"I'm Professor Moody. Alastor Moody. Former Auror, disgruntled with the Ministry, and your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."
He took the attendance sheet and read out the students' names while his magical eye scanned the room, identifying who was who.
It's our first class of the year, and we're starting with him. At least we know he's competent and should be able to teach us something worthwhile.
"I am here, because Dumbledore asked me. End of story. I'm not going to talk about why. I'm not going to talk about what I've done. You've heard rumors about me. Most of you will have heard that once upon a time I was a decent Auror, head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, got a few Dark wizards locked up in Azkaban in my time. Some of you may even have heard that I'm a bit... well... odd. But you'll find that when it comes to dealing with Dark wizards, strange ways help. Auror training's tough. Constant vigilance!"
No one spoke, partly because he was still intimidating—and I'm sure we were all a little afraid of him.
"You are entering an important phase of your life. At the end of this year, your future will be determined by your grades, so it is my duty to train you properly."
He also told us that we were very behind, even though Professor Lupin had taught us the basics, and finally, that he would only be staying for a year.
I wanted to sigh, because I'm almost certain this subject is cursed—no Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher ever lasts more than a year.
"The Ministry wants to protect you and ensure you study properly, but I disagree. You need to know what really happens in the outside world. So, for this first lesson, we're going to look at the three Unforgivable Curses. Can anyone tell me why they are considered unforgivable?"
Most students raised their hands eagerly, hoping to impress and show they had potential.
"Miss Chang, explain to me."
"They are forbidden because they are immoral. The simple act of using one makes you a criminal."
"Indeed. Using these curses on a human being earns you a one-way ticket to Azkaban. Now, can someone tell me what the three Unforgivable Curses are?"
It was Mary who was chosen.
"The Cruciatus Curse."
He opened a jar and took out a spider, which he enlarged so that we could all see it clearly.
"Crucio."
The spider writhed in agony—and as if by some cruel coincidence, it happened to be right in front of me.
"This curse is extremely dangerous. Being subjected to it for too long can drive anyone insane, to the point where death would seem preferable."
After explaining, he stopped torturing the spider.
"Now, who can tell me the second curse?"
A boy from Hufflepuff answered.
"The Imperius Curse."
"Indeed. This curse caused the Ministry a lot of trouble—it was nearly impossible to know who was acting under its influence and who wasn't."
He showed us the effect by controlling the spider and making it do something it clearly didn't want to do—like drowning.
Then, he demonstrated the last and most terrible curse, even though the Cruciatus Curse can be worse depending on how long it is used.
"There is only one person who has survived this curse, and that person is at this school."
I'm sure that if Harry were here, everyone's eyes would be on him.
"Excuse me for interrupting, but there's a mistake. In reality, it is possible to survive it—but only if the person has more vitality than the curse itself. However, such individuals are extremely rare and may still suffer serious aftereffects, even if they remain alive."
"The real death curse is Mortem Totalum. This one could kill a group of people instantly, but it consumes far too much energy."
"Thank you for that information. You see, children, even an expert can still learn new things. Your name is Evelyn Longbottom, right? 10 points to Ravenclaw."