Disclaimer: If you know it, it is likely from Goblet of Fire and I fail to own that.


Lessons of the Past


The first day of classes were long and the only thing that made it okay was the fact Professor Vector did not assign any homework for Anithmacy. Judging by the way Harry and Neville bitterly complained as they made their way down to the Great Hall for dinner, Trelawney had assigned quite a bit of homework.

"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"

A hush fell as Nott elbowed his way towards Weasley and Zabini, who were waiting for the other two of their posse at the bottom of the main stairs. Nott was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet and looking a bit too gleeful for Draco's liking. Draco grabbed onto Harry's and Hermione's wrists, holding them back to see what Nott was up to.

"What?" Hermione asked.

Nott arrogantly stood in front of Weasley and Zabini, waving the paper around.

"Draco?" Harry inquired, looking worriedly at Draco.

"Nothing happened with Mr Weasley because you weren't in the wrong place at the wrong time and Moody is still Moody," Draco hissed at the pair. "There shouldn't be anything to mock Weasley with in the paper! What's he doing?"

Hermione sighed. "Did you read the paper today?"

Draco nodded. "Yes. There was noth— oh."

"There's a picture of your fool of a brother, Weasley!" Nott taunted, holding the paper out so Weasley could see the front page.

Weasley was channeling a frozen tomato colored statue. He balled his fists and glared hard at Nott— who was having a little too much fun mocking Weasley because his brother was pictured besides Crouch in a story about the Triwizard Tournament.

"Nott," Zabini warned in a low voice that carried throughout the Entrance Hall.

"What? Embarrassed by your friend's loser brother?" Nott goaded, turning his attention to the dark boy. "He's so excited to be under what's his face?"

Zabini stood up straighter, towering over Nott. His face darkened, clearly taking what Nott said to mean not working under Crouch but something else entirely.

"Come along, Weasley," Zabini said in a voice that could freeze ice further.

"What's he on about?" Harry wanted to know, watching Zabini sweep out of the Entrance Hall, quickly followed by Weasley. Weasley shot a few glares over his shoulder at Nott, who smugly chuckled as he rolled the paper up.

Draco towed Harry and Hermione towards the Great Hall.

"There was a story about the Triwizard Tournament in the paper this morning and there was a picture of Crouch with Weasley was standing behind him. Looking a bit too excited to be there," Draco explained.

"Why would that embarrass Ronald?"

Draco leveled Hermione a look.

Hermione sighed. "Percy is a nice young man. He's ambitious. There is nothing to be embarrassed about that. If anything, Ronald ought to understand."

Draco pulled the paper out of his bag and showed her the photo again, poking it with his finger. Hermione looked down and looked downtrodden.

She sighed deeply. "Oh…I forgot about that."

Over Eager Weasley was hopping around behind Crouch who was giving a press conference about the Triwizard Tournament and completely ignorant of Weasley's presence. The younger man had a stack of parchment and his face was shining with pride as he attempted to hand a roll of parchment from the pile to Crouch only to be ignored.

"What's he trying to give Crouch?" Harry asked, peering at the photo.

Draco shrugged, folding the paper up and shoving it back into his bag. "Whatever it was, I doubt this will do great things for his career."


Draco was twitchy in the days leading up to their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class. He knew Time had a cruel sense of humor and if memory served Draco correctly, the first lesson Moody would give would likely cause Draco to go to bits as badly as he'd gone at the World Cup after the riot.

Also, with his luck, Moody would turn him into a ferret again.

"I'm sorry about melting that cauldron," Neville apologized after their potion lesson on the day of the first DADA lesson. Draco had twitched so badly after Neville's squeak of shock, he'd elbowed the kid in the head as the cauldron melted all over their table. Neville seemed to think this meant Draco was angry at him for making whatever mistake he'd made in the first place.

"It's not your fault. I didn't mean to elbow you," Draco assured. Neville leveled Draco a look. "I'm…I'm…I'm fine. Fine. I'm fine. Fine."

Behind them, Harry snorted.

After lunch, it was time for their first DADA class. Everyone was rather excited, as so far everyone had been saying rather amazing things about the new professor. The twins had nothing to say after their first class with the man other than, "Wow." Even Hermione had been rendered rather speechless, though Draco felt that might have been from her understanding of Draco's behavior as of late.

The impostor Moody had been an excellent professor— knowledge and fright in perfect balance. Draco was loathe to admit, after Lupin, Impostor Moody was the best professor they'd been stuck with. (He was sure Snape had been excellent, but Draco had other things on his mind other than his classes sixth year.) Due to the fact the first lesson had clearly not changed, the impostor had done his homework while impersonating Moody the first time around.

Having come to this conclusion, Draco was only more than a little on edge. Impostor Moody did not like Draco at all— and no one had been bothered. It had made sense. Moody was an Auror and hated when Death Eaters got away.

Lucius Malfoy had gotten away due to deep pockets. He was guilty of crimes and running around free.

Moody, the real one, was going to hate Draco as much as Fake Moody had in the past and that was something Draco really could do without.

"Draco, are you sure you're okay?" Neville asked, eyeing Draco with concern as he took the seat in front of Draco in DADA that afternoon. "You look pale."

"I am always pale. It's my state of being," Draco announced, trying to inject his usual sarcastic drawl into the statement.

Harry snorted. "Yes, we know you enjoy channeling a vampire."

Draco quirked an eyebrow, attempting to calm himself down. Draco and Harry exchanged a few more barbs before Moody clunked into the room from the back and slowly ambled up to main aisle of the classroom. He reached the front and turned to study the gathered students. His real eye slowly trailed across the room while his magical blue eye swirled around and made Draco feel a bit sea sick.

"You can put those away," he growled, looking down at their desktops where each student had gotten out the assigned textbook. Well, other than Draco. He hadn't removed anything from his bag. "You won't be needing those books today."

The class looked quite excited. The last time they'd begun a class by putting away their books, they'd had had a hands on lesson with a boggart.

Moody took out a register, shook his long grey hair out of his twisted and scarred face. He began to call out names, his normal eyes moving steadily down the list while the magical one fixated on each student.

"Malfoy?" the man growled. Suddenly both eyes were on Draco instead of just the creepy eye.

Draco squirmed.

"You're in Gryffindor?"

The classroom startled, having gotten used over the past four years to the fact Draco was in their house. It hadn't been pointed out much since first year when it'd been shocking and new.

"Yes, sir."

"Good," was the response and Moody carried on till he'd gotten through everyone. "Right then. I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you've had a thorough grounding in tackling Dark creatures. You got all the major ones— boggarts, Red Caps, hinkypunks, grindylows, Kappas, and werewolves, is that correct?"

The class agreed.

"Good. You're behind in dealing with curses. That's why I'm here, to bring you up to scratch. We'll start now."

He pulled out his wand and clunked around the desk. He leaned against the front of the desk and folded his arms across his chest.

"Curses come in many strengths and forms. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you counter courses and leave it at that," Moody announced, snorting. "I'm not supposed to show you what illegal Dark curses look like until you're in the sixth year."

His magical eyes roved around the room while his normal one slowly took in the eager faces of his students. The magical eye landed on Draco, who shifted uneasily.

"But, Professor Dumbledore's got a higher opinion of your nerves. I'd say the sooner you know what you're up against the better. How are you supposed to defend yourself if you've never seen it? If a wizard's about to put an illegal curse on you, he's not going to tell you he's about to do it. You're going to need to recognize the wand movements, the beginning of the formation of the spell on his lips if he choses to speak. No Dark wizard is gong to be polite to your face when you're in a fight and tell you what he's about to curse you with before he does it."

Moody gazed around the room, letting what he'd just said sink in.

"Miss Brown, you need to put that away while I'm talking."

Brown jumped and blushed when everyone turned to stare at her. She hid whatever she'd been showing Patel under the desk.

"I can still see it. Magical eye."

Brown put whatever it was away, bright pink.

"Do any of you know which curses are the most heavily punished by Wizarding law?"

Several hands rose into the air. Shockingly, Neville was one of them.

"Malfoy!" Moody barked, making Draco jump in his seat.

He had not put his hand in the air.

"Tell me one. I'm sure you know one at least."

Moody lifted his chin, fixing his normal eye on Draco while the other one stayed on Brown.

"Er…uh, there's, er, the Imperius Curse," Draco offered, not meeting Moody's gaze. He felt like he was walking through a minefield and at any moment he'd wind up blown up (or a ferret).

"Ah, yes, you would know that one," Moody said. "Your father was under it, wasn't he?"

Draco hardened his face and squarely met Moody's eye.

"I wouldn't assume to know," Draco replied, his earlier misgivings suddenly vanishing.

He could show Moody he wasn't his father's clone. The first time around he'd been a prat about everything and took pride in his father's line of thinking.

That Draco wasn't the Draco seated in this classroom and he could show Moody this fact.

"Did anyone happen to tell you what the Imperius Curse does, Malfoy?"

Draco swallowed. "Yes, sir."

Moody grunted and grabbed a jar of spiders off his desk, setting it down on the desk at the very front of the room containing Seamus Finnigan. He reached in and pulled one out. Calmly, he poked the spider and said, "Imperio!"

The spider jumped from Moody's hand on a fine thread of silk and began to swing back and forth as if on a swing. It did back flips till the string broke and landed on the desk, where it began to do cartwheels. Moody jerked his wand and the spider rose into the air. It landed on another desk and began to tap dance.

Everyone was laughing— except for Moody and Draco.

The magical eye was still upon Draco.

"Malfoy, don't find this funny?"

The class fell silent, looking curious and a little confused on why the professor was picking on Draco.

Draco calmly (well, as calmly as he could) met Moody's normal eye and said, "No, sir. You're making the spider to those things. The spider isn't doing them itself. It lacks free will. The spells takes away ones free will and forces the person under it to do another's bidding."

Moody looked mildly impressed for a split second.

"He's right. Total control. I could make the spider jump out the window, drown itself, throw itself down one of your throats…"

Harry frowned, glancing at Draco out of the corner of his eye.

"Back in the day, there were lots of witches and wizards being controlled by the curse," Moody went on, the spider still tap dancing in front of Thomas. "Some job for the Ministry to sort out who was being forced to act and who was acting on their own free will. No way to tell if someone's been cursed."

Several people peeked at Draco— some looking curious, some with knowing looks.

"However," Moody said a little louder, "the Imperius Curse can be fought. I'll teach you how, but be warned— it takes real strength of character and not everyone's got it. Best way to avoid it? Don't get hit. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Everyone jerked at his bark. Moody picked up the tap dancing spider and threw it back into the jar.

"Anyone else know one? Another illegal curse?"

Once again, Neville's hand rose into the air. He was wearing a fierce expression on his face.

"Longbottom, is it?"

Neville nodded, his hand lowering.

"Yes?"

"The Cruciatus Curse," Neville said in a voice that quivered a little.

Draco shuddered.

Harry put his hand on Draco's arm, giving his a worried look.

When Draco looked at Moody again, he was staring at Draco with a curious expression on his face, but said nothing. Instead, he took another spider out of the jar and set it on Finnigan's desk.

"Crucio!"

Draco looked away quickly, not wishing to see what the spider was going through. Harry's grip on Draco's arm increased till Harry suddenly shouted, "Stop!"

Everyone turned to look at Harry, who was gripping an extremely pale Draco while looking at Neville, who was clutching the edge of his desk to the point his knuckles were white.

Moody raised his wand and the spider slumped. He picked the spider up and threw him back into the jar.

"Pain. That is all you need to know about that one," Moody gruffly said. "Don't need thumbscrews, knives or whatever those Muggles use these days to torture someone if you are able to perform the Cruciatus Curse. It's…popular among Dark wizards."

"You have to mean it," Draco said, realizing Moody, just like Imposter Moody, was leaving out an important bit. He raised his eyes and locked them on Moody. "In order for it to work properly, you have to want to cause pain, you have to mean it."

"Malfoy is correct. To make any of the Unforgivables work, you have to mean it," Moody agreed, looking at Draco again with that curious expression.

Draco realized he'd let on to much and tensed up. Harry's grip on his arm increased again till his blunt nails were almost digging into Draco's skin uncomfortably.

"I don't like spiders," Moody proclaimed, then turned away from Draco. "What's the last one?"

His eyes swept the room, but no one was willing to answer.

"Avada Kedavra," Draco finally said, trying to pull Harry's hand off his arm. "The Killing Curse."

Moody extended his head towards Draco, till he turned his attention to Potter.

"The last and worst. There is no way to block any of these curses, but only one will kill you on the spot," Moody explained. "And like Malfoy mentioned, you have to mean it— you have to want the person dead for the Killing Curse to work. Any of you could cast it right at this moment and it wouldn't do much other than maybe knock someone unconscious, if you were feeling really hateful towards the person."

Everyone stared at Harry.

"And yes, there is only one person who survived it," Moody allowed.

He reached into the jar, pulled out the last spider and set it on his own desk this time instead of Finnigan's. He took a deep breath.

"Avada Kedavra!"

There was a blinding flash of green light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air. The spider jerked, rolled over onto its back and appeared dead. Harry dug his nails into Draco to the point, Draco had to bite his tongue not to cry out in pain.

"Wait for it," Moody said, while the girls in the room all looked varying degrees of horrified.

The spider began twitching.

"And that is why you've got to mean it. I might not like spiders, but I didn't want it dead," Moody said, sweeping the still alive spider into the jar with the other two. "You can bet if you meet a Dark wizard and they cast any of these spells, they'll mean it. Especially the last one. Quickest way to deal with their enemy. So, the best way to block it?"

"Hide," Draco announced without thinking.

"Correct. Realize they are casting it. It's the only spell that will show up green if you fail to catch the wand movement. The spell must hit your person for it to work," Moody went on, his magical eye landing on Harry's forehead.

Harry flattened his bangs.

"Get out your quills and parchment. Copy this down," Moody gruffly said, flinging his wand at the blackboard.

Notes appeared on the Unforgivable Curses. The only noise filling the classroom till the bell rang was the scratching of quills on paper. When the bell rang, Draco slowly put his things away, not really paying attention to what was going on around him.

"You three alright?" a gruff voice asked.

Draco startled, knocking over his ink well. Harry caught it before it could spill all over the floor thanks to his quick reflexes.

"I'm fine," Harry quickly said.

"It was a very interesting dinner, I mean, uh, lesson, sir," Neville stuttered, still rather pale and not turning pink at his word stumble.

"I'll be fine," Draco said, taking his ink well from Harry, closing it, and shoving it into his bag.

Moody stared at Draco.

"I'm sure you will," Moody said measuredly. "Dumbledore says you're an old soul, but I think it's something else all together. You've lived. Longbottom, I think you need some tea. You like plants? I've got this plant I brought from home that doesn't seem to like it here. Come with me."

Moody took Neville by the shoulder and steered him out of the classroom, leaving Harry and Draco alone.

"Draco?"

"I'm fine."

"Yeah, and I'm the pope," Harry quipped, folding his arms across his chest. "That was some lesson, though. It was…kind of…"

"Harsh?" Draco asked, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "Yeah, it was, but it's better we know than don't know what's out there. Next year will be the hide your head year. This year will be filled with good information. You best pay attention."

Harry frowned. "So even though he's the real thing…"

"The Impostor was a good impostor," Draco whispered, clutching the strap of his bag.

"Same lesson?"

"Almost to a tee," Draco admitted.

"It was bad, wasn't it?"

"The lesson?"

Harry shook his head, his green eyes looking up at Draco filled with something Draco didn't wish to name. "No, your life before you came here. I thought…I mean, Neville reacted badly, but you…you've been on edge for days. You knew this was coming."

"He turned me into a ferret," Draco suddenly shouted.

"What?" Harry asked, looking confused.

"Impostor Moody. He turned me into a ferret," Draco proclaimed. "That's why I've been twitchy. I hate ferrets."

Draco turned around and stormed out of the classroom, feeling better for getting that off his chest and yet at the same time feeling like a moron.

He hadn't been twitchy because he hated ferrets.


Neville didn't return to the Tower until after dinner. He entered the Common Room holding a funny looking plant, which did in fact look to be on the brink of death.

"What you got there, Nev?" Harry asked, pushing aside his parchment as Neville set the plant down on the table the boys seated at plowing through stacks of homework.

"I don't know," Neville admitted, stroking one of the wilted leaves. "Moody found it in his yard and has been raising it since. He asked Professor Sprout for help and she actually suggested he ask me! Can you believe that?"

Neville looked thilled, his face shining with pride.

"I'm going to figure out what it is and get it healthy again. Professor Moody said it was fine till he brought it here. He likes this plant, but it doesn't seem to like Scotland."

Neville picked the plant back up and hurried up to the dormitory.

Harry looked at Draco who shrugged. "Remember, I don't know what happened there. I wasn't in your class."

Harry sighed. He pulled his parchment back towards him and stared at it, while looking into his copy of Unfogging the Future. Harry went back to muttering under his breath about developing coughs from Mars, being in danger of burns from Jupiter and loosing treasure due to Mercury.

"Are you simply making up miserable predictions?" Draco inquired.

Harry looked up sheepishly and requested, "Don't tell Hermione?"

Draco scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Of course not. Just don't get too outlandish."

"But that's half the fun!" Harry exclaimed.

Harry went back to his predictions on doom and gloom, while Draco went back doing his homework for Transfiguration. Draco worked steadily till he heard, "No— that sounds like we're accusing him. Got to be careful…"

Draco picked his head up out of his book and gazed across the Common Room to where the twins were sitting in a closed off corner— quietly.

A little too quietly.

Draco leaned froward and studied them closer. They were both trying to compose something on a piece of parchment and quietly fighting about it. It was very un-twin like behavior.

"Shoot! I already drowned," Harry shouted, making everyone in the room stare at him.

When Draco looked again, the twins were gone.


A/N: Once again, this belongs between 8 and 9 and will not likely be moved until I do an edit. (As of 17 June 2014, I've still not moved it and will likely not any time soon. I'm sorry. It's not easy to move chapters around here.)

17 June 2014: I've got some reviews/comments/inquires about book five. Please check out my tumblr, scotlandevander DOT tumblr DOT com, for updates.