BY fates design

DADA

Lessons continue the next day, though the Beauxbaton and Durmstrung students took their lessons in their lodging. Once again, Hogwarts had a new Defence against the dark arts teacher, this time, it was Alastor Moody, ex-Auror and Ministry malcontent.

Mad Eye Moody perked up when his name was mentioned, his attention turning to focus on the screen, though his gaze flickered back to Dumbledore every so often.

Slytherin took their Defence against the dark arts lessons with Gryffindor once again, and while Cassiopeia greatly enjoyed the chance to share a lesson with Kira and Neville, she did not revel in the fact she had to endure an hour with Harry and his two side kicks.

Sitting in the back corner, Cassiopeia drew absentmindedly on the corner of her parchment, little doodles of fish or stars, nothing exceptional but enough to occupy her mind while she waited for the lesson to actually begin. Beside, sat Jake and Kira, neither of them paying anymore attention than she was to whatever Moody was saying about himself. That was until he introduced the lesson for the day: Unforgivable Curses.

"Unforgivable Curses?" Euphemia furrowed her brow. "That has not been taught in this school for many, many decades. Since long before I attended." Her deep brown eyes glittered over to Alastor Moody, studying him with a quizzical gaze before turning back to the screen.

"The Ministry thinks you're too young to be learning about these," he limped back and forth at the front of the class. "I say they're wrong. You need to know what you're up against. Now, can anyone tell me why they're called Unforgivable Curses?"

Hermione rose her hand, speaking before Moody could tell her to. "Because the use of any one of these curses is entirely unforgivable."

"Correct, the use of one of these curses will get you a one way ticket straight to Azkaban." Moody wrote across the board, "there are three Unforgivable Curses, would anyone like to name one for me? How about you, Weasley?" He hobbled over to the red head's desk, standing right before him.

"My father told me about one... the Imperious Curse." Ron stuttered out, not quite meeting Moody's eye, his gaze fixed on the table and cheeks burning as red as his hair.

Walburga could not entirely mask her flinch at the mention of the curse, her body tensing as though reminding herself that it was hers to use and control, not someone else's.

Regulus listened silently, his eyes flicking to the doors of the Great Hall as if mentally praying Evan could keep Barty out there for a little longer.

"Ah, of course your father would know that one. Gave the Ministry some real trouble a few years back. The Imperious Curse controls the mind, many Death Eaters claimed they only did 'you-know-who's' bidding under the influence of the curse." Moody returned to the front of the class and reached his hand into a glass jar pulling out a strange spider like creature. Setting it on the table, he enlarged the creature before casting the Imperious Curse.

Immediately, Cassiopeia saw the way the creature's muscles tensed, its body locking and fighting against itself as Moody made it move. Squealing laughter rang through the room as the creature was made to leap from desk to desk, landing on students faces on parchments while Moody made taunts from the front of the class.

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted, the creature was moved away from the desks. "What should I make her do now?" Moody made it hover over a bucket of water, its legs twisting to move away from the liquid. "Drown herself? Throw herself out the window?" He brought the spider like creature back to the front.

"This hardly seems appropriate to be teaching to children." Fleamont's gaze was stern, carrying all the weight of a respectable Lord. "Perhaps you, Dumbledore, need to ensure your staff are competent at teaching the actual curriculum properly."