Walk Away

Chapter 1

Cassidy Ambron awoke her head pounding. As her eyes fluttered open, random flashes of the past night streaked before her eyes. Her head pounded harder. She caught her breath and turned to see the space beside her. He was still asleep. It surprised Cassidy how innocent he could look when he was asleep. It must've been so because she could not see his eyes. Those gray eyes leaked with lies and pain, but most of all: evil.

Cassidy took in a quick breath as his eyes fluttered slightly. She pulled the cover up over her bare body. A sick feeling turned her stomach over horribly. Again the pale eyes fluttered again and finally opened. He blinked a few times before really seeing Cassidy beside him. His lips curled into a sneer. It sent tiny lightning bolts up her spine painfully.

"G' morning, Cass." She shuddered; the way he said her name sent more cold shots up her spine. His lips curled more as he saw her small flinch. He reached out his hand and placed it on her cheek. Cold generated from the soft fingertips. Cassidy flinched away from the cold, deceitful hand.

"Stop it," she whimpered painfully. He gave a soft bark of laughter.

"You're mine," he said, moving so that the soft covers fell away from his bare chest, the pallid skin shining in the soft morning sunlight pouring in through the east window. Cassidy let out an almost inaudible whimper and closed her eyes, tears stinging the corners of he eyes. A small chuckle shattered her small cry into a small sob. Again, she felt the soft, cold hand touch her warm cheek. Shortly after, the cold lips closed over hers, the luscious things seeping fatal poison into her veins. She had neither strength nor courage to resist it any longer. He was so much a part of her that in a way, she loved him. On the other hand, she hated him so. The pain he stirred in her was one, which the pain of her mother's death could have never equaled.

"Open your eyes," he commanded, amusement definite in his voice. She obeyed. The clear gray eyes shined on her hazed hazel-green ones. "You know you're beautiful, don't deny it," he said. He had said this to her many times before, and had truly meant it. She didn't find herself able to believe him. Tears stung at the corners of Cassidy's eyes horribly as his other hand found its way to rest on Cassidy's waist. Again, she closed her eyes, this time a tear fell from each of her eyes to fall onto the green, silk sheets despairingly. He chuckled again. Cassidy let out a low and long sob. She remembered how he used to hold her tenderly whenever this happened. Now, he watched her, seeping with amusement of her pain.

He grasped her hand and pulled it towards his mouth, kissing the inside of her palm and the tip of each of her fingers. More tears leaked out leaked out. He pulled in towards her and kissed her nose, her cheeks, her forehead, and the small bead of tears, tasting them on his lips. Cassidy let out another long sob, this one louder. He finally pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her waist. Contrary to what most people would think, this was not a gesture of care, comfort, or love to Cassidy. It was more like he was mocking her tears, her pain, her hate and her love for him. Her silent tears fell on his forbidden, pale skin. His shoulder blades contracted as small tears trickled down the crevices of the muscles on his bare back. She had all she could take for one morning. Cassidy pulled away from him. He let her. She fell miserably out of the bed. A small chuckle emitted from the boy on the bed. She pulled on her clothes quickly and carelessly. She stood up and ran in despair from the room. Again, Draco Malfoy had proved his amazing, horrible power over her.

~~~~~~~~~

Cassidy fell onto her bed as soon as she got to her dorm, giving out a long sob. Tears fell freely from her reddened eyes. She was so powerless. Nothing she did could stop him. And certainly nothing she did could stop her from crawling back to him. She suffered every second she was away from him. But when she was with, every second she dying, giving up a little more of herself to him each time.

It had begun in their first year. At first, they had been mutual friends. But, by the end of the year, Cassidy could tell Draco's feelings towards her were changed. It had gone from friendship, to admiration, from there to desire, and gradually formed into obsession by fourth year. It wasn't until late fourth year that Draco had finally told her of his feelings. It had been during the middle of Harry Potter's turn in the Second task of the Triwizard Tournament. Cassidy had hardly been taken aback. It had spread around the Slytherins that Draco Malfoy fancied a certain, lucky Slytherin girl. Cassidy remembered some of the envious looks she had gotten during the first few weeks of their relationship. Draco had been shy around her then, he was a hopeless romantic. He'd give her roses sometimes for no reason. He'd fix dinners for the monthly anniversaries. Cassidy looked back at those bright memories with regret and a slight fondness.

Suddenly, after summer break, he had come back to school changed. He had stopped giving her small presents randomly. Draco had started to try and become more physical with her. Though, Cassidy would stop him, insisting that she wasn't ready. He would back off, even if rather reluctant to. Shortly after, he started persisting. It would start with a long kiss, turning into many of these. From there, he would move his hands under her shirt on her back, fingering her bra clasp gracefully. When Cassidy felt it start to come loose, she would jump back to her senses and push him off of her. Draco would playfully persist, tapping her waist methodically, working his fingers into her shirt and up her back until Cassidy insisted persistently for him to stop. Finally, Draco would give up, getting off of her rather angrily.

It wasn't until one day when Draco persisted ceaselessly and with such force that Cassidy had started to become frightened. She had asked him what had happened over the summer, why he was suddenly so lustful. He would mostly say, "I'm fifteen, Cass. It's just hormones." Cassidy found herself believing this less and less each time he said it.

Then it came. It was the night after Slytherin's quidditch match they lost against Gryffindor. Everyone had been so sure that, without Potter, there was no way Gryffindor could win, but they did. Cassidy had never seen Draco fume as much as he had that day. At night, he had somehow got into girls' dormitories (before she had gotten her own dorm) and awoken her. Cassidy could tell by the dull radiance of his eyes that he was caught between anger and his lust. He had sat down on the bed next to her, not a word of explanation uttered. Finally Cassidy asked him what was wrong. He had turned his magnificently blonde head to her, and suddenly pressed down upon her in a kiss. Cassidy pushed him off.

"What are you doing?" she whispered angrily, careful not to wake the other Slytherin girls. That had been the first time he'd ever given her the malicious grin the Gryffindors were so used to. In a short second, Draco had picked Cassidy up off her bed and carried her to the common room, pressing his lips down on her again. He had never kissed her like that before: so much desire packed into two lips. Horrible, anticipating feelings had turned over and over in Cassidy's stomach, making her try to scream against his mouth. But Draco was too strong, his lips held so much force that Cassidy could hardly breathe, let alone summon the oxygen needed for a scream. Before she knew it, Draco was undoing the small buttons of her pajama blouse with a quick, elegant hand motion. Cassidy took in a loud breath through her nose as she felt the cold air of the common room make contact with her skin. The sophisticated hands pushed the delicate blouse off her, still pushing his lips ceaselessly down on hers. They slid up to the small latch of her bra on her back. In an attempt to stop him, Cassidy curled her back in and pushed her shoulder blades towards each other. She felt his lips curl into a grin against her mouth. Cassidy had felt the urge to scream, cry out, kick, anything to get Draco off of her. Even with her back curled, which caused her stomach and chest to be pressed p against Draco, he found the latch. As it finally came undone, Cassidy felt tears fall from her closed eyes. Draco tasted them as he kissed her and gave a small flinch. He suddenly stopped and opened his eyes, pulling a centimeter away from Cassidy's face. She gave a sob.

"P-please st-stop," she whimpered, staring up at the silver-gray eyes. They hardened to become almost black.

"You're mine." That was the first time he'd ever told her that. He pressed his lips back down onto hers, pushing her down onto the couch. After that, she had hardly any clear memory of what had happened.

Now, Cassidy sobbed into her pillow, rather thankful she had her own dormitory to scream and sob in. Draco had arranged it over the summer with Professor Snape. He'd said it would be a good idea if prefects had their own dormitories for privacy and confidentiality reasons. At first, Cassidy was of course grateful and had thought nothing of it. But now, she saw what Draco had done. The dorms were all magically soundproofed. Now, if he ever wanted what he had that first night, he needn't worry about awaking anybody else. Cassidy cursed her naivety as her tears started to dr. She was starting to learn to almost numb herself from the pain, but he became crueler each time.

Finally, Cassidy got off her bed, taking a long shower. Though, when she came out, she still felt just as filthy as she had before. As tears of hopelessness stung her eyes, she rubbed them away forcefully and headed to the Great Hall for breakfast. It was something she dreads greatly since she had to put on a show for all of them. She pretended to be in love with him, holding his hand, giving him sweet kisses on the cheek whenever they greeted or parted. She had never known she could be such a good actress, hiding her pain as if it were a fickle nothing. Cassidy was already well aware of Draco's convincing façades, but he still never ceased to be amazed (or disgusted) at his cold callousness.

As Cassidy sat down, a swollen-eyed Draco walked in. She found herself not being able to look at him in the eyes as he lightly kissed her and sat down. The smell of hot water and soap radiated off of him. Cassidy found that she was slightly surprised at Draco's behavior. He was usually more buoyant and subtly mocking. She stared at him from the corner of her eye. As he pulled up the sleeves of his Hogwarts' shirt to grab some food, Cassidy saw many fresh slashes across the blonde's perfect skin. The blood was dried already into the long cuts. Cassidy gave a small gasp. Draco noticed it and turned to her, seeing her beautiful eyes pasted to the raw, long, and deep cuts in his fine skin. He gave a small grin. Draco leaned in towards her.

"After all this time," he whispered coldly, "and everything I've done to you, you still find yourself caring, you still find yourself hopelessly in love with me." The words were caustic. They bit at her heart without mercy. Cassidy took in a shuddering breath as Draco pulled back away from her.

As soon as Draco had finished his breakfast, he stood up. Cassidy knew from experience that this meant she should follow. They walked out the Great Hall, Cassidy keeping her miserable, strained eyes on the marble-tiled floor. Very suddenly, Draco grabbed her other wrist and pushed her back against the cold, stone wall. Cassidy gasped as did so, her face cupped painfully in one of Draco's hands, the other planted on the wall, barring her escape from him.

"What was that?" he hissed cruelly. Now, Cassidy found she couldn't keep her eyes from his. They locked hers in such a way that it would have felt like a mortal sin to look away. "You better keep your act up, Ambron. I'm not taking anymore of this shit." His voice seemed to falter, and he almost choked on his words. His eyes lit up with moisture. Cassidy stared ceaselessly into his eyes, the blankest look on her face as she was abused so in the hall. Draco pushed Cassidy against the wall harder, her back cracking painfully under the intense pressure. Cassidy did not flinch, though, holding his amazing silver eyes in a locked stare. Finally, he seemed unable to look into the pain of those hazel-green eyes and longer. He leaned in to whisper in Cassidy's ear, a new cruelty renewed within him. "You better keep your toe in line before it becomes a nightly routine, Cass." No more, Cassidy thought out desperately. No more, God. Please, no more. It wasn't until Draco pulled away from her slightly that she realized she had spoken those thoughts aloud. His lips curled into a mocking sneer. "Are you begging for death?" he teased mercilessly. The hand that had cupped her face slid down to encircle her throat. Cassidy felt the steady hand put pressure upon the fragile pulse in her throat. As she heard a whisper of laughter emit out of the blonde devil in front of her, Cassidy started to lose consciousness. As her knees buckled, she felt alarmed hands instantly tighten around her shoulders to hold her up. That was all she felt as the black cold overtook her. No more. No more, please...

~~~~~~~~~~

A ringing noise blasted in her ears. Voices, noises, scarping, screaming... Cassidy's eyes fluttered open. She let out a small sob of despair when she saw Draco's back to her, gazing out the window. He instantly turned to see her. The evening sky shown behind him like a painting.

"Awake," he said plainly, walking towards her bed. Cassidy could still feel the cold fingers that had pressed down on her throat so cruelly just earlier.

"What--why--you're here--?" Cassidy managed through her aching throat. Draco's lip curled.

"As you beau, I thought it my responsibility to stay here. Besides, I am the one who choked you into unconsciousness." As Draco openly admitted this, Cassidy had desperately wished for someone to overhear and to tell Dumbledore. Anything to get him expelled and away from her. But no; her wishes never seemed to be granted.

Just then, Madam Pomfrey walked in and saw Cassidy awake.

.

"Oh my, you're awake," she said coming towards her. When she got close enough, she gasped. "Oh my," she whispered. Cassidy raised her eyes to the nurse's. "Your neck, dear child. There are red marks and bruises all over it." Cassidy's eyes darted to Draco instantly, his lip still curled. "What happened to you?"

"I--" Cassidy shot a glance so small to Draco that even he did not notice it as he looked at her hard, "--I don't remember," Cassidy croaked through her injured throat.

"Well, you sit back. I'll get you something for that neck," Madam Pomfrey said, leaving Cassidy alone with Draco again. He chuckled softly.

"Smart decision," he said as he came to stand right next to her bed. She muttered the question she had asked him so many times before.

"Why are you doing this? What happened over summer break?" He just gave her that falsely thoughtful look, a subtle hint of pain and fear of the memory of summer behind the cruel film placed over his silver eyes. When he didn't answer, Cassidy gave a quiet groan. "Please stop. Just no more, please," she begged in misery. A flash like pity, maybe guilt brightened his face briefly. But Draco pushed it down with malice. He ran his forefinger from her elbow down to her wrist like a knife.

"How many times do I have to tell you you're mine? Understand that you are my possession with which I can do or lack there of whatever I want," Draco explained as if it should be obvious.

"No--" Cassidy begged. The forefinger laying on her wrist changed to a hand grasping her wrist painfully. "No--stop--"

"Yes," he hissed vehemently. "You--are--mine." Tears leaked out of Cassidy's eyes.

"I--I'll die," she said.

"If you do, it will be my doing, therefore further proving that you are mine," Draco declared. Cassidy had been about to reject once more when Madam Pomfrey came in and Draco loosened his grip on her wrist, putting on a false look of worry.

"Here I have it, Cassidy. Just sit up," Madam Pomfrey said. Cassidy obeyed as Draco took a step or two from her. Madam Pomfrey rubbed a cold lotion onto Cassidy's neck, which instantly removed the immediate pain from it. "Better?" Madam Pomfrey asked. Cassidy nodded with a small "thank you". "Now, you just rest up. You should be fine in the morning." The nurse was wrong. Cassidy would never be okay ever, let alone my morning.

As soon as Madam Pomfrey left, Draco came back towards her and bent down and kissed Cassidy hard on the mouth.

"I'll leave you with that to think about," he said and left Cassidy alone in the Hospital Wing. Not having had the strength, she had not pulled away from Draco's lips, but now felt the venom they left on hers.

As time passed and Cassidy remained almost immobile in her bed, she started to fall asleep. Until, a quiet creak disturbed her. She opened her eyes to see long shadows cast upon the floor by the moonlight from thee window. Cassidy could not reach to see who or what had come in, but thought it best to pretend to be asleep. As Cassidy closed her eyes, she started to hear the tap of cautious boots on marble flooring. Cassidy could tell by the cautious steps and the sound of the boots who it was. She tried to keep her breathing at level as the person approached. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approaching was replaced by the sound of shuddering breathing. Very suddenly, Cassidy felt a horribly cold touch on her cheek and flinched away out of instinct. The hand pulled away.

"What have I done?" the person asked in a quavering voice. Cassidy was finally certain it was Draco. "What have I done to you?" A cold bolt shot through Cassidy as Draco's fingertips brushed against the soft skin of her neck. In response, she moved slightly. Again he pulled away his hand, but this time, Cassidy heard body movement as Draco kneeled down next to her bed. He crossed hi arms on the bed and buried his head into them. Cassidy felt the bed slightly shake as Draco did. He suddenly took in a deep breath and grabbed her hand. Cassidy wanted to pull away, but thought it best not to. Draco kissed her hand, and Cassidy felt a couple of tears fall on them from Draco. Cassidy has never been so alarmed. He was actually crying. What kind of things had happened over the summer to make him like this? As a few more tears fell on Cassidy's hands, she couldn't take it anymore. Cassidy gave a small groan as someone who is disturbed during sleep would give. Draco's shaking instantly stopped. Cassidy heard him stand up. He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and left, the sound of his boots tapping rhythmically on the marble floor.

As soon as Cassidy head the click of the door close, she sat up, eyes wide open. She looked down at her wet hand, the tears glistening like unicorn blood in the half light of the moon. Cassidy shuddered as she tried to imagine that cold face of Draco's crying. It was too unnatural, though. As Cassidy stared down at her hand, she felt an ache of pity in her stomach for Draco in the half of that that loved him. Cassidy angrily pushed those feelings away and wiped his tears off her hand brusquely. Cassidy lay back down, desperately pushing all thoughts of Draco out of her head. In almost no time, she fell asleep.