Enchanted By The Thought

FOURTY: FIGHT OR FLIGHT

He saw you. He met you. He wanted you. He liked you. He chased you. He got you. He had you. He loved you. He got bored. He left.

Beth sat beside the lake, looking out over the water. She was waiting for Draco to find her; as she knew he would. She hated that she knew him better than she knew herself. She was likely to know what he was thinking without having to ask. It wasn't like she wanted to see him; she just needed closure. She needed to hear his shitty explanation as to why everything she felt for him was all for a bet. She wanted to hear him attempt to explain as to why she was nothing to him but a game. Kat's confession was all she could hear.

Her heart hurt as memories swarmed up from the depths of her mind. She gave everything to him and he gave nothing in return. She'd jeopardized her own relationship with her brother and her friends for a boy who couldn't love her the way she loved him. She'd given up George, the one who had helped her forgive herself, for a boy who couldn't love. Maggie had been right; the snake may have been beautiful but its bite hurt. And it left poison in your veins, in her veins. She would forever be stuck with knowing that she'd given up her innocence to a Death Eater. She heard the footsteps approaching and stayed on the ground, not wanting to see his face. Because as much as she hated it, she knew that if she saw the pain in his eyes, she'd do whatever she could to end his suffering. But while she fixed him, his shattered heart tore her hands apart. "Beth?" She heard his soft voice and it felt like something had broken inside her.

"Why." She stated, watching as the waves lapped at the shore. She could see shadows darting beneath the surface and knew that many creatures lived in the lake. She felt his presence behind her, brooding and distant. What would he claim this time? His parents pressure on him? She knew what he put at stake for his parents, for his father, but she didn't need to be in the damage. He could've stayed far away from her.

Draco exhaled and she felt his hand on her shoulder. She jerked away from his touch as if she'd been stung and stood up, hugging herself. If he got too close, she'd lose what grip on her mind she'd acquired. She needed to keep him at a distance so she could think clearly. Bracing herself, she turned around to face him. His eyes were wary as they watched her and he looked sick. She patiently waited for whatever pathetic excuse he could come up with. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking away from her. "I don't know." He answered quietly, looking ashamed. "I don't know why. I know, I should've said no. I should've just focused on the task I need to fulfill. I was messed up in the head, girls were just objects to me. I didn't know I would fall in love with you." His eyes met hers and she felt as if a hot object had been shoved through her chest. She glanced away, not wanting the pain.

"I'm so sorry, Beth. I-" He fell silent. "There's no excuse for what I did except that I wanted to see you suffer. I was sick in the head. Your brother had embarrassed me so many times, I wanted revenge. And I couldn't go after him so I went after the thing he loved most; you." She could hear the emotion in his voice and she tried to feel something but there was nothing except numbness. Even Harry's presence in her own feelings had faded.

Her eyes closed and she sighed, shaking her head. "I can't, Draco. Not anymore. Not us." She told him, her eyes on the ground. "I was nothing to you. I am nothing to you. But you're everything to me." She lifted her gaze to his and he looked angry.

"Beth, don't say that. You're everything to me! You're my everything. I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you but I did. I love-"

His words broke through the numb barrier and rage exploded from her eyes. "No you don't. You wouldn't have taken my virginity for a fucking bet, Malfoy! You wouldn't have hid it from me as long as you did! You lied to me, Malfoy. You lied. I was ready to give up Harry for you because I thought you loved me! I thought, for once, someone actually loved me. For me, not because of my brother or my fame. But you turned out to be just like the rest of them." Tears were falling from her eyes and she angrily wiped them away. "God, I hate you. I hate you so much." She spat, her eyes burning.