Chapter 69 - The Unforgivable Curses (1/2)

The next day, as Neal greeted them as usual, Tracey whispered to Daphne, ”he looks alright to me. I think he was over it”. Later, after the Potions class is over, they went to D.A.D.A. class and sat while waiting for Moody.

A while later, Moody entered the class and scanned everyone with his magical eye and spotted Harry and then Neal. But unlike what Ron and a few others expected him to treat Neal like how Snape snarls at Harry the moment he enters the class, Moody didn't focus on him at all and started his lesson.

”Forget about what Lupin taught you. We won't be doing that and follow the textbook. Close them and listen to me carefully. Now, according to the Ministry of Magic, I'm supposed to teach you a few countercurses according to the textbook and leave it at that.

You are not supposed to be taught about the Dark curses until you reach the sixth year, but Dumbledore thinks otherwise. He wants you to know what you are up against in the outside world, the sooner the better.

So, first, let me ask you. Do any of you know which curses are heavily punished by law?”. While a few lifted their hand, he asked, ”Ron, how about you?”. Ron stood and said, ”well, my father did tell me about one. The Imperius curse”.

Moody nodded, ”your father would know that one. Gave him a lot of trouble at one time, the Imperius curse”. Then he opened the glass jar on the desk and pulled out a small spider and increased its size with ”Engorgio” and then whispered, ”Imperio”. As he controlled the spider, he said, ”total control. I could make it jump out of the window, drown itself or make it attack someone.

Many years ago, several witches and wizards were controlled with this spell by you-know-who. This curse can be fought and I'll be teaching you how but not everyone can do it. It needs strong willpower and absolute confidence in yourself. It's better if you just avoid being hit. Constant vigilance is necessary.

Ok, then, the next curse, who is going to name it”, as students raised their hand, ”you, Longbottom is it?”, Neville nodded and said, ”the Cruciatus curse”. Moody nodded, ”yes, you would know about that. It's very familiar to your family, after all”. Then he pointed his wand at the Spider, ”Crucio”.

As he began to torture it, Neville clutched the desk tightly while Hermoine screamed while looking at Neville, ”stop it”.

Then, Moody asked her, ”so, Ms. Granger, give us the final curse”. As she shook her head while tearing up, Moody shouted, ”Avada Kedavra”, pointing his wand towards the spider and killed it. Then, he looked at Harry, ”the killing curse, not pleasant. No countercurse. There's no blocking it. Only one person known to have survived and he's sitting in the class”.

While everyone looked at Harry, Neal thought as he frowned, ”but Dumbledore blocked Tom Riddle's killing curse with some defense spell, didn't he? How come the best Auror of the Ministry doesn't know that? Strange indeed”.

In the next couple of weeks, Moody trained the students to increase their resistance by putting the Imperius curse on them. Neal saw that students were still prone to it and doing extraordinary things like dancing on the desk, crying like a bird, behaving like a monkey, etc... while he was just ignoring it and reading the books.

Then after Draco's turn is over, Moody called, ”Slytherin, it's your turn”. Neal sighed while closing his book and went and stood before him. As Moody pointed out his wand at Neal and said, ”Imperio”, Neal immediately reacted in time and stepped aside evading the spell in just a fraction of second.