Dursley's Pain | The Dursley series #3 |

• Chapter 8 •

Sometimes life has it's ups and downs and for some it's mostly downs. Suddenly there's an up...

-o-

"No!" Early mornings were a common occurrence after a night of premonition's, she hadn't seen her mother since her last vivid nightmare. Strange that she showed up now.

Ignoring that feeling of dread in her stomach, she prepared her most vile of deeds unknown to anyone but herself and Parkinson; no cold feet or jitters could stop a succubus from getting what she wants.
Parkinson sniggered next to Audrey eying the passing second years like a hawk, "Have you set up the prank Parkinson?"
"Yes" she paused, "Nobody, not even Peeves will suspect it." Five or ten minutes of silence passed by, a shrill scream Audrey knew too well, echoed throughout the castle; caught off guard, Liza's face bloated and ache ridden, her teeth misshapen and whenever she opened her mouth to speak "Freaakk!" With one look at her former friend, Audrey felt a twinge of something strange and tingly... "Parkinson. Reverse the spell" Audrey said almost out of breath, "What?"
"I said lift the spell from Liza now!" Her eyes glinted their Amber hue, scaring Parkinson so much she looked like a wet pug that had disobeyed their master.

Lifting the enchantment, Liza advanced on Audrey. A mixture of deep hurt and anger in her growling face, "Liza I-" a loud slap made everyone freeze dead on the spot. Liza was huffing and panting loudly, "How dare you! You- you did that? For what?! A joke? Is that all I am to you now? A freak?"
"Liza-" tears threatened to burst forth, but the succubus was in control of everything. "No! I'm done, I'm done playing sweet and nice Liza- you, Audrey Dursley have lost a friend today- or beit all of us! So, go play evil and bully some little first years but so help me... The only thing you'll have to fear is me." Liza, Nicholas, Rochelle and everyone she used to know, looked at her in disgust; following Liza outside the castle.

With that, she broke.

-o-

That was it. She had nothing left to ground her, nothing left to control her evil behaviour.

She was floating. Falling.

That night, no mother visited her, no dreams of death; she was falling. What was left of Audrey, was weak, broken and barely alive; holding onto the strings the succubus was pulling, "You are nothing to anyone now, my plan is in motion. Watch all! As she falls-" she releases one string. "And falls-" and another. "And breaks!" Heart beating fast, she continued to fall and cry and beg for an end to her suffering. Calling for Harry and Nicholas and Liza and-

"Mother!" A bead of sweat cling to her forehead, finally in control of herself, she felt everything. Looking around the girls room, Liza and Rochelle, pain unlike no other couldn't be solved with switching off emotions again. Unless. She took an alternative route...

"Audreyyy... join usss. Join your fatherrr..."
"No. I'm not joining you!" She hissed, sprinting out of the Hufflepuff common room. Dark shadow figures loomed around her, eyes like fire pits of endless torment, "Join ussss..."
"I said- leave me alone!" Magic flowing out of her fingertips, she raised her hand in a claw to strike at one shadow. Only for a slash to appear across her cheek. Hopelessly trying, she clawed and flailed but each attempt at harm ended with a pool of her own blood hitting the cold stone floor.

Knees buckling, heart racing, her face hit the ground, "You have nothing left to do, join usss... Be our queen..."
"Plea- no... h-h-hel-" her voice was barely anything more than whimpers and hissing cries. Her literal demons slashed, clawed and beat her down, her body becoming numb and cold; cries of terror and petrifaction were barely heard as the night went on. As Audrey crawled up each flight of stairs. Alone and afraid if she'd end up alive in a couple of hours. "Let us in your head..." the voices screeched, pounding against her skull with mental torture devices. At one point, blood trickled down her head and she didn't notice till it clouded her vision, "Let us back in!!"
Spitting out blood, she hissed, "G-go to hell." A strong magnetic pull, threw her towards the ceiling, over several walls and back to the ground, rolling several times as she did so. 'I have to end this torment, I need to end my friend's suffering and my own...' Audrey took one bloody hand at a time, clawing up the stairs that seemed to go on forever. Her eyes barely open. Her lips and throat dry as sandpaper from the pain of reopening old wounds and making new ones. It was unshakable and merciless pain.

The moon waned and gradually introduced the rising sun to Hogwarts school, trails of blood like a treasure map lead to the Astronomy tower; shakily Audrey pulled herself up, the iron rails piercing her fragile skin. The voices hissed and roared into her ears, the pain intolerable to a mere witch or wizard. Shivering as she looked out over the grounds, jittery as her eyes travelled to the ground over the tower. The voices were restless at this point, "Join us... you have nothing"
"There's nothing you can-"
"Join us now, grrrr-"
"Child, there's nothing else you can do. Join me, join your father"
"I won't ever join you! There's nothing you can-" nearly collapsing, she sniffled, "I am Cassandra Lillian Evans. D-daughter of Quinzel Evans, banshee and witch and I'm not- afraid..." she managed before her voice failed, her throat sore and dry from the tears and strain. Out of the corner of the tower, she could've sworn her mother was there- crying as much as she.

'This is where I want to die' Audrey thought, 'Just climb over. Then it'll all stop... you'll stop.'
"Audrey! What're you doing?" She winced at Harry's voice, his eyes filled to the brim with deep worry and fear, as he instantly saw the girl he called his cousin as she once was; "I have no other option. I've hurt everyone I care about, it's time for me to stop"
"But-but it's not too late to change! You're changing now!" He yelled with fear in his eyes,
"Exactly. I'm always changing, I can't bare anymore change Harry" She croaked, "I've seen things. People have died, many of you that I care about." Footsteps grew closer, Audrey barely crawled over the edge of the rails, McGonagall and her old friends stood in shock, "Nobody move any closer!!" With one ounce of magic left, she cast a boundary spell over the people she cared about the most; "Liza, I'm so sorry that I lost sight of things. I haven't been myself, remember me as I was when we met" tears flooded her coarse features, "I'm sorry to everyone for being what I am. Remember me like I was, as Audrey Dursley- before all the mistakes and lost mother's and pain..."
"Drie! You don't have to-" Nicholas cried out, attempting to break the barrier she'd placed between them and her.
"I h-have to Nick, to protect you all... from me. I'm a protector. This is what I must do." They were all crying with her, it was as though she spread her feelings of sorrow and fear into them. "Ms Dursley, please get back over the guardrails!" McGonagall pleaded, her usually stern face riddled with fear and fright.

Turning to the sight of the rising sun in the Scottish highlands, she smiled weakly, "Don't let the name Cassandra Evans die..." She exhaled deeply, letting go of the guardrails.

Falling, but flying. It was breathtakingly free to soar for a while, before she closed her eyes.

Crack...