A/n: Uh, heh… Oops… I bet you thought I was dead. I return. It is apparent that school has started. It's …horrible. I have no time anymore. Sorry about the long delay… Thanks to all the reviewers.
Hate's Just a Word
Chapter SIXTEEN: Sectumsempra
Lindsay was hesitant about it at first. What would she say? It was going to be so awkward. She hadn't talked to him in a month. He had probably forgotten about her or how much she actually cared. She still did care for him, and that's why she never took off the ring he gave her. It was going to be a weird experience, but for an odd reason, she was looking forward to it. She wanted to hear his voice again. She wanted him to look at her. She missed him a lot. So, it was a good opportunity to talk to him.
She walked towards the Hospital Wing. As she walked in, she saw Pansy come out. It was too late. Pansy already spotted her. She walked right up to her, glaring.
"What are you doing here?" Pansy asked, bitterly. Lindsay frowned and stared.
"Well, generally, when I'm not feeling well, this is the place I tend to go," Lindsay said, crossing her arms. Pansy flushed with anger. Lindsay loved to make her feel stupid.
"You're not here to visit him?" She asked, accusingly. Lindsay gave her a puzzled look.
"Who now?"
"You haven't heard?"
"Heard what?"
"Ugh, never mind then," Pansy said, storming off. Lindsay smirked to herself. Pansy was right. She was coming to visit Malfoy, but it was better if no one knew. She walked into the hospital wing. Draco Malfoy was laying down in one of the beds. She quietly walked up to him. She saw that his eyes were closed. He was sleeping. That's probably why Parkinson left. Well, she didn't feel much for coming back later. She stood next to his bed and looked down.
"You awake?" She asked, softly, hoping that he was, by some chance.
"You're not Pansy," He mumbled, and opened his eyes. He stared up at her. "Thought I recognized your voice."
She sat down in one of the chairs next to his bed, and he watched her as she did so.
"So, I heard that you were nearly murdered and I had to come see this for myself," Lindsay said, looking at him. He smiled.
"Bet you were disappointed when you heard Potter didn't finish me off," Draco said. Lindsay chuckled.
"Maybe a little," She joked. "So, why were you 'sleeping?'"
"Well, Parkinson came and went on for an hour about how glad she was that I'm alright, so I decided that if I pretended to drift off to sleep hoping she would leave. She did," Draco said. "Well, anyway, I see my story has spread around the school." He seemed quite proud of himself. Typical Draco. "So, who told you?"
"Moaning Myrtle," She replied, narrowing her eyes. Draco stared, and then looked away, suddenly.
"Oh."
"Yeah, she said that you were viciously attacked by Harry Potter for no reason," Lindsay said. "For some odd reason, I'm not entirely sure that's true."
"No, it is," Draco assured. She rolled her eyes.
"Okay, say I'm Harry Potter. I've been stalking…er…watching Draco Malfoy forever trying to find out what he's been doing. I stumbled upon him in a bathroom, crying, and confessing things to Moaning Myrtle. I'm not exactly going to attack him. I'm going to listen for information."
"She said I was crying?" Draco asked, reddening.
"Yeah. Were you?"
Draco mumbled something that sounded a little like 'yes'. They were quiet for a second.
"Look, I can explain about Myrtle," He said, suddenly. She raised her hand to silence him.
"No, that's okay. I'm not really interested in that. I'm more interested in what actually happened," Lindsay said, quickly, although she was interested in why he had been talking to Myrtle all these months. "So, Harry sees you crying. Then you suddenly see him, somehow. Maybe you turned around or maybe Myrtle saw him."
"Mirror…" He mumbled, quietly.
"Ah, you look in the mirror and see him. So, you turn around and try to curse him. You two spend thirty seconds or so, cursing each other. So, of course, you start to use some crazy dark magic."
He gave her a look.
"Oh, come on. Don't deny it. You tried to use dark magic on me," She said. He just stared. "So, he uses some spell that causes you to bleed."
"It was something called sectumsempra. It felt like I was being slashed by a sword, and suddenly I was bleeding on my chest. Snape said I'll have a scar now."
"Snape?"
"After Potter used the spell, Myrtle started screaming like there was no tomorrow and Snape came. He healed the wound, but it wasn't entirely fixed. He helped me to the hospital wing."
"I wonder why he used dark magic on you…" Lindsay said, aloud. "Jeez, what curse were you doing that made him use dark magic?"
"Well, first we just battled nonverbally and then I tried to use a…" His voice trailed off. He obviously didn't want to make himself the bad guy in the story. He was supposed to be the victim.
"Oh, no worries. I'll just ask Harry later."
Draco shot her a glare, but she just smiled. They were silent for a few minutes thinking. It was awkward. Lindsay could feel all her old feelings surfacing. They never left, and were always there, just hidden. Draco was obviously feeling the same way. It was so good to hear his voice again, and it was good to joke around again. She had to remember that they broke up for a reason. They were just silent for a minute. It was uncomfortable, but comfortable at the same time. It was just weird.
"So, you were crying," Lindsay said, quietly. "Does that mean things aren't going well?"
"What do you mean?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I mean, does that mean things are going well with your…you-know-what?"
He stared. "Oh, like I'm going to answer. You're probably going to go report to Potter, after this. Tell him all you know, right?"
She glared at him, and stood up. "No. He's a big boy and he was there. I'm sure he could figure out these things all by himself."
"But I can see you're still trying to gain his approval. Maybe if you get him information, he'll pay attention to you again," Draco sneered, nastily. "That's what you want, isn't it?"
She couldn't believe him. "Shut up, Malfoy."
"It'll be the most attention you'll get since we br—"
"Shut up," Lindsay snapped. She glared at him and started to head away. "I can see coming here was a mistake. Forgive me for actually caring about you."
Draco's eyes widened. He raised his hand. "Wait, don't leave yet."
She stopped and stared at him, crossing her arms.
"I'm sorry," He said. "I didn't mean to say that. It just came out…"
She stared at him, but ended up sitting back down. They were silent for a moment. He looked over at her.
"Are you happier?" He asked. She looked at him, confused. "I mean, without me. Is it better?"
"Not better or happier. More boring," Lindsay replied, quietly. He was looking at her as if she had changed her appearance.
"Not wearing a skirt, I see," He said, glancing at her lap. He looked back at her. She was frowning.
"No, not anymore," She said, quietly. There was a coldness to her voice. She was bitter at him, now. "Why should I?"
"You're still wearing the ring…" He also observed. She looked down at her hand and stared at it for a while.
"Yeah, in many ways, I still feel the same as I did when you gave it to me," She said.
"I'm glad you still have it," He said. She gave a small nod. They suffered another awkward and uncomfortable silence. After a few minutes, Draco spoke again. "I still think about you, you know. I know you think I don't think about you at all, but I do."
Lindsay didn't say anything, but just looked at him. He looked pale and weak in his current state. His blonde hair hung from his head, and his eyes were tired. He looked weak, and he didn't have his usual poise. She kind of felt bad. In many ways, he looked totally different. He changed in just this month. Lindsay looked the same. She lost the part of her that made her life exciting. She lost the light in her brown eyes, and just looked kind of plain. She was growing her brown hair out. She knew that Draco liked it long, and so she was growing it. She would never say aloud that it was for him. They were supposed to be over.
She stood up.
"I better go."
"Okay," Draco said, softly. Lindsay walked over to his bed, leaned over, and kissed him on his forehead. She then walked away and left the hospital wing. She went into an empty bathroom, and cried. She cried because he was hurt, and cried because he was okay. She missed him a lot, and she wondered if that was the last talk she was going to have with him. She hated that she needed an excuse to see him now that they were broken up, but it's the way it had to be. She knew that she was going to be thinking about him a lot now that she had actually talked to him.
Lindsay was glad to hear that he still thought about her. He did seem preoccupied with his mission, but once in a while, he would think about her. It was an awkward talk, and it was very uncomfortable. They talked as friends for the most part, but they did have that small argument. It hurt to hear him say those things about her, but she didn't really care. She was just glad that they fought over something. But most of all, she was glad that they were still in love.
After she was done crying and after her eyes were no longer red, she went to the Gryffindor Common Room. Luckily, Harry Potter was there. She wanted to hear his side of the story. He was sitting there, quietly, with Ron and Hermione. She walked to him.
"Hey, Harry. Congratulations, I heard that you nearly murdered Draco Malfoy," Lindsay said. He looked at her, and wasn't sure whether to smile or glare. He just frowned. Usually, Harry was happy when it came to hexing Malfoy, but he looked kind of distraught.
"Who have you heard it from?" Harry asked, quietly.
"Moaning Myrtle," She replied.
"Oh."
"Look, there's something I want to ask you," She said to him. She gave a look to Hermione, who understood that the following would have content that Ron was not supposed to know about.
"Er, Ron, could you help me do something?" Hermione asked. Ron gave a nod with a confused look on his face, and followed Hermione away. Lindsay took one of their seats.
"So, do you hate me now that I nearly murdered your boyfriend?" Harry asked, coolly.
"Ex-boyfriend," She corrected, although she wished it was the other. "I was interested in why he was crying…"
"Have you seen him then? Did he give you some stupid story?" Harry asked. She couldn't tell him that she went to see Malfoy. He probably wouldn't be very happy. So, she shook her head.
"No, I haven't seen him nor do I plan to. I heard the story from Myrtle," Lindsay said. "She told the story to make it seem like Malfoy was the victim, but I know you wouldn't randomly attack him."
"Well, I went in and heard him. He was crying. Saying something about how he couldn't do it, and that Voldemort was going to kill him. Then he noticed me, turned around and tried to hex me, so I tried to fight back," Harry started, very quietly. He looked at Lindsay, who was listening intently. "Then he attempted the Cruciatus Curse on me…So, I defended myself with that spell. I didn't know what it would do. It was scary. I thought I killed him. He was shaking and he was bleeding like crazy…"
Harry's voice trailed off. He seemed freaked out by the whole incident.
"It's okay, Harry. I mean, he was going to use that curse…" She said, quietly. She suddenly felt more on Harry's side. Just because Harry had seen him crying, he was going to try and use the Cruciatus Curse on him. Harry seemed shaken, and Malfoy would be getting all the attention he could ever wish for. Malfoy wasn't that bad off and maybe she should feel bad for Harry Potter instead. She was stuck in another uncomfortable silence. "Well, I'll see you later, Harry…"
She left him to be by himself, and she went to be by herself.
---
Things were quiet once more. The story about Draco and Harry last for quite a while, yet he eventually got better and resumed his work for Voldemort or whatever he did. Gryffindor won the Quidditch Cup and suddenly Harry became happier. It was probably due to the fact that he was dating Ginny Weasley. Harry still seemed to be obsessed with what Draco Malfoy was actually doing, but he tried not to let anyone know that. Lindsay lived the quiet life again. That was the most exciting event in May. In fact, May ended quite quickly. She didn't talk to him again after that. Yet, she still watched him from afar. He used his injury as an excuse to get attention from everyone, yet he soon resumed his secrecy and gazing off in class. He was paler everyday and he looked more and more apprehensive.
She wanted to talk to him again, but she decided not to. It wouldn't be best. That talk brought back enough of those feelings. It wasn't a good idea to do that again. She knew in no time that if they did that, they would be snogging. She wanted that. She wanted to be with him again, but it just wasn't possible. It wasn't right. He was the enemy, she constantly reminded herself. The enemy. She couldn't be with him until he ceased to be her enemy. She didn't believe that day would ever come, but she wished for it everyday. Two months apart from him was hell enough. She was okay most of the time. She was doing well considering how much she wanted him.
The end of the school year was upon them. The weather was very well. Everyone spent their days outside, and the common room became more empty. Everyone started to study for their exams. Lindsay became Ernie's study companion again. All he wanted to do was study, even with the nice weather outside. So, she often dragged him outside and they studied out there. She hated studying. It was the most boring thing out there to do. It was even more boring than writing essays.
She resumed wearing skirts again, not because she was over Malfoy, but because the weather was quite hot. Everything seemed so peaceful. There wasn't any trouble yet. It was the end of the year, and everyone was secretly waiting for the part when Voldemort attacked Hogwarts and Harry escaped, but it didn't seem to be coming. Well, there was still time for that. It was very close to end of the school year. Everyone was eager for the summer, but at the same time, they would be missing Hogwarts.
Lindsay always liked summer. It meant no schoolwork. She would return to the muggle world, and she would watch TV and listen to muggle music. She would go to muggle places like the arcade or the movie theater. She would be home with her family and her brother. Yet, at the same time, she was dreading it. Summer meant that she would not see Draco Malfoy for two months. She had grown accustomed to staring at him in class and that's how she kept herself from being totally unhappy without him. She would have to go two months without seeing him or watching him. It didn't prove to be very pleasant. She didn't even know if he was going to return next year. He'd probably be too busy being a death eater or something like that.
That is…if he survived. She had the constant fear that Voldemort would kill him for failing or whatever. Harry told her that he had been crying and saying that if he didn't do it, Voldemort was going to kill him. She spent a lot of time worrying about him. She didn't want him to succeed. She knew that if he did, it would be bad news, but at the same time, she needed to him to succeed, and she needed him to be alive. She hadn't thought about it a lot before, but now it was in her face. The end of the year is when the big showdowns usually happen.
For now, she tried to concentrate on end of the year exams.
It was a late June night, and Lindsay was once again in the library 'studying.' She was actually watching Ernie study. The two of them had actually become friends, and not just study buddies. Although, that's what Ernie wanted to do most of the time. Sometimes they would talk about things that weren't related to school, but that was seldom.
"I'm pretty tired," Lindsay said, closing her book. "I'm heading to bed."
She stood up and started to pick up her books.
"You're right. Sleep is a good idea," Ernie said, also starting to pack up. They grabbed their books and left the library. They separated to go back to their own towers. Lindsay entered the Gryffindor Common Room. There were still people up. It seemed to be Hermione, Ron, Ginny, and that gang. She ignored them and went up to the dorms. In the first time for seven months, she passed out on her bed without any tossing and turning.
Just two hours later, she was awake. She could feel the panic in the air. Lavender and Pavarti were up and about. She rubbed her eyes, and looked at them.
"What's going on? Why is everyone awake?" She asked. Lavender looked over at her.
"The Dark Mark!" She exclaimed with fear in her voice. "It's been cast."
"Wait, Death Eaters are in the school?" She asked. They didn't hear her. They were too busy being afraid. Suddenly, a thought hit her. 'Draco…' She knew this was the work of Draco Malfoy. She didn't even bother to change out of her pajamas. She put on her shoes, grabbed her wand, and headed out.
"Where are you going?" Pavarti called after her. She ignored her. The Common Room was slightly crowded with everyone huddling in fear. She pushed past everyone. She had to find Draco and stop him. She didn't know where he would be. She would try to find the Dark Mark first. She headed towards there, when she heard some noises. She crept quietly around the corner, and peeked from behind. She saw a cloaked figure fighting someone else. It was a Death Eater, and an auror. She continued down the hallway, unnoticed by the duelers. It was suddenly dark and very quiet. She heard approached closer to the tower where the Dark Mark was set. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around and held out her wand. She didn't use 'lumos'. She did not want to be noticed.
"Stupefy!"
A moment later, she was hit from behind with a stunning spell. She didn't see who did it, but the voice sounded familiar. She closed her eyes and entered the world without consciousness.