Battle Scars {Draco Malfoy}

Chapter Twenty Seven

Draco really didn't release his hold of Clara for the longest of times, so long that both of her feet had fallen asleep from the position she was sitting in. Finally, as the shooting sensation of pins in needles in her feet became unbearable, Clara had to move back.

"Sorry." she said. "It's not you...it's just..my feet are asleep and they hurt so bad!"

Draco smiled. "You could have told me sooner and I would have let you go."

"I...I didn't want you to let go." Clara whispered. The two locked eyes before Clara was the first to look away from him, as she tried to regain feeling in her feet.

Suddenly, she sighed before she looked up at him.

"Draco...were you really going to.." she couldn't bring herself to say the last part of her question. But it seemed Draco knew what she was getting at.

"I-I don't know." Draco said. "I just wanted the pain to stop... and it did but it was probably one of the scariest feelings because I suddenly couldn't feel anything. I went completely numb. But then you showed up...I didn't expect for you to show up."

"I wouldn't have shown up in time if it hadn't been for Moaning Myrtle scaring me half to death last night while I was washing my hands. She scared me...but Draco you terrified me. When I showed up, there was blood everywhere and at first you weren't responding to anything I was saying. I thought...I thought I was too late and all I could think of was how horrible I was to you and yet I had the nerve to call you horrible."

"You? Horrible?" Draco looked at her. "Clara, you're the farthest thing from horrible on this Earth. I wish you could understand that. Back in Hogsmeade, I wasn't trying to call you a burden, nor was I thinking of your scars in a negative light. I was trying to tell you that I felt horrible that I couldn't prevent such a thing happening to you because I see how sad it makes you. Everyday I see you, you put on a brave smile for me, but the thing is, I don't think you're fully healed either. I think you focus on my troubles so you don't have to think about your own. Not that I'm complaining about any of the time we've spent together. I've enjoyed every second of it...but I don't want you just focusing on my problems...not when you're still hurting deep down. Am I wrong?"

Clara sat quietly for a moment, before she adjusted herself to sit in front of him on the bed.

"No, you're not wrong. But I...I'm working on myself and I've made some progress. I was just hoping I could do the same for you."

"Why?" Draco asked.  He wasn't asking it maliciously but he was so curious as to why someone like Clara wanted to help someone like him.

"I don't know..when I first saw that you returned to Hogwarts in the beginning of the year, I'll admit I was pretty surprised to see that you showed up. I was wondering what you were doing back..what was the purpose since you had fought...on the..opposing side."

She cleared her throat. "But then I saw how poorly people were treating you, and I thought that you wouldn't subject yourself to such things unless you thought you deserved it. Once I realized that, I couldn't help but feel bad because it showed that you were trying to be a better person but no one was going to give you a second chance. It amazed me to see how awful people could be after the war...they didn't need Dark Marks in order to be bad people. I never did anything wrong to the people of this school, but the looks I get from them...it reminds me that there are still bad people in the world. But you're not one of them."

"You really don't think I'm a bad person?"

"No, not at all." she shook her head. " Now that I've gotten to know you and see who you really are..I don't think you're a bad person. What I said in Hogsmeade...it was just me finally exploding from all the stuff that I keep bottled up inside on a daily basis and for the second time I took it out on you. I am truly sorry-"

"I don't want you to be sorry, Clara." Draco said softly. "I just want you to be happy."

"I am happy...whenever I'm around you."

Draco's head shot up at her words but before he could say anything else, Professor McGonagall entered the Hospital Wing, walking over in their direction.

"Miss Easton, if you would please excuse us, I need to have a word with Mr. Malfoy." The woman said. "And then I would like to speak with you later on."

"Yes, Professor." Clara nodded her head obediently before rising from the bed. She gave Draco a small reassuring smile before she left the hospital wing.