The Evil child

6. Mad-Eye's Class.

Sitting down seat in class. Defence against the dark arts class. Mad-eye. He writes his name on the board. Alastor Moody. Suddenly the door opened and we all turned to see a late Draco. "Sorry sir I was-" Draco stared but was cut off. "Sit. Now." Mad-Eye simply said. Draco scanned the room and then I realized the only empty seat is by me.

I look ahead and hear Draco sit next to me. "Ministry malcontent and your new defence against the dark arts teacher." His voice was deep and scratchy. He's unsettling. "I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of story, the end. Any questions?" He asked. He didn't even give anyone a second to respond. He continued.

"When it comes to the dark arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which of you can tell me how many unforgivable curses there are?" He asked. "Three sir." Hermione answered. "And they are so named?" He asked approching her desk.

"Because they are unforgivable. Use of any one of them will-" Hermione was answering but Mad-Eye cut her off. "Will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban. Correct." He finished.

He paced over to mine and Draco and stared at me for an unsettling amount of time. "Now the ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do. I say different!" He began yelling and finally looked away. "What are you talking about?" I blurted out. He turned back to me. 

"You need to know what you're up against, you need to be prepared, you need to find somewhere else to put your chewing gum other than the underside of your desk Mr Finnigan!" Mad-Eye turned his head to Finnigan.

Mad-Eye then walked to the bored. "Aw no way, the old codger can see out the back of his head." Finnigan grumbled. Mad-Eye suddenly threw the chalk in anger. It hit Finnigan on the forehead.

Draco hid a chuckle. "So, which curse shall we see first?" Mad-Eye asked. Is he going to preform the three unforgivable curses? Surely not. That'd be mad.

"Weasley!" Mad-Eye shouted to Ron. He flinched and was obviously intimidated. "Yes." He replied. "Give us a curse." He ordered. "Well, my dad did tell me about one. The imperious curse." He said nervously. 

"Ah yes, your father would know all about that. Gave the ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why." He said waking over to a jar. Mad-Eye pops open a jar with a spider in it.

Ron looked shaken. He hates spiders. I smiled remembering how scared he was second year when Hagrid told us to follow the spiders. "Hello. What a little beauty." Mad-Eye said. He waved his wand and send it around the class. It began landing on other kids around me. "Don't worry. Completely harmless." Mad-Eye announced but I still felt uneasy.

"But if she bites, she's lethal!" He added as it landed on a scared girl. Draco laughs. My eyes wonder to his. His smile made me hold my breath. I haven't seen his smile in so long. I nearly smiled when Mad-Eye's voice brought me back to reality. "What are you laughing at?" He snapped.

Draco's smile faded as Mad-Eye sends the spider onto Draco's face. He shouted clearly scared. "Enough!" I shouted defensively. Silence carried through the room as Mad-Eye moved it into the air and off Draco. His eyes lingered over me. He didn't look mad, he looked intrigued. Like he knew me even?

"Talented isn't she? What shall I have her do next?" Mad-Eye asked, braking the silence and finally looking away. "Jump out the window?" He asked and flung it to the window but didn't drop it. "Drown herself?" He asked. Mad-Eye has the spider over a bucket of water, it's wriggling. Fighting for life.

I felt Draco staring. I think he has been since I defended him. "Scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only did you-know-whose bidding under the influence of the imperious curse. But here's the rub, how do we sort out the liars?" Mad-Eye asked.

What is he thinking? Speaking of Voldemort here? "Come on up now. Longbottom is it? Up." Mad-eye instructed.

Neville stands, but it's easy to see he's nervous and scared. I looked over to see Draco's eyes staring into mine. I had to stop myself from smiling at him. "Stop staring." I said simply, in a whisper.

His eyes snapped to Neville and off me. "Professor Sprout tells me you have an aptitude for herbology." Mad-Eye states. "There's the-um-the cruciatus curse." Neville stammered out. "Correct! Correct! come come." He waves Neville to the desk in the front of the class. To the spider.

He waved his wand. "Particularly nasty. The torture curse." Mad-Eye said as he aimed at the spider. Mad-Eye begins torturing the spider with magic, it squeals. I winced and felt sick. Neville looked as bad as I felt. "Stop it! Can't you see it's bothering him, stop it!" Hermione shouted. Mad-Eye glances at us all and then stops finally.

I looked down and saw I was fiddling at my nails. I do that when I'm nervous. I felt eyes on me again and knew it was Draco. "Are you okay?" He whispered. I nodded. I look up to see Mad-Eye has picked up the spider which is still making noises.

"Perhaps you could give us the last unforgivable curse Miss Granger?" Mad-Eye suggested. Hermione shakes her head. She didn't even meet his eyes.

He casts a spell and the spider disintegrates. "The killing curse. Only one person is known to have survived it." Mad-Eye paused and inches closer to Harry's desk. "And he's sitting in this room." He finished. He takes a drink and he and Harry meet eyes.

What's up with this guy?