Battle Scars {Draco Malfoy}

Chapter Forty Three

"Draco, wait please!" Clara pleaded after the boy once the support group dispersed after the awkward bashing between the students.

"What?" he turned around with an angry scowl on his face but a painful look in his eyes. "What do you want, Clara?"

"I want you to calm down." she said softly. "Don't let what those second years say get into your head-"

"Why shouldn't I? They were right, weren't they? They were tortured and they're still afraid that Death Eaters are roaming around free. But that's because they are! Look at this!" he yelled exposing his arm. "I can't escape it! When I go home, there's another reminder of everything that has happened and it's my father. He walked off as if he never did anything, and I'm pretty much doing the same. Why? Because we decided last minute that we didn't want a part in it."

"Draco you told me yourself that you didn't want a part in it...you took the mark to keep your family safe-" she went to touch his shoulder but he shrugged her hand away and turned his back to her.

"It doesn't matter. I could have done other things..I could have helped my mother in other ways..but instead I was..I was too much of a coward, I took the easiest way out that I could. Now I live with the reminder every day. Every morning when I wake up this is the first thing I see."

Clara bit her lower lip nervously, her thoughts instantly going back to the time where she had found Draco in the girl's bathroom covered in blood from his self-inflicted wounds trying to rid the Dark Mark on his arm.

"It's never going to go away." Draco whispered. "Ever. It will always be there to remind me of what a horrible person I am-"

"You're not a horrible person-"

"Yes I am! Coming back here did not forgive all the crimes I committed!"

"Draco, just calm down."

"If Greyback came into this school seeking forgiveness, would you forgive him? Would you forgive him for all the treachery he has caused not only for you but all of his victims?!" he questioned taking a step towards her.

Clara cowered back nervously under his harsh glare but did not answer him.

"No, you wouldn't. So why should anyone here forgive me for what I've done?"

"It's different-"

"It's not!"

"Yes it is!" she snapped taking a step towards him finally. "Stop, just stop it dammit!"

The corridor became silent as those attempting to leave the classroom halted in place, not wanting to intrude on the argument.

"Stop trying to get people to hate you! You made mistakes in the past, as many people have. Yes, the things you did were wrong, but at least you are strong enough to admit. You are strong enough to admit that you were wrong. Many people can't do that. If Greyback came here asking for forgiveness...would I forgive him? No. Why? Because unlike you, Greyback wanted to cause me harm. He's wanted to cause people harm from the beginning. He's attacked children and people without a second thought. At least you feel guilt, he doesn't feel that! He wasn't afraid of hurting people like you were. Besides comparing yourself to him is completely stupid. You're not Greyback, you're Draco Malfoy."

"Clara I-"

"I know you're in pain, I get that. But stop trying to create further problems that do not exist! Those second years can say whatever they want, it doesn't make it true. They are hurting right now just like the rest of us. Everyone's may not be physically visible but everyone has scars from the war. But they don't know who you are, they only assumed to know who you were because of your name. But that's all they know, they only know you by name. I know you much more than that, at least, I like to think I know you much more than that."

Draco stood still and quiet as he stared down at the floor looking like a scolded puppy.

Clara sighed as she stood before him.

"I didn't mean to yell at you." she said. "But you have to stop being so hard on yourself all the time. People are going to say things that you're not going to like. I know you were probably used to being on the other side of this type of situation for a long time, but..this is just part of reality. You can be the nicest person in the world, Draco, but someone is always going to have something nasty to say about you. Let them say whatever they want to say, but just listen to the things that people who care about you say. Because they're the only ones who should matter. Alright?"

He nodded.

She reached out her arms to welcome him into a hug. "I really didn't mean to yell at you." she said before wrapping her arms around him.

"I don't know why Minnie called upon us to lead the support group." Sirius said. "Couldn't we just leave it to her? She does a pretty good job putting everyone in their place. Even I wouldn't dare trying to start an argument with her, she's even scarier than you when she's mad."

He turned to Nixie with an amused smile, but she only glared at him.

"That was a joke. I swear. You're still the scariest woman alive when you're angry and I mean that in the nicest way possible. Please don't hurt me."

Nixie just shook her head at him and left the classroom leaving down the opposite way of the corridor.

Sirius turned to Remus.

"What did I do? That was a compliment!"

Remus raised a brow.

 "You should look up the definition of a compliment, Paddington, because that wasn't a compliment."

"I told you not to call me that, Moonpie!"

"Hey Moon Moon, Fluffy, hurry up!" Nixie called back over her shoulder.

The two men stood still for a second.

"I hate when she calls us that!" Sirius said. "Watch this."

"Sirius don't-"

"Coming, Flipper!"

"And we're dead."

"What did you call me?!"