I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it many more times; if J.K.
wrote it, then J.K. owns it. I just claimed this little corner of the sand
box for a little while. It's a very nice sand box. All fictional American
places, as well as people, are mine. Good reading!
Chapter Two: The Man! Revealed and Boys Being Boys
Mrs. Conkling motioned for her daughter to stand beside her.
"Lucius Malfoy, might I present my daughter Ariane? Ariane, this is my cousin Lucius."
Lucius Malfoy's false smile grew as he introduced his son, Draco, who merely crossed his arms and sneered. It turned out that they were indeed wearing pants, in fact under the robe was an outfit reminiscent of the turn of the century. "To this day I'm afraid I did not know you had any children at all, dear cousin. It seems the records I have been referring to are rather incomplete; they didn't even mention the divorce. Might I suggest we dine together and catch up on things, as well as finish what we were discussing before Draco and I finish our holiday? Good then," he continued, not letting Mrs. Conkling answer, "I shall owl you the time and place. Come Draco." The elder Malfoy turned and strode to the entrance of the narrow side alley as if he owned it. Draco just looked at Ariane a moment longer, his eyes narrowing a bit, before following his father.
After a moment Ariane looked at he mother. Mrs, Conkling still stood defiantly, her hands clenched and knuckles white. After a long minute she relaxed and looked at her one hand; there were four little crescent shaped marks on her palm, three of which were red where the nails had drawn blood.
"Ariane, take your brother and friends back to the Inn. I'll be along in a few minutes." Without waiting for her daughter to ask any questions she darted after the foreigners. Ariane stood there a moment, dumbfounded, before realizing that A: she was alone in a dark side alley, and B: she was supposed to be doing something. About halfway back to Universe Alley she discovered that she was not in fact alone, as both Theodora and Udney came out of their hiding spaces.
"To quote Jess," Udney said first, "'Dude, that is so not cool'"
"I get such a bad feeling from him" Theodora agreed. Ariane nodded.
"I think he was actually oozing evilness. Oh man! I don't want to be related to him," she protested. Mikail was waiting for them when they stepped back into Universe Alley. Evidently he had heard Ariane's last remark because he didn't wait to say "Funny, that's just what Lundy said a minute ago."
"Speaking of Lundy, where is he?" Ariane looked around. Both Lundy and Jessica were nowhere to be found.
"When that guy came out he threw Jess this look, and Lundy burst into tears," Mikail said. "Jess took him to the Inn. He didn't want to go at first, but when we assured him the man was going away from the Inn he suddenly wanted to go." As they walked to the Red River Inn, Ariane thought, wondering why her mother and that strange man had gone down that little alley to begin with.
When they got to the Inn they deposited their purchases in the Winchester- Paine room and then trudged downstairs and piled themselves (all six) into a booth. They sat silently, mulling over the days events when a thought hit Jessica, and hard.
"Lundy?" she asked suddenly, "If you weren't paying attention then why did you ask what.that word meant?" The boy squirmed for the second time that day under the gaze of five sets of eyes. The only thing keeping him from running for safety was the fact that he was wedged between his sister and Mikail.
"If you want to interrogate him," Udney offered almost sadistically, "you can always use our room." With key in hand and brother in tow, Ariane made her way upstairs. When they came down a few minutes later, Lundy was smiling and Arian was rolling her eyes. At almost the same time Mrs. Conkling walked in off Universe Alley. When asked about what happened she quickly told al six not to bring up the subject again, which was of course the wrong thing to say to a group of teenagers. She carted off her youngest child to another table, and the second she was out of earshot the questions started flying.
"Did he talk?"
"What did he say?"
"How did you get him to tell you?"
"Oh, he sang like Pavarati!" Ariane answered, almost proud of herself. "He said the man approached her as they left the Lovelace's Wand Shop. They walked for a while, he boy lagging behind, when suddenly he started talking about the 'Dark Lord' gaining power and support, and then something about 'taking care of the mudbloods.' And as for how I got him to tall, I promised him an ice cream cone; don't tell mom."
A waitress approached, who also happened to be one of Ariane's school friends. She had changed physically since school had let out, in all the ways Mikail and Udney seemed to really appreciate. When she had finished taking their orders and was walking away, Mikail actually turned in the booth to watch her shapely retreating figure, jaw to the floor.
"Will you ever grow up?" Theodora asked, mainly to her brother, "Down boy!"
"We are growing up," Udney said defensively.
"She just beat us to it," Mikail finished.
"That's nice and all, but don't drool on the table," Jessica added, moving her napkin and utensils to safety.
"I'd like to be able to eat when our food gets here," Ariane put in, shaking her head.
"Believe it or not, I'm a little bit hungry," Theodora said.
Unfortunately, Udney was on the bounce and quipped, "Really? I'm just a little bit rock and roll." This was followed by a synchronized groan from the others in the booth. No one dignified it with a response. When the boys were back under control, and lunch was on the table, they returned to the previous subject.
"What do you think he wanted?" Jessica asked as she salted her potatoes.
"Probably money," Mikail figured, "Why else would someone you never heard of but are magically related to suddenly strike up a conversation with you in the middle of a public place?"
"Oh, he didn't want money," Theodora sang cheerfully, "He was wearing real silk. And believe me when I say I know the sound of Italian leather on cobblestone anywhere."
Mikail asked, "What were their names anyway? I couldn't catch them from where I was." Udney and Theodora nodded affirmatively.
"Lucius and Draco Malfoy." Ariane replied, as if trying the names out to see how they sounded.
Theodora almost choked on her chicken, and Udney spat out his root beer, attracting nearly everyone's attention in the room. When they had sufficiently recovered it was their turn to be interrogated.
Mikail leaned forward and asked in a low, yet still surprised, voice, "Do you know who they are?"
"Do we know who they are!" Udney cried as if the question were ridiculous, only to be shushed by Jessica. He continued more quietly, "There isn't a witch or wizard in the social register who hasn't heard of the Malfoy family! They're one of the most influential."
"And wealthy!" Theodora added, still coughing.
Udney continued, ".families in Europe, pure blooded and proud of it." He gestured for everyone to lean in. "There's a history in that family, of dark magic, that goes so far back, they've become experts at concealing it."
"But why would he corner my mother in Universe Alley?" Ariane asked. Silence followed this, and for a few minutes the five sat lost in thought.
"What if he hasn't approached only your mom?" started Jessica deliberately, "what if he's gone to other people too?" But there was no more time for conversation; Jessica's parent's came in from muggle Philadelphia to collect her, soon followed by Mikail's returning from Universe Alley. They all left reluctantly as the next time they would see each other would be on the way to school.
* * *
As soon as they got home, Mrs. Conkling made a b line for her desk n the study. She poured over various papers and documents for half an hour before Ariane mustered the courage to intrude.
"Mom?" she asked tentatively, "Is that man, Mr. Malfoy really related to us?" Her mother looked up and sighed.
"I've been asking myself that since he introduced himself this afternoon. But I've been looking through the family archives since we got home, and so far nothing. Either he was lying, or he really knows his stuff." She shook her head as if clearing it. "Now, out with you. I need to concentrate." Before Ariane could ask any more questions she was shooed out of the study, and the door was locked behind her.
End Chapter Two
So, any good? Worth finishing? Let me know.
Chapter Two: The Man! Revealed and Boys Being Boys
Mrs. Conkling motioned for her daughter to stand beside her.
"Lucius Malfoy, might I present my daughter Ariane? Ariane, this is my cousin Lucius."
Lucius Malfoy's false smile grew as he introduced his son, Draco, who merely crossed his arms and sneered. It turned out that they were indeed wearing pants, in fact under the robe was an outfit reminiscent of the turn of the century. "To this day I'm afraid I did not know you had any children at all, dear cousin. It seems the records I have been referring to are rather incomplete; they didn't even mention the divorce. Might I suggest we dine together and catch up on things, as well as finish what we were discussing before Draco and I finish our holiday? Good then," he continued, not letting Mrs. Conkling answer, "I shall owl you the time and place. Come Draco." The elder Malfoy turned and strode to the entrance of the narrow side alley as if he owned it. Draco just looked at Ariane a moment longer, his eyes narrowing a bit, before following his father.
After a moment Ariane looked at he mother. Mrs, Conkling still stood defiantly, her hands clenched and knuckles white. After a long minute she relaxed and looked at her one hand; there were four little crescent shaped marks on her palm, three of which were red where the nails had drawn blood.
"Ariane, take your brother and friends back to the Inn. I'll be along in a few minutes." Without waiting for her daughter to ask any questions she darted after the foreigners. Ariane stood there a moment, dumbfounded, before realizing that A: she was alone in a dark side alley, and B: she was supposed to be doing something. About halfway back to Universe Alley she discovered that she was not in fact alone, as both Theodora and Udney came out of their hiding spaces.
"To quote Jess," Udney said first, "'Dude, that is so not cool'"
"I get such a bad feeling from him" Theodora agreed. Ariane nodded.
"I think he was actually oozing evilness. Oh man! I don't want to be related to him," she protested. Mikail was waiting for them when they stepped back into Universe Alley. Evidently he had heard Ariane's last remark because he didn't wait to say "Funny, that's just what Lundy said a minute ago."
"Speaking of Lundy, where is he?" Ariane looked around. Both Lundy and Jessica were nowhere to be found.
"When that guy came out he threw Jess this look, and Lundy burst into tears," Mikail said. "Jess took him to the Inn. He didn't want to go at first, but when we assured him the man was going away from the Inn he suddenly wanted to go." As they walked to the Red River Inn, Ariane thought, wondering why her mother and that strange man had gone down that little alley to begin with.
When they got to the Inn they deposited their purchases in the Winchester- Paine room and then trudged downstairs and piled themselves (all six) into a booth. They sat silently, mulling over the days events when a thought hit Jessica, and hard.
"Lundy?" she asked suddenly, "If you weren't paying attention then why did you ask what.that word meant?" The boy squirmed for the second time that day under the gaze of five sets of eyes. The only thing keeping him from running for safety was the fact that he was wedged between his sister and Mikail.
"If you want to interrogate him," Udney offered almost sadistically, "you can always use our room." With key in hand and brother in tow, Ariane made her way upstairs. When they came down a few minutes later, Lundy was smiling and Arian was rolling her eyes. At almost the same time Mrs. Conkling walked in off Universe Alley. When asked about what happened she quickly told al six not to bring up the subject again, which was of course the wrong thing to say to a group of teenagers. She carted off her youngest child to another table, and the second she was out of earshot the questions started flying.
"Did he talk?"
"What did he say?"
"How did you get him to tell you?"
"Oh, he sang like Pavarati!" Ariane answered, almost proud of herself. "He said the man approached her as they left the Lovelace's Wand Shop. They walked for a while, he boy lagging behind, when suddenly he started talking about the 'Dark Lord' gaining power and support, and then something about 'taking care of the mudbloods.' And as for how I got him to tall, I promised him an ice cream cone; don't tell mom."
A waitress approached, who also happened to be one of Ariane's school friends. She had changed physically since school had let out, in all the ways Mikail and Udney seemed to really appreciate. When she had finished taking their orders and was walking away, Mikail actually turned in the booth to watch her shapely retreating figure, jaw to the floor.
"Will you ever grow up?" Theodora asked, mainly to her brother, "Down boy!"
"We are growing up," Udney said defensively.
"She just beat us to it," Mikail finished.
"That's nice and all, but don't drool on the table," Jessica added, moving her napkin and utensils to safety.
"I'd like to be able to eat when our food gets here," Ariane put in, shaking her head.
"Believe it or not, I'm a little bit hungry," Theodora said.
Unfortunately, Udney was on the bounce and quipped, "Really? I'm just a little bit rock and roll." This was followed by a synchronized groan from the others in the booth. No one dignified it with a response. When the boys were back under control, and lunch was on the table, they returned to the previous subject.
"What do you think he wanted?" Jessica asked as she salted her potatoes.
"Probably money," Mikail figured, "Why else would someone you never heard of but are magically related to suddenly strike up a conversation with you in the middle of a public place?"
"Oh, he didn't want money," Theodora sang cheerfully, "He was wearing real silk. And believe me when I say I know the sound of Italian leather on cobblestone anywhere."
Mikail asked, "What were their names anyway? I couldn't catch them from where I was." Udney and Theodora nodded affirmatively.
"Lucius and Draco Malfoy." Ariane replied, as if trying the names out to see how they sounded.
Theodora almost choked on her chicken, and Udney spat out his root beer, attracting nearly everyone's attention in the room. When they had sufficiently recovered it was their turn to be interrogated.
Mikail leaned forward and asked in a low, yet still surprised, voice, "Do you know who they are?"
"Do we know who they are!" Udney cried as if the question were ridiculous, only to be shushed by Jessica. He continued more quietly, "There isn't a witch or wizard in the social register who hasn't heard of the Malfoy family! They're one of the most influential."
"And wealthy!" Theodora added, still coughing.
Udney continued, ".families in Europe, pure blooded and proud of it." He gestured for everyone to lean in. "There's a history in that family, of dark magic, that goes so far back, they've become experts at concealing it."
"But why would he corner my mother in Universe Alley?" Ariane asked. Silence followed this, and for a few minutes the five sat lost in thought.
"What if he hasn't approached only your mom?" started Jessica deliberately, "what if he's gone to other people too?" But there was no more time for conversation; Jessica's parent's came in from muggle Philadelphia to collect her, soon followed by Mikail's returning from Universe Alley. They all left reluctantly as the next time they would see each other would be on the way to school.
* * *
As soon as they got home, Mrs. Conkling made a b line for her desk n the study. She poured over various papers and documents for half an hour before Ariane mustered the courage to intrude.
"Mom?" she asked tentatively, "Is that man, Mr. Malfoy really related to us?" Her mother looked up and sighed.
"I've been asking myself that since he introduced himself this afternoon. But I've been looking through the family archives since we got home, and so far nothing. Either he was lying, or he really knows his stuff." She shook her head as if clearing it. "Now, out with you. I need to concentrate." Before Ariane could ask any more questions she was shooed out of the study, and the door was locked behind her.
End Chapter Two
So, any good? Worth finishing? Let me know.