just for you (years 3-5)

chapter 27

i walk into the great hall late that evening for dinner, and i seriously regret not having been there earlier. as i enter the hall with daphne, i see draco, crabbe, and goyle, standing beside the gryffindor table... which can only mean trouble.

"your dad's in the paper, weasley!" draco shouts, gaining the attention of other students in the hall. daphne and i stay in the doorway, not wanting to enter any further, "listen to this!" draco sneers as he pulls out the daily prophet, reading aloud an article on mr. weasley, ".... the ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the misuse of muggle artifacts office" draco looks up, staring at ron, "imagine them not getting his name right, weasley. it's almost as though he's a complete nonentity, isn't it?" draco laughs, getting crabbe and goyle to join in. i can see the entire hall is listening now, everyone having gone silent.

"should we..?" i whisper to daphne

"give him a moment" she says back, leaning against the stone pillar beside me

"and there's a picture, weasley!" draco says as he finishes reading another section, "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?"

"okay that's enough" i say to daphne, beginning to storm towards draco as ron turns red, shaking as though he's about to explode

"you know your mother, malfoy?" harry says, standing at odds with draco, "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?"

draco's face goes pink, "don't you dare insult my mother, potter" he says, just as i arrive next to him

"draco stop it" i say. he looks to me, his face getting even more red, "hi harry, ron" i give a weak smile, grabbing at draco's robes, "now lets go" i give a slight tug on his sleeve, just as a loud BANG rings throughout the hall. i see harry reach into his robe for his wand.

"oh no you don't laddie!" professor moody limps into the the hall, his wand pointed straight at me, or rather, straight at where draco had been standing. i whip my head around to see that he's gone, now transformed into a white ferret, shivering on the stone floor beneath me. i gasp, covering my mouth and stepping away from him in shock.

"did he get you?" moody growls, looking at harry

"no, he missed"

"leave it!" moody shouts at crabbe, who was going to grab malfoy off the ground. but they ignore him, grabbing the ferret and running off, probably towards the dungeons.

"i don't think so" mad-eye shouts again, waving his wand violently towards the boys. everyone watches in shock as malfoy... still as a ferret, is thrown up into the air, being spun violently around by moody.

"professor stop!" i cry out, but he's slammed malfoy back onto the ground, "i don't like people who attack when their opponent's back turned" growls moody as ferret draco squeals in pain. i cringe, not being able to look.

"professor moody!" mcgonagall's voice rings throughout the hall

"hello, professor mcgonagall" moody says rather calmly, still holding draco high in the air.

"what- what are you doing?" professor mcgonagall says, confused as her eyes look up to the ferret bouncing in the air

"teaching" mood replies

"teach- moody is that a student?" mcgonagall shrieks in horror, dropping the books she was carrying and running closer, pulling out her wand as moody confirms her suspicions. with a loud, snapping noise, malfoy reappears, lying helplessly on the floor. he gets to his feet, wincing in pain.