CHAPTER 2

This world may have failed you

It doesn't give the reason why

You could have chosen

A different path

-Angels by Within Temptation

I wandered through Knockturn Alley with my head down and my arms folded tightly against my chest. There were shady looking shops advertising products obviously associated with the dark arts. Most of them I passed hastily, not daring to go inside.

Any time I went close to one of the doors of the other shops, the strange tug would appear again, pulling me away until I came to one small shop. It looked old and run down, the sign hanging halfway off its hinges above the door, the paint worn and chipping off. The name of the shop, Borgin & Burke's, was fading into the gray colour of the rest of the sign. The big bay windows looking into the building was covered in dust, grime, and perhaps mold.

I don't know why I felt compelled to enter, but I looked around in disgust when I realized the interior was worse than the outside. Dust, grime, dirt, and even mud covered the floor, walls, and shelves, which held various objects such as blood stained cards, jars of eyes, teeth, and other unknown substances, a crooked hand, and a very pretty, very innocent looking necklace. Of course, when it comes to the dark arts, something that looks innocent could be very deadly. I looked up to find that wicked looking weapons decorated the ceiling, hanging with sharpened edges pointing down.

The front desk was the only clean surface in the whole shop. At the orphanage, keeping the place clean was mainly my job (the headmistress liked using the kids who resided there so she didn't have to hire outside help), and over the years I've developed a slight OCD when it came to dirt. It was hard to resist finding supplies and start cleaning right then and there.

As much as the state of the little shop disgusted me, the insistent pull was gone, and a feeling of belonging settled over me, as if this was where I was supposed to be.

On the desk was a little brass bell that was covered in dirt and dust. I was reluctant to touch it, but after silently scolding myself, I rang it, then wiped my hand on my jeans.

I stood there awkwardly for a moment, looking down at my shoes. I needed new shoes… These were worn and had a hole in the left one. Then, the sound of someone's wheezing breath and painful cough startled me from my musings and loud footsteps herald the sound of someone coming up a flight of stairs and into view.

"I'm comin," a man's voice wheezed, "hold yer hippogriffs."

A tall, gangly old man wearing rust coloured robes came stumbling up the stairs, breathing hard. He had short, thinning gray hair with beady black eyes, a crooked nose, and gray stubble on his chin.

"Yes?" he asked sharply, eying my appearance. "What do yeh want?"

"Um…" I stammered. I froze, unsure what to say. Then, unthinking, I blurted out, "I need a job!" I suddenly felt very foolish standing there. Who would hire an orphaned eleven-year-old girl with oversized robes and holy shoes?

"Eh," he thought to himself, rubbing his chin and looking around the ship. "What would you want me ta hire yeh for? You're too young ta be of much magical use."

"But I can clean! And I learn quickly and will do anything you ask me to!" I said, almost begging. I was silently praying he would consider. I needed the money.

He stared at me, brows furrowed as he studied me. The seconds ticked by and I shifted uncomfortably under his scrutiny.

He glanced around the dirty shop once more.

"Well, I'm not as young as I use'ta be… and the place could use some cleaning, I suppose…"

I raised an eyebrow. Some cleaning? He suddenly grabbed a broom and thrust it at me.

"Yeh can begin today. I'll pay yeh two Galleons n' hour, n' I expect yeh ta work on yer holidays," he growled. I grinned and said "thank you" at least three times. He then explained my duties to me. My job was very simple. I was to clean and organize the front lobby, scrubbing everything down and arranging the "merchandise" better. Once I managed that, the shopkeeper, Mr. Burke, would show me how to categorize the stock he had in back, although I wasn't likely to get to that until much later, since it would take several times to completely scrub away all the filth in the lobby.

I was to do all the chores without magic, since I was young and inexperienced. Most of the objects had curses or enchantments on them, he explained, so he generally didn't allow much magic in the shop anyway. Also, he stressed that if I got killed or cursed because I mishandled an object, it was not his fault.

I eagerly got to work sweeping the floors, which took an hour in itself, dusted and polished the shelves, and put the most dangerous items in glass display cases or on high shelves so no one could touch them. Burke had given me special gloves to wear because certain objects couldn't be touched.

The front bay windows were the last on my list because they were massive and held probably several years worth of dirt and grime on them. With a sigh, I started to clean. Almost instantly, the rag I was using became just as dirty as the glass, and with a groan I realized they would be even more work than I thought.

Night soon fell and my arms were becoming quite sore. The bell above the door jingled (I had to just replace the bells, the old ones were unsalvageable and I used the distraction to rest my tired limbs. Draco Malfoy and whom I presumed to be his father stepped inside. They stopped and looked around in mild interest.

"It looks better than yesterday," Draco muttered while Mr. Malfoy raised a blonde eyebrow. After a moment Burke still hadn't arrived, so I mumbled an "excuse me" and went to retrieve him.

"That's a good lass," Burke said, patting my head and turning his attention to our guests. "Hello, Lucius," he greeted smoothly. "I was expectin' ya."

"I have brought several other-" he glanced at me, his eyes narrowing and his lips forming into a sneer in distaste, "-things that I talked to Mr. Borgin about yesterday. Borgin was less than… hospitable. I cant see how you can run a business like this."

I blushed and lowered my eyes from his gaze. What he really meant was he didn't see how someone could run a business without giving him any special treatment. I walked back to my half-finished windows, my head down and continued scrubbing. Draco was wandering around the shop, looking at the new items on display.

"Yes, well, Borgin left yesterday, and will be gone fer several months," Burke explained, "and I apologize fer his rude behaviour."

Mr. Malfoy snorted, less than pleased, but he let the subject drop as they started to do business. They haggled for a long time, and at some point, Draco sat beside me on the window's bench as I worked. He ignored me, so I kept my eyes on my work and refused to look at him.

I was doing well, until he pulled food from his bag and started eating. It smelled like delicious home baked cookies. My mouth watered. I had nothing to eat that day since before lunchtime. Then my stomach growled.

Draco's head snapped to my face and he smirked. "You hungry?" he asked, touching my arm, causing me to look at him. Bright, ice blue eyes froze mine in their sockets, stealing my breath from me. I could only nod, my mouth slightly open. His smirk slid into a cocky grin and he offered me a very yummy looking cookie. I reached for it, and he cruelly pulled it away.

"No, keep working and just open your mouth," he ordered. He wanted to feed me? What was he playing at? I blushed deeper, my face feeling hot, and he chuckled. "You want it or not?"

I licked my lips at opened my mouth, my hands resuming their scrubbing. Draco broke off a piece and pit it in my mouth, his fingers brushing my lips. My face was probably beet red at by this time, but ohhh! They were so good! Probably the best cookies I had ever tasted. Draco continued to feed me like that until his father and Burke were done talking. Mr. Malfoy's back was to us the whole time, so I doubted he saw his son feeding the commoner.

"What's your name?" Draco asked before his father dragged him off.

"Oh, my name is Willow," I replied, almost in a whisper. He didn't offer his name. He knew that I already knew who he was.

"Come, Draco. Our business is done here."

And with that, he was gone, leaving me to ponder his strange behaviour as I finished up the windows. He was such a strange boy… And then I realized that I never thanked him.

Once I was done, Burke had me stay there for the night, saying we would get my things in the morning and he would bring me to the station. I went to bed tired and confused, but happier. I knew that my future would be okay now that I had a job and could provide for myself, and I felt good about that.

However, I would be a while before those ice blue eyes faded completely from my dreams.

A/N:Ithinkyouguyswilllikethischapter2betterthantheoriginal=3