Chapter 2

The sharp knife was pointing at Draco. His breathing had accelerated and he let the bags he had picked up on the street land on the floor because of the mix of shock and fear he was feeling. Why did everybody want to kill him? First Voldemort and now this bloody muggle. Although what could he do? Taking out his wand and defending himself with magic wasn't even an option: Snape was still unconscious in the bedroom and he couldn't leave anyway. He was lost in the muggle world. Before he could think of something to say, the mulatto woman screeched, "What is that man to you? Is he your father? Your uncle, perhaps?"

"H-He's my g-godfather and m-my teacher," he stammered out of fear.

"Show me your arm!"

"Wha-"

"Now!"

He quickly rolled up his sleeve and revealed the pale skin free of any Dark Mark.

"The other arm!"

Draco gulped and did as told. The Dark Mark was clearly visible now. The muggle woman got even madder and shrieked, "Who have you killed?"

"What?"

"Don't play dumb with me! I've seen that bloody thing before! It's already ruined my life once; I'm not about to stand by and watch as it ruins it again," she said as she eyed the skull with the snake.

Of all the muggles in the world he had to cross paths with this crazy woman who seemed to know about Death Eaters.

"What do you know about it?" he asked bluntly.

"You are in no position to ask me anything, lad. You are assassins and I have helped you out, which makes me an accomplice to murder. Can't you see? I'm pregnant! I cannot go to prison and I won't leave my children motherless! So start talking, now!"

Children? As in more than one child? Did the woman have another child? Draco wondered about it, but didn't pronounce the words out loud.

"We are no murderers," he stated. Well, Severus had killed a man, but he wasn't about to reveal that.

"Really? And why wouldn't you want to go to hospital then?" She let out a bitter laugh before continuing, "I should have realized it sooner: you have committed a crime. Why else wouldn't you want to get professional medical attention? Doctors would make uncomfortable questions for you to answer..."

She brought the knife closer to his neck. Draco started to sweat, but stayed silent. The woman quickly threatened him, "If you don't tell the truth this very instant, I'm calling the police."

What the bloody hell does "police" mean?, thought Draco.

"W-we have done n-nothing."

"I don't believe you. Your people bring nothing but disgrace."

"Lower the knife…" he pleaded. He couldn't think straight with it pointing at him.

"I'm acting in self-defense. I won't lower it until I feel safe, and honestly, I believe I should be calling the police right now."

Draco still didn't know what the police were, but the term didn't sound nice. He knew that the only way to make her lower the knife was to tell her something. He couldn't tell her the whole truth, obviously, so he stuck for a half truth.

"Wait! You want the truth? Here's the truth. Someone wants me dead. That man you helped nearly died saving me. They are searching for us in this exact moment and if we went to a hospital they would find us and kill us," he squeaked exasperated.

Her hazel eyes seemed to pierce his soul, looking for any sign of deceit and dishonesty. She found none and hesitantly lowered the knife. Draco sighed in relief.

"Why do they want to kill you?"

How was he supposed to tell her that? He thought quickly and mumbled, "The person who wants to kill me feels betrayed and wants to have his revenge. If it wasn't for Snape I wouldn't be breathing now."

"His name is Snape?"

Draco gave a nod and he clarified, "Severus Snape."

"You said he was your godfather and your teacher…" She frowned and inquired, "Where are your parents then? They will surely protect you, won't they?"

Draco felt the beginning of some tears forming in his grey orbs, so he avoided her eyes and with a very low voice he susurrated, "My father is in Azka- in prison and my mother… I don't even know whether she is alive. We got away before I could make sure she wasn't dead."

Something in her attitude changed when he confessed it. Her hazel eyes looked like she was recalling something for a few seconds. She didn't sound defensive or angry anymore, she sounded worried and like she understood him.

"How can I know you're telling me the truth?"

"You'll have to trust me, please."

It sounded like he was begging her now and a tear had finally made his way down his cheek. His whole body was trembling, for he still could feel the sharp knife on his neck, even though she had already stopped threatening him. He could see Voldemort's red eyes directed to him with so much hatred he had never believed it was possible to hold. He couldn't stop hearing his mother's painful screams and Bellatrix shouting curses.

The muggle woman saw that he was shaking with fear and that he appeared to be remembering something. He didn't look like he was lying in that moment, so she took pity on him and put a hand on his shoulder. The contact made him snap out of his daze, but his grey eyes still showed terror.

"OK. Let's say I trust you. Do you have any other family members you can rely on?"

He snorted, "I have a crazy Aunt who would gladly kill me too… No. The only one I can lean on is my godfather."

The woman nodded and closed the door. Then, she put the knife in the kitchen and turned to the boy.

"Do you think these people who are after you can find you here? Please. I'm pregnant with twins; I don't want to put them in danger."

So that was why she said "children": she was expecting twins, thought Malfoy.

"I don't know. My guess is that they'd never look here, but I'm not 100% sure," he replied in all honesty with a shrug. He trusted Snape; if he had apparated here then it meant they were safe for the moment. At least, he wanted to believe so.

"Have you got somewhere to go?"

"No."

"Don't you think you should tell the police about your situation?"

He didn't know what she meant again, so he replied, "I can't."

The woman bit her lip in nervousness and pondered the circumstances. It felt like forever until Draco heard her say, "You'll stay here until Snape recovers. Then, I want you out of my house and out of my life. And of course, you won't mention where you stayed to anyone. Got it?"

Draco nodded. The woman took a big breath and instructed him to follow her. He did and she handed him an old muggle T-shirt and pajama pants.

"These were from my ex-boyfriend… They will look a little big on you, but I have nothing else. Take a shower. The bathroom is by the end of the corridor."

Malfoy thanked her and did as told. While the water poured against his skin he couldn't help but think what the bloody hell he had done to find himself in such a mess.

When he got out, he went to Severus and saw that he still hadn't woken up. He stared at him. Why would the Dark Lord's most loyal Death Eater defy his wishes? His mother had told him about the unbreakable vow, but that only lasted until Dumbledore died. He was free of it. Why would he risk his life then? The only logical reason was that either, he cared for him or he was a spy. Probably both. Aunt Bella had been right all this time. His thoughts were interrupted by the voice of the muggle, "Hey, lad! Come here! Dinner's ready."

Dinner time with a stranger was awkward to say the least. The muggle didn't comment anything and neither did Draco. When they finished, the woman said, "I have no guest room. You'll have to sleep next to your godfather. I'll take the sofa."

He frowned and wondered, "No offense, miss, but you're pregnant. Shouldn't you sleep on your bed?"

"I should. But you're my guest and-"

"I'll sleep on the sofa," he claimed as an ultimatum. He didn't know why he cared for the well-being of a muggle woman, but he guessed that if he was to live with her for some time, he better tried to make it as nice as possible.

The woman nodded half-heartedly.

"Thank you, er- I don't know your name…"

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

She chuckled and muttered under her breath, "You surely have weird names… Severus and Draco."

Draco felt offended by the comment but kept a stoic face.

"I'm Angelica Wilson."

Suddenly, a thought came to his mind. "Er- Wilson… Won't the father come home? Where will he sleep?"

"The father won't show up. And call me Angelica," she said in a cutting tone.

There was an uncomfortable silence until the muggle told the boy, "I wake up at 6 o'clock to go to work. I won't return until three o'clock. Don't go out. Stay with Snape. If he wakes up, call this number…"

She handed him a note with some numbers.

"Call?"

"Phone. The telephone is there," she clarified as she pointed to a corner.

He still didn't know what she meant by call, phone and telephone, but he let it be. Instead, he asked her, "You look like you are 7 or 8 months pregnant. Why do you work?"

She raised an eyebrow and in a harsh tone she spat, "I don't know in which world you live, but in mine people must work in order to survive."

Draco didn't dare to look her in the eye. He heard her sigh and whisper, "Do you want to watch TV before going to sleep?"

He didn't know what the TV was, but he nodded anyway. She motioned for him to sit on the sofa and started to look for something which Draco couldn't make out.

"So… I don't know your tastes, but the only VHSs I buy are Disney. Choose. I have Dumbo, Peter Pan, Cinderella…"

What the bloody hell was Disney? And Dumbo? And Peter Pan? And Cinderella? He looked lost and finally replied, "Dumbo will do."

"As you wish."

Draco let out a startled yelp when she opened the TV and images of a baby elephant started to show.

"Bloody hell!"

"What's wrong? One would think you've never watched TV before…"

If only she knew…

The first thing Draco remembered when he woke up was his mother lying unconsciously on the floor. The second one was Severus's blood. The third one was Angelica pointing the knife at him. The fourth one was a bloody elephant with big ears. He groaned and looked at the time: eight thirty. Wilson must be out, he thought. There was a post-it next to the clock which said:

Good morning,

I'm going to work, and as I told you yesterday, I won't return home until three o'clock. I don't know if you can cook, so I prepared a sandwich for breakfast and some salad and roasted chicken for lunch. You can use the microwave if you need. Remember to call me if he wakes up.

Angelica

P.S. You can watch the TV. Please, don't leave home.

He had no idea what the microwave was and he didn't know how to switch on the bloody TV to spend the time doing something. Dumbo had been weird, but he had enjoyed it anyway. Besides, he was curious to know what Peter Pan and Cinderella were about. He was glad Wilson had cooked something though, for he couldn't prepare anything without house-elves' help. Before going to the kitchen to get the sandwich he went to see Severus. He didn't look like he had woken up during the night, but the color had returned to his face, which was a relief. After eating, he decided to stay by his side, hoping that he would open his black eyes.