My Multiverse Trip 84 84. Imperio

"Now, if there's no countercurse, why am I showing you? Because you've got to know. You've got to appreciate what the worst is. You don't want to find yourself in a situation where you're facing it. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he roared, and the whole cla.s.s jumped again.

"Now. . . those three curses – Avada Kedavra, Imperius, and Cruciatus – are known as the Unforgivable Curses. The use of any one of them on a fellow human being is enough to earn a life sentence in Azkaban. That's what you're up against. That's what I've got to teach you to fight. You need preparing. You need arming. But most of all, you need to practice constant, never-ceasing vigilance. Get out your quills. . . copy this down. . . . "

They spent the rest of the lesson taking notes on each of the Unforgivable Curses. No one spoke until the bell rang – but when Moody had dismissed them and they had left the cla.s.sroom, a torrent of talk burst forth. Most people were discussing the curses in awed voices – "Did you see it twitch?" "- and when he killed it – just like that!"

To their surprise, Professor Moody had announced that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of them in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects.

"But – but you said it's illegal, Professor," said Hermione uncertainly as Moody cleared away the desks with a sweep of his wand, leaving a large clear s.p.a.ce 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 swiveling onto Hermione and fixing her with an eerie, unblinking stare. "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 one gnarled finger toward the door. Hermione went very pink and muttered something about not meaning that she wanted to leave. They knew Hermione would rather eat bubotuber pus than miss such an important lesson.

Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. Ryan watched as, one by one, his cla.s.smates did the most extraordinary things under its influence. Ron hopped three times around the room, singing the national anthem. Hermione imitated a squirrel. Neville performed a series of quite astonis.h.i.+ng gymnastics he would certainly not have been capable of in his normal state. Not one of them seemed to be able to fight off the curse, and each of them recovered only when Moody had removed it.

"Diggory," Moody growled, "you next. "

Ryan moved forward into the middle of the cla.s.sroom, into the s.p.a.ce that Moody had cleared of desks. Moody raised his wand, pointed it at Ryan, and said, "Impe...!" before he finished Ryan blasted him with a banis.h.i.+ng charm a.s.s over teakettle over his desk stunning the rest of the cla.s.s. "First rule my lovely little cla.s.smates never just stand there with a thumb up your a.s.s and let someone cast a spell at you especially an Unforgivable one." Ryan said. There was a clap from the other side of the desk from a disheveled moody he growled out. "He's right you know you all just stood there and took it what have I been preaching CONSTANT VIGILANCE! good job diggory this time let me do it you need to feel it too." moody raised his wand and shouted imperio and Ryan felt it just slide right over his s.h.i.+elded mind catching nothing. he looked at moody with a mocking gaze "Did you miss?" occulmency s.h.i.+elds a legendary cloak of death s.h.i.+elding his mind a almighty ai system and you think you can control me with that pitiful spell. Moody tried again. then barked out a laugh "that's some powerful will you've got there boy good job." Harry went next and did much better though he fractured his kneecaps it was a good attempt it failed on Luna as well her mind is a bit different he would remember that for practice in the kingdom he also wanted everyone to feel what a Cruciatus curse felt like but that can wait til later.

Days went by All the fourth years had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work they were required to do this term. Professor McGonagall explained why, when the cla.s.s gave a particularly loud groan at the amount of Transfiguration homework she had a.s.signed. "You are now entering a most important phase of your magical education!" she told them, her eyes glinting dangerously behind her square spectacles. "Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer -"

"We don't take O. W. L. s till fifth year!" said Dean Thomas indignantly.

"Maybe not, Thomas, but believe me, you need all the preparation you can get!"

Meanwhile Professor Binns, the ghost who taught History of Magic, had them writing weekly essays on the goblin rebellions of the eighteenth century. Professor Snape was forcing them to research antidotes. They took this one seriously, as he had hinted that he might be poisoning one of them before Christmas to see if their antidote worked. Professor Flitwick had asked them to read three extra books in preparation for their lesson on Summoning Charms.

Even Hagrid was adding to their workload. The Blast-Ended Skrewts were growing at a remarkable pace and had taken to following around Ryan like some little ducklings it was an oddly scary sight he had brought a barrel of blood from his kingdom and was feeding then and cooing like they weren't little monstrous blood sucking demonic crab things. He would steal one or two every cla.s.s Hagrid just thought he was losing them.

When they arrived in the entrance hall, they found themselves unable to proceed owing to the large crowd of students congregated there, all milling around a large sign that had been erected at the foot of the marble staircase. TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT

THE DELEGATIONS FROM BEAUXBATONS AND DURMSTRANG WILL BE ARRIVING AT 6 O'CLOCK ON FRIDAY THE 30TH OF OCTOBER. LESSONS WILL END HALF AN HOUR EARLY-

"Brilliant!" said Ryan. "my other wife will be here." The girls already knew about his mate bond and we're a bit jealous of it. But Ryan comforted them by saying they got cuddles he was also preparing a trunk for fluer just a basic one with 4 rooms including a small linked apartment he would give it to her when she arrived. hers had a workshop with professional grade inscription tools and curse breaking and ward breaking books he knew in the book she worked as one so she might like that.