ECHOES OF THE PAST.
CHAPTER ONE.
Ugh! Muggle Money. Surprisingly, there were a few things that turned Lucius Malfoy's stomach and Muggle Money was one of them. All that disgusting paper, passed through, Merlin knows, how many filthy Muggle Hands. At least with Gold you knew what you had, you could see the evidence of your wealth and best of all, it was untouched by Filthy Muggles. Did these creatures know they smelt so bad? He wondered as he sat in the Muggle Bank in London where he kept his Muggle Money. I t was ironic that unfortunately, If one wanted to invest in The Muggle Stock Market one had to use Muggle Money. Fortunately Lucius didn't have to actually touch the stuff himself, he left that to Sidney Cole in who's office he was now seated , trying to ignore the out and out curious glances of the two secretary's seated to his left.
"Mr Malfoy? Mr Cole will see you now." Announced Cole's Personal Assistant Belinda.
Lucius stood up and regally swept past the two secretary's looking haughtily down his nose as he did so.
"What's his story?" Tori Saunders whispered to Alison.
Alison Bryant suppressed a giggle. "Lucius Malfoy." She whispered to Tori. "Wierdo or what? Can you believe he actually goes out dressed like that, and that hair!"
"I think it suits him, and as for the clothes just because you are a complete Bond Street Fashion Victim Ali it doesn't mean everyone else wants to be."
"God! You fancy him"
"I do not! I just think it's brave of him not to care what anyone else thinks about him. Besides, don't you think he's attractive in a kooky kind of way?"
Alison pretended to be sick and Tori shook her head.
"Don't you two have any work to be getting on with." Snapped Belinda as she entered reception, catching the end of their conversation. "And I will thank you both not to discuss Mr Cole's most wealthy client in such a derogatory manor. Victoria! Go and fetch coffee for Mr Malfoy and Mr Cole."
Tori gave Alison a guilty glance and went to the small kitchen to make coffee.
Pushing down the handle of Mr Cole's office with her elbow and stepping inside Tori could see they were plainly discussing a recent successful investment that had been beneficial for both men. Sidney Cole looked up at her sharply. "Don't you knock girl?" He asked angrily. As Tori was holding a tray, it must have been clear to him that knocking would have been slightly difficult. Lucius Malfoy looked around at her and studied her closely. Mr Cole's reprimand and Lucius Malfoy's appraisal flustered her and she deposited the tray rather clumsily onto the table the coffee spilled from the pot onto the tray and Mr Cole waved her angrily away. "Stupid Girl."
Tori's anger flared as she turned to leave the office and suddenly without warning the coffee pot lifted slightly into the air and poured itself all over the lap of Sidney Cole.
Lucius looked on in shock and mild amusement as Cole shrieked loudly jumping up from his chair, soaked with hot coffee, turning to look at the back of the departing secretary Lucius smiled slightly. Did she know? He wondered.
What a Day! She kicked her heels off and pulled her long black hair free from the constriction of the silver slide that had held it in place all day as she walked through the door of her tiny flat her hair tumbled in waves over her shoulders and she threw herself down on the sofa expelling the annoyance of the day in a loud sigh. If Tori didn't need the money she would love to tell Snotty Sid where he could stick his stinking job. She had worked there for two months and it felt like two years. When he had interviewed her for the job he had sat opposite her and patted her knee and more or less indicated that if she was nice to him he would be nice to her. As far as Tori was concerned she was nice to him, just not the kind of nice he wanted. She knew for sure he was screwing around behind his wife's back with Belinda the Boot. [As Ali called her!] Tori had even heard them at it in the ladies toilet one afternoon.
"Can you believe that arse accused me of pouring coffee over him Kala." She asked curling up on the sofa and pulling her Cat onto her lap. "I wasn't even near him." Kala looked at her with understanding emerald eyes which were almost the same colour as her own and purred contentedly as Tori cuddled her.
There were trees and a gentle rain was falling, she looked behind her and saw the huge dark outline of the house "Daddy?" She asked. Her Mother looked down at her and put a finger to her lips and even though Tori was only five she could recognize the fear in her mothers face and sense it in her touch. Suddenly! They were running, her mother almost pulling her off her feet, she was trying to run but her little legs were tired. All of a sudden her father was there, Daddy!. She wanted to run to him but her mother was holding her hand so tight it was hurting.
"Give her to me you bitch!" Her Fathers Voice was strange and Tori felt a little frightened.
"You will have to kill me first." Said her mother.
"That can be arranged." Her father replied.
Tori sat bolt upright in bed. Stupid Dream! The sweat drenched her body and she wanted to cry. She rested her head on her knees and hugged herself. She wished she could remember what happened afterwards but she couldn't.
Kala sidled up beside her and snuggled in to her side. Tori settled herself back down in her bed and soon fell asleep again.
That same night in his elegant study in Malfoy Manor Lucius thought about Tori. It did happen now and again in their world, an undiscovered Witch or Wizard, sometimes the Muggle Parents refused to accept or believe that their child had magical talents and would scorn all attempts at contact from The Ministry Of Magic or a Witch or Wizard would do anything to prevent their Muggle Husband or Wife from suspecting that they or their child was a Witch or Wizard, all of this was fine with Lucius who would rather that magic be confined to Pure Blood Practitioners but there was something about this girl...This Tori, Lucius could feel it when her anger had flared at Cole, she was a Witch and a powerful undirected one at that
Tori liked to telephone her mother at least twice a week, Lucinda hated London and lived a quiet mountain village in Italy, the following evening Tori was curled up on the sofa with Kala talking to Lucinda.
"I had the dream again last night mum"
" I keep telling you darling it's only a dream and I really have no idea where it comes from." Lucinda chewed her bottom lip during the short pause.
" Why won't you tell me about my father, you never talk about him, not ever, please tell me something about him, I can't remember."
"I have told you Tori, he wasn't a very nice man, he was cruel and hurtful and only cared about himself."
" Dont you have anything nice to say about him."
Lucinda sighed and ran her fingers through her blonde hair. " I suppose he loved you in his way."
" Tell me his name."
"NO! Darling please, I just can't, I can't risk telling you anything about him, please believe me, it can only lead to bad things"
Tori could sense her mothers panic and turned the subject to mundane things like work and the weather, a little while later they said their goodbyes and love you's and Tori went to make herself some hot chocolate.
She sat at the kitchen table and as usual pondered her mothers reaction, everytime she mentioned her father her mother would sound so frightened she would always drop the subject to save her the distress, Tori guessed that he had been a married man, but there was something else, fear, Tori thought about the dream and although she couldn't really see his face she could see his black clothes. Suddenly! Tori realised something, not clothes, like robes, she thought about Lucius Malfoy and wondered.