Tʜᴇ Dᴀʀᴋ Lᴏʀᴅ's Aɴɢᴇʟ | Tom Riddle √

120: A Lonely Christmas

Cassiopeia couldn't believe that every day she had to go through the same thing. The pain in her heart, the memory of him, it never seemed to fade. She often scolded herself for loving someone who seemed to care so little about her existence.

Most of her time was spent in Draco's dorm, where he kept an eye on her. He made every effort to make her smile, telling silly jokes to annoy her and dragging her into studying. Her grades were at risk, and Draco encouraged her to focus on her studies, despite her frequent distractions. She knew she shouldn't let Tom's absence affect her studies, but her thoughts often wandered back to him.

Tutoring Gregory became a way to distract herself from thoughts of Tom, and it provided a temporary escape from her pain. She found solace in helping him, and Mrs. Goyle even sent her a token of gratitude, a small gesture that surprised her.

Her interactions with Harry had been minimal since the day she lashed out at him. They exchanged nervous smiles when their eyes met, but neither of them had taken the initiative to apologize. Cassiopeia understood that if Harry were to apologize, Draco would be expected to do the same for the years he had tormented the trio.

On Christmas morning, Cassiopeia sat on Draco's bed, gazing out the window at the snowfall. The dorm was cozy, with a fireplace and a comfortable green couch. Draco sat on the couch, engrossed in a book.

"Merry Christmas, Cass!" he greeted, finally tearing his eyes from the book to smile at her.

"Merry Christmas, Draco," she replied, stretching her arms. Her thoughts wandered to Tom, and she sighed, missing their previous unforgettable Christmas.

"What do you want for Christmas, angel?" Tom wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

"I have you, Tom," Cassiopeia smiled, her fingers gently caressing his cheek. "All I want is you. I have your heart, and that's enough for me to spend my entire life."

"You're quite the romantic," he chuckled, planting a tender kiss on her cheek. "You have all of me."

"I know," Cassiopeia smiled as his lips left her cheek. "Right now, all I need is you."

But now she didn't have all of him. He was no longer hers, and she feared he would find someone better. She couldn't shake the feeling that, in the end, she was a cheater in his eyes.

"I need to talk with you," Draco closed his book and moved to sit beside her on the bed. "What happened yesterday?"

"What?" Cassiopeia raised an eyebrow, remembering how Draco had found her crying in the abandoned girls' lavatory and pulled her out. She didn't want to talk about it with anyone. She had been content to wrestle with her own thoughts, hoping to move on eventually.

But she had realized that chasing Tom's forgiveness wasn't worth it. Gregory had been right; it was his loss not to have her in his life. However, what she couldn't understand was that, as she tried to move on, she found herself falling for him all over again. It seemed ludicrous.

"Talk to me when you feel down," Draco rubbed Cassiopeia's back as she kept her gaze on her lap. "You should know that I'm always there for you."

"It's harder, Draco. I feel like I hate my own existence," Cassiopeia pressed her lips together. "Because of me, Pansy and Blaise had no enough time to spend their time together, as well as you and Astoria. You all have to keep your eyes on me all the time to check whether I'm alright. It bothered me a lot, knowing people are fed up with my behavior."

"We aren't," Draco shook his head when Cassiopeia met his grey eyes. "We want to keep you happy, to see you smile like those days. We never thought of you as a burden to us."