1994-1995 Part 7
Eda took off her thick woollen mittens as she sneered at the surrounding students for their constant whinging. Yes, it is too cold to be outside for a mere class but a girl can only handle so much complaining.
Eda unapologetically shoved her way into the castle with the help of her ever so faithful lackeys, and passed by some gloomy third years headed towards the Greenrooms for Herbology.
Eda almost felt sorry for the poor sods just thinking about that dratted class. There is nothing she hates more than dirt; Eda positively abhors the very concept.
By the time, she reached her next class, which was Transfiguration, Eda could hear the echoes of Filch's fury through the frightfully emptying halls. Eda rolled her eyes, at the show of dramatics, unable to fathom his anger about the dirty snow-filled floors.
After all, he could always ask the house-elves for help. He didn't really need to do it all by hand being a squib and all but some people just liked to torture themselves it seems.
Class went by as usual, with a new mountain of homework -courtesy of their O.W.L.s year- and a couple of stern lectures from Minnie dearest until she asked -cough- demanded that they quietly practice their hardest first-through-fifth practical material.
The Slytherins worked in silence for the remainder of the class while the Hufflepuffs beside them attempted what appeared to be an elusive notion. Sitting behind Eda were Moran and Davis, constantly whispering about pointless matters as her tablemate Pritchard's rigid wand waving eluded her to no end.
After a while of pointless wand waving, her mind began to numb, Eda leaned forward, head in her hand, and she started flipping through her book in an effort to get an idea of which spell to practice next. She was utterly bored of it all; Eda felt like this two-hour class became a lifetime on its own.
Eda couldn't wait for dinner, and she wanted to believe that seeing Barty from afar has nothing to do with it.
Just that one thought was enough for her mind to drift to Barty for the rest of class. Eda couldn't help but notice how physically inclined Barry seemed to be. Every time she snuck around the castle to meet him for help she'd note how he was in a constant state of mid-movement, whether it be a limb or an odd quirk of his that usually come off as ticks. The man just can't stay still.
Which begs the question.. just, how good of an actor is he? If he's able to emulate Mad-eye's every movement and stop his own body from its inclined movement and tendencies.
It was thoughts like these that makes her understand the reason behind her father's a-typical approval of Barty. He truly was an asset to the Dark Faction.
Several weeks pass, and another Hogsmeade visit came calling. It was a much-awaited one in Eda's opinion due to the stuffiness she felt from the pilling homework assignments she'd been receiving lately. They might've been pathetically easy but she hated doing them nonetheless.
Eda spotted Barty lurcking behind the Three Broomsticks Inn and forced herself to contain her smile. Of course he's there, could she expect nothing less?
Eda pointedly ignored his presence and continued into the pub for a welcomed Butterbeer and a spot of lunch. She had already planned to meet him later this evening and her mind raced with a selection of outfits to choose from.
Letting herself be led to the far left corner of the pub by her boys, Eda's eyes twinkled with mirth just seeing how protective the little ones were getting. It was truly adorable.
In a mere matter of seconds, the corner she was herded to had become filled by her baby snakes and the older Slytherin within the pub. They had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere making Eda blink, then fight down a laugh at their possessiveness. Her eyes practically danced with amusement.
Montague languidly nodded at Pucey to get their first round then made himself more comfortable beside Eda and started up a conversation about -you guessed it- Quidditch.
Eda shot him a flat look and quickly resigned herself to a very long debate. And she wasn't wrong, but she finally got her reprieve and hour or so into it when one of the boys had the audacity to man-splain Quidditch to her.
Just hearing him say, "Meaning-" in that condescending tone of his had Eda raise her hand, quickly putting a stop to it mid-sentence. She quirked an eyebrow at him, and said, "Thanks" dryly, holding herself with the same aggressively snobby grace that all the other Pureblooded witches had.
"I might be Quidditch impaired but I'm not stupid," she continued. Davis balked just hearing her tone and winced at the accusation.
Eda left him to squirm for a bit and cast a quick glance at Montague. Of course, that brief glance was enough to have her wave her hand at the now-glaring young man to have him relax and stop trying to subdue Davis.
As usual, Montague had become offended on her behalf. She knew that nothing good could come off his short fuse of a temper in a tightly packed pub, and she had to calm him down with the tiniest of gestures.
Out of all the boys, Montague's definitely one of her favourites. A perfect soldier, always ready to off anyone with the smallest of demand.
A sudden resounding bang, followed by several groans shook the room and took their attention for the moment. It saved him from trying to come up with an excuse.
Warrington groaned, and said, "It's those bloody twins again; someone seriously needs to put a leash on them". Davis cleared his throat, "I don't know, I'm pretty grateful to them at the moment," he admitted in a strangled voice, making some of the boys snort and the rest unsuccessfully choke back a laugh at his audacity, but it worked, the tension had immediately broke and Davis sat back on the rickety wooden chair, utterly deflated.
The group decided to head back to the castle when night fell and Eda heard a few oomphs due to a couple of stumbles. Apparently, Davis had tripped coming out of the pub and it made Eda smirk, then soften. She knew that Barty's the reason behind it as even his spent magic smelt of him.
The Hogsmede visit slowly bled away and Eda found herself contemplating her outfit change for the millionth time that day in front of her bursting wardrobe. No magic was enough to hide the fact that Eda loved fashion and owned way too much clothes.
Thankfully, she didn't have any roommates to appease. Barefooted, and fresh out of a relaxing bath, Eda languidly crossed her dorm room, carpeted in rich green and silver designs and felt her heartbeat quicken. This happened every time.
Her heart pounds whenever Barty would sneak her favourite candy from Honeydukes along with anything that caught her eye during a Hogsmede visit but didn't end up buying for some reason.
This time, it was a pack of sugar quills and the prettiest mint green cashmere jumper. It had caught her eye from afar on the display window after the tripping incident. She swallowed thickly and relaxed in bed as she stared at the words he wrote in the accompanying note: "To my sun, moon and stars".
They were simple and sweet, and she moaned, burying her face in her hands. She was positive he'd be her undoing. Eda looked up in silent thought at the brightly lit, somewhat green room. Rune formations, perfectly lined bookshelves, and fashion magazine scraps lined the walls around the large window showing the murky depths of the Black Lake.
A while later, Eda glided into Barty's office just as he took off his Moody robes to reveal a smart shirt underneath. It was white and crisp, just the way she liked it.
The office, however, was completely drenched by a web of protective magic so strong it was almost glowing. She had no idea how he was getting away with it.. even Moody couldn't be this paranoid, or was he?
Her eyes on the other hand, had unfortunately strayed to the protruding veins on his surprisingly strong forearm and she quickly became mortified, realising that her cheeks had pinked from staring way too long.
Thankfully, he was too busy changing back into his proper form to notice anything so Eda quickly gathered her faculties and hurried to remove her thick outer robes and soft woollen mittens.
Barty swiftly flicked his wand in an upwards motion, dimming the candle light and effortlessly redecorated his office. He then settled on a somewhat romantic setting with a makeshift picnic in the middle. "Show off" Eda teased with a light tone. Her voice was like music to his ears and he visibly softened.
"I have to show off occasionally, otherwise people won't understand why you keep me around," Barty said, his Scottish brogue thickening as he shakes off the remnants of Mad-eye Moody and adjusts to his own body.
"Well, if you must know, I keep you around because I need an audience for my wit".
With a theatrical gasp he cried, "Madam, your cruel and callous disregard for my love cuts me to the bone" then his expression froze as he realised his faux pas and nervously ran a hand through his sandy hair, looking quite stressed.
"You, you love me?" Eda asked, hesitating.
It was as if her doubt in the extent of his feelings shook him from the piling nervousness and prompted him on. Barty peered at her face and said, "You have bewitched me, little lady, body, mind and soul, and I love you, with all of my being, with all that I am. If possible, I never wish to be parted from you from this day on," his tone serious and moving broke through all of her barriers and facades.
Eda met his dark gaze without a falter and said, "And I, you". At that, his eyes burned like hellfire, and reeked of that heady possessive desperation of his. It was all encompassing and utterly unmatched.
Such declarations tended to be a bit on the heavy side and with their emotional baggage, both became uncomfortable very fast. So, Eda shifted her attention towards the picnic as her cleared his throat and a sudden choked laugh escaped her mouth.
"Orange juice? How did you know?" Eda asked still trying to contain herself by biting into the cucumber sandwich. He shifted beside her.
"I noticed how'd you'll always order it from the House elves back home, and never once drank the pumpkin juice at Hogwarts and figured that it's your favourite- or at least, one of them."
She stared at him in wonder, saying, "that's because it tastes like Centaur piss, but you're very sweet."
He laughed out loud and his carefree laughter kick-started her heart once more. So, Eda tried to focus on the picnic to distract her from the wayward thoughts, and forced another bite into the sandwich. This time, however, she couldn't taste it.
"So, are you enjoying teaching?" Eda veered off, choosing a relatively harmless topic of conversation. Barty snorted, and quickly shook his head.
"At this point, the final task couldn't be more welcomed, I'm so sick of following that putrid little cretin". Eda hummed in answer and Barty took a sip from the freshly squeezed orange juice but was quickly startled when her hand suddenly grasped his with a tight squeeze. He appreciated the comforting gesture and prized her with a wan, tired smile.
His mind, however, wandered with alacrity. This was the first time Eda had ever initiated physical contact and he was truly touched. It seemed that their declaration might've pushed them closer, or at least enough for her to feel more comfortable with their touch.
Barty's smile brightened at the thought, and their night continued in a more relaxed manner.