A Magic Stronger Than Darkness ~ Book 1: Perfect Opposites

Chapter 2 ~ The Start of Something New

Waking up early, I got dressed into my uniform and went down to the Gryffindor common room. Fred and George were looking through their books, gazing at each page like it was some sort of treasure. This behavior was slightly odd for them, since school books were not exactly their favorite objects in the world. "What are you two troublemakers up to?" I teased, knowing full well that whatever they were doing must be something devious. "Trying to find an ageing potion." Fred answered with a smirk, refusing to look away from his task. "Yeah, we're putting our names in the Goblet of Fire." George added smugly. I raised my eyebrows at them, "Okay then, continue on with that..." I murmured, starting to walk across the room toward the door.

Then I paused, glancing at the twins over my shoulder, "Hey Fred, try checking Chapter Five..." I trailed off, grinning mischievously at them. I knew I probably shouldn't be helping them get into trouble, but, honestly everything that they did was practically harmless. Helping the pair wouldn't be doing anything too dangerous for them or anyone else. My hint caused them to both look up at me, their eyes wide and hopeful. Winking at them, I turned the door handle and exited the common room.

I caught up to Hermione in the hallway near our Defense Against the Dark Arts class. "Today will be interesting," She remarked as we made our way up the winding tower that led to our classroom. We had yet another new teacher this year. Mad – Eye – Moody, the world renowned ex-Auror, whose hulking form had also made an appearance at our feast the evening before. I shivered as I pictured the man's swiveling fake eye boring into my very soul. "Definitely," I agreed as we stepped into the room.

Along with some of the other students, we made our way to our desks and class began soon after. Moody introduced himself and immediately asked our class what the three Unforgivable Curses were. I knew the answers but I didn't want to say any of them. They were too horrid to think about, let alone consider using. Moody called on Ron, and Ron admitted that his dad had mentioned the Imperius curse to him. Moody pulled a decent sized spider out of a nearby jar and held it in the center of his palm. The creature sat calmly on his hand, completely at ease. "Engorgo. Imperio." Moody muttered, pointing his wand at the spider.

The arachnid rapidly enlarged in size and then froze, not even twitching its gangly legs. Moody moved his wand and the spider went wherever it was directed, floating helplessly in the air, unable to control its own actions. Moody then flicked it toward Hermione and I. While Hermione took a deep breath and stilled, I flinched because I hate spiders as much as Ron does. It then landed on Draco's friend Crabbe's head, and then on Parvarti Patil's arm, causing both individuals to yelp out of fright. I couldn't help but find the entire situation funny, as I can't really stand either of them.

But then it was dangling dangerously above Ron's face. Ron's eyes widened in fear and he started trembling. Worrying that my friend would have himself a heart attack, I was about to tell Moody to stop when he heard Draco laughing instead. "Think that's funny, Malfoy?" He flicked his wrist and sent the spider flying onto Draco's face. Draco started yelling, "Get it off! Get it off!" to Goyle who was sitting next to him.

Apparently finished with his fun, Moody then flung the spider over a pail of water and held her there for a long moment. Her legs twitched around as she hovered helplessly over the clear liquid, before Moody decided to return her to his hand.

Moody called on Neville next, asking if he knew of any Unforgivable Curses. To my surprise, Neville slowly nodded his head. "Well I do know about the Cruciatus curse," He answered shakily. "Right. Crucio!" Moody automatically performed his demonstration, the spell causing the spider to start convulsing and shrieking like a banshee. It was sickening to watch, and I had never heard any creature make such a sound of despair. I swallowed and noticed that Neville was about to faint from the sight. Hermione glanced at me and then Neville, seemingly realizing the effect the torture was having on our friend as well. "Stop! STOP! Can't you see it's bothering him!?" She finally yelled. Moody immediately did as Hermione told him to, his eyes widening as he saw Neville's expression of terror.

Clearing his throat, the ex-auror shuffled through the rows of students, limping in his strange gait. Making his way over to our desk, he placed one massive hand on the wood in front of us. "Do you know any others?" He asked Hermione, pinning her with his intense gaze. She bit her lip and shook her head, lowering her own eyes to avoid his penetrating stare. Moody straightened up and let out a grunt, "Well then...Avada Kedavra." He said, flicking his wrist one more time. The spider twitched as a green spark flowed from Moody's wand and into the arachnid, and then the creature stopped moving altogether.

At the end of class I walked over to Neville and tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to pause before he made it out of the room. "Neville? Are you okay?" I asked gently, knowing that today's Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson must have struck a nerve inside of him, more than any of us, given that Bellatrix Lestrange had tortured his parents with the Cruciatus Curse until they had literally gone mad. Currently, I was the only one he had trusted with that information. He nodded, looking away from my eyes. "It's not your fault, Neville. It was awful, what he did to that spider. I don't know why Moody started the semester off with that lesson. And I know that it must've hit close to home for you. If you need someone to talk to though, I'm here." I whispered, reaching forward to rub his arm comfortingly.

Neville's always been like a brother to me, so I hated seeing him upset. I couldn't imagine what he had gone through, and while his grandmother took good care of him, I'm sure this lesson had made him think about everything that was stolen from him by Voldemort and the Death Eaters. He turned to me then, giving me a weak smile. "Thanks Veronica, you always know how to make people feel better." He mumbled genuinely. I nodded back reassuringly, then turned and stepped out of the classroom, beginning my descent down the tower.

As I rounded the corner, my foot accidently slipped on the smooth stone that formed the spiral stairs. I started to fall backward as I lost my balance, but someone nearby held out their arms and caught my body before I fell entirely on my tail. "Oh, I'm so sorry," I said breathlessly, looking up into gray eyes. "It's fine," Came a soft-spoken response. I immediately recognized the voice and my heart skipped a beat inside of me. Why does it have to be him? I thought uneasily, both irritated by the circumstance and embarrassed by my clumsiness. "Malfoy?" I clarified, making sure the voice matched the boy I thought it did. "Dovefeather," He grunted as he pulled me back up and helped steady me on my feet, his sudden act of kindness taking me off guard.

I watched him cautiously, waiting to be pranked or insulted, still utterly surprised that he didn't drop me. When he had yet to make a snide remark, I decided to speak first. "Thank you," I said hesitantly, brushing down the wrinkles in my skirt. Draco gave me his famous smirk and stepped away. "You're welcome," He answered simply and brushed by me without another word. What just happened?