It was quite a challenge for her, even if she had talent, she was still two years in study behind them. She had to spend all her energies studying to prepare for the regular battle that she had no time to plan any pranks on them.
Fortunately, Malfoy had backed off his war on her to just verbal sparring and rumor mongering. He was yet unaware of how she had "hexed" him that one time and didn't want to risk it again.
If she were still in full scale war with him, she'd never be able to keep up in potions AND her regular classes.
Upperclassman Hermione was truly a genius, Kodachi was discovering, it gave her a great feeling that she was able to keep up with her in potions...and she was discovering something else. Competeing with, and even winning, with out engaging preventive attacks such as had always been her habit was a great deal more fun.
And now she had friends, not people she harrassed, but actual friends. People that would stay around her for pleasure's sake and not because of any threat she had made. The large crowds about her still made her nervous, but she was coming to enjoy hanging about with Karen and Melody.
She was starting, slowly, to drop many of the acts she had taken up to infuriate her brother and, hopefully, scare him off meddling with her. If she had known what she was becoming, she might have been more than a little worried, since it was what she had been trying to fight against becoming for much of her life.
For, though their interests and many surface things were vastly different, Kodachi was coming to act in manner not too different from her mother's. Her brother would not have recognized such, of course, he would have been deceived by the many surface differences. Kuno wanted an exact copy, not a similar daughter, assuming he would even notice similarities. Kodachi herself would have hotly denied it without giving any reasoning, if someone had told her.
Considering her enjoyment of her new situation, and how busy she was with her studies, it was not surprising that she had only heard of Sirius Black in passing, and not enough for it to really take a hold of her mind.
****
Kodachi woke up early as usual and, collecting her python, she made her way to the window. In the next moment she was crawling down the wall like a lizard, finding the smallest cracks to hold her position. It was getting easier every time she made this trip, and soon she was walking jauntily towards Hagrid's shack.
Hopefully, she'd hear some good news about Buckbeak, but she doubted it. Hagrid seemed to be quite fatalistic and pessimistically certain about the fate of his pet. Kodachi was reluctantly inclined to believe it, she was quite familiar with the powers a rich family could bring to bear.
Unfortunately, she found that he wasn't at home, and so merely returned to the castle, heading on to breakfast, sitting with her friends.
"Where do you go every morning?" Melody asked as Kodachi sat down with her snake.
"I get some exercise," Kodachi said. "I've found a particularly invigorating path down the tower walls. Though perhaps it could be a little quicker."
"You climb the walls?" Karen repeated. Kodachi nodded, then she noticed all the excited buzzing about the cafeteria. "Whatever is the excitement about."
"Oh," Melody said, somewhat forlornly. "It's a Hogsmeade weekend. All the older students get to go visit Hogsmeade all day while we stay here and study."
"Hogsmeade?" Kodachi repeated. "What's that?"
"The only all magic-village in all of Britain," Karen said. "They have some lovely stores there, I'm told." She sighed and it was obvious she'd want to go.
"At least it will mean that Malfoy is gone all day," Melody said.
"Yes, it will," Kodachi said, suddenly very relieved. "Well, it shall be an easy day then." She suddenly looked very nervous, followed by a whisper. "Perhaps you can give me some tips on how to use a broom?"
Melody snickered a little. It had been disappointing, as they had been hoping someone with her physical training would get on the quidditch team, but it had been memorable to see Kodachi's first broom lesson.
****
"Now class," Madam Hooch said. "Hold your hands over the broom like so," She held out her hand palm down at about heart level. "Now say 'up'!" The broom leaped into her hand.
Kodachi did as she was instructed. Held her hand over the bloom and declared "up."
Which was when the broom snapped into her face. The last thing she saw before waking up in the hospital wing a few minutes later was the sky and two suns.
****
"If you can help me with my potions assignment," Melody agreed lightly. "And we all have to prepare for the next Defense against the Dark Arts lesson."
All of them nodded grimmly at that. Professor Lupin was undoubtedly a good teacher, and his classes were enjoyable, but it was sometimes dangerous. Come the end of the weekend, they were going to be dealing with gremlins, and what they had read so far was indicating that, while not very dangerous, it was quite possibly going to rather irritating.
"And I understand our first quidditch match is coming up," Kodachi said. "I am greatly interested in seeing this sport played. Do you think we're going to win?"
"Haven't you heard?" Karen asked. "We're backing out of this match. Apparently Malfoy needs more time to heal his arm."
"WHAT?!" Kodachi gasped standing up. "That...that!!" Karen and Melody shushed her and encouraged her to sit down again. Kodachi, noticing all the eyes on her grumbled but sat down anyway, continuing under her breath. "That twit's arm is injured about as surely as mine. What do they hope to accomplish?"
"There's a storm moving in," Melody said. "They don't want to play Gryffindor and Harry Potter in that weather."
"The cowardice," Kodachi muttered, insulted.
****
"What was that about?" Ron asked as the three Syltherin girls turned to glare towards Malfoy.
"I don't know," Harry said shrugging and unconcerned. "Probably Draco did something else to Kodachi."
"Oh cheer up, Harry," Hermione said. "It won't be that bad. And I'm sure you'll be able to come next year."
"There's always the feast," Ron said hopefully.
"Yeah," Harry said. "I guess so."
"And we'll bring back all sorts of sweets, okay?" Hermione added.
"Thanks guys," Harry said, giving them a smile.
****
Later in the day, Kodachi was heading to the library when she passed the teacher's room and heard Harry speaking to Professor Lupin. She couldn't help but listen in as they talked about dementors and somebody named Voldemort.
"Really Miss Hecate," a voice said behind her. She gasped and turned around to see Snape holding a goblet full of a steaming liquid. "Listening at keyholes is quite bit undignified don't you say? I shall merely warn you this time, if it were a techer of any other house that found you, you would be losing Slytherin points for this."
"My apologies, Professor Snape," Kodachi answered. "I was just listening to Professor Lupin and Upperclassman Potter..."
"Potter?!" Snape snapped in surprise, continuing on into the room with the potion.
"Yes, Severus," Lupin said as the man entered. "I was just showing Potter the grindylow for the next lesson. If I had known Miss Hecate was here, I would have invited her in."
"I see," Snape said and set the goblet down before the shabby teacher. "I would drink that directly if I were you. I have made an entire cauldron full if you need any more."
"Thank you," Lupin said. "I shall probably have another goblet tomorrow."
"As for you two," Snape said. "I assume you have assignments to attend to, so perhaps you should finish your business quickly."
See other episodes by Thrythlind
(Posted Sun, 22 Dec 2002 16:44)
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