Title: Love in the Ruins

Summary: Petunia threw little Harry in Lily's ruined home in Godric's Hollow as soon as she turned five. Draco meets Harry there when he returns home after his second year and falls in love with her. Female Harry Potter. Fem HP/DM. Alternate Universe. Harry doesn't attend Hogwarts.

Chapter-1

Following my heart

Draco

I am thirteen years old, about to join Hogwarts for my third year. In the village of Godric's Hollow, there is a cottage. It is completely ruined.

I have been meeting a green eyed girl in these ruins for the past four months now. She says that she is thirteen too. She is always in a short skirt and a shirt. I think that she has two or three pairs only because she keeps on repeating them. She is really very beautiful. I don't know as to where she really lives, here in this ruined house or perhaps somewhere else. But here is where I meet her every day. She wears these round glasses which hide her green eyes.

I did ask her to get the glasses removed but she dismissed it, saying that she didn't have enough money. I bring food for her. She is much too slim. Her name is Elisa Potter. She says that she doesn't know her real name. She only knows that she is a Potter. She gave this name to herself. As far as she remembers, she has nothing except this ruined house. I have heard this surname before but I don't really know who it belonged to.

I don't know how she lives because this house has nothing. I bring enough food to last her at-least till the next day. She says that she does some of this and some of that to earn her bread and butter. Little things that provide some water and a bit of food for her. When I had started bringing food for her, I noticed that she ate it ravenously. So I started bringing more for her. I can't cast warming spells on the food since I don't even know if she is a witch or not. I wonder if she knows. She is really very talkative and laughs too much. Sometimes, when I look at her, my heart clenches. She has dark circles beneath her eyes and is practically a bag of bones. Her cheeks are sunken. She is malnourished and still she smiles so beautifully.

I taught her some things like maths and how to write properly. She says that she has never been to a proper school. She didn't have money to pay the fees. Sometimes when teachers allowed her, she would hide under a chair or sit on the floor at the back of the classroom and study.

I don't know when but somewhere along the line, I fell in love with her.

She is very kind. She likes helping stray animals.

Today- today, I am going to tell her that I love her. I don't know whether I will ever meet her again. So I need her to know. I wonder if everything will just end after today. Even the thought of not being able to meet her again is unbearable. I like spending time with her. When I am with her the time just flies away. I don't even notice when an hour passes and I have to return home.

My parents are not kind people. Father is a death eater. He worshiped a monster. I couldn't tell him about her. She seems too vulnerable, too soft-hearted. I- I just love her so much. Headmaster Dumbledore says that love is the greatest and most powerful magic.

But then why- why did she not come today. I have been waiting for an hour now. I have to leave tomorrow. She always comes. Then again, she doesn't have to come. Maybe she doesn't live here after all. Sometimes, I imagine myself living with her in this house. This house is beautiful and we are standing on the balcony while a couple of small children play in the garden below. We are not kids in the dream. We are old. The dream is beautiful and the reality is unbearable.

I cast nox and search the whole house desperately for her. But she is no-where. Why didn't she come? Where is she?

There is a lump in my throat and my eyes are welling. It's pathetic that I am crying because boys don't cry but I can't stop myself. I really wanted to tell her that I love her. Why did she have to be late today? Has she eaten anything at all? Has she slept at all?

At-least father and mother love me. There is no-one who loves her except me. She should at-least know that I love her. But where is she?

I can't come back tomorrow. I will be at Hogwarts.

I place the food on a table which is partly broken and cast one last glance at the empty room. The cottage must have been beautiful once upon a time. An image flashes in front of me. I am sitting on a couch in front of the fireplace and she is sleeping in my lap as I stroke her hair. She is not looking tired or malnourished or homeless.

But the image vanishes and I stare at the ruined house once again.

I wait some more but she doesn't come.

I leave the house, hoping that at-least she will eat the food I left for her. She is really too thin.

XXXX

The day passed in a blur and here I am standing in front of the train, about to leave for my third year. There is noise all around me and mother and father are trying to get me to talk. But there is a lump in my throat which is not letting me speak.

"Draco, the train will leave in about five minutes. Are you going to tell us what the matter is?" Father mutters and I want to snap at him. I wish that he wasn't a death eater and I had been able to bring my Elisa home. Father hates muggles and I don't know if Elisa is a witch or not. I don't want him to hurt her.

My eyes are wet and I look at him.

"Draco." Mother and father gape at me.

"Draco, what's the matter?" Father asks me and I turn around before running away. I don't even know where I am running until I literally bump into someone.

"Ouch. Malfoy, you git. Watch where you are going." It's Weasley. I really dislike the redhead. Usually, I snap back at him. But today, I just don't want to. So I get up and don't look at Weasley. I just start walking.

"Oi Malfoy. Wait." He calls me and I stop before looking at him with troubled eyes.

"Ron, come one. You will get late." His mother calls him but he keeps on staring at me in shock. It's understandable because I don't cry. I hate crying.

From a bit of distance, I notice my father and mother walking towards me, their eyes furious.

"Why are you crying Malfoy?" Weasley asks me and I don't know why but I blurt out, "I don't want to go to Hogwarts. I don't want to leave her alone and I don't why I am telling all this to you Weasley when you are such a bloody bigoted bastard."

Weasley stares at me, his jaw agape.

"It's easy for you to wander around with Granger all over the school. Your parents are not preparing you to get married to some bloody pureblood girl and spout pureblood babies or to become a bloody beast worshiper. I-"

"Malfoy- Malfoy, wait." Weasley exclaims and looks beyond me before looking again at me and muttering, "You just made a big scene, you see. Never thought that you had balls to do so Malfoy, that too in front of daddy. Just because of this, I'll give you a tip. Go and tell them that you don't want to leave. But then you have always been a coward. You don't have balls to follow your heart Malfoy. Daddy's little puppet. Awwww pooor pooooor puppet."

I stare at him as he claps my back and leaves, calling loudly, "And another thing Malfoy- I am not a bigot."

I look at him. He is gazing at me through the windows, waiting for me to loose my courage and step inside the train.

"Draco, go inside. The train is about to leave." Father hisses. I ignore him, glaring at Weasley.

I am not a coward.

"Draco." Mother presses, her hand on my shoulder and I shake my head, "I don't want to go to Hogwarts."

"You can't do that. You have to go." Father almost yells at me and I whirl around, glaring venomously at him, "Why- to keep an eye on our headmaster Dumbledore for you. I won't take any part in your bloody schemes. I won't worship a monster."

"DRACO." Father screams and everybody stares at us as he lifts his hand to slap me. Mother beats him to it. Her hand hits my cheek before his does and aches more than his would have. Despite the fact that she is as bad as father, I love her.

"Why didn't you go? Is this connected to your long evening walks Draco?" Mother whispers furiously and I stare at her.

"You really thought that I won't notice. You-" She says and I cut her off, "I can't leave her alone. She has no home- no-one to live with. She lives in ruins and has nothing to eat."

"You will not befriend some homeless begger Draco." Father mutters rather coldly and my blood boils.

"I am pretending that you didn't say it father. Just- I am not joining Hogwarts and I don't care what you think."

"This is no place to have this discussion Draco. We should-" Mother starts but I shake my head. I had come prepared for every circumstance. I take hold of my trunks and close my eyes, concentrating on the ruined house. I don't know what I will do there. I have no source of income. I am still studying. I must complete my education. Elisa should study as well. But I know that if I return home, no-one will let me meet Elisa. Mother won't want me to befriend a homeless girl. She would send me away.

I cast a last glance at my parents. Their eyes are stunned as I disappear right in front of them.

XXXX