Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, HP Characters, or any relevance to the actual HP series.


Chapter Two

'POP'

"They're back!" Molly cheered to the clutter of people surrounding the dining table. Ginny ran to the window excitedly but her smile fell as soon as she looked out.

"It's just Malfoy." She mumbled, going back to her seat. Tonks peeked out and gasped.

"Ginny! He's carrying someone!" She exclaimed. Molly and Tonks rushed out the door, followed by Mad-Eye Moody and the giant black dog, Padfoot.

"Who is it?" Molly called to Draco. Just as Draco was about to answer the large brown dog jumped in front of him and lowered his head toward the oncoming crowd. He let out a low growl of warning. Padfoot rushed in front of his group and snarled. The dogs circled each other, sizing one another up.

"Enough!" Molly yelled but it fell on deaf ears. The dogs snapped and snarled; the hair on their backs rising. Padfoot was at least twice the size of the brown one, but that didn't stop the brown one from accepting the challenge. Padfoot lunged, the brown dog ducked. As Padfoot soared over him, the brown one sunk his teeth into the animagus' hind leg, just above the knee. Padfoot howled and hit the ground with a thud. He reached forward and bit into the brown dog's side. The brown dog turned and grabbed his neck. They rolled and snarled on the ground in front of the small crowd, each person unable to do anything to stop them.

"Fuck this." Malfoy mumbled, walking from the canine brawl in to the Burrow with the girl in his arms. The house was warm and comforting, something he still wasn't used to. He carried her to the couch and set her down gently. A painful cry came from one of the dogs and the girl's eyes fluttered open then quickly shut. Draco knelt beside her and moved a strand of hair from her eyes.

"Dog" She breathed, trying to open her eyes again.

"He's gotten into a bit of a scuffle. He'll be alright." She took in a deep breath and cringed, holding her side.

"Dog" She breathed again. Draco knew she could hear the dog's fighting and clenched his jaw.

"What do you want me to do? Stop them?" He guessed she would only catch half of that sentence but didn't feel like breaking it down to something elementary.

"Please." She mumbled, her hand finding the collar of his shirt. Her fingers brushed against his skin lightly, making something in his chest jump. He grabbed her hand and put it on the couch beside her. He stood and sighed, he could only think of one other way to stop them if his first plan didn't work, and the black dog would not be happy about it. He walked out to the front where the scene had gone from brawl to attempted murder. Both dogs were breathing heavy but unwavering even with blood dripping from their coats.

"Stop them!" Ginny cried, tears flowing from her eyes as she hugged her mother who was crying with her.

"I don't know how!" Tonks shouted. She was usually in good control but with this primal of an act she was at a loss. Draco glared at them and walked up to the dogs as Padfoot pinned the brown one and went for his throat.

"Dog!" Draco snapped coldly, "Come." The dogs seemed deaf but as Draco walked back in to the house the brown dog shoved the black one off of him and ran after Draco. He was limping terribly and his chest heaved with labored breathing but he followed obediently to where the girl lay. He whined and sat next to the couch, resting his head gently on her shoulder. The corners of her mouth turned up and she lightly patted him on the head.

"Dog" She sighed. Draco sat on the edge of the coffee table and watched as her breathing evened out and her body relaxed. He heard familiar 'pops' outside and clenched his jaw again. He had been brought to the Burrow by Snape after his parents were killed and the Malfoy Manor was taken over by Voldemort. It had been six months of living with people he had once hated and, although they could stand to be in the same room, they still distrusted him. What they didn't realize was that joining the Death Eaters had not been his decision, like joining the Order and invading their home hadn't been his decision either. He did like not having to act or be emotionless all of the time, but he was not used to so much emotion. These people expressed everything they were feeling and put other people's thoughts and feelings in to every action they did. It made things go much slower and become much more complicated, in Draco's opinion.

"Is she alright?" Hermione asked breathlessly. Draco nodded. Hermione stepped towards them and the dog got to his feet. He squared his stance and looked back at Draco. Draco shook his head and the dog lay down, resting his head between his paws.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked from the doorway.

"It's all about control, Granger." He drawled. As much as she had tried to be nice to him these past few months he still didn't want her or any of them around him much. He preferred his solidarity.

"Well, we'll have to assess her injuries and fix her up. I'll talk to Molly about where she will be staying." She turned and went back to the kitchen where the rest of the Order was filing in loudly. Lupin came in and did a quick assessment of the girl while Harry and Hermione gave a play-by-play of the night's events.

"She has a few broken ribs, some internal bleeding, and a slight concussion." Lupin determined.

"I only have something for the bleeding. The rest will have to heal on its own." Molly said sadly.

"Where will she be staying?" Hermione asked.

"She needs some place quiet where she can sleep."

"Shouldn't she stay awake with a concussion?" Hermione interrupted.

"It's small enough it won't be a problem." Lupin took the potion Molly had fished out of the cabinet. He tilted the girl's chin up and dripped it in to her mouth. The girl licked her lips and swallowed weakly. Seconds passed of absolute silence then she screamed and clutched her stomach, curling up on the couch. The dog jumped up and sniffed her then growled at Lupin.

"Dog, down." Draco barked and the dog obeyed, still eyeing Lupin suspiciously.

"Someone you picked up?" Lupin asked.

"Hers." Draco said simply. The girl's body relaxed a bit but her breathing was still shallow and quick.

"How about the basement?" Ginny suggested suddenly.

"That's a great place!" Molly chimed, "It's very quiet. She can rest peacefully down there." Draco felt anger tick inside him but smothered it down and kept his face impassive. They had given him the basement when he first arrived. He had gone through the trouble of making it his own little home, complete with a small kitchen and his own bathroom. He didn't like the idea of having to share that.

"What do you think Malfoy?" Hermione asked him.

"It's fine." He lied.

"Great! Could you carry her down please?" Molly said to him. He scooped her in to his arms and headed to the basement, the dog hot on his heels. Molly followed them down and instructed him to lay her on his bed and start up some tea. She cleaned her up with a quick spell, changed the girl's clothes in to a pair of Hermione's pajamas and tucked her under the sheets. Mrs. Weasley pat her cheek lightly to wake her up. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked around half dazed.

"You're at the Burrow, my dear. We are here to help you." Molly explained. She waved Draco over and he obeyed.

"This is Draco. He will be taking care of you. If you need anything let him know." Draco masked his rage.

"Why me?" He asked calmly.

"This is your room." Molly said simply as she walked back up the stairs, shutting the door behind her. Draco let out a frustrated sigh and looked around his room. He had made it look like the Slytherin common room, a place that had always felt more like home than any other. There were two black leather arm chairs in front of the roaring fireplace to his left, large green tapestries hanging against the stone walls, bookcases lined the far wall in front of him, and his dark wood four poster bed with green satin sheets and black comforter was to his right. The door to his private bathroom was next to him and behind him was the small kitchen he had conjured. It was complete with a fridge, small stove and range, and sink. The floor and counters were black marble. He looked over at the girl, who had fallen back asleep, then down at the dog and sighed again.

"I suppose we should clean you up." The dog panted and beat his tail against the floor. Draco took off his jacket and slung it over the back of his armchair. He knelt down in front of the dog and pointed his wand at the bleeding wounds. He healed up the gashes then waved his wand with a cleaning spell to get the dog's coat clean and shining.

Not wanting to go upstairs with the rest of the Order, he settled in to his favorite chair in front of the fire and picked up his book. A few hours after settling down Molly came down with a couple more potions. Snape had brought them after getting word of the rescue. She tipped them into the girl's mouth and told Draco that Snape would like a word with him in the morning, and then she left.


*A/N: Special thanks to, Mika821, Neo Nitro, and xXMizz Alec VolturiXx for adding Muggle to their favorites list. Thank you to, Ashtree15, Lum0s-maxi, Mika821, and xXMizz Alec VolturiXx for subscribing to alerts, and a HUGE thanks to the reviews I recieved from xXMizz Alec VolturiXx, lum0s-maxi, and my first review for this story coming from maximumwriter19. These are the things that keep me writing! Expect the next chapter in a week or so. :D