FINITE | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire [4]

𝘅𝘅𝗶𝗶 | 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘂𝘀 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲

When Harry joined the other three at breakfast the next morning, he told them of his response to Sirius' letter.

'That's a lie,' Hermione snapped. 'You didn't imagine your scar hurting and you know it.'

'So what?' said Harry. 'He's not going back to Azkaban because of me.'

'Drop it,' said Ron sharply, as Hermione had opened her mouth to argue some more. For once, she heeded him and fell silent.

The following weeks came and went, and there was no response from Sirius. Harry was evidently trying his best to distract himself, but it was clear to Gwen, Ron, and Hermione that he was preoccupied with worries that Sirius would get caught. Without Quidditch, it was hard to distract him, and their lessons were getting increasingly more difficult, which only seemed to stress Harry more and more.

Gwen had her own thoughts to worry about. After her talk with Theo, and all the things that had been happening recently, she couldn't help dreading the worst: that Voldemort was planning a return. He was out there, somewhere, they all knew that. He had disappeared three years ago after he had failed to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone, and then returned in a memory and had almost taken Gwen's life. Since then, a former servant of his had disappeared into the night, in the wake of a foreboding Prophecy from someone who was more than likely a fraud, yet sometimes was surprisingly accurate with her predictions.

Defence Against the Dark Arts continued to plague Gwen's days. Moody had announced during one of their lessons that he was going to be demonstrating the Imperius Curse on them one by one, to showcase its effects and whether they could resist it.

'But-- but you said it's illegal,' Hermione said uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear space in the middle of the room. 'You said-- to use it against another human was--'

'Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like,' said Moody, his magical eye swivelling onto Hermione. 'If you'd rather learn the hard way-- when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely-- fine by me. You're excused. Off you go.'

He pointed a gnarled finger toward the door. Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harry and Ron grin at each other. Hermione would never dare miss a lesson as important as this.

Gwen, however, was feeling her face flush with anger. Her hair had turned crimson, but no one seemed to notice; Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse on them. She watched, shaking with fury, as one by one, her classmates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Dean Thomas hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel, and Neville performed a series of astonishing gymnastics that he most certainly would not have been able to do in his normal state. Not one of them seemed able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.

'Everill,' Moody growled. 'You're next.'

Gwen did not move. She stood defiantly against the wall, arms crossed, hair a deep scarlet.

'Did you not hear me, Everill?' Moody said, both his eyes fixing her in an unblinking stare.

'You're not putting me under that curse, Professor.' Her voice was cool, but unmistakably laced with venom.

The whole class was now staring at her, apprehensive. No one had dared defy Moody yet, and here she was, outright refusing to participate.

'And why would that be?' Moody growled. He appeared more curious than angry that she had refused.

'Because, Professor,' she said, teeth gritted, 'in case you weren't aware, I have already learnt the hard way.'

The class were still, eyes flipping between Gwen and Professor Moody. They appeared to be holding their breath, waiting for an outburst from either one of them.

She wondered if any of them even remembered their second year, what she had been put through; the way they had all treated her when it came to light that she had been attacking the Muggle Borns. They all seemed to have forgotten.

Lucky them, thought Gwen wryly.

'When did you ever come face to face with the Imperius Curse?' Moody said. His low voice was like grit.

'Not the Imperius Curse,' she said coolly, forcing herself to maintain eye contact, 'but in my second year I was possessed by Lord Voldemort himself--' the class flinched at the use of his name-- 'and I will never lose control of my mind again.'

There was a pause. Moody kept both his eyes trained on Gwen, then his lopsided mouth pulled into a twisted smile.

'I've been told of your run in with the Dark Lord,' he said gruffly. 'You are right, you lost total control of your mind.' He surveyed her with both of his eyes, then he raised his wand. 'Dumbledore wants you to know the effects of the Imperius Curse, Miss Everill, as I have already told you. I highly doubt it's much different from possession, and if you refuse to participate, you're excused.' He waited for Gwen to respond, but she continued to stare at him defiantly. 'Shall we see, have you learnt how to defend yourself?'

Gwen was trembling. She tried not to flinch as Moody muttered, 'Imperio!'

At first, she felt nothing, aside from a dim, heady feeling inside her mind. Her limbs began to feel light, but she was still rooted to the spot against the wall. Her vision blurred slightly, but her eyes remained trained on Moody, whose own eyes and wand were pointed directly at her.

She didn't feel much, and was wondering what the Imperius Curse was supposed to feel like. Was this it? Almost like she was ready to fall asleep?

Then, deep in the back of her mind, so faint, she almost couldn't hear it, was Moody's growling voice.

Tap dance.

No, Gwen thought.

Do it. Tap dance.

No.

It was as though Tom were in her mind again. She had spent the best part of a year clearing him from her mind, and now, here was Professor Moody, trying to force her to tap dance. She would not be controlled. She would never let anyone else get into her mind again.

She closed her eyes, forcing Tom's face from her memory once more.

Tap dance! NOW!

NO!

There was a sudden rush of blood in her ears, and her eyes snapped open. Moody had lowered his wand, and was watching Gwen with a mixture of curiosity and admiration. The class remained still around her, waiting for something to happen.

Then Moody's face contorted into a grin and he laughed, almost maniacally.

'See here, you lot!' he roared. 'Everill's done it! She's fought it! She beat it!'

The class began to clap, and every single face was grinning at her, but Gwen felt anything but pride.

'We'll try that again!' Moody said, over the applause. 'The eyes is where you see it! Very good indeed, Everill, they'll have trouble controlling you!'

But Gwen had had enough. As Moody went to raise his wand again, she snatched up her bag from the floor and stormed from the classroom, slamming the door shut behind her.