Year Four: The TriWizard Tournament

Part 8

The Gryffindor and Slytherin fourth years had their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with none other than Mad-Eye Moody early Thursday afternoon.

Anne felt tense and uneasy as she seated herself next to Hermione. She didn't know why. She didn't feel any better when Moody entered the classroom.

"Alastor Moody," he introduced himself writing his name on the blackboard.

"Ministry malcontent, and your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, and according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you counter curses and leave it at that. When it comes to the dark arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which of you can tell me how many unforgivable curses there are?"

Anne raised her hand. "Three, sir."

"And they are so name?"

"Because they are unforgivable. The use of any one of them will..." Anne trailed off unable to continue. The more Moody stared at her with his magical eye, the more uncomfortable she felt.

Moody didn't appear to notice her discomfort. "Will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban. Correct. Now the Ministry says you're too young to see what these curses can do. I say different! You need to be prepared, you need to know what you're up against. so, which curse shall we see first?"

He pointed to Ron. "Weasley! Give us a curse."

"Err," said Ron tentatively, "my dad did tell me about one...the Imperius Curse."

"Ah, yes," said Moody appreciatively. "Your father would know all about that. Gave the Ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why."

Moody opened his desk drawer, and took out a glass jar. He reached into the jar and pulled out a large spider. He held it in the palm of his hand so they could see it. He then pointed his wand at it. "Imperio!"

He uses his wand to send it around the room. The class is unsettled.

"Don't worry. It's completely harmless. But if she bites....she's lethal."

Draco laughed.

"Think it's funny, do you?" Moody growled. He sent the spider onto Draco's face, silencing him.

"Talented isn't she? What shall I do to her next? Jump out the window? Drown herself?"

Anne was nerved. Whatever Moody was doing sadistic. Teachers normally don't demonstrate torture on living things like spiders. Something about him was not right.

Moody then sends the spider, wriggling, over a bucket of water. "Scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only did You-Know-Who's bidding under the influence of the Imperius Curse. But here's the rub, how do we sort out the liars? Anyone else know another illegal curse?" His magical eye fixes on Neville. "Longbottom!"

Neville answered in a small distinct voice. "There's the.....the Cruciatus Curse."

Anne's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat.

"Correct! Correct! Particularly nasty. The torture curse." Moody raised his wand again at the spider setting it on his desk. "Crucio!"

At once, the spider's legs bent in upon its body; it rolled over and began to twitch horribly squealing.

Anne could not tear her eyes away from the agonized spider. What Moody was doing to it was horrible! If it had been a human being, they would have been screaming in pain.

"Stop it!" Hermione cried out. "Can't you see it's bothering him?! Stop it!"

Anne followed Hermione's gaze and saw that Neville was very disturbed. His eyes were wide and horrified, and he was shaking.

Moody finally stops the torture. He then turned to Hermione. "Perhaps you could give us the last unforgivable curse, Miss Granger."

Frightened, Hermione shook her head. Anne clenched her fists and turned away. She knew exactly what that last curse was. Her own mother had been a victim of it.

"Avada Kedavra!"

There was a flash of green blinding light and a rushing sound, as though a vast, invisible something was soaring through the air ---- instantaneously the spider rolled over onto its back, unmarked, but unmistakably dead.

"The Killing Curse. The worst of all," said Moody calmly as he deposed of the dead spider. "Only one person is known to have survived it. And he's sitting here in this room."

Anne was eager to leave the classroom as soon as the bell rang. The lesson on the three unforgivable curses had been quite disturbing.

"There's a reason those curses are unforgivable," Hermione said as she, Harry, and Ron made their way down the corridor. "And to perform them in a classroom, I mean, did you see Neville's face?"

Anne looked over and saw Neville next to her. He had the same horrified wide-eyed look he had worn when Moody demonstrated the Cruciatus Curse.

"Neville?" Hermione called out when she saw him.

But an odd clunking noise sounded behind Harry, Anne, Ron, and Hermione. They turned to see Moody limping toward them. All five of them fell silent, watching him apprehensively, but when he spoke, it was a much lower and gentler voice than they had yet heard.

"Son, you all right?" he asked Neville. Anne backed away obviously trying to steer clear of him. "Why don't you come up to my office? We can have a cup of tea. I want to show you something." His magical eye turned on Anne. "And you too, Miss Borden."

Anne looked at him her expression weary but her voice strained. "No....no thank you....I'm good...." then took off running desperate to get as far away from him as possible.