Chapter Eight: Back To School:

Harry sat at the Gryffindor table feeling full and happy. The feast had been great and they had got several great new additions to their house. Harry looked up at the staff table and saw Snape looked sullen. Maybe because sitting right by him was Alastor "Mad-eye" Moody and Snape clearly did not like the seating arrangement, that and the fact that Moody was the new Defense teacher. Dumbledore got up and the hall went quiet as everyone looked up and even Ron who had been close to dozing off looked up now fully awake. The trip to the school had been uneventful even with the heavy rain that soaked them before they got to the great hall and were dried off by Fred and George who cast drying spells on them. Now as their bellies were full they were ready for Dumbledore to give his speech.

"I must say this is another great year to look forward to." Dumbledore said, "firstly I must regretfully say that the Quidditch inter house cup will not be taking place this year."

"Your joking!" Ron said a bit too loudly.
"No Mr. Weasley how ever I did hear a good one this summer about…" At the clearing of McGonagall's throat, "ah well now is not the time, the reason for this is Hogwarts is hosting the Triwizard tournament this year!"

"Wow!" Ron said. "It's been over an hundred years since we had that!"

"What is that?" Harry asked.

"It's a contest between the three largest Wizarding schools in Europe." Hermione said. "Beauxbatons and Durmstang are the two other Wizarding schools, it's in Hogwarts a history, when are you two ever going to read it?"

"Why read it when we have you?" Ron said.

"At the end of October the other two schools will be here and I want you all to be on your best behavior for them." Dumbledore said, "this will be a very good year, now off to be with you!"

They were dismissed after the feast and Harry was excited at this turn of events. As he headed up to the Gryffindor common room he envisioned himself in the tournament, hosting the cup and cheering as he drifted off to sleep. His dreams shifted though, and he saw faces, people in black robes, bone white masks, calling to him, to join them. He heard a high cold laugh and a scream and woke with a start hoping he had not been the one to scream. He sat up and put on his glasses and looked around, it was morning and by the fact Neville was still snoring he had not screamed. He got up, and was finishing dressing when Ron woke up. He dressed and they went down to breakfast and to their first class of the day. It was as they were going to their next class talking happily Draco Malfoy showed up with a daily prophet.

"Hey Weasley it looks as if your father is in the paper." Malfoy said, "is that your mother seems a bit dumpy to me."

"You know your mother?" Harry said holding Ron back by the robes and facing Malfoy. "That look on her face like she had dung under her nose or is she just like that around you?"

"Don't talk of my mother Potter." Malfoy said turning slightly pink.

"Then shut it alright?" Harry said.

He turned to leave and felt something graze his face. From above them Moody had been watching this interaction, he was sure it was under control Harry was keeping Ron from decking the little brat Malfoy but he continued to watch them. When he saw Draco take out his wand and point it at the retreating form of Harry and shoot a spell he got ticked off and saw red so to speak. One thing he hated is underhandedness and you can bet if Harry had done what Draco had just done he would do the same. In an instant he had turned Draco Malfoy into a pure white ferret.

"Oh no you don't laddie!" Moody roared slumping down the stairs checking Harry with his magical eye and glaring at the ferret on the floor. "Leave it!"

"Leave what?" Harry asked.

"Not you him!" Moody said to Crabbe who was about to pick up the ferret who was scurrying towards the dungeons. "Oh no you don't! Stupid, cowardly, scummy thing to do!" He roared as he bounced the ferret higher and higher it squealing in pain.

"Professor Moody what are you doing?" Came the voice of McGonagall.

"Teaching." Moody said grimly.

"Teach, Moody is that a student?" McGonagall asked.

"Yup." Moody replied.

"No!" McGonagall cried dropping her books and with a flick of her wand turning the ferret back to a now highly pink disheveled Draco Malfoy. "Alastor we never use transfiguration as punishment, surely professor Dumbledore told you that?"

"Might have mentioned it." Moody said.

"You talk to the head of house, take points." McGonagall said.

"Well then I will talk to his head of house, that will be Snape, come boy." Moody said.

He left Ron, Harry and Hermione with jaws nearly open on the floor. Ron grinned and walked with Harry and Hermione to the great hall for lunch and did not notice Snape watching the whole thing. Snape realized that Harry did have some common sense after all, well a mouth but he had not struck back. His father would have drawn his wand and, no Snape could not think of that for here came Moody with the now very scared looking Draco Malfoy. He now had to deal with Draco and his little stunt and because of that Alastor Moody far earlier than he wanted to. It's not as if Moody had ever tortured him but he had interrogated him years ago and he really did not want the old paranoid Auror around him. Draco was going to be in serious trouble as it was for what he had done today that was for sure.

"You see?" Moody growled at him.

"Yes, come Draco, now." Snape said.

"I want a word with you as well." Moody said.

"Very well, Draco you will serve detention for your little stunt, and five points from Slytherin!" Snape said very angry now, he had to show he did not have favorites especially in front of Moody and most importantly of this certain boy and who his father was. "You were wrong in what you did!"

"You heard what he said…."

"I don't want to hear it, you acted very foolish boy do not ever let me hear or catch you doing such a thing again!" Snape said. "You are a pureblood and I expect you to act as such, attacking someone behind their back is not a thing a pureblood does!"

"I am sorry professor." Draco said sulkily, "I will make sure not to do that again."

"Good, detention tonight, go and stay out of trouble." Snape said and Draco stalked off still smarting from what Moody had done. "You wish to speak with me sir?"

"Yea I do." Moody said.

Severus led the older man to his office and closed the door behind him. He let Moody lock the door and he put his wand out of reach on the desk and stepped back. He knew Moody understood the reason behind this, he was Slytherin as well. Most people thought of Slytherins as snakes but in fact they were more like wolves and Severus was exposing his throat as it were. He stood as Moody slumped around the office looking at the jars and such on the shelves. He turned to Severus and looked him over with both eyes. He did not much like Severus but he did not hate him and though he had interrogated him he had not tortured him, he believed that just made one as bad as Voldemort himself. He would not go down the path that had turned many promising young witches and wizards into murdering fiends.

"Voldemort is coming back." Moody said noticing the wince the other man gave at the name, "you know this too, it's why I am here."

"Yes sir, I know." Severus said.

"Let me see your arm boy." Moody said.

"Yes sir." Severus said and unbuttoned his left sleeve and shoved it up to show his forearm and the mark, a mark of shame. "I don't want him back, use the Vertaserum on me sir, you know I speak the truth."

"Yea, the problem is when he calls you back, what then boy?" Moody said. "He was gone when I questioned you last time."

"Yes he was, but you know why I want him dead." Severus said. "I could not keep that from you."

"Yes, well let's hope for your sake that keeps you from becoming his devoted servant again."

"I hate him, I hate him and want him dead, I am no longer taken by his lies." Severus said.

"Good, but I will be watching you." Moody said, "step out of line and you will wish I had killed you got it boy?"

"Yes sir, I do." Severus said.

Moody left and Severus took up his wand and summoned a bottle of fire whisky. He took one shot and put the bottle back and left his office. He had known this was coming and he dreaded and welcomed the day he would get back at Voldemort for what he had done. Oh yes revenge was sweet indeed served cold. All he had to do was wait, then when Voldemort summoned him go back and hopefully fool him into taking him back. Oh yes when Voldemort finally died Snape wanted to be there and see the foul creature look him in the eye and know at that moment it was him who had brought this to pass. Even if a certain boy with green eyes was the one to kill him Snape would be there to watch Voldemort die…

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Moody is not evil, I cannot see him that way. I do not see him as one to use torture, what he did to Draco was very much deserved. Draco dishonored his name by attacking Harry behind his back, he had to be brought into line. Yes, Harry should not have insulted his mother but Draco should not have attacked him behind his back as he did. As for Moody speaking to Snape? He has to, he has to do what he must to protect the Wizarding world.

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