"Yu, have I ever told you about the society I founded for the promotion of house-elf rights?"
After an impassioned lecture, Hermione hugged her cauldron, which was stuffed with her Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook and some shiny badges bearing the letters S.P.E.W.
"I don't think so. Care to share?"
Hermione's eyes lit up instantly. She looked as though she'd found a soulmate. Propping her elbow on the cauldron, she clasped Jane Yu's hands with both of hers.
"I knew you'd understand! Our short-term goal is to ensure house-elves receive fair wages and proper working conditions..."
She continued enthusiastically about their long-term goals, but Jane's attention was caught on the words "house-elves" and "wages."
The image of Dobby waving his fingers and shouting, "Work hard! Push yourself! Give it all you've got!" instantly popped into her mind.
"That sounds reasonable," she quickly affirmed. "If you have house-elves like that, they're welcome to work for me. I'll provide room, board, and wages..."
What excellent labor!
She practically wanted to recruit every house-elf in Britain to work for her!
Hermione looked so moved she seemed on the verge of fainting, her eyes welling up with tears.
"Oh my goodness—you're the first person to truly understand me—I knew your thinking was ahead of its time—"
"Ron looks at these badges as if they're bugs! He says they enjoy being slaves, which is utterly absurd! He's just as backward in his thinking as—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
Because Jane noticed Hermione's "cricket" (her crush) standing in the corridor, accompanied by Harry. Opposite them were Draco and Blaise.
Surrounding them were four bewildered Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs.
It sounded like they were having yet another argument over their group project.
"I can't believe it. It's been almost a week, and you haven't written a single word, Weasley."
Blaise looked at Ron as if he were a foul-smelling insect. His cheekbones seemed even higher as his gaze slid downward.
"I seriously doubt you brought your brain with you when you came to school. Shouldn't you apply to the Headmaster to go back home and fetch it?"
Ron's face turned as red as his hair, and he retorted furiously.
"The essay isn't due until the end of term—why are you starting now? I think you're just trying to shirk your work—"
"I need the materials you were supposed to find to prepare the presentation and speech," Blaise sneered. "It's been a week; have you even opened your textbook?"
This comment hit home. Hermione's expression confirmed it, and Ron's face looked like it was about to explode.
Nearby, Draco and Harry were locked in their own heated argument. Draco sneered.
"Bloody Scarhead—where's the research? Did you leave your brain at home like Weasley?"
"When's the next train to pick up your brain? Or maybe dive into the Black Lake and wash your head out! Don't drag the whole group down!"
"And what about the template section you were supposed to complete, Malfoy?" Harry shot back, holding onto Ron's robes alongside Hermione to stop him from lunging at Blaise. "Did you lose your brain too? Or did you swap it with one of your family's peacocks?"
As the argument escalated, the tension reached a boiling point, and both sides began reaching for their wands—
"Bang!"
Several people screamed as a trembling white ferret suddenly appeared where Draco had been standing.
Jane turned around to see Professor Moody limping down the stairs.
That Transfiguration spell had clearly come from him.
Transforming a student—what an unbelievable act for a professor.
Even in the past few years, not even Quirrell, possessed by Voldemort, had treated students this way.
Jane frowned.
"Finite Incantatem!"
Recalling Professor Flitwick's incantation, she tentatively cast the counter-spell.
The white ferret turned back into a tearful Draco, who immediately shrank behind her.
"Don't move!"
Moody roared. This might have worked on others, but it didn't intimidate Jane.
She was itching to provoke this new professor. Though the chances of getting expelled this way were slim, she was willing to give it a shot.
"I don't think transforming students is a sanctioned punishment at this school," she challenged.
The onlookers collectively gasped.
Moody's normal eye and magical eye both glared at her, his wand tip pointing in her direction as he growled.
"Oh, really? Well, there is now. Defying a professor—perhaps you'd like to be turned into a ferret too—"
He didn't get the chance to finish his threat, as Jane's spell was faster than his.
In three years, she'd never tried casting a spell on a professor before!
The other professors were all too decent for her to bear targeting them—
So she decided to test her Transfiguration skills on this unethical professor.
With the incantation of her spell, Moody suddenly turned into a ferret!
Clearly, he hadn't expected a student to dare attack a professor, so he was caught off guard, and the spell hit him directly.
"Stop—stop—Jane Yu!"
Professor McGonagall came rushing down the stairs, the books she had been holding scattering everywhere.
Moody returned to human form, his eyes filled with loathing for Jane. His facial features twisted in anger as he roared.
"Attacking a professor? You deserve to be punished!"
He seemed unable to control himself, raising his wand as if to teach her a lesson, but Professor McGonagall stepped in between them.
She looked uneasy, glancing back and forth between Moody and Jane, before loudly demanding.
"What—what exactly is going on here?"
Harry suddenly stepped forward, surprising both Moody and McGonagall.
"It's not Jane's fault!" he said loudly. "Professor Moody turned Malfoy into a ferret—she was helping him—"
"My goodness!" McGonagall exclaimed. "Moody, we never use Transfiguration as a punishment! You can assign detention or report to the Head of House—"
"I'll do just that," Moody said with a look of utter disdain at Jane. "Or better yet, I'll report this straight to the Headmaster and let him deal with students who attack professors."
This was exactly what Jane wanted. She continued to provoke him.
"Not a bad idea. Why don't we head to the Headmaster's office right now?"
Moody was livid, nearly shoving McGonagall aside to cast a curse on her.
"Stop!" McGonagall shouted. "Moody, if you don't mind, I'll take this child away for now—"
Moody's magical eye swiveled wildly in its socket, but he grudgingly accepted the out, growling.
"McGonagall, I suggest you teach this unruly student a lesson—"
McGonagall hurried Jane to her office, pulling out a chair and motioning for her to sit down.
"Jane—I should take you to Albus, but he's quite busy at the moment—"
"I understand you're angry about Professor Moody's actions, but Albus hired him to ensure the safety of the Triwizard Tournament."
Jane pursed her lips in displeasure. Though her only interaction with Moody had been this ferret incident, she felt something was off.
Perhaps Moody knew he was in the wrong and didn't dare face her in the Headmaster's office.
Or maybe Professor McGonagall's bias toward her was so strong that she didn't report her for attacking a professor.
"He was a seasoned Auror, one of the Ministry's best at catching Dark wizards."
"After so many life-and-death trials—he's become a bit paranoid, even delusional—"
McGonagall cited a couple of examples to illustrate his eccentricity, such as attacking a witch who startled him on April Fool's Day or smashing a birthday gift he thought contained a disguised Basilisk egg.
Jane understood.
Perhaps this was a form of post-war trauma.
The professor had suffered severe psychological damage, leading to actions like turning students into ferrets.
She couldn't help but sigh.
She felt a twinge of regret for targeting such a brave individual.
But after that day, it seemed Moody had it out for her.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
Read up to (100+ ) advanced chapters on Patre\on
Visit us here: patreon.com/DarkGolds
Happy reading, everyone!