Marooned - Fred Weasley

Chapter 24: The Curse

Sarah and all her friends were in class, waiting for Moody, their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He barged it, his cane hitting the ground. He stopped and stared for a second.

"Alastor Moody. Ex-Auror," he turned and scribbled his name on the board, "Ministry malcontent and your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I am here because Dumbledore asked me. End of story, goodbye, the end. Any questions?" he looked around the class, and no one answered.

"When it comes to the Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach. Don't bother getting out your textbooks, theory is useless," he analyzed each face in the class, reminding her of Snape in her first year. Only when he looked at her, it wasn't just cold she felt, it was much darker.

"But first, which of you can tell me how many Unforgivable Curses there are?" he asked, and no one answered again.

"Three sir," said Sarah, and he grunted, nodding, "McCauley."

She gave him a small nod and he turned around to the board, "And they are so named?"

Her heart sped up a little, "Because they are unforgivable. The use of any one of them will-"

"Will earn you a one-way ticket to Azkaban, correct. Your parents were quite fond of giving them out," he said and she swallowed a lump in her throat.

"They are part of your curriculum. But you'll learn more by witnessing and being put in a dangerous situation than from any book you'll read. The Ministry thinks you're not meant to see their effects, I say different!" he shouted at them, making a few people recoil in their seats.

"You need to know what you're up against! You need to be prepared," he turned around to write angrily on the board again, "You need to find another place to put your chewing gum besides the underside of your desk, Mr. Davies!"

Everyone's heads shot back to Roger Davies, "No way. The old codger can see out the back of his head," he mumbled to his friends.

Moody threw his chalk, "And hear across classrooms!" he shouted, furious, "So which curse shall we see first?"

"Weasley!"

The twins both answered, "Yes?"

He eyed them and groaned, annoyed, "You, stand," he pointed to George.

"Give us a curse," said Moody, glaring at him.

"There's a-" he cleared his throat, "There's the Imperius Curse."

"Oh yeah, you would know all about that, gave your father and the Ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago," said Moody, "Perhaps this will show you why."

George sat back down, exchanging a look with Fred and Sarah and Selena in front of them, all watching as he approached his jars of insects. Sarah recoiled in her seat, watching him intently, praying for him to not choose...exactly that. A spider. She kept her eyes on it, her grip tightened around her wand, ready to cast a spell and get away if that awful creature got near her. Moody put it in his palm, pointed his wand and cast one of the curses "Imperio"

He started to move his wand around and the spider was floating and following the wand's movements. He started to guide the spider towards the tables, on people's arms and faces, every desk, "Don't worry. It's completely harmless. If she bites," he made it float above Sarah's head, then set it on, "She's lethal."

She let out a breath, closed her eyes shut, Moody started laughing then, and he didn't take it off her as it started to move.

"Sir!" she heard Fred shout and she groaned, shivering, she shook the creature off her head and she got out her wand, "Depulso!"