Battle Scars {Draco Malfoy}

Chapter Twenty Six

Draco awoke to warmth instead of the coldness that had engulfed his body before his vision had faded to darkness. He found himself in just darkness for awhile. No noise, no color, nothing. But as the warmth replaced the cold, he opened his eyes. He wasn't sure what he expected to find when he opened his eyes, but he certainly didn't expect to find himself in the Hospital Wing.

He quickly looked down at his arm, and saw that it was healed. With the exception of the scarring that he had done to himself in the past and the Dark Mark, it was as if the inflicted wounds he had given to himself during the night had never existed. He sat up in bed, expecting to see Madam Pomfrey moving around, but instead he found Sirius, Nixie and Professor Lupin standing around the bed talking with one another quietly. He swallowed suddenly feeling sick to his stomach when Nixie caught sight of him first.

"You're awake.' she said with a grin. "Morning." 

Draco didn't respond with a greeting as his eyes moved from each professor over and over until they finally landed on Sirius. Sirius did not look at all happy to be in the boy's presence as his arms were folded over his chest and his expression stern, a rare look on the man's face.

"If you two would so kindly give me a moment here alone with Mr. Malfoy, I'd greatly appreciate it." Sirius said to the other two.

Nixie looked worried by his request, opening her mouth to protest against the idea, but the look Sirius gave her, made her do otherwise. She turned to Professor Lupin and the two waked away.

Draco didn't know what Sirius was going to say to him, and he certainly didn't want to look the man in the eye in that moment, feeling like a scolded puppy dog.

"What were you thinking, pulling a stunt like that?" Sirius asked him, breaking the silence.

Draco did a quick glance up. "It was no stunt-"

"It was so a stunt!" Sirius said. "A cowardly one at that, Draco. What would bring you to do such a thing to yourself? "

"I-I-I deserved it." Draco told him.

"Oh really? But did Clara deserve something like that?"

Draco brought himself to look up the disowned family member in the eye. "Clara?" It all came flooding back to him in that moment. Seeing Clara kneeling on the bathroom floor trying to heal him, all the while sobbing and telling him she was sorry.

"Yes, Clara, remember her? I would hope so, since she's the one who saved your arse. How do you think that would have made her feel, hmm? To have an argument or a spat, what have you and then to find you in the bathroom, bloody and wounded? If you would have succeeded the girl would have blamed herself more so than what she's doing now."

"I don't want her to blame herself!" Draco said raising his voice slightly.

"Well that's what you caused. That's what happens when you take that route to solve your problems. You don't think about the other problems others would face. You're only thinking about yourself which is stupid! There are far worse things in this world that could have happened to you, Draco, but instead they happened to someone else. And that other person goes on with their life day after day. Not looking for an easy way out, not trying to put other people that care about them through pain."

Draco started to cry which warranted Nixie returning to stop Sirius from going anything further.

"Sirius, that's enough, I think he understands-"

"No, he does-"

"Stop it!" The woman told him. "That's enough. The boy has been through enough stress within the last few hours and you're not helping the situation at all."

She directed her husband to where Lupin was standing, leaving Draco to cry, his tears spilling on the sheet placed over him.

Nixie sat down in the chair that Sirius had occupied and placed her hand out on his arm. 

"Don't cry, Draco. It was a mistake...people make mistakes, and rather than dwelling on it, you should learn from your mistakes. If you need help or someone to talk to by all mean approach us, approach me if you don't feel comfortable talking to the others, but do not harm yourself. It solves nothing, you may think it does, but it's only temporary but the pain you cause to others is lifelong."

She gave his shoulder a rub before she stood up and left the area pulling Sirius along and scolding him with his tone.

"Uh..Mr. Malfoy," Professor Lupin called to him. 

Draco looked over at the man with a tired expression.

"You have a visitor."

Draco looked to the entrance way to see Clara walk in, she looked tired, scared, sad and relieved all at the same time if it were possible as she walked in. Professor Lupin walked out after her leaving the two alone for a moment.

She walked over to him and sat on the edge of his bed at the end.

"Hey." she said softly although he could hear the hoarseness to her voice.

"Hey." he responded.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him.

"I feel like a real git." he admitted. "I''m so sorry Clara-"

"Please don't apologize to me.." she told him. "Please, it only makes me feel worse for what I put you through."

"What you put me through, don't you mean what I put your through?"

"No, you wouldn't have done this if I hadn't said those things back to you in Hogsmeade...I'm so sorry. I don't think you're horrid and I don't think you're a horrible person at all. I was just being stupid and emotional for no reason and you didn't deserve that..and you certainly don't deserve to be in here right now. Last night I-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as she was suddenly wrapped in a tight hug. In response to his hug, Clara quickly wrapped her arms around Draco and held onto him.

Draco continued to hold onto her with no intention of letting go for a very long time. The hug made him feel alright with the world and even if it was only temporary, he was going to hold on for as long as he could.

"Last night you saved my life in more ways than one."