Chapter Twelve
He woke the next morning with one thing on his mind; how amazing Defence Against the Dark Arts was going to be.
They didn't have a class until Wednesday, unfortunately, which left them willing away Divination and Professor Trelawney's death predictions and Hagrid's increasingly dangerous animals in Care of Magical Creatures.
Harry was fairly excited as he wondered down the Hogwarts grounds to Hargid's hut. He could see the Gryffindors had already arrived and where standing in a group whispering to one another.
"Ah you're 'ere. Brilliant." Hagrid beamed, "Now you're all 'ere I can tell you, today we're goin' to be lookin' after some Blast-Ended-Skrewts."
"What?" Ron asked, looking confused.
"Blast-Ended-Skrewts. Very interestin' creatures." Hargid smiled at them.
Harry didn't have a clue what a Blast-Ended-Skrewt was. He looked to Draco, who also shook his head and shrugged.
Hagrid pointed proudly to a large stack of crates filled with the most hideous creatures Harry had ever seen. They looked like some sort of lobsters that had been caught up in a radioactive explosion. They were shell-less, pale and slimy looking with too many legs sticking out at strange angles. They were only about six inches long but there were easily a hundred of them in each crate, blindly crawling over one another and bumping into the sides.
They smelled strongly of fish, a smell that was making Draco feel rather sick, and every so often there would be a small explosion and a Skrewt would be shot several inches forward, normally slamming into the edge of the crate.
"On'y jus' hatched." Hagrid said proudly, "So yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yourselves! I figure' we could make a bit o' a project of it!"
"And why, on earth would we want to raise them?" Tracy asked, pushing herself to the front of the crowd.
Hagrid looked a bit confused at the question.
"I mean, apart from looking rather ugly, what do they do? Are they even useful in anyway?" Tracy demanded.
Hagrid looked looked flustered for a moment, "That's the next lesson. Today you'll jus' be feedin' 'em. Now I ain't ever had 'em before so I'm not sure what they'll like. I got a bit o' everythin'. Ant's eggs, frog livers and a bit o' grass snake. Just give 'em a shot with everythin'." Hargid told them.
Hermione moved over to Harry and Draco and helped them lift a crate off the pile and open it up. Nothing but their great friendship with Hagrid would have made Harry lift up horrible chunks of dead grass snake and try and feed the Skrewts.
"This is pointless." Draco hissed, his hand covered in frog liver, "They don't have mouths!"
Hermione nodded, "I don't know where he even got them from. I've never heard of them before."
Harry frowned, Hermione had read so many books it was very uncommon to come across something she'd never heard of, and Harry was sure that such a thing didn't belong in a classroom.
There was a loud cry as Dean, a Gryffindor, yelped and clutched at his hand.
"Wha' happened?" Hagrid asked.
"It exploded!" Dean cried, "Look! It's burned my hand."
Hagrid rubbed the back of his shaggy head, "Yeah they do that, when they blast off. Don't worry 'bout it."
Harry looked worriedly at Hagrid, along with most of the other students.
"Professor what's this jabby thing?" Lavender asked, pointing to a Skrewt.
"That's their stingers." Hagrid told them, Lavender quickly removed her hand from the box, "I think them are the males. The girls have a sort o' stucker thin' on their stomachs, think they might be for suckin' blood."
Tracy slammed a hand down on the box nearby, "Yes, because who wouldn't want a pet that can burn, sting and suck you blood all at once? This class is a joke!"
"Just because something isn't very pretty to look at doesn't mean that it's not useful. Dragon's blood has a lot of very important uses but you wouldn't want a pet dragon, would you?" Hermione snapped at her.
Harry and Draco stiffled a laugh at the fact that Hagrid had, in fact, had a pet dragon, naming it Norbet; until it tired to burn his house down.
Tracy gave Hermione a nasty smile, "Must be why they keep you around, Granger, those teeth could make a damn." she laughed. Several of the other Slytherins laughed as well as most of the other Gryffindors.
Hermione blushed and covered her mouth up with her hand. Harry pulled it away gently.
"Just ignore her. They really aren't that bad." Draco smiled.
Hermione shook her head, "Oh they are. I've been using a brace for ages and it's made no difference. I keep asking my parents to just let me shrink them but they won't let me."
Harry didn't know what to say to make it better. It was true that when you looked, Hermione's front teeth were rather large but you didn't even notice once you got to know her.
Hermione walked with them at the end of class back up the castle, still feeling self conscious and kept putting her hand up to her mouth.
"At least the Skrewts are small." Harry sighed, he had a small burn on his left hand that was annoying him.
"They are now." Draco said.
Hermione nodded, "Once Hagrid knows what they eat they'll end up six foot long!"
Harry nodded, he didn't want to even think about the idea of a six foot long Skrewt. They were bad enough at six inches.
Come Wednesday Harry, Draco, Pansy and Daphne were sitting enjoying their breakfasts, with and extra chocolate frog each as Draco had just gotten his delivery from home.
"What have we got before Defence Against the Dark Arts?" Pansy asked, helping herself to a slice of toast.
Harry dug his timetable out and groaned, "Double Divination."
"Who's brilliant idea was it to have two hours with her?" Daphne sighed and shook her head.
Harry shrugged and shoved the timetable back into his bag, before angrily stabbing his egg.
"Excuse me, Harry." Daphne said, wiping a bit of yolk off the table with her napkin.
Harry grinned, "Sorry."
Daphne rolled her eyes with a smile and quickly finished her breakfast, "Well we should get walking if we need to make it to Divination."
Harry and Pansy nodded before the three of them waved goodbye to Draco who still had a few minutes before he had to be in Ancient Runes.
It was a long walk to the north tower, and then up more steps than a person should ever have to climb. Harry waited for Pansy and Daphne to have made it up the small, silver ladder before climbing up behind them.
He was, straight away, hit with the heat and overly sweet smell that always filled the room. Professor Trelawney was sitting at her favourite chair smiling dreamily at the students as they walked in. Lavender and Parvati were sitting in the seats closest to Professor Trelawney, already looking up at her in awe.
"Come on in students." Professor Trelawney said, "Today we will be working on… planets."
Harry took his seat at the little table with Ron and dug out his book.
"The planets… they have a strange force, understood by so few…"
Harry found himself floating off into a dream state, the hot classroom and Professor Trelawney's dreamy voice were sending him to sleep whether he liked it or not. Professor Trelawney had never had the best luck when it came to predictions; mostly favouring speaking in a spooky voice and telling everyone they were going to to die.
"Harry, Harry!" Ron hissed, giving him a sharp poke in the ribs.
Harry sat to attention, the heat and smell of the incense had been sending him to sleep.
"Saturn." Professor Trelawney said.
"Saturn?" Harry repeated, trying to catch up.
Professor Trelawney looked rather annoyed, "Yes, I was just saying that Saturn was very powerful when you were born you see. Yes it effects everything! Your dark hair, loss early in life?"
Harry nodded, it was no secret that his father had died when he was just over a year old.
"Am I right to say you were born midwinter?" Professor Trelawney said, looking rather pleased with herself.
Harry shook his head, "No. My birthday is in July."
There were a few mumbles around the class and Harry saw Daphne roll her eyes and grin at him. Professor Trelawney looked rather ruffled and muttered something under her breath before setting them all to complete complicated charts.
It was dull and the only thing that kept Harry working on it was he didn't want to end up in detention with her, especially not with the amount of homework he already had.
After lunch Harry, Draco, Pansy and Daphne were lined up along with the rest of the Slytherin class. Pansy and Daphne were talking excitedly about Daphne's new shoes, which boasted a two inch heel.
"I feel very grown up wearing them I must say." Daphne smiled, showing Pansy the little boots.
"I wish I could wear heels everyday." Pansy sighed, "Mummy said maybe next year and if were up to Daddy, I'd never wear them."
Daphne laughed, "Just means a shopping trip for next year!"
"What is it with girls and shoes?" Harry sighed, he didn't get it.
The door to the classroom swung open and the students hurried in. Harry looked around the classroom, it had been through so many changes over the years and this time was no different. The shelves were filled with strange looking books and locked chests.
The whole room had a strange foreboding feeling that made Harry want to run away. He didn't though, he simply picked a desk, as close to the front as he could, and sat next to Draco. Pansy and Daphne claimed the desk next to them and they got their books out.
"Well, you can put them away." Professor Moody said, jabbing a finger at the book, "We wont be needing them today but I want you all to get your wands out and put them on the desks."
Harry did as he was told and put his book away, laying his wand on the desk, while still holding onto it.
Moody looked around the room with his strange magical eye, "Well done Potter. Only one with a shred of sense. Never let your wands go, it's all you got."
Harry looked around at the others who were quickly taking hold of their wands again, he didn't point out the only reason he hadn't let go of his wand was how freaked out he was by Moody currently. He couldn't remember him well from when he was younger, and must of dulled down his madness over the years in his head.
Moody gave him a lop sided look that Harry thought was meant to be a smile, there was a large scar running across his face that made it hard to tell. He walked over to Harry, showing that he also had a false leg. Harry wondered for a moment if there was any part of Moody that was intact.
"I fought with your parents, back in the day. Very brave they was and skilled, more than any other I've known. I was very sorry to hear what happened the night your Dad died." Moody told him.
Harry nodded, unsure of what to say.
Moody didn't seem to care though and walked awkwardly back up to his desk, "Right I have a letter here, from Professor Lupin,"
There were a few noises of disgust from a couple of students. They might have loved Professor Lupin while he was teaching but once it became common knowledge that he was a werewolf opinion had turned against him.
"As I was saying," Moody growled, "He tells me you dealt very well with the creatures you faced last year, Boggarts, Red Caps, Hinkypunks, Grindylows, Kappas and Werewolves? Is that correct."
There was a mumble of agreement around the class.
"Good. You are however really lagging behind when it comes to curses I feel, so that's what we'll start with." Moody said, he turned around and started to write on the blackboard.
"Miss Davis if you put that ink in Miss Greengrass's hair you're going to be wearing the bottle do I make myself understood?!" Moody snarled without even turning around.
Tracy looked wide eyed at the back of Moody's head, "Sorry Professor."
Daphne turned around and glared at her, sweeping her long, honey blonde hair over her shoulder. Professor Moody finished writing;
THE UNFORGIVABLE CURSES
in big letters on the board and turned around,
"These are the worst you will ever face." He said frankly, "If you are against one of these you really have to know what you're doin' to stand a chance. The use of any one of them against another human will earn you a life time stay in Azkaban, no questions asked, you'll be lucky to get a trial. So first question how many are there?"
Harry, along with most of the class, raised his hand.
"Miss Parkinson."
"Three, Sir." Pansy said.
Moody nodded and added three dots under the title, "Very good. Now can anyone name one for me?"
Harry raised his hand carefully, he could name all three, but he didn't want to be a show off until he had a better grasp on Moody.
"Ah, yes Potter."
Harry cleared his throat, for some reason the words didn't want to come out, "The- the Cruciatus Professor."
Moody gave him a strange smile, "Very good." he reached into a jar on his desk and picked out a large spider.
"Engorgio." He said and the already large spider swelled to the size of a dinner plate, "Crucio!"
There was a flash of red light and the spider started to twist and let out the most strangled scream Harry had ever heard, he wasn't even aware that spiders could make that noise.
Professor Moody focused on the spider and it flailed around on the desk, "Very nasty. You'll never feel pain like this from any other source. It's the worst pain a person can feel; you'd do anything to make it stop."
Harry found himself digging his nails into his desk while watching the spider. His Mum had gone through this. Lily had stood and gone through this until she blacked out, she'd refused to move, he could feel tears pricking his eyes.
"Stop it!" Daphne shouted.
The unexpected noise was enough to break the spell on the poor spider, it took a second to recover before trying to run for cover but Professor Moody placed a bell jar over it before it could get away from him.
"As I said, very nasty." Moody sneered, "So Miss Greengrass what comes next?"
Daphne stared straight back at the Professor and dragged out the moment, "The Imperius Curse."
"Very good," He wrote 'Imperius' underneath 'Cruciatus' on the board, "Imperio."
The spider, which had been scrabbling to escape the jar stopped and looked as though it was a puppet, waiting for the strings to be pulled.
Moody waved his wand around and let the spider out the jar; it didn't move but slowly raised onto it's back legs and spun on the spot.
"Makes the person in charge call all the shots, they have total control over you when you're under this curse. Thankfully, there are ways to resist it but that takes practice. It feels kinda like your stoned while you're under it's control and you have no idea what you're doing really. Back in the day many Witches and Wizards used the Imperius Curse as an excuse for working for You-know-who." He glared at Draco, "Always was difficult to sort out the liars."
He let his wand relax, the spider swaying slowly back and forth like it was slowly dancing to unheard music, "Last one anyone?"
Tracy raised her hand, a long with a few others, but most of the class was to disgusted to take part at this point.
"Yes, Miss Davis."
"The Killing Curse." She said.
Moody nodded, "Avada Kedavra!"
There was a flash of green light and the spider fell to the desk, it's long legs sticking out at strange angles. It was dead.
"Kills instantly," Mood said, leaning back against his chair, "Nothing can stop it, nothing can block it. Best chance you have is hope you can jump out the way quickly enough, but the odds are against you. There is only one person who has ever survived it, and he's sitting in this room."
Harry felt a chill run up his spine; he looked at the dead spider and took several deep breaths to calm himself.
"No one knows why Potter survived that night, only that he took down the most powerful dark Wizard to have ever lived at the same time, when he was just a baby. The only accounts we have of that night come from his Mother, Lily. She tells us that the curse seemed to of rebounded off Harry, although no one is completely sure why. This does, however, give us valuable information and there has been a lot of research going into fighting the Unforgivable Curses."
Harry felt rather on edge as he left the classroom. It was horrific seeing that spider twitch and squirm in pain, imagining his mother going through that. He knew Draco was thinking the same thing. In fact, most of the class was rather quiet after the lesson.