Disclaimer: JKR owns everything and I don't.
Chapter 9: Drowning
No light seeped between the trees, their thick branches overgrown with bracken. The owls and wind were silent, and Lucretia could hear nothing around her, but the buzzing in her own head. She was wandering aimlessly through the brush, trying to find some source of comfort, but it was to no avail. The hem of her thin nightgown was soaked through, wet from the icy puddles of water that plagued her path. She shivered and the tears that she had attempted to keep at bay streamed down her face. Lucretia stumbled and fell to her hands and knees. Her feet were caked with mud and bleeding, and her body wracked with sobs of despair.
"Please," she screamed, "someone help me." But no one answered. Climbing wearily to her feet, Lucretia continued to meander through the starless night, until she came upon a large body of water. Throwing herself down upon the banking, she stared into its murky depths. She gaped at her dim reflection, seeing the thick charcoal circles beneath her eyes, and the thin, pinched look of her face. Her beloved curves were gone, and her hair hung dull and limp. Fingering her likeness in the water, she suddenly plunged forward and was swallowed by the icy blackness. Lucretia panicked, her arms and legs flailing uselessly around her. She struggled in vain to reach the surface, but somehow continued to sink. Her heart pounded in her chest, as her lungs burned with the desire for fresh air.
A shadow fell across her field of vision and Lucretia could just make out the hazy outline of Alexander standing above her on the lake's edge. Her heart soared. She wouldn't die alone, smothered by the cold waters. Look down, she thought in earnest. Please Alexander, look down and save me! She couldn't hold her breath much longer and continued to try and kick upwards. Lucretia watched as Alexander's dark eyes locked with hers, a sad expression enveloping his features. He shook his head despondently, and did nothing to change her grievous situation. Lucretia felt the loss of all hope and ceased her efforts. Her mouth opened and water seeped into her lungs, the pain cutting into her like a thousand knives. With agonizing slowness, she drowned.
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Lucretia awoke exhausted. The same dream had been plaguing her ever since she left the Hospital Wing three weeks ago. She lay quietly, tucked behind the blue hangings of her four poster bed, too tired to move.
"Luc, you up? You slept through breakfast again." Aurelia's voice drifted through her thoughts, as her friend's anxious face appeared between the curtains. "Oh good…your awake. It's nearly lunchtime. Get up and get dressed. You're coming to the Quidditch match with Zara, Ginny, and I, and I won't take no for an answer."
"Quidditch? I'm really not in the mood Aurelia."
"And I really don't care. You're way too pale…you need to get out in the sun. Now come on!"
Lucretia sighed inwardly, knowing her friend was right. Her appearance looked much the same as the reflection in her dream. The lack of quality sleep was taking a heavy toll on her. She dressed silently, knowing that Aurelia was watching her. Lucretia pulled on a pair of jeans that now hung loose on her hips and a black wool jumper. Quickly, she plaited her hair and followed Aurelia wordlessly down to lunch.
Entering the Great Hall, Lucretia's eyes wandered amongst the students and settled upon Alexander's broad back. He was sitting with the other members of the Slytherin Quidditch team, talking quietly. Her heart lodged in her throat and she felt tears well up in her eyes. Lucretia wanted to run over and throw her arms around him. A fierce need surged through her, and she paused mid-stride. Closing her eyes, she attempted to calm herself. This is maddening. What in Hades is wrong with me?
"Luc, are you okay?" Aurelia asked in a concerned voice.
Lucretia ignored her and concentrated on taking slow, steady breaths. Do not show weakness. She opened her eyes and continued towards the Ravenclaw table. Taking a seat next to Zara, she wondered why the sight of Alexander affected her so much. Every time she laid eyes on him since their last conversation, she felt an incredible urge to be near him. She longed to hear his gravely voice and wanted to feel his hands on her and drown in his masculine scent. Sometimes, when Lucretia was sitting quietly in class, she swore she caught a whiff of spice and sandalwood, and would look around for him, but he was no where to be seen. Her thoughts were driving her mad. Lucretia's school work had begun to suffer, and she lacked complete concentration. Her only attentions centered on Alexander Montague. I am losing my mind.
"So who do you think is going to win today?" Zara asked Ginny, who had lately taken to eating with them on the weekends.
"Not sure…Slytherin has a good team, but we still have Potter. There's no denying he's a great Seeker."
"True…I wonder how your brother will do as Keeper though."
"Honestly, I don't know. Ron has a tendency to let his nerves get to him," Ginny answered matter of fact.
The discussion continued, but Lucretia paid little attention. She watched as Alexander and the Slytherin Quidditch team rose and made their way out of the Great Hall. As he passed her spot at the table, she thought perhaps he would glance at her, but he kept his dark eyes facing forward. She let her head fall and pushed the eggs on her plate around miserably.
"You won't admit it now, but you need me Lucretia."
Alexander's words haunted her every waking moment. I do need you and I hate it, she thought forlornly. I need you so badly and I don't understand why. What did you do to me Alexander? Wretched tears spilled down her cheeks, and she cradled her head in her hands. I feel…so weak. I hate myself.
"Lucretia, please tell me what's wrong?" Aurelia pleaded. "I hate seeing you this way." Maybe I should take her to Madame Pomfrey…this isn't normal.
Lucretia shook her head and hastily wiped up her tears with the sleeve of her jumper. Aurelia sighed and pushed back from the table. "Let's head down to the pitch, so we get good seats."
The Gryffindor-Slytherin match was a fast-paced, furious competition of wills. Slytherin's beaters, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, were relentless. They whacked bludger after bludger at the Gryffindor players, while Cassius and Alexander took turns scoring. Ginevra's brother Ron was having a horrible time trying to block their goals. The match ended in a flurry of excitement as Potter grabbed the Snitch right out of Draco's fingers.
"Bloody hell! Oh, is he going to be furious," Gin whispered under her breath. Zara and Aurelia gave her a knowing look, which caused the redhead to blush. According to Pansy and Blaise, Ginny had been spending quite a bit of time in the dungeons.
Aurelia, Zara, Ginny, and Lucretia made their way down the stands and across the lawn. Halting by the Slytherin locker room, Aurelia indicated she wanted to wait for Cassius. Zara and Ginny smirked and told them they would meet up later. A showered and angry Cassius soon exited the locker room and made his way to them. As Aurelia listened to him rave, Lucretia's eyes gazed longingly at Alexander. She watched as he headed towards the school. Victoria Nott stepped into his path and wrapped her arms around him. Lucretia stared angrily at the couple, as the blonde 6th year pressed her lips against Alexander's. Violent rage coursed through Lucretia's veins, and she felt her nails dig deeply into the tender skin of her palms.
With his mouth still attached to Victoria, Alexander's eyes drifted over her shoulder and gazed intently at Lucretia's angry face. They stared at each other silently.
"You won't admit it now, but you need me Lucretia."
His words played over and over in her head as his obsidian eyes bored into hers. Her ears buzzed furiously and black spots blurred her vision. The onslaught of emotion was too much for Lucretia to bear and she fainted.
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Alexander watched with interest as Lucretia's eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the ground. Pushing Victoria aside, he strode over to Cassius and Aurelia, who were trying to revive a very unconscious Lucretia and picked up her limp form. Without a word, Alexander headed into the castle and up to his rooms with Lucretia wrapped securely in his arms. He laid her down gently upon his bed and brushed her cheek. He hated to see her like this…so pale and thin. It was obvious she hadn't been eating or sleeping, and he knew the spell that bound them must have been wreaking havoc on her.
Il Grippaggio del Virgin was a complicated and risky spell. Once performed, if one of the individual's denied their connection to the other, the spell would cause them extreme despair, slowly causing the individual to loose their mind. It had been awful to watch Lucretia go through this during the past three weeks, but he knew that unless she freely accepted him, he could do nothing to stop her misery.
Tucking her into his bed, he placed a chaste kiss on Lucretia's forehead. Her eyes fluttered open and she whispered, "Alexander."
"Shh, get some rest luv. You need it. I promise I'll be here when you wake up." He gazed down at her, a small smile playing on his lips. She's mine…all mine. Lucretia didn't argue, but closed her heavy lids, and drifted off to sleep.