THE gift From Death Year 4

Chapter 24: Fourth year Part 12

Mum, Dad, Frank, Alice and Neville can I have a word before we start this memory?" Harry asked, the five nodded and they all went through to the kitchen, "Moody's class." he said looking at Neville who had looked confused.

"Oh." he said with understanding in his eyes.

"What?" Alice asked.

"In our first lesson with Moody we covered the Unforgivables." Neville explained.

"They were demonstrated for us on spiders, the Imperious actually being put on us during a different lesson." Harry added, "Are you all going to be okay seeing them demonstrated?"

The four parents looked pale but after a moment Frank said, "If we're not we can just leave the room. We should be fine though."

"We'll cope." Alice added.

Neville looked quizzically at his parent's.

"Can you warn us before it happens?" Frank asked.

"Of course." Harry nodded, "I'll do it with all three. I figured I'd ask you because you have all had worse experiences with two of the curses."

"We'll be fine if you warn us." Alice decided.

"Neville?" Harry asked.

"I'll be fine. I seen it used a lot during the war... Well the after effects anyway." he sighed, his eyes looked slightly haunted. "Will you be alright Harry? With all three having been used on you before."

"I'll be fine. It was years ago and I'll be expecting it this time." he smiled as they all headed back to the living room. "Time to warn the rest of you then. This memory is of our first class with Moody, we covered all of the unforgivables and had them performed in front of us on spiders."

"Do you have to show that horrid lesson?" Hermione asked warily.

"'Mione you know I do. I'll keep it short though, I have a lot of depressing thoughts after seeing the Killing Curse so I'm going to stop it before them." he explained.

"Good. I had those type after seeing the Cruciatus and it wouldn't help anyone to hear depressing thing's after a lesson like that." Neville sighed.

"That's what I thought." Harry nodded. "Anyway let's start." he put the memory in the pensive and sat down.

The Gryffindor fourth years were looking forward to Moody's first lesson so much that they arrived early on Thursday lunchtime and queued up outside his classroom before the bell had even rung. The only person missing was Hermione, who turned up just in time for the lesson.

"Been in the -"

"Library." Harry finished her sentence for her.

"C'mon, quick, or we won't get decent seats."

They hurried into three chairs right in front of the teacher's desk, took out their copies of The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, and waited, unusually quiet. Soon they heard Moody's distinctive clunking footsteps coming down the corridor, and he entered the room, looking as strange and frightening as ever. They could just see his clawed, wooden foot protruding from underneath his robes.