The Alexander Chronicles Year 4: The Return of Darkness.
Chapter 12: The Human Ferret
The storm had blown itself out by the following morning, though the ceiling in the Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter grey swirled overhead as Alex examined his new class schedules at breakfast.
A few seats along, Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were discussing magical methods of aging themselves and bluffing their way into the Triwizard Tournament.
"Today's not bad… outside all morning," Neville, said as he was running his finger down the Monday column of his schedule. "Herbology with the Hufflepuffs, nice, and Care of Magical Creatures… the Slytherins, - good then we can team up with Daphne and the others."
Alex felt himself go a little red but quickly got the attention on something else. "Double Divination this afternoon," he groaned, looking down. Divination was his least favourite subject. Professor Trelawney kept predicting other people's death especially Harry's death, which was extremely annoying, Alex didn´t really had learnt that much from her class, in fact he thought it as a joke. "I shouldn't have taken the class." He whinnied.
"You should have given it up like me," Hermione said briskly, who happened to sitting next to Alex and buttering herself some toast. "Then you'd be doing something sensible like Arithmancy. After all you can´t use Divination to anything in the real world."
"No not Arithmancy! From what Daphne has told me its sounds bad as well. Although the spell creation sounds pretty cool when I read about it." Alex said then noticed that Hermione was adding liberal amounts of jam to her toast. "Hmm I see that you have decided to start eating again."
"I've decided there are better ways of making a stand about elf rights," said Hermione haughtily.
"Okay and the fact that you were bloody hungry doesn´t have anything to do with it?"
Hermione did her best not to smile, but failed causing Alex to smirk, "Uh shut it Alex."
There was a sudden rustling noise above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Alex looked up. The owls circled the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A large tawny owl soared down to Neville and deposited a parcel into his lap - Neville almost always forgot to pack something.
On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy's eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home. Trying to ignore the sinking feeling of jealousy in his stomach, Alex returned to his porridge. Ever since his mother was in Azkaban. Alex didn´t really have others sending him mail. Sure there was his grandfather, and true it was a bit unusual that he had gone that long without hearing from him. Alex was a little nervous about it, but he told himself that his grandfather was just busy. Of course, there were his father Sirius Black, but it was most unlikely that he would write him, in fact, Alex had very little contact with, even less then Harry had.
His preoccupation lasted all the way across the sodden vegetable patch until he arrived in greenhouse three, but here he was distracted by Professor Sprout showing the class the ugliest plants Alex had ever seen. Indeed, they looked less like plants than thick, black, giant slugs, protruding vertically out of the soil. Each was squirming slightly and had a number of large, shiny swellings upon it, which appeared to be full of liquid.
"Bubotubers," Neville whispered to Alex with a small smile.
Alex chuckled lightly, "I told you that you rule at this subject."
Professor Sprout looked at her class for a few second before asking "well does anyone who what this is."
Alex elbowed Neville telling him to answer, as he raised his hand Sprout said. "Yes Mr. Longbottom?"
"They are called Bubotubers."
"Very good Mr. Longbottom, take then ten points to Gryffindor. Now I would like you all to collect the pus from the Bubotubers."
"The what?" Seamus Finnigan said sounding revolted.
"Pus, Finnigan, pus," said Professor Sprout, "and it's extremely valuable, so don't waste it. You will collect the pus, I say, in these bottles. Wear your dragon-hide gloves; it can do funny things to the skin when undiluted, bubotuber pus."
Squeezing the bubotubers was disgusting, but oddly satisfying. As each swelling was popped, a large amount of thick yellowish-green liquid burst forth, which smelled strongly of petrol. Alex and Neville teamed up with their Hufflepuff friends Susan Bones and Hannah Abbott. They caught it in the bottles as Professor Sprout had indicated, and by the end of the lesson their team were the ones that had collected the most bottles.
"This'll keep Madam Pomfrey happy," said Professor Sprout, stoppering the last bottle with a cork. "An excellent remedy for the more stubborn forms of acne, bubotuber pus. Should stop students resorting to desperate measures to rid themselves of pimples."
"Like poor Eloise Midgen," said Hannah, in a hushed voice. "She tried to curse hers off."
"Is that for real?" Alex asked Susan who nodded and tried her best not to laugh.
"Silly girl," Professor Sprout said, shaking her head. "But Madam Pomfrey fixed her nose back on in the end."
At that point failed for both Alex and Susan to suppress their giggle, if Sprout heard that she had decided to ignore that.
A booming bell echoed from the castle across the wet grounds, signalling the end of the lesson, and the class separated; the Hufflepuffs climbing the stone steps for Transfiguration, and the Gryffindors heading in the other direction, down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid's small wooden cabin, which stood on the edge of the Forbidden Forest.
Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely.
As they drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached their ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions.
"Mornin'!" Hagrid said, grinning at the Gryffindors. "Best wait fer the Slytherins, they won' want the miss this - Blast-Ended Skrewts!"
"Come again?" Ron said looking confused.
Hagrid pointed down into the crates.
"Eurgh!" squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward. "Eurgh" just about summed up the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Alex´s opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There were about a hundred of them in each crate, each about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the sides of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt, and with a small phut, it would be propelled forward several inches.
"On'y jus' hatched," Hagrid, said proudly, "so yeh'll be able them raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!"
"And why would we want to raise them?" a cold voice asked.
The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words.
Hagrid looked stumped at the question.
"I mean, what do they do?" asked Draco. "What is the point of them?"
Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds' pause, then he said roughly.
"Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things - I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer - I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake - just try 'em out with a bit of each."
"First pus and now this," Alex heard Seamus mutter. Alex rolled his eyes as he and Neville walked over to their Slytherins friends.
Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Alex nervously pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. He couldn't suppress the suspicion that the whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn't seem to have mouths.
Ouch!" yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. "It got me."
Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious.
"Its end exploded!" said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand.
"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off," said Hagrid, nodding.
"Eurgh!" said Lavender Brown again. "Eurgh, Hagrid, what's that pointy thing on it?"
"Ah, some of 'em have got stings," said Hagrid enthusiastically (Lavender quickly withdrew her hand from the box). "I reckon they're the males… The females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies… I think they might be ter suck blood."
Daphne immediately withdrew her hand from the box, as it was close to one of the females. "It is official I hate those things." She hissed.
"Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive," Malfoy, said sarcastically. "Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?"
Alex could help, but agree with Malfoy and came unwillingly to laugh a bit over Malfoy´s comment. He noticed that Daphne look at him strangely, Alex simply shrugged. "What he is right, I am not to fond of sticking my hands down to them either," he whispered. However, Daphne wasn´t the only one who had noticed, Malfoy and Ron too was staring at him; in fact most of the class except Harry and Hagrid´s eyes was one him.
"Just because they're not very pretty, it doesn't mean they're not useful," Hermione snapped, taking the looks away from Alex. "Dragon blood's amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?"
Alex smiled. Hagrid would have liked nothing better than a pet dragon. Alex had been told of the time that Hagrid had had Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert. Hagrid simply loved monstrous creatures, the more lethal the better.
"Well, at least the skrewts are small," Neville said as he, Alex, Daphne, Blaise and Tracey made their way back up to the castle for lunch an hour later.
"Yeah they all starts out that way, but I doubt I like them more when they begin to grow." Alex said.
Blaise looked briefly at Alex and Neville. "Well we can hope that Hagrid never leans what they eat or we could give them poison."
…
Alex and Neville sat down at the Gryffindor table, as it was time for lunch and helped themselves to lamb chops and potatoes.
Harry, Ron, and Hermione joined them, sitting across from the two, helping themselves to some food as well. Alex signed, why did Weasley had to sit there after all Ron´s table manners was disgusting. However this time it wasn´t Ron that was eating fast it was Hermione, in fact she was eating so fast that Alex, Harry, Neville and Ron stared at her.
"Er - is this the new stand on elf rights?" Ron said. "You're going to make yourself puke instead?"
"Oh you are one to talk." Alex thought.
"No," Hermione said, with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth bulging with sprouts. "I just want to get to the library."
"What?" Ron said in disbelief. "Hermione - it's the first day back! We haven't even got homework yet!"
Hermione shrugged and continued to shovel down her food as though she had not eaten for days. Then she leapt to her feet, said, "See you at dinner!" and departed at high speed.
"Okay do you know where she is going?" Neville asked after Ron and Harry had left.
"Well it isn´t homework as Ron thinks. She wants to study up on the history of the house-elves."
"What? Why?"
"Well she wants to improve their rights." Alex said in a worried tone.
"So," Neville shrugged. "That isn´t that bad."
"Yeah agreed that house elves could have better rights," Alex said quickly, "but she wants too free them too."
"Oh," Neville said. "That is different. Well see you later, I need to talk with Sprout about some plants I read about. "He said before leaving.
Alex was just about to follow Neville when, he heard a very unpleasant and all too familiar voice. The last time he heard it, the owner had helped beating him up, or rather had held in place so that he couldn't defend himself. Alex stopped and looked as Chris Wilson approved him. He could feel the anger raise up inside him, how could Chris just have been allowed back here after what he did. "Hey Alexander could I talk to you?"
Alex didn´t responded but instead hurried out the Great Hall, as he ran he could here Chris shouting him to wait. But Alex didn´t stop, like he wanted to speak a word to his attacker. However Chris did managed to catch up with him near the Dungeon Corridor, He grabbed Alex´s arms causing him to flitch.
"I said wait."
"Let me go," Alex sneered. "Let me go right now, unless you want me to claim self-defence."
Chris quickly let go, "Look I don´t want to hurt you."
"Oh yeah well that a first – sorry but I have to say that I really doesn´t believe you."
Chris signed, "look I just want to talk to you, I have spent the time since I got to the castle to work up the courage."
"I really don´t have much to say to you."
Chris signed, "Right I understand that, but at least hear me out."
"Why should I do that?" Alex said getting angry. "Will you give me a good beating if I refuse?"
"No I won't." Chris said in soft tone, but nonetheless that made Alex angry.
"Why? A good punch for old time sake." He hissed. "You beat me up and now you dare show you face to me. How dare you."
Alex was just about to leave, when Chris continued.
"You are right Alex, I shouldn´t even be here, but I am, and I will spend my time getting the redemption that I can."
"You think I just will forgive you." Alex hissed.
"No," Chris said simply. "I never would expect that. And I won´t waste your time saying that I am without blame, only that I will regret it for the rest of my life."
"That is supposed to make me feel better, that you feel bad about it." Alex began to walk away, but Chris followed.
"No, that not what I meant. Look I just wanted to say that if you ever need any help then you had come to me."
"Yeah don´t hold your breath. In fact do hold your breath because then you die."
"I can´t do anything expect to say that I am sorry." Chris said stopping up.
Alex stopped up as well and faced Chris, with anger in his eyes. "That might not be enough. You held me down, while I was punched and punched by your best buddy, and for what huh? So that you could be a hero? By blaming someone just because his mother had been arrested."
"Listen I-"
"Shut it," Alex interrupted, "was it nice huh? Did it make you feel good tormenting a thirteen-year-old boy, to hear his cries each time he was punched. I bet it made you feel very good. I bet you were thinking of all the gory you would get for beating up an imprisoned mother´s son."
"Yeah I was a terrible person back then, but I saw what you looked when after the punches. I saw how Michael reacted after he had been expelled and the more I realized how messed up he was." Chris paused, "how messed up I was. However there is nothing else I can do then apologise, and say if you ever get in trouble then I am there for you."
Alex looked away. "So you are saying that Michael was to blame." He spat in anger.
"No, I did it has much as Michael did- I am surprised that Dumbledore didn´t expel me too."
"I suppose that it helped that you admitted it." Alex said in a cold voice, "Still I never will forgive you."
"As I said I understand."
"I don´t care," Alex shouted. "You deserve to feel like crap, and I would never help you get better. I despise you – I hate you, so just stay out my way."
"Right that is your choice, but it also your choice if you let you hate of me keep me of helping you."
Alex growled but didn´t say anything else as left feeling angry that he had seen Chris, angry that he wasn´t punished anymore. Alex was glad that there still was some time to the next class he needed to get some air.
…
When the bell rang to signal the start of afternoon lessons, Alex began moving towards the North Tower to have his Divnatation lesson, it had ran several times around the fields and it had gotten most of the anger out of his system, hopefully a boring class would manage to get rid of the rest. He met Neville and Blaise at the top of a tightly spiralling staircase, where a silver stepladder led to a circular trapdoor in the ceiling, and the room where Professor Trelawney lived. Both of the boys looked like they wanted to ask what where wrong, "I met Chris." Alex growled quietly, "I so I needed to clear my head."
"Right want me to curse him," Blaise half joked, "or give a notice to the Weasley twins." And that actually made Alex feel a bit better.
"The twins did promise to prank him." Neville added. "They are rather protective of you."
"Then it settled we leave the pranking to the Weasley twins."
Alex gave a little laugh, "Okay that will work."
The familiar sweet perfume spreading from the fire met their nostrils as they emerged at the top of the stepladder. As ever, the curtains were all closed; the circular room was bathed in a dim reddish light cast by the many lamps, which were all draped with scarves and shawls. Alex, Blaise and Neville followed Harry and Ron through the mass of occupied chintz chairs and poufs that cluttered the room, and sat down at the same small circular table.
"Good day," said the misty voice of Professor Trelawney right behind Harry, making him jump.
A very thin woman with enormous glasses that made her eyes appear far too large for her face, Professor Trelawney was peering down at Harry with the tragic expression she always wore whenever she saw him.
The usual large amount of beads, chains, and bangles glittered upon her person in the firelight.
"You are preoccupied, my dear," she said mournfully to Harry. "My inner eye sees past your brave face to the troubled 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 will indeed come to pass… and perhaps sooner than you think…"
Her voice dropped almost to a whisper. Alex rolled his eyes as more of his anger vanished and whispered to Blaise, "Well she is the same old."
Blaise chuckled as Professor Trelawney swept past them and seated herself in a large winged armchair before the fire, facing the class. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil, who deeply admired Professor Trelawney, were sitting on pouffes very close to her.
"My dears, it is time for us to consider the stars," she said. "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…"
Alex sat back, staring at his table as Trelawney went on and on. He thought how Hermione was right about leaving this class, and maybe he should to. He could see that Blaise was close to falling asleep.
"What?" he heard Harry ask.
Alex looked up and around; the whole class was staring at Harry.
"I was saying, my dear, that you were clearly born under the baleful influence of Saturn," said Professor Trelawney, a faint note of resentment in her voice at the fact that Harry had obviously not been listening.
"Born under - what, sorry?" Harry said.
"Saturn, dear, the planet Saturn!" said Professor Trelawney, sounding definitely irritated. "I was saying that Saturn was surely in a position of power in the heavens at the moment of your birts… Your dark hair… your mean stature… tragic losses so young in life… I think I am right in saying, my dear, that you were born in midwinter?"
"No," said Harry, "I was born in July."
Ron turned a laugh into hacking cough.
Half an hour later, each of them had been given a complicated circular chart, and was attempting to fill in the position of the planets at their moment of birth. It was dull work, requiring much consultation of timetables and calculation of angles.
"Man this is boring." Alex whispered.
"Yeah you telling me. Do my chart look okay to you, because I am about not to care anymore."
Alex blinked and looked at Blaise's chart and shrugged. "I have no idea," he said.
Suddenly, there were excited squeals from Lavender Brown - "Oh Professor, look! I think I've got an unexpected planet! Oooh, which one's that, Professor?"
"It is Uranus, my dear," said Professor Trelawney, peering down at the chart.
"Can I have a look at Uranus too, Lavender?" said Ron. Harry, Neville, Dean, Seamus, and even Alex and Blaise began to laugh.
Most unfortunately, Professor Trelawney heard him, and it was this, perhaps, that made her give them so much homework at the end of the class.
"A detailed analysis of the way the planetary movements in the coming month will affect you, with reference to your personal chart," she snapped, sounding much more like Professor McGonagall than her usual airy-fairy self. "I want it ready to hand in next Monday, and no excuses!"
"Miserable old bat," said Ron bitterly as he and Harry joined the crowds descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner, Alex was lagging behind. "That'll take all weekend that will…"
"Lots of homework?" Hermione asked cheerfully, catching up with them.
"Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!"
"Well, bully for Professor Vector," said Ron moodily.
"Well then next time you think about opening you mouth Weasley." Alex said, "then don´t, then maybe next time we won´t get that much homework. Can you do that or will it require a brain."
"You know what Bonteri why don´t you shut up."
"Oh yeah make me Weasley." Alex hissed facing Ron, some of the anger about seeing Chris had returned, and Ron was prefect to let it all out on.
"I like to see you try stopping me Black." Ron said giving an evilly smile as Alex paled, not noticing the strange look Neville was giving him, as Ron continued. "Yeah Nott told me, guess a slimly Slytherin is good for something."
Alex growled and was about throw a nasty insult that most likely would starts a fight, but Hermione grabbed his shoulder shaking her head.
They reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang out behind them.
"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"
Harry, Ron, Neville, Alex, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something.
"What?" Ron said shortly.
"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" Malfoy said, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. "Listen to this!"
FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."
Malfoy looked up.
"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" Malfoy crowed.
Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish and read on:
"Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene."
"And there's a picture, Weasley!" said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "A picture of your parents outside their house - if you can call it a house! I reckon your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?" he added.
Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him.
"Get stuffed, Malfoy," said Harry. "C'mon, Ron…"
"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter? And you too Alexander," Malfoy sneered. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"
"You know your mother, Malfoy?" Harry said - both he and Neville had grabbed the back of Ron's robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy. Alex remained still wondering why Malfoy had begun using his first name - "that expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"
Malfoy's pale face went slightly pink. "Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."
"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," Harry said, turning away.
BANG!
Several people screamed - Alex watched as something white-hot grazed Harry's face - he plunged his hand into his robes for his wand, but before he'd even touched it, and Alex heard a second loud BANG, and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall.
"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"
Alex spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing.
There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry — at least, his normal eye was looking at Harry; the other one was pointing sideways and Alex couldn't help but feel that it was staring at him for some unknown reason.
"Did they get you?" Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly.
"No," Harry said, he "missed."
"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted.
"Leave - what?" Harry said, bewildered.
"Not you - him!" Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody's rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head.
Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, which gave terrified squeaks and took off, streaking toward the dungeons.
"I don't think so!" roared Moody, pointing his wand at the ferret again - it flew ten feet into the air, fell with a smack to the floor, and then bounced upward once more.
"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back's turned," Moody growled as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. "Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do…"
The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly. "Never - do - that - again -" Moody said, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again.
"Professor Moody!" said a shocked voice.
Professor McGonagall was coming down the marble staircase with her arms full of books.
"Hello, Professor McGonagall," Moody said calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher.
"What - what are you doing?" Professor McGonagall said, her eyes following the bouncing ferret's progress through the air.
"Teaching," Moody said.
"Teach - Moody, is that a student?" Professor McGonagall shrieked, the books spilling out of her arms.
"Technically, it's a ferret," Moody said as nothing was wrong.
"No!" Professor McGonagall cried, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with Malfoy's sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing.
"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!" Professor McGonagall said weakly. "Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?"
"He might've mentioned it, yeah," Moody said, scratching his chin unconcernedly, "but I thought a good sharp shock -"
"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House!"
"I'll do that, then," Moody said, staring at Malfoy with great dislike.
Malfoy, whose pale eyes were still watering with pain and humiliation, looked malevolently up at Moody and muttered something in which the words "my father" were distinguishable.
"Oh yeah?" Moody said quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. "Well, I know your father of old, boy… You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son…you tell him that from me…now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it?"
"Yes," said Malfoy resentfully.
"Another old friend," Moody growled. "I've been looking forward to a chat with old Snape… Come on, you…"
And he seized Malfoy's upper arms and marched him off toward the dungeons.
Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to soar up into the air and back into her arms.
"Don't talk to me," Ron said quietly to Harry, Alex, Neville, and Hermione as they sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened.
"I wasn't," Alex growled, earning an elbow from Hermione.
"Why not?" Hermione asked in surprise, as Alex rubbed his stomach.
"Because we want to fix that in our memories forever," Ron said, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. "Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret."
Harry, Neville and Hermione laughed, and Hermione began doling beef casserole onto each of their plates. While Alex just starred at them.
"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though," she said. "It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it -"
"Hermione!" Ron said furiously, his eyes snapping open again, "you're ruining the best moment of my life!"
Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again.
"Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?" said Harry, watching her.
"Got to," said Hermione thickly. "Loads to do."
"But you told us Professor Vector -"
"It's not schoolwork," she said. Within five minutes, she had cleared her plate and departed, Alex watching her leave. No sooner had she gone than her seat was taken by Fred.
"Moody!" he said. "How cool is he?"
"Beyond cool," said George, sitting down opposite Fred. "Supercool," said the twins' best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George. "We had him this afternoon," he told them.
"And we had him this morning," George said to the guys.
"What was it like?" said Harry eagerly as Alex listened in on the conversion.
Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning.
"Never had a lesson like it," said Fred.
"He knows, man," said Lee.
"Knows what?" said Ron, leaning forward.
"Knows what it's like to be out there doing it," said George impressively.
"Doing what?" Harry asked.
"Fighting the Dark Arts," said Fred.
"He's seen it all," said George.
"Amazing," said Lee.
Ron dived into his bag for his schedule. "We haven't got him till Thursday, I can´t wait."
That was one thing Alex agreed with Ron on, he also looked forward to seeing Moody´s lesson. Chris would make a good ferret; maybe he could Moody to teach him.
…
Chapter end.
So Chris is back at the school and Alex isn´t happy about that. I guess that Dumbledore sometimes just won´t see the bad in people, anyways can Chits be trusted after what he did to Alex or will he fall back to was he was. Only the future will tell.
And a big thanks to those who have reviewed my story, please continue it gives me motivation to write.