Her parents saw the girl, too apparently.
"Is that a student at your school, Hermione?" her mother asked. "The girl over there?"
"I think so. She's probably having troubles with the platform," Hermione said. "We had problems my first time last year, too." She did not comment that it was actually, more or less, her parents that had had problems.
"Where're her parents?" her father asked, in a somewhat disapproving manner.
"Is she...talking to the snake?" her mother asked, somewhat concerned about the sight of a large (in her mind) boa draped about a small and sickly seeming girl.
"I suppose she's a parselmouth," Hermione said.
"What?" her father asked.
"It means she can talk to snakes," Hermione said. "It's a rare talent among wizards."
She didn't go on to say that it was also believed by many to be the mark of a dark wizard. Her parents were remarkably understanding for muggles, and had enjoyed Diagon Alley quite a bit, but even wizards and witches overreacted to a parselmouth occasionally. She really didn't want to make a scene.
"Well, best see if she needs some help, dear," her mother said, though eyeing the snake cautiously.
Hermione nodded as she and her family walked up to the girl.
"Excuse me," her mother said sweetly. "Do you need help?"
The Japanese girl looked up hopefully for a second and asked, in accented English, "You are witches?"
Hermione blinked a moment in surprise. She had been rather certain that Asia had its own schools of wizardry.
"No, dear," Mrs. Granger said reluctantly, noticing the crestfallen look on the girl's face with a hint of self-reproach. "But our daughter is. Do you need help getting on to the platform?"
"Yes, please," Kodachi said quickly, standing up. "I'm having a terrible time finding it myself."
"All right then," Mr. Granger said. "Follow us and Hermione will show you the way. Excuse me, what's your name?"
"Kodachi..." she paused for a moment and then continued. "Hecate. This Shirousagi." She spoke in a strange hissing tongue to the snake to the surprise of both adults, and then turned back to them.
Hermione, meanwhile, blinked as she considered the name the girl had just given and its reputation.
See other episodes by Thrythlind
(Posted Mon, 26 Jul 2004 15:32)
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