Warning: If you haven't read the Tightly Knit Series, read the other books first before continuing on or read at your own risk!
Clara Easton had a more than decent life before the start of the Second Wizarding War. Upon her first year she was sorted...
Clara didn't know Draco well, but it didn't mean that she didn't feel bad for him. She had seen the look on his face when he had left the library even if it was in such a hurry. She was able to easily recognize pain, so often she wore it on her face as well, physically and emotionally. Keeping an eye out for him in the classes they shared, Clara saw no sign of Draco for a couple of days. She considered asking a few of the Slytherin students, however, she was aware that he wasn't very popular among his peers. It would probably get her nowhere.
She sat at the Hufflepuff table one morning pushing around the food on her plate, unable to find her appetite. Abby was still back in the showers, normally taking her sweet time, especially on mornings where she didn't have early classes. She was using her fork to move the food around when a grape got the best of her and flipped off her plate and rolled off the table. She followed the mischievous grape leading her to look up only to see Draco walk into the Great Hall.
To say he looked miserable would be inaccurate as well as insulting compared to probably what he was feeling. She frowned instantly as he slumped onto the bench at the Slytherin table. During the time when they were younger, Draco had always been considered one of the handsome boys at the school. His blonde hair was always neat, while his skin was pale, his face held some color, his cheeks were even a bit fuller.
The Draco sitting away from her was a haunting reflection of what the war had done to him. He was almost sickeningly thin, his cheekbones stuck out sharply, the bags under his eyes getting darker with every passing day. Yet no matter how much it looked like he was hurting, the other students in his house didn't seem to take pity on him.
It seemed no one in the school took pity on him. Some of them acted as if they had the cleanest of slates, but Clara was able to point out multiple faces that were willing to turn Harry Potter over to the Dark Lord once they discovered he was in the castle. Yet, they walked around as if they had clean hands.
Before she could register what she was doing, Clara found herself standing up from the Hufflepuff table and walking in the boy's direction. At least, she could bring herself to apologize for snapping at him awhile back, and also apologize for Abby's questioning.
As she neared the Slytherin table, she could already feel eyes on her, but in that moment she didn't care. It was about time the students in Hogwarts decided to show some human compassion.
Draco had feigned illness for the past couple of days, but he was sure he wasn't going to get away with it much longer with Madam Pomfrey. He couldn't hide in the Hospital Wing forever, either. As he sat in the Great Hall, he could believe that his life had changed so drastically from his first year to his seventh. Of course, he had no one to blame but himself for what had happened. Many of the Death Eaters were quick to blame the Dark Lord, but they followed the Dark Lord, whether it was due to fear or the need to feel powerful themselves, they had still followed and he had been one of them. The stupid Dark Mark on his arm was a constant reminder that he couldn't get rid of no matter how hard he tried.
No matter how much he tried to mark up his arm, it seemed the Dark Mark would never fade. Punishment for the treacherous things he had done. He was beginning to think returning to Hogwarts to try his seventh year over was a horrible mistake. He had no right to be there, and it was obvious no one wanted him to be there. Even the kindest of people were turning him away.
He rubbed at his tired and burning eyes, when he felt someone sit across from him. He waited for the taunting and ridicule from the fellow Slytherin, but as he looked up, he caught sight of Clara sitting across from him.
She didn't look at him as she kept her gaze focused on her hands resting in her lap.
"I...Uh..hi." she spoke, before clearing her throat. "I just wanted to...apologize to you."
"Apologize...to me?" he said in complete shock.
"Yes, I was rather mean to you that one time in the corridors and it wasn't your fault at all. It was that stupid Ravenclaw boy's fault and since I didn't push him out of the window like I wanted to, I ended up taking my anger out on you and that wasn't right at all. I should have probably just pushed him out of the window...even though that doesn't sound very nice either. Anyways, I'm sorry and I'm sorry about Abby asking you all those questions in the library. She doesn't mean to hurt anyone, she can just be extremely blunt."
"You don't have to apologize." he said. "I should be the one apologizing."
"But you didn't do anything."
"That's not true." he said quietly.
Clara's eyes flickered up to see Draco eyeing her scars on her arm before looking to his left arm. Guilt washing over his face as he bit the inside of his cheek and remained quiet.
"If you're suggesting you had anything to do with my scars, you're wrong." she told him suddenly. His eyes found hers as she refused to look away in that moment.
"The only person I blame for these scars is the werewolf that attacked me."
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Words cannot express how much I love the graphic made by @Hellhound
