

"Harry, just one thing before you go," Lindsay said to him. He looked at her and nodded. "If you find out what he's doing, I'd really like to know."

"Okay," Harry said. "I'll tell you."

"Thanks."

The two went off in their separate directions. Lindsay went back to the Common Room. She was able to skip one of her classes and it was nearly dinnertime, already. Everyone looked at her when they went into the common room and they turned silent for a moment.

"You okay, Caldwell?" Seamus asked her, loudly. She gave a nod. He grinned. "You got him good. He was bleeding all over the place, and all black and blue."

"I didn't seem him at the Hospital Wing," Lindsay said.

"Snape fixed him," Seamus said, frowning. She gave a nod, and went to sit down in one of the empty chairs. Everyone resumed what they were doing, and she watched. Life was going to be like this from now on. Although everyone was chatting loudly, she couldn't hear a word of it. She used to be the listener. She would listen in on their conversations and know things. Now, she didn't even care about that anymore.

Lavender and Pavarti approached her.

"I guess you and Malfoy broke up," Lavender said, even though she knew that 'they were never going out in the first place.'

"So, you and Malfoy aren't together anymore," Pavarti said, sounding immensely disappointed.

"I guess not."