"It's not a rattlesnake if that's what you're asking. I don't know how loud he sounds to other people. It just sounds like he's talking to me."

"Well if yeh can keep him in yer trunk and make sure he won't stick his head out or anythin'..."

"I don't think he'd like that. I also don't know where I'd get him food to eat."

"The House Elves could help with that."

"It's an idea. Thank you, will I get in trouble if people find out?"

"...aye."

"I don't know what to do. How much trouble would I be in?"

"Well—not a lot? And I could keep 'im fer yeh, and yeh could visit 'im every now an' then."

"Could you? Are you allowed to?"

"Yeh, I'm groundskeeper, I keep the grounds."

"Thank you, that would be wonderful Hagrid."

He beams!

Is there anything else she'd like to buy?

More clothes, a trunk, a book bag, maybe some extra books when they get to the bookstore.

The bookstore is called Flourish and Blotts. The shelves are stacked to the ceiling with books as large as paving stones bound in leather; books the size of postage stamps in covers of silk; books full of peculiar symbols and a few books with nothing in them at all.

This is a good store. She's glad to be in it. She looks around for her course books and then she looks for any sort of introductory materials for the world, Hogwarts, or magic.

There are those! Hogwarts: A History might have a lot of information about the school, as might A History of Magic, both by Bathilda Bagshot. Beyond that, there is a myriad books about herbs, creatures, spells, potions, history, politics, law, self-help books...

She'll take Hogwarts: A History and A History of Magic. Do any of the self-help books look interesting? She'll also grab a book about law and one about politics.

Self-help books seem as universally useless as muggle ones.

Then she won't be buying one.

Cauldrons are next on the list!

She doesn't anticipate anything special being needed in that shop.

Really? Not even this solid gold cauldron that she can easily afford and which cuts potion preparation time in half compared to the pewter that's on his school list?

Somehow, she expects that would make it harder to learn. Having to do steps in a recipe twice as fast.

Then pewter it is! Then they can get a collapsible brass telescope and a set of scales for weighing potions ingredients, and after that they can go to the Apothecary, which smells of bad eggs and rotten cabbages. It is otherwise fascinating, though: barrels of slimy stuff stand on the floor; jars of herbs, dried roots, and bright powders line the walls; bundles of feathers, strings of fangs, and snarled claws hang from the ceiling. Hagrid asks the man behind the counter for a supply of some basic potion ingredients for Sarah.

She doesn't know enough about potions to add anything else to the list.