Chapter Five: Visitors from Abroad

In the face of adult authority, Jenny Jordan lowered the stick that she was pretending to be a wand and said, "We're just playing, sir . . . ." For a moment, the two adults faced the group of seven children at play in an empty ballroom of the outwardly abandoned hotel being used as the Displaced Wizard's Center.

"We're playing "Aurors and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," sir," said Corey. "We're pretending to be on a recon mission inside the Incursion from the Enchanted Realms that drove us from our homes in Maine." Corey lowered his "plasma rifle" (a cardboard mailing tube that he found out back in the dumpster,) and signaled for the other kids to do the same. The only other muggle, a girl about seven, lowered the yard-stick that she was using as a sniper rifle, and the four other wizarding kids did the same with the sticks and pencils that they were pretending were wands.

Something about the way these two grown-ups stared at him made Corey look to Jenny for help. He may have been the oldest of the group at age 11, but he was a muggle. And from the vibes he was getting from these two Wizarding grown-ups, he thought that it may be best for Jenny to do most of the talking.

"I see . . . ," said the man in a haughty RP English accent. "And who do we have the "pleasure" of addressing?"

"My name is Jenny Jordan and this is Corey Martindale." Jenny then pointed each child out in turn, saying. "That's Katie and Julie Dorsey; they're sisters. And this is Ricky Cobbler; Bradley Scarsdale, and Keith Cassidy."

The man said, "My name is Lucius Malfoy. And this is my wife, Narcissa and our son, Draco."

Jenny just now noticed the boy, who was about her brother's age, peeking shyly from behind his parents. His hair was so blonde that it looked white; a trait that he shared with his father, whose own hair, Jenny noted, was even blonder and longer than the way that the actress Heather Locklear wore her hair on TV. Jenny also noticed the strange way they were dressed. The Malfoys' clothes were old-fashioned to the point of looking like costumes for a stage play.

It took a tremendous effort for Jenny to keep from laughing; as much from nervousness as the way the Malfoys looked. Jenny knew that it was impolite to stare, but she could tell that the Malfoys, especially Mrs. Malfoy, was sizing them up as well.

Mrs. Malfoy looked down on the group of seven children in more ways than one. In her opinion, their clothes looked to be just this side of rags. She noticed that they all wore the ubiquitous blue denim trousers that were popular here in the American Colonies. She also noticed that every child wore a tee-shirt that was decorated with some form of artwork.

The young witch, Jenny Jordan, (who was apparently the de facto leader of these children,) wore a pink tee-shirt with the image of a small, blue person with long blonde hair wearing a white, Phrygian hat. Below this image was the word, "Smurfette." Pinned to her shirt was a cheap looking tin medallion that said, "Honorary Junior Auror." And for some completely unfathomable reason, the girl had a triangular piece of cardboard with a hole cut in its center hanging around her neck by a piece of twine.

The muggle boy (who had had the unmitigated gall to address her and her husband directly!) wore a faded blue shirt that displayed an image of a, well, a knight of some kind, Narcissa supposed. The knight was wearing solid black armour with some kind of muggle electronic device on his cuirass, and brandished a sword that had a narrow blade made of red light. Below the image were the words "Star Wars." Narcissa could care less what that meant.

None of the children wore shoes, Narcissa noticed, wrinkling her nose in disgust. Two of them, a young witch about nine and the eleven year old "Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.," weren't even wearing socks! Narcissa even saw a muggle adhesive bandage on the elbow of the seven year old wizard. Don't these Colonials know how to cast a simple episkey charm? thought Narcissa.

Then a word came unbidden into Narcissa's mind: "urchins." These children, five of them the children of wizards and witches, were street urchins who looked like they came straight from the pen of Charles Dickens!

But the presence of the muggle children is what bothered Narcissa Malfoy more than anything else. Curiosity got the better of her. "And why are these muggle children here at a center for Displaced Wizards and Witches?" Narcissa had directed her query to Jenny. But Corey answered her.

"My mom's a witch, Ma'am," said Corey. "My birth mom died when I was almost two. My dad married a witch when I was five and I've called her "mom" ever since. She even adopted me legally. She's a Healer at the Potomac Shore Wizard's Hospital. In Katie's case, her mom married a wizard a few years after she got divorced. Now she and Julie are sisters . . . ."

Narcissa's stare could freeze molten lava. "I was not speaking to you, boy!"

"Hey, Lady, his name is Corey!" said Jenny firmly, planting her fists on her hips. "And he and Katie are our friends! We all went to the same school in Collinsport together before that stupid Incursion from the Enchanted Realms forced us to leave! And that's why we want to fight whoever they are and drive them back to where they came from, isn't that right, Corey?"

Corey nodded, his spirits lifted by his friend's support. "Whoever or whatever is hiding behind those concealment charms back home in Maine will find out the hard way that they've invaded the wrong part of the multiverse!"

"Oh, is that so?" said Narcissa coldly. "Well, let me tell you something, little muggle boy . . . ."

"Mom!" said Jenny, who was looking past the Malfoys, causing them to turn around to see a woman approaching from behind them. Narcissa noticed that the woman was a muggle, and that she was holding the hand of a wizard who was about Draco's age. The boy, who was carrying a small blue ball, smiled at Draco and waved.

Like the group of children before her, this woman was wearing what Narcissa thought must be the standard uniform of Displaced Wizarding Families that consisted of blue denim trousers and a t-shirt embellished with artwork. Her young wizard son wore blue-denim bib overalls (with one strap held in place by a safety pin,) and nothing else. The boy's face was filthy and his hair uncombed. It was one thing for muggles to look that way, but for wizards and witches . . . .

"Hi, Mrs. Jordan," said Corey. "Are we ever glad to see you!"

"Hello, Corey," said the woman smiling. She then turned to her daughter and said, "Jenny, we've been looking everywhere for you and your friends. It's almost time for dinner and you'll need to get cleaned-up. And that goes for the rest of you, as well."

Then Jenny's mother let go of the boy's hand and to Narcissa's horror; he toddled straight over to Draco! The little American wizard stopped about three feet from Draco and said, "Hi," and tossed the ball to Draco, who made no effort to catch it. The two boys were quite the study in contrasts; like what might happen if Little Lord Fauntleroy were to meet Huck Finn.

Narcissa snatched Draco up and said, "Will you kindly keep your son under control, Mrs. - and you are . . . ?"

Jenny ran up to her mom and younger brother, and said, "She's my mom. That's my little brother, Ricky. Mom, this is Mr. and Mrs. Malloy."

"That's "Malfoy," young lady," said Narcissa miffed. "My name is Narcissa Malfoy. This is my husband, Lucius, and our son, Draco."

"Well, Narcissa, my name is Agatha Jordan, but everyone calls me "Aggie." I see that you have already met my daughter Jenny and her friends. This is my son, Ricky." The little boy shifted his gaze from his mother, to Draco, to Mrs. Malfoy, occasionally looking over at his sister. He had retrieved his ball and held it up for Draco, still in his mother's arms, in another attempt to get him to play.

"You are a muggle, I see," said Narcissa neutrally.

"Yes, I am, Mrs. Malfoy," said Aggie matter-of-factly. "I'm married to a wizard and we have two children who have magical powers. Is that a problem for you?"

Narcissa shifted uncomfortably. How dare this muggle speak to me in this manner! Am I not Narcissa Malfoy, nee Black, of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black?!

But Narcissa also knew that she and her husband were on a mission of great importance to the Wizarding World and they all had their parts to play. Even little Draco had his part; for one does not bring children with them if they have ulterior or hostile intentions . . . .

Narcissa set Draco down, and he took a tentative step toward the young American wizard. She watched the boys look each other over. A moment later, Ricky Jordan tossed his ball to Draco, who caught it this time before tossing it back. And Narcissa realized that that little blue ball could be a way out of the corner that her deeply offended sensibilities had forced her into.

"No," said Narcissa. "It's . . . it's not a problem at all. Please forgive me, Mrs. Jordan. I must admit that I am a little . . . apprehensive of my son playing with . . . your son's ball is made out of plastic, is it not?"

"Yes," said Aggie. "Is that what has you worried?"

"I . . . I have heard that plastic is not safe for children."

"I see . . . ," said Aggie, who doubted that that was all that was bothering Mrs. Malfoy. "And who told you that?"

"We had some dry-cleaning done in Muggle London on one occasion," said Lucius Malfoy. "They covered the cleaned laundry in clear bags made out of . . . plastic. The bags were clearly marked, "Keep out of reach of children."

"Oh, that . . . ," said Aggie with a friendly smile. Aggie explained the reason for the inscription on the bags. "It's not so much the material, Mrs. Malfoy, as it is the way it is used. A plastic bag is a suffocation hazard to a child. But a plastic ball is a perfectly safe toy. Your son seems to enjoy it." Aggie smiled as she watched the boys played catch.

"Well, I didn't know," said Narcissa. "Thank you for enlightening me."

"No problem, Mrs. Malfoy," said Aggie. "So, what brings you and your family to our happy little camp?"

"Actually," said Lucius. "We came here to offer financial assistance to help our fellow Wizards and Witches, who were displaced by the Incursion from the Enchanted Realms. If you would be so kind as to introduce us to whoever is in charge of this . . . "happy little camp," did you call it? We would like to make arrangements to address your next group assembly."

"Well, you're talking with one right now," said Aggie. "One of those in charge, I mean. If you would like, you may address everyone tonight after dinner. That's when we get our daily updates from the FBS about the situation in Maine. You can go on after that.

"In fact, why don't the three of you join us for dinner, while you're at it? We've got chili-dogs potato salad and coleslaw tonight. We've even got a soft-serve ice cream machine for dessert."

"Well . . . ," said Narcissa. "How can we turn an offer like that down . . . ?"