Third Person POV:
History of Magic had rarely gone so slowly. Harry kept checking Ron's watch, having finally discarded his own, but Ron's was moving so slowly he could have sworn it had stopped working too. All three of them were so tired they could happily have put their heads down on the desks and slept; even Hermione wasn't taking her usual notes, but was sitting with her head on her hand, gazing at Professor Binns with her eyes out of focus.
When the bell finally rang, they hurried out into the corridors toward the Dark Arts classroom and found Professor Moody leaving it. He looked as tired as they felt. The eyelid of his normal eye was drooping, giving his face an even more lopsided appearance than usual.
"Professor Moody?" Harry called as they made their way toward him through the crowd.
"Hello, Potter," Moody growled. His magical eye followed a couple of passing first years, who sped up, looking nervous; it rolled into the back of Moody's head and watched them around the corner before he spoke again.
"Come in here."
He stood back to let them into his empty classroom, limped in after them, and closed the door.
"Did you find him?" Harry asked without preamble. "Mr. Crouch?"
"No," Moody said. He moved over to his desk, sat down, stretched out his wooden leg with a slight groan, and pulled out his hip flask.
Harry asked, in surprise. "Did you use the map?"
"Of course," said Moody, taking a swig from his flask. "Took a leaf out of your book, Potter. Summoned it from my office into the forest. He wasn't anywhere on there."
"So he did Disapparate?" Ron said.
"You can't Disapparate on the grounds, Ron!" Hermione said. "There are other ways he could have disappeared, aren't there, Professor?"
Moody's magical eye quivered as it rested on Hermione. "You're another one who might think about a career as an Auror," he told her. "Mind works the right way, Granger."
Hermione flushed pink with pleasure.
Willow's POV:
"Black." Snape hissed. I looked up from my cauldron and looked at him.
"Yes?" I said softly. Severus pointed to a part of the page. I then looked to my cauldron, "Yeah, that's not right."
Severus went back to his desk and I finished the potion. When the potion did not flame, or bomb into my face I felt proud of myself. I handed the finished product to Severus and he examined it. He gave me a surprised look.
"What is it still wrong?" I said, scrunching my face.
"Actually, it is right on point. Well done." Severus said, "I will tell Dumbledore that you have completed all the required work for this class to graduate early."
"Really, but I only did like one potion." I furrowed my brow.
Third Person POV:
"We can't rule out kidnap," Moody growled.
"So," Ron stated, "d'you reckon he's somewhere in Hogsmeade?"
"Could be anywhere," Moody said, shaking his head. "Only thing we know for sure is that he's not here."
He yawned widely, so that his scars stretched, and his lopsided mouth revealed a number of missing teeth. Then he said, "Now, Dumbledore's told me you three fancy yourselves as investigators, but there's nothing you can do for Crouch. The Ministry'll be looking for him now, Dumbledore's notified them. Potter, you just keep your mind on the third task."
YOU ARE READING
A Greater Power
Fanfiction**On Hold** Willow Black is the only daughter to a man she has never known. Born to a woman who was a drug abuser, Willow learned how to survive at a young age. Now as a Seventh Year Slytherin, Willow will be tested in ways she never thought possibl...
