The Anti-Heroine || A Harry Potter Fanfiction

Chapter LXX

A/N: SURPRISE! Consider this an apology chapter and a thank you for everyone being so patient and understanding about the wait for the last chapter ;)

Special thanks to dborr686 and THE_Bookworm_1111 – you guys inspire me so much <3

CHAPTER LXX:
Warning: contains sex scene

Harry's POV:

The day after he learned what the Third Task was, Harry received a note at breakfast that he'd been quietly dreading.

"Private lessons with Moody?" Draco, who'd read it over his shoulder, asked in horrified dismay.

"How the fuck did that happen?" Blaise demanded incredulously.

"Dumbledore." Harry said glumly, stabbing his bacon with his fork.

"Of course," Blaise groaned.

"Who else would it be?" Hermione spat, glaring viciously at the head table, specifically at Moody's currently empty seat.

"Fucking wonderful," Theo said sourly.

"It's going to be torture," Harry said morosely, eyeing his goblet of pumpkin juice and wondering if it would be possible to drown himself in it. Draco patted his back sympathetically and Hermione, who was now glaring furiously at her porridge, was going to need a dentist if she kept grinding her teeth like she was.

Harry's lessons all sped by frustratingly fast that day– even Hagrid's class seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, though Harry would admit the BilliWigs were pretty cool. The vivid sapphire-blue Australian insects had a wicked looking long curved stinger but when they stung, there was no pain, only giddiness followed by levitation. A class full of floating students was pretty hilarious– and thank Salazar it wasn't those bloody blast-ended skrewts again. The monsters were nearly eight feet long now and terrifying— and he had a terrible feeling that Hagrid was going to donate one to the Third Task.

All too soon, it felt, Harry was dragging his feet as he made his way to the DADA classroom.

Moody was waiting inside, his scarred face twisted into its usual scowl. To Harry's surprise, Tonks was also present– she had spiky green hair and pale grey eyes that almost looked silver. When she winked at him, mouth curling into a sly smile, Harry recognised the colours for the subtle show of support they were.

It was undeniably a relief. Tonks was... strange, to say the least, but she'd also been loyal to her word, never revealing the truth behind Ron Weasley's death.

"Right," Moody said gruffly, dragging Harry's attention back to him. "Pay attention, Potter, because what you learn here could save your life."

"You're teaching me how to get through the Third Task— it's not exactly life-threatening," Harry was unable to help retorting. Moody scowled, a nasty sight as the twisted scars on his mangled face distorted further with the movement of his mouth.

"I'm not teaching you how to play in a stupid schoolboy game!" He growled angrily. "I'm teaching you how to survive when You-Know-Who comes for your head!" Apparently Harry didn't look scared enough, because Moody leaned forwards, mouth twisting further into an ugly snarl. "You think that green-and-silver tie will save you, boy? You think You-Know-Who will give a single fuck that you were Sorted into his old House? When he's strong enough, he's going to hunt your useless self down, never stopping until your tortured corpse is dumped at his feet!"

"Like you're so much better!" Harry scoffed, his temper flaring hot. "How many times have you used an Unforgivable curse? How many people have you killed? Because I've heard all sorts of messed up shit about you, and I think you're as big a monster as the witches and wizards you hunt down!"