After lunch it was time for our completely batty Divination teacher, Trelawney. She started the lesson like usual by predicting death in Harry's near future, then lots of death in my near future and that Neville would get an embarrassing rash.

"My dears, it is time for us to look to the stars," Professor Trelawney said, finally boring of the usual predictions of death. "The movements of the planets and the mysterious glimpses of the future that they reveal can only be understood by those who understand the steps of their celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary light and lines of movement, which intermingle..."

I drifted as Trelawney babbled on. I began contemplating how Uncle Alistair was going to teach defence; probably in his usual way, with a mixture of paranoia and mad genius.

I was pulled from my daydream by a harsh whisper meant for someone else.

"Harry!" Ron muttered.

"What?" Harry said. I was pleasantly surprised to see I was not the only person to have zoned out on Trelawney's lecture on planets.

"I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn," Professor Trelawney said, a faint note of anger in her voice at the fact that he had obviously not been hanging on her words.

"Born under—what, sorry?" Harry said, letting out a half laugh as he tried to understand what she was saying.

"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!" Professor Trelawney said, raising her voice, clearly infuriated by Harry's confusion and absent-mindedness. "I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birth, your dark hair, your mean stature, the tragic losses so young in life. I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?"

"No," Harry said frowning in confusion, "I was born in July." There was a stifled laugh from several classmates.

Half an hour later, Trelawney had given us the most confusing table I had seen since Ron tried to explain the Quidditch championship. The calculations required working with some very interesting measuring apparatus (including a notched stick, a pair of tweezers and a piece of string) and some complicated maths that looked to belong in Arithmancy.

"I've got two Neptunes here," Harry said in a questioning voice, frowning down at his piece of parchment, "that can't be right, can it?"

"Aaaaaah," Ron said, imitating Professor Trelawney's mystical whisper, "when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry..."

Alice sniggered, as well as Seamus and Dean who were nearby. I rolled my eyes at my classmates.

"I've got bingo!" Someone shouted, causing half the class to burst out laughing.

"Oh Professor, look!" Lavender Brown exclaimed. "I think I've got an unexpected planet! Oooh, which one's that, Professor?"

"It is Uranus, my dear," Professor Trelawney said, peering down at the chart.

"Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?" Ron said. No-one laughed, instead people either rolled their eyes or just looked at Ron in disgust.

Unfortunately, Professor Trelawney heard him. She turned and glowered at him. It was maybe because of this that she gave us so much homework at the end of class. "I would like a detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart," she snapped, sounding much more like Professor McGonagall than her usual airy self. "I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses. I don't care if a Dementor got your cat, I want that chart."


"Miserable old bat," Ron said bitterly as we joined the crowds descending to the Great Hall and dinner. "That'll take all weekend, that will..."

"Lots of homework?" Hermione asked brightly, catching up with us. "Professor Babbling didn't give us any at all!"

"Well, bully for Professor Babbling," Ron said moodily.

"No-one says bully anymore," Alice said, rolling her eyes.

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

"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!" We groaned and turned to see Malfoy flanked by the goons.

"What?" Ron growled.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" Malfoy said, unrolling a copy of 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 Artefacts Office."

Malfoy looked up and smiled evilly. "Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?"

Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish to impress the crowd 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. He 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."

I was not happy with that, it had been an honest mistake, and everyone knew that. Besides, the Finnish Minister had understood, once he got out the hospital.

"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!" Malfoy said, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "Look at the picture of your parents outside their house," he choked on a laugh, "if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him.

I punched Malfoy.

He fell back on the floor clutching his nose. "She broke my nose!"

"I punched your cheek you moron," I said as Malfoy continued floundering on the floor. People started laughing at him. "Now, stop doing a banshee impersonation and go away, you're not wanted here."

"You'll pay for that," Malfoy growled as he stood up, his cheek starting to bruise where I hit him.

"No, not really," I said flatly. "Leave my friends alone you ferret faced little brat."

Malfoy tried to punch me. I stepped out the way and gave him a hard shove. He stumbled several feet before colliding with Neville, knocking them both down, "sorry Neville,"

"It's ok," he mumbled as they both started getting to their feet.

I shook my head. "You don't learn, do you?"

"Get her," Malfoy shouted. He looked furious.

Crabbe and Goyle started walking towards me, gormless smiles on their faces. When Alice pushed through the crowd to my side, they faltered, remembering first year.

"I'll take Pinky, you take Perky?" Alice suggested.

"Which one's which?" I asked.

"I don't know, I'm not sure which one's Crabbe and which is Goyle," Alice said with a determined smile.

Malfoy stood up and went over to his goons. "Get them!" he shouted in exasperation.

"But, boss," one said, "she hurt me badly in first year. I don't wanna."

"I don't care, they are smaller than you, so get them!" Draco shouted. "Are you scared of two girls?"

"Yeah," the other one muttered.

"Huh, Pavlov was right, stupid animals can learn new behaviours," I muttered. I looked at Draco, "well, not all stupid animals."

Draco must have heard me, because he drew his wand and a curse flew at me. I ducked out of the way.

"Oh, we're doing this are we?" I asked drawing my wand

"Shut up you pathetic blood traitor," Malfoy shouted, losing his calm entirely, another curse flew at me.

"Protego," I said lazily summoning a shield to block the curse. "Draco, stop this now, before you get in trouble."

Three curses in quick succession. "Protego. Draco, this is just sad."

"What is going on here?" a familiar voice shouted. It was Uncle Alistair. He fought his way to the front of the crowd. "What happened here?"

"Well," I said, "Draco was bullying Ron, so I punched him, then he tried to get Crabbe and Goyle here," I pointed at the two goons, "to fight Alice and me, but they refused. Then he started throwing curses at me."

"You!" Uncle Alistair shouted pointing his wand at Draco. "You need to learn some discipline!"

I sighed, Uncle Alistair was overreacting, again. He flicked his wand, and Draco shrank into a ferret.

"Professor Moody," I tried to intervene, but he was on a warpath.

He glared at Malfoy the ferret. Malfoy squeaked and tried to run away.

"I don't think so!" Uncle Alistair shouted, pointing his wand at Draco the ferret again. The ferret 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 others for no reason, I don't like bullies who attack my goddaughter," Uncle Alistair growled as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. "Stinking, cowardly, scummy, never—do—that—again!"

"Uncle Alistair," I tried to interject, worried for Draco's safety, but Uncle Alistair was too angry to listen. I sighed, I had to do something. "Expelliarmus."

I got it just right to disarm Uncle Alistair without injuring him. He turned to me, furious. "Why did you do that Janet? He needs punishing."

"We agree on that then, so stop torturing him, and start actually punishing him." I said angrily as I handed back his wand.

"He's a bully and he won't get better by being coddled," Uncle Alistair said grumpily.

"That does not justify turning him into a ferret and hitting him on the ground," I replied angrily.

"I was actually aiming for a weasel, but a ferret is close enough," Uncle Alistair said with a shrug.

"That does not justify hitting him on the floor, you could kill him doing that!" I shouted.

"Professor Moody!" said a shocked voice. We turned to see that Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Moody said angrily.

"What, what are you doing? Why is there a ferret in here?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"Teaching," Uncle Alistair said without much concern.

"Teach- Moody, is that a student!?" Professor McGonagall shrieked, her eyes wide and her face pale.

"Yep," Uncle Alistair said proudly.

"No!" Professor McGonagall cried, running down the staircase and pulling out her wand. A moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor, with his pale blonde hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing and looked ready to pee himself.

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

"He might've mentioned it, yeah," Uncle Alistair muttered without much concern, scratching his chin uncomfortably, "but I thought a good sharp shock..."

"We give detentions Moody," McGonagall shouted, "or speak to the offender's Head of House! We do not turn them into ferrets."

"I'll do that, then," Uncle Alistair said, glaring at Malfoy with hatred in his eyes.

Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words "my father" were distinguishable.

"Oh yeah?" Uncle Alistair whispered quietly, his eye narrowed angrily, he limped forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. "Well, I know your father old boy... You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son… you tell him that from me… Now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it?"

"Yes." Malfoy said in equal parts resentfully and fearfully

"Another old friend," Moody growled. "I've been looking forward to a chat with old Snape... Come on, you..." He seized Malfoy's upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons.

McGonagall frowned anxiously after them for a few moments. She shook her head and then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to levitate up into the air and pile into her arms.

"I take it you stopped him," she said, concern in her eyes. She was probably as concerned about Uncle Alistair as much as I was. They had fought alongside each other in the war, she had to know something was wrong.

"Yes, I'm afraid I had to disarm him to do so, I suppose that means detention," I said, not concerned by any punishment,

"10 points to Gryffindor," McGonagall said walking away, leaving me a bit surprised at being rewarded.

"Don't talk to me," Ron said quietly to us as we sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened.

"Why not?" Hermione said in surprise.

"I thought you'd want to relive the moment your greatest enemy got what was coming to him," Alice said.

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

"What's wrong?" Alice asked as she noticed me frowning into my food.

"You know when you know someone for a really long time and then you suddenly see them act totally against what you thought you knew about them?" I asked as I looked into her beautiful rainbow eyes.

"Yes, with Luke and Drake," Alice said with concern.

"Yeah," I said poking at my food, "Uncle Alistair, sorry, Professor Moody always said that I must always follow the rules, the punishment of the law is always the right punishment, and if not, tough. We are not vigilantes. Well, today I saw him totally go against that and everything else he ever taught me about right and wrong. Yes, he's a little paranoid, yes, he's a little kooky, but I never saw any side to him that would turn a student, even a Malfoy, into a ferret and then hit him into the floor. Something's wrong and I want to find out what, but I don't want pry into his private life."

Alice puffed out her cheeks as she thought. "It could have been simply the stress of a new job. Dad's always a little off whenever he starts a new project."

"I suppose so," I said, still unconvinced as I put a forkful of food in my mouth. It tasted like cardboard.

"Just wait and see," Alice said, "he'll get back to normal. If he's not back to normal within a couple of weeks then you start prying, because that could mean something is wrong. Like I said, it might just be the stress of a new job. Besides, what could it be?"

"I don't know, but something is off, I can feel it," I said as I put down my fork, losing what little appetite I had.

"We have him on Thursday," Alice said. "You can talk to him then."