Brighter Than the Sun

Chapter Forty-Seven

When Moody dismissed us, we left the classroom and a torrent of talk burst forth. Most people were discussing the curses in awed voices: "Did you see it twitch?" "—and when he killed it — just like that!"

They were talking about the lesson as though it had been some sort of spectacular show, but I hadn't found it very entertaining. It seemed Harry and Hermione hadn't liked it much, either.

"Hurry up," Hermione said tensely to us.

"Not the ruddy library again?" said Ron.

"No," I said, pointing up a side passage. "Neville."

Neville was standing alone, halfway up the passage, staring at the stone wall opposite him with the same horrified, wide-eyed look he had worn when Moody had demonstrated the Cruciatus Curse. I took a deep breath and walked up to him, gently placing my hand on his shoulder to let him know I was there.

"Hey, Neville," I said softly.

Neville looked around.

"Oh hello," he said, his voice much higher than usual. "Interesting lesson, wasn't it? I wonder what's for dinner, I'm — I'm starving, aren't you?"

"Neville, are you all right?" said Hermione.

"Oh yes, I'm fine," Neville gabbled in the same unnaturally high voice. "Very interesting dinner — I mean lesson — what's for eating?"

Ron gave Harry a startled look.

"Neville, what—?"

But an odd clunking noise sounded behind us, and we turned to see Professor Moody limping toward us. All four of them fell silent, watching him apprehensively, but when he spoke, it was in a much lower and gentler growl than they had yet heard.

"It's all right, sonny," he said to Neville. "Why don't you come up to my office? Come on... we can have a cup of tea..."

Neville looked even more frightened at the prospect of tea with Moody. He neither moved nor spoke. Moody turned his magical eye upon Harry.

"You all right, are you, Potter?"

"Yes," said Harry, almost defiantly.

"McKeon?"

"Fine."

Moody's blue eye quivered slightly in its socket as it surveyed Harry and I. Then he said, "You've got to know. It seems harsh, maybe, but you've got to know. No point pretending..."

Maybe not, but I felt like there should've been some kind of warning. Even if Harry and I were okay, other students could've been traumatized by it.

Such as Neville, who'd already had to disembowel a bunch of dead toads.

"Well... come on, Longbottom," Moody said. "I've got some books that might interest you."

Neville looked pleadingly at Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I.

"We were just about to go down for dinner, professor," I said, trying to intervene. Neville gave me a relieved and grateful look.

"Won't take long at all, McKeon," Moody said. "Come on, Longbottom."

Neville had no choice but to allow himself to be steered away, one of Moody's gnarled hands on his shoulder.

"What was that about?" said Ron, watching Neville and Moody turn the corner.

"I don't know," said Hermione, looking pensive.

"Some lesson, though, eh?" said Ron as we set off for the Great Hall. "Fred and George were right, weren't they? He really knows his stuff, Moody, doesn't he? When he did Avada Kedavra, the way that spider just died, just snuffed it right —"