"There you are, Kailie," a small woman who looked about sixty entered, but stopped when she nervously eyed the dagger
Kailie quickly put the dagger down, and back in its case. "Mrs. Tillman..." she lowered her head and looked at the floor in shame. Mrs. Tillman was a rich widow, who took care of her ever since Kailie lost her parents ten years ago when she was five, and saw Kailie as the daughter she never had. Her husband had died of stomach cancer and her son was in Peace Corps, and rarely home. These incidents made Mrs. Tillman a conserved and quiet woman who rarely stepped out of her manor, but ever since started visiting Kailie once every week bringing money for food and little gifts from time to time, she became the kind and social old self again. And Kailie literally owed Mrs. Tillman her life. Especially since she spared Kailie the need to go to a horrible orphanage.
"Look what I've brought you!" Mrs. Tillman sang and opened a basket she was holding. Before Kailie caught a sight of the content, the smell already made her mouth water. "I've made you breakfast! Come down when you're ready, I'll set the tables," she said cheerfully as she headed for the dining room downstairs, humming.
As Kailie entered the dining room, she found two white plates filled with pancakes coated in syrup, sausages and bacons, and scrambled eggs and ham. It was rather a big breakfast. Kailie weren't used to eating so much in the morning, as she always grabbed a piece of bread and a glass of milk and head out for school. But nevertheless, she ate every last bit of it, loving every taste and wondering if this is what it would be like if her mother still lived.
Mrs. Tillman and Kailie raised their cup of orange juice to their mouths, only to find it empty. Kailie walked over to the fridge and groaned in dismay as she spotted the orange juice container was also empty.
"Mrs. Tillman, I'm sorry... I should have gone shopping for grocery yesterday..." Kailie said, feeling ashamed of letting Mrs. Tillman cook breakfast, and not even giving her a glass of orange juice in return.
"Oh, that's quite alright dear. I'm never good with beverages in the morning anyways," Mrs. Tillman smiled, and both of them resumed breakfast.
Lucius Malfoy frowned bitterly as he adjusted the collar of his coat and grabbed his cane.
'Surely the Lord must be mistaken?' he thought to himself as he stepped into his fireplace and took the bag of Floo powder from his pocket. 'How could anyone expect me to roam the Muggle world, even if it's an order directly from the Dark Lord to find a witch? And why in the name of the devil is She doing in the Muggle world? Surely it is not really Her
With a sigh of annoyance at all the things unclear, Lucius yelled 'London' as he disappeared into the blue flame of Floo poweder.
'Are you kidding me?' Kailie thought as she put down two loads of grocery on the pavement. She has only taken five steps away from the supermarket, and she was already tired. Kailie stood up and stretched, and looked around for something that will make her journey back home easier. As she shielded your eyes from the sun, something shining caught her eyes. She smiled as she realize it was a shopping cart lying by the corner of the parking lot. 'Yes!' Kailie thought, 'now, let's get that before anyone else does!' She grabbed the two loads and dashed across the large parking lot.
Suddenly, Kailie heard something snap, and felt easier to run. 'What...?' she turned back and looked, to find that one of her grocery bag broke and all the contents spilled out.
BEEEP
Several cars honked as Kailie stood dumbfounded in the middle of the parking lot, trying to gather her groceries. She cursed under her breath as they continuously honked, and some drove past her at a dangerously close distance.
'Damn! What the hell is with today?'
'Disgusting,' Lucius thought as he stepped out on the busy streets of London. He sneered as he saw automobiles speed past him on the streets, leaving a trail of grey smoke everywhere they went.
Lucius gained many stares from people, but they all looked away as they met Lucius' cold, merciless eyes.
"Oh, man! Look at that!" a teen said and pointed to Lucius as his friends all laughed. "Nice fashion sense, Dude. How old are you anyways? Like, 90?" the teen pushed past Lucius, followed by his friends. Lucius clenched his teeth, and hands tightened around his wand.
'Lucius, not now. You have a mission to accomplish. You are not here to take Mudbloods seriously,' a voice within his mind reminded as he loosened his grip. He straightened himself, and continued on.
It wasn't long until he came across an area parked with what looked like deformed horse carriages. Lucius' face twisted. 'What kind of nonsense is this?' he thought to himself, when the horse-carriage-like things started honking at him. He quickly got out of the way and stood on the narrow strand of walkway just before an entrance to what looked like a large grocery store. He cursed under his breath. Lucius was angry. Very angry. He felt strong animosity towards muggles, and everybody knew. He is one of those few who can't stand around muggles for too long. But he, out all the Dark Lord's followers, was chosen especially for this specific mission.
'It is because I trust you most, Malfoy,' the Dark Lord's voice echoed vividly in his mind, as if the Lord knew presently what he was thinking. With a sigh, he reached into his pocket and took out a golden, small compass engraved with intricate designs that revolved around a center emerald. 'I mustn't disappoint his Lordship.'
Lucius swiftly flicked off the lid with his thumb, revealing a black needle that spun uncertainty. He placed the compass on the ground, and waited. He had been told that this compass was attracted by a person's magical force, especially if the source of the force was from a Slytherin Pureblood. The girl he's looking for is supposed to be a Slytherin Pureblood.
'Or so He says,' Lucius thought, eyes fixed on the needle, which seemed to be steadying. The needle swung back and forth, until it stopped and pointed directly ahead of him. Lucius let out a slight gasp, both eager and afraid to follow the direction of the needle. What if it wasn't the person the needle was pointing at?
Lucius lifted his gaze, and slowly traced the imaginary line that the needle drew. He paused for a last time, and gathered his courage to look at the witch; and there she was, chasing after rolling tomatoes.
"Stop!" Kailie yelled in frustration as she tried to reach out for her groceries which were rolling away from you. "Stop, gees!" Suddenly, a dark figure steps in front of her, and before she realized, she crashed into him.
"This is yours, I presume," the man said and reached out a hand to help her up.
"T-thank you," Kailie looked down at the ground, and took the tomato from him. You suddenly notice that he was wearing boots, and you slowly look up to notice that he was wearing other eccentric attire as well; a long black coat, and old-fashioned vest and trousers. She finally saw his face, and were taken by surprise at the long, silky platinum blond hair that hung around his face, reflecting sunlight to her eyes. As Kailie's eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed that he had fair features; a straight nose with a little bit of hook at the top, rosy lips, and penetrating grey eyes that bore into hers. She couldn't estimate his age, for he looked young, but his eyes seemed cold and empty.
He smiled. "Do you need some help?" Without waiting for an answer, he started gathering the pieces of groceries Kailie dropped. Before she knew it, he had them in a new bag, and held it in his hand. He put his other hand to his chest, and gave a slight bow.
"My name is Lucius Malfoy, at your service."
'Is this a joke? Am I on TV?' Kailie searched around for cameras, but found none. When you noticed he was waiting for an answer, she suddenly lost her voice. 'How am I supposed to reply to "at your service"? I have never been trained in this field!'
"I-I am Kailie, Kailie Cantrelle."
The man, Lucius, seemed to stagger backwards a little bit, but seemed fine afterwards.
'Am I hallucinating now?' Kailie thought to herself, and trying to figure all this out, when he took the other bag of grocery she was carrying from her hands, and smiled.
"Let me carry these for you. Young ladies are not supposed to be exposed to such work."
"Oh, thank you, but I'm fine, I'm used to this... and I'm going straight home now, so I think I can handle it..."
"Do not say so; after all, what kind of gentleman lets ladies to all the work? I will carry it for you until somewhere closer to your house."
Suddenly, fear and worry stirred in her mind. It's not normal to meet a man dressed in Victorian clothing, with long platinum blond hair, who wants to help you on your first meeting.
'I'm just being paranoid, that's right... he is just person with a kind heart who helps people in trouble, that must be it... and it's not like he's going to follow me straight to where I live... Besides, if I anger him by refusing, I may be in more trouble... but I feel bad for making him carry all my things... What should I do?'
Kailie finally smiled, and muttered a hesitant "Thank you" and lead the way back home.
While they were walking, Lucius kept glancing at the girl, who fixed her eyes on the pavement and never looked up. He watched her pull her short, slightly above shoulder length dark brown hair behind her ears.
'She said her surname is Cantrelle...' Lucius sneered bitterly. 'It couldn't be the same Cantrelle, could it? It mustn't be! But if it is...'
Lucius felt an urge to ask the girl the first names of their parents, but stopped himself. 'No, I must not ask now. I must gain her trust first. But curses! I must know! I must ascertain my suspicions... and these cursed loads! These are for house elves to carry!'
"I can take it from here," the girl turned around suddenly, catching him by surprise. He quickly pasted a smile on his face.
"Are you sure? I can still carry it, if you want. You don't need to be so modest," Lucius offered, looking straight into her hazel eyes.
"My house is just five minutes from here, and you have been carrying them for a long time. Thank you very much, Mr. Malfoy."
"Not at all. Good day to you, Miss Cantrelle," Lucius watched the girl run down the street, and pretended to leave. However, when Kailie was just about out of sight, he frowned and trailed after her.
As Kailie finally reached her "house", which was farther than "five minutes from here"; she locked the heavy, double front door behind her. Kailie looked out the large, arched windows of her gothic architecture mansion which was left to her by her parents, to check for the man named Lucius. When she didn't see anything, she headed to the living room and threw herself on the couch.
"I was being paranoid... He seemed nice..." she mumbled to herself, and took a nap.
Lucius stared in the large windows of Cantrelle Manor, hiding behind a tree trunk. He spotted the girl cautiously looking out the window.
'She lied. It was more than five minutes away... She doesn't trust me yet... but it shouldn't be a problem.'
With a final glance, Lucius Malfoy walked away, a confident smirk pasted across his face.
