The Scars That Haunt Me

Chapter 16

Harry's POV

A day had passed since I woke up in the hospital bed. Draco was there when I came around.

When I realized how much grief I had put him through, it instantly broke my heart.

I thought no one would've cared if I died, no one, but I was wrong.

All my friends, Ron and Hermione, Luna, Neville, Seamus, Dean, the twins, Ginny, even Pansy, Blaise, Crabbe and Goyle all seemed to have broken down in the time I was out.

Draco especially from what I hear Blaise told me.

He said he never left my side and that he's the one that found me. I couldn't thank him enough.
Even though I've been through hell in my life, there are people that I care about and they care for me. My stupidity hurt them all. I was only thinking of myself.

"Harry?" Draco called from next to me.

He's cleaned up since when I first saw him. His hair isn't an utter mess anymore and some color have come back to his cheeks.

"Yeah?" I asked.

"Can I ask you about the Dursley's?" My body stiffened. Not once had he mentioned what he had seen in potions class that day. Until now at least. "Please Harry. I just want to understand so I can help you. I'm not gonna make fun of you or tell the school." He looked down at his hands, a frown across his face.

I sighed. He already knows, I might as well tell him. "Where do I start?"

He shot his head up to look at me. "Anywhere."

I sighed again. "The Dursley's are the people that Dumbledore left me with after my parents died. They hate anything that's out of the ordinary. So when they took care of me, they were determined to 'stomp' the weirdness out of me in any way possible."

"Do you mean they hated you because you could do magic?" He asked.

"Yeah. I didn't even know I was a wizard until Hagrid came and told me. They kept it a secret my whole life. They even lied and said my parents died in a car crash. That my dad was drunk and crashed the car." I said. Malfoy grabbed my hand, I instantly grew warm from the small interaction.

"They w-would beat me whenever something went wrong, even when it wasn't my fault. M-My cousin would break something and blame it on me, I would get in heaps of trouble for it. My bedroom was a cupboard under the stairs until I started getting my Hogwarts letters that they burned and teared."

"They tore your letters?" I could tell he was growing angry.

I nodded. "They didn't want me knowing. Dudley used me as his punching bag and threatened all the kids at school. They feared him, so I never made any friends."

He gripped my hand tighter. "I guess I was lucky in some aspects. My aunt would only hurt me when I did something absolutely wrong, unless she had a bad day. It was Vernon I had to be careful of. He was the worst. He would c-cut me with a knife and beat me till I p-passed out. Starve me, burn me. Every horrid thing you could imagine, he had done." Tears fell down my eyes and I no longer could look at Draco, afraid of the disgust clear on his face.

"T-That's why I don't eat. They told me I was u-unworthy of food and starved me, after awhile I just kinda believed them."

"And the cutting?" He asked. His voice gentle.

"I-It was the only thing in my life I had control over. The one time p-pain was brought on me for my own purposes. It would shut out the voices that plagued my mind." I was sobbing at this point. I let go of his hand curled myself in as I shook uncontrollably.

There was a dip in the bed. "Harry look at me." I didn't.

He grabbed my chin and forced me to look. "You are not what they say. You are beautiful and brave. Your struggles just prove that. I am so sorry for everything you've been through, no one deserves that. I am even more sorry for treating you horribly for years. I thought you were the perfect Golden Boy that got whatever you wanted, but I was wrong and I'll never be able to forgive myself."

"It's ok. I don't blame you. I'm not really worth anything."

"Harry James Potter I never want to hear you say that again, or even think it. You are worth more than every star in the sky and don't you ever forget it. You are perfect in your own way and that's what makes you beautiful. I was a git back then, but never again will I turn my back on you. Do you understand?" He asked in all seriousness.

Tears welled up in my eyes once again. "Ok." Is all I said before I wrapped my arms around him.

He pulled me close as I cried in his chest.

"Draco! Are you taking advantage of Harry in his current condition!" A voice screeched.

We turned to see Pansy and Blaise walk over.

"No I am not, Pansy! I'm evil, but not that evil."

"No, you're a fluffy bunny." Blaise replied.

I started giggling at his comment. "Think that's funny, Potter?" He said playfully, a grin dancing across his face. I shook my head.

His eyebrow rose. "I don't believe you!" He turned around and pinned me to the bed.

I gasped. "Draco!" I screeched.

He smirked at me. He held both of my hands above my head using only one hand, the other grazed my side before he tickled me.

"Hey! N-Not fair!" I shouted.

"Life's not fair!" He retorted.

"No! Leave the innocent child alone!" Pansy screamed attempting to pull Draco off me, but failing. "Blaise! Help me!"

"Nah, I don't think so." He said.

"Still think it's funny?!" Draco said.

"N-No! You win! I'm sorry!" He pulled back.

"Good." The three of us straightened out as another voice was heard in the room.

"Alright you children, as much as I love you, get out." Madam Pomfrey stood there, suppressing a giggle herself.

"I'm free to go?" I asked.

"Yes. I better never see you in here again for the same reason. Understand?" She gave me a pointed look.

I nodded my head. The four of us gathered any remaining items that hung in the room and finally left the infirmary behind.