Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody was a man impossible to forget once seen. His appearance was akin to a figure carved from a piece of decaying wood, with a face marred by scars in every inch, and a mouth that resembled a skewed, gaping wound. Where his nose should have been, there was nothing but a flattened space, and one of his eyes was replaced with a magical one. His small, black, and shiny natural eye contrasted starkly with the large, round, vividly bright blue magical eye that moved incessantly, scanning his surroundings independently of his other eye. At times, the blue eye would roll back, leaving only the white of his eyeball visible. When Moody's gaze landed on John, the sound of footsteps halted, and for a brief moment, their eyes locked before Moody continued forward to greet Dumbledore with a handshake as scarred as his face. They exchanged whispers, Moody's magical eye still fixed on John, causing him to frown in discomfort.
Dumbledore then introduced Moody as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, a declaration that initially met with silence from both students and faculty. However, after a moment of hesitation, John initiated a round of applause from the Slytherin table, which gradually spread until the entire Great Hall joined in, transforming the silence into thunderous applause. Moody, ever cautious, paused his meal to observe the source of the applause, his gaze lingering on the Slytherin table.
John had a history with Moody, having encountered him previously when Moody had purchased several looking glasses from Johnny Silverhands, convinced someone was always out to get him. John suspected Moody had tampered with the looking glasses upon their purchase. Tang Mi, on the other hand, held great admiration for Moody, recognizing the legendary Auror's valor and offering him discounts due to this respect. Moody, responsible for incarcerating numerous Death Eaters, was indeed a living legend among Aurors, albeit a lonely one, haunted by the ghosts of his past and a deep-seated mistrust of those around him.
Dumbledore, seemingly oblivious to the students' unease, announced the hosting of the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts, an event not held for over a century. The announcement sparked excitement among the students, particularly Fred Weasley, who was visibly thrilled at the prospect of participating. The Triwizard Tournament, a competition between three schools, had been suspended in the past due to the high mortality rate among participants. However, with the Department of International Magical Cooperation and the Department of Magical Sports deeming the time right, the tournament was set to commence, with representatives from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons arriving in October to select their champions.
The chapter, initially marred by awkward translations and unclear descriptions, now flows more smoothly, offering readers a clearer understanding of the characters' actions and motivations, as well as enhancing the overall narrative with improved descriptions and logical progression of events. The ceremony to select the warrior was scheduled for Halloween eve, accompanied by the enticing prize of a substantial amount of Galleons. This announcement had the Weasley children, particularly the twins, visibly excited, their eyes alight with the prospect. However, their enthusiasm was quickly dampened by Dumbledore's clarification that only those who were 17 years old could participate. The twins, who would turn 17 the following April, were notably frustrated, realizing that anyone below the sixth grade had no chance of participating. Ron and Harry, too, felt a twinge of disappointment at being ineligible, while Hermione, in her typical fashion, silently protested the use of house elves at Hogwarts, dismayed to learn that a hundred of them worked without pay.
The dinner conversation buzzed with discussions about the upcoming event. Before leaving, John cast a lingering glance at Moody, whose magical eye was in constant motion. The Slytherin common room was alive with its own discussions, though theirs took a more conspiratorial tone.
"They must be afraid of John. With his skills, the competition would hardly be fair," one student speculated.
"Exactly. John could easily outmatch them all. This must be one of Dumbledore's schemes, always favoring Gryffindor and Harry Potter, and now targeting John," another added, voicing a common sentiment among the Slytherins that Dumbledore was biased.
Even Malfoy, usually not one to question authority, couldn't help but express his indignation, "Dumbledore always favors Harry and Gryffindor. It's as if he's specifically against you, John."
John, however, remained unfazed, focusing on his book as he replied, "The age restriction is a decision from the Ministry of Magic, likely a precaution to avoid endangering the students."
The next day marked the beginning of the fourth grade, with Slytherin and Gryffindor sharing a morning class on magical creature care. The subject of the day was newly born snails, which, with their shell-less, slimy white and gray bodies, presented a rather unsettling sight. John, accustomed to such oddities, seemed unbothered, a stark contrast to the rest of the class, including Malfoy, who appeared particularly repulsed.
"Why are we raising these?" Malfoy asked, unable to hide his disdain.
Hagrid, momentarily stumped, looked to John for an explanation. John, with his usual composure, explained, "The snails' shells, once fully developed, are valuable for alchemy, and their tails can be used to make potent explosives."
This information seemed to pacify Malfoy, if only because John had said it. John added a cautionary note, "Be careful, though. The snails' tails are explosive. A young snail might only cause a skin irritation, but an adult could take your arm off."
Hagrid beamed at John's contribution, awarding him extra points, though the rest of the class was less than thrilled at the prospect of potential explosions.
In the afternoon, John attended the divination class alone, where Professor Trelawney greeted him with unusual warmth, treating him more like a friend than a student. "Dear, have you observed any changes in the stars?" she inquired.
John, struggling to maintain his composure, replied, "I believe I saw something about an unfortunate individual's downfall."
The class proceeded with Trelawney's vague predictions, including a misinterpretation of Harry's birth season, which elicited laughter from Ron, especially given her previous prophecy about the savior being born at the end of July.
After class, Malfoy, seizing any opportunity to taunt his rivals, approached Harry and Ron with a copy of the "Daily Prophet" in hand, featuring an article by Rita Skeeter. Skeeter, known for her sensational journalism, had taken advantage of the recent World Cup incident to highlight her own reporting prowess, much to the amusement of Malfoy and the annoyance of Harry and Ron. The news of a female wizard official's disappearance had just come to light, adding to the already tense atmosphere. Mr. Weasley had been exhausted from dealing with Moody's elaborate prank the day before. Amidst this, Draco Malfoy found another opportunity to taunt the Weasleys. He brandished a photograph from an interview, laughing boisterously. "Look at this, Weasley!" he jeered.
It was no secret that the Burrow, with its haphazard architecture, could be considered a violation of building codes in the muggle world. However, wizards had their own ways of managing such matters. Malfoy's critique wasn't entirely unfounded, but it was certainly unwelcome, especially since Percy Weasley also called the Burrow home. Malfoy scrutinized the Weasleys with a disdainful eye and began to mock, "Is this your mother? She looks like..."
Before he could finish his insult, Harry Potter intervened, his voice laced with anger, "Go away, Malfoy!" Malfoy paused, taken aback by Harry's outburst. Harry then turned to comfort Ron, who was visibly seething with rage, urging him to remain calm.
Malfoy, unable to resist another jab, turned his sarcasm towards Harry. "So, Potter, you stayed with them this summer, didn't you?" he sneered, his voice dripping with jealousy and mockery. "Did his mother knit you a quilt?"
He claimed his comment was merely an observation, but Harry took it as a slight. In retaliation, Harry brought up Malfoy's mother, "What about your mother, Malfoy?" he shot back. "With that perpetual sneer, as if she's constantly smelling something foul, is that her usual expression, or is it just when she's around you?"
Malfoy, incensed by Harry's boldness in mentioning his mother, bristled with anger. Hermione, sensing the escalating tension, tugged at Harry's sleeve, urging him to step back. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Harry told Malfoy to shut up and turned to leave.
In that moment, Malfoy made his move. Without drawing his wand, he prepared to launch a spell. John, who had been quietly observing the exchange, suddenly sprang into action. "Duck!" he shouted.
Malfoy instinctively crouched down, and John, with a swift motion, drew his wand. A spectral suit of armor materialized in front of him, intercepting a spell that was aimed their way. The spell ricocheted off the armor, transforming a piece of it into a ferret.
Without a moment's hesitation, John retaliated with a spell of his own, demonstrating the quick reflexes and protective instincts that defined the group's dynamic in the face of conflict.
_________
If you are tired of reading I also have this converted to an audio novel on my youtube
https://www.youtube.com/@NovelAudioForge/featured
Direct Link to playlist
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_Hg-qsW4rM&list=PLKskshYG-OcPTR4-Nw7IWFEBZm07D8pBV&ab_channel=NovelAudioForge