the twisted witches trio ♢ h.potter fanfic

52. Ella, Marnie, and the Class with Mad-Eye Moody

(Warnings: mentions of torture, killing, being out of one's own control, mentions of past PTSD, panic, panic attacks)

*Ella's POV*

Pippa excitedly lead Marnie and me into the Defense Against the Dark Arts chamber while we trudged behind. George and Fred followed close behind while she babbled on about how exciting it was to be starting a new year but how disappointed she was that Professor Lupin wasn't able to teach instead. 

"Mmhmm," I murmured, picking a seat next to George while Fred, Lee, Pippa, and Marnie filed in around us. 

"Afternoon." Professor Moody grumbled as we settled down. "Can anyone tell me the three Unforgivable Curses?" I felt the blood run slow in my veins and the mention of the curses. I was slowly working my way through the horrific nightmares and visions that plagued my mind ever since the World Cup and I felt all that progress come crashing down in front of me. 

George, being the world's most intuitive person, immediately sensed my unease, and reached his hand from next to me to hold mine, squeezing protectively. Pippa raised her hand. 

"Ms.-" Moody looked to Pippa for her name.

"Malfoy, sir. Pippa Malfoy." He grunted, letting her continue. "The three Unforgivable Curses are The Imperius Curse, The Crutiatus Curse, and The Killing Curse." Pippa's voice was unmistakeably wavering as she listed them off.

"Very good. 10 points to Slytherin." I watched Marnie smirk to herself. "And what does each do?" Pippa raised her hand again, eager to show Moody what an attentive student she was but as no one else raised their hands, Marnie found herself being called on as she whispered to Lee about the recent scores of the Irish-Russian Quidditch match. 

"Ms. McGonagall," Moody called. Marnie, as slick and unfazed as ever, looked up to meet his eyes, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Mad-Eye Moody," She retorted, smirking. 

"Why don't you tell us what each of the Curses does?" He asked. 

"Why don't you? That's why you're being paid, yes?" Snickers arose from around the classroom as Moody was introduced to Marnie's horridly sarcastic attitude towards literally anyone with a pulse. 

"You're here to learn."

"And you're here to teach, teach. So why don't you get on with it?" She replied, dangerously fearless. 

"Minerva warned me about you," Moody smirked, leaning into her antics.

"Yeah? She warned me about you too, sir." Marnie replied. Moody decided to drop it and I rolled my eyes, smiling at the desk. 

"The Imperius Curse is used to put someone under your complete control," Moody explained. He had then produced a creature that looked a bit like a stick bug mixed with a spider that I couldn't recognize but felt uneasy about. 

He pointed his wand at the creature, "Imperio." He grumbled. Students gasped as Moody sent the creature onto the desk of a student right in the front, under his will. 

"Don't worry, it's completely harmless!" Moody exclaimed while sending it onto the forehead of another student, who tried to keep their cool. 

"If she bites... she's lethal." Moody laughed, flying the creature around, hanging it over students' heads. 

"Talented isn't she! What should I have her do next? Jump out the window?" The creature hit a glass pane. 

"Drown herself?" Moody held it over a bucket of water. The laughter had stopped and an eerie silence fell back over the class. Moody drew the creature back to the palm of his hand.