Breakfast at Natalie's

Malfoy found himself back at the Malfoy Manor, or at least he thought it was. The surroundings were completely different: the grass was dry and dead, the trees leafless, and the stone path overgrown with weeds. The house itself was dilapidated, the shutters hanging off the glassless windows. He stepped onto the front porch and cursed when his foot sank through a plank. He wrenched himself out, and opened the door.

"Natalie?" he called,

No one answered. The place was eerily quiet. Except for his own creaking footsteps and thumping heart, there was no other sound, not even the chirping of birds.

The inside of the house was dark and musty, the air stale. The chandelier was rusted, and the sofa's cushions had been eaten away by moths. It looked as though no one had been here for a very long time.

"Natalie?" he called again. "Are you in here?"

Strangely, the house seemed to swallow his shouts so that they came out as barely more than a whisper. There was no way she could hear him if she wasn't standing right next to him. The only way to find her would be to methodically search the place room by room, and hope that she did not walk out while he wasn't looking.

He went upstairs, careful not to put too much weight on the stairs, for fear that they would collapse. He went down the corridor, opening each of the doors and peering in. At last, he came to Natalie's room. He pushed open the door with some effort (the warped doorframe made it hard to open), and stepped inside. Toys were scattered on the floor haphazardly; a doll stared up at him with unseeing eyes. He shuddered and quickly left.

He made a circle around the bottom floor, but she wasn't there. He even went outside into the garden. The rosebushes were dead and barren, the birdbath filled with rotting leaves. What had happened to this place? It had not been like this a few weeks ago.

It was obvious that she was not in the house. But then where was she? Malfoy cleared the dirt off a stone bench and sat down. He was very worried about Natalie. With the house in this state, he could only assume that something terrible had happened. He felt guilty because if he hadn't burst into Madame's room, then this wouldn't have happened. He couldn't bear to think that he'd lost her forever. He looked up at the gray sky and noticed the forest off in the distance. A sudden burst of sound made him jump. A hawk soared above him, it's wings spread wide. It screeched once more and then glided toward the forest.

For reasons he couldn't explain, Malfoy was mesmerized by the bird. He followed it with his eyes, and when it vanished into the forest, he stood up and walked towards the garden gate. He put his hand on the gate, unsure of what would happen if he opened it. Would he be transported to Madame's or somewhere else? There was no time to think--he pushed the gate open and stepped onto wilted grass. He waited for something to happen, but nothing did. Apparently, the gate was merely a gate. He began to jog towards the forest.

He had misjudged the distance to the forest: it was much farther than it looked. He was forced to rest several times. Finally, he came to the edge of the trees.

"Natalie?" he called, cupping his hand around his mouth. "It's me, Draco!"

His voice echoed, eventually fading away. He stood there for a minute or so, waiting for a response. When it became clear that there was no one to respond, he began walking deeper into the forest. A few yards into the trees, he stopped, realizing that even if he found Natalie, he would not know his way back out. He wished he had markers or something to tie onto tree branches. He looked down at himself, and realized that he could tear his shirt into strips. He pulled off his shirt, shivering. He had been in such a hurry to get to Madame's that he hadn't even bothered to throw on a coat. Bare-chested, he started ripping the shirt into shreds. He went back to the very edge of the trees and tied a piece of cloth around at branch at eye level. Then he kept walking. Every ten yards or so, he tied a new marker.

Soon, he was deep into the forest, and he only had a few shreds of cloth remaining. His voice was hoarse from yelling. He sat down on a fallen log to rest and examine his injuries. He had scratches all over his arms and back from the sharp branches. As he removed his shoe to dump out a pebble, he noticed footprints leading away from the log. They were not his footprints; they were too small to be a man's. They seemed to be very fresh. Ecstatic, Malfoy retied his shoes and carefully followed the prints, hoping that they would lead him to Natalie.

He trudged through the trees blindly; he'd used up his last few markers, so now there was no way for him to keep track of his path. Presently, the trees became more and more widespread, and he realized that he was out of the forest. He hadn't really noticed it before, but now the grass looked healthier, and he could hear the chirping of birds. Small, fragrant flowers grew in clumps and their scent was so strong that Malfoy felt a little dizzy. As he waded further into the grassy meadow, he saw a figure bending down picking flowers.

"Natalie!" he cried, sprinting towards her. "Natalie!"

She did not answer, and he thought that it was because he was too far away for her to hear. But even when he was standing next to her, she did not respond.

"Natalie?" He tapped her on the shoulder, and she whipped around.

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I...I'm Draco," he said, confused. "I'm your brother."

"I don't have a brother," she said, and he noticed that her eyes looked glazed over.

"Yes, you do," he said. "I'm right here. And I'm sorry for getting you stuck in this place, but I was worried about you when you didn't come home after work. I figured you were at Madame's, so I went there and I accidentally interrupted her, and she said that you were stuck here unless I could bring you back."

"What are you talking about?" she said, picking another flower.

"Look, Nat," he said, "I understand if you're angry. But let's just go now, alright?"

"Go where?"

"Home," he said. "We're waiting on you for dinner."

"This is my home," she said, indicating the field. "I live here."

"No, you don't, Natalie," said Malfoy, getting more confused by the second. "This place isn't real. Come on." He tried to grab her wrist, but she swatted his hand away.

"Stop it, I'm busy," she said, turning away from him. "And why do you keep calling me Natalie? That's not my name."

"Then what is it?"

"I..." She looked at him blankly. "I don't know. I can't remember."

"You can't remember?" This conversation was getting stranger by the minute.

"Oi, you there!" said a voice from behind them. "What're you doing here?"

Malfoy and Natalie both turned. A man dressed in chain mail and armor was currently clanking towards them.

"I said, what're you doing here?"

"I've come to take my sister back," said Malfoy. "Who are you?"

"None of your business," said the man.

"Why are you wearing armor?"

"Oh, this?" said the man, taking off his helm. "This is just a costume."

"A costume for what?"

"For the performance, of course," said the man, eyeing Malfoy suspiciously. "Why are you asking all these questions? You must be an Outsider."

"An Outsider?"

"You don't live here, do you?"

"No," replied Malfoy. "And neither does my sister. So I guess we'll just be going now."

"Can't," said the man, stepping out of the rest of his heavy armor.

"What? What do you mean?"

"You can't leave," said the man.

"Why not? I don't see anything from stopping me," said Malfoy, looking around.

"See these little flowers?" said the man, pointing to the tiny blossoms. "They make you forget. After a while you don't remember who you are or how you got here or anything about Outside life."

"How long does it take?" asked Malfoy, glancing at Natalie who had resumed flower picking. "She doesn't remember her name. She doesn't even remember that I'm her brother."

"Depends," said the man. "Some people forget faster. I'm guessing that your sister here has been picking flowers for a while. Direct contact makes forgetting faster. I take it you haven't touched the flowers?"

"No," said Malfoy. "Is the memory loss permanent?"

"Well, yes and no," said the man. "There is only one antidote to it, and that's back at the palace. It's nearly impossible to get hold of. You see, the queen doesn't want people to leave once they get here."

"But there is a way I can get some?"

"Only one way," said the man darkly. "Only one."

"I need the antidote," said Malfoy. "I can't bring her back like this. How will I explain? No one will believe me."

"That's why nobody ever goes back, even if they're given the choice. Nobody believes them, and people just think they've gone mad. Besides, life is so much better here. Why would you want to leave anyway? There are no worries here. You don't have to get up early to go to work, don't have to pay your bills or do your laundry...it's Paradise here. Literally."

"This is heaven?" said Malfoy, looking skeptical.

"Paradise," corrected the man. "Wasn't what you thought it would be, eh?"

"Far from it," said Malfoy, shaking his head. "But look, the no worries thing is really tempting and all, but I need to get back. There are people waiting for me."

"Well, seeing as you still got your memory, you're free to go," said the man, shrugging.

"I need to take my sister with me," said Malfoy. "But I need that antidote first. I can't bring her back like this."

"Well," said the man hesitantly, "I can take you to the palace and maybe you can get a hearing with the queen."

"Great," said Malfoy. "How long will it take to get a hearing?"

"Anywhere from ten minutes to ten days," answered the man calmly.

"Ten days? I don't have that much time!" exclaimed Malfoy. "We'll both die if we spend too much time here!"

"I can take you to the palace," said the man, "but I can't guarantee anything."

"Alright," said Malfoy, knowing that this was his only hope. "Take me to the palace." He turned to Natalie and gently led her away from the flowers. "Come on, we're going to see the queen."

"The queen?" she said, smiling brightly. "Do you think she'll like my bouquet?"

"She'll like it," Malfoy assured her, "but you have to come with us so you can give it to her."

Natalie agreed readily and they both followed the man on a long trek to the palace.

---------------------------

They were led to a beautiful palace with wrought iron gates. Several guards stood at the entrance, but they stepped back when Natalie and Malfoy's guide gave a special password. They entered the main hall, a cavernous room whose walls were decorated with jeweled mosaics. A finely dressed attendant greeted them.

"Good day, sirs and madam," said the man. He was very thin and balding. "How may I help you?"

"They're with me, Alistair," said the man, and they were waved into another large room.

"I thought you said that people don't remember who they are," said Malfoy, as they sat down in plush armchairs.

"They don't," said the man. "But they are given new names during a naming ceremony. My name is Sebastian, but everyone just calls me Seb."

"Sorry, Seb, but when are we going to be able to see the queen? I really need that antidote."

"I am here," said a female voice from behind them. Malfoy turned and saw a stunning brunette walking towards him. She held her head high, and daintily lifted her long, lilac colored skirts so that she wouldn't step on them.

"Your Majesty," gasped Seb, immediately bowing. "Sebastian at your service."

"Er, my name is Draco," said Malfoy, bowing stiffly. The queen frowned when he said his name.

Natalie curtsied. "I picked these flowers for you, Your Majesty," she said, holding out the bouquet.

"How lovely," said the queen, placing the flowers in a vase that she conjured with a wave of her hand. She turned to look at Malfoy. "How is it that you have a name? Newcomers do not have names."

"I'm not here to stay," said Malfoy. "I just need the antidote."

"The antidote?" She raised an eyebrow at Sebastian, who turned pink.

"I only came here to bring my sister home," said Malfoy, "but I can't take her like this. She doesn't remember who she is."

"Home? But why would you want to bring her home?" The queen was bewildered. She had never met anyone who wanted to go home.

"There are people who are waiting for her and worrying about her," he explained. "She's not dead, you know."

"Not dead? Ah, then she must have come through medium-contact. I see." The queen nodded to herself. Then she turned to Malfoy, staring at him intently with her violet eyes. "Come with me," she said. "I will personally show you to your rooms. Sebastian, you are dismissed."

"Yes, Your Majesty," said Sebastian, saluting and leaving the room. The queen led them into another cavernous room with several winding staircases.

"This way, please," she said, holding up her skirts and climbing up a set of stairs with purple carpet. They stopped on the fourth floor, where the queen led them into a closet-sized room with a few stacked chairs in a corner. Malfoy was just about to ask why they were standing in a closet when she pressed her hand against the wall and a door appeared. She then took out a small key and unlocked the door. "This is my chamber," she said, leading them into a massive bedroom.

Malfoy thought he was going to go blind from all the purple. Blinking rapidly to keep his eyes from watering, he saw the queen press her hand against the wall again and unlock another door.

"There are two separate rooms here," she said, leading them into a secret corridor. "You and your sister may each have one. Servants will bring you everything you could possibly need or want. There will be no need to leave."

"No need to leave?" sputtered Malfoy. "But I need the antidote! We're going to die if we don't go back!"

The queen gave him a strange look, and then disappeared back into her chamber, locking the door behind her. They had no choice but to go into their rooms.

Both rooms were wonderfully furnished, and Natalie lay down on the bed, marveling at how soft it was.

"It's like sleeping on clouds!" she giggled. Then she curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

"I have to find a way out of here," muttered Malfoy, tucking a blanket around her. "If I don't, we'll be trapped in here forever."