Clementine and Mint - Le Discours
Summary: A collection of one-shots and drabbles centered on Hermione and Barty interacting during Fourth Year. All while he is disguised as Mad-Eye Moody.
A/N: Hello! And welcome to my companion piece for Procyon Mask! This series of shorts are set in the same alternate world but only occur in Fourth Year. I'll be updating it alongside Procyon Mask until I feel it's reached its completion as the chapters within are more a collection of one-shots than a flowing plotline. Though, I will try to keep everything in order, if I come up with another scene after its 'time' has passed I will not be jumbling the chapters to try and fix the time table. It'll just be wherever it ends up.
Anyway, hopefully that all makes sense. Enjoy more Barty/Hermione goodness!
What on earth was Dumbledore thinking!?
To allow someone to become a professor here that would perform the most vile of curses in front of students! Harry and Ron may have been okay with it after class, but during… Neville had looked petrified.
Honestly, just because Professor Moody was an old friend of Dumbledore's doesn't mean he should be allowed a free pass to terrorize the students!
Hermione scowls as she hurries up the steps, righteous anger flowing through her veins when she strides to the door leading to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
She doesn't bother knocking. Instead shoving the door wide open so that it nearly slams into the wall. Unfortunately the hinges aren't routinely greased, so it fails to make the grand entrance she had wanted. Even so she can see Moody's enchanted eye dart up at the sound and a gruff voice fills the air in the next second, "Did you forget something last time you were here, Miss Granger?"
"I think it's a bit rude to talk to someone when you're not even looking at them properly," she retorts, placing her bag on one of the empty desks. "And no, I didn't forget anything. I wanted to speak with you about that atrocity you called a lesson earlier."
Moody lets out something between a snort and a chuckle, sitting up straight so he's no longer peering down at an essay on his desk. Though she's not sure how anyone could have given him their homework already. They'd only had the one lesson so far, after all.
"What is it you wanted to talk about?"
Hermione grits her teeth at the casual tone of his voice. "The fact that you performed the Unforgivable Curses in a classroom of all places."
"I wasn't aware I needed to get your approval for my lessons, Miss Granger. Shall I send you an owl before the next one so that you can look it over?"
Her lips twist down into a scowl. "Did the Ministry give you permission, then?"
"I work for Dumbledore, not the Ministry. If you continue to have problems with my teaching methods you can take it up with him. Now-"
"I'm not done. You should've stopped the lesson the moment Neville looked uncomfortable." Hermione takes a moment to remind herself to breathe, remembering her fellow Gryffindor's face of anguish. "Instead you continued and even had the audacity to perform the killing curse on my desk."
He blinks at her, his other eye shifting around the classroom. "I'll remember to ask for permission next time. Is that all?"
Hermione's mouth nearly falls agape. Did he really not see the problem here!? She snaps her mouth shut, bracing her hip on the edge of the desk. "You're supposed to be teaching us in a safe and controlled environment. If you can't deliver that I'll petition Dumbledore to get you fired."
"Is that so?" Alastor Moody stands up and Hermione almost takes a step back before he simply moves to the other side of his desk to check a vial on the end. "What environment is more safe than a classroom when it comes to teaching students unforgivable curses, Miss Granger? A battlefield certainly isn't one of them. You want someone to freeze up the first time they see one of those curses used? Because they didn't know what to expect, couldn't react in time, were too shocked that the enemy was prepared to use one? I take all of this into consideration when I create my lessons. Perhaps you should take the opportunity to learn from them rather than getting enraged on someone else's behalf."
Her hand nearly curls into a fist against the desk. "And what about people who have seen the curses used? Shouldn't you be more considerate to them?"
"If I tiptoe around everyone they're not going to learn to get over their fears, Miss Granger. Now, I'm telling you we're done here. I have essays to grade, unless you want to add to them with your lofty ideals for me to correct."
Hermione glances to his desk, noting the papers and the haphazard writing on them. Did some second years cause enough trouble to warrant them?
"No thanks, Professor. I'll stick to the assigned homework."
"Good. And try knocking next time, Miss Granger."
She frowns but doesn't say anything else, tugging her bag from the desk before turning around and swiftly leaving the classroom - her blood still boiling.
