A/N: Hey dudes! I'll tell you this, you guys never fail to amaze me with your wonderful reviews and support. Many thanks to:
allie00: I'm getting that idea from several people so I'm definitely going to try and get that somewhere in to the story. But I won't tell you when, so you'll at least be a little surprised by it. No, Ron and Harry have no idea because, let's face it, they're not the brightest or most perceptive guys. Hmmm, an interesting idea. Perhaps I will do that.
his-lil-shortie: I'm glad you liked it! I'll try to make the next one longer. And thank you!
dramioneshipper: Oh my god, I just like love you so much! You're so funny! Yeah, I'm not usually a fan of angst either, I find it too annoying, but this idea just walked in to my head and I couldn't ignore it. Oh, you should definitely read my other stories! I have four other ones, I think… hang on, let me check. Yeah, it's four. I hope that they please you as much as this one, if you do end up reading them. I made you cry? Oh my goodness! Thank you so much!
Rainan Strife: Lol, that's true!
Koyuki 14: Lol. I can tell that you really adore Jason. Oh man, that's funny! It was on the 9th. Yes, that is correct. Very exciting! How did you know, though? Did I tell you and then completely forget or something? (It really sounds like something I'd do.) Oh goodness, do you realize that it's getting sort of close to the two year mark for when I first joined FF? That's crazy! Time's going by so fast and I'm getting old! Lol.
luv sean faris: Thank you so, so much! Don't worry, the whole Jason thing gets solved pretty soon. I won't tell you how, though, you'll have to wait. Thanks and luv ya too! Ps. He is more than hot, he is smokin'!
Rhonda21: Thank you! I think I'm going to post the next chapter up fairly soon, so you'll get to see what happens in no time. (Thanks!)
CareBearErin: Thanks for your comments. For the first part, that's what I thought too so I just had him shut up. I've put myself in to a bit of a difficult position, however, because now I have two stubborn characters who have both been through so much and while part of them wants to talk, another tells them not to. So, there's now the issue of where to go next with that.
I don't perceive him as a cuddly guy either at all and I wanted to make that obvious. I hate it when people make him all sappy, it's completely changing his character which defeats the purpose of writing the story.
SoccerSmartie: I'm glad you like it. Thanks and happy birthday to you too!
Loca4Anime: Thank you SO SO SO much! I just love your review, it's so long and wonderful! I really like your idea, I think I'm definitely going to use it eventually. You're awesome!
xxlightningboltxx: Thanks very much for the praise and birthday wishes! You rock!
HerFathersJoy: Lol, I don't know about macho but you could be right. Lol, you're so funny! Ooh, I do feel special!
mugglegirl07: Don't worry about, thanks for the compliments and for reviewing when you got the chance! Glad to see that you're so dedicated, it means a lot!
angelraine: Thanks very much!
shirleybobo: Thanks!
Thiriel Malfoy: I'm happy you like it! Here, I'll hit Jason too, WHACK!
modelicious: Thank you! I'm going to try to update sooner from now on, it all depends on how rapidly people review.
Aleja21: Thanks, glad you like it!
S: Don't go insane, here's your next chapter!
Chapter 5: Conflict
I sighed, knowing he was right. He deserved to know after what he had just witnessed.
"How much do you want to know?" I asked, dreading his answer.
"As much as you can tell me," he responded. I smiled faintly at that answer, liking that he knew I wasn't quite ready to tell the whole story.
And so I told him. I told him how Jason and I had started dating long ago, how everything had been great for awhile, but then things had just started going downhill. I was careful not to mention the scars I had created myself and I didn't go in to much detail, which I was thankful for later because I could tell that even the vague version upset him. His face was blank, of course, but the fact that he was gripping my bed sheets so hard that his knuckles were turning white told me all I needed to know.
"Draco?" I asked. The second I tasted the foreign sound of his first name, I stopped. He was shocked as well and lifted his head up to look at me.
"You called me Draco," he said.
"I know," I said nervously. "Sorry. Is that bad?"
The faintest smile I have ever seen crossed his face in that instant before drifting away again, as if it were only a shadow. He shook his head.
"Are you okay?" I asked.
"I'm fine," said Draco stonily. "However, I can't guarantee the same for your boyfriend once I 'have a little chat' with him."
I smiled at Draco quoting Jason's own words but I was soon frowning instead. I appreciated that he wanted to help but it made me uneasy.
"Draco, please, don't," I pleaded. "It's not a big deal, don't make it worse…"
"Not a big deal?" He raised an eyebrow at me. "I failed to help before when I had the chance but now-"
I stared at Draco as he stopped abruptly. He had almost slipped, nearly given away a piece of his past.
"What, Draco?" I prodded gently.
"Nothing."
I sighed. His barriers were up, there was nothing I could do. I didn't know him nearly well enough yet to be capable of breaking them down.
"And what about these?" He successfully changed the subject as he picked up my arm, referring to my cutting scars.
"What about them?" I shrugged. "Battle wounds, I suppose."
He snorted. "Don't try that on me. Do not make the mistake of thinking that I am unable to recognize self-induced scars when I see them."
"And how would you be able to recognize them?" I raised my eyebrows and he was gone again.
"Forget it," he muttered.
"Please, Draco," I said. "In the past minute, you've dropped two hints about your past. You obviously want to talk about it."
He stood abruptly. "I… I can't," he said. I had never heard him hesitate before.
"Why not?"
"Because!" He exclaimed. I knew he was nearing explosion and still I pushed him. I needed to know.
"Because why?" I said. "Come on, Draco, you can talk about it with me. I told you about my past."
"It's not the same!" Draco cried, losing his calm attitude rapidly. "Mine is different, darker, more complicated."
"So my past, my secrets, aren't important?" I asked, hurt. "Don't matter?"
"That's not what I said," he told me, rubbing his eyes.
"But it's what you meant, right?"
He stopped suddenly and turned towards me. "Perhaps it is what I meant," he drawled. That stung but as I looked in to his eyes, I knew something was wrong. He wasn't there anymore; he was slipping in to a dark, cold place where I couldn't reach him. A place he had learned to go to as an alternative to showing emotion. His eyes were completely empty, a dull, listless grey. There was nothing there whatsoever and it frightened me.
"Yes, I think it is," he continued. "Your foolish complaints are nothing. Besides, it's not as if someone like you could understand a past like mine."
"Someone like me?" I asked incredulously.
"A filthy mudblood," sneered Draco. He turned to leave but paused to say over his shoulder, "I believe I've sufficiently wasted my time here long enough. I've even given a disgusting mudblood the false impression that we're friends."
The tears then sprang to my eyes. Usually when he insulted me like this, I would shrug it off, hex him or punch him in the face. But I was already in a weakened state and I truly had believed that we were allies, if not friends.
"Stop your crying," he snarled, turning to leave again and walking towards the door. "A Malfoy changes for no one, especially not for those with dirty blood."
"I hate you," I whispered. Somehow he heard it and stopped dead in his tracks. He turned slowly.
"What did you say?" He asked, eyes narrowed.
"I hate you," I said, a little louder, a little stronger.
"No you don't," said Draco, shaking his head. "How am I supposed to believe that unconvincing little whimper? Especially when I can easily find out what you really think of me simply by looking at you. What's that I see? You actually like me? Well, well, it would seem that little Granger has a crush."
"I hate you," I repeated, beginning to shake with rage.
"I can't believe I haven't seen it before now," he laughed cruelly, ignoring what I had just said. "It looks as if this little infatuation has been there awhile. Why haven't you given it up on it by now, Granger? Why would a fucking amazing, talented, pure blooded, attractive wizard like myself settle for the filth that is you?"
I tried to protect myself from him, he was seeing too much, but I wasn't nearly strong enough.
"Ah, ah," he said, shaking a finger as he saw a partially blocked entrance to my eyes. "Don't do that. Makes me feel unwelcome."
"You are unwelcome," I muttered.
"And why is that?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Because I fucking hate you!"
"Wow," he said, mock shocked. "I don't think I've ever heard know-it-fucking-all Granger curse before. And yet it's still not good enough. Perhaps I should go tell Pothead and Weasel and all the other Gryffindors about your crush. You know, get them to really hate you. But that would only be the beginning. I could make your life a living he-"
He never got to finish. "I HATE YOU!" I screamed it. He stopped talking and looked at me, eyebrow raised, looking almost proud. He was calm, as usual, which I hated. Just like everything else about him.
"That's it," he said softly, walking towards me. "Really, that was much better. I didn't think you had it in you."
He reached me and crouched down far enough so that our faces were mere inches apart. He moved his head slowly until his lips were on my ear. Much to my disgust, it made me shiver in delight. And he knew it.
"And be assured," he continued, whispering. "The feeling is most certainly mutual." He gave my ear a quick, heated kiss, just to get to me, and then straightened up. He walked towards the door and with a swish of his robes, he was gone.
A/N: I know that this chapter probably upset a lot of you, those who have come to like the nice Draco. But let's not forget that he's been through a lot and is not a very nice guy most of the time. It was merely unpractical that they would become friends this early on. Anyways, please, please, please review! I've decided that if I don't get enough reviews, I don't update because I want a variety of people's opinions on this, as I am insecure about the story so far and where it's going.