Turning The Tides (Harry Potter and the Addams Family)

Chapter 5

The first Defense class was something Harry was truly dreading, normally he would have been thrilled to see who was next on the murderers chopping block. "Mon Cher don't you enjoy the murder attempts?" Wednesday questioned. Harry loved to pick them apart and see exactly how to end them. Quirrell was an accident, but it was his first tastes of blood, and he was instantly addicted. He made sure Lockhart had Ron's broken wand the next year, and as much as he loved his uncle, but he got a few good spells in strong enough to stun a werewolf. That was his first taste of an unforgivable; the Cruciatus Curse. Remus was strong, stronger than any unforgivable curse Harry could have casted on him at the time, but it was enough to get him away from Harry and Hermione and give them time to get away.

"I do mi amor, but I'm so drained," Harry admitted, anyone could see the clear physical exhaustion on his face. He was pale, with dark bags under his eyes, his hair was a mess, his eyes sparked with a murderous fire. He was not like that now, his long hair had neatened his eyes dulled, and the bags weren't as dark. He was devastatingly average.

He yawned it was early Thursday morning it had been a week straight of keeping his shields up and he looked ready to collapse them as he dizzily walked Wednesday to charms on his way to defense class. Hermione pushed Harry back into a stand position as he was falling back. "I'll keep Ron in the common room after dinner rejuvenate then."

He tiredly stumbled into a wall, "thank you," he drawled with no expression.

~~~

Every class had so far sung Moody praises Harry was not willing to bet his dullest bottle of poison on him yet. Living with his relatives had made Harry very untrusting of anyone with blond hair, and this summer had only reinforced that. Blonde was evil, blonde was sickness, Draco and Luna were the exception.

He played with his inverted cross earrings, "Don't those symbolize evil?" Dean asked nervously.

Harry gave a board and tired look to his dorm mate, "Dean you're a wizard. If your church over the summer told you that and you actually believe it, which is totally up to you, you have way bigger things to worry about then the cheap piece of metal attached to my ear." They weren't cheap they were a gift from Sirius meaning they were real, pure, silver. Dean didn't need to know that though.

Dean turned away and Harry saw him mouth out of the corner of his eye, 'oh my god' with wide eyes. He had a feeling he would get a letter from Deans parents in a day or two about how he corrupted their son.

The desks sat two with Dean and Seamus on one side Harry and Hermione in the middle leaving Ron to sit with Neville who was none to please about the red heads presence. Right behind him Blaise Zabini, Pansy Parkinson and Draco Malfoy all held back laughs. Pansy gives Blaise a look and he just shakes his head. Blaise had been watching them for a while, he knew their set up. "Alastor Moody Ministry malcontent and your new defense against the dark arts teacher." The professor said writing his name on the board and starting the class. "I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, end of story, goodbye, the end. Any questions?" his eyes whirled around but the room was silent. "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?"

Hermione's face lit up an insane type of delight Pansy kicked her under the table lightly. Making the girl snap back into a mask of sanity. The bare scraps of the mask that is. "Three sir," Hermione said eagerly.

"And they are so named?"

"Because they are unforgivable," Harry said his eyes alight. "Use of any one of them will..."

Hermione and he finished together, "will guarantee you earn you a cell Azkaban." The two looked at each other, "Mione!" Harry whined making the class laugh away the tension.

"Correct. 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." Harry held back a laugh thinking about what they did to Debbie this summer. "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!"

"Aw no way, the old codger can see out the back of his head," Seamus whispered to Dean.

"And hear across classrooms!" He shouted throwing the chalk at Seamus.

They heard Draco giggle from behind them, "So, which curse shall we see first? WEASLEY!"

"Yes!" The red head answered terrified.

"Stand," he did so slowly, "give us a curse."

"Well, my dad did tell me about one; the imperious curse."

Mad-eye nodded, "Ah, 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." He popped open a jar with a spider in it. He picked it up and enlarged it, then placed it under the curse. He uses his wand to send it around the class playing with it like a marionette. Harry and Hermione lost their cool when the spider landed on Ron making him terrified. The brother and sister duo laughed hysterically, then it landed on Draco face making Pansy and Neville lose it.

"What should I make her do now, jump out the window," the laughter of the class died down, now understanding the seriousness of the matter. The minicanal family followed suit as not to draw attention to themselves. "Drown herself," he brought the spider back to his hand, "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?"

"You don't," Harry muttered.

"What was that Mr. Potter?" Moody asked, acting like he called out Harry.

"You don't sir. They threw a number of witched and wizards in Azkaban without trials only giving those of important standing the time of day, if you go back there is no proof that some of these witches and wizards would do so unless being under the effects or if they were not in safe situations. The ministry itself though does not care to sort it out. I invite anyone to argue my point," no one did.

Moody gave Harry a twisted smile, then moved on, "Another, another." A number of hands went up. He moved to one of Harry's companions. "Longbottom up, up. Professor Sprout tells me you have an aptitude for herbology."

He nodded confidently, "There's the curciatus curse."

"Correct! Correct! come, come." He beckoned the boy forward, "Particularly nasty. The torture curse." He pointed his wand at the creature, "Curcio." It withered around squealing in pain. Neville sat stone faced. Whatever reaction he wanted from the boy was not there, but he saw a reaction from the gold and red clad prince and princess both of them looking on with hands clamped over their mouths but eyes alight with interest and excitement rather than fear. They're Slytherin brother and sister rolled their eyes at how hard it was for their Gryffindor counter parts to hide the sadistic nature.

"Mr. Potter," He said when he was done hurting the spider, "could give us the last unforgivable."

Harry breathed out, "Avada kadavara." The whole room gasped not only at the fact that he said the words rather than the name of the curse but also at how calmly he said them. He had said the curse like it was a prayer. "The killing curse. Those words have rung in my head all my life," he admitted with no reaction.

Moody placed the insect on his desk. "Avada kadavara," and like that the insects torture ended. "Only one person is known to have survived it. And he's sitting in this room."

"If you're hoping to draw a reaction out of me it's not gonna work, I am numb." He said faking a dull look to his eyes and looking up it looked like a silent plead for help. But after seeing the reaction these two had all class Moody was not buying it.

Published: Dec 15th, 2021

Edited: Aug 30th, 2023