Renee POV
Two years ago, I first found myself at this table. I was scared and alone, and Draco Malfoy made fun of me for clapping for Ginny, a "blood traitor," as she was sorted into Gryffindor.
Today Draco sat in the same position and applauded a boy who, as far as anyone beyond us, Clara, Harry Hermione, Neville, and the Weasleys knew, could have been Muggle-born as he was sorted into Draco's rival house.
I wasn't the only one who noticed. Although it had taken minimal charmspeak to convince my friends there was nothing going on between Draco and me or Harry and me, Gill still followed my gaze as I glanced over at the blonde.
"Huh," he said, staring at Draco. "I guess he has changed, a little. I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions, Renee."
I thanked Gill for his apology. I had spent most of the sorting until Nico telling them about the Quidditch World Cup and how Draco, Clara, and I had snuck off to go find the players. It was such a good story, even I almost believed it.
The desserts were better than I remembered them, and they even served chocolate gateau. Everyone needs a little chocolate. Over at the Gryffindor table, even Nico looked content. Hermione, however, grew angry at something her house ghost said, and I heard her fork clang from three tables away as she threw it down.
After the puddings had been magically cleared away, Dumbledore rose to his feet. He went over some information about the banned items list and some other rules, and then cleared his throat.
"It is my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup will not take place this year."
There were gasps throughout the hall. I locked eyes with Draco for a second and then glanced over at the Gryffindor table. Harry, Fred, and George looked incredulous.
Dumbledore put up his hand for silence. "This is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing through the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely. I have great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts-"
Before Dumbledore could finish, he was interrupted by a deafening boom of thunder, and then the doors of the Great Hall were flung open.
A scarred, grizzly looking man stood in the doorway. He moved with a cane, and his eyes were like something from a mad scientist movie. One of them was small, dark, and beady, but the other one was large, round as a coin, and a vivid, electric blue. The blue eye moved independently of the normal one, scanning the room and rolling in every direction. Then it rolled over completely, and he faced the room with an empty socket.
I stood as if I'd gotten an electric shock, and I noticed Nico and Clara on their feet as well. The gods were always doing things like this, showing up in broken mortal forms if there were demigods around, and part of our training was to be ready for them.
Surprisingly, though, the man made his way to Dumbledore instead of any of us or Sprout. He made an odd clunking noise as he walked.
The stranger held out a hand that was just as scarred as his face. He and Dumbledore exchanged a few words in low undertones, and then he sat down, speared a sausage with his fork, and began to eat. His blue eye still darted around the room even as the rest of him focused on his food.
Dumbledore smiled. "Allow me to introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Moody."
Chatter broke out across the room. "He's a famous retired auror," Tomasz explained, noticing my perplexed look. "Like, really famous. Put a ton of Death Eaters in Azkaban. Never killed when he didn't have to, though. Very good man, in my family's opinion." He frowned. "Well, most of them, anyway."
Tomasz didn't know I knew about Nolan's parents, I realized. I'd keep that knowledge to myself for a while longer. I know what it's like to have family I'd rather keep under wraps.
I watched as Moody ignored the glass of pumpkin juice in front of him, pulled out a personal hip flask, and took a deep swig. As he did, his cloak shifted to reveal a wooden leg ending in a clawed foot. It was exactly the kind of gimmick a disguised god would pull.
I still wasn't completely sure he was really an ex-auror. Clara seemed to have relaxed a bit, but Nico was still staring at Moody uncomfortably too.
Dumbledore cleared his throat. "As I was saying," he continued, smiling at the sea of students before him who were all gazing transfixed at Mad-Eye Moody, "we are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held in over a century. It is my very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year."
"You're JOKING!" Fred Weasley said loudly. His voice carried across the whole hall, easing the tension since Moody walked in. I even saw Nico relax, and I did as well.
"I am not joking, Mr. Weasley, although I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a hag, a troll, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar…"
Professor McGonagall cleared her throat sternly.
"Er - but maybe this is not the time… no… where was I… oh yes, the Triwizard Tournament."
Dumbledore went on to explain that the Triwizard Tournament was a competition between the three European wizarding schools, but had been discontinued due to the death toll. There were murmurs throughout the hall at the words "death toll."
Dumbledore brushed off people's concerns, but I sought out Clara and Nico's eyes. Something like this seemed like the perfect opportunity for monsters and gods, or even unscrupulous wizards to do something. He explained that the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang would arrive around Halloween.
Clara relaxed a bit as Dumbledore explained that there was an impartial judge that would enforce an age limit, but something still had me on edge. Fred and George swore loudly at this proclamation.
I let my mind wander as Dumbledore finished up. There was an air of excitement throughout the Hall as people started to make their way back to their dorms. Gill, Sandra, and Tomasz started talking excitedly about the tournament, hoping older Slytherins like Stacy Ballias and Cassius Warrington would try for it. All around us, people seemed to be having similar conversations, and I passed some people even speculating how they would trick the age barrier, but I was too exhausted to think about any of it. This year, I would have to remain alert. There was so much that could go wrong with this Triwizard Tournament.
Clara POV
That night, I couldn't sleep. This month, I had the bottom bunk, but it wasn't Rebecca's light snoring above me or Kat's soft moaning beside me that was keeping me awake.
I kept replaying this afternoon's incident in my mind. From the moment Hermione, Renee, and I had stood up to defend Natalie against Kaylee, Ariana, and Morgana, nothing had gone as I had expected it to. I wished more of my core group of friends were in Hufflepuff, because they were the only ones I wanted to discuss today's events with.
My mind wandered to all those who had helped us out in the incident. Mildred Jones and Norwich, and Stacy Ballias, Davis Yates, Monica Lewis, and the Johnson girl from Gryffindor, who I thought may have been related to the Gryffindor Quidditch player with the same last name. And, of course, Draco. My brother. He'd saved Renee's life, and then he turned around and saved Ron's, too. He defended me before I'd even had a chance to process that Norwich and Mildred may have been accusing me.
I shut my eyes and tried to do an alphabet of animals, a technique that usually helped me sleep, but sleep wouldn't come.
Around two in the morning, I was still having no luck. I crossed the room and took a spare quill from the shared desk.
Dear Ms. Mildred Ellen Jones, I wrote. I am writing to thank you for your help today…
Around four in the morning, I had completed three letters to Mildred, Norwich, and Stacy. I still had more to write, but I felt my eyelids getting heavy. My pen dragged across the last page as I signed my name, unable to keep my eyes open.
"You look awful. Did you get any sleep last night?" Lucy demanded the next morning when I saw her in the bathroom.
I shrugged. "I never sleep well on the first night back in a new place," I muttered. Most of the other students hadn't heard about the incident on the train, and I didn't want to be the one to tell them. The Hogwarts rumor mill would find out soon enough.
Renee and Sandra were waiting for me outside the Great Hall, laughing loudly about something. Renee grinned and gave me a huge hug when she saw me. "Sandra was just telling me about her cruise in the Mediterranean this summer," Renee said. She studied my face. "Man, you look awful. Everything okay?"
"Lucy Mason said the same thing. I didn't sleep too well last night, actually."
"Sorry," Sandra said. "First night in a new place, right? Or even a less familiar place?"
I glanced at the blonde girl. "You get that too?"
Sandra nodded, smiling. "Stacy and Sophia always said it was weird. But then again, Stacy needs at least a week to get used to somewhere, and Sophia can sleep anywhere, so I guess one night is weird for some."
"Our brothers and I always said Clara was weird about this," Renee laughed.
Last year, Sandra and I had had our first real conversation without Renee on the train before Christmas. She was actually pretty fun to talk to. Now, I wondered if we had more in common than either of us thought. Renee was close with both of us after all.
"Come on," Renee said excitedly. "Breakfast is always great on the first day!"
She pulled me over to the Slytherin table. I stared. Our first year, I'd made her sit at the Slytherin table on the first day because I didn't understand how bad it would really be for her. Last year, I had begged her and her friends to sit with me at the Hufflepuff table after an incident with Kaylee, Morgana, and Ariana. And now Renee not only wanted to be there, but wanted me there as well?
I shrugged and sat between Renee and Daphne Greengrass from Care of Magical Creatures.
Gill threw himself down across from Renee, and even though it looked like they made up last night, I could still see that Gill wasn't really planning on giving her her space today.
I glanced up as Draco sat in a chair next to Daphne. She smiled at him, but it was strained. But Renee was right. He was making an effort to distance himself from bad influences, even if it was hard. Further down the table, Pansy Parkinson scowled at him, and I could tell he was trying hard to ignore her.
A few minutes later, Kaylee slid into the seat across from Pansy with Morgana and Ariana on either side. I was disappointed to see that Morgana's arms looked fully healed. But at least Renee hadn't had to spend the night with them, as they were in overnight detention with Snape for the next few weeks. Beside me, Renee tensed.
"So last night," I said in a low voice, "I couldn't sleep, so I wrote a few letters. I wrote to Mildred and Norwich, and to Stacy. I still need to do Davis and Monica and that Johnson girl, so I'll need to ask Harry for her first name."
Renee brightened. "That's a great idea! I'll send them all letters as well. And maybe we can check if the golden trio want to do some as well."
"The golden trio?"
"Haven't you heard people refer to Harry, Ron, and Hermione as that? They've been at the center of all the school problems since their first year."
I laughed. "It's fitting."
Our first class was Divination. We ascended the ladder that led to the heavily perfumed, steamy room beyond the trapdoor.
They had split up electives more evenly this year, not based on houses but on the numbers of students who wanted to take them. This meant every third year from all the houses were together, instead of just one or two houses. For Divination, though, this wasn't much of an issue, since not many people wanted to take it, and no third years in Divination were also taking Arithmancy. Luna was the only Ravenclaw, and there were so few Gryffindors taking it this year, I barely even saw anyone I recognized from that house either. I only noticed Nolan, Rachel, Colin, and a girl of African descent who I didn't know.
There were fewer Slytherins in this class too. Tomasz and Gill had decided on Muggle Studies as their third elective, after Tomasz had dragged his best friend into taking Arithmancy with him. Their other class was Care of Magical Creatures, as the only three third year Slytherins to take it this year. We would once again be taking that class and Defense with the fourth year Gryffindors. A few of the Slytherin boys sat on the outskirts. I made it a point not to talk to Slytherin boys from my year who weren't Gill and Tomasz. They were all clearly into Ariana, Morgana, and Kaylee, and I suspected many of their families were pure blood elitists.
Renee was the only one present who had been in this classroom before. Sandra, Luna, and I hacked from the perfume as we emerged from the trapdoor, but Renee was more used to it from the Aphrodite cabin. The heat had me sweating in seconds, and I groaned as we sat down on the plush armchairs and beanbags that surrounded the tables.
"Even you?" Renee whispered to me, making sure that Sandra didn't hear.
I nodded uncomfortably and patted the seat next to me as other Hufflepuffs entered the room.
We exchanged greetings with the other Hufflepuffs. Franklin and some of the boys sat closer to the few Gryffindors in the class, which made sense, because Franklin and Nolan were close.
I took in my surroundings. Harry and Ron had warned us that Professor Trelawney liked to make an entrance on the first day. Warily, I eyed the crystal balls and teacups lining the shelves around the room. I had more reason than any of them to form judgement about the Divination professor.
There was a puff of perfumed mist, and the whole class started coughing again as a wiry woman with large glasses magnifying her eyes appeared from a secret door. "Welcome," she said. "How nice to see you in the physical world at last."
A few people laughed nervously, and she began to take attendance.
"Why does she need to do that, if she obviously knows who we all are?" Rachel whispered loudly, rolling her eyes. She seemed like someone who only took this class to get out of doing work. The African girl quickly shushed her, and I was grateful. I didn't know yet if I trusted Trelawney, but I knew to take divination in and of itself seriously.
She called Rebecca, Nolan, and Sandra's names, and then her eyes rested on me. "Bradley, Clarissa?"
I nodded.
"I have seen in the stars that we will talk after class."
A few people raised their eyebrows, and Renee squeezed my hand as Trelawney moved on to Emma Cardwell.
"What's that about?" she whispered.
I shrugged. Could Professor Trelawney know about my father? And if so, did that mean she was legit?
After she had called on everyone, she gave some stuffy speech about how this would be a difficult class if one didn't possess "the sight." Renee winked at me and I had to keep from laughing.
We partnered up, and I ended up with Luna as Renee and Sandra were working together across from us. Callie Preston from Hufflepuff looked disappointed that I didn't choose her until a Hufflepuff boy called Jasper Dylan called her over, and she brightened a bit.
"Callie likes Jasper," Lucy Mason whispered loudly, and Callie turned red.
"Well, Lucy likes-" Renee snapped back, but I looked sharply at her. Even if her Aphrodite talents allowed her to know who was into who, she shouldn't reveal that to a whole class right now.
Emma raised her eyebrows at Lucy and then shook her head as they sat down across from Kat and Rebecca. I was glad I wasn't wrapped up in their drama, even if I was in the same house as them. Petty relationship drama seemed a lot more like a Gryffindor or Slytherin thing, honestly. Not that I suspected any of my Gryffindor or Slytherin friends would be involved in that, but it just wasn't a Hufflepuff thing.
"We will be covering basic methods of Divination this year," Professor Trelawney explained. I smiled to myself. These "basic methods" likely didn't include passing out and getting a message from the Greek god of prophecy. She mentioned tea leaves, palmistry, fire omens, and crystal balls. She then turned to Nolan.
"Beware a tall man in a mask."
Nolan exchanged a worried glance with Franklin, and I suspected he was thinking of his father.
"Unfortunately, in November, the school will give itself to flames, and in February one member of this class will find him or herself helpless," Trelawney continued, and many people gasped. "Miss Samson, is your grandfather well?"
"I think so," Rachel muttered, looking around sharply.
"I wouldn't be so sure," the professor replied, then continued with her grand speech. "In June, I regret to say that a member of this class will be in grave danger."
She looked around wildly, as if trying to pinpoint which student it would be. Her gaze landed on Renee, and she smiled. "You, dear, will you pass me that silver teapot behind you?"
Renee glanced over her shoulder at the teapot the professor was describing, and then passed it to her.
"Thank you, dear," she said. "Beware betrayal. You know the signs."
Renee glanced at me, and I just shrugged.
Professor Trelawney then explained the lesson. She would pour the tea, and we would drink to the bottom and observe the patterns our leaves made using our Unfogging the Future books.
Luna looked at mine first. "Oh," she said arily. "That's interesting. You have a mistletoe plant. Probably means you have an infestation of Nargles in your future."
"Please just stick to the book," Sandra hissed beside us as Professor Trelawney passed by our table. I could tell she was trying not to laugh.
"I don't know," Renee murmured. "Creative interpretation can be useful… Sandra, you've got this little thing that looks like a thumbtack… looks like that means you're going to get a minor injury… or maybe when you turn it this way it's a microphone…"
I glanced in Luna's cup. Her tea leaves formed clear pictures to me, mostly of animals and sunshine. Somehow, they were in vibrant color in my mind. I didn't say any of this, though. I didn't want to draw attention to my natural Divination abilities.
"You've got a little mirror," I pointed out in Luna's cup. I flipped through the pages. "Huh. That's odd. This says a mirror is a symbol of both confidence and insecurity…"
Next to me, Renee snorts into her cup. "Yeah, right," she mutters.
"Place yourself in the beyond," Professor Trelawney encourages us. Some people laugh, but others are deadly serious. She steps up behind Renee, and both Slytherin girls flinch a little bit.
"My dear," she exclaimed, peering into Sandra's cup. "I see music and light in your future!"
"Music and light!" Rachel scoffed from the back of the room. "Well, that's specific!"
Her partner, the African girl, loudly shushed her. I was gaining more and more respect for her. I'd have to ask Ginny her name later.
Something made Professor Trelawney's gaze shift to Renee's and my cups. She shivered as she inspected mine, then Renee's, then mine again. She looked around to see if everyone was paying attention, and then sighed dramatically.
"Twin moons," she gasped, her eyes shifting between the cups. "Great loss links the two of you and looms in your future!"
She rotated them in opposite directions and sighed again. "Twin leaves parting- you will be torn from your loyalties many times in life."
Renee stiffened and reached for my hand. I squeezed hers. Maybe this class would prove useful in more ways than one.
"Twin hearts," the professor said, her eyes growing even wider. "With opposite breaks. I'm not sure what that means. I'll need to see the fourth side before…"
She rotated the cups a final time, and her hand went to her heart. "Renee Sanderson, you have the sun, and Clarissa Bradley, you've got the dove. There's a part of each of you in the other, more than any two wizards I've ever come across. The coming years will be a test of everything you hold dear- especially each other. Be prepared."
The candles throughout the room flickered, and Renee squeezed my hand tightly. Around us, people were exchanging awkward glances, as if they'd just witnessed something private, a ritual of sorts.
A bell rang from somewhere far away, and Professor Trelawney glanced around the room. "Your homework is to write two pages on an interpretation you'd like to know more about, whether it be your own or your partner's. Class dismissed."
She locked eyes with me, and Renee let go of my hand to gather up her books. "Do you want me to wait?" she whispered nervously.
"No, it's okay." Renee was obviously a little shaken from the class, and the fresh air would do her some good. Luckily, we had Care of Magical Creatures next. "Go meet up with Hermione and the others, and let Hagrid know I'll be a few minutes late."
Renee nodded. "Good luck."
I smiled. "I'll see you in a few minutes."
I turn to the professor as Renee descends the ladder. "What did you want to talk to me about?"
Renee POV
"That's a load of BS!" I yell at the Slytherin table at lunch.
Clara glances around nervously. "Please. Keep your voice down."
I go over what she said again. "So she called you 'sister…' because she was adopted by your father's Roman form… so she's not really a demigod but she was given powers by your father… but others in her family are seers? That just doesn't make sense, Clara."
She shrugged. "Well, Wren, I was thinking," she stared off into space.
"Yes?"
"For our history of magic project, I was wondering if you would be okay with studying the history and art of divination."
My face fell. "I kind of wanted to study the Triwizard Tournament."
Clara smiled brightly. "I figured. Do you want to do separate projects this year? We can ask McGonagall and Sprout if we can make them yearlong, so that we can put our full effort into them. I wrote down all of Professor Trelawney's predictions about the year, and I want to see where they go."
"Not a bad idea. But Professor McGonagall doesn't believe in divination as a magical subject, everyone knows that. She might not approve."
"I can just remind her of my father." Clara winked. "Plus, you'll be there to charmspeak her if she doesn't approve."
"Oh, all right, if you insist."
Clara squeezed my hand as we made our way down the stairs for our next class.
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" she asked again.
"After Hagrid's skrewts this morning I can handle anything," I laughed, trying to divert attention from what she was really asking. The skrewts had been these large, gray cockroach-like things with suckers on their bellies and ends that breathed fire. Draco and Lavender had both complained loudly about them, and Hermione had tried to defend Hagrid, but none of us actually believed they were at all useful for anything. In all honestly, they were disgusting.
But now, we were going to our first class away from each other, and for me, that meant double potions. It would be bad enough having to face Snape in the dark, cold dungeon, and that was before you added in the fact that it would be the first time I faced Ariana, Morgana, and Kaylee since the incident on the train, and the first time I'd faced them at all without Clara since last June.
I had told Sandra about what happened, and Ginny had demanded to know why her brother was in the hospital wing, so Hermione had told her as well. Clara walked me to the dungeons, she had charms next. Luckily, the entrance to the potions classroom was blocked by Sandra, Gill, Tomasz, Ginny, Rachel, Nolan, Colin, and the black girl who I'd seen earlier in Divination.
"She's safe with us," Sandra said firmly but reassuringly, taking my hand. Clara seemed to relax slightly as she made her way to Charms.
Sandra and I took a two-seater near the back, and my Slytherin and Gryffindor friends fanned out around us. Gill sat directly behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. "If Kaylee, Morgana, or Ariana try anything, I'll show them," he said, making a fist with his other hand.
"Oh, shut up," Tomasz said as Snape breezed past them into the room. Nolan and Colin were playing hangman, seemingly oblivious, and the black girl turned to me from her three-seater across the aisle with Ginny and Rachel.
"I'm Demelza," she said brightly. "I saw you in Divination this morning."
I smiled. "Renee," I said, offering her my hand. "Nice to meet you."
I thought I saw the tiniest of scowls on Gill's face, but I blinked and he looked fine again. I must have imagined it.
Luckily, Snape didn't do much other than dock points from the Gryffindors for arbitrary things, and my friends distracted me from Ariana, Kaylee, and Morgana. I was actually able to make a pretty good rendition of the Pepperup Potion we were supposed to be working on. Ginny's looked much better, though, but Snape pretended not to notice hers as he awarded me ten points for Slytherin. I almost said something, but Sandra stepped on my foot. "Don't," she hissed in my ear. "You'll just make it worse for her."
Overall, it was a pretty normal lesson. Clara was waiting for me outside the Potions classroom when we got out. Her face broke into a wide grin when she saw I was surrounded by friends and didn't look hurt. Together, we made our way up the staircase with the other first years, laughing and joking about our summers and the Quidditch World Cup. Only Colin and Demelza, being Muggle-Born, hadn't seen it.
As we reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queueing for dinner, there was a commotion.
"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!" the voice was unmistakably Draco's.
Ron looked around. "What?" he snapped.
"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" Draco's voice echoed throughout the hall. "Listen to this!"
I groaned inwardly. Of course I couldn't have actually expected the Draco from last spring and over the summer to have been the same person at school.
"Further Mistakes at the Ministry of Magic," Draco read the headline. The article addressed Mr. Weasley as "Arnold Weasley" and brought up how he was charged for possession of a flying car, as well as hinting that he was covering up whatever had happened at Moody's the previous morning.
"And there's a picture, Weasley!" Draco said with glee.
I stepped up in the line, hoping Draco would notice me and stop. Clara saw what I was doing and grabbed my hand. "Together," she whispered. I nodded and we took a few steps forward.
"Of your parents outside their house," Draco continued, his voice rising. "If you can call it a house. Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?" Around him, Slytherins laughed, and my eyes found Kaylee, Morgana, and Ariana in the crowd. As much as I wanted to stop Draco, I really didn't want to risk a confrontation with them right now.
Ron was shaking with fury, and Clara stepped up behind him. I knew she could control him with her sunbeams if things got bad. I was on my own now.
"Get stuffed, Malfoy," Harry called back. "Come on, Ron, let's go."
Draco smirked. He still hadn't noticed me yet. I moved closer. "Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" He sneered. "So tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"
Ginny, Sandra, and Tomasz had pushed their way through the crowd as well.
"You know your mother, Malfoy?" Harry retorted, and Clara gasped, loosening her hold on the sunbeam that was restraining Ron.
Don't go there, I pleaded in my mind with charmspeak, but Harry didn't seem to notice.
"That expression she's got," he continued, "like she's got dung under her nose. Does she always look that way, or was it just because you were with her?"
Draco went slightly pink, but so did Clara. "Harry," she muttered, "don't stoop to his level."
Harry glanced at her, and Draco took that moment to raise his wand to Harry while his back was turned.
There was a collective gasp, and then-
BANG!
Several people screamed, and I whipped out my wand as something came flying at Harry, but then there was another BANG!
"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"
Harry spun around, as did many others. Mad-Eye Moody clunked into the middle of students, near Harry. His wand was out, and he was pointing it at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone floor, exactly where Draco had been moments before.
"Professor!" Clara gasped, but Moody wasn't listening as he limped toward Harry.
"Did he get you?" he growled.
"No," Harry said, looking around. "Missed."
"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted, and I followed his electric blue eye as it rolled into his head toward where Crabbe was picking up the ferret.
He limped toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret, who squeaked and made a mad dash for the dungeons. Clara stared at me with fear frozen on her face. "Do something," she whispered shakily.
I understood what she wanted. "Professor Moody," I said with a touch of charmspeak.
The look he gave me rivaled one I'd seen on Professor McGonagall's face. "I don't take kindly to people who attack when their opponent's back is turned," he growled at me.
"Professor, please," I tried again as Moody started bouncing the ferret up and down with his wand.
I felt someone step up next to me, and I turned slightly and noticed Tomasz on my right. He was looking at his wand with intense concentration.
Moody performed a little trick with his wand that tossed Draco high in the air. Many people laughed, including Harry and Ron, but the shocked expression on Clara's face frightened me.
"Professor Moody," I tried again, but someone else's voice rang out louder.
"Professor Moody, what are you doing?" It was Professor McGonagall. Tomasz seemed to be waiting for this exact moment, because he figured out what to do with his wand at the sound of her voice. "Migale ut transferendum hominum," he said as the ferret hit the floor. It expanded back into Draco, sprawled out on the ground. He looked over toward where we were standing.
"Thanks," he said slowly to Tomasz.
Professor McGonagall was reprimanding Moody, but I turned my attention to my best friend. Clara was shaking with fury.
"Who does he think he is?" she gasped. "You can't just go around turning students to animals!"
I put my hand on her shoulder. "It's okay, Clara. He's fine now."
"Yeah, but what if Tomasz hadn't been there?" she snapped, sounding very unlike herself. "What if McGonagall hadn't shown up?"
Aside from the Slytherins, though, including me and my friends, Clara seemed to be the only one who didn't find this funny. Ron was grinning from ear to ear, and I heard him say, "don't talk to me. I want to fix this in my mind forever. Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret."
Harry and Hermione laughed, but then Hermione caught sight of Clara's expression. She muttered something to Ron, and I caught the words, "what if it had been Ginny?"
"Oh, come off it," Ron said loudly. "You're ruining the best moment of my life."
Clara went pale and moved toward Ron. She looked fiery, and I knew she might let loose with her sunbeams at any moment.
I reached out my hand to her, pointedly ignoring Ron.
"Come on. Let's go find Nico and ask about his first day."
A/N: Well, this was a long awaited chapter that I didn't know exactly where to go with. At first I thought it would go one way, but I ended up being able to make it less of a filler. I still am not exactly sure where to go with Clara and Professor Trelawney, and their relationship is something I've been thinking about since I started writing this, but I'm still not sure what it's going to mean later on. Still, I enjoyed introducing her and writing a class scene away from the golden trio.
A note about Tomasz's spell: I looked up the word ferret in Latin on Google translate, so that's where I got "migale" from. I'm not sure why I want Tomasz to be this transfiguration genius, but I wanted to include the canon part where Professor McGonagall was yelling at a kid for turning his friend into a badger in the moments before Justin and Nick are petrified in CoS, but I also wanted that to be where Clara and Renee were coming from, because at that point it was the only class they had together. So I guess that stemmed into this.
Anyway, please review. I look forward to continuing on to the Triwizard Tournament.
~Celia
