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ONCE THE DELEGATIONS WERE SETTLED, and breakfast was finally over and done with – the Hogwarts population set out for their first lessons of the day. At first, both Cedric and Rebecca had lingered in the Great Hall, trying to near the Slytherin table to get to Adrienne. However, upon seeing her midst all the other Durmstrang students and with her father standing like a sentry at her side – they thought it wise to wait for a better moment to confront the girl – so instead, they set off towards their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson of the term, saddened by the thought of their blonde best friend no longer able to be with them.
Though, in honesty, it was a bit odd to finally have so many classes together. Most of their school career, the trio had only shared few classes here and there together, solely due to being within different Houses – but now, as sixth years, the classes became fully merged and integrated, scattering all the same-year students of all houses into various classes, just at different time frames.
Cedric had entered the classroom first, meaning he was being subjected to Moody's intense staring that he quickly tried avoiding by ducking his head down and moving towards the opposite side of the classroom. Rebecca followed after him promptly, chewing back an amused smile at his cowardice towards the burly professor.
Surprisingly enough, it seemed that everybody had the thought to be early to the lesson – having heard so many great things from other classes; though, Rebecca heard conflicting reports – and they all immediately got situated in their unassigned seats. As per usual, the Weasley twins had scurried into the room just as the bell tower tolled, though Moody paid it no mind as he clunked up and down the aisle-ways, simply to scan the students. His eyes; one grey and dark, the other glass and electric blue, had sharply landed right on the textbooks being tugged out from various bags across the room.
"Leave them –" He barked out suddenly, making nearly half the class jump in their seats in surprise, "you won't be needing them," He murmured in his gruff voice, "you can't learn defense from books, you have to simply....defend yourself."
In silence – save for his clunky leg – Professor Moody made his way back towards his desk up front, took a heavy seat and pulled a scroll of parchment towards himself. He began to call roll, something that really hadn't been done since first year – though as a new teacher, they all answered simply when called upon and awkwardly looked him in the single magical eye. Moody hadn't so much as called her name before peering up with both his eyes and situating them both on Rebecca. He stared at her, silent, calmly – before simply moving on with the next student on the list. Sharing a questioning look with Cedric at her side, who had caught the odd interaction, they both furrowed their eyebrows in a shared look before turning back to the front.
"CONSTANT VIGILANCE –" Moody exploded suddenly, making them all jump in their seats as he stood abruptly from his own, "you are sixth years, yes? Great," He continued on gruffly, even though no one had said a peep, "I've gotten word from Professor Lupin that you've all managed to cover most dark creatures or those small countering spells – that won't be happening here."
"You are all already behind," He insisted in his gravelly voice, standing pin straight at the front of the classroom, "you know not of real dark curses or their counter-abilities – and definitely not enough to help you save your own lives."
"Does he truly think we need this –"
"Jenkins! To your feet!" Moody barked out at the Hufflepuff girl, making her and the friend at her side go wide eyed before she was staggering to her feet, "You have exactly five seconds to try and disarm me before I attack you – five....four...three...two..."
The girl scrambled quickly, fumbling with trying to tug her wand from within her robes – though Moody had long before reached one, his own wand now leveled at her chest. In defeat, and utter embarrassment, Jenkins slowly sank back down into her seat, flushing red as the others began to snicker. Almost immediately, as the professor spun around, the entire class all silenced themselves and watched him intently.
"You all need learn to remain on your toes – CONSTANT VIGILANCE –" He shouted once more, though a few of them had thought to expect it, barely moving in their seats while others still jumped in surprise, "see, you'll begin to expect the unexpected now. Now, in reviewing, let's take a dive headfirst into the big curses."
"You –!" He spun around, pointing randomly to Roger Davies, who sat straighter in his seat with wide eyes, "give us an Unforgivable."
"The Imperius Curse," The Ravenclaw answered slowly, watching the man cautiously; as if he were to turn and use the very same curse on him.
"Correct – five points to Ravenclaw – the Imperius Curse," Moody stood firmly now, stopping in his tracks down the aisle-way, "years back, a great deal of witches and wizards have claimed to do You-Know-Who's bidding all under the Imperius Curse – but all you are well aware of that, I'm sure."
"The curse binds you to the caster's every will and whim – no breaks until they deem it," He continued, beginning to step heavily again and towards the side of the classroom to grab one of the small tarantulas from it's cage of dwindling siblings, "total control" he had whispered eerily, quickly setting the spider under the curse and maneuvering it easily around the room, "– but it can be fought," He grinned widely, almost crazily that few shifted in their seats at the sight of it, "I will teach you the ways it can be fought, but mind you, it takes a great strength of character, and I already know...
for a lot of you...you just don't have it."
He set the spider back down atop his desk, removing the curse with a flick of his wand and twist of his wrist. Glancing around the room, they all watched him scan the students slowly – fearing their own name would leave his mouth – relaxing once they realized that his eyes landed on yet another Ravenclaw in the back. Rebecca immediately knew where the lesson was going when he had claimed them unfit in their 'big' curse knowledge – though, the very moment he had locked eyes with her, she wanted to sink down into her seat and disappear. She swallowed as softly as she could, fearing he'd be able to sense her discomfort as he began to make his way over with the spider in his palm.
"Miss Black," Moody began as he neared, stopping right at the side of her desk and setting the tarantula down right in front of her folded hands, "give us another."
"The –" Rebecca sat up slightly, doing her best to seem like she was completely unbothered as her spine steeled under his steady gaze, "the Cruciatus Curse."
"Another five points to Ravenclaw –" The man nodded once, never breaking eye contact with his normal eye as he lifted his wand, effectively making her flinch slightly in her seat before he turned it onto the spider and yelled, "Crucio!"
The spider began contorting and withering in it's spot atop the desk. The squealing sound of it's pain making Rebecca wince, clutching at the sides of her chair beneath the table and letting the wood dig into her palms to try and break her focus from the animal in pain before her. It twitched horribly in her sights, rocking side to side and practically flailing – and her mind did the worst imaginable, immediately going to the worst place it could. It began to reminisce on her own personal memories of the curse, with her being in the spider's place and twitching and withering in the same way but by Alecto's hand instead. Her stomach jolted, twisting and turning and filling with the familiar sense of dread as her mind reverted back to the past.
"Irreversible pain – constant suffering," Moody announced, almost completely unbothered at the fact he was currently making a spider strangle itself in front of the class, "with the small twist of the wand, you can have a single person succumbing to your wildest dreams."
"The brain turns to mush, bones become brittle and snap, the skin grows hot – you can cook from the inside out," He stated, giving that familiar twist to his wand that made the spider's sounds of pain echo louder across the entire room.
Moody had finally left the spider alone then, giving another twist of his wand in the wayward direction before letting his hand drop down by his side. The poor creature immediately relaxed, sprawled across the tabletop. Rebecca didn't even realize that she had screwed her eyes shut until Cedric's arm had gently brushed against her own – making her jolt in her seat at the sheer touch, panicked and her eyes snapping back open to quickly scan the room – reluctantly returning her gaze back to the spider. Professor Moody took the creature from the desktop, moving across the room once again without the slightest care in the world to the Ravenclaw who he left to her own consuming thoughts.
"Lastly – the Killing Curse," The man clumped towards the front of the room, setting the spider down on his own desk and turning slightly to face the class, "the worst one yet."
"But, sir –" Angelina flinched slightly when Moody spun around abruptly to face her; her slightly raised hand was quickly dropped back down to her side, "there's no countering the Killing Curse."
"No, there isn't," Moody gave a nonchalant shrug, turning back from the girl and back towards the spider, "but just because there's no going back from it, doesn't mean you shouldn't know it," He insisted, bringing his wand up again, "You've all got to know the worst that could ever happen."
"It's powerful magic – you all can give a wave of your wand at me saying these words but without meaning it – I'd still be standing with nothing more than a broken elbow or a sad excuse of a nosebleed," He uttered lowly, glancing around the room again, "yet, you don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it."
"Any use of one of these three curses will land you on a one-way trip to a cell in Azkaban –" Rebecca ignored the way most of the class gave her a side-eye glance at the mention of the prison, keeping her eyes set downward to her grazed hands that were rapidly restoring their colour, "this is the reason to teach you defense against the Dark Arts," Moody continued, gaining all the attention back, "this is what you prepare for. You all need to practice constant, never-ceasing, vigilance."
"Now then –" The man let out gruffly, setting the traumatized tarantula back into its enclosure, "get out some quills and something to write on – we're getting right into the ways to combat the Imperius Curse."
No one but Professor Moody spoke for the rest of the lesson. There wasn't a need to stop for questions or side-conversations, seeing as the man decided to be extra thorough in all his explanations. Alongside his talking, there was only the sound of the scratching of quills to parchment and slight whispers between his words in passing. Mostly everyone was well into the lesson, eagerly scratching out notes and tricks that came directly from the famous Auror.
Cedric had tried to speak at one point, pausing in his writing – but he came up blank on what exactly to say to his silent best friend when he found her dazed off look. She wasn't writing, barely moving at all, eyes set towards the front of the class where Moody stood by the blackboard with a magical set of chalk that wrote out key-points of the lecture. The bell tower gave it's toll not but an hour and a half later, bringing the lesson to an end. With the dismissal of Professor Moody – a brief nod - they all began packing away their belongings and exiting the classroom in hushed whispers between them.
"I'll catch up with you," Cedric told Rebecca gently, breaking her from the slow movement of buttoning her bag closed – her head still far-off in though as she turned to him with a hazy gaze, "I know you're waiting on a letter, so you go on ahead and I'll see you there."
Rebecca mustered up a smile – which looked more like a slight grimace – nodding and quietly uttering an alright before stepping away from their desk with her bag tossed over her shoulder. The twins, both having stood as well, reading to jump into conversation; had immediately looked to question the sudden change in behavior, but was quickly stopped by a side-look from Cedric. She flashed them both a weak smile in passing, gently squeezing Fred's arm as she moved around him – as if she was supposed to reassure him more than she should herself. The three of them watching her exit the class without a look back. George was the first to turn away from the door, a sort-of knowing look twisting his features as his eyes met Cedric's. Fred had stared long after she was gone before he too turned to the Hufflepuff.
"Just...give her an hour or so," Cedric began lowly, grabbing his own bag to toss over his shoulders, "she's one to process things alone – as you've probably noticed," He cleared his throat quietly, "just don't go questioning her silence, she'll come to you if or when she's ready for you to know."
"I just don't understand," Fred admitted quietly, frowned slightly as his eyebrows furrowed.
"And that's the whole thing, Fred," The Hufflepuff murmured, "you both don't understand – and neither do I," Cedric frowned, gesturing them towards the exit too, "We all just have far different lives, different concepts of family, and reactions to emotions," he stepped around the twins once in the hall, pausing for a moment to look back, "she just won't let you in – and I would know – it took her nearly two years to be comfortable enough to tell Adrienne and I."
George nodded slowly in place for them both, Fred having been far too lost in his own thoughts as Cedric was bidding them small goodbyes each and heading down the corridor for his next lesson. The twins were quiet for a while, the younger looking to the older in passing glances as he was still unnaturally silent as they walked side by side – both of them making way towards their own lesson.
Having just sat herself in the protection of one of Professor Sprout's greenhouses, Rebecca felt herself finally relax as the tension bled out from her shoulders. She had silently wished that the moment she had reconnected with her father, that the mere thought of him would be able to keep away anymore lingering thoughts of Alecto Carrow and all the pain and suffering she had caused during her childhood – but it seemed she just couldn't seem to escape the woman, no matter how hard she tried.
It was around lunch time when the Ravenclaw was finally feeling somewhat better, thoughts of her aunt now gone and replaced by the feeling of hunger as she made way towards the Great Hall. Rebecca had sat and waited at the Gryffindor table, seeing as she was still relatively early for the spread to be laid out. She smiled gently at the incoming face of Hermione Granger, scooting over slightly as the girl gestured towards the empty seat at her side. As the hall filled with chattering students, from atop the high walls, fled in a hoard of hooting owls. Rebecca watched a very familiar tawny owl swoop down from the rafters, a warm feeling spreading across her chest as it flew lower and lower before landing right in front of her. She felt her smile widen at the sight of Juniper, Remus' owl – trading a bowl of fruit for the green envelope it held which it dug into greedily.
hello sunshine,
if i'm to be honest, i think i nearly cried at the end of your last letter, dear. not just because of the feelings that you admitted about your father (to whom i will be having a stern conversation with, never fret) but also because you had brought back a memory i thought i dreamt of long ago
back when you were little, just a week or so after you were born, i had nicknamed you Sunspot when your dad first brought you home. you were this small, giggly bit of happiness – the small spot of warmth we had in a dark time. reading you call yourself something along the same lines nearly sent me into a pathetic fit of tears.
and as for your choice in future careers, i'm sure something will come to you soon. i'm sorry i can't be better help, but, i've told you before – you're a bright girl and an even brighter witch. even more so with all those damn OWLs you took, which i still dunno how you managed because 7 subjects seemed like enough for me. what has professor flitwick suggested for you? that man has things figured out, and i'm sure he' has plenty of options for you.
i dunno if i'll be able to visit during the tournament, i'll be sure to let you know if i do. what's new with you, sweets? any knew developments with a certain someone? last i heard, you weren't anything but 'good friends' – but like another dark haired person i used to know, who also pinned after a redhead, things do have an interesting way of working out.
answer to your last question: i might or might not have sent dumbledore a letter regarding your permission to hogsmeade, waiting the answer
- moony xx
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