Disclaimer: no matter how much I love Harry Potter unfortunately I don't own it.
A/N – sorry this took so long but as of today ive started my exams so for like the past month ive been so busy with revising that ive barely had time to write. Hope you like the second chapter. Read and Review please, I love to hear what you think (:
All Alone
Chapter 2
He barely slept that night. He barely slept most nights these days, he had become accustomed to living on the bare minimum and only staying awake with the aid of strong coffee. His dreams- nightmares really were always the same, he would see flashes of the snake-like man sitting at his dining table, the face of Charity Burbage as she pleaded with Snape, being forced to torture Rowle when he failed the Dark Lord, the day Potter had turned up at his manor and Grangers screams as his aunt tortured her. Every night the same and every night he would sleep for an hour or so before waking in a cold sweat his sheets tightly gripped in his fists. He would look frantically round the room not recognising his surrounding before the nights events would return to him and he could relax once more. After he woke for what seemed like the millionth time he sat up in bed and thought about the French girls' words.
Hermione Granger. Granger. She was upstairs, just one floor above him and although the screaming had stopped a couple of hours ago he could still hear odd pain filled noise through the roof of his room. He wondered what she could possibly be doing here; he had just assumed that she would be celebrating the end of the war with Potter and Weasley. He had heard that she and the Weasel had gotten together in the middle of the war, why wasn't she with him? Why wasn't she at the Weasley hovel with everyone from their side just being happy?
Being the exact opposite from him, in the month following the war he found he couldn't even leave his home without being on the receiving end of some comment from a passer by. No one seemed to be particularly happy that the Malfoy's had gotten off without punishment, they felt that even though by the end of the war they were no longer really on the side of the Dark Lord it wasn't enough to excuse them from Azkaban. It seemed in the eye of the public, at least, once a death eater always a death eater.
Malfoy Manor wasn't much better than the streets if he was being honest. The ministry had very publicly searched and stripped it and his mother was quieter than she had ever been, slowly sinking into depression. His father, the main reason he had left his home, his father spent the last month either drinking in his study or complaining, constantly complaining, about the way he was being treated- like it wasn't his fault they were outcasts in the first place. He had got them all involved with the Dark Lord and now he was complaining? It had drove him crazy so he decided that the best option was just to leave, he had heard of the many so called refugee houses all across England and decided that for now this was his best bet until he could find a place of his own. He had owled three different places but only one had room for him so in the dead of night he had packed a bag of clothes and other necessities, shrunk it and left.
Sighing he ran his fingers through his hair and got out of bed. Not caring about time, there was no way he was going back to sleep now- he had enough nightmares for one night, he grabbed a white t-shirt from his bag and flattened his hair with his hand into an acceptable style, because God forbid a Malfoy ever look anything but perfect!
He quietly made his way out of his room and down the stairs hoping to be the first up so he could just sit around himself some more. No such luck. He froze just outside of the kitchen as he heard a soft female voice humming a random tune. He was just about to turn and make his way back upstairs, he was in no mood to start up a conversation but it was too late.
"Ah, you must be Draco, how did you sleep?"
She was leaning slightly on the kitchen counter and wore a lose fitting white –shirt, red pyjama bottoms and white slippers. Her hair was white blonde, although slightly greying at the roots and her face had some light wrinkles on it. In her hand was a silver spatula which was covered in what Draco guessed was pancake mix.
"Oh..erm it was fine..er thanks" he replied not really knowing what else to say.
"Good, take a seat. Well you're a little early for breakfast, its only half 8, not that it matters of course you'll get some peace before the younger ones get up" she said while turning back to her frying pan of batter
"Younger ones?" he repeated wondering just how many people actually stayed here besides him.
"Oh yes, you were the last one we could fit it you see, we've got Michael and Sarah they're both 8, and erm.. Little Finn he's only 4 and then we've got Olivia, she's 13 and her little brother Charlie, he's six" she said while looking over her shoulder "it gets at little crowded but we make do"
Draco's eyes widened slightly that was a lot of people for such a small house, plus he had never been good around small children, they were just so.. messy.
"Yeah… I can see what you mean about crowded" he replied still a little shocked by the amount of people that were forced into such a tiny place.
He was saved from any further conversation with the women when she turned and set a large plate of pancakes in front of him.
"Here you go, you're best to get in first it gets a bit mental when everyone is up"
"Oh right..erm thanks..er again" he said not really knowing what else he could say to her, he felt beyond awkward.
"No bother, no bother at all" she said moving to sit at the table across from him a cup of tea in hand "Oh! I forgot to tell you I'm Marie by the way, you met Aurore last night I presume?"
"Yeah, she didn't seem to happy to see me though" he said becoming slightly more relaxed around her
"Its nothing personal, trust me, its just the girl likes her sleep and I was.." she cleared her throat "Erm..busy last night"
Draco sat up straighter at the mention of last night, there was a thousand ways he could go about finding out why Hermione Granger was upstairs, but he decided that the quickest way was just to be blunt and to the point.
"Why is she here?" he asked "Granger I mean"
Marie began to shift uncomfortably and avoided looking at him.
"Its really not my place to say.." she began "I don't even know the full story"
"Well then tell me what you know" he said, he had no idea why he was so desperate to know other than just curiosity.
"Look, she just turned up one night, as mess. She's barely told me anything all I know is that she is alone, she has no one to turn to just now" she said quietly
"Well that's clearly not true, those Gryffindor types, friends forever and all that, she must have someone" he said not believing for a moment that Granger was truly alone.
Marie's eyes fixed on him.
"Believe me she has no one, she hasn't spoken of anyone since she got here 3 weeks ago, well the poor girl's hardy spoke at all. You should go up and see her Draco, if you wanted"
Draco scoffed at that idea, him go and see Granger, not likely.
"Oh yes I can see that cheering her up, I'm the last person she wants to see, she hates me and I assure you the feelings mutual".
"Oh I wouldn't be so sure if I were you, when I told her you were coming here she said 'Draco Malfoy..hmm.. he's probably the closest thing to a best friend ive got at the moment' so there you go"
He paused in eating his pancakes; he was the closest thing she had to a best friend? Well things can't have been going well for her then. He sat for a moment wondering just what he could possibly say in return to that, but he was saved when the sound of several sets of feet running down the stairs came into range and 4 children came running through the kitchen door followed by Aurore carrying baby Finn.
Before he knew it he was surrounded by children and looking desperately for an escape, he'd never been around young children unless you counted first years but this was different, apart from the slightly older girl- Olivia he remembered, they were all between 4 and 8, he hated children if he was being honest, all they did was make a mess. Marie seemed to notice his discomfort because she took his plate from him and told him that if he wanted he could leave and go back upstairs, escape the noise- and the mess. He practically ran up the stairs to his own room and began to pace the floor. He wanted to know what was wrong with Granger. Where were Potter and Weasley? Why did she scream during the night? And most importantly why was she all alone?
Draco wanted answers, and he was going to get them.
