The Other Black Book 4

Chapter 12 - Mad-Eye Moody

The storm had blown itself out by the following morning, though the ceiling in the Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled overhead as Harry, Ron, and Hermione examined their new course schedules at breakfast. A few seats along, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were discussing magical methods of aging themselves and bluffing their way into the Triwizard Tournament.

"Today's not bad...outside all morning," said Ron, who was running his finger down the Monday column of his schedule. "Herbology with the Hufflepuffs and Care of Magical Creatures...damn it, we're still with the Slytherins...."

"Double Divination this afternoon," Harry groaned, looking down. Divination was his least favorite subject, apart from Potions. Professor Trelawney kept predicting Harry's death, which he found extremely annoying. "I guess you'll like that, Aura."

Aurora didn't respond. She was too tired to say anything back.

"You should have given it up like me, shouldn't you?" said Hermione briskly, buttering herself some toast. "Then you'd be doing something sensible like Arithmancy."

"You're eating again, I notice," said Ron, watching Hermione adding liberal amounts of jam to her toast too.

"I've decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights," said Hermione haughtily.

"Yeah...and you were hungry," said Ron, grinning.

There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Aurora looked up, but there was no sign of Cooper among the mass of brown and gray, not that she expected any. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soared down to Neville Longbottom and deposited a parcel into his lap - Neville almost always forgot to pack something. On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy's eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home.

Aurora looked at her cup of juice and quietly whispered a focused incantation. Without a sound, it turned into a dark brown drink that Aurora then took a sip. Her coffee hadn't completely changed, the flavor of the juice was still there, but it was quite good and seemed to wake her up quite well after several sips.

"Good thing you're good at Transfiguration," Hermione said to Aurora, although she did not look happy.

"I didn't get any sleep, okay?" Aurora said, taking another sip.

"You were one of the first ones out!" Hermione said.

"It wasn't restful," Aurora responded. "I just hope I don't fall asleep during Divination. She wouldn't be happy at that."

Aurora continued to talk amongst Hermione and Rebecca who had joined in the conversation as it changed to teachers and classes as they walked across the vegetable patch before greenhouse three. They stopped as Professor Sprout started showing the class the ugliest plants Aurora had ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid.

"Bubotubers," Professor Sprout told them briskly. "They need squeezing. You will collect the pus -"

"The what?" said Seamus Finnigan, sounding revolted.

"Pus, Finnigan, pus," said Professor Sprout, "and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus."