-AN: I hope this story will be to your liking. It is like nothing I have ever written before. It will be a tragic story, and just maybe there might be a happy ending. The couple is Draco/Serena, and there is a considerable age difference between the two. The story takes place years after the war with Voldemort, but there is no sailor scouts, the characters may appear, they may not. This story is rated for its vivid content that will appear in later chapters, and I warn you ahead of time. There is Language, Violence, Character OOC. Very little humor.

Also, the chapter titles correspond with lyrics in a song by Avril Lavigne, called Nobody's Home. When I heard this song, it reminded me of this story, and so I inserted the lyrics into it.

Well enjoy, I very much love this story, and I hope you will too.

Chapter three:
She's Losing Her Mind

"Thank you," Serena said, when the man told her where she could find the phone. Being careful not to drip too much on his floor, she quickly headed into the kitchen. The man had little taste for furniture, only having the necessary objects. Such as a couch, lamps, and a TV for the living room. The kitchen wasn't much better, having only a fridge, a microwave and a coffeepot.

The phone he mentioned hung between the kitchen and living room. As she dialed her mother's work number, she looked about the neat and tidiness that seemed to ooze from the walls. Temporary seemed to flow through the air, making her wonder just how long he had lived there and how long he planed to stay.

Her neighbor sat down on the couch, staring at the blank TV. There weren't even any wires hooked up to it for cable. At this new information, she wondered what his bedroom looked like. Or better yet, his bathroom.

Maybe it doesn't even have a shower, she thought with a giggle. She quickly sobered up though, when he turned to look at her from over his shoulder.

He didn't appear annoyed, but then he didn't come across as someone who liked to display how they felt to those around them. Turning around to face the kitchen, she hid her face from his scrutiny. This call was going to be ugly.

When someone finally answered on the other end, Serena quickly spoke up. She was in a hurry to get home. "Hi, Sophie, this is Serena," she said quickly, but kept her voice hushed. "Um- Serena, Serena Blake," she offered a little louder. "I was wondering, is my mom- I mean is Ilene Blake there?"

She was put on hold so Sophie could go see. Fidgeting in her spot, she tried to keep her nerves in check. Why had her mom have to lock her out of the house again? She was startled from her thoughts, when her neighbor entered the kitchen. He went straight for the coffeepot. He cleaned out what must have been his morning coffee and then set to work on making another batch. For the two minutes it took for him to get water and find the coffee beans, she stood on hold. Only to be told her mother was with a client.

Serena sighed and quickly hung up. "Sorry it took so long," she apologized. She had a feeling the guy liked his space. And for the first time since he told her where the phone was; he spoke up, before she could make a hasty exit. "Where you able to get a hold of her?" he asked carefully.

She had to admit that she liked his voice. There was a confidence there that she could only dream about having. And he spoke as if he chose each word carefully.

"Uh, no," she said, her eyes dropping quickly, the smell of coffee heating, seared her senses. At the sound of him pouring a cup, she looked up at him. "Um, thank you again for letting me use your phone," she said quickly. She had the impression that he was getting impatient about something. He probably wanted her to hurry up and get out already.

Serena turned to leave, but was stopped once more by his voice. "It's still raining, why don't you wait here, where its drier and much warmer, till your mother gets home," he offered. She would have loved to take him up on his offer. But she had a feeling he was only doing it out of pity.

"She works pretty late," she said for an excuse. "I wouldn't want to be a bother."

As she said this, her neighbor poured another cup of coffee and turned towards her. He sure was handsome. His hair what white in color, not like a gray white, but more like a platinum blonde shade. He had it slicked back from his narrow face, each strand of hair set in its proper place. His eyes, which stared at her in an assessing manner and not in annoyance, where gray. Maybe even an artic blue if she really wanted to describe them right. They appeared colder than the weather outside the window behind him.

His skin was pale, not white, but like he hadn't been out in the sun for a while. And he also had that starved look about him. Like he didn't eat much and when he did, it wasn't enough.

His clothes were loose, but only because he'd lost weight and not because like herself, did it to hide things.

"Yes, invading my space and dripping all over my clean floor, would be a bother," he said with a quirk of his lips. She flushed at his words, unsure if she should take them to heart or not. "But I'd rather not have your death on my hands, so you may stay here if you wish, I wont force you."

Serena briefly smiled, liking his sordid sense of humor. It made him seem arrogant, but his smile told her he was only joking. "Okay," she replied and stepped back into the kitchen.

"Well then," he said, handing her one of the mugs. "If you plan to stay, you're going to have to clean yourself up, I don't clean because I like to." She flushed again at his humor on her part, but didn't comment. Instead he told her where the bathroom was and that while she bathed, he'd dry her clothes for her.

He was a virtual stranger and the things he was asking of her, could have been preserved as perverted. But she didn't mind, because she was cold and she was soaked. So a hot bath sounded just right.

She had to go through his bedroom, to get to the bathroom. And just as she suspected, the room held only a bed, neatly made, a dresser, and closet. The guy had no taste what so ever.

But once in the bathroom, she could hardly suppress her laugh when she realized that he didn't indeed have a shower. Instead it was bathtub.

----

The bath had been wonderful. It would have been even better though, had there been bubbles. But she wasn't one to complain. The guy was nice enough to allow her to take a bath in the first place and was even drying her clothes.

Soaking herself deeper into the tub, Serena sighed in content. This was kindness she wasn't used to. But she wasn't going to object. No, instead she soaked herself in the tub till her skin turned to raisins and till her muscles were so relaxed; she could have fallen asleep had she been tired. It wasn't long after that, when the water turned cold on her, but she hardly noticed the change.

With a small sigh, she got up and drained the water. Before stepping out of the tub, she reached for a towel hanging on the wall. Using it, Serena dried herself off, taking care to avoid the bruise on her back. Once she was done, she tied the towel around her body and left the small bathroom.

In the bedroom, she found her clothes dried and laid out across his bed. Her neighbor was nowhere in sight.

Serena dropped the towel then and unabashed about being naked in a stranger's bedroom; she dressed at a leisured pace.

She buttoned her jeans, securing them in place at her narrow waist and pulled her damp hair free from her sweatshirt. Fully covered and quite content, Serena hesitated at the foot of the bed. Falling asleep was very appealing right then, but she was sure sharing his bed was not part of his hospitality.

So, instead she went to the bedroom window. Lifting one of the layers on the blinds, she peered out into the darkness. And too her surprise, she found herself staring into her own bedroom window, which held nothing for coverage, such as his did.

Dropping the blind in place, Serena took a step back from it. She tried not to think too much on this bit of news. Instead, she forced herself to leave the room, but after she tossed the towel into a makeshift hamper. In the hallway, she was quickly led out into the living room.

"Better," her neighbor asked, startling her from her thoughts. She looked at him, only to find him seated on the couch staring at the blank screen of his TV. "Yes, much better, thank you," she said as she watched him carefully. What could be so interesting on that screen? she wondered.

Upon closer inspection, she found nothing except their reflections. "What kind of car does your mother drive," he asked suddenly.

Frowning at his question, Serena looked down at him. "She doesn't have a car, why," she replied.

"Oh, well a few minutes ago, a red sedan pulled into your driveway," he said with a jerk of his head. Serena looked at the window he had pointed to. Going towards it, she stopped just short of running into it. And as he had told her, a red sedan was parked in front of her house.

If she didn't know any better, she would have said that was old Charlie's rig. And when her front door opened to reveal the said man with her mother in toe, Serena's blood ran cold. Not again, she whispered.

But it was in vain, because she watched as her mother kissed Charlie, before letting him drive off. I don't want to go home, she admitted to herself. But there was no choice.

Turning to her neighbor, who still sat on the couch, she flashed him a small smile. "Thanks, must be one of mom's friends," she said.

Serena hurried to the front door, pausing just before opening it. "Thanks again for letting me use your phone and allowing me to use your bathroom." She watched as he turned around to look at her casually. The look he sent her was one of cool interest.

"It wasn't a problem," he said lightly. Serena pulled the door opened then, knowing that if she didn't leave now, she'd never would. Without another word, she left his house and entered the pouring rain. She ran to her front porch, trying to avoid the large drops that fell from the sky.

Once safe, she tried the door. It was unlocked. Filled with relief, Serena let herself and her bag of groceries inside.

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I am sorry for the delay, but my vacation is now over so I am back to work, and it is taking up a lot of my time. I hope you all have enjoyed this chapter just as much as the last. :D

LP out