These fan fics are to show appreciation to Ms Rowling for her amazing imagination.

All characters mentioned are her copyright exclusively and I only use them here as an appreciation of her huge talent.

As I rolled open the scroll, a tingle of excitement ran down my spine. At first it appeared blank, but the more I unrolled the words appeared, it was as if they were sensitive to the light. The writing was in black ink and it was exquisite. I noticed that too that as the words appeared there was an amazing scent that floated around the room. It was very old-fashioned script that flowed effortlessly over the paper giving a wonderful flourish to each word making the words a tantalising artwork in their own right. Each sentence ended with a similar flourish, as on the wax seal. It appeared as if it was being written before my eyes. Whoever penned this letter took great care over every detail in every way.

I paused, without unrolling anymore I knew instantly where this letter came from, it had to be the manor. I hadn’t tied the snake on the seal with that in the flowerbeds. Seeing the snake now so beautifully formed and experiencing that ever so delicate scent it had to be from the manor; but how had the scroll arrived at the shop and why? Well one of these questions could at least be answered tonight. I started to read at the top.

+++++++++++++++++++

Ms Jameson.


If you desire to continue with our business arrangement please bring my complete order to the house at 8.00pm on delivery day next week. Deliver to the outhouse as usual then attend to the front door. You will be expected to stay for the evening meal, which will be at 8.30pm prompt. Following this will be a dance for my close friends and business associates. It will finish at 1.00am, after this you may leave; you are classed as a business associate - just.

One male guest is welcome and expected. Dress appropriately. Dobby will meet you at the door. You are already at a disadvantage; do not be late.

Dobby, a family servant, advises me that you have been seen intruding, uninvited, around our Labyrinth. I do not appreciate this invasion of our privacy and for due to this the gates were locked for today’s delivery. Our world does not mix with your world very often, as you have seen and I am sure smelt our gardens we intend to see you and have you company for the evening at least.

Lucius & Narcissa Malfoy

+++++++++++++++++++

Wow, this guy sure had a high opinion of himself. All I did was sneak a peak at his flowers. Our world and your world, who does he think he is. Already I was forming an opinion of the man of the manor and it wasn’t a good one. It was amazing to think that I had been supplying him with fruit and vegetables all this time and knew nothing of him other than his tastes. Mind you dinner and a dance sounded good, even if they did sound a bunch of weirdo’s. Who would I take? I really had no idea, maybe Mike would come, I’ll have to show him the letter tomorrow.

As I drained another glass of wine I glanced back at the paper, underneath the writing I think I saw a watermark of the same snake. I couldn’t be sure, maybe it was the wine affecting my judgement but I was sure the image was looking at me and moving it’s tongue as if it was smelling the air. It was looking around the room then straight at me. I blinked, rubbed my eyes, looked again and it was gone.

This was getting weird cancelled vegetable deliveries, scrolls arriving out of the blue, owls flying around the shop during the day, wax seals, scented auto-writing, a rather abrupt dinner-dance invitation and now a shy but rather too attentive snake as a water mark. Whoever this family were they were definitely weird and worth checking out a little more, maybe I’d speak to Miss Brown 2 & 3. They were the only reliable source of gossip in the village on this family.

The evening slipped away and the next day dawned clear and bright. Last night seemed like a dream as I pulled on my jeans and a baggy t-shirt I felt very rough, it must have been something in that wine. I walked wearily into the kitchen and brewed some coffee and popped some toast down. I collected The Times from the doormat and the toaster popped. Honey this morning and butter, black coffee with two sweeteners. Perfect for a bad head day. I plonked myself at the table to read the paper. Not a lot in the paper, a mass murderer hung himself, suicide bomber in Palestine, it’s very cold in New York. All bad news when will something exciting happen. I folded the paper having only read a few pages.

Although my head was banging something was trying to break through the pain. Wham, it managed it after I put the paper down. I guess that is the trouble with a broadsheet it hides everything. A parchment scroll on the table and that snake again. “What are you looking at?” I said. If anyone heard they’d think I was barking! ‘You’ the words appeared at the bottom of the paper. “Well go away” Oh my, that was spooky. I rolled the scroll up until I spoke to Mike. It all came back from the night before, now I knew I needed him to come too, I did not want to attend this business meeting alone.

It seems Mike was in an excellent mood this morning. He had, at last, finished with a relationship with a girl he’d been with forever it seemed. She was the lead vocalist in the village band and had let him down on the last function. Luckily Matt Brewers eldest daughter was in the pub and managed to step in the breach. So he gave her a thank you kiss and in walking his girl friend. Perfect ending, and he talked about it non stop all morning. This was too good to be true so I casually mentioned that I had to attend a dinner dance in six days time, next Friday. I explained it would be a dress-to-impress function held by one of our customers for friends and business clients. I was stunned when he said yes he’d go, but not as a couple just as friends.

What was left of the week flew by. This may have been due to my apprehension and inquisitiveness. On Sunday afternoon I spent the afternoon at the house of the Miss Brown’s having high tea and chatting about the village. I managed to steer the conversation to the ‘Malfoy Manor’ as we were talking about buildings in the village.

Malfoy Manor, as I know called it, is the oldest house in the village although little is known about it. The village, it appears, grew around the house. One of the old Mr Malfoy’s used to let some excellent farm land out to the original villagers, then the Grand-father of this Mr Malfoy took it all back again with no force or money. There is word that a few of the families who didn’t give the land back ended up dead with nothing wrong with them, it appears they were in perfect health – just dead. Everyone else gave the land back without protest. It seems even the land my parents farm is on was originally Malfoy land but it was never re-claimed, no-one knows why.

Mrs Malfoy is an outsider, in other words not from the village, she hails from London. Miss Brown 2 believes her maiden name was Black. It appears they have impeccable manners, airs and graces. Neither lady would ever trust them with anything. However they are devoted to each other, for this they both agreed that they should be commended as it gives their son a stable family life. The son was called Draco, both thought this unusual; Miss Brown 2 commented that the son was obviously benefiting from a secure home life. I changed the conversation to the price of carrots then bid the ladies good afternoon after an appropriate length if time and headed home.

Monday and Tuesday were the annual stock take at the shop, on these two days I was too busy to think about anything so it was Wednesday before I thought about the forthcoming event. I looked again at the scroll. I was relieved that the snake had disappeared; did Mr Malfoy require an RSVP I wondered. The snake seemed quite unusual so “Yes, I will be attending with my male colleague” I said out loud to the paper. “I look forward to meeting you Ms Jameson” A shiver ran up my spine. If the paper could ‘hear’ what else could it do?