For: Mystii's 30 Drabbles in 30 Days Challenge on HPFC
Disclaimer: JKR owns HP

A/N: I found out what was wrong with my spacebar! Something had gotten trapped underneath it, effectively jamming it. I managed to blow it out, though, so now it's all good.

Prompt: Marked


Everyone was affected by the war, haunted by the losses and the injuries, marked forever inside and out. Daphne lost a friend - Vincent Crabbe - and watched with tear-filled eyes as her best friend, Tracey, sobbed over the death of her Ravenclaw boyfriend, unable to do anything for her. She had a scar trailing down the length of her arm, a mark left by a Death Eater as Daphne got in the way of a poorly-aimed hex.

Yes, Daphne had her scars, but they were nothing compared to George's.

George had lost an ear, his business, the glint in his eye. Fenrir changed his elder brother, Bill, into a werewolf. But the most prominent, the most painful, scar of all was the one his brother left behind. Daphne couldn't imagine the pain of losing Astoria, her younger sister; she knew the loss of a twin would hurt so much more.

She couldn't connect, she couldn't empathise, but she stuck by him through thick and thin. She didn't run away when he got aggressive, when he started throwing things around. She didn't ditch him when he started drinking and smoking. She didn't leave when he became clinically depressed. Instead, she helped him through it, helped him grow out of his habits and see the brighter side of life, helped get the glint in his eye back.

And yes, George was still marked, as was Daphne, but together, they were strong, and the marks were fading, lingering annoyingly at the backs of their minds. Together, they could make it. Apart, however, they'd fall.


Reviews are appreciated!