Battle Scars {Draco Malfoy}

Chapter Two

Arriving at the Platform the morning of September first, Draco decided to go alone, despite his mother's wishes.  He didn't want his family to receive anymore dirty looks than they already had, his mother didn't handle it very well. She had been raised as a noble Black and married into the Malfoy family bringing immense pride to her name, but now the names meant nothing. The Sacred Twenty-Eight didn't hold the respect as it once did.

Upon his arrival as Draco expected he was welcomed with glares and harsh insults whispered under the tongues of the students that recognized him. Most of the students that did recognize him looked away, knowing too well that if they associated themselves with him, they would be looked down upon as well. Draco didn't hold it against him, all Summer he had mentally punished himself for his actions. He deemed himself a coward for easily following the wrong path so easily, but then again, he didn't have much of choice back then. It was either followed the path designed for him or be killed and at the time, Draco liked to pretend he didn't fear much but there were many things that he feared and death was one of them.

Stepping onto the train was the next hardest part of his Walk of Shame as no one seemed welcoming to the idea of having Draco share a compartment with them. He walked passed several compartments and was met with dirty looks or compartment doors being closed over in his face, even by people he didn't even know.

Finally, as he was about to accept defeat and sit in the hall of the train, he came upon an empty compartment that held one person. He walked inside and was surprised when the person didn't order him out right away. But as he walked in further he saw that the person wouldn't order them out as they were asleep. He placed his stuff up in the overhead and sat down near the window hoping the person would remain asleep for the duration of the train ride so he wouldn't be booted out halfway through.

He glanced over in the direction of the sleeping lump, tucked under their robes, he was only able to make out the brunette hair that had escaped. By the length, he wanted to assume it was a girl, but it wasn't safe to assume entirely.

Rather than focusing on it, he figured he would just rest while he could. He knew his seventh year at Hogwarts wasn't going to be an easy one.

Clara didn't expect to fall asleep so quickly once she boarded the train, but the morning of her parents were in hysterics that mentally exhausted her. They wanted to make sure that she was one hundred percent certain of her return to Hogwarts. She was tired of telling them over and over that she was sure and she didn't want to discuss it any further. The truth of the matter was, she had other reasons for leaving her home as well, she couldn't bare to see the look on her parents' faces anymore.

The look of sadness.

The look of pity.

Throughout the years, many people had told her she had her mother's beauty but since the battle, no one was throwing that compliment around anymore.

At breakfast, she could see her parents trying their hardest not to stare but it was almost impossible not to. It was hard enough not having strangers make her feel bad but her parents made her feel the worse without trying.

She was hoping that Hogwarts would be able to solve her problems.

The exhaustion took it's toll on her after boarding the train and as she hid inside a compartment, she fell asleep.

However, a couple of hours into the train ride, she awoke to the train's jolting a bit. Stirring from her slumber, she pulled the robe that she used as a blanket off of her and went to sit up when she caught sight of someone else in the compartment with her.

Her breath caught in her throat as she quickly hid her face behind her hair, not wanting to scare the other student off.

Draco watched as the girl awoke, appearing out of her robe like a butterfly finally pulling themselves out of their cocoon.  But as soon as she noticed him inside the compartment, she turned away from him.

He was waiting for it, the moment where she would demand he leave, however, it never came. The girl continued to hide her face from him.

"I can leave if you want.' Draco offered.

The girl didn't respond instead she placed the robes back over her head confusing the living hell out of Draco.

"What are you doing?" he asked in bewilderment.

"Please stop looking at me, okay?" her voice came from beneath the robes.

"Okay." he answered.

It was silent among them for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry, but you want me to leave or not? I don't understand why you're hiding..."

"You don't?"

"No. I figured it's because of me, but...most people just tell me to leave.."

"Why do they tell you leave?"

"Don't you know who I am?" Draco asked.

"No, I didn't get a good enough look at you.'

Draco wasn't sure if he should answer that he was in fact Draco Malfoy or try to figure out why the girl was hiding beneath the robe.

"Why are you hiding under there?" 

"For the benefit of humanity." the girl replied.

How was one supposed to respond to an answer like that?

"Will you at least take the robe of your head?"

"No." she said bluntly.

"So we're just going to sit here like this, you...hiding beneath your robes?"

"It appears so, trust me, it's for your own good."