About You, Ron Weasley.

Chapter Four

Chapter Four 

"Fallin' just as hard"

"Alastor Moody. Ex-Auror... Ministry malcontent..." The scraping of chalk against the chalkboard could be heard, with Moody's back turned to the fourth years. "And your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I am here because Dumbledore asked me. End of story goodbye, the end. Any questions?" No one raised their hands, but Rue, from across the aisle, could see Neville trembling as he sat next to Hermione. And from where she sat next to Ron, she could see the ginger boy with freckles like constellations on the edge of his seat, worried and nervous.

"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?" Mad-Eye looked around at the group, and Rue, who went pale, didn't dare look over at a trembling Neville.

"Three, sir." Rue spoke quietly, her voice hoarse. She knew her other classmates wouldn't dare to speak on such a subject, and she knew the rest of them were terrified to discuss this – as equally as she was – if not, even more than she was.

"And they are so named?" He asks, as he turns and begins writing on the chalkboard, not even bothering to give her a time of day. She wished, how so, that she was back in her third year and facing Boggarts. Not learning about Unforgivable Curses and facing the hands of Death Eaters.

"Because they are unforgivable." She chokes out through watery eyes, looking at him with a trembling lip. Ron reaches out to hold her hand, but she rejects it, her nails digging into the edge of the desk, and he reaches for her hand again, squeezing it tight and pulling it away from the wooden surface.

"The use of any one of them will–" She continues, swallowing thickly.

"Will earn you a one-way ticket to Azkaban, correct." Mad-Eye finishes for her. "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! You need to be prepared. You need to find another place to put your chewing gum besides the underside of your desk, Mr. Finnigan!" He shouts at Seamus Finnigan, who had the attention span of a beetle at the given moment.

"Oh, no way. The old codger can see out the back of his head." Seamus complains, and Mad-Eye turns around, hucking a piece of chalk in Seamus' direction, causing the class to duck.

"And hear across classrooms!" Mad-Eye retorted quickly and angrily – and Rue, in that moment – wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Mad-Eye Moody. Sure, her parents worked with him during the war, and he was always kind to her family. But something about him – something about him wasn't right these days. "So, which curse shall we see first? Weasley!" He shouts.

"Yes?" Ron looks up at Mad-Eye, terrified, his voice cracking as he lets go of Rue's hand, the two of them trembling as Rue watches, tearfully, her lips pressed into a firm line as she stares straight ahead – angry and sad and full of grief.

"Stand," Mad-Eye orders, and Ron stands, not removing his gaze from Mad-Eye as Rue and her classmates watch them – out of anxiousness – to witness the three Unforgivable Curses in one sitting was a curse in itself. Rue, who didn't like the thought of it – knowing that many of her friends and her family members had already witnessed an assortment of curses in their lifetime – didn't enjoy witnessing dark magic. "Give us a curse."

"Well..." Ron trails off. "My dad did tell me about one. The Imperius Curse." He mutters quietly, and Mad-Eye looks curiously, nodding his head quickly – jittering with his movements as he watches the fourth year.

"Oh, yeah, your father would know all about that." He utters with a drawl, looking at Ron. "Gave the Ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago." He tells Ron, who looks down. "Perhaps this will show you why." Mad-Eye turns around, and Rue remains frozen in her seat, fists on the desk and eyes watery, refusing to watch as Mad-Eye removes a small spider from a jar of insects.