Ninety-Eight and Seven-Sixteenths Pure

Chapter 16

Ninety-Eight and Seven-Sixteenths Pure

Moody stood outside the lecture hall. As he had feared, the maestro had already started the morning's lesson. Moody unfolded his invisibility cloak and tied it around his shoulders. When he found an opportune moment, he entered the hall and stepped carefully to the back of the room. He was relieved to see that no one seemed to notice his entrance, so he plotted a course to the lab table next to his partner, Jeff.

BLAM!

Moody felt a sharp pain in his bum and shrieked as he fell onto his side, grasping his left butt cheek tightly. He whipped off his invisibility cloak, and his classmates turned with a start to see him curled on the floor.

Maestro pointed the gun away and blew the smoke from the barrel of the .45 caliber in his hand. "Scab Moody?" he questioned, apparently surprised to see him. "Terribly sorry; I didn't see you there. Whatever are you doing skulking around during my lecture?"

Moody braced his arms on the back of a nearby chair and picked himself up, keeping his weight off his left leg. Careful to keep the pain out of his expression, he replied, "I was practicing my stealth skills, Maestro."

"I see. Well done, then." The maestro opened the breech and removed the spent shell from the gun's barrel. "Take care where you decide to practice; I might have had occasion to demonstrate with live ammo rather than rock salt." He sneered. "Now, take your seat."

When Moody took his place next to Jeff, the maestro held up the pistol illustratively and continued the lecture. "The gun...arguably the single most significant advancement in Muggle technology to date. Though it may be primitive in concept, it remains both elegant in design and deadly in execution."

"Barbaric," Angie muttered under her breath.

The maestro raised an eyebrow at her. "You have a comment, Scab Prewett?"

Undeterred, Angie added, "What sort of creature would devise such an implement? It's monstrous."

The maestro smiled and nodded at her honesty. "The same 'creature' that rules the world today."

"Still, I'm not impressed." She gasped when she heard the cock of a hammer and turned to see the maestro pointing his gun at her.

"Did you feel that? The skip in your heartbeat, the sudden rise in blood pressure, the way you gripped the side of your desk a little tighter? It's an instinctual fear. That's a power unmatched by any wand. Don't think for one moment that a dark wizard is above using one of these. Underestimate this 'barbaric' tool at your peril." The maestro released the hammer and lowered the weapon.

Angie relaxed a bit after regaining her composure. "Of course, Maestro."

"I'm glad you agree." The maestro holstered the gun and took out his wand. He levitated four leather bags from the front of the room and hovered one next to each of the cadets. "Because for today's assignment, you will each get to put one together." When he snapped his fingers, the bags emptied their contents of various metallic bits and pieces onto the lab tables. "When you're done report to the targeting range. I'll be waiting behind the blast screens."

The room was quiet for several minutes after the maestro left, as the cadets attempted to suss out the puzzle of machine parts before them.

Jeff picked out a couple of pieces from his pile, at a loss, and turned to Moody. "So, what happened to you this morning, mate?"

"I got an owl from Dru during first meal. She said it was important."

"What was it about?"

"I don't know." Moody grunted and shifted his weight to lean on his right side. "I had to send a post back telling her I couldn't make it until after lunch."

Jeff, taking notice of Moody's discomfort, smirked. "Maestro really pegged you, didn't he?"

"Yeah." Moody folded his cloak and placed it under his seat for padding. "You don't suppose he saw me, do you?"

"How could he? I certainly didn't see you."

"Are you two going to keep cackling like a couple of hens?" Reuben said, glancing over his shoulder. "I'm trying to concentrate."

"Like it makes a difference, tosser!" Moody shot back. "And don't think I forgot about you sending me to that bordello!"

"Reuben!" Angie scolded. "Tell me you didn't send Alastor to a house of ill-repute!"

"That he did, Angie," Jeff confirmed with a grin.

"I did no such thing." Reuben said in defense. "It's a proper pub that just happens to... diversify." He smiled. "Besides, they have the best Guinness on tap in the East End."

Moody shook his head. He wadded up the empty leather sack and threw it at Reuben. "Are you daft? It tasted like Troll piss."

"Now you're just being silly, Alastor. Have you even tasted Troll piss?"

"Do we have to separate you two?" Angie said impatiently. "Honestly, to hear you blokes go at it reminds of my nephews, Fabian and Gideon."

Reuben shared a knowing wink with Moody and replied, "I take it because these nephews of yours are dashing?"

"And witty?" Moody added.

"Not to mention devilishly handsome?" Reuben finished.

"Yes." She rolled her eyes. "And they're also six."

"But I have an excuse, Angie. Reuben's antics almost scarred me for life. I may never recover."

Angie returned her focus to the assembly of her firearm. "I have the utmost confidence in your resilience, Alastor."

Moody chuckled and started to separate the pieces before him into more manageable categories.

Jeff still appeared to be either struggling with or disinterested in his pile of gun parts. He leaned over and whispered to Moody, "Yeah. The Order of Merlin. That's gotta put you in the lead now, don't you think?"

"I doubt it, mate. Maestro has it in for me."

"Why do you say that?"

"I don't know," Moody said, rubbing his bum. "But I've got the feeling that somehow he saw through my cloak."

"You're being paranoid, Alastor."

By this time Angie had assembled half of her pistol. It levitated before her as she struggled to figure out what piece to attach next. The frustration was evident in her voice. "Stay on task, you two. I would prefer not to spend the entire afternoon cooped up in here."

"Yes, Mummy." Jeff and Moody taunted in unison.

After they finished assembling their pistols, the four agreed to meet up after lunch and report to the firing range as a group. Moody was grateful since it gave him some time to keep his appointment with Druella.

He arrived at the ground floor, but Druella was nowhere to be seen. Struggling to sort through the faces of the many passersby, he failed to notice the footsteps of a woman hurrying toward him. Her attention was concentrated on the map she held tightly in her hand. When they bumped, her briefcase fell from her grasp and hit the floor; its contents scattering everywhere.

Moody turned with a start when she yelped. He started to apologize but was distracted when he recognized the woman scrambling to collect the papers strewn at his feet.

"Miss McGonagall?" Moody said with a surprised smile. "If we keep running into each other like this, I'm going to start thinking that you're stalking me."

McGonagall paused and looked up when she recognized him but quickly diverted her attention back to collecting her things. "Yes, because it's so unusual that two magical beings would cross paths in the Ministry of Magic."

Moody, quite accustomed to her sardonic wit by now, knelt down to help her. "So, what business do you have at the Ministry this fine day?"

She stuffed the documents hurriedly into her briefcase. "If you must know, I am applying for my Animagus certification."

Moody carefully stacked the papers he had collected and presented them. "You're an Animagus?"

She snatched them quickly and put them away without regard to their orientation. "That would be the prerequisite, Mr. Moody."

He stood up and stepped back, feeling slightly put-off. "Keeping more of those options of yours open, I see?"

"What?"

"For your internships," he clarified.

"Right." She sighed, allowing Moody to help her up. "Forgive me, but I really am in a rush, and I'm having trouble finding my way."

"I shan't keep you then." He took out his wand. After whispering the proper incantation, a glowing ball formed and detached itself from the wand's tip. "Just follow this orb."

"Oh." Her eyes widened as the floating sphere of yellow energy floated by. She started to follow it but stopped and turned gently. "Mr. Moody?" Upon Moody's acknowledgement she continued, "I'm..."

"Allie."

Moody turned from McGonagall to Druella's familiar voice. "Hello, love." He looked back to McGonagall, but she had already left, her footsteps echoing briskly as she proceeded to catch up to the orb.

With a furrowed brow, Druella watched McGonagall disappear into one of the elevators. "Who was that woman?"

"It's nobody," Moody said with a wave of his hand. "What's going on with you today, pet?"

"We need to talk, now."

Moody took Druella by the arm and led her to the empty waiting room he had reserved.

With the door closed and the blinds drawn, she finally felt comfortable enough to speak. "I registered us for the Pure Pool."

"Is that what this is all about? What'd you do a silly thing like that for?"

"Unlike you, I believe in the preservation of our culture."

Moody's eyes narrowed slightly. "Well, don't expect me to go to all those blasted meetings."

Druella shook her head nervously. "You don't understand. A Certificate of Heritage is required as part of the process."

At a loss, Moody shrugged his shoulders. "So, you need my consent or something?"

She snorted. "Please. When do I ever bother to get your consent for anything? Since you don't have any close family ties, I took the liberty of hiring an investigator." She reached into her purse and retrieved a carefully folded piece of paper. "I got the results this morning."

Moody folded his arms and sighed. "Dru, I don't have an enormous amount of time."

"It says you're a Mudbl..." She stopped herself, closing her eyes. "You're of Muggle descent."

Moody stared at her for several seconds, unsure if he had heard her correctly. "No I'm not. Both of my parents were full-bloods, as were their parents..."

"Only to six generations. You don't meet the required seven." She bit her lip.

Moody regarded her again. His first instinct...his only instinct...was to laugh.

"Don't make light of this."

"I'm sorry, but this is a hell of a thing to bring up weeks before the ceremony."

Druella averted her eyes. "I know."

"So what are you telling me? That we can't get married now?"

"You don't know my family. If this got out, they would never allow us to get married! I would be exiled!"

Moody shrugged. "So what?"

Druella looked up, glaring. "What did you say?"

"You heard me." He returned her glare. "I am sick and tired of this shite! Tiptoeing on eggshells and putting on airs!"

"Allie, please!" Her eyes widened and her bottom lip trembled. "You don't know what it's like!"

"Your father didn't like me when he thought I was a Pureblood – which I am, by the way!"

"Lower your voice."

"I bet if I were wealthy, like Cygnus Black, this wouldn't be an issue!"

"Stop it."

"I could vanquish a thousand dark wizards, save the borough a dozen times over, yet I would never be good enough? That's rubbish, Dru! Rubbish!"

"You can't just ignore this."

"Watch me!" He snorted. "I will soon be an Auror. We don't need them, pet."

Druella placed her hands on his shoulders, stilling his anger with her gentle eyes. "Look, I know how silly this must seem from your perspective." When she took his hand, her hair changed to violet. "One of the things that I love about you is that, in here, I can be myself." Her hair returned to black when she looked toward the door. "But out there, in the world, there are other things to consider...like how this will affect our children, for example."

"For Chrissakes, Dru! Kids? We're not even wed yet. You're being unreasonable."

"And you're being selfish!" She released his hand and rolled the report nervously between her fingers. "My parents sacrificed everything for Evan and me. I can't repay them by marrying a...a..."

Moody snatched the paper and crumpled it. "I AM NOT SOME WAR-MONGERING MUDBLOOD!"

The violence of his outburst shattered all the glass in the room. Moody took out his wand and immediately repaired the windows to deter the curiosity of anyone who happened to pass by. He looked longingly at his fiancée. Druella had retreated to a corner with her back to him, her shoulders shuddering at every abbreviated breath.

"Dru." Moody withdrew his hand when she jerked away from his touch. "Pet. I'm sorry. I...I don't know what to do... tell me what to do."

Druella threw herself into him, sobbing. "I don't know, Allie. If only we could make it all go away with the wave of a wand."

Moody embraced her tenderly, stroking her hair and kissing the top of her head. "What if we're careful? Who else knows about this?"

"I've already paid off the investigator. Tomorrow I'll withdraw our membership with the SS. I'll say it's at your insistence; no one will question it."

"You certainly have all the answers, don't you?"

"I thought that was my line." She laughed through her tears. "We can make this work, can't we, Allie?"

"Just you and me against the world, pet."

She tightened her embrace. "No one can know. No one."

Moody continued to stroke her hair until she relaxed in his arms.

Druella breathed a contented sigh as Moody held her. "At least our children will be seven generations pure."