Disclaimer: I own nothing but Nikole Piper.
***
"Hey, Bo," Nikole Piper pressed her hands lightly on the clear glass. "Didja miss me?" She looked at the long, brown and black boa constrictor that was laying on a rock beyond the glass.
"Yes, mistress." It slithered toward her and asked, "What brings you here?"
"I missed ya, you know? Besides, I thought that if I visited you and I could check the other reptiles here in the zoo." She looked around, thankful to not catch anyone's attention.
"Mr. Potter is coming."
Nikole looked at Bo in that confused way she did. "Who? Mr. Potter? Who?"
"Mr. Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. Haven't you heard about him?" Bo slithered closer, his tongue entering and leaving his mouth.
"No," Nikole confessed.
"Shhhh, mistress. Here he is." Bo slithered back onto his rock and acted like a real, dangerous snake.
"So, you like snakes, too?" A young, rather handsome boy stood next to her. His hair was unruly and messy, but his eyes were blue and carried seriousness and depth and a little humor.
"Yeah, I do," Nikole drew her attention back to Bo. Since she couldn't speak to Bo with the boy standing right there, she decided to use her talent to talk to snakes with her mind. 'Bo, is this Mr. Potter?'
'Yes, mistress. Tis him.'
"Where are my manners?" The boy asked. "My name is Harry. Harry Potter." He held out his hand and Nikole shook it.
"Nikole. Nikole Piper." 'Harry Potter? Where have I heard that name before?'
"Nice to meet you, Nikole," he smiled. He was dressed in a gray T-shirt with a plaid, button-down shirt over it, and beige cargos that were slightly torn at the knees.
'You've heard the name from your mother, mistress.'
"You, too, Harry." Nikole returned his smile. 'My mother? What are you talking about, Bo?'
'She sang you songs and told you stories, and one of them had the name Harry Potter. Do you remember now?'
"No, Bo. I-I don't," Nikole answered out loud.
"Pardon me?" Harry asked, looking at her, confused.
"Uh," she began. Way to go genius. "Um..." 'Bo! Is he parsel-tongue?'
'Yes, mistress.'
"I was talking to Bo." Nikole looked at Bo.
"Bo?" he asked.
"Him," she replied, pointing toward the snake.
"You're talking to a snake?" he asked, skeptically.
She was going to tell him her magical secrets, but changed her mind. "Yes. I am. Well, its, just weird." Nikole looked into his eyes.
"Am I supposed to be afraid that you may be some type of psycho and run for my life?" He took a half-inch back.
"You can. But I won't follow." She pushed back a few strands of loose hair away from her face and looked at him.
"That's good." He looked into her brown eyes and saw her sigh; he decided to change the subject. "So, you, uh, like reptiles?"
"Turtles, crocs, and snakes mostly. You?"
"I like owls."
"Owls. I love those, too. They can really interact with nature and humans. They're beautiful creatures."
"They are." Harry took a step closer to Bo and it hissed at him. 'I wish I could talk to you, Bo, but someone's here.'
"Why, hello there, lovely lady," started Dudley, appearing from nowhere. "I see you've met my cousin, Harry."
"Yes, I, uh, have." Nikole looked from Dudley to Harry.
"Dudley," he replied, giving out his hand.
"Nikole," she answered, shaking it.
"Nice to meet you, Nikole. I hope Harry here hasn't been giving you any trouble. Has he?" Dudley glared evilly at his cousin.
"Uh, no, he hasn't. He's been a good boy." Nikole looked at Harry, who was looking at the ground. Apparently, his cousin had some sort of 'power' over him. "Well, it was nice meeting both of you, but I must get going."
"Goodbye, Nikole," called Dudley.
"Bye," Harry echoed.
After Nikole was out of earshot range, Dudley looked at his cousin. "Don't think you'll get a girlfriend before me, witch-boy. Now she's a fine young thing, but she's mine."
Harry didn't answer.
"Come on, children," called out his Uncle Vernon. "We're on our way home."
***
"Hey, Bo," Nikole Piper pressed her hands lightly on the clear glass. "Didja miss me?" She looked at the long, brown and black boa constrictor that was laying on a rock beyond the glass.
"Yes, mistress." It slithered toward her and asked, "What brings you here?"
"I missed ya, you know? Besides, I thought that if I visited you and I could check the other reptiles here in the zoo." She looked around, thankful to not catch anyone's attention.
"Mr. Potter is coming."
Nikole looked at Bo in that confused way she did. "Who? Mr. Potter? Who?"
"Mr. Potter. The Boy-Who-Lived. Haven't you heard about him?" Bo slithered closer, his tongue entering and leaving his mouth.
"No," Nikole confessed.
"Shhhh, mistress. Here he is." Bo slithered back onto his rock and acted like a real, dangerous snake.
"So, you like snakes, too?" A young, rather handsome boy stood next to her. His hair was unruly and messy, but his eyes were blue and carried seriousness and depth and a little humor.
"Yeah, I do," Nikole drew her attention back to Bo. Since she couldn't speak to Bo with the boy standing right there, she decided to use her talent to talk to snakes with her mind. 'Bo, is this Mr. Potter?'
'Yes, mistress. Tis him.'
"Where are my manners?" The boy asked. "My name is Harry. Harry Potter." He held out his hand and Nikole shook it.
"Nikole. Nikole Piper." 'Harry Potter? Where have I heard that name before?'
"Nice to meet you, Nikole," he smiled. He was dressed in a gray T-shirt with a plaid, button-down shirt over it, and beige cargos that were slightly torn at the knees.
'You've heard the name from your mother, mistress.'
"You, too, Harry." Nikole returned his smile. 'My mother? What are you talking about, Bo?'
'She sang you songs and told you stories, and one of them had the name Harry Potter. Do you remember now?'
"No, Bo. I-I don't," Nikole answered out loud.
"Pardon me?" Harry asked, looking at her, confused.
"Uh," she began. Way to go genius. "Um..." 'Bo! Is he parsel-tongue?'
'Yes, mistress.'
"I was talking to Bo." Nikole looked at Bo.
"Bo?" he asked.
"Him," she replied, pointing toward the snake.
"You're talking to a snake?" he asked, skeptically.
She was going to tell him her magical secrets, but changed her mind. "Yes. I am. Well, its, just weird." Nikole looked into his eyes.
"Am I supposed to be afraid that you may be some type of psycho and run for my life?" He took a half-inch back.
"You can. But I won't follow." She pushed back a few strands of loose hair away from her face and looked at him.
"That's good." He looked into her brown eyes and saw her sigh; he decided to change the subject. "So, you, uh, like reptiles?"
"Turtles, crocs, and snakes mostly. You?"
"I like owls."
"Owls. I love those, too. They can really interact with nature and humans. They're beautiful creatures."
"They are." Harry took a step closer to Bo and it hissed at him. 'I wish I could talk to you, Bo, but someone's here.'
"Why, hello there, lovely lady," started Dudley, appearing from nowhere. "I see you've met my cousin, Harry."
"Yes, I, uh, have." Nikole looked from Dudley to Harry.
"Dudley," he replied, giving out his hand.
"Nikole," she answered, shaking it.
"Nice to meet you, Nikole. I hope Harry here hasn't been giving you any trouble. Has he?" Dudley glared evilly at his cousin.
"Uh, no, he hasn't. He's been a good boy." Nikole looked at Harry, who was looking at the ground. Apparently, his cousin had some sort of 'power' over him. "Well, it was nice meeting both of you, but I must get going."
"Goodbye, Nikole," called Dudley.
"Bye," Harry echoed.
After Nikole was out of earshot range, Dudley looked at his cousin. "Don't think you'll get a girlfriend before me, witch-boy. Now she's a fine young thing, but she's mine."
Harry didn't answer.
"Come on, children," called out his Uncle Vernon. "We're on our way home."