Draco watched her intently over the passing weeks, desperate to spot any sign of his Astrid.

But as autumn turned to winter and Christmas approached, he saw not the slightest hint of her.

He even tried cornering her in the little hallway that separated their rooms, grabbing her arm like she had done to him when she had previously tried to reach out to him.

But to his dismay she had remained blank and emotionless.

The only thing left he could think of doing was something he really didn't want to do.

Try and drown her.

It was too dangerous, he decided. He couldn't risk killing her.

...

It was one evening in the week before Christmas when he changed his mind about this.

He entered the Slytherin common room having just come from dinner, to see her sat on the sofa by the fire. And to his horror, next to her, with an arm draped languidly over her shoulders, was Blaise.

Without thinking, Draco stormed over.

"Get the fuck away from her, Zabini!"

Blaise just looked up at him smirking. "Why would I do that? This chick is so... accommodating."

He winked as he made a show of sliding his hand sensually across the tops of her thighs and giving the right one a gentle squeeze.

Draco saw red, launching himself at Blaise, dragging him to his feet by the collars of his shirt. "You fucking dare touch her!"

"Chill out, Drac!" Blaise chuckled softly, "it's not as though you still have exclusive rights to it. It's about time you learnt to share."

"She can't say no! You are as good as raping her, you disgusting piece of shit!" Draco spat, pushing his face aggressively up into his.

"If you ask a chick to drop her knickers and she obliges, then that is not rape in my books." Blaise snarled, his lip curling up into a sneer.

Draco's heart was racing furiously in his chest. He had never felt so angry in his life. The girl he loved was trapped in a body that people were using to do all sorts with. He had to save her.

"Come with me now, Astrid," Draco ordered, throwing Blaise back down. He had come to the decision that he was going to make her jump into the lake. It was the only idea he had left.

"I don't think so!" Blaise barked, re-taking his seat next to her and possessively placing his arm back around her. "You're going nowhere my little bitch."

"Astrid Riddle, I order you to follow me!" Draco persisted, making his voice as commandeering as possible.

She started to rise from the sofa, but Blaise yanked her back down. "You wanna fight me for her, then go ahead, Malfoy."

Draco just stood staring incredulously at Blaise as he started licking the tip of his tongue over the outer edge of her ear. "Mmmm baby, you taste good," he drawled silkily.

Draco's fist violently connected to the side of Blaise's head, sending him sprawling back into the sofa, his face emitting a look of stunned surprise.

Draco grabbed Astrid's arm, pulling her up to her feet. "Come on," he hissed, quickly dragging her towards the exit, "walk with me."

"Sectumsempra!"

Having been on the receiving end of this spell before, Draco was quick to jump out of the way the second he heard Blaise roar the horrific word.

However, in doing so - it meant that Astrid got left in the firing line. Right across the centre of her back.

Horror struck Draco as he watched Astrid fall forwards, landing smack face down across the floor with a loud thud as blood spurted everywhere.

Screams rang out around them, but all Draco could hear was Astrid's strangled breaths as she started convulsing on the ground, blood rapidly pooling around her.

"Astrid!" He cried, throwing himself down on his knees next to her as he tried to restrain her jerking body.

"D-Draco!" She gasped, her head swivelling upwards, and his heart contracted at the sight of her glorious blue eyes. "It hurts, it hurts so much."

"SOMEONE FUCKING GET SNAPE!" Draco bellowed as panic tore through his chest.

"I'm here, Astrid, I'm here," he murmured furtively back down at her, shakily withdrawing his wand, his mind panicking as he desperately tried to remember the healing spell.

He grabbed her hand, holding it tightly in his, muttering the incantation he had once used when he first showed her his world.

The world that has done nothing but destroy her.

Slowly the wound started to knit, but blood was still pumping out at an alarming rate. He willed her to stay conscious, squeezing her hand tight as he continued with the spell.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" He heard Snape bellow in the distance. Relief flooded him as bodies moved aside to reveal the black haired professor, who immediately got down to business.

Shuffling aside, Draco place Astrid's head in his lap, stroking her hair with the hand that wasn't clutched in hers.

"It's okay, Astrid, you're going to be okay," he kept murmuring, trying to convince himself more than her.

Her blue eyes looked up at him and he gazed ardently into them. It felt like he'd been waiting forever to see them again. "Draco," she breathed, her voice barely above a whisper.

"She needs the hospital wing - immediately!" Snape commanded when he had finished healing her wound. "She's lost a lot of blood."

Draco carefully hoisted a barely conscious Astrid to her feet, her body falling heavily against his. "Come on, Astrid," he whispered furtively in her ear, as the crowd parted around them, allowing him to drag her out.

"Zabini, my office - NOW!"

Draco was pleased to hear the utter fury in Snape's voice.

Blaise was gonna get it.

...

"He was going to have sex with me?!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"Technically rape you, but he begged to differ. So I punched him."

"Draco this is terrifying!" I quivered, feeling so vulnerable and afraid. "I'm being made to torture children and having people treat my body as a play thing - why is my uncle allowing this to happen?"

Seeing my distress, Draco jumped up from the chair he was sat on and gathered me into his arms, being careful not to touch the fresh wound on my back, as he joined me on the hospital bed.

"He thought it wasn't you, that you were gone. But I didn't stop searching for you, Astrid. I just couldn't seem to rouse you."

He cupped my face, brushing his lips lightly over mine. The softness of them made me release a blissful sigh. I closed my eyes and revelled in the closeness of him.

"Don't close them," he murmured softly. "I need to see you're still there."

My eyes flew open, and I found myself staring into his silver grey ones. "It's me, Draco. I'm here."

"I love you," he stated his voice full of conviction and earnest. "I'll never stop trying to find my way to you."

"I love you, too," I smiled, my heart fluttering wildly, despite the heavy fear weighing down on me. "With everything I am and everything I have. I'm yours. Please remember that when you can't see me anymore."

He pressed his lips against my forehead, holding my body closer still to his. I was trying desperately to hold on to this moment, afraid it was going to be snatched away from me again, sending me back into the lonely, frightening darkness.

I wanted to stay here, forever in Draco's arms, protected from all the evil around us and inside of me.

I was frightened. But worse than that, so was Draco.