Chapter 6
The Return of Mad-Eye Moody

After Harry's first week at school, he had difficulty even convincing himself that N.E.X.T. was not just a more advanced Hogwarts with less of Hermione in his class, no houses, and new people.

"Hey! Harry, look at that on our schedule! We have Defense Against the Dark Arts again!" shouted Ron jubilantly on a bright and sunny Tuesday.

"Well duh, it only reasonable, we're going to be aurors Ron," said Harry.

"Oh, right, I forgot. It's just that all we've had so far is Charms, Transfiguration, and Potions," said Ron slightly less cheerfully.

Indeed this was true. One more difference between N.E.X.T. was that their classes were much longer, and each class took about two hours of their day. Harry still had difficulty convincing himself though, that this was not Hogwarts.

"Well, come on, who knows what our new teacher'll be like? I reckon we should at least arrive there on time, mate, and make a good impression," Harry told him.

"You sound like Hermione when you do that," said Ron before the two of them set off at a rather speedy pace.

Three stair cases, four corridors, and eight doors later, Harry and Ron had finally arrived at classroom 115 out of breath on the third floor, where their Defense Against the Dark Arts class would be held. They were exactly a minute ahead of schedule.

"Come on in you two, didn't expect anyone'd be early," growled a very, very, very familiar voice. Harry and Ron both spun around to come face to face with Mad-Eye Moody.

"Professor Moody!?" said a shocked voice from behind them, and Harry and Ron turned once more to face Hermione.

"Hey Hermione! I haven't seen you since we got off the subway!" exclaimed Ron.

"What are you teaching here for?" asked Hermione, ignoring Ron.

"I felt like coming out of retirement for a few years at the least, and Professor Dumbledore wanted it," growled Moody. "Nice to see you've taken an impostor's advice and became an auror, Potter."

Harry felt himself turn a crimson red.

"Not to worry at any rate, the lesson's about to start, so we can catch up and chitchat later. For now, get in the classroom," said Moody and limped off, his magical eye whirling around in its socket.

"Let's go in then," said Hermione and the three of them entered.

Harry decided that Moody's classroom looked much like it had been when the impostor had taught at Hogwarts in his fourth year. The three of them settled in the front of the classroom, as they had done at that time, and settled back for what would most certainly be an interesting lesson; every single lesson they had ever been taught by the impostor Moody had been fascinating and important, so they saw no reason to as why the real deal would be no better. A few moments later, many more students began to file into the classroom and the lesson began.

It certainly had been an interesting lesson, thought Harry as two hours later, he emerged exhausted from Moody's classroom. All of them had been forced to endlessly preform jinxes and counter-curses in rapid succession and only Hermione had managed to remain just as energized and happy as she had been when she originally entered the classroom. Everyone else was in damp moods or else, like Harry, completely drained of energy.

"Harry, where are you going?" asked Hermione as Harry began to walk in the opposite direction as them.

"To the owlery, it's a good thing they have one here, I'm going to send a letter to Ginny," he replied.

"'Kay mate, just don't take too long. We only have forty-five minutes to eat, and if you take too long you won't get to eat the main food," said Ron before departing with Hermione towards the Great Hall, as it was still called, where they would go eat lunch.

Harry, in the meantime, wandered along on his own up many more staircases, through many deserted corridors and empty classrooms, until he reached the owlery. He called for Hedwig the Second and she soon came swooping down.

"When I'm done writing this letter, will you take it to Ginny Weasley in Hogwarts?" asked Harry.

With a pang as he watched Hedwig the Second tilt her head and nod, he noticed her blue eyes once more and remembered how the first Hedwig had had amber eyes. A few moments passed before he turned away from Hedwig the Second, sat down by the window ledge, and began to write a lengthy letter to Ginny.

Dear Ginny,

How's your first week been going? You won't believe what happened today, but I reckon it won't be much news for you in a sense. Mad-Eye Moody is our Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher- says that he felt like coming out of retirement for a few years and Dumbledore (probably the portrait, since he's, you know, not... exactly... here at the moment) wanted him to do it. I'll bet that once he finds me, Neville'll try to corner me and ask if we'll ever continue the DA. I mean, it was kind of fun, and I saw him in the back of the classroom today after class was dismissed holding up his golden DA galleon. I guess he still hasn't accidentally spent it yet.

At any rate, I can't spend too much time here writing the letter because Ron says if this is what I'm going to spend my spare time doing, he isn't going to save me any of the chicken (that's why I didn't write to you yesterday, because I was already late for lunch and I couldn't really afford to skip it since I already skipped breakfast finishing my potions essay) and Hedwig the Second is getting kind of impatient for me to finish. Hope you've had an excellent week so far, maybe we'll see each other in Hogsmead next weekend.

Love,

Harry

Satisfied, he rolled up the parchment, sealed it, and stuffed it carefully into an envelope. He wrote Ginny's name and addressed it to the Great Hall of Hogwarts on the front before tying it to Hedwig the Second's leg. He watched her fly into the distance until she became a speck and then was no more on the horizon while wishing that it were he, Harry, instead who was flying off to see Ginny. He told himself sternly not to think too much on that wish and turned away from the window to head down to the Great Hall.

By the time Harry reached the Great Hall, he had less than half an hour to eat. Still, he took his time loading mashed potatoes, fried beef, roasted chicken, corn, broccoli, carrots, cheese, and gravy onto his plate before digging in. Later, when the food had vanished to be replaced by blocks of ice cream, pudding, jello, treacle tart, and cakes, Harry was telling himself over and over again that he had not somehow magically transported back to Hogwarts with little progress. After a while he gave up and ate some ice cream before the bell rang and he hurried to Charms.