"How did Moody know your mum?" Dean Thomas asks Alex across the table.
The class is sat in the room, the Gryffindor's are chatting amongst themselves about the new DADA Professor, Alastor Moody.
Alex shrugs from her place on top of the table in front of them, she swings her legs back and forth kicking the table in front of her as she does, "Dad doesn't talk much about Mum," She says quietly, "Just says all about how they worked together for a while, you know, being Aurors and all."
"Bet he doesn't even remember those days know," Seamus comments with a laugh trying to lighten the mood, "Have you seen the way he drinks that flask?"
Alex nods her head, "Drinks like its bloody-"
"Alastor Moody." Mad-Eye says as he walks in cutting her off.
Alex kicks herself off of the desk walking back across and taking her place beside Ron.
"Ministry malcontent. And your new defence against the dark arts teacher. I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of story, goodbye, the end. Any questions? 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?"
"Three, sir." Hermione says.
"And they are so named?"
Hermione gulps slightly, "Because they are unforgivable. Use of any one of them will..."
"Will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban. Correct," He finishes for her, "Now the ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do. I say different! You need to know what you're up against, you need to be prepared, you need to find somewhere else to put your chewing gum other than the underside of your desk Mr. Finnigan!"
Seamus looks up with a raised brow watching as he turns back around, "Aw, no way, the old codger can see out the back of his head."
Mad-Eye throws the chalk in Seamus direction holding up a finger at him, "And her across classrooms."
"So, which curse shall we see first? Weasley!"
"Yes..." Ron squeaks jumping to his feet.
"Give us a curse." Mad-Eye orders.
Ron clears his throat awkwardly, "Well, my dad did tell me about one... The Imperious curse."
Mad-Eye nods, "Ahhh yes, 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 pops open a jar with a spider in and carefully takes out the creature making Ron squirm in his seat, "Hello. What a little beauty."
He uses his wand to send it around the class. "Don't worry. Completely harmless." Everyone begins to laugh. It jumps from Dean and Neville's desk to Crabbe's face. It crawls over Parvati's hand, "But if she bites... she's lethal!" And then he moves to Ron's head.
Alex howls in laughter as her best friend whimpers beside her, "Oh, Ronald, your face!"
Draco laughs and Moody rests it on his face next, "Get it off! Get it off!" Alex slaps her knee as she turns to look at Harry who is also laughing.
"Talented isn't she? What shall I have her do next? Jump out the window? Drown herself?" Mad-Eye has the spider over a bucket of water, it wriggles trying to stop itself from the hold of the curse, "Scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only do did you-know-whose bidding under the influence of the Imperious curse. But here's the rub, how do we sort out the liars? Another... another... Come on come on. Longbottom is it? Up."
Neville stands quickly and nods, "Professor Sprout tells me you have an aptitude for Herbology?"
Neville stands and nods again avoiding eye contact with the Professor, "There's the um... The Cruciatus curse."
Mad-Eye nods vigorously and pulls him towards a table at the front of the class room, "Correct! Correct! Come, come. Particularly nasty. The torture curse."
Muttering the cure under his breath the spider begins to squeal in pain, Neville flinches as he looks away from it, "Stop it! Can't you see it's bothering him, stop it!" Hermione yells.
"What's wrong with you?" Alex directs to the teacher patting Neville on the back as he sits back down on the table beside her.
Mad-Eye picks up the withering spider placing it on Ron and Alex's desk in front of the dark haired girl, "Miss. Black!" Alex looks up at him as he sets the spider in front of her, "Would you like to give the last unforgivable curse? Your father would know all about this one, with the damage he caused all those years ago."
"Meaning... Professor?" She asks through gritted teeth.
Mad-Eye smirks slightly at her expression, "Meaning, that he was sent to Azkaban for a reason."
Alex raises a brow, considering her father said he believed him to be innocent, Mad-Eye wasn't doing himself justice, "According to him, you thought he was innocent."
"The curse, Miss. Black." He says changing the subject.
Alex clenches her jaw and sighs through her nose, "The killing curse," She says looking directly into his eyes, "Sir." She adds bitterly.
"The killing curse. Only one person is known to have survived it. And he's sitting in this room." Alex glances down at the dead spider in front of her, the class begins to fill with the noise of students leaving but she continues to stare with furrowed brows.
"Lex?"
Ron nudges her gently holding out her satchel that he had put her belongings into already, "What's wrong?" He asks as they catch up with their other two friends and leave the class.
She shrugs, "Something feels off," She admits glancing back into the classroom as they leave, "After everything my father has told me about Mad-Eye- I mean, he visited him in Azkaban, told him how he didn't believe everyone about him working for Volde- sorry, Ron, You-Know-Who, but in there..."
She trails off and Harry glances back at the open door as they walk further away.
"Brilliant isn't he! Completely demented of course. Terrifying to be in the same room with, he's really been there you know."
"There's a reason those curses are unforgivable," Hermione says, "And to perform them in a classroom. I mean did you see Neville's face."
They find Neville glancing out of a window into the view below, "Neville?" Alex asks stepping forward to lay a hand on his shoulder.
Mad-Eye pushes Alex aside resting his own hand on the boy's shoulder, "Son, you alright?" Neville swallows thickly and nods, "Come on, we'll have a cup of tea."