"As we have been doing now, sensei?" she asked.
"No," Snape responded sarcastically. "I mean as we had been doing twenty years ago. What do you think?" Kodachi bridled momentarily at the sharp tone and then controled herself.
"I have been crafting useful drugs for the last three or four years," Kodachi answered proudly.
"I see," Snape said, he stood up straight and began speaking in a rapid, seemingly disinterested tone. "I have come to understand, through recent developments, that you seem to be quite a bit beyond the basic potion material."
Kodachi did not need to ask what developments Snape was talking about. The word was that Malfoy had been stuck in the lavatory for a good fifteen minutes before he was in a state capable of reaching the hospital wing without...incident.
"Perhaps, it would be interesting to see how you would do in an advanced class?" Snape asked. "Something that deals with more in the way of magical potions, something you may find truly challenging. Would you be interested?"
Kodachi blinked for a moment and then smiled.
"Of course I would be delighted to try and prove myself, Snape-sensei," Kodachi said.
"Good," Snape said. "This shall mean a slight change to your timetable. Your free period is now when your old potions class had been, and you your new potions class meets during your old free period. Is this understood?"
"Certainly," Kodachi said.
"Then you will attend the class in the following hour," Snape declared standing up and heading for the door, obviously to head out to teach potions class. "I expect you will use this free period to see about acquiring a copy of the proper book?"
He was almost out of the door when he turned about with such suddenness and grasped the frame of the door with one white hand that Kodachi nearly jumped, startled.
"Another thing, Miss Hecate," he said. "This is England. We are speaking English. The proper term of reference is Professor Snape." He spoke his name and title slowly and clearly. "I trust I will not hear making a mockery of both our languages again."
And with that he left the room.
****
"Harry," a somewhat familiar voice called out. Harry turned to see Professor Lupin gesturing him to come over.
"Yes, Professor," he said. "What is it?"
"You know the new girl, Kodachi," he asked. Harry nodded. "I want you to look out for her when you get a chance."
"Excuse me, but she's Slytherin," Harry said.
"The houses are rivals, Harry, not enemies," he said. "At least, that is the way it is meant to be."
'But when would I be close enough to do anything," Harry asked. "I'm in a different house, and am two years higher than her."
"Just keep an eye out if you can," Lupin said. "I suspect she has had problems at home with her relatives."
"Problems?" Harry asked, starting to feel sympathetic to the girl.
"Do you remember on the train when she started shouting 'oniisan' and attacked the dementor," he said. "That word means brother, and she seems to be absolutely terrified of him."
"I'll try," Harry said, hesitantly, returning to his two friends as they headed for potions class. He told them what Professor Lupin had said.
"He wants us to baby-sit a Slytherin first year?" Ron asked, amazed. "Is he daft?"
"She's not all bad," Hermione said. "She gets along with Hagrid."
"I don't think we'll have to worry about it," Harry said. "When will we ever be around her except at meals?"
****
"What are you doing here, Hecate?" Malfoy demanded as Kodachi walked in. And her excitement was suddenly dampened by the fact that she was in the same class with Malfoy and many of his following. "This is a third year class."
"I've been advanced," Kodachi said simply. She frowned and walked over to sit at a table on the edge of the Slytherin set, among some of those Slytherin's less impressed with Malfoy, and coincidentally near Harry Potter.
"That's funny," Ron said as Kodachi sat down. "Never thought I'd see someone Malfoy hated as much as you."
"I know," Harry said. "I guess it's a good thing."
"Yeah," Ron said. "Maybe he'll get so confused over who to annoy that he doesn't annoy anyone."
"Really," Hermione said among the Gryffindor chuckles and some Slytherin glares, though a few of them were chuckling as well. "You two should know better than to talk in such a manner in mixed company." She rolled her eyes a little.
"Oh yes," Kodachi said. "Pott...Upperclassman Potter?"
"Uh, yeah," Harry asked nervously, turning to the "younger" girl.
"I need to warn you..."
"About omens of death?" Harry finished dryly, expecting a joke about Professor Trelawney's prediction. When he saw Kodachi blinking in confusion he realized that he had erred.
"...not quite," she finally said, smiling a particularly eager and vicious grin. "I merely wish to warn you that I intend to compete for the honor of my house and will use every means at my disposal to do so. I expect you shall do the same, correct?"
"Yes," Harry said uncertainly.
"Good," Kodachi said. "This shall be quite enjoyable then. I do so love to compete with a worthy opponent."
"See she's just like every other Slytherin," Ron said. "Can't stand to be number two."
"And you would settle for second?" Kodachi asked before returning to look over her book. Ron's only response to the genuine smile that followed that statement was to sputter for several seconds.
"She does have a point, Ron," Harry pointed out.
"When you say 'every means at your disposal,'" Hermione said. "Do you mean cheating?"
"Cheating," Kodachi said, smirking. "There is no such thing."
At that Malfoy smiled, at least she seemed to dislike Potter as much as he did.
"It should be quite fun," Kodachi said honestly.
And then Snape walked in the door, in his normal, rapid, short-paced walk.
"Good afternoon class," Snape said. "Some of you may have noticed that we have a new student in class. Her name is Kodachi Hecate, though you perhaps already knew that. Now that the introductions are done, let us attend to the shrinking potions antidote..."
See other episodes by Thrythlind
(Posted Sun, 22 Dec 2002 05:52)
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