Everyone was still abuzz about the Tournament by the morning, and Calla couldn't go anywhere without hearing about it. The only topic of discussion that could rival the discussion of the Triwizard Tournament was about the new Professor Moody. "Alison Firhill said her mum says he's the best Auror the Ministry ever had," Lisa told them all as they sat down at the Ravenclaw Table for breakfast.

"He looks like he's seen a fair bit action," Isobel said hushedly, gesturing to her face. "Did you see him?"

"I think he's a bit creepy," Calla said, and Sue nodded.

"Yeah, I don't like his eye."

"Ah, timetables!" Mandy said, as Professor Flitwick came around. She took the bundle and handed them out. "No way, we've got Moody first thing."

"That'll be interesting," Padma said, taking some toast.

"How shocking would it be if I said I loved Monday's?" Daphne asked, sliding her timetable over so Calla could see it. She had Defense Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes and Potions before lunch like Calla, and then double Muggle Studies in the afternoon when Calla and Padma would have Divination.

"Don't speak too soon," Calla replied. "There's stil Potions. And we don't know what Moody'll be like."

"I think he'll be interesting," Padma said. "Someone like that... We've got that class with the Slytherins, though."

"Draco doesn't like him," Daphne told them hushedly. "Moody, well, he doesn't quite believe his dad wasn't... You know."

"A Death Eater?" Padma said bluntly, and Daphne winced.

"Yeah."

"Calla!" She turned around, leaning across the aisle towards the Hufflepuff table from where Hannah Abbott had shouted her name. "You've all got Ancient Runes second period, right?"

"Yeah," Calla called back. "Have you lot?"

Hannah nodded, whispering this to Justin and Zach, who both grinned. "Wanted to make sure! How was your Summer?"

"Good!" Calla called. "Homework wasn't even as bad as I'd thought."

"Hope it continues that way," Hannah said.

"Potter, you're going to fall off your seat like that," said Lisa bluntly, and Calla laughed, sitting up straighter. "And you don't have to shout across the hall."

"She's still in a mood then," Daphne whispered, making Calla laugh.

"When isn't she?"

Calla helped herself to a bacon roll, savouring it. She'd missed Hogwarts breakfasts. After breakfast, their group of Ravenclaws all headed eagerly to Defense Against the Dark Arts, talking excitedly about what they thought Moody would be like. Sue and Calla both thought he was rather strange, as did Anthony, but the rest all appeared quite eager to get into class, hence their very early arrival outside. None of the Slytherins had shown up yet, which Calla didn't mind at all.

"How long will it be until you kick off this time, Potter?" Lisa drawled as they waited outside the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom before their lesson, just as a handful of Slytherins started down the corridor. "October? November? Or will you hold on till next term?"

"I don't plan to kick off," Calla said, turning around. "Thank you, Lisa."

"I'd say by the end of the month," Michael put in, and Daphne kicked his shins. "Greengrass!"

"You're a pain, Corner," she said lowly. "At least try not to be."

"It's just a little discussion," Michael said breezily. "Sorry, Calla."

She shrugged. "As long as he's not an arsehole, it'll be fine."

Isobel snorted. "Calla said arsehole."

"Shut up, Izzy."

"Morning," said a gruff voice, and Calla and everyone else jumped, turning around to see Moody standing at the doorway. "Come on in, then, don't stand loitering here all day. Anything could sneak up on you."

They all looked at each other awkwardly before they hurried inside. Moody's classroom decor was, tragically, nowhere near as exciting as Remus' had been. Calla took a grudging seat at the front with Daphne, just in front of Padma and Izzy. "What's up with the eye?" Izzy whispered.

"I don't know," Calla muttered back. It was electric blue and swivelled around furiously. "It's creeping me out a bit."

"Mum says he's one of the Ministry's top Aurors," Padma whispered. "Or at least he was, before he retired. Put loads of Dark witches and wizards in Azkaban."

"Yes," said Daphne crisply, taking out her textbook. "I'd say he's helped fill half of the cells in that place."

"You won't be needing those books today," Moody told them gruffly, stumping over to his desk right in front of Calla and Daphne. Calla felt a sudden dread. He wouldn't make them do some crazy wild practical defense magic on their first day with him, would he? She had a feeling he'd be a lot tougher on their spellwork than Remus had been.

"Brilliant," she muttered, stuffing her textbook back into her bag. "Just what I need, to make a fool out of myself again."

"You won't make a fool out of yourself," Padma told her sternly. "Relax."

Moody pulled out a long scroll for the register and shook his hair out of his scarred face. Daphne seemed to pull a face. He took the register, one eye focused on the parchment and the other flicking from face to face intently, like he was trying to memorise them all. He looked most curiously at Daphne and Calla, until he finally reached the end and curled the scroll up again.

"Right then. I've had a letter from Professor Lupin about this class. Seems you're all well versed in dealing with dark creatures - Boggarts, Grindylows, Red Caps, that kind of thing, and all very useful lessons - but you're rather behind in the area of curses, jinxes and hexes." Mentally, Calla ran through their definitions; curses aimed to majorly injure or harm opponents, jinxes to cause minor inconvenience or irritation, hexes to cause major and often longer lasting inconveniences. Curses were generally more deadly and decisive in fights, but jinxes and hexes could also be depending on how they were used. "So I'm here to bring you up to scratch on what witches and wizards can do to one another. I've got one year to teach you, and then I'm back to my quiet retirement, so we had better make a start."

"He looks like he needs a quiet retirement," Isobel whispered, and Daphne clearly tried not to laugh. Moody's eye swivelled around to them, and Calla averted his gaze, face heating. Daphne tossed her hair quite calmly.

"So, let's get straight into it. Curses. They come in many different shapes, strengths and forms. Now the Ministry seems to think I should teach you basic counter-curses and leave it at that, but I don't think that's good enough. No," he barked suddenly, and Calla jumped, "you need to be prepared for what's out there, you need to be vigilant. You're not meant to see dark curses until your sixth year, when you're apparently meant to be old enough to deal with it, but I say Dumbledore thinks you can handle it." Did he? "He's got a bit of a higher opinion of all your nerves, reckons you can cope with it. I say the sooner you know what you're up against, the better. Tell me, how are you supposed to defend yourself against something you've never seen?" Daphne was scribbling something on a piece of parchment. Calla frowned down at her. "A wizard who's about to pull a curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He won't be nice and polite and let you prepare - no! You need to be prepared yourself. You nee to be alert and watchful. You need to not be passing notes in my classroom, Miss Greengrass!"

Daphne's hand had paused halfway between her desk and Isobel's, and she stared at Moody with wide eyes, meekly retracting her hand. "And you, Miss Turpin," he went on, eye swivelling to a startled looking Lisa, "need to stop doodling Runes!"

Lisa's quill fell

onto her desk. "So," Moody went on, and Calla cast a furtive look at Lisa, who just stared, "how many of you can tell me which dark curses are most heavily punishable by wizarding law?"

Several hands went into the air, including Daphne's. Calla figured she knew at least one, but she didn't exactly want to share that. "Miss Patil, is it?" Moody asked, and Calla turned around to face Padma.

"Yes, Professor," she said smoothly. "The three Unforgiveable Curses."

"Correct, Miss Patil!" Moody said, and scrawled the word 'Unforgiveables' up on the blackboard. "The unforgiveable curses. Named as such because using one of 'em will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban."

Calla shuddered at the thought. She'd had enough encounters with Dementors last year to last her a life time; she hoped she'd never have to find out whether or not she could perform a Patronus Charm. "Can anybody name one of these curses for me? Greengrass!"

Daphne seemed to jump out of her seat. "Yes, Professor?"

"Give us a curse."

"Well..." She looked awkwardly along at Calla. "There's the Imperius Curse, I know that one."

"Yes," Moody said. "Suppose you would. Relative of Apollo Greengrass?"

"He's my father's cousin," Daphne said, pursing her lips. "We're far from close."

Moody made a hm sound. "Yes. The Imperius Curse gave the Ministry a lot of bother when the Dark Lord fell from power." His magical eye swivelled around the classroom, landing on Daphne then Malfoy and Parkinson. "Lot of ex Death Eaters claimed ignorance, said they were made to do it under the curse. Perhaps this can show you why."

Calla felt very suddenly unsettled. She tapped her fingernails very lightly on her desk as Moody turned away, fetching a spider from a jar and setting it on his desk. It was far too close for comfort; she and Daphne both scooted back a little. "Engorgio," Moody said, and it grew even larger. Someone at the back of the room gasped.

Then Moody pointed his wand at the spider and said, "Imperio."

At first nothing seemed to have happened. Then slowly, Moody raised his wand, and the spider rose on its legs. With a flick of his wand, Moody sent it leaping onto Calla's desk. She let out a squeal, heart jumping into her throat, and almost banged into Padma's desk in her haste to scramble away.

The spider did a funny sort of dance on her desk and then Moody made it jump in the other direction, over to where Tracey Davis and Lily Moon sat. Both girls stared at it in horror before it began to crawl up Tracey's arm and she thrust it off, much to Parkinson's amusement. "I can make it do anything," Moody said, with a very unsettling gleam in his eye.

The spider scuttled over to Lisa's desk and sat itself on her shoulder, seeming to claw at the air. There was a very nasty smile on Moody's face as he controlled the spider, making it leap across the classroom. He was having a lot of fun with it, that was certain, but Calla felt rather sick. "I can make it dance," he said, and the spider broke into a very strange sort of eight legged Highland fling. Isobel giggled. "I can make it spin a web."

The spider leapt onto Malfoy's face and he screamed, as it started weaving silver strands over his forehead. "Get it off!" Malfoy screeched, and with a cold sort of laugh, Moody brought the spider back over to his desk where it dangled over a jug of water. Calla's stomach felt like a rock had tumbled into it.

"I can tell it to drown itself," Moody said quietly, and anyone who had been laughing quickly stopped. Calla could hear her heart thudding as the spider squirmed, holding the edges of the jug before Moody finally let it go and scuttle back onto the desk.

"This curse as I said, gave the Ministry quite a bit of trouble a few years back. Some of you might know that already. They had to sort out those who were lying to save their own skins, from those who truly had been under a dark influence." Calla's breath shook. She really, really didn't like this. "Can anyone else tell me another curse? Anyone? Mister Zabini!"

"Blaise," Daphne whispered, turning around and looking horrified for reasons Calla didn't know.

"There's the Cruciatus Curse, sir," he said, blinking rapidly. "For torture."

"Very good, very good," said Moody. "The Cruciatus Curse. It's how we sort out the liars."

Calla had a very bad feeling about this. Her stomach flipped over as Moody pointed his wand at the spider. "Crucio."

The spider squirmed. Its legs bent in on its body and it seemed to rock from side to side, writhing in pain. It couldn't make a sound but Calla was sure it would have been screaming from the way it looked. It was awful to watch, and she felt her chest clench. She didn't want to see this. Why was he showing them?

Her eyes met his pleadingly but he didn't notice, fixed intently on the spider. It was twitching now, and seemed to start scrambling at the air. "That's horrible," said Anthony, sounding appalled as he stared at it, mouth open wide. "You - you can't do that."

"No? Dark wizards wouldn't care about your idea of what they can and can't do, Mr Goldstein." Moody let his hold on the spider go, but it was still twitching. Still very obviously hurting. "Pain. No need for thumbscrews or for knives or anything else, if you can cast the Cruciatus Curse. That one was very popular once, too... Right. Last curse, anyone?"

To Calla's surprise, everyone was quiet. Daphne seemed to glance nervously in her direction, and when Calla looked around, quite a few of the class were doing the same. Even Malfoy didn't look like he wanted to say anything. That was how she knew. She could recall, if she shut her eyes, a horrible, blinding green light. Would Moody show them that, too?

No one seemed to want to say the words. "Come on, then," Moody barked. "I'm sure one of you must know it, don't be shy! Your enemies won't be!"

His magic eye swivelled to her and Calla shrank back, shivering. She struggled to keep her breath in. "Turpin!" he shouted, and Lisa jumped. "Do you know it?"

"I-" Lisa faltered, glancing at Calla. Her stomach twisted horribly. "The... The killing curse, Professor Moody."

"The killing curse." That was it. She knew that was it. That was what had killed her parents, what had almost killed Harry and her. "The last and the worst. It's an instant kill. Only one wizard is known to have survived it." His eye flickered. "And you all know his name."

He reached his hand for the spider the final time. Calla felt her stomach churn, blood rushing in her ears. He wouldn't really kill it, would he? Daphne all of a sudden grasped her hand very, very tightly. Moody had to chase the spider around the jar before he could get a hold of it, placing it on the desk. Calla's chest seized. "You can't!" she said, voice shaking. "You - don't - please don't kill it!" Her lip wobbled, and her eyes welled with tears. She knew what was coming, knew what she'd see, and she didn't want to. She really, really didn't want to. The spider hadn't done anything, and - and that was the curse... She didn't think she could bear it.

"Please, Professor, don't!"

Professor Moody's one eye was on her, but the other was still on the wriggling spider. He didn't listen to her. She could sense it coming and squeezed her eyes tightly shut, pain blazing behind them. "Avada kedavra."

There was a flash of blinding green light and Calla could feel herself falling, biting down hard on her lip to stop herself from yelling. The next thing she knew when she opened her eyes was that the spider was motionless on the desk. Dead. She made a small sobbing sound as the tears spilled from her eyes.

"That's horrible," she whispered numbly, trying to wipe the tears that had just fallen of their own accord. That was how her parents had died. Just like that. Without a care for them, for anything, they were just killed in a flash of green light and they never moved again.

She scraped her chair back, breathing heavily. She could feel her whole body shaking at the bare memory. She'd seen it in her visions, far too many times. Blinding green light. It haunted her and the remnants of the awful spell still hung in the air.

She felt numb the rest of the lesson. She didn't hear what Moody said, not that she wanted to after that. He'd just... Killed it. Like that. Like it was nothing.

When the bell rang she grabbed her things as quickly as she could, trying to leave, but Moody stopped her. "Potter? A word."

She stared at him blankly. "Professor?"

The class quieted. "In private. Go on, the lot of you, I'm sure there's somewhere for you to be."

"I'll tell Babbling you're on your way," Daphne whispered as she passed, and gave Calla a tight half-armed hug, pressing chocolate into her hand. "You'll be okay."

She felt very cold as one by one, her friends filed out of the classroom, leaving her alone with Moody. "I understand that might have been difficult to watch."

"That spell murdered my parents," she said flatly. "I shouldn't have had to watch."

"And it could just as easily kill you!" She startled. "You have to be vigilant, Potter! Alert! Wary of everyone!" She stumbled back a bit, at the furor of Moody's words; he was practically spitting. "It's not enough to know they exist, you have to see what they do!"

"I already have," she whispered. "That night's my first memory."

She might have expected Moody to soften, or look sorry, but he didn't. "All the more reason to understand it then, Potter. Had it not been for some trick of fate, the Dark Lord might have succeeded in killing your brother. You would have been next."

Those words chilled her, to the point she felt numb. "Can I go, Professor?" she asked quietly. "I have to get to my Ancient Runes class."

He nodded and she turned, leaving as fast as she possibly could. A group of confused first years were waiting outside, looking very nervous. One of them saw her and her eyes widened, but Calla wasn't stopping now. Tears misted her vision but she went on as quickly as she could, shoulders shaking, and half-ran to Ancient Runes.

"Ah, Calla," Babbling said as she entered. "Daphne said you were with Professor Moody. We're just keeping last year's seating plan; if you'd turn to the section on Ogham script for me?"

Calla nodded sharply, hurrying over to her seat by Zach and Susan. "You alright?" Zach asked immediately, frowning. "You look like you've been crying."

"Yeah, I have, thanks," she said, cheeks flaming as she wiped tears away.

"Do you-"

"I don't want to talk about it," she whispered, taking out her textbook and flipping to halfway through. Ogham. Just what she needed to take her mind off of Killing Curses.

She was determined to pay attention to Runes and only Runes for the duration of the lesson, though this was disrupted by the nervous glances her fellow Ravenclaws kept throwing her. A note fluttered down next to her on the desk and she frowned, glancing behind her to where Daphne sat carefully stowing her wand away. She nodded, and Calla unfolded the note.

Moody went too far with that. You okay? Talk to us at break.

There was a lump in her throat as she glanced back at Daphne, and smiled gently.

When the bell rang for break, Daphne and Padma were quick to surround her, and they went out into the courtyard together. "He shouldn't have been showing us that," Padma said firmly, shaking her head in disgust. "I know he said we have to be prepared, but that's..."

"That's what we're preparing for," Calla said bleakly, and the girls looked at her, clearly not having expected that answer. But she'd thought about it a bit through Runes, and though she hated having to see it, because of what that curse meant and what it had done... She knew what they may soon be facing. If she again met Voldemort, he likely wouldn't hesitate to use that curse on her, or any other. "It's horrid, but it's true."

"I think he's mad," said Daphne with a shudder. "To show students that? And the - the Cruciatus... That was horrible."

"Yeah," Calla said quietly, shouldering her bag.

"I couldn't believe he showed us those," said Padma.

"The poor spider... I don't think anyone liked that."

"Crabbe and Goyle seemed pretty happy about the lesson," Padma muttered.

"Crabbe and Goyle are knuckleheads."

"I'm going to go to the library," Calladeclared quietly, with a lump in her throat.

"Oh, we'll come-"

"No, it's fine, I just need to grab a book. I'll see you in Potions."

She left them quietly but didn't go to the library. Instead she found a narrow, hidden passage behind a tapestry and settled herself in a book there, casting a feeble light from her wand and took out a book on Magical Theory along with the morning's edition of the Daily Prophet which she had picked up on her way out of breakfast. She skimmed the headlines quickly, eyes catching on the one about Professor Moody. Apparently, the morning before, he had had a scare and thought someone was breaking into his house, only to discover that it was bins. Arthur Weasley had had to sort it all out, and the article seemed to be saying Professor Moody was mad. Calla didn't think that was entirely inaccurate. There was a short article announcing the recommencement of the Triwizard Tournament, another about offers on ice cream at Florean Fortesue's parlour in Diagon Alley, and another about the continuing investigation into the events at the Quidditch World Cup. She marked that one to look back at, as well as the one about Moody, but there was nothing else that jumped out at her as suspicious. She settled into reading the next ten or so minutes until she had to set off for Potions, which for once passed without Snape snarling at her.

Afterwards, Zacharias caught up to her with a faint grin. "Are you feeling better? Anthony mentioned Moody's class, I can't believe-"

"It's fine," Calla told him shortly, shaking her hair out. "Seriously. It's fine."

"You seemed pretty upset earlier," he said in a low voice. "It's alright if you don't want to talk, but..." He seemed not to know what to say, and Calla didn't know what to say, either. "We're friends, right? If you are, you know, upset, if - if you need to talk..."

"I can talk to you. Got it."

She lingered a moment silently, and Zach pressed his lips together tightly. Terry and Sue gave them a curious look as they passed, and she swallowed. "I'll, um, see you in class."

"Right. Calla-"

"Thanks," she said quietly, turning away to head up to the Great Hall, feeling both heavy and confused. Yes, Zach was her friend, but she wasn't sure she could explain to anyone what she was feeling and what she thought and what she was so, so scared of and what she knew, in that instinctual, unexplainable way, was on its way for her.

She tried throughout lunch not to show that she was shaken, but by the time they set off towards Divination she felt awfully ill at ease. Though it was her best subject, today Calla wasn't sure she wanted to go to Divination; she didn't think she wanted to know any more of the future, and yet she was desperate to see how she might stop it. "Cheer up," Isobel told her sprightly as they headed towards North Tower. "Divination'll be a laugh if nothing else."

"It's not a laugh," Padma chided, with a glance towards Calla. "Who knows, we might be doing some serious work. Parvati says she's heard we're working on planetary movements."

"Like horoscopes and that?" Isobel laughed. "The zodiac signs."

Padma shrugged. "I don't know. That's just what Parvati said."

"My sister's always going on about her horoscopes in the paper. She's a Taurus, and I'm an Aries, and apparently that makes her better than me."

"I'm a Sagittarius," Padma offered, frowning. "I don't think it really means anything."

"Leos are meant to be very loud and extroverted," Calla said mildly. "So I don't think it does. Maybe sometimes though; zodiac signs alone probably can't give a full picture."

"Probably. I'm alright at Astronomy, anyway, so this'll be decent I hope." Padma rolled her eyes. "Lavender said she didn't know why I took Divination again. She doesn't think I have the Sight. She's really been getting on my nerves, you know?"

"What's she done?" Calla asked. "Other than that."

"She's just annoying, isn't she? She hung around our house for like the whole summer, and her and Parvati are so - so giggly!" She said this as if giggly was the worst thing she thought someone could be.

"We're giggly," Calla pointed out.

"You're not annoying," Padma countered. "And they're gossipy."

"Isn't this gossiping?" Isobel asked, and Calla tried very hard not to giggle.

Padma huffed. "I take it back, you two are annoying."

"You're so sweet," Calla teased half-heartedly, as they came up the stairs towards the landing of North Tower. The silver stepladder was already down, hanging by the wall. The three of them went up quickly, grabbing a table in the front corner.

Sweet perfume hung in the air around them, seeping into the curtains which were closed over the windows. The room had its familiar reddish glow which still managed to be comforting, and Calla felt like she could simply curl up in one of the chintz armchairs and go to sleep. As it happened, she did have work to do, and so she took out her books and a scroll of parchment, waiting for Trelawney to enter the room.

When Parvati and Lavender came in, they were indeed giggling, and shot Padma a look before they sat together at the front. Padma pulled a face. Harry and Ron were the last to come in, looking around for Calla. She waved cheerfully, and Harry frowned as he went to take a seat at the table next to them.

"Good day," said Trelawney's voice, as she seemed to appear out of nowhere. Calla watched Harry jump and smiled smally. Trelawney was looking down at him with a very tragic expression, as she always did. Maybe she had more reason to than most of their classmates thought.

"You are preoccupied my dear," she told Harry, her bangles jangling and catching the light. My Inner Eye sees past your brave face to the tormented soul within. And I regret to say that your worries are not baseless. I see difficult times ahead for you, alas... most difficult... I fear the thing you dread the most will indeed come to pass... Perhaps sooner than you think."

There was no doubt in Calla's mind what that alluded to. She'd hoped they'd have time, but Trelawney's words scared her. She gave an involuntary shudder and hoped no one noticed it. Trelawney swept towards her armchair at the front of the classroom, eyes sweeping over them in turn. She smiled. "My dears, it is time to consult the stars. The movements of the planets and the mysterious portents they reveal only to those who understand the steps of the celestial dance. Human destiny may be deciphered by the planetary rays, which intermingle with one another and with human perceptions of the world around us. We may uncover not only greater fates of society, but secrets of our own pasts and greater understanding of ourselves, from the planetary rays at our own births. It is clear how they might affect us, not only in fate but personality, appearance, every aspects of life. My dear," she said, turning to Harry, who appeared to be dozing off, "you, for example, are mostly clearly born under Saturn."

When Harry did not reply, Calla saw Ron give him a sharp kick, and he sat up straight, blinking. "What?" he said. Calla rolled her eyes.

"I was saying, my dear," Trelawney continued, "that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of the planet Saturn."

"Born under - what, sorry?"

"Pay attention," Calla muttered under her breath.

"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!" said Professor Trelawney urgently. Calla tried to think on what she knew of the planets, but she honestly had no idea if Saturn had a strong influence when they were born. She hung onto Trelawney's words curiously. "I was saying that Saturn was clearly in a position of influence in the heavens at the moment of your birth... your dark hair... your mean stature... tragic losses so early in life... I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in Midwinter?"

Calla frowned, jolted a little bit. "No," Harry said, glancing at Calla for a split second, "I was born in July."

Ron snorted loudly. Calla didn't feel like tutting at him as she had often been inclined to do, for she was mostly just confused. Maybe Trelawney was losing her touch a bit; or maybe planetary study wasn't particularly reliable. She'd never found newspaper horoscopes to be very accurate.

The lesson went on and Calla scribbled notes about what each of the planets represented (conflict for Mars, destruction for Mercury, glory for Jupiter), before Trelawney handed them each circular charts and told them to try and fill in the positions of each of the planets at the time of her birth. Calla stared at it; Trelawney had suggested using times, but she didn't know what time she'd been born. It also wasn't very enjoyable; this involved a lot of calculating and referring to timetables and other charts, and not very much in the way of actual Seeing. At one point when Trelawney wasn't looking, she and Harry swapped over their charts to check over them.

"You've managed to get two Neptunes here," she pointed out to Harry, and Ron snorted.

"Aaah," he said, imitating Trelawney, "when two Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry."

Even Calla laughed at that, as did Dean and Seamus nearby. "I think we've got about the same," she told Harry, taking her own chart back.

"Oh!" Lavender Brown squealed excitedly. "I think I've got an unaspected planet, Trelawney!" Calla didn't miss Padma rolling her eyes. "Ooh, what one's that, Professor?"

"That is Uranus, my dear," Trelawney said, very straight facedly. Isobel snorted, and Padma shot her a withering look.

"Can I have a look at Uranus, too, Lavender?" Ron asked. Trelawney turned around to glare at him, and Calla shook her head, trying not grin.

"Boys," Padma whispered exasperatedly.

They worked at the star charts the rest of the lesson, but Trelawney seemed in rather a bad mood throughout, and at the end of the lesson gave them some awful homework. "A detailed analysis of the way in which the planetary movements over the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart," she snapped at them, sounding rather like Professor McGonagall. Ron and Harry both looked horrified at the thought. "I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!"

"That'll take all week," Padma muttered, shaking her head. "Boys."

Calla nodded along, but Isobel just laughed. "Professor Trelawney?" Calla called as everyone left, headed over to Trelawney's large armchair. Trelawney looked up with her wide eyes. "Er, I was wondering if you'd like to continue the extra sessions on Monday nights?"

"Ah, yes," Trelawney said, softening a little. "I have a lot to organise tonight but next Monday we may begin. In the meantime, continue to exercise your Inner Eye."

Calla nodded sharply, grinning. "Will do, Professor. See you in Wednesday's class!"

She hurried out the room to catch up to the others, who thankfully hadn't gone a long way. Padma was chatting to Ron and Harry, Isobel lingering behind her with Terry. "You alright?" Harry asked her as she caught up, panting a little.

"Yeah, just had to ask Trelawney about my extra Divination classes. We're starting back next week."

Harry nodded as they descended and joined the crowds headed towards the Great Hall. "She's a miserable old bat," Ron was saying, scowling. "I bet that'll take all week, won't it?"

"Got loads of homework?" Hermione asked, popping out of nowhere by their sides. "Professor Vector didn't give us any."

"Well, bully for Professor Vector," said Ron, scowling even more.

The Entrance Hall was packed with people as they arrived, and Calla and Padma couldn't spot Daphne anywhere in the crowd. "She's probably already in there," Padma said, frowning. "I'm starving."

They moved forwards to join the end of the queue into the Great Hall, just as a voice rang out behind them. "Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"

Calla scowled as they all turned around, seeing Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle all standing there. Malfoy was waving a copy of the Daily Prophet about, looking throughouly pleased with himself. "What?" said Ron grumpily.

"You're dad's in the newspaper, Weasley!" said Malfoy with an awful grin, brandishing the newspaper. "Listen to this!"

Calla was certain that the entire Entrance Hall could hear as he read aloud the article Calla had read herself earlier, about Ron's dad and Mad-Eye Moody. Ron's ears were going very red, a sure sign that he was annoyed. "And there's a picture, Weasley!" Malfoy declared with glee, flipping the paper over and holding it up so that they could all see it. "A picture of your parents outside their house - if you can call that a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Harry said, as Ron was almost shaking with fury, going a very bright red. "C'mon, Ron."

"Oh, yeah, you went to the Cup with them this summer, didn't you, Potter?" Malfoy sneered. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"

Ron seemed to be about to launch himself at Malfoy; Calla and Hermione both grabbed ahold of the back of his robes to keep him back. "You know your mother, Malfoy?" Harry said. "That expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose, is she always like that or is it just because she's with you?"

Malfoy went slightly pink, and Calla glared at him, laughing. "Don't talk about my mother, Potter."

"Keep your fat mouth shut then," said Harry, as they turned away.

Calla was about to go towards the hall when there was a loud bang and she jumped. Several people screamed, and something hot streaked past her face; Calla leapt about a foot in the air, heart hammering as she made to whirl back around. She had barely turned before there was another bang, and a roar from the other side of the Entrance Hall. "Oh no you don't, laddie!"

She spun around in time to see Moody sprinting down the staircase towards the Great Hall. His wand was held out in front of him, and pointing at a - a ferret. Calla stared at it. He hadn't just turned Malfoy into a ferret, had he? There was a tense, terrified silence in the hall as everyone stared at Moody, barely daring to move a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry with his normal eye, while the other was fixed closely on the ferret. "Did he get you?" Moody growled at Harry, who blinked rapidly and shook his head.

"No," said Harry quickly. "He missed."

"Leave it!" Moody shouted suddenly, and Calla jumped again, to see Crabbe bending over the writhing ferret.

"What?"

"Not you, it! The ferret!"

"Malfoy," Padma said faintly, looking up at the ceiling. "He's turned Malfoy into a ferret. By Merlin."

Moody limped towards Crabbe, Goyle, and the squealing ferret. It gave an extra terrified squeak and took off, streaking towards the safety of the dungeons. "I don't think so!" Moody roared, and raised his wand again.

"Jesus Christ," Calla whispered, watching in faint alarm as the ferret went flying ten feet into the air, smacked back onto the floor and then was immediately tossed back up again, squealing very loudly.

"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," Moody growled.

The ferret flailed helplessly in the air. "Never - do - that - again."

"Professor Moody!" Professor McGonagall's voice called through the Entrance Hall, sounding rather alarmed. She was rushing down the staircase with her arms full of books.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Moody greeted pleasantly, and bounced the ferret higher.

"What are you doing?"

"Teaching."

"Teach - is that a student?" McGonagall shrieked, her eyes quite wide as her books spilled from her arms and tumbled to the floor.

"Yep," said Moody.

"No!" Professor McGonagall sprinted down the stairs with her wand out and a moment later the ferret had snapped back into Malfoy, who was shaking on the floor, his face very pink indeed as he got up to his feet, wincing.

"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!" Professor McGonagall told him, sounding shocked. "Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that!"

"He might've mentioned it, yeah," said Moody, sounding quite unconcerned, "but I thought a nice sharp shock-"

"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House!"

"I'll do that, then," said Moody in a growl, looking at Malfoy with very intense dislike. Malfoy was muttering something about his father, sounding very nervous and flickering his gaze between Moody, McGonagall, and the floor. "Oh, yeah?" said Moody, limping forward clunkily. "Well, I know your father of old, boy... You tell him Moody's keeping an eye on his son … you tell him that from me... Now, your Head of House will be Snape, will it?"

Malfoy nodded resentfully. "Yes."

"Another old friend," growled Moody. "Yes, I've been meaning to have a chat with him... Come on, you..."

He grabbed Malfoy by the arm and hauled him over to the dungeons. Everyone was still staring, and nervous, shocked whispers broke out around the Entrance Hall. A great many people were laughing, Ron included.

"Did you miss it?" Calla whispered to Daphne as they sat down at the Ravenclaw Table a few minutes later.

"Miss what?"!

"She did," Padma said, shaking her head. "Malfoy got himself turned into a ferret."

"You're kidding?" said Michael from a few places away. "A ferret? By who?"

"Moody," Calla told him, and Michael's eyes widened.

"What did he do?" Daphne asked, mouth hanging open in surprise.

"Tried to curse Harry," Calla said. "While his back was turned. Moody didn't like that."

"Well, better Draco than Harry getting hurt, I suppose," said Daphne, shaking her head. "Still, I hope you don't mind when I say I don't like that Professor Moody."

"I thought he was bloody brilliant," Isobel said happily. "Wish I could turn people into ferrets. I think I'd maybe go for a purple colour, just to liven things up."

"You're a menace," Padma informed her.