Chapter 3
Astrid was escorted to her chambers by an overly grouchy Mr Filch, the man was accompanied by a peculiar house cat named Mrs Norris. Astrid, a natural cat person, tried to place a little stroke upon the cats back but was warned away with hisses and the threat of scratches. "Don't touch," Filch scolded the girl as if she was a student and not a fellow faculty member.
Filch stopped by an arched oak door and mumbled at the girl.
"This is you," Filch said simply pushing the door open unceremoniously. Astrid thanked the man and stepped into her chambers, the furniture was simple, nothing like that of Beauxbatons, a wooden desk sat in a large bay window surrounded by stained glass panels, a king-sized bed lay against the stone walls of the castle, a tapestry hanging above it. A door jeered off to the side revealing a slightly grander bathroom with a large bath sunk in the floor, adorned with gold taps with roses as knobs. Astrid placed her suitcase inside a large armoire in the corner of the room and sighed sitting down upon her bed. Brushing and smoothing down the dress that blanketed her knees.
"I guess this is home for now then," she said to herself aloud, a small smile playing on her full pink lips.
Astrid spent the rest of the afternoon locating her classroom and organising it the way she liked, moving the desks and chairs she played with the layout until it felt half homely. Her classroom was located in a far corner of the school, it was cold, quiet and had little foot traffic outside its doors, but the great big windows that lined the room flooded it with light that made the seclusion peaceful. Spying the time, Astrid hurried off to the Great Hall, the feast would begin soon, pupils had already spilled off the train and into the castle ready for their grand welcoming back to school.
Astrid was welcomed warmly by the other Hogwarts Professors; she took her seat at the grand table at the end of the hall. Severus Snape only offered a slight nod and grunt as an acknowledgement to Astrids arrival as he skulked past her to his own seat. The staff chatted amicably among themselves, Professor Sprout and Professor McGonagall were particularly interested in Astrid and her education at the French wizarding school. Astrid smiled warmly as she watched the pupils chatting away at their house tables, catching up with friends they hadn't seen in months. The house sorting of the newest students was particularly interesting to Astrid as it was so different to her own schooling. Astrid understood there was four houses, her father had briefly told her about each one, and particularly warned her of house Slytherin, it was no surprise to Astrid after hearing about the characteristics of the house that Severus was head of house and a former Slytherin himself. She wondered what house her father was in, he had never told her, then her mind shot the Malfoy man she had met earlier, she would bet good money on him being a Slytherin.
"Good evening, children!" Albus rose from his central seat and moved around the table, coming to a grand podium at the front of the Great Hall. The noise dyed down quickly as the students stopped their conversations to listen to the great wizard. "Now we have two changes in staffing this year, I'd like to welcome Professor Moody, as you may observe she is not the famed Auror we had teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts last year, but is in fact his daughter. Professor Moody will be taking History of Magic. We also wish to welcome our new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Doloros Umbridge. I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing the professor good luck." Albus spoke with great poise, commanding the room subtly.
"Now, as usual, our caretaker Mr Filch has asked me to remind you-" Albus carried on his speech but was rudely interrupted by someone at the opposite end of the table.
"Ahem," A squeaky voice chirped up. A short stout woman dressed head to toe in fuchsia pink stood haughtily from her seat, her heels clacked on the wooden floor as she rounded the table. "Thank you, headmaster, for those kind words of welcome, and how lovely to see all your bright happy faces smiling up at me," Astrid read the room before her, sullen confused faces stared up at the pink woman as she spoke, an uneasy awkward feeling grew in Astrids gut as she took a large swig of her red wine. "I'm sure we're all going to be very good friends," The pink lady said so sweetly it could make your teeth rot.
"The ministry of magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be a vital importance. Although each headmaster has brought something new to this historic school, progress for the sake of progress must be discouraged, let us preserve what must be preserved, perfect what can be perfected, and prune practices that ought to be prohibited," The woman finished with a giggle, leaving the room some what stunned, a thick awkward invisible fog lowered itself over the room only made worse by the awkward clap that followed.
"Thank you, Professor Umbridge, that really was most illuminating…" Albus spoke professionally as he picked up his speech from where he was rudely interrupted. Astrid's concentration fizzled out as she spotted the Potter boy and his friends at the Gryffindor table, clearly not happy with what Dolores had just delivered.
The students trickled out of the hall to their dormitories after the feast, Astrid figured it was time to say her 'good nights' and 'nice to meet you's' and retire for the night. Dolores Umbridge had other plans. As Astrid retired from the hall and moved to climb the stone stairs up to her chambers when a high-pitched girlish giggle caught her attention.
"Miss Moody," A sickly sweet voice called after her. Astrid turned to see the static smile of Umbridge approaching her.
"Professor Umbridge," Astrid greeted with a smile, ignoring Dolores' blatant use of the word 'Miss' and not 'Professor'. "How can I help you?"
"Alastor Moody is your father, is he not?" The pink lady questioned.
"He is," Astrid confirmed, her eyes wandering around the stairwell awkwardly.
"I've heard so much about him, I never knew he had a daughter though," Dolores squeaked eyeing Astrid up and down. Astrid cleared her voice and spoke.
"I went to Beauxbatons Academy… and my fathers not really been one to flaunt his family around, being in such a dangerous job you know?"
"Beauxbatons, really? How… interesting. Was there a reason he didn't send you here, our Ministry offers the best wizardry education there is," Dolores spoke, taking it as a personal insult.
"He just thought it would be the best place for me I guess, I enjoyed my time there," Astrid spoke confidently. Dolores let out a little giggle, but it almost sounded sarcastic in Astrids ears.
"Your father is quite a secretive man, sneaky," Dolores hummed stepping closer. "it's even whispered he was such a good dark wizard hunter because he was a dark wizard himself, practicing all kinds of… prohibited magic. I'll be keeping my eye on you Miss Moody, as the muggles say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree now does it?"
Without a second thought Astrid began to lunge at the woman, her fist clenched tightly, a fireball of adrenalin running through her veins, but a pale slender hand enclosed around her right wrist, pulling her back, a matching pale handed dressed in black cuffs pressed firmly down on her left shoulder. Dolores was visibly disgusted by Astrids outburst, but she was also smug at being able to get a rise from the girl so easily.
"Is there a problem here, Professors?" Snape's deep voice questioned. Astrid took a deep breath, releasing her clenched fist and relaxing under snapes hold. His fingers dug into her wrist relentlessly still.
"Just getting to know our young Professor here," Dolores smiled curtly at Severus, the smile on her face was over powered by the cold dead look in her eyes. Dolores tightened her grip on her pink bag and brushed passed Astrid up the stairs. "You're walking on thin ice Miss Moody, take care," Dolores giggled. As soon as Dolores was out of sight Snape released his hold on the young woman, she rubbed her wrist slowly sure it would bruise.
"It's good to see you make fast friends wherever you go Moody," Snape spoke with little emotion as he rounded her to look in her eyes. Astrid averted his judging gaze. "First Mr Malfoy, now Professor Umbridge, popular aren't we?" Snape sneered.
"She said-" Astrid protested but she was cut off.
"She was testing you, and you failed greatly." Snape tutted. Astrid went to say something unsavoury but bit her tongue and kissed her teeth.
"I didn't do anything Mr Malfoy, my sheer presence was enough to rub him the wrong way," Astrid defended.
"Then make yourself less present, did your father not warn you about the dangers of taking a post here?" Snape looked down his nose at the woman, he thought her young, naïve, reckless. "Many of our new professors don't even last the year," Snapes lip quivered almost into a smile.
"I think that says more about the establishment than the individuals, don't you Professor?" Astrid said, straightening her back and standing as tall as she could next to the bean pole of a man. "Good night," She smiled, brushing passed the man and up the stairs. Severus hesitated as he looked over his shoulder to the retreating Moody girl before stalking off to the dungeons.
Astrids first class on a bright and sunny Monday morning was relatively easy, teaching first years that were ready and raring to learn, excited at finally being at Hogwarts they were well behaved and engaged. A far contrast from her second period of the day. Harry, Hermione and Ron trickled in the room with the rest of the fifth years, they smiled briefly at the young professor as she stood at a blackboard chalking out the title of topic they would be learning about that term. Astrid could hear some snickering and whispering behind her book as the students took their seats, she spun around to find a group of boys in Slytherin green gesturing to her and wiggling their brows. Astrid pushed it aside and introduced herself to the class.
"Good morning, guys, I'm Professor Moody and I will be teaching you History of Magic this year," She smiled sweetly as she rolled her chalk through her fingers nervously. "This term we are learning about the Medieval Assembly of the European Wizards," A blonde haired Slytherin at the front smirked at the young professor and elbowed his comrades, gesturing something under the table with his hand the boys laughed at their icy blonde friend.
"Do we have a problem here boys?" Astrid asked them, narrowing her eyes on the group.
"No, no problem professor," The blonde smirked, "I got a question though," Astrid took a sharp in take of breath readying herself, she had a feeling it wasn't going to be a question about European wizards.
"Go on," She smiled, leaning against her desk and crossing her arms across her chest.
"Aren't you a little young to be a teacher? What are you like eighteen?" The boy snorted.
"Not that it's your business but I'm in my twenties, I'm a leading academic in my field, my subject knowledge is sound," Astrid addressed the class, she hoped that would be the last of it, but the blonde half heartedly put his hand up again with a chuckle, his friends stifled their laughs. Astrid didn't even speak, she motioned to the boy to speak.
"You're far too fit to be teaching such a boring subject Miss," The boy laughed, his friends around him erupted into fits of giggles, even some of the other students too. Astrid spied a disgusted look on Hermione's face and Ron rolling his eyes. Harry kept his head down. Astrid pushed away from her desk, uncrossing her arms she approached the table surrounded by Slytherins.
"Sorry, I didn't catch your name?" Astrid smiled at the blonde furrowing her brows. The boy ran his tongue over his teeth cockily.
"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," The boy announced as if the name gave him some importance. He made a kissy face to the Professor and stared her down. Of course, he was the spawn of that arrogant ass Astrid thought to herself, she stifled a laugh and shook her head as she walked away from the table, the boys chuckled, murmuring jokes between them. Astrid chalked the boys name at the side of the board, it was one she had a feeling she wouldn't ever forget but she wrote it anyway, next to his name she chalked '5pm'.
"Well Malfoy, Draco Malfoy, you'll be spending this evening in Detention with me," Astrid smiled, the boys face dropped instantly into a sneer, almost identical to the one his father had plastered on his own face in Dumbledores office. He didn't retaliate or lash out, Draco Malfoy simply gritted his teeth and stared Daggers into the young lady, his father would certainly hear about this he thought to himself.
"Now class can we get back to the subject at hand? The Medieval Assembly was what? Five points to whoever can tell me, hands up!"