Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, HP Characters, or any relevance to the actual HP series.
Chapter One
They walked in, each with wands at the ready for any hidden attackers. The further they trekked into the house the less worried they became about an attack and the more concerned they became about victims to another Death Eater raid. The small house was on the outer edge of a muggle neighborhood, with the stereo-typical white picket fence and lush green lawns. The house looked normal from the outside but once you stepped in you felt as if a tornado had torn through it. Mirrors were shattered, fabrics were torn to shreds, walls were charred where spells had missed their targets. Photos burned slowly around the group as they made their way up the stairs to the bedrooms. Ron and George cringed when they peeked inside the master bedroom. They shut the door quickly and motioned for everyone to keep going forward. Harry opened the next door and found it empty. Hermione passed him and opened the last door. She gasped and rushed inside. The group clamored after her, afraid of a trap. A low growl echoed through the room as Hermione slowly approached a young girl who was rocking back and forth, her knees at her chest and her face hidden in her arms. A large dog lay at her feet, his teeth barred at Hermione.
"Stun him 'Mione." Ron whispered. Hermione looked back at him and glared. She tip toed forward and the dog's growl grew louder. She was only a few feet away and he jumped to his feet, keeping his head down and his teeth visible. The hair all along his back rose and he let out a snarl, causing the girl to flinch.
"It's okay, boy. We're here to help. We won't hurt you." Hermione cooed, trying to calm the dog. The girl stopped rocking but her face was still hidden.
"We're here to take you somewhere safe; somewhere the bad people can't go." The girl looked up, her brown hair partially covering her grey eyes. Hermione held up her wand to show the girl she had one then slowly placed it on the floor beside her. She took another step and the dog snarled.
"Please, let us help you." Hermione begged. The girl looked from her to the group standing in the doorway then back to her.
"Just stun the dog and grab the girl. We need to get out of here!" Ron urged. Hermione shot him another glare.
"She won't trust us if we force her to do anything. And hurting her dog will only cause more problems." Lupin whispered to Ron. Hermione took another step forward and so did the dog with a biting snarl. Hermione stepped back a few feet, her courage with the animal disappearing.
"This is taking too long." Someone hissed from behind Lupin. He shoved his way to the front then passed Hermione, who tried to grab his arm.
"Malfoy no!" She cried, not for his safety but because she wanted to get the girl without causing any more harm to her. Draco stormed passed her and stood over the dog who snapped at him fiercely. Draco stared hard at the dog and it calmed down and lay down in front of him panting. He smirked to himself and looked down at the girl. She looked into his eyes and lifted her head from her arms. He held out his hand and she took it gingerly. He hoisted her up but she fell against him, dizzy.
"Be careful!" Hermione panicked when she saw the girl fall against him. He put his arms around her middle and effortlessly lifted her to her feet. She let her head rest against his chest. Draco tried not to think about what might have happened to her to make her entire body shake against his. He could feel her trying to stand on her own but her body kept giving out. Shoving the scenarios of torture she probably survived from his mind, he put one arm around her back under her arms and leaned down and scooped his other arm under her legs. Tears started falling silently down her cheeks and she kept her eyes closed. Draco turned and headed towards the door, glancing back at the dog.
"Come." He said sharply. The dog jumped up and followed close to his heels as he carried the girl from the house. While the rest of the group continued to search the charred home Draco set the girl back on her weak legs and picked up the dog's front end with his now free arm.