Bonds, Breaking Bonds

Now that Riley has met Draco and heard his request, will she be able to overcome all the obstacles in her way?

Draco looked at Riley like she had three heads. Riley blinked at him in response.

"What? That's what I need to do. There's something allowing you to be entered, for a lack of a better term." Riley said. Draco looked like he was going to be sick. Riley frowned.

"It's impossible." Draco murmured. He felt like now there was just no way. How could this girl, whom Draco barely knew, sever the bond he had? Riley sighed loudly, drawing Draco's attention back.

"Let me see your hand." She said. Draco narrowed his eyes at her.

"Relax. I'm not going to bite." Riley chided. Scowling, he offered his left hand to her. With a curt nod, Riley carefully grasped his fingers. She placed his hand palm up in her left hand and traced a pattern on his palm. A shiver ran up Draco's spine. He felt his hand going numb, the numbness traveling up his arm. He glanced down and saw faint, silver vein-like lines beginning to crawl slowly along his skin.

"What are you doing?" he hissed. Riley didn't look up, her eyes glued to the delicate lacework of appearing lines.

"Trying to find your point of bonding." She whispered. His forearm suddenly started to burn like he'd been branded. Cursing loudly, he jerked his arm away. Riley looked up, startled.

"Draco?" She asked softly. He grimaced, cradling his arm. Riley frowned again.

"It's on your arm. Isn't it?" Riley didn't even have to ask. Her lines had become a sedated sort of pale blue, similar to the colour of her eyes. Draco was silent. He didn't bring his gaze up to meet hers. Riley stared at Draco.

"I can't do anything unless I see the mark." Riley said carefully and slowly. Draco stood, shoving his chair away. It toppled over and clattered to the ground. Riley jumped from the banging of the fallen chair. She watched him stalk across the room. He stood in front of the long, domed window. The stained glass cast colours across his pale skin and hair. There was no sound until Riley rose from her seat, the legs scraping delicately against the wooden floor.

"Draco, I di-" she began. Draco turned and glared at her with such venom she flinched a bit.

"This is ridiculous." He growled. He began to storm towards the door.

"Draco, wait!" Riley called as he passed her. She reached out and grabbed onto his forearm.

An audible snap emitted from the contact and forced both Riley and Draco to the ground from the aftershock. Riley opened her eyes and looked at Draco. He was curled up on his side, holding his arm against his body. He was shaking violently and gasping for breath. Riley crawled towards him on her knees.

"Draco?" She whispered. She reached out. He wheeled around and slapped her hand.

"Don't touch me!" He yelled. "Gah!" He choked and was bent over again. Breath escaped through his lips in sharp hisses. Riley watched. It was really all that she could do. Draco was letting out muffled screams that made Riley closed her eyes and pressed her hands to her ears. But she could still hear his pained noises. What was happening? She opened one eyes a bit and inhaled sharply. Dark, forest green lines were beginning to slither up from under Draco's collar onto his face. His eyes widened then became half-lidded as his iris' became dull. Sitting back on his heels, as he was kneeling, his arms lowered. The backs of his hands barely brushed the floor. He blankly stared ahead of him. Riley saw the lines intertwining and crawling down his arms and around his face. They settled just around his eyes, branching off to different parts of his face. Riley felt a cold shiver run down her spine.

"Draco?" Riley asked again. There was no response. Riley inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly. She reached forward again. When her fingers touched Draco's hand, nothing happened. She followed the faint remnants of her own lines on his skin. As her touch feathered just under his forearm, his right hand shot out and grabbed her wrists. She yelped in pain.

"D-Draco!" She gasped. He squeezed, small whimpers emanated from Riley's pale lips. She felt the bones in her wrist grinding together.

"Stop! Draco! Please, stop!" She pleaded, trying to pull herself from his grasp. Draco was completely unresponsive. Her silver eyes darted to his, searching for an ounce of cognition. She cried out as his hand continued to squeeze her joint.

"Draco!" She hissed. Pulling all her strength together, she yanked away from him. This caused them both to lose their balance. Riley hit her head against the floor as she fell onto her back. Draco fell with her, but caught himself. His hands were palm down on both sides of her face; his knees on each side of her narrow hips. He hovered over her and stared down at her. Riley could feel her wrist beginning to bruise. Her head was throbbing and she was trying to get her vision to stop swimming. Draco's hair fell around his face, creating shadows and making the serpent-like lines even more haunting. Riley opened her squinting eyes and looked up at him.

"What's happening to you Draco?" She asked quietly. Her hand reached up and touched the lines on his face. He reeled back slightly, but didn't remove himself.

"Who's doing this to you?"

"Riley, help me. Please, save me." came the voice from her dream. Suddenly a snarl curled Draco's lip.

"You can't help me." His voice was warped, almost as if someone was using Draco to speak. "You're weak and filthy. You are of no help to anyone." His words hit her like a ton of bricks. Riley felt her heart sink.

"You shouldn't be here. You're filthy." He repeated. Although his words were harsh, Riley saw sorrow in his eyes.

Swallowing the ugly feelings inside her, Riley cleared her mind. She inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly again. She opened her eyes and looked defiantly into Draco's own blank orbs. Reaching up, she placed both hands on the sides of his head. The pads of her middle fingers were placed over his temples.

"Sorry. This is going to hurt." She murmured to him. "Somno." She whispered. Draco's eyes widened as his body stiffened. Then he became limp as he was forced into a sleep-like state. Riley kept him from crushing her. She pushed him off of her and laid him on his back on the floor. The markings on his skin pulsated and writhed around angrily. Taking another set of breaths, Riley replaced her fingers on his temples.

"Somnium revelaverit." She commanded. As he was induced into dreaming, his face scrunched up. He made more animalistic sounds under her. He squirmed about and tried to break the contact of their skin. But Riley stayed put, keeping her fingers glued to him.

"Now, let's find out what's going on with you, all right Draco?" She whispered. Closing her eyes slowly she opened herself to him.

"Ostende michi semetipso. Indica mihi furta." Riley was sucked into Draco's consciousness. She was taken to the Limbo between his conscious self and unconscious mind.

Opening her eyes, Riley found herself in the dark room from her dreams a few nights ago. She now could recognize it as the Room of Requirement. The single candle burned on a table in the middle of the room. She looked around, eyes penetrating the darkness.

"Draco? Are you here?" She called out. She had no fear of what lay in the darkness, watching her. This was her domain. Nothing could overpower her here. Walking away from the candle, she listened for signs of anything. She didn't hear whimpering, talking, breathing, or any signs that she wasn't alone. She frowned, her brows coming together. Something wasn't right.

"Riley, over here." Came a small voice. Riley wheeled around.

"Lux, me duce indigentibus auxilium mihi." A dull tunnel of light appeared around Riley. It made the darkness shy away like a rat from a flame. At the end of her light she saw Draco. He was chained to the wall by what seemed to be chains made of bones. She made her way towards him, all the while his image morphing and fading in and out. She stood in front of him. He was sweating and looked tired. His face was paler than in the waking world and his cheeks seemed sunken in. His shackles kept him off the ground slightly. She reached up to touch his face and he winced as if she'd raised her hand to hit him. Riley frowned again.

"Draco, I'm not going to hurt you." She whispered gently. What had happened to him? She let her arm go passed his face and to the chains holding him to the wall. There were scabbed over cuts where the restraints cut into his skin and bruising where he had struggled against them. She touched the bones and hissed as she pulled back. The contact had burned her. She shook it off and touched the shackle again. Flinching as the smell of singed skin filled the airspace around them, she murmured a string of words. After a moment, she had to pull away. Cradling her hand against her chest, she sneered.

"I'll get you out of this Draco, I promise." Draco lifted his head a little to look at her. He was so pitiful. A smirk ghosted across his lips. He then let his head fall back and thump lightly against the wall.

"If only that were a promise you could keep." He whispered. Riley made a face.

"Have faith in me." Using her other hand, she touched the cuff again. Seconds passed and nothing happened. But then Draco felt the pressure in the room drop. He popped his ears and blinked.

"Interficiam!" Riley hissed. The restraints exploded into a golden dust and fell gently to the ground. Draco fell, not so gracefully, to his knees on the cool floor. He stared at the floor incredulously. She'd freed him? But how was that possible? Using the wall for support, he lifted himself back onto his feet. His knees were a bit wobbly, but he stood nonetheless. Riley shivered, suddenly becoming cold. She wrapped her arms around herself, trying to gain some warmth. Shaking slightly, Riley looked up. Draco was frowning at her.

"Riley? Are you-" A mass of hands came out of the wall behind Draco. They wrapped around his mouth, arms, legs, waist, and neck, pulling him into the shadows of the architecture. Riley's eyes widened.

"Draco!" She reached out and grabbed onto his hand as half of his body was engulfed in the shadows. He was struggling to free himself, but nothing seemed to be working. His grip on her hand was tight and almost desperate. Riley pulled and pulled, muttering under her breath. Just as the shadow hands began to lose their fight from her spells and control of the realm, another batch would come up and grab Draco from her. She began to hear whispers coming from the beings.

"Let go,"

"We've got them both,"

"We'll kill them,"

"Kill them,"

"Kill!" They whispered. Riley saw Draco's eyes widen.

"It's a trick. Don't listen to them Draco! They find the weaknesses in your heart and use them against you!" She pleaded. The hands just kept coming and Riley's hand was becoming slick from sweat. She felt Draco's own grip loosening.

"Draco don't let go!" She begged. "Don't let go!" She said to him again. Half of his face was in the wall. His eye flickered to her. Her eyes widened as she saw a steady stream of tears coming from the grey orbs. His fingers disentangled from hers. She scrambled for his wrist.

"No! Draco don't let go!" Her voice was wracked with desperation. His grasp released her hand and he was swallowed by the darkness. Riley fell forward, scraping her knees against the cold stone floor. Her hands tightened in to fists and she leaned forward. She pressed her forehead to the floor as tears spilled forth from her eyes.

"What have I done?" She asked herself silently. The candle in the middle of the room flickered, then blew out.