Chapter 6

The Unforgivable Curses

By the time dawn arrived, the heavy rain had subsided which was good news for Harry. Having just received his timetable for the year, Harry noticed that he had Herbology first followed by Care of Magical Creatures that morning and Double Divination in the afternoon. Harry could only groan at the sight of how his afternoon would be spent. Divination was his least favorite class which considering Potions with Professor Snape that was saying a lot. Professor Trelawney seemed to enjoy predicting Harry's death during every class. The only difference was this year there wasn't an Azkaban escapee 'out to get him'.

Hermione had been the smart one and dropped the class last year. Harry wished he could do the same but he needed to take two electives and hadn't overloaded on classes like Hermione did last year. Hermione had taken every class available to third years, needing a Time Turner to attend them all. The stress, however, made Hermione extremely irritable from time to time so when she dropped Divination and Muggle Studies, Harry and Ron were extremely relieved.

There was a rush of owls entering the hall. Harry didn't bother looking up which proved to be a mistake when a small package hit him on the head before landing beside his plate. For a long moment Harry stared at the package completely bewildered by its arrival. He rarely got mail and when he did it was usually from Hagrid, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher and good friend to Harry.

Some of his confusion lifted when he noticed his name written in the handwriting of his godfather. Well, sure Sirius would write him but so soon? Still trapped in his confusion, Harry didn't notice his friends watching him as he carefully pried away the letter attached to the package. Harry bit his lower lip in anticipation as he slowly opened the letter and began to read.

Pronglet,

Moony informed me that he forgot to give this back to you so I sent it as quickly as I could. I don't understand him some times but he's Moony. Just so you know we're already working hard on cleaning up old Black Manor for you. I am honestly contemplating on asking Dumbledore to let us switch house elves. Kreacher for Dobby. You remember what I told you about Kreacher, right? The Black family house elf? Well, he's worse now than what I ever remember which is pretty bad.

Anyways, just remember what I told you at the platform. Don't forget to have fun this year. I know you're not one for pranks but there's more than one way to have fun at good ol' Hogwarts. Just be sure to tell me all about it when you can! Oh, and Moony is shouting at me that if I don't tell you hello from him he'll skin me alive…and people are worried about the wolf…if only they knew…

Take care of yourself, kiddo. Remember we're here if you need us.

Padfoot and Moony

Harry bit back a smile as he folded up the letter. He doubted he could handle Dobby being the 'Black family elf' but perhaps it would be better than Kreacher. Sirius had informed Harry all about the Black family history this summer. Evidently, Sirius was one of the few Blacks to stand against Voldemort. The Blacks were a proud pureblood family just like the Malfoys.

Actually, Sirius had revealed that he was related to the Malfoys by marriage (Narcissa Malfoy was a member of the Black family) making Harry somewhat related to Draco Malfoy now that Sirius had adopted him but Harry didn't agree. The simple thought of him being related to anyone like Draco Malfoy was enough to make his stomach churn. Harry hadn't taken the Black name but he was a Black heir. This fact was probably what had so many people up in arms about the adoption because of the 'dark' reputation the Black family had.

Glancing down at the package, Harry already knew what was inside so didn't take the risk of opening it in front of anyone. There was only one thing he had given Remus that Sirius would want Harry to have since it was only useful at Hogwarts. The Marauder's Map. Remus had confiscated it last year and with everything that had happened must have forgotten about it. Harry could no longer hide the smile on his face as he placed the letter and package in his school bag. Suddenly, his day was looking up.

By the time lunch had arrived though the day was back to where it had begun. He didn't even what to think abut what they had to do in Herbology. It had been disgusting along with the Blast-Ended Skrewts he had to deal with in Care of Magical Creatures. Harry dreaded having to deal with them for however many weeks Hagrid had in mind.

Hermione hadn't stayed long during lunch, insisting she had something important to do in the library. Harry just shook his head, trying not to think of his upcoming class. Even though the class was a complete waste of time, Harry had done quite a bit of reading on the subject over the summer. It was all interpretation. He understood about star charts and palm reading now and some other aspects of Divination. He may not believe it but he could understand enough to make a logical interpretation.

Divination started off slow with Professor Trelawney in her large glasses once again foretelling upcoming doom to Harry. Apparently she hadn't learned her lesson from last Christmas when Harry had turned her superstitions against her. Harry could only roll his eyes and saw Ron doing the same thing. Ron had been very vocal about how he felt Trelawney was a few pieces short of a full chess set.

The class started on star charts which was a relief to Harry. Finally, something he would understand. "Mr. Potter," Professor Trelawney said dreamily. "From your appearance, one could assume you were born under the malignant influence of Saturn. You were born in mid-winter, am I correct?"

"Er—sorry," Harry said uncomfortable with everyone staring at him. "I have a summer birthday."

Professor Trelawney looked at Harry suspiciously for a moment then continued teaching the class before letting the students work on completing their own circular chart to outline where the planets had been at the moment of their birth. Having already attempted this during the summer, Harry finished his quickly before helping Ron on his. Ron looked horrified that Harry actually knew what he was doing but kept his mouth shut…that is of course until Lavender let out an excited squeal.

"Professor!" Lavender cried out. "Please look! Which planet is this?"

Professor Trelawney strolled over to Lavender and looked down. "That would be Uranus, Miss Brown," she said.

Ron couldn't help himself. "Can I have a look at Ur—Oomph!"

Everyone quickly looked at Ron to see Harry covering his mouth. Harry looked over at Lavender and Professor Trelawney and bit his lower lip nervously. "Er—sorry," said Harry as he slowly looked over a Ron, giving him a silent warning to shut up. "Some times his brain just stops working."

Professor Trelawney blinked a few times in surprise. "I must say, Mr. Potter," she said sounding impressed. "Perhaps there is some Seer blood in you after all. I have never seen anyone act so fast."

Harry pulled his hand away from Ron's mouth as he slowly shook his head. No, he didn't have Seer blood. He just knew Ron too well to know what he had intended on saying. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil looked completely envious at Harry since they seemed to idolize the Divination teacher so much while Ron and Seamus were desperately trying not to laugh.

Ron's good mood ended at dinner time when Malfoy managed to point out an article in the 'Daily Prophet' about Ron's father in the Entrance Hall. It was all a bunch of rubbish written by Rita Skeeter but Malfoy was having his fun nevertheless. Harry and Hermione managed to hold Ron back and get him to turn and walk away without a confrontation when Harry's head screamed in warning.

In the blink of an eye, Harry had his wand in hand as he quickly turned around and created a defensive shield that absorbed whatever curse Malfoy had shot at them. He was suddenly thankful for the research he had done last year on the topic. Harry lowered the shield and re-holstered his wand as he slowly shook his head. Why did Malfoy have to start a fight here in front of everyone?

Perhaps because he feels that he has something to prove.

"Is there a problem here, lads?" a curious Professor Moody asked as he descended down the stairs. Malfoy instantly froze as Moody slowly approached, his magical eye seeming to shift from Harry and back to Malfoy. "I see a wand pointed on a classmate, Mr. Malfoy. Explain yourself."

Malfoy paled when he realized that he still had his wand pointing at Harry. The was the first time that Harry could see Malfoy actually acting frightened in front of a teacher instead of arrogant. "Nothing, sir," Malfoy said as he pocketed his wand. "Nothing at all."

Moody took a step towards Malfoy. "Then be on your way," he growled, his magical eye rotating around as if it were looking all around the Entrance Hall, even through the back of his head. "That goes for every last one of you."

Harry moved to follow the group but was stopped when Professor Moody quickly grabbed his arm. Reflexes of the past kicking in, Harry immediately tensed and flinched as if expecting to be hit. This reaction didn't go unnoticed by Professor Moody who instantly relaxed his hold but didn't let go. Looking up at the Defense teacher Harry noticed both of his eyes looking at him critically, almost like he suspected him of something.

"That was impressive, Mr. Potter," growled Professor Moody. "You had every opportunity to retaliate but you chose to walk away; a rather difficult thing to do with everyone watching."

Harry didn't know what to say. He couldn't bring himself to say anything. He felt like he was trapped and that magical eye only increased Harry's nervousness. At that moment Harry felt like he was the one in deep trouble for some reason. He didn't like that feeling at all. Pain usually accompanied that feeling. Hours of solitary confinement usually accompanied that feeling.

"Constant Vigilance, Potter," Moody growled as he released Harry's arm. "Remember that."

"Yes, sir," Harry said softly then watched as Professor Moody walked away. He couldn't bring himself to move. He didn't even realize Ron and Hermione were ushering him to the Great Hall with very little resistance. He seemed to be trapped in his own mind. What in the world did Professor Moody mean by that?

For the next few days Harry did what he could to stay clear of Professor Moody. He didn't know what it was but he just felt uneasy around the new teacher. The treatment Harry had sustained while in the care of the Dursley family had been published at the end of last term but since it was also at the same time of the infamous Black trial, no one really paid much attention to it. It had been fortunately overlooked.

Harry had worked hard on putting his life with the Dursleys behind him and really didn't want a teacher, especially Professor Moody bringing it up now. He didn't need anyone assuming that Sirius and Remus were anything less than perfect. He couldn't afford to have anyone take him away from the only people who truly cared about him.

In addition to Professor Moody, Harry also tried to keep his distance from Professor Snape which was difficult in Potions class. Malfoy was muttering comments all though class that earned several snickers from his fellow Slytherins. The sallow-faced Potions master with a hooknose and greasy hair did nothing about it of course since the comments were about the one student he didn't bother hiding how he truly felt: Harry.

Harry knew why Professor Snape acted this way. Remus had told him last year how Harry's father, James, had bullied Professor Snape when they had both been students at Hogwarts. Harry understood that Professor Snape loathed James Potter but he hated that since James Potter was dead Snape decided to take his resentment out on the last remaining Potter who hadn't even been alive when the incidents happened. It wasn't fair. Sirius and Remus had even had a few choice words with Snape about it but all it did was infuriate the teacher more.

When it came time for Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Harry was starting to wonder if his mind was just overworking itself. Everyone else seemed eager to learn from Professor Moody and no one seemed to have as much trouble with Professor Snape as he did…well, except perhaps Neville Longbottom but the boy had always had a problem with Professor Snape's demanding presence. Harry knew it was unfair to compare Professor Moody to Professor Snape. He had only one run-in with the man. How can you judge someone on that?

Entering the Defense classroom, Harry followed Ron and Hermione who decided to take seats in the front row. He pulled out his book, The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection, and flipped open to where he had stopped reading. He was just over halfway through the book much to Ron's horror. Due to Harry's summer, it had become a habit to turn to a book at the first sign of boredom since there was no one else around. In reality, Harry needed something to focus on and right now this was the only distraction available.

The classroom filled quickly yet everyone remained silent. It was almost like an excited tension was radiating off of everyone. You could feel it. Eventually, the silence was filled with a clunk and then another followed by another as Professor Moody entered the room. Harry kept his eyes on his book, not wanting to look at that frightening magical eye.

"No books today," Moody growled as he sat down behind his desk and waited for everyone to comply. He then checked the register, calling out everyone's name. His head never moved but everyone could see his magical eye shifting to see each student that went with the name. "Very well. I went over Professor Lupin's class notes which were the only class notes available from the last three years. Although Professor Lupin covered quite a bit of material you all are still extremely behind in curses. Since I only have a year to get you all up to speed we should get cracking."

Ron and Hermione leaned forward, eager for the lesson to begin.

"The Ministry of Magic would prefer I only teach you counter-curses but Professor Dumbledore says otherwise," Professor Moody continued. "The sooner you all know what is out there the sooner you can defend yourself. This includes the illegal Dark curses. Does anyone know the curses that are the most heavily punished in the wizarding world?"

Out of the corner of his eyes Harry could see both Ron and Hermione slowly raising their hand up in the air. That was something new. Ron rarely volunteered in class. Professor Moody chose Ron to answer first.

"My dad told me about the Imperius curse," Ron said nervously.

"Yes, that one is difficult," Moody said with a nod as he stood up, opened a desk drawer and pulled out a glass jar that had three rather large black spiders inside it. The class watched as Professor Moody pulled one of the spiders out of the jar and kept it in the palm of his hand. He pointed his wand to it. "Imperio!"

Everyone watched as the spider started to move in ways that spiders weren't supposed to move naturally. Out of nowhere Harry started to feel strange. It was almost like something was taking away his freewill. Harry quickly closed his eyes and shook his head. He could vaguely hear people laughing but Harry was too busy regaining his thoughts to notice.

"I suppose this is funny," Professor Moody growled, "until it is done to you." Silence filled the room again. "This curse makes the recipient a complete slave to whatever the caster may think of. It can be fought but it is extremely difficult. Not everyone has the strength to do it. The best chance you have is to avoid being hit with it to begin with. You must practice CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Everyone jumped at the sudden change in volume. Moody then demonstrated the Cruciatus curse that causes unimaginable pain. Once again Harry had to look away when Moody had cast the spell on a spider. As impossible as it may have seemed, Harry could have sworn he had actually felt pain but only for a moment. When it came time for the Killing curse, Harry was barely able to hold in his dread. Why was this happening? What was happening?

Harry closed his eyes and gripped the sides of his chair as he listened to Professor Moody shout 'Avada Kedavra'. Even with his eyes closed, Harry could see green. He could almost hear Voldemort's high-pitched voice and his mother's pleads for mercy. He could almost feel a sharp spark of pain on his forehead right where his scar was but it only lasted a second before it was gone.

"There is no counter-curse or way to block it," Professor Moody's voice broke into Harry's thoughts. "There is only one person to have ever survived who I believe you all know quite well." There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the room. "Mr. Potter, are you all right?"

Harry nodded numbly but kept his eyes closed and his head bowed. Truthfully, he wasn't all right. He was terrified out of his mind. Was that what his parents went through? Did they feel any pain? The Dementors from last year had allowed Harry to hear the voices of what happened but he didn't remember pain. Was this curse an extremely painful way to die?

Professor Moody walked around his desk and stood directly in front of Harry for a moment before returning his attention to the rest of the class. "Not everyone can cast such a powerful spell," he growled, "but there are enough who can. I'm showing you this because you have to know. You have to be prepared. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

Once again the class jumped at the sudden change of volume.

"Using any of the Unforgivable Curses—the Avada Kedavra, Cruciatus and the Imperius—will earn you a life sentence in Azkaban," Moody continued. "Now, everyone pull out your quills and copy this down…"

For the remainder of the lesson notes were taken about the Unforgivable Curses. It was a struggle for Harry to keep his mind on what Professor Moody was saying. Questions kept entering his head. Why had he felt pain? Why had he felt anything at all? It hadn't been strong but it had been there, almost like a memory but you don't actually feel your memories…right?

Harry was pulled out of his thoughts once again by the sound of the bell ringing to signal the end of class. Wanting to leave more than anything, Harry quickly packed up to leave when he noticed Professor Moody standing in front of him again. Slowly, Harry looked up to see both of Moody's eyes looking at him curiously. Harry's stomach suddenly tightened. This wasn't good.

"Mr. Potter, a word?" growled Professor Moody.

Biting back the urge to say no, Harry glanced over at Hermione who was looking at him nervously. "Go ahead," Harry said softly. "Go talk to Neville. He's hurting." Harry had no idea why he just said that but he somehow he knew it was true. Neville was hurting just like he was.

When Ron and Hermione left, Harry returned his attention to Professor Moody who was still eyeing him curiously making Harry feel extremely self conscious. He couldn't help but feel like he had done something wrong and was about to be punished for it. He hated this. He could stand up to Voldemort but not to any authoritative adult.

"Mr. Potter, I noticed your reaction to the Killing curse," Professor Moody growled. "Am I correct to assume that you actually remember what happened that night?" There was no answer, only a nod as Harry looked away. "I see. I apologize if I made you uncomfortable but you need to know. You need to be prepared. There is a chance you will see that curse again—"

"—I know," Harry interrupted softly as he looked directly at Professor Moody. "Don't worry, sir. You have nothing to apologize for. You're right. We need to know what's out there waiting for us."

Professor Moody was still eyeing Harry like he didn't completely believe him but let Harry go anyways. Leaving the room, Harry realized the last place he wanted to go was to the Great Hall for a crowded dinner. He needed to be alone. Knowing the exact place to 'hide out', Harry ventured to the Owlery and was immediately greeted by Hedwig. He didn't know how much time he spent there just petting his owl but it was certainly calming. Hedwig was his first pet and first present he had been given.

Stroking her feathers, Harry looked into Hedwig's eyes and smiled. Sometimes he could swear she knew just what to do to make him feel better. "Care to make a delivery?" he asked and received a hoot as an answer. "Let me quickly write it, okay?"

Hedwig hopped off of Harry's arm, allowing Harry to pull out a piece of parchment, quill and ink. Sitting down on the floor, Harry pondered what he could possibly say for a moment before starting to write. He knew he needed to keep it upbeat or else he would be having two visitors overacting…well, one overacting and the other trying to calm him down.

Midnight and Moony,

Thanks for the map. I had actually forgotten about it so don't pick on Moony too much, Sirius. I was the one to give it to him in the first place, you know. Also, if Kreacher is so bad, why don't you just give him clothes? I know I don't know that much about house elves but it seems silly to keep someone there if they make your life miserable.

Just a thought.

The first week of school has been interesting. Everyone was shocked to find out and a lot of people want to enter regardless of their age. Does it make me weird if I don't? I remember how everyone looked at me after we told Professor Dumbledore I knew. They didn't expect me to act the way I did and neither did the two of you. Why? I just don't understand why anyone would even try to enter in something like that when they are not ready for it.

You were right about Professor Moody, Sirius. He is intimidating. I had class with him today and we covered the Unforgivable curses. Please don't be mad but I think something happened. He cast the curses on spiders but it was like I actually felt the curse. It was strange. I don't know if this was an 'episode' or not. Nothing happened really but you said you wanted to know when anything odd happened and I thought this was odd.

I hope both of you are having fun and I can't wait to see you at Christmas. It's really different without you two here. Don't worry, Moony. I'm staying out of trouble and completing all of my schoolwork on time…even Divination. I hope the full moon goes well.

Miss you both.

Harry

The letter wasn't as upbeat as Harry had hoped but it was what he needed to say. Folding up the letter, Harry stood up and called Hedwig over. He carefully attached the letter to her leg and sent her off to see his guardians. He watched her fly until he couldn't see her anymore. With nothing else to do, Harry packed up his supplies and retired to the Gryffindor Tower for a long night of Divination homework. He had every intention of completing it correctly but deep down Harry had a feeling that he would probably have to make a few things up.