Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 5 - Mad-Eye Moody

The first day of classes started with Herbology. Professor Sprout asked us to collect the pus of bubotubers. Afterwards, we had Care of Magical Creatures with Hagrid, who had brought for us a couple of Blast-Ended Skrewts for us to feed. However, the day got worse in Divination class with Professor Trelawney, who gave asked us to complete a chart of the sky when we were born because Ron made an inappropriate joke about Uranus.

"Lots of homework?" Hermione said as I caught up with her on my way to the Great Hall for dinner. "Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!"

"Yeah," I said gloomily, "some stupid star chart."

We reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. Ron and Harry had just joined us at the end of the line when a loud voice rang out behind us.

"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"

We turned around and saw Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle looking quite pleased.

"What?" Ron said shortly.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" Draco said,  brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. "Listen to this!"

FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office.

Malfoy looked up.

"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" he crowed.

Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Draco straightened the paper with a flourish and read on:

Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.

"And there's a picture, Weasley!" Draco said. "A picture of your parents outside their house — if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

I frowned. Ron was shaking with fury.

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Harry said. "C'mon, Ron. . . ."

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" Draco sneered. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"

"You know your  mother, Malfoy?" Harry said as he restrained Ron by the back of his robes. "That expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"

Malfoy's pale face went slightly pink.

"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."

"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," said Harry, turning away.

BANG!

I gasped. Several people around us screamed. A second loud BANG echoed through the entrance hall.

"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"

I looked up and saw Professor Moody limping down the marble staircase, his wand pointed at a pure white ferret shivering on the stone floor, exactly where Draco had been standing only a second ago.

There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle

"Did he get you?" Moody growled at Harry. His voice was low and gravelly.

"No," Harry said.

"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted.

"Leave — what?" Harry said, bewildered.

"Not you — him!" Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody's rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head.

Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave a terrified squeak and took off, streaking toward the dungeons.

"I don't think so!" Moody roared, pointing his wand at the ferret again — it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more.

"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," Moody growled as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. "Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do. . . ."

The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly.

"Never — do — that — again —" Moody said, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again.

"Professor Moody!" said a shocked voice.

Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Moody said,  bouncing the ferret still higher.

"What — what are you doing?" she asked as her eyes landed on the bouncing ferret.

"Teaching."

"Teach — Moody, is that a student?" she shrieked.

"Technically it's a ferret," Moody said.

"No!" she cried and pulled out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing.

"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!" she said. "Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?"

"He might've mentioned it, yeah," Moody said.

Professor McGonagall all chased us away and we quickly sat down at the Gryffindor table and filled our plates.

"Don't talk to me," Ron said quietly.

"Why not?" Hermione said in surprise.

"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever," said Ron, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. "Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret . . ."

We all laughed.

"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though," she said. "It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it —"

"Hermione!" said Ron furiously, his eyes snapping open again, "you're ruining the best moment of my life!"

Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again.

"Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?" said Harry, watching her.

"Got to," said Hermione thickly. "Loads to do."

"But you told us Professor Vector —"

"It's not schoolwork," she said as she stood up and turned to me. "Coming?"

I nodded as I swallowed the last bite of casserole and followed her out of the Great Hall.