Battle Scars {Draco Malfoy}

Chapter Five

Professor McGonagall always had a way with words, and her speech before the Welcoming Feast was no different than what Clara expected from the woman. The woman spoke of placing the dark times behind them and focusing on a brighter future. Truth be told, it was weird to see the longtime Transfiguration teacher standing in place of the headmaster as headmistress. Clara had become so accustomed over the years to Professor Dumbledore taking center at the podium to welcome the students old and new to the school. Then there was the brief period where Professor Snape had taken over as Headmaster but Clara liked to pretend that didn't happen.

Professor Snape had been dubbed a hero in the end, but the memories Clara associated with the Death Eaters and the Professor, it would take a long time before she saw him clearly as a hero. 

Poking around her dinner plate, Clara was focused on the small pile of peas that she spent a great deal of her time trying to make a small pyramid to occupy herself until she was allowed to head to the dorm. She was about to place the last pea on the top to complete it, when someone placed a plate down in front of her, or rather slammed it down, destroying her pea pyramid.

She glanced up to see a young girl sitting in front of her.

"How come you're sitting all the way down here by yourself?" the chubby cheeked blonde with a ruddy complexion asked her before shoving a spoonful of yams into her mouth.

Clara stared at her for a moment. "Isn't it obvious?" she replied.

"Uh..no. That's why I'm asking." the girl said.

Clara pointed to her face before looking down.

"What? I don't understand what this means." the girl told her pointing at her own face.

Clara sighed in slight annoyance at the girl's questions. "People don't want me sitting near them because I make them feel uncomfortable."

"Why do you make them feel uncomfortable? Do you fart around them or something?"

"What? No!" Clara said bewildered. "My face, my face makes people uncomfortable."

"Why's that?" 

The girl was making Clara want to bang her forehead repeatedly against the table.

'Because of my scars." Clara said quietly.

The girl looked at her pausing from shoving her face any further for a moment.

"What? That's it? That's a stupid reason! I got this wicked scar on my leg! Wanna see it?"

"Not re-"

Before Clara could finish answering, the girl stood up and revealed a scar that ran up her leg.

"Pretty wicked, isn't it?" the blonde said with a proud grin. "I got this one when I crashed down a hill riding my bike."

"That's...lovely? Please lower your skirt." Clara said covering her face slightly.

The girl allowed her skirt to fall back down before sitting down again to continue eating.

Clara had to admit she was confused by the girl's forwardness, and more surprised that the girl even bothered speaking with her.

"My names Abigail, by the way. Abigail Beech. But my family and friends call me Abby."

"Errr...nice to meet you Abigail-"

"Abby."

"Right, nice to meet you Abby. I'm Clara Easton."

"Clara...I like that name! I like you!"

With a small smile, Clara met the girl's hazel gaze. "Thank you."

"So, how did you get your scars?" Abby asked bluntly returning to meal.

Clara rubbed her hands against the outside of her robes, completely thrown off by Abby's question.

"I uh...got them from...a werewolf." she answered honestly. She heard Abby's fork drop, clanking against the plate and waited for the girl to either cry out in horror or run off, perhaps both.

Instead, Abby sat still for a moment, her lips parted in slight amazement.

"You fought a werewolf?"

The older Hufflepuff nodded her head.

"That's soo...soo...AMAZING!" Abby screeched.

"Wh-what?" Clara looked up at her again. "What do you mean amazing, it's-"

"You fought a werewolf and survived. You must be really strong and really brave! I can't imagine taking on a werewolf, I'm afraid of our neighbor's Jack Russel. That thing is a bloody terror, I tell you..but it's not a werewolf. Wow, you just keep getting cooler and cooler Clara Easton."

"Well....thank you Abby Beech."

"You're welcome. Hey, if it's not too much trouble for you, I totally understand if it is...but if it isn't...do you mind helping me around here? I'm kinda new to all this magic stuff."

Clara looked at her. 'Are you a muggle-born?" she asked.

"Yeah, at least that's what the lady told me who showed up at my mum's house. She wasn't exactly the most informative person on the planet. She kinda just gave me the letter and told my family, surprise! Abby's a witch!"

"How did that go over with your family?"

"My mum told the lady she had three seconds to get out of the flat before she went to get her gun." Abby said calmly.

Clara's eyes went wide.

"Mum was never known for her sense of humor." Abby said to herself. "Anyways, turns out the lady was right! Here I am!"

"Well, I have no problem showing you around and helping you out when you need it. But you don't have to worry much about that, a lot of people will help you out all over the castle from the portraits to the ghosts...certain ones. Avoid Peeves."

"Who's Peeves?"

"He's the poltergeist that lives in the school. He won't help you...if anything he'll go out of his way to not help you. It's what he likes to do, he likes mischief."

"I like the sound of him already!"

"Then you should have no problem adjusting here." Clara told her.

When the feast came to an end, Draco heard the Head Boys, Head Girls and the rest of the prefects call to the first years to bring them to their respective dorms. He arose to his feet, ready for bed after a quiet and awkward dinner to himself. He glanced up after stretching his back slightly to see the Hufflepuff girl leaving with the other Hufflepuff students. Only there was a small blonde with her arm linked with the older girl's, a smile on both their faces as they left.

There was a satisfying feeling that rose in Draco's chest to see her smile. Perhaps it was hope that he saw in her smile, hope that his final year in Hogwarts wouldn't be as bad as he imagined it would be.