Just Happiness │D. Malfoy ✔

chapter sixteen

I was waiting outside the Hospital Wing early the next morning. I wanted to be there when visitors could enter, but I was knackered: I had hardly slept the previous night, mainly because I was worried about Draco and the bad things he had been warning me about, but also about what had happened with Blaise and Roman. Although, now Draco was my main priority.

Madam Pomfrey opened the door and jumped at the sight of me. "Good gracious child, what are you doing here so early?"

"I'm here to see Draco."

"Oh, are you Tara? He's been asking for you ever since he woke up, no patience in that child, that's for certain." She sighed dramatically. "Well, you better come on in then." She beckoned me in and walked me over to one of the only occupied beds in the vicinity. There he was, looking pale as ever but okay. He was awake and the second he saw me he sat up and tried to get out of bed. I couldn't help but stare at his bare chest. For some reason he was shirtless and I immediately knew my whole face had flushed a bright red. What was disturbing were the prominent scars across his chest.

Madam Pomfrey exclaimed in surprise and rushed to put him back in bed, mumbling that he shouldn't be out of bed in his state. I couldn't help but smile despite the circumstances. Draco looked like a scolded child when Madam Pomfrey was tucking him back into his bed. When she was done, she stepped back, as if to admire her work, looked at me and wandered of with a departing , "I'll leave you too it then".

I sat down on the chair beside Draco's bed. He looked up at me, his grey eyes filled with worry. "Are you okay?" I was taken aback my his question and immediately gave him a look.

"Draco, you're not supposed to ask me if I'm okay. You are the one in the hospital bed, not me." I said sternly. " So the question is, are you okay? How do you feel?" I gently took his hand in mine. He glanced up at me and sighed.

"I'm okay, now. It just hurts a bit is all." He said, not meeting my eyes. "So, what happened after? Did Potter try anything?" He hurriedly asks. 

I let out a heavy sigh at his question. "No, Draco, Harry didn't try anything." I said, looking out the window across the room. "I've just been thinking about what you told me." I looked down at our joined hands so as to avoid his gaze. It was then I noticed something in stark contrast to his pale skin and the white bed linen. It was a black tattoo. I gulped harshly. I knew what that was and it made my heart sink to the bottom of my chest. I was staring at a Dark Mark. The mark of the Dark Lord. A mark his followers wore. I moved my hand to turn his arm around to see it clearly.

"Draco, wha-what's that?" I could see his head look at me in confusion and followed my gaze down to his arm. Faster than I could comprehend he had grabbed my wrist tightly. He looked horrified. His grip on my wrist tightening to the point it began to hurt. I went to tug it back and he let go as if I had burned him.

"I-I'm so sorry, Tara. You weren't supposed to see that." He chocked out, his voice shaking. "I - I understand if you want to leave, I really do, but please just let me say that I never wanted any of this. Please believe me, Tara. I really didn't have a choice." He looked desperate and on the verge of tears. He had sat up in his bed and was looking at me, as if waiting for me to leave.

I didn't know what to think. He was a death eater. The rumors had been true after all. The thought that had me staying by his bedside was that Draco never, and I mean never gave me the impression he would work for the Dark Lord. He liked me, and I was a half-blood, the people he supposedly was against. My father was a muggleborn and Draco had never said anything about that either. 

"I'm not going to leave until I get some questions answered." I said after a while. He looked at me in confusion. As if he had expected me to up and out at the sight of his Mark.

"What?"

"Draco, that mark on your arm is the symbol of the Dark Lord, which means it is a symbol of what he stands for. Do you really believe the world would be a better place without Muggleborns?" I looked him right in the eyes. He looked like his mind was a mess.

"No, of course n-"

"Then do you believe that You-Know-Who is a fit leader and would bring peace and prosperity to the world, both wizarding and muggle?

"No, No he I- I don't think that.  Why are you asking me this?" Draco looked so out of place. He always looked composed and proper. Now he was on the verge of tears, is face contorted in distress and his hair was a mess. That didn't happen often.

I watched him intently as he looked at me, confused and scared. He really did seem genuine. "Why did you get that Mark on your arm if you don't believe in what it stands for?" I didn't speak my words harshly, I spoke them gently, but firmly. This was no time for pleasantries. 

I could see Draco's Adam's apple bobble before he answered, "They-th-h-he- I... I had to. He threatened to kill my parents. I had no choice, Tara." The boy before her looked broken. Never had she seen someone break like Draco Malfoy. 

I got up from my chair and moved around his bed. Draco looked up from his lap and I could see the pure sadness in his eyes. I sat down on the side of his bed and lifted myself up beside him. I then brought him into a hug. 

"Draco, you are a good person, that Mark on your arm doesn't define what you are in here." I said placing my hand on his bare chest, above his heart. 

"I'm here for you, okay? I'm not going anywhere. I'll go with you through whatever happens. And besides, the Mark doesn't mean anything if you don't agree with what it represents. You answered no to all my questions, so don't think I'll leave you when you don't believe in it. It's just a tattoo from my point of view." I removed my hand from his chest and hugged him again. I could feel his arms circle around my back. He picked me up and placed me in his lap, not removing his face from the crook of my neck. I could feel my blazer soak with his tears, but I said nothing. Sometimes the most noble thing to do when someone is crying, is pretend you don't notice.

I played with the white like hair and the base of his neck, people said he bleached it, but I could tell it was natural. Draco's hair had always fascinated me, I had assumed his family either had Veela ancestors or that they were from Scandinavia. Scandinavians were famous for their white blond hair and pale blue eyes.

We sat there in comforting silence, Draco holding onto me tightly, as If he let go I would disappear. Not long after Draco's head removed itself from its resting place in the crook of my neck. His face was millimetres from mine and his whispered words were very intimate.

"Thank you for being you." And then he kissed me in the most gentle way he had ever kissed me. It didn't last long, but it was filled with so much emotion, it was almost bursting. We leaned away and looked into each others eyes. His eyes held so much pain, and so much struggle. I just wanted to help him, I didn't want him to deal with this alone, and I was glad I had been able to step in before anything to bad happened.

"Goodness Draco, am I hurting your cuts?" I said as I realized I was sitting on his lap, which was right beside his fresh wounds. I attempted to remove myself from his grip, but his grip around my waist tightened . "No, don't move. It's okay." I gave him a questioning look but moved back nonetheless.

"I'm really sorry, love. For everything.  I'm sorry for grabbing your wrist and for not telling you earlier. I was scared you would hate me, or that you would be scared of me. I really didn't want that." He didn't make eye contact but I lifted his chin up a small smile on my face. 

"Chin up my prince, or the crown topples". He grinned back at me as I smiled.

"Draco, you don't have to worry. I'm here now and I would never be scared of you, because you're you, I haven't felt more safe or accepted than I do with you. I wouldn't risk losing you for something as simple as jumping to conclusions over a piece of ink."

A/N

Bloody hell, this was a difficult chapter to write, hope it lived up to your expectations.

:)