Selenophile // Marauders

|29| The Killing Curse, Fourth Year

It was the first week of school but it was enough for Riley to get annoyed at people. It was mostly Snape, sometimes the people in the dorm, the Slytherins...

It was Defense Against the Dark Arts the next morning and she went to the classroom. The new professor was a man with jet black hair and very pale skin. He had a mustache and was wearing a black shirt with a black blazer. He looked rather intimidating and cold — unlike Cohen. He was looking through some notes of his and then grabbed the chalk to write something on the blackboard.

"What's his name again?" Sirius asked.

"Augustus Phillips, the new professor," Remus said.

"He looks weird," Riley muttered.

"Creepy..." James said.

Professor Phillips wrote "Page 13" on the blackboard. He then placed the chalk on his desk and turned to the class. They quickly got quiet and paid attention to the professor.

"My name is Professor Phillips, and I happen to be your professor for this subject this year. Now, open your textbooks to page number thirteen," he said with a loud but boring voice. Everyone silently opened their textbooks.

Riley read the title on top of the page: Unforgivable Curses.

"As you can see we will be learning about the three Unforgivable Curses. Does anyone know what they are?" he asked as he raised his eyebrow and eyed them all. His cold expression stayed still on his face.

Remus raised his hand to answer the question.

"Yes, Mr. Lupin?"

"There's the Cruciatus—" Remus started but the professor cut him off.

"Yes, stand up and come up here," Phillips said with his loud voice. Remus got up from his seat and slowly walked up to the board as he looked back at his friends. He took small steps and flinched as the Professor raised his voice.

"Quickly, Mr. Lupin!" his voice echoed in the dead silent classroom. "When the Cruciatus curse is used upon a thing, causes excruciating pain... Watch and see," he said as he took out his wand and pointed it to an insect next to him. "Crucio!" he said. The poor creature squealed in agony as it tried to escape the pain. Remus' eyes widened with terror and he looked away from the creature. The professor didn't let go of the creature and the animal squealed more and more.

"Stop it, please!" Remus said quietly and Phillips let go. Remus walked away to his seat next to Sirius and looked down at the floor.

"Mr. Mulciber!" Phillips said loudly. "Give us the next one..."

"The Imperius Curse!" Mulciber said with a chuckle. Avery pushed him from his shoulder to the front as his friends cheered.

"Silence!" the teacher roared. "Imperio!" he said as he pointed his wand at the innocent insect. First, it was on Mulciber's head, then he made it go around the classroom. It wasn't as bad as the last one, no sign of pain, no sign of torture...

"Thank you, Mr. Mulciber. Now, the last one... Miss Spade!" Phillips shouted. "You might be familiar with this one..."

Riley hated the way the professor spoke. She knew what the last unforgivable curse was, but she couldn't understand why Professor Phillips had to remind her that her father had been killed with the curse.

Riley took a deep breath and didn't lift her head up. She wanted to escape the classroom. Everything seemed darker, and she finally spoke.

"The — the killing curse," she said with a very quiet and trembling voice. Professor Phillips looked at her with a cold stare and then took his wand out and pointed it at the insect unexpectedly.