The Eye Of The Gazer

Chapter 17

Three witches stepped, one after the other in rapid succession, from the high, wide fireplace in the side room at The Leaky Cauldron. This fireplace was oversized relative to the room in which it sat, the cheerful flames burning in the hearth making the confined space very hot and stuffy. The massive stone construction was necessary, for this was one of the main London stops on the floo network, used by most witches and wizards who were visiting Diagon Alley. It was generally considered impolite to floo directly into the fireplaces of individual shops, and impossible to do so directly into Gringott's Bank, where wards and intruder charms protected all the fireplaces. It was risky to apparate almost anywhere in Diagon Alley during business hours, as the place was generally bustling with people. In contrast, The Leaky Cauldron was pleased to welcome travellers, and had set aside this room for arrivals and departures. This facility was good for business, as many shoppers stopped at the hostelry either before or after buying their purchases, and sampled the landlord Tom's excellent butterbeer, or tucked into one of his famous pies, baked by his daughter in huge ovens in the kitchen beside this transit point.

These three arrivals were not enticed into stopping for refreshment by the delicious smell of fresh baking, for they had only recently breakfasted. They were two young women and a child: Jane Currer, Gabrielle Delacour and Bryony Chang. Gabrielle was on her way to Cho's Chic to discuss her wedding dress: for who else would make a dress for her if not Cho, now famous also in France for her couture? Cho was the mother of Draco's half sister, and also she and Gabrielle had shared that terrifying experience of being placed in the lake at Hogwarts many years ago, in order to be rescued by their respective school's Champion during the Triwizard Tournament. Gabrielle had invited Bryony to accompany her today, knowing that the small girl would enjoy visiting her mother at work, and guessing that she would also love to be involved in the choice of a wedding dress.

When Gabrielle had asked Bryony if she would like to come with her, Jane Currer had been present, and had encouraged Bryony to accept. It became apparent that Jane had never been to Diagon Alley. Gabrielle expressed her amazement, but soon understood that Jane had not been very long in England before she had been hired by Madam Chang, and subsequently had spent all her time at Gildenford Hall. "Zen you must come too, Jane," she had said. Jane had been reluctant at first, believing she would perhaps be in the way, but Gabrielle had insisted, and so here were all three of them, the two women each holding one of Bryony's hands, making their way along Diagon Alley to Cho's Chic.

In the shop they were greeted by Cho, who hugged her daughter and then introduced Gabrielle to Alan. His eyes sparkled when Gabrielle kissed him on both cheeks. Jane, emboldened by Mademoiselle Delacour's demonstration of her continental manners, then did the same equally as naturally; for she had been accustomed to this form of greeting in Brussels, and had been obliged to learn to shake hands instead here in England. Alan smiled at her, eliciting a pretty blushing smile in response. He wondered as he looked at her, careful not to be seen examining her too closely, whether this creature had really attracted the attention of Lucius Malfoy as any more than the governess of his daughter. Here, where fashion was the very core of the business, Jane's severe blue robes were quite out of place; but Alan was not one to judge a book by its cover. He could see that Jane was very neat, her brown hair shone with health, and her clear honest eyes looked into his without a trace of the guile shown by some of his less innocent customers.

Cho took charge of Gabrielle, leading her into the workroom at the back of the shop, and Alan, who had a quarter hour's respite before his next appointment, entertained his goddaughter by showing her the swatches of some beautiful new fabrics that Cho was importing from China, following her visit to Hong Kong some weeks ago. Bryony was enchanted by the bright colours that all the fashionable witches were ordering for their new Hallowe'en ball gowns. Jane sat by, smiling quietly at Bryony's enthusiasm, and thus they passed the time until the ringing of the shop bell announced the entrance of the awaited customer. Alan then turned his attention to this latest arrival, an elderly witch who loved all the flattery and attention from a much younger man, while Jane took Bryony into the workroom. Here Cho and Gabrielle were deep in discussion about what Gabrielle would wear on her big day, with fabric samples and sketches strewn all over the work surface.

Bryony was happy to finger these new swatches, all in shades of white, ivory and cream, as her mother and future sister-in-law continued their discussion. She picked up one sample, and turned it this way and that, watching the play of light on it. "I like this one, Mummy," she said after a while, hoping to attract Cho's attention at last, having been very patient indeed for a six-year-old.

Gabrielle turned to her, smiling, and took the sample. As she did so, a shaft of sunlight suddenly shone through the window, catching the fabric, which shimmered, rainbow colours playing over its surface as Gabrielle turned it in her hands. "Ah, you are so clever, Bryony," she said, "It is so beautiful. I will 'ave zis one. It seems plain at first, but when I move, violà, ze effect will be stunning!" She hugged Bryony spontaneously, and kissed her. Cho approved the choice, she could see that it would complement Gabrielle's pale blonde hair perfectly. She set Bryony on her knee, and praised her daughter: "You saved us a lot of time there. We couldn't decide, and then you chose for us. You have excellent taste! Now, Bryony, Gabrielle wants to ask you something."

"Bryony," said Gabrielle, looking serious, "I want to ask you a question. When I get married, would you like to be a bridesmaid?"

Bryony's eyes were round with amazement. "Me, a bridesmaid? Ohh, yes! Mummy, can I?"

"Of course you can! Gabrielle asked me first if she could ask you. So you think you would like that? You'll have to be a very good girl, and do as you're told. It will be a long day. You'll have to stay awake all day, and be nice to everyone all day, even if you feel tired. You'll have to learn some French too, because Draco and Gabrielle are getting married in France."

"All right, Mummy. I'll be good, I promise."

The three witches entered the Magical Menagerie. It had been Cho's idea, that Bryony should buy a kitten to reassure her that not all cats were as ferocious as Crookshanks. Of course, there were cats at Gildenford Hall, but they were mainly kept as mousers, for the rambling buildings and outhouses attracted a great number of mice, and none of these felines was treated as a pet.

Even though it was a kitten they sought, Gabrielle intended to have a good look around the shop first, intrigued to see what they had in stock. The owner, a witch who blinked at them from behind thick black spectacles, smiled from behind the counter as they gazed around them at the cages piled high around the walls. The shop was a noisy place, filled with the screeches, trills and whistles of birds, and the cries of various animals. There was also the chatter of young witches and wizards, as they discussed with each other and their adult companions the merits of each magical creature on offer.

The new arrivals walked slowly around the cages, staring into them at animals of every colour, many of them in shades never seen in the Muggle world. Gabrielle admired the tiny lavender blue songbirds, whose sweet tune was so sad it made the listener want to cry. Jane favoured the more cuddly animals, and was very taken with a cage full of pink rabbits with ears at every conceivable angle. "They's Semaphore Rabbits," the proprietress informed them, "They signals with their ears. You can 'ave a conversation with 'em if you 'as the patience."

Meanwhile, Bryony had wandered to the back of the shop, where it was darker away from the windows. Looking into each cage in turn, she first saw large warty toads with wide mouths, and next huge orange snails with glistening shells. Then suddenly she saw a sight that transfixed her: it was the living embodiment of Daddy's cane; for here before her, its head emerging from a tall wicker basket, was a silver-headed cobra. Bryony hardly dared breathe in its presence, for the cobra was uncaged, and the lid of the basket lay on the floor behind it. She felt a thrill run through her as she gazed at its face. The cobra stared at her unblinkingly, tasting the air with its forked tongue, rising hypnotically out of the basket until it hovered over her. Bryony looked into the green jewelled eyes, and was enchanted.

"Hello," she said, feeling that it was rude to stare and say nothing, "Do you like it here? It's very dark."

The snake replied in a soft hissy voice, "Hello, child. I like it here well enough. I can ssee in the dark, my eyess are magical, they collect every last sspark of light."

"But if you're here at the back, nobody will buy you."

"It iss ssurely better here than going home with ssome rough boy who will want to pesster me all the time. I ssleep in my bassket when I hear them come in, with their sshrill voicess, and hope they do not ssee me."

"Do you want to stay here forever?"

"I am waiting for the right misstresss to come along. Someone like you, perhapss?"

Bryony pulled a regretful face. "I do like you," she said, "But we've come to buy a kitten. I don't think Miss Currer will let me buy you instead. But I wish you could meet Daddy. Daddy's cane is just like you!"

Gabrielle had finished listening to the lavender birds' sad song, and she came over to see what Bryony was doing. As she approached, her jaw dropped open in astonishment when she saw the cobra; and then she heard the child. To her ears, it sounded as if Bryony was hissing with an undulating pitch. She watched and waited, and heard the snake hiss back at Bryony in the same manner. Gabrielle would have run forward to protect her, but something made her stay and watch: she realised that both the snake and the child were using the same language, and were conversing easily.

At that moment Jane Currer came up behind her, and gave a loud gasp when she saw her small charge standing in front of the enormous silver cobra, its black-striped head hovering over the child, its tongue darting in and out. She would have grabbed Bryony to pull her clear, but Gabrielle stayed her hand.

"Listen!" she commanded. Jane did so. She did not understand why Bryony was making that strange hissing sound. She turned to Gabrielle with a frown on her face.

"Do you not understand what we are seeing?" demanded Gabrielle in a stage whisper, "Bryony is speaking Parseltongue! And look at 'er! She is not afraid, and the snake is not attacking 'er."

Jane turned from Gabrielle to watch Bryony. It was true, the girl was not afraid, she stood there conversing with the huge serpent as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Nor did she seem to be in any danger, the snake was quite relaxed too. After watching their exchange for a few moments, Jane turned back to Gabrielle. As she spoke, a horrified expression formed on her face: "But almost all known Parselmouths are descendants of Salazar Slytherin, and are connected in some way with He Who Must Not Be Named! The only exception is Harry Potter, and he got his ability from him too! How can Bryony speak Parseltongue?"

Gabrielle shook her head, for she did not know the answer to this riddle either. The Malfoys were only very distantly related to Salazar Slytherin – all the pure blood wizarding families were related in some way. She knew that her prospective father-in-law had been to Azkaban for being a Death Eater, but she was sure that Lucius was not a Parselmouth, and neither was Draco; nor, so far as she knew, was Cho Chang. The stories about Harry Potter's exploits often included mention of his ability as a Parselmouth. If this were a common gift, the fact would not have been considered worthy of note.

Instinctively, the two young women reached for each other's hands, and stared as if mesmerised at the small figure talking to the large, highly venomous cobra. They did not dare to interrupt, lest any disturbance should cause the snake to turn on one of them, or decide after all to attack Bryony

Eventually, Bryony turned around and walked back towards them. The snake's glowing green eyes stared at Jane and Gabrielle as it sank slowly back into the wicker basket.

"Snake wants to come home with me," Bryony told them matter-of-factly, "But I said I getting a kitten instead. I telled it about Daddy's cane."

The two older witches looked at each other meaningfully over her head: here was proof, if more were needed, that she had indeed been speaking Parseltongue. Both decided wordlessly not to make a dramatic issue out of this in front of Bryony, although Gabrielle was busy planning who she would tell about the incident. Then she noticed that Jane was looking anxiously towards the front of the shop, and her own eyes followed the governess' gaze to see that the proprietress was staring at them curiously through her thick glasses.

" 'As she seen anysing unusual, do you sink?" asked Gabrielle quietly. "It is very dark where ze snake is."

Jane shrugged in reply. "She's been busy with her other customers most of the time. Anyway, let's pretend that everything is perfectly normal," she said equally quietly.

"Come, Bryony, I'm sure you've had enough of snails and toads! Let's look at the kittens now, " said Jane firmly, and loudly enough to be heard by the shop owner. She held out her hand to Bryony, and led her to the cages full of cats.

Back at Malfoy Manor, Gabrielle pondered whom she should tell first about Bryony's ability to speak Parseltongue. She wondered whether to speak to Lucius or Narcissa. She had an uneasy feeling that something was amiss: Parseltongue had a hint of the Dark Arts about it. With the honourable exception of Harry Potter, all known Parselmouths had been dark wizards. Narcissa was dead, and the Dead knew many things unknown to the living; and she was the temporary guardian and former Secret Keeper of the Subtle Knife, which office also brought with it the knowledge of many mysteries. However, Lucius was Bryony's father, and knew her better. Was he perhaps already aware that she was a Parselmouth? Gabrielle finally decided to approach him first, for she and he had shared that near death experience of the World Beyond, and because of this, she felt that she could say anything to him.

She wondered briefly why she had not thought to discuss Bryony's ability with Draco, for he loved his little sister dearly, but she rejected the thought as soon as it occurred; for she could not tell him how she had saved the child from death, and that this made her feel far more intimately connected with Bryony than was usual for a prospective sister-in-law.

She therefore approached Lucius when she knew he was alone in his study. He looked up from his copy of The Daily Prophet, and smiled. "Gabrielle, my dear, this is a pleasant surprise. What can I do for you?"

Gabrielle shut the door behind her and said, "Monsieur, I 'ave to ask you somesing about Bryony. Today we went to see Cho, about ze dress for ze wedding."

"Yes, I remember you told me yesterday that you were going. You were also going to ask Bryony to be a bridesmaid."

"Yes, zat is correct. She came wiz us to see 'er muzzer at work."

"Us? I thought Draco was banned from seeing the dress until the wedding day?"

"Ah, no, Draco did not come wiz us, you are right. Jane, she came too. She 'ad never been to Diagon Alley before, can you believe it? So I said to 'er, you must see Diagon Alley. Does not every witch love to shop?"

Lucius nodded his understanding. "I see. Do continue."

"First we went to Cho's Chic. I asked Cho, she was 'appy for me to ask Bryony to be a bridesmaid. Of course, Bryony was very 'appy too when I ask 'er. All little girls like to dress up in pretty clozes, n'est-ce pas? But zat is not what I want to tell you. After speaking to Cho and choosing ze dress fabric, we went to ze Magical Menagerie. Cho wanted Bryony to buy a kitten, so she would not be afraid of cats, after what 'appened to 'er."

"I did not know, but it sounds like a sensible idea," remarked Lucius, his eyes hardening visibly at the memory of the attack. "Did she choose a cat?"

"Yes, Monsieur, but zat is not what I came to you about eizer. When we went into ze shop, Jane and I, we were busy looking around at all ze cages. We did not notice at first zat Bryony 'ad gone to ze back of ze shop. Zen we followed 'er, and we could not believe what we saw: Bryony was standing in front of a great big snake…"

"What?" thundered Lucius, moving forward in his chair and almost standing up in his agitation. "You and Miss Currer allowed her to come into contact with a second dangerous animal after what just happened to her?"

"Please, Monsieur, calm yourself. She was in no danger, I promise you. Jane and I, we could not believe our ears. Bryony was talking to ze snake. Did you know she is a Parselmouse?"

"What did you say?" Lucius stared at Gabrielle in disbelief.

"I see you did not know. But per'aps she 'as not met a snake before?"

Gabrielle looked at Lucius, and she could see he was thinking hard. Finally he said, "Bryony has been to that shop before. What small girl does not enjoy such an emporium, especially the more cuddly animals they stock? I am trying to remember whether she ever met a snake there before. I know Draco used to like the snakes they stocked when he was a boy, so I presume they have always sold snakes." He frowned with concentration. "Ah, I remember now!" he said, "Yes, she did see a small snake there when she was younger. She thought its colour was pretty, but she preferred something with fur that she could stroke. And she did not attempt to speak to it. But she was very young, she was still mastering English. It occurs to me that I know nothing of the development of the ability of Parselmouths to speak Parseltongue. I do not know whether a very young child would have the gift, or whether the talent usually appears later." He looked searchingly at Gabrielle. "You are concerned about this ability, are you not?"

She met his eyes as she replied carefully, "Monsieur, I know of your 'istory. You were a follower of 'E Oo Must Not Be Named. Per'aps for you it is not such a wonder, but you must see zat for most witches and wizards, a Parselmouse is a dark witch."

Lucius nodded slightly. "Yes, I see your point. I appreciate that you would not wish to be linked to a family whose notorious past might at any moment become the subject of gossip once more. No, my dear, do not deny it. The Malfoys are in the main regarded as respectable wizards nowadays. I will never apologise for my views on the purity of wizarding blood, but it has been many years since the wizarding war; and since Lord Voldemort's demise, the members of both camps have agreed a form of truce: old enmities are not raised in polite company, and we surviving ex Death Eaters have been rehabilitated. It would not be politic to remind people of those dark days, and especially not so for your family.

"Therefore, it would be expedient not to speak of this outside the family. I will meanwhile research what is known about Parselmouths. I trust I can rely on your discretion?"

"Of course, Monsieur."