So here's my attempt at a second chapter. I apologize if my updates start getting a bit spaced out. I'm going to have to start going to a high risk specialist for my pregnancy and between the stress and having to drive 2 hours to the doctors every other week I may not have as much time as I'd like to focus on the story. But I'm still going to try. Stick with me guys!

I know that some things I write in this will be out of date to when the books took place. Oh well. (:

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Nada. Zip. Not even a little bit of pocket dust…

XOX

Aly stood outside of her ugly, green apartment door and tried to find the right key on her key-ring. After finding a small silver one, she jiggled the door knob before putting the key in and turned to the blonde at her side.

"Will you grab the knocker and pull?" She asked, watching his eyebrow quirk at the odd request. "It's the only way the key will turn." She admitted sheepishly, inclining her head to the doorknob and key in her hands.

"Bang up place you have here." Draco mumbled sarcastically as he wrapped his slender fingers around the knocker and pulled toward himself. Aly rolled her eyes and turned the key quickly, slamming her shoulder into the thick door with her shoulder to open it.

"Does it always take a secret fucking code to open your door?" Draco asked as he stepped ahead of her into the dark apartment.

"Well at least we can be sure no one can get in here to kill me without some effort." Aly replied easily as she threw her wool coat over the back of the couch as she passed into the small kitchenette. Draco kicked the door shut with his foot and followed her into the small area.

"You're worried about someone coming in and killing you… You just invited a homeless man to live with you." He said, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway as she shuffled around the tiled floor. She glanced up at him through her bangs and a smirk played at the corner of her lips.

"You're not a killer Draco." She stated easily as she bent over to search through the cabinet under the sink.

Draco physically stopped breathing. Her words reminded him so much of the night in the Astronomy Tower. The old man had said something so similar… Draco clenched his jaw at the invading memories and shook his head. There was no way she'd know about that. Absolutely no possible way. He brushed away the painful memories and scoffed.

"You think you know me, yeah? Just wait until you go to sleep tonight."

Aly snorted in laughter and pulled out a bag of dog food from the cupboard with a small metal dish. Draco heard the telltale sound of metal dog tags banging together and turned as a small, tan dog sat by his legs and nudged his hand with his cold black nose, begging to be acknowledged.

Hearing the metal made Aly spin around quickly.

"Careful! He's…." She watched incredulously as the dog's tail moved in a happy fashion as Draco gave him a small itch on his head. "He's territorial…" Aly finished, looking at the man before her quizzically.

Draco scoffed.

"Oh, he's fucking vicious." He said, giving the dog's blonde fur another itch as if to prove his point.

"He usually hates men…" Aly said as she placed the bowl of food on the floor for the dog. "His names Romeo." She scratched the dog fondly behind the ear as he began to eat. "I found him eating out of the dumpster behind the restaurant 3 years ago."

"So you have a habit of picking up strays then." Draco raised his eyebrow as her brown eyes met his grey ones.

"Are you calling yourself a stray?" She asked, teasingly as she moved around him and into the small sitting room. She smiled when Draco glared at her. She began to move furniture to the sides of the room and convert the couch into a sleeper sofa.

Huffing with the difficulty of unfolding the mattress, she blew her bangs out of her face and glared at the blonde man watching her.

"Are you going to stand there like a useless bag of dung or are you going to help me?" She crossed her arms across her chest.

Draco mimicked her action and crossed his well toned arms across his chest as well.

"You seem to be doing a sufficient job."

"You know you have a quirky mouth for a man that would be sleeping on a park bench right now if it wasn't for me."

"I'm just here to kill you when you fall asleep, remember?"

Aly fought the smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Just help me you prat!" She tried to keep the laughter out of her voice.

"Can't believe I'm doing this." Draco mumbled, grabbing the handle and hoisted the mattress out of its hiding spot in the couch.

"Now was that so hard?" Aly smiled and patted his upper arm in thanks before leaving to find a spare set of sheets and blankets. She didn't notice the muscles tense under her hand or the stormy eyes of the man in front of her narrow.

'She touched me. The muggle actually touched me.'

Draco stared at the spot on his arm with narrowed eyes. He was practically seething at the invisible "germs" that she must've left behind. He could practically feel his skin crawling just thinking about it. Aly walked back in with the bedding, oblivious to the blonde's thoughts.

"The showers right through that door if you wanted to use it before bed." She nodded toward an open door in the hallway. Draco pushed past her and shut the door without a word, eager to wash away the tingling and crawling feeling she had left on him.

XOX

Draco stood under the hot water of the shower until it started to turn cold and he was thoroughly sure that there was not a trace of dirt or mud left on his body. He stepped out into the foggy bathroom and shook the small water droplets from the tips of his hair. Wrapping a towel around his waist, he glanced at the dirty clothes that lay in a crumpled mess on the floor and wrinkled his nose at the thought of putting them on again.

His trunk. It was still out in the sitting room.

He cautiously opened the door a crack and peaked into the dim hallway. It seemed as if Aly had already gone into her bedroom for the night. Slowly, Draco made his way to his small trunk and pulled out a pair of pajama pants to sleep in.

XOX

Aly stared at the ceiling, absent mindedly petting Romeo's head as he slept next to her in the bed. She heard the water shut off through the door and could hear Draco's footsteps pad down the hallway and into the living room. He seemed different than others she was use to dealing with. Not as… What was the word?

Desperate.

He didn't seem like someone living on the streets. In fact, he had the air of arrogance that you would expect from the privileged gits she went to school with. Yet he still seemed like he needed help. Not that he seemed homeless to her. She had seen much filthier things come off of the streets. She had helped much filthier things come off of the streets. He didn't seem homeless. No, no. Definitely not homeless. More like…

Lost. Abandoned.

She'd noticed this look in his eyes when he thought she wasn't looking. Like a caged animal. So scared and frantic.

Yes. There was no doubt that he needed her help.

XOX

Draco lay awake in his bed as sunlight streamed in through the windows of the sitting room. Nightmares had made sleeping impossible. After waking up in a cold sweat and choking on his own silent screams, he had decided to just lay in bed and hope that the drowsiness he felt would just overcome him and force him into a dreamless sleep.

He was still awake when Aly quietly walked down the hallway, stretching her arms over her head. Her brown hair wasn't combed and sticking up in odd bumps and knots around her head. Her thin dressing robe hung open in the front and revealed the tank top and red pajama pants she had slept in. Her tank top rose up on her flat stomach when she stretched.

Draco let his eyes wander for a brief second. He had to admit that she was attractive for a muggle. Better than a lot of the pig faced witches that were out there. He quickly shut his eyes and she quietly tiptoed past his bed and turned on the light in the kitchen. He opened them once he knew she couldn't see him and stared at the ceiling of her living room.

A blonde blur knocked the wind out of Draco as it jumped onto his stomach. Draco grunted, trying to suck air back into his lungs as he pushed the dog off of him.

"Rome!" Aly ran over to pull the dog off of the bed. "I'm so sorry Draco. Sometimes when he likes you he forgets that you have personal space." She explained quickly, grabbing the dog's collar.

"My fucking luck, huh?" Draco growled, rolling over to face the girl. His eyes shot down as she chewed her bottom lip nervously. He tore his eyes away from her lips and glared into her eyes.

"He probably just needs to go out. I'll take him now." She released her bottom lip from her teeth and opened the door, walking out behind the dog.

Draco groaned and leaned back into the pillows, throwing his arms over his face. He was certain his attraction was due to the lack of women he'd had since he'd been detained by the ministry. To a man who's been starved, even a plate of rotten meat would look appetizing. That had to be it. He was just easily excited from not seeing an attractive girl for months.

Draco blew air through his clenched teeth. Merlin, could this punishment get any worse?

Aly came in a few minutes later and scolded the dog for jumping up onto Draco's bed again. Draco watched as she tugged her bottom lip with her teeth again and sat on the edge of her bed.

"I was thinking…" She started, slowly.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Draco asked, lifting up one of his arms to glare at the young girl on his bed. She returned his glare and brushed her unruly bangs out of her face before continuing.

"I'm going to get you a job at the restaurant. To help you get some money together to get back on your feet."

Draco removed his arms from his face and stared at her.

"Look, I may not have much experience in this job thing but I'm pretty sure you can't just get a job like that." He said, sitting up. Aly glanced away quickly when the sheets slid down his chest and pooled at his waist.

"You can't. But Louis owes me a few… favors." She said, forcing herself to keep eye contact with him.

"Are you shagging him then?" He asked, folding his arms behind his head, smirking at the girl. He didn't miss the smirk that played at the corner of mouth and she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Jealous?" She teased.

Draco scoffed.

"Obviously." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I'm not shagging him." Aly said, standing up. She walked to the bathroom slowly, pausing in the doorway to turn back to Draco. "He's my brother."

She shut the door and started the shower. Draco glared at the bathroom door before pulling clothes out of his trunk for the day, grumbling to himself.

And just like that, Draco had a muggle job.

XOX

Sorry if this was a boring chapter guys! I just thought I should develop a few things first. Things will pick up next chapter I promise! (I hope!) Review please(: