Title: Blast to the Past II
Chapter Two: Just Another Day at the Office
Author: Kitty Malfoy
I know it's still kind of confusing, but hopefully everything will work itself out so please just bare with me. I promise everything will be explained in due time. Read on!
For the record-they're all about 29-30 yrs. old.cuz they graduated when they were 17/18 and it's been about 12 years.so you get the picture. ~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
Riley did not hum in the shower the next morning as she usually did, nor did she even try to focus her thoughts on re-dying her hair. Rather she moved through her daily routine reflexively.
She hadn't slept well the night before. And even when she had managed to drift off her head was filled with odd dreams. Strange dreams they had been indeed; filled with strange faces and strange goings on. Strangest of all was that, unlike normal dreams, she remembered every single dream in exact detail, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
She stepped out of the shower; vigorously running a sky blue towel over her freshly dyed hair. Then she wrapped the fluffy towel around her torso, and performed a drying charm on her hair. With a few twirls of her wand her hair was loosely twisted into two buns on top of her head.
She had gotten a new wand with the money that had been in a small purse I her pocket, after deciding that buying a new wand would be the first step, in this 'new world'. It was Ash, swishy, ten inches, with a dragon heartstring at its core, Very good for Charms work. She polished is fondly, and then set it back into her bag.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
Today being Friday, and 'casual day' at work' she chose an outfit of dark, faded jeans with a light blue spaghetti strap, tank top, and a matching denim jacket. For a finishing touch she dug around in her bathroom drawer and pulled out a tube of Green Apple lip-gloss. Lathering it on, she smacked her lips in approval, and tossed it back into the drawer.
Walking into the small kitchen, Riley noted that her roommate had made pancakes that morning, and had been kind enough to leave her some. Her roommate was rarely around, due to some family issues, and Riley felt rather sheepish that she couldn't recall what that problem was or what her roommate's name was, for that matter. It started with an 'M' she was sure.. or was it a 'K'?
At any rate, she wasn't here now. It was just Riley and a stack of soon-to-be-devoured pancakes.
Grabbing an 'Evian' out of the fridge she sat down at the small dinette table, and slathered her pancakes with butter. As Riley ate, her thoughts drifted away from her strange dreams and focused totally on her even stranger roommate.
She had found her on the first day as she had been inquiring at the apartment complex if there were any open apartments. The woman had immediately suggested that Riley come live with her. Too confused and surprised at the time, Riley had agreed without a moment's hesitation.
The woman was around her age, maybe a year or two younger than herself, with dark brown hair. Or maybe it was black. She couldn't remember her eye color, but she thought they might have been blue.
Riley wiped her plate clean with a resolution to catch her mysterious roommate soon in the future to talk. Rinsing off her plate she stuck it in the old dishwasher along with her fork and knife, and filled it with dish detergent.
Grabbing her black bag out of her room she rummaged around the couch, and grabbed her keys. She slipped on two inch, denim, flip-flops then turned off the lights. Walking outside she made sure the door locked behind her before walking down the hallway and ringing for the elevator.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
Riley turned the doorknob to the office slightly and a great gust of wind flung the door open violently. Mark poked his head out of his office as the door slammed open against the wall with a BANG. Riley gave him a sheepish look, and began to push the heavy door closed against the strong wind that was pouring into the hallway; disrupting posters and scattering papers everywhere.
Then a strong presence was beside her, and together they forced the door shut. It was Sirius. Riley leaned heavily against the door and let out a loud sigh, as Sirius looked at her curiously. Some wisps of hair had come out of their arrangement during her walk to the office in the windstorm. Her cheeks were a flattering, windblown pink, and her blue eyes twinkled with mirth. Riley stood up.
"Well that was fun!" She exclaimed in a breathless tone, giving Sirius a crooked smile.
"Fun?!" Sirius asked, in a bewildered tone.
Riley made an amused noise in her throat, and gave him a cheeky salute.
"Thanks for your help, uh." She paused.
"Sirius. Sirius Black." Sirius supplied, helpfully.
".Sirius" Riley finished with a laugh, and headed into her office.
Sirius stared after her for a moment, and then let out a laugh as well and walked down the hallway.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
Mark poked his head through the door that connected her office to his. "I see you managed to get that door closed. Windy out?" He asked mockingly, with a snort.
Riley glared at him; then gave a laugh. "Just a BIT!" she replied with equal sarcasm, "Glad I wasn't in a car; I could have been blown right off the ground!" She said with fake terror, giving Mark a laugh.
"I have those reports on potential vampires, you wanted, and you'll be surprised at what our friends in the spy business turned up." She said, turning back to business. "Do you want to look at them now, or at the meeting?" She asked holding the manila folder in front of his face temptingly.
Interest got the better of the man, and he snatched the folder out of her hand and flipped it open, scanning the lines of words, with hungry interest.
"Oh..Oh my! This is quite astonishing, indeed. Good work Riley." Mark said, walking back to his office, without stopping his reading.
Riley beamed at the compliment, and closed the door behind Mark's hunched over form. Shaking her head at his usual behavior she sat back down at her computer, and began to work.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
It was around 12:30, and the Auror's meeting concerning the vampire reports was getting no where.
"We know that these people are vampires, why don't we just attack them now?" Lucius Malfoy shouted angrily, banging his fists on the table; it shook violently.
James Potter rubbed his eyes wearily, and spoke to Lucius as he would a small child. "Lucius, we've been through this countless times. We can't attack these people until we are sure they are vampires. We could be killing innocents, if we're not 100% sure."
Lucius snarled, and straightening began to pace around the room. "And while we wait like cowards these filthy creatures spread more evil, and death." He hissed.
Sirius stood up so suddenly, he knocked his chair backwards. "Not all of us have your love and thirst for death, Malfoy. Some of has have shred of honor, and are certainly a lot more level headed than you---"
Lucius whirled on him, "How dare you Black!" he spat the name with disgust.
"--and more intelligent as well!" Sirius finished tauntingly.
Lucius looked ready to lunge at Sirius and wring his neck. "Gentlemen, please!" Mark's voice boomed over the argument. James had both his hands out, separating the two. Lucius snarled and turned to sit down, and James lowered his arms.
"Prat." Sirius muttered under her breath. This time Lucius actually did lunge over the table, and knocked Sirius to the ground. James was trying to pry Malfoy off his friend, and Mark looked on in bewilderment, as the rest of the Auror's looked on with surprised interest.
Then the door opened, and everything froze. Lucius' hands were still clutching Sirius' robes, and Sirius' fist was hovering in mid-air. James' hands were on Lucius' arms, as he had been trying to pull the two apart
It was Riley who stood in the doorway, a pad of paper in her hand, and pen tucked behind her ear. She looked up for a moment her brilliant blue eyes taking in the whole scene, and then she simply took her pen and let it hover over the paper.
"Now what would you all like for lunch?" she asked, not looking up. She moved around the long table, and moved towards the three Auror's.
Mark gave a little chuckle at the fighting Auror's reaction to Riley's calmness. "Where from Ri?" He asked, turning his attention to Riley.
Unfazed, Riley reached the three Auror's, and a made a noise in her throat. "Starbucks, I can't get too far in this wind." She lifted James hands, and pushed him down into his seat.
"I'll talk a chicken sub, with cheddar, on wheat bread, and coffee, black--" Mark stated.
"--One sugar, one cream, got it." Riley finished for him, scribbling his order down.
"Thank you, Riley." Mark, said cheekily. Riley looked up only for a moment, and gave him a small smile. Tucking her pen back behind her ear, she grabbed Lucius' arms with a no-nonsense grip, and lifted it away from Sirius' robe, and she led him back around to his seat like a puppy-one hand still holding the pad of paper.
"And what would you like, Mr. Malfoy?" Riley questioned, pushing him rather roughly back into his seat.
"Uh." Lucius floundered for a moment. "Turkey & Roast Beef, with Colby, on rye, and a French vanilla cappuccino."
Every eye was fixed on her as her pen flew across the paper recording his order with lightening fast accuracy. She called James' name before she even finished writing down Lucius' order. "Mr. Potter?" She looked up, and he sent her a thankful look, to which she beamed. "Call me James. I'll take a ham sub with provolone on white. And just a water, thanks."
"Sirius?" She asked, suddenly by his side.
"I'll have the same as James, except for an Orange Mocha Frapuccino, extra whip-cream, extra foam." He said, quietly. As she jotted it down, her foot found the edge of his overturned chair, and she kicked it upright again, and pushed him down into it, with one fluid motion.
Riley quickly finished taking down the rest of the Auror's orders, and then she was gone as fast as she had come, a gust of wind swirled through the conference room signaling her exit from the building.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
"That'll be 10 Galleons, 8 Sickles, and 3 Knuts. Should I just put it on the office tab?" The young boy behind the counter asked. "Yes please, thanks Ray." Riley answered glancing at the boy's nametag. She grabbed two bags in one hand, and a tray of drinks in the other. The last tray of drinks she balanced in the crook of her arm.
Turning around she pushed the door open with her backside, and strode out into the gray and windy afternoon. Moments later she was standing outside the office door, and was contemplating how to get in, when it was pulled open.
"I thought you might need help.," A voice said smoothly. Lucius stood holding the door open. Something inside Riley clicked, and she knew immediately that she did not like this man. Not at all.
"Let me help you with those." He said reaching for the drinks.
"It's all right. I've got them." Riley replied, keeping her voice calm as she brushed past. She called back over her shoulder as she walked down the hall. "Mr. Malfoy, will you be a gentlemen and close the door for me?"
As Riley glanced back over her shoulder she tried not to laugh as Lucius struggled to close the door against the wind. Thankfully, Lucius had left the conference door ajar, and she backed into it, pushing it open, and walked into the room.
"Did Lucius find you?" Mark asked digging around in the bags she set down on the table. Riley shuddered, and handed him his sandwich and coffee. "Yes he did, and I believe he is still struggling to close the door."
James couldn't hold back a snort of laughter, and Riley's head snapped up. She was trying to keep a straight face as well, and was doing a much better job of it than the rest of the room. "Uh.maybe someone should go and help him." She suggested. No one said anything for a moment, and then Sirius snickered, and Riley burst into laughter, and sunk down into an empty chair.
She was still laughing along with the men when she finished passing out the orders, and was forced to drink some of her water to calm herself.
Sirius was eyeing her curiously, when Lucius entered the room. Giving the blonde man a sideways glance, Sirius leaned over the table slightly. "What would you suggest, we do about the possible vampires?"
Riley was so stunned by the sudden question, she almost choked on her sandwich. The tension between Sirius and Lucius was so thick, she could have spread it on her sub like butter. Slowly she took a drink of water, and cleared her throat. "I think that since we do not have total proof that these people are in fact vampires, we cannot attack them at this time." She paused, and noted with slight discomfort that everyone in room, was hanging on her every word. "But I cannot totally disagree with Mr. Malfoy. You can't just sit here, and wait for proof to fall into your laps."
There was silence for a moment, and then James spoke up. "Miss. Callisto--"
"Call me Riley." Riley interrupted, kindly with a smile.
James gave her a small smile, and revised his earlier start. "Riley, what do you propose we do? If you don't mind me asking of course.." He added, hastily, fearing he had been too rude.
Riley gave him a reassuring look. "I don't mind at all." She taped one slender finger on her chin for a moment, with her eyes closed. Then she cleared her throat again, and opened her eyes. "I propose that one of you see first hand if they're vampires."
"And how are we going to do that?" Lucius interrupted with a scowl, moving closer to the table. "Walk through the streets holding a sign that says 'Bite Me' ?!"
Sirius snickered, and Riley shot a hot glare at Lucius, and Malfoy paled slightly.
"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. Now if you'd kindly, shut up, and let me finish I'm sure everyone would appreciate it." There was a chuckle at the other end of the table, and Lucius scowled, but sat down.
"Now. What I propose you do, is to follow these potential vampires, and watch them. Most likely they'll stay inside all day, or sleep because as you know they can't bear sunlight. And they won't be eating foods or take lunch breaks. Then when night comes you'll see if they attack someone. The plus side of this is that if and when they do attack someone, you'll be there to help." She finished and scanned the room.
"What you suggest is very dangerous, Riley." James said quietly. "If the vampire detects our presence they could call others, and one Auror isn't a match for a pack of vampires, and we certainly couldn't follow them in groups or we'd surely be found out."
Riley nodded in understanding. "Would no one her do this task?"
The room was deathly quiet.
She nodded again. "Then I will do it." She said firmly.
"No!" Several voices said at once. Mark's was one of fatherly-like protection. Sirius and James', ones of concern. Lucius' was mocking.
Riley turned slowly to face the man. "You do not think I could do it." She said, more of a statement than a question. She didn't allow him to answer. "Is it because I am a mere secretary, or is it because I am a woman? Because either was I could report you to the ministry for occupational and sexual discrimination."
Lucius was dumbstruck. "I.I.I didn't mean--" he stuttered.
"Oh yes you did, Mr. Malfoy. You did mean what you said, don't lie to me. I didn't you offer to accept my challenge. Who are you to judge who is able to do this task and who is not, if you yourself feel that YOU cannot do it?"
Lucius was silent with confusion, surprise, and anger. Riley gathered her lunch together and stood. "Don't go looking for those vampires, Riley." Mark said, suddenly. Riley looked at him, and did not answer. She stopped in the doorway with her hand on the handle, and looked back over her shoulder. "Have a nice day everyone." She said quietly, and then closed the door behind her with a bang.
Mark winced.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
Real mature. Riley thought to herself. I haven't slammed the door since. She laughed at herself, she had no memory of her life before the last two months. But she would like to think that she wasn't a door slammer.
She was still rather angry with Lucius Malfoy, and needed something productive to do. One look at the large stack of files on her desk told her all she needed to know. She sat down and began to work. Immediately all her anger drained away and she became immersed in her work.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
R & R! Please! I know it might still be a bit confusing, and if you have any questions, e-mail me at sinking_grace@hotmail.com
Hope you liked it!
Kitty Malfoy (^ ^)
I know it's still kind of confusing, but hopefully everything will work itself out so please just bare with me. I promise everything will be explained in due time. Read on!
For the record-they're all about 29-30 yrs. old.cuz they graduated when they were 17/18 and it's been about 12 years.so you get the picture. ~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
Riley did not hum in the shower the next morning as she usually did, nor did she even try to focus her thoughts on re-dying her hair. Rather she moved through her daily routine reflexively.
She hadn't slept well the night before. And even when she had managed to drift off her head was filled with odd dreams. Strange dreams they had been indeed; filled with strange faces and strange goings on. Strangest of all was that, unlike normal dreams, she remembered every single dream in exact detail, as if she had seen them somewhere before.
She stepped out of the shower; vigorously running a sky blue towel over her freshly dyed hair. Then she wrapped the fluffy towel around her torso, and performed a drying charm on her hair. With a few twirls of her wand her hair was loosely twisted into two buns on top of her head.
She had gotten a new wand with the money that had been in a small purse I her pocket, after deciding that buying a new wand would be the first step, in this 'new world'. It was Ash, swishy, ten inches, with a dragon heartstring at its core, Very good for Charms work. She polished is fondly, and then set it back into her bag.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
Today being Friday, and 'casual day' at work' she chose an outfit of dark, faded jeans with a light blue spaghetti strap, tank top, and a matching denim jacket. For a finishing touch she dug around in her bathroom drawer and pulled out a tube of Green Apple lip-gloss. Lathering it on, she smacked her lips in approval, and tossed it back into the drawer.
Walking into the small kitchen, Riley noted that her roommate had made pancakes that morning, and had been kind enough to leave her some. Her roommate was rarely around, due to some family issues, and Riley felt rather sheepish that she couldn't recall what that problem was or what her roommate's name was, for that matter. It started with an 'M' she was sure.. or was it a 'K'?
At any rate, she wasn't here now. It was just Riley and a stack of soon-to-be-devoured pancakes.
Grabbing an 'Evian' out of the fridge she sat down at the small dinette table, and slathered her pancakes with butter. As Riley ate, her thoughts drifted away from her strange dreams and focused totally on her even stranger roommate.
She had found her on the first day as she had been inquiring at the apartment complex if there were any open apartments. The woman had immediately suggested that Riley come live with her. Too confused and surprised at the time, Riley had agreed without a moment's hesitation.
The woman was around her age, maybe a year or two younger than herself, with dark brown hair. Or maybe it was black. She couldn't remember her eye color, but she thought they might have been blue.
Riley wiped her plate clean with a resolution to catch her mysterious roommate soon in the future to talk. Rinsing off her plate she stuck it in the old dishwasher along with her fork and knife, and filled it with dish detergent.
Grabbing her black bag out of her room she rummaged around the couch, and grabbed her keys. She slipped on two inch, denim, flip-flops then turned off the lights. Walking outside she made sure the door locked behind her before walking down the hallway and ringing for the elevator.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
Riley turned the doorknob to the office slightly and a great gust of wind flung the door open violently. Mark poked his head out of his office as the door slammed open against the wall with a BANG. Riley gave him a sheepish look, and began to push the heavy door closed against the strong wind that was pouring into the hallway; disrupting posters and scattering papers everywhere.
Then a strong presence was beside her, and together they forced the door shut. It was Sirius. Riley leaned heavily against the door and let out a loud sigh, as Sirius looked at her curiously. Some wisps of hair had come out of their arrangement during her walk to the office in the windstorm. Her cheeks were a flattering, windblown pink, and her blue eyes twinkled with mirth. Riley stood up.
"Well that was fun!" She exclaimed in a breathless tone, giving Sirius a crooked smile.
"Fun?!" Sirius asked, in a bewildered tone.
Riley made an amused noise in her throat, and gave him a cheeky salute.
"Thanks for your help, uh." She paused.
"Sirius. Sirius Black." Sirius supplied, helpfully.
".Sirius" Riley finished with a laugh, and headed into her office.
Sirius stared after her for a moment, and then let out a laugh as well and walked down the hallway.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
Mark poked his head through the door that connected her office to his. "I see you managed to get that door closed. Windy out?" He asked mockingly, with a snort.
Riley glared at him; then gave a laugh. "Just a BIT!" she replied with equal sarcasm, "Glad I wasn't in a car; I could have been blown right off the ground!" She said with fake terror, giving Mark a laugh.
"I have those reports on potential vampires, you wanted, and you'll be surprised at what our friends in the spy business turned up." She said, turning back to business. "Do you want to look at them now, or at the meeting?" She asked holding the manila folder in front of his face temptingly.
Interest got the better of the man, and he snatched the folder out of her hand and flipped it open, scanning the lines of words, with hungry interest.
"Oh..Oh my! This is quite astonishing, indeed. Good work Riley." Mark said, walking back to his office, without stopping his reading.
Riley beamed at the compliment, and closed the door behind Mark's hunched over form. Shaking her head at his usual behavior she sat back down at her computer, and began to work.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
It was around 12:30, and the Auror's meeting concerning the vampire reports was getting no where.
"We know that these people are vampires, why don't we just attack them now?" Lucius Malfoy shouted angrily, banging his fists on the table; it shook violently.
James Potter rubbed his eyes wearily, and spoke to Lucius as he would a small child. "Lucius, we've been through this countless times. We can't attack these people until we are sure they are vampires. We could be killing innocents, if we're not 100% sure."
Lucius snarled, and straightening began to pace around the room. "And while we wait like cowards these filthy creatures spread more evil, and death." He hissed.
Sirius stood up so suddenly, he knocked his chair backwards. "Not all of us have your love and thirst for death, Malfoy. Some of has have shred of honor, and are certainly a lot more level headed than you---"
Lucius whirled on him, "How dare you Black!" he spat the name with disgust.
"--and more intelligent as well!" Sirius finished tauntingly.
Lucius looked ready to lunge at Sirius and wring his neck. "Gentlemen, please!" Mark's voice boomed over the argument. James had both his hands out, separating the two. Lucius snarled and turned to sit down, and James lowered his arms.
"Prat." Sirius muttered under her breath. This time Lucius actually did lunge over the table, and knocked Sirius to the ground. James was trying to pry Malfoy off his friend, and Mark looked on in bewilderment, as the rest of the Auror's looked on with surprised interest.
Then the door opened, and everything froze. Lucius' hands were still clutching Sirius' robes, and Sirius' fist was hovering in mid-air. James' hands were on Lucius' arms, as he had been trying to pull the two apart
It was Riley who stood in the doorway, a pad of paper in her hand, and pen tucked behind her ear. She looked up for a moment her brilliant blue eyes taking in the whole scene, and then she simply took her pen and let it hover over the paper.
"Now what would you all like for lunch?" she asked, not looking up. She moved around the long table, and moved towards the three Auror's.
Mark gave a little chuckle at the fighting Auror's reaction to Riley's calmness. "Where from Ri?" He asked, turning his attention to Riley.
Unfazed, Riley reached the three Auror's, and a made a noise in her throat. "Starbucks, I can't get too far in this wind." She lifted James hands, and pushed him down into his seat.
"I'll talk a chicken sub, with cheddar, on wheat bread, and coffee, black--" Mark stated.
"--One sugar, one cream, got it." Riley finished for him, scribbling his order down.
"Thank you, Riley." Mark, said cheekily. Riley looked up only for a moment, and gave him a small smile. Tucking her pen back behind her ear, she grabbed Lucius' arms with a no-nonsense grip, and lifted it away from Sirius' robe, and she led him back around to his seat like a puppy-one hand still holding the pad of paper.
"And what would you like, Mr. Malfoy?" Riley questioned, pushing him rather roughly back into his seat.
"Uh." Lucius floundered for a moment. "Turkey & Roast Beef, with Colby, on rye, and a French vanilla cappuccino."
Every eye was fixed on her as her pen flew across the paper recording his order with lightening fast accuracy. She called James' name before she even finished writing down Lucius' order. "Mr. Potter?" She looked up, and he sent her a thankful look, to which she beamed. "Call me James. I'll take a ham sub with provolone on white. And just a water, thanks."
"Sirius?" She asked, suddenly by his side.
"I'll have the same as James, except for an Orange Mocha Frapuccino, extra whip-cream, extra foam." He said, quietly. As she jotted it down, her foot found the edge of his overturned chair, and she kicked it upright again, and pushed him down into it, with one fluid motion.
Riley quickly finished taking down the rest of the Auror's orders, and then she was gone as fast as she had come, a gust of wind swirled through the conference room signaling her exit from the building.
~*******~*******~*******~*******~*******~
"That'll be 10 Galleons, 8 Sickles, and 3 Knuts. Should I just put it on the office tab?" The young boy behind the counter asked. "Yes please, thanks Ray." Riley answered glancing at the boy's nametag. She grabbed two bags in one hand, and a tray of drinks in the other. The last tray of drinks she balanced in the crook of her arm.
Turning around she pushed the door open with her backside, and strode out into the gray and windy afternoon. Moments later she was standing outside the office door, and was contemplating how to get in, when it was pulled open.
"I thought you might need help.," A voice said smoothly. Lucius stood holding the door open. Something inside Riley clicked, and she knew immediately that she did not like this man. Not at all.
"Let me help you with those." He said reaching for the drinks.
"It's all right. I've got them." Riley replied, keeping her voice calm as she brushed past. She called back over her shoulder as she walked down the hall. "Mr. Malfoy, will you be a gentlemen and close the door for me?"
As Riley glanced back over her shoulder she tried not to laugh as Lucius struggled to close the door against the wind. Thankfully, Lucius had left the conference door ajar, and she backed into it, pushing it open, and walked into the room.
"Did Lucius find you?" Mark asked digging around in the bags she set down on the table. Riley shuddered, and handed him his sandwich and coffee. "Yes he did, and I believe he is still struggling to close the door."
James couldn't hold back a snort of laughter, and Riley's head snapped up. She was trying to keep a straight face as well, and was doing a much better job of it than the rest of the room. "Uh.maybe someone should go and help him." She suggested. No one said anything for a moment, and then Sirius snickered, and Riley burst into laughter, and sunk down into an empty chair.
She was still laughing along with the men when she finished passing out the orders, and was forced to drink some of her water to calm herself.
Sirius was eyeing her curiously, when Lucius entered the room. Giving the blonde man a sideways glance, Sirius leaned over the table slightly. "What would you suggest, we do about the possible vampires?"
Riley was so stunned by the sudden question, she almost choked on her sandwich. The tension between Sirius and Lucius was so thick, she could have spread it on her sub like butter. Slowly she took a drink of water, and cleared her throat. "I think that since we do not have total proof that these people are in fact vampires, we cannot attack them at this time." She paused, and noted with slight discomfort that everyone in room, was hanging on her every word. "But I cannot totally disagree with Mr. Malfoy. You can't just sit here, and wait for proof to fall into your laps."
There was silence for a moment, and then James spoke up. "Miss. Callisto--"
"Call me Riley." Riley interrupted, kindly with a smile.
James gave her a small smile, and revised his earlier start. "Riley, what do you propose we do? If you don't mind me asking of course.." He added, hastily, fearing he had been too rude.
Riley gave him a reassuring look. "I don't mind at all." She taped one slender finger on her chin for a moment, with her eyes closed. Then she cleared her throat again, and opened her eyes. "I propose that one of you see first hand if they're vampires."
"And how are we going to do that?" Lucius interrupted with a scowl, moving closer to the table. "Walk through the streets holding a sign that says 'Bite Me' ?!"
Sirius snickered, and Riley shot a hot glare at Lucius, and Malfoy paled slightly.
"No, that's not what I'm saying at all. Now if you'd kindly, shut up, and let me finish I'm sure everyone would appreciate it." There was a chuckle at the other end of the table, and Lucius scowled, but sat down.
"Now. What I propose you do, is to follow these potential vampires, and watch them. Most likely they'll stay inside all day, or sleep because as you know they can't bear sunlight. And they won't be eating foods or take lunch breaks. Then when night comes you'll see if they attack someone. The plus side of this is that if and when they do attack someone, you'll be there to help." She finished and scanned the room.
"What you suggest is very dangerous, Riley." James said quietly. "If the vampire detects our presence they could call others, and one Auror isn't a match for a pack of vampires, and we certainly couldn't follow them in groups or we'd surely be found out."
Riley nodded in understanding. "Would no one her do this task?"
The room was deathly quiet.
She nodded again. "Then I will do it." She said firmly.
"No!" Several voices said at once. Mark's was one of fatherly-like protection. Sirius and James', ones of concern. Lucius' was mocking.
Riley turned slowly to face the man. "You do not think I could do it." She said, more of a statement than a question. She didn't allow him to answer. "Is it because I am a mere secretary, or is it because I am a woman? Because either was I could report you to the ministry for occupational and sexual discrimination."
Lucius was dumbstruck. "I.I.I didn't mean--" he stuttered.
"Oh yes you did, Mr. Malfoy. You did mean what you said, don't lie to me. I didn't you offer to accept my challenge. Who are you to judge who is able to do this task and who is not, if you yourself feel that YOU cannot do it?"
Lucius was silent with confusion, surprise, and anger. Riley gathered her lunch together and stood. "Don't go looking for those vampires, Riley." Mark said, suddenly. Riley looked at him, and did not answer. She stopped in the doorway with her hand on the handle, and looked back over her shoulder. "Have a nice day everyone." She said quietly, and then closed the door behind her with a bang.
Mark winced.
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Real mature. Riley thought to herself. I haven't slammed the door since. She laughed at herself, she had no memory of her life before the last two months. But she would like to think that she wasn't a door slammer.
She was still rather angry with Lucius Malfoy, and needed something productive to do. One look at the large stack of files on her desk told her all she needed to know. She sat down and began to work. Immediately all her anger drained away and she became immersed in her work.
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R & R! Please! I know it might still be a bit confusing, and if you have any questions, e-mail me at sinking_grace@hotmail.com
Hope you liked it!
Kitty Malfoy (^ ^)