Finally in the warm Great Hall, I lay my head on the table, waiting for when I could go to sleep. Angeline pulled me to sit up, dishing potatoes on my plate. "I'm not hungry, I just want sleep," I muttered, laying my head against her shoulder.
She chuckled, retorting, "Did you not get sleep over break?"
"Not really," I groaned. "Not since the World Cup." She hummed in understanding, beginning to eat. Soon, I drifted off again. When I woke, someone was setting me down in the Gryffindor Common Room as I let out a groan.
"I got her," Angelina said, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Thanks Fred. I've never seen her so tired."
"Here," Katie said as another arm wrapped around me. Soon I was in a warm bed and everything faded away again.
My reaction the following morning at finding out the Triwizard Tournament was happening at Hogwarts this year, was underwhelming to say the least. Personally, inviting more death in a time like this seemed foolish. I was sipping at some water in the Great Hall when Professor McGonagall approached me. "Miss Black," she said. "We need to sort out your schedule for this year. What classes do you wish to take?"
"Keep everything apart from History of Magic," I replied. "I assume I got good enough scores for that?"
"Yes you did, Valerie," she replied with a proud smile. Marking up my schedule, she asked, "What do you plan on doing with these credits?"
"Maybe a curse-breaker," I replied, shrugging. "Or a teacher. I might also go professional with Quidditch."
"I believe you would do well with all of those," she replied, handing me my schedule. "Good luck."
"What'd you get?" Angelina asked, sitting down next to me.
"Potions first thing," I grumbled. "Otherwise it should be fine. DADA next and then Transfiguration and Ancient Runes in the afternoon. Not a terrible first day."
"I guess," Angelina agreed. After breakfast, I said goodbye to Angelina and headed down to the dungeons for Potions.
"So," Snape drawled, looking around at everyone in the room. "You few who managed to scrape an O in my class have managed to get into my N.E.W.T. course. Expect failure. As you can see, few of your classmates managed to get even here. Half of you won't go on in seventh year." Looking around, I saw that he was right. Alicia and I were the only Gryffindors in the class and there were only four more sixth years in the class and this included all four houses. "We start with a more difficult potion. Draught of Living Death. Instructions are on page fourteen of your books. Due at the end of class."
I got to work. Snape was right when he said it was a difficult potion. Even with my natural skill, I was having to be ultra careful. At the end of class, I was one of two who had even managed to finish. Snape walked around, dropping a leaf into each potion to see what effect it had. Coming to mine, he did the same. The leaf instantly shriveled, turning brown and then black before disintegrating. He said nothing, moving on. He had just finished with the last one before the class ended and we were let out.
I peered cautiously into Remus' old classroom before stepping inside. No one else had shown up yet, so it was slightly unnerving to be in the same room alone with Mad-Eye Moody. The moment I stepped in the room, I had this harsh feeling that something was off with him. I also had the odd feeling he was watching me, but I shook it off. Angelina came in next, sitting next to me in one of the desks. "How was your first class?" she asked, setting down her bag as Fred and George came in.
"Oh, you know...Snape was being Snape," I replied, shrugging. "How was your free period?"
"Good," she replied. "I just did some reading."
"Hey, babe," Fred said, kissing my cheek.
"Hey Freddie," I replied. He and George sat behind us as everyone else filed in.
"So," Moody snapped the moment class began. "I've spoken to Professor Lupin about this class. You seem to have fallen dreadfully behind in actual defense. I'm going to be testing how well you can actually defend yourselves. BLACK! STAND!" Glancing at Angelina, I did so. "Come up here!" I did so. "STUPEFY!" Wordlessly, I flicked my wrist, blocking his spell effortlessly. "So, you've got some chops, Black. But can you handle a real duel."
He began shoot spell after spell in my direction. I started out well, but soon he was beginning to overpower me. At last, I wasn't quick enough. With a cry, I was flung back against the wall. "Val!" Angelina cried, getting from her seat and rushing over to me.
"I'm fine," I muttered, taking her hand and getting up.
"Dead," Moody said, looking around at the class. "Sit, Black." Once I was back in my seat, he said, "If you were to throw in the deadly curses used by dark wizards, she wouldn't have even lasted that long. Can anyone tell me what the three Unforgivable Curses are?" A few people raised their hands. "Johnson."
"Imperious Curse," she replied.
"Ah, yes," he replied. "The ability to control the actions and behavior of another. Many Death Eaters claimed to be under this curse after the Dark Lord fell. The difficulty became how to tell the difference between the liars and the ones telling the truth." Carefully, he drew out a spider from a glass jar and held it in his hand. "Imperio!" Instantly, the spider began to do chartwheels in the air, but my stomach churned when he suddenly dangled it out the open window.
"Total control," he said, looking around the room as he returned the spider to his hand. "Another one!" Fewer hands went up. "Weasley!"
"Cruciatus Curse," George replied.
"Ah," Moody drawled. Quietly he muttered a spell to enlarge the spider. "Crucio!" The spider writhed in pain and twitched. My throat trembled as I held in tears. Angelina grabbed my hand. I couldn't look at her. I could tell by the trembling of her hand that she was crying. Finally, after what seemed a painful eternity, the spider stopped moving. "Another one."
"The Killing Curse," Cedric said.
"Avada Kedavra!" Moody cried. Instantly, the spider stilled. "Only one person is known to survive that."