Remembering exactly what Bellatrix had done to him Barty clenched his jaw, but he gently placed his hand over Padma's. Again, he felt the warmth of her hands. She really was a generous woman, and he wished that he had met her sooner. He knew that he had damaged his friendship with Debi beyond repair - and had confessed to that crime as well as all the others. He was desperate not to lose Padma too.
"Thank you. I am not the same man anymore, but I can't deny my past, be it distant or recent. Your support means a lot to me, though."
He tried for an awkward joke: "You never know, they might be lenient."