Katniss' POV:
I watch with a soft smile as sixth and seventh-year Gryffindors and Slytherins file into the room with their partners, some pairs talking quietly and others laughing. While I wait for the students to settle down, I hum a family song to myself.
When I am done humming, I turn and see the class watching patiently. "Ah, so you have settled down quicker today? Perhaps, you all are excited for today's debate?" I chuckle. "For those of you who have yet to turn in your first essay, put it on the corner of your desk. I will collect it in a moment. Let's begin with our everyday routine. And then we can begin the debate, but only after. Alright, stand and when I call your name, sit down. Lily Evans. Avery. Marlene McKinnon. Rodolphus Lestrange. Peter Pettigrew. Lucius Malfoy. James Potter. Regulus Black. Sirius Black. Severus Snape. Remus Lupin. Narcissa Black. Alice Longbottom. Bellatrix Black. Mary Macdonald. And lastly, Evan Rosier." Each student sits when their name is called. I look up and see no one left standing. "Alright, everyone is here," I say as I write down on a piece of parchment and send it to Albus Dumbledore with my Patronus, which disappears in a flash of silvery light. I walk around the room, collecting essays from those who are turning theirs in today. I set the essays in my grading basket labeled 'Sixth & Seventh Years'. I grab a stack of small square pieces of parchment and write a number on them, one to sixteen. I shuffle the pieces of parchment before walking around the room and handing out the parchment randomly. I hand the last parchment to Lucius Malfoy.
"Now. Who can tell me what today's quote of the day means? And break it down if you need to. Regulus," I inquire, leaning against my desk with my hands in my robe pockets and nodding at Regulus, who raised his hand quietly from his place in the front beside Sirius.
"Today's quote is 'You are free to choose, but you are not free to choose the consequences of your choice,' by Anonymous. The first part, 'You are free to choose,' means you can make any decision you want. However the second part, 'but you are not free to choose the consequences of your choice,' means you have to 'deal the cards you were dealt,' so to speak. You have to deal with the consequences of your decisions. You can't change the consequences just because you want to. You can't go back in time and change your decision and change the consequences of your decision. So in all, 'You are free to choose, but you are not free to choose the consequences of your choice,' means you can make whatever choice you want, you just can't change the consequences. You just have to play the cards you were dealt, even if you don't like them," Regulus explains.
"Excellent explanation, Regulus! Fifteen points to Slytherin for a wonderful explanation with excellent word choice. Now, I wrote numbers, one to sixteen, on pieces of parchment and handed them out to you. You will present in order numerically, which means the person with '1' on their piece of parchment will go first and the person with '16' will go last. Who has '1'?" I state, nodding my head in approval of Regulus' explanation.
"I do," Lucius stands.
Funny. I handed Lucius the last piece of parchment and that last piece had the number one on it. Odd, yet funny, I think to myself. "Alright, Lucius. You can stand behind the pedestal if you'd like. Begin when you're ready," I say. I walk to the chalkboard and write the topics and get ready to tally. Lucius walks to the front of the room and stands behind the pedestal, setting his notes on the slanted wooden surface.
-Time Skip to the Actual Debate-
"Now that all of you have presented your essays. I would like you to get into three groups. By my desk, I would like those who chose the Imperios Curse. On the wall to the left of the door, I would like those who chose the Killing Curse. On the wall opposite the door, I would like those who chose the Cruciatus Curse. Separate into your groups now," I say once everyone has spoken.
"Now, I would like all of you to look at the board. What might surprise you is that the majority of those who chose the Killing Curse are Gryffindors, not Slytherins. Let me list those who chose each curse. Those who chose the Imperios Curse are Lucius Malfoy, Narcissa Black, Mary Macdonald, Avery, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. Those who chose the Cruciatus Curse are Sirius Black, Regulus Black, Severus Snape, Alice Longbottom, and Rodolphus Lestrange. Those who chose the Killing Curse are James Potter, Lily Evans, Evan Rosier, Marlene McKinnon, and Bellatrix Black. Think about those who chose the Killing Curse and who didn't. Would you expect Lucius Malfoy to choose to Imperios Curse and not the Killing Curse? Would you expect Lily Evans, a former defendant of Slytherins, to choose the Killing Curse? Or James Potter, a well-known bully of many Slytherins, to choose the Killing Curse? Look at your fellow sixth and seventh years and think about what they chose versus what they didn't choose. I'll give you a few minutes to think this over."
I lean against my desk, watching as students contemplate who chose what and who they thought would choose each curse. "Would you all like to know why I chose the Three Unforgivable Curses to be the topic of the first set of assignments I assign?" I ask, standing. Many nod their heads, and all of the students have curious expressions.
"I chose the Three Unforgivable Curses for the first set of assignments for a few reasons. First of all, I, and many others, find the curses interesting. In fact, one of the main sets of courses I studied during the years I spent getting my teaching credentials, was about the Unforgivable Curses. Even after gaining my credentials, I continued to study the Unforgiveable Curses. I have many, many books that I have collected on the curses. I've also written a series on the Unforgivables. There are a total of ten books in the series. I have about twenty copies of each book so all of you will get a full set. Yes, I am giving you a full set of my handwritten book series on the Unforgivables," I begin to explain, walking around the room.
"Now, there have been many occasions on which I was hit by an Unforgivable. The night my husband died was one of those occasions. He was not hit by an Unforgivable, but the curse he was hit with was damn close to it. I was hit with the Cruciatus Curse that night. I managed to fight it off because of the determination to protect my pup, my child. That determination overruled my fear and pain and allowed me to fight the curse off. There are few accounts of those who have managed to fight off such a powerful attack. My personal account is in 'Fighting Off An Unforgivable Curse,' which is one of the books I wrote on all of the Unforgivable Curses. Alright, that's all for today. If you need help with anything or need someone to talk to, my office is always open. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I'll see you all Monday. I've got a special lesson planned for Monday," I say.
The students pack up and file out the door excitedly. Regulus stays behind, after urging his friends to continue on and meet him in his common room.
I hope you enjoyed chapter four of "A Mother Never Forgets". Let me know what you think on the ideas I added to the A/N last chapter. Have a good day/night.
Author (Horseshoe094810) out!