Unseen

I am taking my niece, Fiona, to the zoo. She has been visiting me in Surrey this weekend. She is nine.

She wants to see the snakes. She is something like me, quiet and usually unseen.

The reptile house is dark. There are very few other people here.

"- poisonous cobras!" come a voice from the entrance. A group of people enter.

Parents. Three boys. Piers Polkiss and Dudley Dursley, and those are Dudley's parents. I recognise them quickly. Dudley and Piers have been called to the office several times for fighting. The other boy is black haired, with glasses - he is Dudley's cousin. And he just got in trouble for being found on the roof of the school kitchens, didn't he? Harry Potter, wasn't he?

Dudley and Piers run to the largest snake. It is asleep. "Make it move," Dudley whines.

"Aunt Kat," asks Fiona, "do you know them? Do you teach them?"

"They're in someone else's class. But I know them."

Dudley is bored with the snake. He shuffles off to another tank. Fiona pulls me closer as Harry moves in front of the snake. Fiona is being very quiet. We are still out of the direct line of Harry's sight.

The snake is awake. It looks over at Harry.

I could swear it just winked.

Fiona is looking surprised as well. She looks up at me, confused.

Harry looks at the snake, and his mouth opens, but instead of speaking - he hisses.

The snake nods.

Harry hisses again. The snake points its tail at the sign saying Boa Constrictor, Brazil.

He hisses another time. The snake jabs its tail at the sign again. This species was bred in the zoo. Harry hisses again.

"DUDLEY! MR DURSLEY! COME AND LOOK AT THIS SNAKE! YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT IT'S DOING!"

Dudley runs over and elbows Harry aside. "Out of the way, you." Harry falls onto the floor.

Dudley and Piers are leaning up close to the glass. Suddenly they jump away in horror.

The glass is gone, and the snake is uncoiling and slithering out of the tank. People are screaming and running out. Harry stares at the snake for a minute, as if he is hearing something, then walks out as well.

When we are out, Fiona turns to me. "Aunt Kat," she says, "Aunt Kat, the glass just vanished when they were leaning up to it. And did you hear the boy? He was - Aunt Kat - he was hissing. He was speaking to the snake."

"I know. I saw him too. Come on, Fiona, let's go home."

* * *

The day after she saw the Knight Bus, Katherine was making tea when the phone rang. She picked it up, pouring water over a teabag.

"Kat? Is that you? It's Diana." It's her older sister. Fiona's mother.

"Why are you calling now?"

"Fiona just received this crazy letter and there's some woman at the door saying it's true!"

"What did the letter say?"

"Something about schools, and Hogwarts or something, and the woman at the door is talking about magic..."

"Believe her."

"What? Kat, you don't mean..."

"No harm, is there? Ask her is she can prove it, and if she can, believe her."

"But she's saying Fiona is a witch!"

"Is it that impossible?"

"Kat, magic doesn't exist!"

"It might. See if the woman at the door, whatever her name is, can prove it."

"Kat, do you really think..."

"If you don't believe it, why are you so worked up?"

There is a long pause.

"But Kat..."

"Just see if she can prove magic exists before you get so worried. Goodbye."

"Kat, you're insane."

"Goodbye, Diana."

"Are you sure..."

"Goodbye, Diana. And can you send Fiona over here sometime this summer, please?"

"Why ... all right. Goodbye."

Katherine hung up.

Fiona's a witch? That would account for what happened when she fell out of that tree when she was ten ... but ... I didn't think she would be magical...no one else I know is ... well, no one who I know very well ... I think...