A Hogwarts Legend: Chaos Begins [4] (SLOW UPDATES)

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Nineteen - "Harry sleeps wearing socks, the horror."

We spend the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses. No one speaks until the bell rings - but when Moody has dismissed us and we have left the classroom, a torrent of talk bursts forth. Most people are discussing the curses in awed voices - "Did you see it twitch?" "- and when he killed it - just like that!"

They're talking about the lesson as though it was some sort of spectacular show, but I didn't find it very entertaining - and nor, it seems, did Hermione.

"Hurry up," she says tensely to Harry, Ron, Elinor, Maya and I.

"Not the ruddy library again?" says Ron.

"No," says Hermione curtly, pointing up a side passage. "Neville."

Neville is standing alone, halfway up the passage, staring at the stone wall opposite him with the same horrified, wide-eyed look he had worn when Moody demonstrated the Cruciatus curse.

"Neville?" Maya says gently.

Neville looks around.

"Oh, hello," he says, his voice much higher than usual. "Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm - I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Neville, are you all right?" I ask.

"Oh, yes, I'm fine," Neville gabbles, in the same unnaturally high voice. "Very interesting dinner - I mean lesson - what's for eating?"

Elinor gives me a startled look.

"Neville, what -?"

But an odd clunking noise sounds behind us, and we turn to see Professor Moody limping towards us. All seven of us fall silent, watching him apprehensively, but when he speaks, it's in a much lower and gentler growl than we've yet heard.

"It's all right, sonny," he says to Neville. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on ... we can have a cup of tea ..."

How British.

Neville looks even more frightened at the prospect of tea with Moody. He neither moves nor speaks.

Moody turns his magical eye upon Harry and I. "You all right, are you?"

"Yes," says Harry, almost defiantly, and I nod.

Moody's blue eye quivers slightly in its socket as it surveys us.

Then he says, "You've got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you've got to know. No point pretending ... well ... come on, Longbottom, I've got some books that might interest you."

Neville looks pleadingly at us, but we don't say anything, so Neville has no choice but to allow himself to be steered away, one of Moody's gnarled hands on his shoulder.

"What was that about?" says Ron, watching Neville and Moody turns the corner.

"I don't know," says Hermione, looking pensive.

"Some lesson, though, eh?" says Ron, as we set off for the Great Hall. "Fred and George were right, weren't they? He really knows his stuff, Moody, doesn't he? When he did Avada Kedavra, the way that spider just died, just snuffed it right -"

But Ron falls suddenly silent at the look on Harry's face, and doesn't speak again until we reach the Great Hall, when he says he supposes we'd better make a start on Professor Trelawney's predictions tonight, as it'll take hours.

I've already done it. That means I'm going to have to do it again for the dumb arses I call my friends.

Hermione doesn't join in with Harry, Maya and Ron's conversation during dinner, but eats furiously fast, and then leaves for the library again, Elinor in tow. Harry, Ron, Maya and I walk back to Gryffindor Tower, and no one speaks until we reach the Tower.