The Unforgivable Curses

The class that everyone seemed to be simultaneously dreading and looking forward to was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Older students such as Fred and George had the class earlier in the week than the fourth years, and all came back with an expression of awe and grim appreciation. "He's really been there, you know?" George explained.

"He knows what it's like to be out there fighting the Dark Arts," Fred added.

Unsure how to interpret the descriptions they had been given, the fourth years entered their first defense lesson on Thursday with more than a hint of trepidation. This feeling seemed to be most common among the Slytherins as they continued to glance nervously at each other as they took their seats. While most of the Gryffindors ignored their classmates' obvious discomfort, Destiny nonchalantly slid into the seat beside Draco.

Ignoring the stares of pity she was receiving from her classmates, she pulled out a fresh piece of parchment and a quill before scribbling several words and leaving it where Draco could easily see what she had written.

Are you alright?

Draco shook his head and returned his stare to the blank blackboard at the front of the room.

He dimly noticed Destiny scribbling on the parchment again, and discretely lowered his eyes to see her new message.

What's wrong?

Draco bit the inside of his cheek, debating on how best to convey his problem. Glancing around quickly, he slid the parchment over and scribbled a few lines himself before shoving it back into its initial position on the desk.

Moody = Auror

Father = Death Eater

He heard Destiny hiss in understanding and felt her hand squeeze his under the desk for comfort. He found himself returning the pressure before he even realized it and fought to keep the fear from spilling over for others to see. She hastily wrote another couple of words and nodded for him to look quickly as they heard the main door to the classroom opening, announcing Moody's arrival.

I'm here for you

Draco offered her a small smile before she hurriedly stashed the parchment back in her bag so that Moody wouldn't see.

Moody slowly stumped to the front of the class, and although the silence was deafening, the tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife. "Alastor Moody," he announced in a gravelly voice when he finally reached the front of the classroom. "Ex-Auror, Ministry malcontent, and your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I'm here because Dumbledore asked me, good bye, the end! I have one year to teach you everything you need to know, and by the looks of it I have some work to do."

The class had still not made a sound, but the majority of the Slytherins faces had relaxed somewhat at the news that Moody would only be present at the school for one year.

"I see here that you all have studied all sorts of magical creatures last year with Professor Lupin," he paused and several brave students managed to nod. "But you are very behind on your curses!" he growled.

Destiny saw Hermione's back straighten and understood it as a rise in defense. She, too, felt an increase in her own unease – how exactly did he propose to teach them curses?

"Now, when it comes to the Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach," Moody continued. "You need to see what these curses look like, you need to be prepared, and you need to find a better place for that gum Mr. Finnegan!" he finished pointedly.

"Blimey!" Seamus whispered as he had not seen Moody turn around. "He's mental!"

"I can hear across classrooms!" Moody shouted as he threw a piece of chalk at Seamus.

Destiny took a shuddering breath as she began to understand exactly how far this man would go to make a point.

"Now, who here can tell me how many Unforgivable Curses there are?" Moody asked, returning to class as though nothing had happened.

"Three, sir," Hermione squeaked from the front row.

"And they are so named?" Moody asked as he began to write furiously on the blackboard.

"Because they are unforgivable," Hermione continued, her voice cracking.

"Using any of them earns you-" Destiny began, but Moody cut her off.

"Will earn you a one way ticket to Azkaban, yes! So, who can give me a curse?" he asked. When no one raised their hand, he snapped down at Ron. "Weasley! Stand!" he ordered, and Ron rose shakily to his feet.

"My dad did tell me about one," Ron muttered. "The Imperious Curse."

"Oh yeah your father would know all about that one," Moody agreed. "It gave the Ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why."

"He can't be serious!" Destiny hissed under her breath, and she felt Draco tighten his grip on her hand in reassurance.

Moody lumbered his way over to his desk where he stuck his hand down in one of the many jars there and cooed quietly as he lured whatever was in it out. "Engorgio!" he growled, pointing his wand at the thing in his hand, and Destiny whimpered when she saw it was a rather ugly spider complete with claws that was now the size of her face.

"Imperio!" Moody said, and the spider stiffened slightly before falling slightly limp against his hand.

Suddenly, Moody began to move his wand, and the spider moved wherever the wand went. First was a desk near the front of the room where the students gasped and tried to shove themselves as far away as possible from the creature. Next, Moody led the poor spider over to Crabbe where it began to climb across his head while he made sounds of obvious discomfort.

At the sounds of the Gryffindors' laughter, Moody guided the spider to land on Parvarti and Lavender's desk where it began to crawl slowly up Parvarti's arm, much to her dismay.

"Talented isn't she?" Moody asked. He waved his wand to guide the spider over Ron's head, and Ron immediately began to panic.

"This is just wrong," Destiny muttered, but it seemed Moody had heard her.

"What are you muttering about?" he snapped and launched the spider in her direction instead.

Destiny screamed in fright as the spider was forced to attach itself to her face. Her screams became higher and higher pitched the longer the creature was stuck there, and Draco fought vainly to remove it from her. He angrily noted the sound of Gryffindor laughter at one of their own's expense.

Moody laughed evilly. "Careful," he chuckled, "she's lethal!"

Destiny screamed louder still at his words, and Draco finally succeeded in ripping the thing from her face.

Moody simply continued as if nothing had happened. "What shall I have her do now: fly out the window or drown herself?"

The class fell silent at his sudden change in tone, and the only sound in the room was Destiny's heavy breathing as she struggled to calm herself.

"Scores of witches and wizards claimed that they only did You-Know-Who's bidding under the influence of the Imperious curse, but here's the rub," he continued, "how do we sort out the liars?"

Draco began rubbing Destiny's knee under the table as her deep breathing turned to whimpers of fright. He was furious, but there was little else he could do to help her without attracting Moody's attention and terrifying her further.

"Give me another curse," Moody ordered the again silent classroom. This time, several students raised their hands before Moody chose Neville. "Professor Sprout tells me you have a knack for Herbology," he muttered to give the boy some confidence with his answer.

"Th-there's the Cruciatus curse," Neville finally said with a strange look in his eyes.

Destiny could feel Draco tense beside her and momentarily forgot her own fear in favor of his.

Moody set the spider down on an empty desk in front of him and pointed his wand viciously at the creature. "Crucio!" he growled, and the spider at once began to writhe in obvious pain on the desk.

Neville began to twitch and shake as the spell continued, but Destiny's attention was fixed on Draco.

At the moment the spell had been cast, Draco had stiffened almost as though he had been petrified, and the expressions now playing across his face told Destiny his thoughts were no longer rooted in the classroom. "Draco!" she hissed quietly, shaking his arm in an attempt to get his attention, but he merely continued to look more and more panicked as the torture of the spider continued. Eventually, he began to whimper as though he was the one being tortured, and Destiny had had enough.

"Knock it off!" she screamed, standing up and glaring at Moody.

Luckily for her, she hadn't been the only one to lose her cool. "Stop it!" Hermione had shouted at the same time, although her gaze was directed at Neville.

"You're obviously bothering him, you-" Destiny managed to hold in her fury as Moody glanced awkwardly between the two girls. She slowly sat down again and slid her arm carefully around Draco's waist as he came back to reality. "Are you alright?" she asked.

Draco shook, but nodded at her anyway as Moody stopped in front of Hermione, holding the spider out before him.

"Perhaps you could give us the last curse, Miss Granger?" he offered quietly.

"The Killing Curse," Hermione whispered as though part of her longed to not answer at all.

"Yes…the Killing Curse," Moody repeated. He placed the spider down on the desk again where it shook from the torture it had been put through. "Avada Kedavra!" Moody roared, pointing his wand at the poor creature.

A green flash lit up the room, and the spider rolled over, dead without a mark anywhere on it.

Destiny felt the bile rise in her throat but forced it down as Draco groaned beside her. Everyone in the class suddenly jumped and whirled around as they heard the sound of the main door slamming and the faint sounds of tears.

"Alexis!" Destiny breathed. "Oh boy…"

"How dare you?!" a voice shouted, and everyone gaped as they saw it was Blaise who had spoken.

"Excuse me?" Moody growled dangerously.

"How dare you use those curses in a room where so many people have suffered from them?!" Blaise roared. "Especially that last one, do you not have a heart? That girl's parents were killed barely a month ago at the Quidditch World Cup, and you just made her relive it all in a classroom! You aren't a teacher, you're a monster, and you should be fired straight away!"

Moody opened his mouth to reply, but Blaise had already swept quickly from the room after Alexis.

The class sat in shock for the next few minutes until the bell finally sounded, releasing them all.

Destiny and Draco were among the first out the door, and Draco immediately guided Destiny off the main thoroughfare and down to an empty classroom. Once inside, he placed a silencing charm on the door and turned to her.

"Are you alright?" they said at the same time, and had to laugh at the timing.

"That was so wrong what he did to you," Draco said bluntly. "I can't believe he left it there when you were obviously terrified."

Destiny began to shake as her suppressed fear slowly crept back to the forefront of her mind. Draco was across the room in two strides and had pulled her into his arms before she even realized what was happening. She clung to his back as he gently rubbed her spine, muttering to her in a calming voice.

"It's alright…it's alright…" he whispered in her ear. "You're okay…I promise. I'm here."

Destiny looked up at him with a guilty expression. "Here I am being all selfish again. Are you okay?" she asked. "I know that second spell really bothered you…is that what he uses on you?"

Draco nodded jerkily and buried his face in her hair. "It was just…seeing it used like that…the memories…"

"I know," Destiny soothed him. "It's okay…Merlin, what a mess we both are right now!" she tried to laugh, but Draco knew it was only half-hearted. That class had damaged both of them pretty badly, and they both knew it.

"Do you want to go have lunch?" Draco asked gently.

Destiny shook her head. "I don't feel like eating…I'll just be sick," she replied.

"Me too," Draco admitted. "You want to go fly around on the pitch a bit? It always helps me when I'm upset."

He felt Destiny nod against his chest and gently guided her from the classroom and out towards the pitch.

Blaise was fuming as he stormed through the corridors looking for Alexis. He could not believe that moron of a Headmaster had hired such a madman to teach kids! How dare that monster perform those curses? How dare he hurt Alexis after he, Blaise, had made so much progress with her? Now he would be lucky to find her at all…

He was scared to death of what she might do in such a state the class had left her in, and he knew he had to find her fast. As he rounded a corner on the second floor, he caught sight of Moaning Myrtle just beginning to float through a wall. "Hey, Myrtle!" he cried, desperate for some kind of help.

"Listen, I know I've been mean to you before, but I really need your help. A professor really made Alexis upset, and I need to find her before she hurts herself – have you seen her?"

Myrtle nodded and pointed into the wall she had been floating into which Blaise now realized was her bathroom. He saw the look of sympathy in the ghost's eyes and felt his heart clench in pain for the girl inside.

"Thank you so much," he said as he rushed into the bathroom. "Lexi?" he called softly. "Sweets, where are you?"

The only reply he received was a sniffling sound from the far wall hidden from eyesight of the main door. Blaise hurried around the corner to see the rows of stalls with Alexis curled at the end, crying profusely into her knees which she had raised under her chin.

Blaise ran across the floor and fell to his knees beside her, pulling her to him before he had even stopped moving. He gently rocked her back and forth in his embrace, muttering random words of comfort and trying desperately to calm her sobs. "Lexi, I'm so sorry!" he whispered into her ear as he continued to rock her like a baby. "I'm so sorry you had to see that…I can't believe he would do such a thing in a classroom! Oh, sweets, please don't cry!"

Alexis must have at least understood who was holding her because she raised her arms to seize his in a vice grip that spoke volumes of her desperation and grief. "I d-don't even know if t-that's how they d-died!" she wailed. "B-but seeing it like t-that just…I c-couldn't stand it!"

"I know, I know," Blaise soothed her. "It's alright, and no one blames you. No one at all! You have every right to be upset."

"B-Blaise?" she gulped.

"Hmm?" he hummed in her ear.

"Th-thank you for being s-so good to me this past month," she whispered through her fading tears. "I d-don't think I c-could have-"

"Shh…" Blaise whispered gently. "Don't talk like that, alright? You are going to get through this, and I will help you if takes the rest of our lives. I'll follow you around and make sure you smile at least once a day," he began and he heard her sniff as though she was trying to laugh. "I'll make sure you eat even if I have to spoon feed you," he continued with an obvious teasing tone now, "and I'll let you cry for hours on my shoulder if need be, you understand?"

Alexis nodded and huddled closer to him, but her tears had mostly stopped now. "Thank you," she breathed.

"Anytime, sweets," he replied, lightly kissing the top of her head. "Now, how about I take you down to the kitchens and have the house elves make you a nice cup of tea?"

"That sounds lovely," Alexis sighed and allowed Blaise to pull her to her feet and lead her from the bathroom.

Whew…that was a powerful one to write especially since I've been looking forward to it for a while. I think it turned out pretty well, and I hope you all agree (especially after the last chapter of fluff). What did you all think of Blaise's outburst? How about what happened with Draco and Destiny? Everyone obviously has some unresolved tension with Moody…how do you think that will play out later (hint hint)?

Anyway, thanks to the new people who keep showing up each chapter! It really amazes me to see how many people read this story each month…I really appreciate all the support! So, please leave a review with your thoughts (I hope I gave you a more filling chapter this time), and I'll have another chapter up as soon as I can! Thanks everyone!