One Day, my prince will come!

Chase stood in the corridor on the seventh floor, looking around. She had been here a long time ago, but could no longer find the Room of Requirement, and it wasn't really like she was looking anyway, her mind was to preoccupied on other problems to really concentrate on what she wanted. Andrew... she didn't know why she had said no to him. But she had been so angry, so upset over him leaving her. And her mind was confused with alcohol, well it didn't help that she might have had a few sips of firewhiskey down in the kitchens before coming up here.

She walked the corridors, opening random doors to empty classrooms. How many rooms did one castle need? She wasn't sure, but their castle sure had a lot, a lot more rooms with desks in it then there were subjects to teach. But even then, classes were so spread out it took hard work to get from one class to another without being late. She stumbled down a corridor, and then found a room and walked into it. It was quiet, and dark, and slightly damp, and just what she needed at the moment.

Andrew... he had been there when her parents died, he had been there when Jack stopped talking to them. But.. he had broken up with her for a stupid reason, wanted to get back together with her after she had just kissed Elijah.

Elijah..

Andrew would want to get back together if she ever met him, she knew of it, but Elijah.. he had been there, he had held her in the rain when her mind had broken down from thinking about her family. They had both had horrible colds afterward, but he had held her, rocked back and forth and hummed, listened as she sobbed, spoke, and cried. Had Andrew ever done that? Not that she could think of.. he was horrible at comforting people, and Elijah knew just what to do. But Elijah didn't like her, and she didn't even know what her feelings were for him. He was her best friend, and that's all they would ever be she was sure. He wanted her to be happy, and she felt horrible for making him sad. It was how things were meant to be.

Sure he had kissed her, but he hadn't made an attempt on her after he had seen her break down. He could have easily had her against a chalkboard somewhere after Andrew, but he hadn't, he had made her smile, got her back on her feet, and helped her along in life, helped her petals to regrow somewhat. She felt better.. except when she was like she was now. Tipsy, sitting in an empty classroom, wishing she had a cig and a firewhiskey. Glancing up she realized she DID have some cigarettes at least. She pulled out a small box out of her pocket and glanced around the room. A small window was set against one corner, and she moved to it, opening it up and letting the mustiness of the room wash out, then she lit her cigarette with the end of her wand, and took a deep calming breath.

Andrew would kill her if he saw her now.

Andrew was the biggest idiot in the world.

Or so he thought after the fracas with Eli...yet Andrew still felt as if it had been necessary. Yet deep down, he knew he shouldn't have. He shouldn't have tried to ask Chase out after he had slugged the boy. Yet what could he do? He felt helpless, a screaming hamster in it's cage, longing for a way out. All he could do was just hide in the shadows...just as he had did 5 years running.

He didn't want to talk to anyone. He didn't want to release his anger and sadness, no he wanted to bottle them up. Because pain at that point helped him realize that he was still breathing. That he had still taken up space in the world. He had ignored all his friends, yet still had to plan for Quidditch. He wished he woudln't have been the captain...yet he knew he would have to keep himself strong. To be able to face Chase again.

Yet he was going to face her too soon.

Andrew walked down the hallway, his thoughts still stirring on the fight, his head still hekd high but his stance really low. He was good at blending into a crowd...yet no one was around. He felt exposed;naked. As he approached more and more to the end of the hall, he noticed.a perculiar smell. It was not strong, yet still dtrong enough to reveal his prescence to Andrew. Cigarette smoke.

He cocked his head to the right, noticing through the window that his ex girlfriend had been standing there, a lit piece of paper between her fingers. Andrew felt a spark of rage flow inside him, but he would not unleash it. Fighting a pointless fight would get him nowhere. His legs urged him to move passed her, yet he knew he needed to face her. He needed to talk to her before her friends showed up and chew his ear off. So with one reluctant turn of the knob, he pushed the door open.

He blinked at Chase, his eyes still glued on the cigarette. He opened his mouth and a deep voice flew out "That will kill you, y'know..." He toke one step closer, more neutrality in his eyes and face than anger. What were he to say? He was not Eli, he could not be the suave kind of guy...no. Andrew was just that-Andrew. "Chase..." He said softly, sliding his knapsack off his arm and setting it on the floor "can I talk with you?"

Chase heard his voice, but didn't turn around when the door opened. Odd how it was, she had been looking for the room of requirement, and instead, gotten exactly what her mind had been wanting, so in a way, she had found the room of requirement. She had gotten exactly what she was thinking of. Her hand was shaking now as she pulled the cigarette to her lips and then slowly turned around and leaned against the window sill. A dead expression on her face. There was a light in her eyes, which showed that she had somehow managed to cling on, but the look on her face showed just how haggard she was.

She had lost weight, her cheekbones stuck out and her collar bones jutted out angrily against her shirt. She was in uniform but her tie was loosened, and she had ditched her robes, so she was just in the white t-shirt and black skirt. "Hi Andrew." She said slowly, the smoke rolling out of her mouth as she smoked. It gave her an odd satisfaction, him finding her doing the one thing he hated most, smoking. She smiled tightly and held the cigarette loosely in her fingers. "We're wizards, we have extra years of our lives to spare, I don't see how this is gonna hurt me any more...." She said making the sentence linger on, as though to pointedly say 'any more then you have.' but didn't actually state the last part.

He could have walked past, he could have left her to her smoking, just as much as he could have left her to kiss Elijah in peace, but he didn't. He was Andrew, of course he didn't. She didn't move from next to the window, a cool breeze drifting in and breaking up the smoke around Chase, drawing it back out through the window where it disappeared into the darkening sky. It seemed like it might rain today, but then again, it always rained at Hogwarts.

"What do you want?" She asked suddenly, her hand dropping to her side, the cigarette loose in her fingers, but not touching her as she folded her arm around her middle. "Haven't you tortured me enough in my sleep? Haven't you pierced my soul every time I catch a glimpse of your face in the hallway? What more do you want to do to me that can hurt me even more efficiently then you've already done?" she asked viciously, not caring for his emotions anymore. It seemed the Slytherin's had really done a number on poor innocent Chase.

Andrew felt as if a boulder had collided with his torso as he listened and watched Chase. She was hurt, that was obvious, but she also looked like she had been hurt mentally that is messed with her physical apperance. And all because of Andrew. He would try to right this wrong...or die trying. He swallowed some pain and toke a deep breath, his aze averting to the ground.

"I have come for nothing more than to apologize," he confessed "I have realized at how much of an idiot and shallow person I have become. I just want to set the record straight and confess that I still have feelings for you...and that I still want you back. Yet, I was a fool and broke you heart, probably more than I can do to repair. My only wish is to see you smile again and be back to your normal self."

At that moment, Andrew felt his entire organ system collapse. Everything seemed to be working out of place, and his eyes burned. He used both his index finger and thimp on his right hand to press the pain away, to remove any traces of sorrow. Yet he could not do so. He looked back up at Chase and said "I will do anything you want to make things right...anything"

Chase's gaze wandered over him critically, expecting him to lash out with harsh words, with anger and pain. But what she saw instead.. it shook her. She stared at him for a long moment, and then closed her eyes, tossing her spent cigarette out the window but she kept it open, the cold wind biting against her bare skin. "Apologize..." She said her eyes slowly opening to look at him again. Her eyes were on fire with what her mind was working out, but fighting over. He was apologizing, acting like he cared, but how could she trust him? She had trusted him before, had laughed with him, been friends with him, and look where he had left her! On the side of the road, that's where!

She stared at him for a long moment. See her to her old self, isn't that was Elijah said all the time. He wanted to see her smile, wanted to see her happy, and when she was down in the kitchens with him, she was able to open up there. She looked him over for a second and then took a deep breath, half wishing she could afford having another cigarette, but she didn't have enough to take two a day anymore.

"Anything I want?" She said pushing away from the wall and moving closer to him. "Anything I want.." she said and then got right up into his face. "Leave me alone Andrew... I'm trying to heal! Don't you see that?" She could feel her mind working hard, and she felt as though she were reliving the past. "There isn't anything you can do now that will help." She balled her hands into fists, and then stood there in front of him, one hand slightly raised towards him. "Hit me.." She said suddenly, her gaze intense on his. "You said you'd do whatever I wanted! Hit me right now!" She said, tears leaking down her cheeks, her finger pointed at her cheek, her face turned to the side.

Andrew was stunned with what she had said. Hit her...he had said he would do anything. But what good would that make? Hitting her would just cause more anger and sorrow. Yet his body trembled. His eyes were wide and his hazel eyes dimmed out. How was he to respond to that? "Chase," he said in a calm voice, his body a static statue "I have caused you enough pain...if anything, you should be the one hitting me. You have caused me no pain...and I ruined everything for you." His eyes and body matched his emotion. Fear.

He dreaded seeing himself hit her. To hit her would probably cause something in him to snap...for the worse. Who knows...maybe a life as a Death Eater wouldn't be so bad. He would certainly get some respect around Hogwarts anyway. Yet the thought quickly flew away as his thoughts continued to loom quickly. "Please Chase," he choked his eyes averting hers "don't make me hit you...I don't want to cause you more pain." A single tear had fallen onto his face. Now he regretted not continuing when he had the chance. It wouldve surely been a more peaceful decision.

Chase stared at him for a long moment when he refused. But he thought about it, and knew that he would have if she made him. "You make me sick Andrew." She said suddenly. Tears welling in her eyes and fell down her cheeks. She staggered away from him and went to the window, gulping in air as coughs started to rack her body. It was a new problem, and she could have it fixed easily with a little trip to the Hospital Wing, but she didn't dare. Madam Pomfrey would ask how she got a cough, couldn't tell she had been completely disregarding her body recently could she?

Chase stared out the window as the coughs reduced and she put both hands on the window sill, her hands clenched so tightly her knuckles were white. Andrew was standing behind her still, still there, and she could feel her own confusion over what to do, mingle with his. She had loved him so much, he had been the only one she truly trusted, and then he broke it, tore it out from under her. Left her to fend for herself in a world that hated her. She found herself slipping to her knees, sitting on the floor by the window sill, tears leaving tracks down her cheeks.

"Can't you just hate me Andrew? Can't you just call me a slut, hit me and move on?" She said softly, voicing what she had been thinking in the back of her head for a long time now. Never having let the thought surface because she knew exactly who she sounded like. Sterling... he had asked her the same question. 'Can't you just hate me Chase? Why can't you just hate me, I'd be so much happier if you did.' And Chase would never hate him. She could say she did, but she never did. Not even now. "Andrew.. I would be happy if you just.. hated me... called me a slut, told me to get out of your life, and left." She said softly, staring at the blank wall in front of her.

Andrew didn't want to be mad at that point...but he was almost close to being furious. She kept saying things about hating her...why would he?! He had broken up with her, he had punched Eli, HE ruined her life! And she wanted HIM to hate HER?! He continued to roll out his rage in his head, gritting his teeth slightly.

"Chase," he said softly again "I could never hate you...but for Merlin's sake, why the hell do you want me to hate you? I'M the one who did this to you...you should be trying to hurt ME. I just don't understand it..." He shook his head in annoyance and looked back at her. He started to feel more like himself again...but he still wouldn't be truly himself again until all the cards were on the table and the scores were settled. "Why can't you hate ME? Why can't you yell at me and get it all out? I don't care if you hit me, I deserve it!"

He didn't get it! All of this was HER fault! Everything was! Had she not opened that door, so many people would have been spared! It was her fault both of their lives were in ruins. Why they weren't friends with Jack, why they weren't dating. Why she couldn't get Elijah Krum out of her head. She felt the tears fall down her cheeks silently as she looked up at him.

"Why can't I hate you? Because I don't hate Andrew!" She said standing up so suddenly she almost fell over. The small amount of alcohol she did have in her system was making her dizzy now, and she pointed her finger at him. "You need to hate me, so that I can get on the way to hating you! If you hate me, tell me you never want to see me again, call me a slut and kick me while I'm down.." She shuddered hard and almost fell over, but caught herself against the wall.

"Andrew..." She said softly, looking up at him helplessly. The mask was up so strong, she felt like there was a brick wall between them. She squared her shoulders and looked at him. "I will forever have feelings for you, I will always think about you, but right now, you are not the right thing in my life." Chase knew what she was about to say would hurt him forever, would possibly turn even Elijah against her. But she had to take a chance, if she degraded herself as low as possible in Andrew's eyes, maybe he would hate her more, and leave her alone. If he didn't think she was worth the dirt on his shoe.. it was better then being loved, because being dirt, she could ignore him. Being loved, she was forever suffering.

"I'm in love with Elijah Krum!" She exclaimed and waited for the blow, the stagger, the emotion the words would invoke, preparing for each one with a different mask so that when he broke through the others, it wouldn't hurt as bad. A mental shield against his reaction.

Time stopped and the waves and oblivion rolled over Andrew. The noise is his ears ceased to hum and a mute had been placed on life. His fist clenched to the point where it was red and his face showed his emotions. Hurt, sadness and anger. He stood, her words still shocking him, even though they already rolled off her lips. A tear fell down his face and he felt his anger spike again, the blood in him boiling.

At first, he had thoughts of possibly hurting Eli and maybe something worse. But Eli had told him that she was avaliable and that anyone could grab her. Andrew made the worst mistake in his life and it completely ruined everything. Now who would he go to talk about everything? His parents didn't even know about Chase and he didn't even want to explain everything. All his other friends probably hated him as well for dumping Chase.

He was alone.

He continued to stand there, his teeth grinding behind his lips. Through a pained effort, he said "Okay. I'm...glad." Just saying that made him want to punch the wall. "It is all my fault anyway Chase...it's my fault that I lost you to the arms of that person. Its my fault that all of this f*cking happened!" He turned around and placed one hand over his face, blocking the light from his eyes. Everything hurt, he thought he had a migraine. And another thought rolled into his head...she had moved on, why couldn't he? She loved someone else, so why couldn't he? 'Maybe because you don't want anyone else' he thought. "I hope you two have a wonderful relationship..." He sighed, feeling defeated and helpless. He walked over to the wall and pressed his back onto it. From there, he slid down until he was sitting, his knees up in the air and his hands on top of them. He stared at the ground, his thoughts in obliviob