Why casting the Imperius curse is a bad idea.

Harry Potter was fed up. This was the start of his fourth year at Hogwarts, and it was looking like a repeat of his other three years. Finding himself in a life threatening situation. He decided that this year would be different, he would be proactive and deal with the likely suspects early. Every year the Defense Professor had been involved in the threats against him, and this year the Professor was already acting strange, telling the students that he was going to put the students under the imperius curse in the next class!

Harry got to class early and sat in the middle of the room. He had come up with a plan last night, and wanted to see the order in which the teacher cast the curse, to see if his plan would succeed. By the time the fifth student was put under the curse, Harry was nearly smiling, his plan could work.

Eventually it was his turn, he walked to the front of the class, casually glancing around to see where a certain Slytherin was seated. Professor Moody looked at him and cast Imperio. Harry found to his surprise that he could easily resist the mental command to jump on the desk. Instead he spun around, pointed his wand at Draco Malfoy and cast diffindo, neatly removing Draco's head from his body.

He then appeared to come out of the imperius trance and swung back to Moody, shouting "You son of a bitch, you made me kill a student" He then pulled a sap from his pocket and started to apply it vigorously to Moody, concentrating on his head. He was able to get in enough blows to ensure that Moody was permanently brain damaged, before his fellow students were able to stun him.

When he woke up in a hospital bed the next day, he immediately rubbed his head, complaining about how it hurt and asked Madam Pomfrey what happened that he was in the hospital. Professor Dumbledore and an older lady with a monocle, who were both seated next to his bed asked him if he did not remember what happened. Harry paused for a while, as if thinking, and then said no. They gave him an abbreviated version of the events, and he enquired about the health of Moody.

They both looked embarrassed and Harry, while secretly hoping that Moody was dead, and thus unable to contradict Harry's claims, asked hesitantly, "Is Moody dead?".

The two adults looked at each other for a minute before Mme Bones sighed and stated "Okay, I will answer this query"

She then looked at Harry and stated that "The person who put you under the imperius and that you then attacked was not Alastair Moody, but an escaped death eater called Barty Crouch, Mr. Crouch the Ministry official's son. The imposter took Moody's place and we believe that he was here to do you harm, unfortunately when you attacked him, you injured him so severely that we cannot question him, the Healers do not expect him to recover from the attack either. That brings up another issue, your killing the younger Malfoy. His father wanted you charged, but we pointed out to him that he was freed on his unsupported claim that he was imperioed, in this case, we have a class full of witnesses that you were imperioed, and as he got the wizengamot to waive any questioning for imperio victims, we cannot question you."

Harry burst out laughing, "You mean his son's killer cannot be touched because of Malfoy's own actions?"

"Yes" they both answered. "Only if Malfoy can get those precedents removed, which will allow us to question his claims and activities , will we be able to bring you to trial"

After hey left the hospital ward, Harry smiled his plan had worked perfectly, his interpretation of the trials of the "former" Death Eaters had been correct. He had stopped another plot against his life and gotten rid of a pest, all scott free. Whilst the real reason that Malfoy's legal case had succeeded was bribes, since no one would admit that, he Harry was free. Now to get imperoed again and use that as an excuse to kiss and fondle Susan Bones plentiful assets! On second thoughts no, don't push his luck.