The Scars We Hide

Prologue | The Comfort of the Stars

"Without the dark, we'd never see the stars." -Stephanie Meyer, Twilight

Shivers racked his body as the rain outside of his cell grew louder. His robes are wet, clinging on his skin making him colder than he already is. In these dim moments, he considers the stars. They look beautiful from down on the ground, twinkling iridescent lights that never fail to give comfort in times of hardship.

Do stars bear a burden as well? Do they ever get tired of holding up the sky or making themselves bright?

Do the stars feel lonely up there?

Draco Lucius Malfoy lay there, contemplating the stars and their immense beauty. He's given up all hope of escaping Azkaban, all hope of seeing his mother once again. He had already seen Father's body carried out by the guards. He had died, one week into his sentence, driven mad by his dementor. You see, the situation at Azkaban is grim. No one likes coming here in the first place so it's nearly always neglected. Also meaning they could do whatever they want with the prisoners who are mostly ex-death eaters from the war.

They illegally use dementors and place them in front of their cells. Draco has one as well but it's been there so long, it's already sucked out everything out of him. He hasn't gone mad, thankfully just a little numb thanks to his peacock Animagus form (he had finally managed to shift the second week and does it discreetly as possible). Like he had just drunk a Calming Draught. It wasn't always like that though, no the first week was the worst.

At first, when Draco got heaved into the cell, they didn't do anything but he knew that it wouldn't last for long as he listened to the screams. Draco's heard a lot of screams from his time at the Manor, last summer but it was nothing compared to what filled his ears then. It was the scream of someone who was reliving their worst moments and that was when he knew that they had brought dementors from the war.

Draco's guard, a stout man with a permanent scowl had brought it in with an unnerving smile. Draco pleaded, begging for mercy but to no avail as the guard just laughed. The dementor floated face-to-face with Draco and his whole life flashed by his eyes.

He was seven when Father had decided to give him his very first lesson. He was drilled from a young age about his blood status and how he must act accordingly but he didn't care. He wanted to meet some muggles. He had gone on a secret excursion one day to muggle London to see some. He brought his favorite stuffed bear and some Sickles, just in case. He went on some kind of version of the Knight Bus but less fast and with more people. Draco remembered how the driver (a kind old man with a fatherly smile) had denied his money and told him he could board for free. Then, when he had sat down next to an elderly woman, she had given him some unusual candy called toffee. It was divine though and melted deliciously in his mouth.

He was happy there, much happier than he would ever be at home. At home, there were no kind old ladies that would give him candy (apart from Mother but she would only do that if Father was away on a business trip) or men with genial smiles that made Draco warm inside. He wandered around a place called a park with a fun muggle contraption called a "playground." That's where Draco met his very first friend. She was shorter than Draco, with bright blond pigtails that shone in the sun. Immediately, she beckoned Draco to play with her on the "swings" as soon as he had exited the bus. She told him, her name was Laila and she had been waiting for someone to come to play with her.

Draco, being the gentleman he is, agreed and they both set off. Hours passed by that were full of giggles and laughter, Draco had to admit that it had been one of the best days of his life. But when the sun was about to set, Laila said she had to leave and they both promised each other to meet the other at the same time tomorrow. Draco went home that day, content and happy. They became the best of friends over the following week, giving themselves nicknames as well. Draco was dubbed Dray and Laila dubbed Dusk (after the meaning of her name).

Draco told her everything, and in exchange, Dusk told him everything as well. According to Dusk, her life at home was quite similar to Draco's. She has a father who was always absent and a sick mother. If it was even possible, Draco liked her even more and told her about the forbidden fruit.

Magic. 

First, Laila looked skeptical but then wondrous when Draco made a flower change color. She asked about everything. Whether mermaids were real? Or if witches poisoned children and ate them (to which Draco vehemently denied and asked her where she had gotten such an idea)? Draco asked questions about the Muggle World too. Like how muggles managed without magic? Or what they did in their spare time?

But this safe place didn't last long when Father found out where Draco was going all these days. Laila was brought into the Manor, tortured, and obliviated. Draco was forced to watch her be crucioed by his father and hear her screams reverberate the corridors. He watched her forgot his name and all the days they had spent together. He watched his only friend walk away.

Draco had thought that it was the end, that it was his punishment to watch her pain. He was wrong. So wrong because as soon as the door closed, his father rounded at him with such furious eyes that Draco forgot how to breathe. It was the very first time he was afraid of his father and the destruction he could bring.

The first slap was the most painful. Draco had to bit back the tears that filled his eyes as the sharp sting of his father's hand flashed by his cheek. He staggered, looking desperately at his mother who stood there frozen with a horrified expression as Father threw him across the room. He didn't remember much after that, just his father's angry face and his mother's terrified eyes.

After the dementor, Draco had been shaken as he was forced to endure the same thing the next following months. Though it wasn't bad after the dementor had made Draco remember his worst moments because after that he didn't care anymore. He couldn't remember the last time he wanted to die so desperately. Surely, death was better than this but after days turned into weeks and weeks into months, Draco had given up all hope. Until this very moment, as he wished one final time to a shooting star, that he could have one more chance.

He passed out again, either from hypothermia or exhaustion, Draco doesn't know. All he knew were the words that woke him up the following morning, the words that changed his life.

"Malfoy, I guess it's your lucky day because you're going back to Hogwarts."