iii. bouncing ferret

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The storm had blown itself out by the following morning, though the ceiling in the Great Hall was still gloomy; heavy clouds of pewter gray swirled overhead as Matilda, Padma, and Lisa Turpin, a Ravenclaw in Matilda's year that Padma had befriended over the summer holiday, examined their new course schedules at breakfast.

"Can you believe I have classes all morning?" Padma groaned as she turned her new schedule around so that Matilda could see it. "I am not a morning person. Everyone should know that."

"Well, maybe if you'd get yourself on a sleep schedule, like me, you wouldn't be so tired in the mornings."

Matilda offered her advice with a simple shrug of the shoulders and while taking a careful sip from the hot, silver teacup in her hand. Padma rolled her eyes, turning her schedule back around.

"Matilda, you run on four hours of sleep," Padma argued.

Matilda shook her head, readying herself to correct her friend.

"No, I sleep twice a day for four hours," she corrected Padma. "It's called biphasic sleep."

Padma didn't look convinced though. Her problem being that she had never heard of biphasic sleep before.

"Matilda," Lisa Turpin spoke from beside Padma. "What's your schedule like this year?"

Though a fellow Ravenclaw, Matilda had never considered Lisa Turpin a friend, and she still doesn't. They had only spoken a handful of times, and their longest conversation lasted for a boasting twenty seconds. It was their first year at Hogwarts and Lisa had lost her quill and asked Matilda if she had one to spare. Hesitantly, Matilda lent her a quill, but not to be nice, she just didn't want to lose house points because Lisa came to class unprepared.

But it seemed as though Padma had become friends with the Turpin girl over the summer holiday. And for a reason unknown to Matilda, Padma decided to continue that friendship at Hogwarts.

"Oh, I can answer that," sighed Padma. "It's likely Matilda has been allowed to take every class offered."

"Really?" Lisa asked, her expression surprised. "Every class offered?"

Matilda sighed and rolled her eyes. She hated when people spoke for her, especially when they were wrong.

"As a matter of fact, Padma," said Matilda. "I will not be taking Muggle Studies as I don't need it."

"Oh Merlin!" Padma fake gasped. "Someone call Madam Pomfrey, Matilda Winters is slacking off, she must be ill."

Before Matilda was able to respond to Padma's sarcasm a sudden rustling noise came from above them, and a hundred owls came soaring through the open windows carrying the morning mail. Instinctively, Matilda looked up, amongst the sea of grey and brown, there was a small patch of white. It was Pluto. She smiled as Pluto soared down and perched on the table in front of her with a letter between its beak. Most likely from her either one of her parents, wishing her luck on her first day of classes.

The owls continued to circle the tables, looking for the people to whom their letters and packages were addressed. A small barn owl soared down to Padma Patil and deposited a charm bracelet into her lap — she had forgotten it on her dressers at home. On the other side of the Hall Draco Malfoy's eagle owl had landed on his shoulder, carrying what looked like his usual supply of sweets and cakes from home.

Matilda gave Pluto a treat from her breakfast plate and spent a couple of minutes praising her owl, she then returned to eating her porridge so that she would be ready for her full day of classes.

Matilda's first class of the day was Charms. She enjoyed Charms with Professor Flitwick. He was an enthusiastic teacher and she was an enthusiastic learner. Matilda and Flitwick also had a nice relationship. He always praised her, and Matilda loved to praised, and he had always been encouraging of her goals of becoming Minister of Magic.

Padma and Lisa Turpin also had charms with Matilda, but Matilda and Padma left the dining hall before Lisa, leaving her behind. Matilda didn't feel bad though. This meant that she would be able to only have one clueless partner instead of two. And she liked Padma a tad more than Lisa Turpin who always seemed to chew with her mouth slightly open.

"Who sent the letter?"

Padma walked beside Matilda as she ripped the envelope that Pluto had delivered open to see that she was correct. It was a letter sent from her mom, wishing her good luck on her first day of classes. Matilda spent most of her summer with her father at his cottage in Appleby, concealed by magic.

"It isn't professional to be so nosey, Padma," warned Matilda.

Matilda quickly read over the letter sent from her mom before folding it back into the envelope and blindly shoving it inside her bag, making sure to remind herself to write a letter back after her classes.

Padma stopped at the doorway leading into the classroom and let out an annoyed and disappointed sigh.

"Why?" Padma complained. "Why do we have to be paired with Slytherins first thing in the morning?"

Matilda looked up from her back and sure enough half of the classroom was students wearing their green ties and the other half was blue ties. Only a few students dared to break the norm and cross borders to sit with a friend on the other side of the room.

"Could be worse," Matilda shrugged. "We could have potions with Slytherins in the morning."

Padma sighed again as she followed Matilda into the classroom and sat on the right side and toward the front of the room. Matilda was right, as usual, at least the Ravenclaws have a little advantage since Flitwick was head of the Ravenclaw house.

Flitwick walked into the classroom as Matilda pulled her supplies from her bag that she had laid by her feet. The class started to quiet down and students who hadn't found a seat yet sat wherever they stood. One kid even fell onto the floor, expecting for a chair to already be behind him.

Once the class had come to a quiet whisper Flitwick began his lecture on Negation Charms. He spent about half the class lecturing and the students as quickly as they could scribbled everything he told them onto their parchment.

"Negation charms are especially rare for several reasons. For one, there is a limited selection of charms that could potentially have negations. Only charms that continuously use or store magical energy can be negated."

Flitwick didn't talk fast on purpose. He was just passionate. He loved magic, especially charms. Matilda thought it inspiring to watch him lecture. He always wore a warm smile and was happy to demonstrate for a student who may be a better visual learner.

When half of the class passed Flitwick finished his lecture and told the students to put away their supplies. They would be spending the rest of class practicing the whistling wand charm and the counter, the silent wand charm. Students would partner up and one would produce the whistling wand charm and the other would silence that whistle with the silent wand charm. He began to make his way throughout the classroom to offer help to students who might need it.

Padma had quickly declared that she and Matilda would be partners. Matilda was reluctant but she knew she'd be able to talk Padma through learning the charms. She's good at taking instructions. And after taking three minutes of her time to explain the charms to Padma they began the demonstration. Padma decided that she would be the whistling wand, and it didn't take her long to produce the whistle. Matilda, with ease, raised her wand and waved it in the desired form, and silenced Padma's wand on the first try.

Matilda knew she was going to get it on her first try. She had been reading the Charms textbooks all summer, along with her other lessons. She was months ahead of everyone else, which is how she wanted it to be.

Flitwick came over to watch them demonstrate once more for him and seeing that they produced both charms correctly dismissed them early and thanked them for their eager participation.

"You want to stop at the toilets before going to Herbology?" Padma asked once they were outside of the classroom.

"Can't," said Matilda. "I've got Care of Magical Creatures with Gryffindors."

Padma rolled her eyes but remained unsurprised.

"Let me guess," she said. "This was per Hagrid's request?"

Matilda shrugged, but Padma was right. Hagrid had requested her with the Gryffindors, and Dumbledore thought it would be a nice idea as well.

"I'll see you at lunch."

Since she had been dismissed from class earlier than expected Matilda had no need to rush to Hagrid's cabin, where the class had been instructed to meet. This pleased Matilda greatly. Rushing to be somewhere was not something she liked to do. She was already a klutz, which was a secret to no one, and rushing only made it more likely that she would fall or crash into someone.

Hagrid was standing outside his hut, one hand on the collar of his enormous black boarhound, Fang. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were already with Hagrid. There were several open wooden crates on the ground at his feet, and Fang was whimpering and straining at his collar, apparently keen to investigate the contents more closely. As Matilda drew nearer, an odd rattling noise reached her ears, punctuated by what sounded like minor explosions.

"Mornin'!" Hagrid said, grinning at Matilda. "Be'en wait fer the Slytherins, they won' want ter miss this — Blast Ended Skrewts!"

"Manticores and Firecrabs?" Matilda asked curiously. "That's an odd combination."

"Come again," said Ron.

Hagrid pointed down into the crates.

"Eurgh!" squealed Lavender Brown, jumping backward.

"Eurgh!" wasn't a wrong descriptor of the Blast-Ended Skrewts in Matilda's opinion. They looked like deformed, shell-less lobsters, horribly pale and slimy-looking, with legs sticking out in very odd places and no visible heads. There was about a hundred of them in each crate, about six inches long, crawling over one another, bumping blindly into the side of the boxes. They were giving off a very powerful smell of rotting fish, which Matilda knew to be their normal smell. Every now and then, sparks would fly out of the end of a skrewt and a small phut, it would propel forward several inches.

"Hagrid, how on earth did you manage to get this cross-breed?" Matilda questioned him before realizing she didn't want to hear the answer, knowing it'd be disgusting or illegal. "No. You know what, don't answer that."

"On'y jus' hatched," said Hagrid proudly, "so yeh'll be able ter raise 'em yerselves! Thought we'd make a bit of a project of it!"

"And why would we want to raise them?" said a cold voice.

The Slytherins had arrived. The speaker was Draco Malfoy. Crabbe and Goyle were chuckling appreciatively at his words.

"Say, Malfoy," said Matilda. "Is that what your parents said when you were born?"

Matilda felt great after coming back to Draco. It had been a long time since she had found a way to tear him down. His ego had gotten too large because Matilda had gone too long without insulting him. 

Hagrid was stumped by Draco's cold question. He couldn't understand why the class wouldn't want to raise them.

"I mean, what do they do?" Malfoy glared at Matilda. "What is the point of them?"

"You don't have to answer to him, Hagrid," said Matilda.

Matilda whipped her head around and glared at Draco and his band of followers, giving them a warning, she wasn't kidding around, and she wouldn't be afraid to hex them.

Hagrid opened his mouth, apparently thinking hard; there was a few seconds' pauses, then he said roughly, "Tha's next lesson, Malfoy. Yer jus' feedin' 'em today. Now, yeh'll wan' ter try 'em on a few diff'rent things — I've never had 'em before, not sure what they'll go fer — I got ant eggs an' frog livers an' a bit o' grass snake — just try 'em out with a bit of each."

"First pus and now this," muttered Seamus.

On her way down the castle hill, Matilda has passed a few Gryffindors grumbling about the pus they had to deal with in Herbology. 

Nothing but deep affection for Hagrid could have made Matilda pick up squelchy handfuls of frog liver and lower them into the crates to tempt the Blast-Ended Skrewts. Matilda couldn't suppress the suspicion that the whole thing was entirely pointless, because the skrewts didn't seem to have mouths.

"They don't have mouths," said Matilda, looking closely at the small creatures. "Feeding them seems a little pointless, yes?"

"As always, Matilda," said Harry. "You say what everyone else is thinking."

Matilda cringed as she went for another handful of frog livers and dropped them into wooden crate for the mouthless creatures. Ron, after having picked up his own handful of liver, went to smell it. His face instantly turned green and he let out an involuntary gag.

"Ouch!" yelled Dean Thomas after about ten minutes. "It got me!"

Hagrid hurried over to him, looking anxious.

"Its end exploded!" said Dean angrily, showing Hagrid a burn on his hand.

"Ah, yeah, that can happen when they blast off," said Hagrid, nodding.

"Eurgh!" said Lavender Brown again. "Eurgh, Hagrid, what's that pointy thing on it?"

"Ah, some of 'em have got stings," said Hagrid enthusiastically, but Matilda slowly moved her hand from the box, not wishing to be stung. "I reckon they're the males. . . . The females've got sorta sucker things on their bellies. . . . I think they might be ter suck blood."

"Well, I can certainly see why we're trying to keep them alive," said Malfoy sarcastically. "Who wouldn't want pets that can burn, sting, and bite all at once?"

Daisy Morgenstern, Draco's long time best friend, had been standing beside him the entire time, smacking his arm and pleading with him to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Just because something isn't pretty, doesn't mean it isn't useful," said Matilda. "I mean, look at you, pretty, but completely useless."

"Besides," Hermione snapped. "Dragon blood is amazingly magical, but you wouldn't want a dragon for a pet, would you?"

Harry and Ron grinned at Hagrid, who gave them a furtive smile from behind his bushy beard. Hagrid would have liked nothing better than a pet dragon, as Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew only too well — he had owned one for a brief period during their first year, a vicious Norwegian Ridgeback by the name of Norbert. Hagrid simply loved monstrous creatures, the more lethal, the better. Harry had told Matilda the story of Hagrid and his illegal dragon, and while she knew that Hagrid did the right thing in giving up the dragon, she could understand why he would want to keep it.

"Well, at least the skrewts are small," said Ron as they made their way back up to the castle for lunch an hour later.

"They are now," said Matilda in an exasperated voice, "but once Hagrid's found out what they eat, I expect they'll be six feet long."

"Well, that won't matter if they turn out to cure seasickness or something, will it?" said Ron, grinning slyly at Hermione.

"You know perfectly well I only said that to shut Malfoy up," said Hermione. "As a matter of fact I think he's right. The best thing to do would be to stamp on the lot of them before they start attacking us all."

They sat down at the Gryffindor table and helped themselves to lamb chops and potatoes. Hermione began to eat so fast that Harry and Ron stared at her.

"Er — is this the new stand on elf rights?" said Ron. "You're going to make yourself puke instead?"

"Oh, she finally found out about the house elves?" Matilda asked.

"Yes, I know about the elves. And no, I will not be puking," said Hermione, with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth bulging with sprouts. "I just want to get to the library."

"What?" said Ron in disbelief. "Hermione — it's the first day back! We haven't even got homework yet!"

Hermione shrugged and continued to shovel down her food as though she had not eaten for days. Then she leapt to her feet, said, "See you at dinner!" and departed at high speed.

"What about you?" Ron asked, turning to his left to face Matilda. "You going to rush for the library too?"

Matilda shook her head with a chuckle.

"Why would I need to go to the library?" Matilda asked. "I've already done most of my studying over the summer holiday."

Ron turned to Harry and shook his head in disbelief. He wondered how Harry and himself could ever be friends with girls like Matilda and Hermione. Girls who valued books more than fun.

The bell hand rang to signal the start of afternoon lessons, Matilda quickly packed up her things and said a quick goodbye to Ron and Harry before rushing out of the Great Hall.

She wouldn't normally be rushing to leave lunch, but her next class for the day was Arithmancy. Her favorite class. And it was on the seventh floor which meant Matilda had the risk of being late due to the shifting staircases.

Hermione also had Arithmancy with Matilda, she sat in the front row with a book she had likely just checked out of the library. Hufflepuffs and Slytherins also sat scattered about the room since the class was so small, they paired all four houses. Matilda took a seat in the front of the classroom. Hermione moved her things aside to make room for Matilda and her things.

"You've been quite busy, haven't you?" Matilda said.

She sat beside of Hermione and nodded toward the large book on her lap. Hermione chuckled and nervously removed the book from her lap and into her bag.

"Just trying to be more prepared," said Hermione. "I was a disaster last year."

Matilda knew that Hermione was lying to her about the book, but for her own amusement, she decided to pretend that she believed Hermione.

"Yes well," Hermione chuckled. "I suppose that I need to remind myself that I'm not you."

Hermione didn't want to have tension between her and Matilda. So, over the holiday Hermione had sent Matilda a letter explaining that she was a little jealous to learn that Matilda had managed to take every class offered, without a time-turner, and with perfect scores. She had wanted to do that, and seeing some else succeed at it, bugged her.

Matilda was flattered by Hermione's letter. To hear that Hermione, her biggest competition was jealous of her pleased Matilda greatly. But a little part of Matilda felt bad for Hermione, she had tried hard all year to accomplish what Matilda did. So, Matilda wrote back to Hermione, reminding her that they were not the same person. That the two of them had different strengths and weaknesses.

"That is great self-advice," said Matilda. "I can only imagine how exhausting trying to be would be for someone."

Last year Hermione would have been offended by Matilda's lack of emotion, but after talking with her over letters this summer, she felt like understood Matilda a little better than before. Hermione learned that Matilda's lack of empathy offended her only because she expected Matilda to care. She shouldn't have expected that empathy without really knowing Matilda, it was wrong of her. Hermione was grateful for her friendship with Matilda; at least Matilda gave her that much.

It wasn't too much longer before Professor Vector glided into the classroom, the tail of her robes dragged behind her, and she wasted no time in beginning the days' lesson. She introduced the topic: Compatibility and Personality.

Last year in Arithmancy, the last lesson Professor Vector taught was about learning the own numbers. Matilda's number was 11. Now, at the beginning of this lesson, they were going to learn how to expand on Arithmancy from their own numbers.

"When there are people involved, each number also corresponds to a kind of person or personality," said Professor Vector, standing tall at the front of the room.

Today's the class would be trying to determine personality types by using their numbers. A very easy task for someone who had spent the summer catching up on the lessons, like Matilda. Hermione would also likely catch onto the lesson quickly too.

"That was quite a lesson!" Hermione beamed.

They had just been dismissed from class and Hermione walked through the long, crowded corridors beside Matilda.

"Quite an easy lesson," said Matilda. "I hope that it becomes more challenging as we get further into the year."

Hermione nodded, agreeing with Matilda. They were both kinds that liked to be challenged. Matilda gets bored easily and if the subject she is learning isn't intellectually stimulating, she'd get tired of it.

"Miserable old bat," said Ron bitterly as they joined Matilda and Hermione who were descending the staircases back to the Great Hall and dinner. "That'll take all weekend, that will..."

"Lots of homework?" said Matilda brightly, catching up with them. "Professor Vector didn't give us any at all!"

Matilda didn't sound too excited and she wasn't, she was disappointed. Not one of her classes today assigned any homework that she hadn't finished already. The homework that Flitwick had assigned for Charms Matilda finished in July.

"Well, bully Professor Vector," said Ron moodily.

The four of them reached the entrance hall, which was packed with people queuing for dinner. They had just joined the end of the line, when a loud voice rang behind them.

"Weasley! Hey, Weasley!"

Harry, Ron, Matilda, and Hermione turned. Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing there, each looking thoroughly pleased about something, meanwhile Daisy walked away from the group of boys and took a seat at the Slytherin table, not wishing to be involved in the trouble her friend was about to cause.

"What?" said Ron shortly.

"Your dad's in the paper, Weasley!" said Malfoy, brandishing a copy of the Daily Prophet and speaking very loudly, so that everyone in the packed entrance hall could hear. "Listen to this!

FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC

It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles

are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special

Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor

crowd control at the Quidditch World Cup, and

still unable to account for the disappearance of one

of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh

embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold

Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."

Malfoy looked up.

"Imagine them not even getting his name right, Weasley. It's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" he crowed. Everyone in the entrance hall was listening now. Malfoy straightened the paper with a flourish and read on:

Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession

of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved

in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers

("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive

dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to

the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror

who retired from the Ministry when no longer able

to tell the difference between a handshake and

attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley

found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily

guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again

raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to

modify several memories before he could escape

from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily

Prophet questions about why he had involved the

Ministry in such an undignified and potentially

embarrassing scene.

"And there's a picture, Weasley!" said Malfoy, flipping the paper over and holding it up. "A picture of your parents outside their house — if you can call it a house! Your mother could do with losing a bit of weight, couldn't she?"

"Perhaps your ego could do with shedding some, yeah?" Matilda retorted quickly.

Ron was shaking with fury. Everyone was staring at him. And at this point Daisy had crossed the hall to stand next to the group.

"Draco," said Daisy, tugging at Draco's sleeve. "That's far enough."

Draco only laughed, "I'm sure it's fine, Daisy, I'm merely telling him the truth."

"Get stuffed, Malfoy," said Harry. "C'mon, Ron. . . ."

"Oh yeah, you were staying with them this summer, weren't you, Potter?" sneered Malfoy. "So, tell me, is his mother really that porky, or is it just the picture?"

Matilda opened her mouth to defend Ron and his mother before Harry sharply cut in.

"You know your mother, Malfoy?" said Harry — both he and Hermione had grabbed the back of Ron's robes to stop him from launching himself at Malfoy — "that expression she's got, like she's got dung under her nose? Has she always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?"

Malfoy's pale face went slightly pink.

"Don't you dare insult my mother, Potter."

"Keep your fat mouth shut, then," said Harry, turning away.

But, just as Harry and the others began to turn away, Draco had brandished his wand and shot a quick spell in Potter's direction, a loud BANG! followed the spell. People around them screamed as the spell grazed by Harry's cheek. Matilda noticed as Daisy began to scold Draco and roughly try pulling him away from the scene. She reached for his arm and had almost grasped his wrist until another loud Bang! and a roar that echoed through the entrance hall.

"OH NO YOU DON'T, LADDIE!"

Matilda spun around. Professor Moody was limping down the marble staircase. His wand was out, and it was pointing right at a pure white ferret, which was shivering on the stone-flagged floor, exactly where Malfoy had been standing.

There was a terrified silence in the entrance hall. Nobody but Moody was moving a muscle. Moody turned to look at Harry — at least, his normal eye was looking at Harry; the other one was pointing into the back of his head.

"Did he get you?" Moody growled. His voice was low and gravelly.

"No," said Harry, "missed."

"LEAVE IT!" Moody shouted.

Matilda leaned over to look behind Moody, wondering which one of the many students surrounding him that he was talking to.

"Leave — what?" Harry said, bewildered.

"Not you — him!" Moody growled, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at Crabbe, who had just frozen, about to pick up the white ferret. It seemed that Moody's rolling eye was magical and could see out of the back of his head.

Moody started to limp toward Crabbe, Goyle, and the ferret. The ferret let out a squeak, bolting in the direction of the dungeon stairs. Matilda's smile widened as Moody pointed his wand outwards, the ferret flying upwards of about ten feet in the air. A laugh escaped her lips as the ferret fell to the ground, before being lifted back up once more.

"Quite brilliant this is," Matilda laughed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Almost the best day of my life."

Even Draco's best friend Daisy found herself enjoying the scene before her, laughing slightly while shaking her head.

"I don't like people who attack when their opponent's back is turned," growled Moody as the ferret bounced higher and higher, squealing in pain. "Stinking, cowardly, scummy thing to do..."

The ferret flew through the air, its legs and tail flailing helplessly.

"Never — do — that — again —" said Moody, speaking each word as the ferret hit the stone floor and bounced upward again.

"Professor Moody!"

The fun was over.

Matilda's laughter suddenly stopped as Professor McGonagall descended the stairs with an arm full of books. Matilda's face contorted as she tried to suppress a laugh.

"Hello, Professor McGonagall," said Moody calmly, bouncing the ferret still higher.

"What — what are you doing?" said Professor McGonagall, her eyes following the bouncing ferret's progress through the air.

"Teaching," said Moody.

"Teach — Moody, is that a student?" shrieked Professor McGonagall, the books spilling out of her arms.

"Yep," said Moody.

"No!" cried Professor McGonagall, running down the stairs and pulling out her wand; a moment later, with a loud snapping noise, Draco Malfoy had reappeared, lying in a heap on the floor with his sleek blond hair all over his now brilliantly pink face. He got to his feet, wincing.

"Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment!" said Professor McGonagall weakly. "Surely Professor Dumbledore told you that?"

"He might've mentioned it, yeah," said Moody, scratching his chin unconcernedly, "but I thought a good sharp shock —"

"We give detentions, Moody! Or speak to the offender's Head of House!"

"I'll do that, then," said Moody, staring at Malfoy with great dislike.

Draco, whose grey eyes were filled with tears of both pain and humiliation, mumbled under his breath, "My father will hear about this."

"Oh yeah?" said Moody quietly, limping forward a few steps, the dull clunk of his wooden leg echoing around the hall. "Well, I know your father of old, boy... You tell him Moody's keeping a close eye on his son... you tell him that from me... Now, your Head of House'll be Snape, will it?"

"Yes," said Malfoy resentfully.

"Another old friend," growled Moody. "I've been looking forward to a chat with old Snape... Come on, you..."

And he seized Malfoy's upper arm and marched him off toward the dungeons.

Professor McGonagall stared anxiously after them for a few moments, then waved her wand at her fallen books, causing them to soar up into the air and back into her arms.

"Don't talk to me," Ron said quietly to Matilda, Harry, and Hermione as they sat down at the Gryffindor table a few minutes later, surrounded by excited talk on all sides about what had just happened.

"Why not?" said Harry in surprise.

"Because I want to fix that in my memory forever," said Ron, his eyes closed and an uplifted expression on his face. "Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret . . ."

"It should be a t-shirt," laughed Matilda.

Harry and Hermione both laughed, and Hermione began doling beef casserole onto each of their plates making sure to skip Matilda, who they all knew was a proud vegetarian.

"He could have really hurt Malfoy, though," she said. "It was good, really, that Professor McGonagall stopped it —"

"Hermione!" said Ron furiously, his eyes snapping open again, "you're ruining the best moment of my life!"

"Yeah Hermione," Matilda joined in. "Don't ruin this for me."

Hermione made an impatient noise and began to eat at top speed again.

"Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?" said Harry, watching her.

"Got to," said Hermione thickly. "Loads to do."

"But Professor Vector didn't assign us —"

"It's not schoolwork," she said before Matilda could finish her sentence.

Within five minutes, she had cleared her plate and departed.

"What's she up to?" Harry asked turning to Matilda.

Matilda who had gone back to eating her dinner rather than worrying about Hermione shrugged in response.

"How should I know?" Matilda asked Harry. "And more importantly, why should I care?"

No sooner than five-minutes after Hermione had gone, her seat was taken by Fred Weasley.

"Moody!" he said. "How cool is he?"

"Beyond cool," said George, sitting down opposite Fred.

"Supercool," said the twins' best friend, Lee Jordan, sliding into the seat beside George. "We had him this afternoon," he told Harry and Ron.

"What was it like?" Matilda asked, worried about another incompetent professor.

Fred, George, and Lee exchanged looks full of meaning

"Never had a lesson like it," said Fred.

"He knows, man," said Lee.

"That doesn't answer my question in the lesson," said Matilda. "Try again."

"Knows what it's like to be out there doing it," said George impressively.

"That makes no sense," said Matilda. "He knows what it's like out there doing what, exactly?"

"Fighting the Dark Arts," said Fred.

"He's seen it all," said George.

"Amazing," said Lee.

"What?" Matilda laughed. "Like its hard?"

Ron dived into his bag for his schedule.

"We've got his class on Thursday," said Ron. "What about you, Matilda?"

"Same," she told Ron. "Why do you ask?"

Ron only shrugged as he put his schedule back into his bag. But he was practically shaking with excitement. He could only imagine the joy it will bring him to see Matilda argue with Professor Moody in class.

And the arguments to come are inevitable.  

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AN:// Finally an update. I'm sorry it took so long. More in the future, I promise!