——THE NEXT TWO DAYS PASSED WITHOUT GREAT INCIDENT, UNLESS YOU COUNTED NEVILLE MELTING HIS SIXTH CAULDRON IN POTIONS. professor snape, who seemed to have attained new levels of vindictiveness over the summer, gave neville detention, and neville returned from it in a state of nervous collapse, having been made to disembowel a barrelful of horned toads.
"you know why snape's in such a foul mood, don't you?" said ron to harry and eliza, as they watched hermione teaching neville a scouring charm to remove the toad guys from under his fingernails.
"yeah," said eliza, "moody."
it was common knowledge that snape really wanted the defence against the dark arts job, and he had 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 eliza saw the two of them together — at mealtimes, or when they passed him in the corridors — she had the distance impressions that snape was avoiding moodys eye, whether magical or normal.
"i reckon snapes a bit scared of him, you know," said harry thoughtfully.
"imagine if moody turned snape into a horned toad," said ron, his eyes misting over, "and bounced him all around his dungeon . . ."
the gryffindor fourth - years were looking forward to moodys first lesson so much that they arrived early after lunch in thursday and queued up outside his classroom before the bell had even rung.
the only person missing was hermione, who turned up just in time for the lesson.
"been in the —"
"— library," harry finished her sentence. "c'mon, quick, or we won't get decent seats."
they hurried into four chairs right in front of the teachers desk, took out their copies of the dark forces: a guide to self - protection, and waited, unusually quiet. soon they heard moodys distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor, and he entered the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. they could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes.
