PHANTOM FIGURES | harry potter

42. the unforgivable curses

     "Did you know when snakes are born with two heads, they fight each other for food."

     "Jasmine, what?"

     "Read about it somewhere," the Hufflepuff answered vaguely.

     "You? Reading?" said Aspen, disbelieving.

     Jasmine huffed. Putting her hands up in the air as if surrendering. "Okay, maybe Micah told me about it at dinner once."

     Aspen laughed at her. "So, what do you think about Moody?"

     The two of them were seated in the courtyard during lunch time the day after Malfoy turned into a ferret.

     "I think he's scary," Jasmine told her quietly, looking around to make sure the new teacher wasn't anywhere near to listen. "And ugly."

     Aspen looked at her with wide eyes, also checking around them to make sure he wasn't there to listen. "Merlin, Jasmine, that might've been a little harsh." There was a pause. "Not saying that I don't agree with you, though,"

     "I knew it!" exclaimed Jasmine. "You always look so disgusted by him."

     "Well, I can imagine it," grimaced Aspen. "It's just all those scars... And he just bothers me... I don't know why..."

     "Anyway, did you see Neville melt his sixth cauldron in Potions earlier?" asked Jasmine, changing the subject.

     "Yeah, did you know his detention is to disembowel a barrel full of horned toads?" Aspen shook her head sadly. "He's gonna come back shaking," she said sadly.

     "Why does Snape even hate him so much?" Jasmine questioned. "What has Neville done to him?"

     "I'm starting to think Snape doesn't care if you've done anything to him," said Aspen, wanting to puke at the thought of the greasy-haired Professor. "He just sees you and decides to not like you, it's quite an interesting concept, actually."

     "Yes, it really is just such an enthralling tactic, it draws you in," Jasmine said.

     The two of them looked at each other and then broke into uncontrolled laughter.

     The next day passed without great incident, unless you counted Neville returning from his detention in a state of nervous collapse.

     "You know why Snape's in such a foul mood, don't you?" said Ron to Aspen and Harry as they watched Hermione teach Neville a Scouring Charm to remove the toad guts from under his fingernails.

     "Yeah," said Harry. "Moody."

     It was common knowledge that Snape really wanted the Dark Arts job, and he had now failed to get it for the fourth year running. Snape had disliked all of their previous Dark Arts teachers, and shown it - but he seemed strangely wary of displaying overt animosity to Mad-Eye Moody. Indeed, whenever Aspen saw the two of them together - at mealtimes, or when they passed in the corridors - she had the distinct impression that Snape was avoiding Moody's eye, whether magical or normal.

     "I reckon Snape's a bit scared of him, you know," Harry said thoughtfully.

     "Oh, like that's so crazy to imagine," said Aspen.

     "Imagine if Moody turned Snape into a horned toad," said Ron, his eyes misting over, "and bounced him all around his dungeon..."

     When Aspen and Jasmine arrived for Moody's class, they found all of the Gryfindors there already - except Hermione, who turned up just in time for the lesson.