A short chapter, but which I found enjoyable to write. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as well.

RON XIII

He arrived in Defence Against the Dark Arts with Harry and Hermione while most of the other students were already at their desks. Ron and Harry sat at an empty desk, while Hermione took the one right next to theirs, with an empty seat next to hers.

"What do you think he's going to show us today?" Harry asked.

"More important, how much homework is he going to give us? I've never had so much in my life. It's as if the professors believe we can skip sleeping," Ron declared.

"Our O.W.L.s are approaching Ron. They only do it so we will be prepared next year," Hermione said.

"You said it yourself. It's next year. We'll have forgotten most of what we learned this year at the beginning of our fifth. They should leave us in peace for one last year."

"Well, you should better get used to working now, Ronald. Or else, you'll have to explain to your mother why you had fewer O.W.L.s than Fred and George."

That was something Ron wasn't looking for, and he promised himself that he would have more O.W.L.s than his brothers, but he still felt like the professors should leave them some space. The Hufflepuffs were arriving in the classroom. Justin and Ernie took place behind them, while Susan sat next to Hermione. Hannah stopped by them.

"Hey, Harry. Fantastic catch the other day, by the way," she told him.

"Thanks, Hannah," Ron's best friend replied.

Ron understood why Hannah said it was fantastic. He had been there when he saw Harry get his hand on the Snitch while it was flying between two Chasers. Alicia and Roger Davies were sent to the infirmary after they collided, but Harry went straight between them right before the collision happened.

"Do you think you'll continue these Saturday practices for long?" Justin asked. "Cedric says he would like to continue until first snow, but that it will depend on you."

"Yes, of course. We will continue," Harry said. "As long as we can."

Ron listened with envy as they discussed Quidditch. He attended most of these practices where the players of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff played amicably. He wished he could join them. Some students who were not part of the teams last year dared to enter the pitch, but they very often played so poorly that Ron didn't dare to do the same, out of fear of being ridiculed.

The door of the classroom opened widely, and under the noise of the wooden leg hitting the floor, the entire class went silent. Those few who were not already sitting at their desks did so immediately as the blue eye of Mad-Eye Moody went from one student to another. Ron shivered like always when he felt the blue eye on him.

"Alright," Professor Moody said. "We've got a lot of work to do today. Put your books and your wands back into your bags. You will not need them today."

Ron wondered what Moody would show them this time. His lessons were very interesting, but also very demanding. Ron didn't think he ever had such a course he enjoyed and dreaded at the same time.

"Today's class will require all your attention, willpower, strength, focus, and dedication." Ron wondered what it would be. "We are going to test your ability to resist the Imperius Curse."

Ron was so caught by surprise as the rest of the class that he barely realized the professor asked them to stand up. They all needed a few reminders from him before they all stood up and the desks were moved to the sides of the classroom.

"But… but you said it was illegal, Professor," Hermione said. She was obviously afraid, just like Ron and the whole class was. "You said… to use it against another human was…"

"Is illegal, yes. I'm glad that you're listening in my classroom. But illegal or not, you will likely be submitted to this curse one day or another. If you would rather learn how to resist the Imperius Curse when someone will actually cast it to fully control you, you're free to go. And then someone in the Ministry will have the pleasure to explain to your family and friends that you committed a murder while being controlled by someone else… if the Ministry believes you."

Despite the harsh words Moody used, Ron couldn't retain a smile. Hermione would never want to leave a classroom. Well, except for Divination, but that was a special case.

"Alright," Moody roared. "I'll call you in alphabetical order. I'll cast the curse on you, and you must resist it the best you can. Focus on your will and self control. And do it right now. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" Everyone jumped again. They were still not used to this outburst. "You will not be warned that you will receive the curse in real life. Now, Abbot, forward."

The unlucky girl whose name happened to start by the first letter of the alphabet came forward. Ron was glad he would be the last one. That was one of the few advantages to be a Weasley.

"Now, prepare." But before Hannah could probably prepare, he cast it. "Imperio!"

Under everyone's eyes, Hannah began immediately to move all around the empty space, turning on herself, hands in the air. Ron, and probably half the classroom for that matter, began to laugh, but they stopped under the inquisitive eye of Moody. Ron could already hear what he could say. He would probably tell them that he could make Hannah do everything he wanted, and could as well order her to jump on one of them and strangle him with her legs if he wanted. Hannah's show lasted for almost half a minute before Moody removed the curse. When she was finally free, she returned in the crowd of students, totally red. It didn't beat Ginny when Harry was around, but still, it was an impressive red.

"Bones, your turn."

The girl who always sat next to Hermione stepped forward. There was no way to ignore the shaking of her body.

"Imperio!"

For a moment, nothing happened. For only one, small, short moment, but which seemed to last very long, nothing happened. Then out of nowhere, Susan's voice raised. She went to sign something Ron never heard, but he guessed this was opera. He rolled his eyes. Couldn't he make her sing those the Choir was singing? They were far better, and both Susan and Hannah were familiar with them, being part of the Choir.

"Not bad for a start," Moody said. "You resisted for a single second at the beginning, Bones. But you stopped resisting after you began singing. Never give up. Next. Brown."

Lavender imitated a squirrel, making her teeth chatter in front of the whole classroom. Ron had a very hard time to not laugh at her. Even Parvati was giggling uncontrollably. Then Justin laid down on his stomach on a desk and mimicked swimming while making strange sounds with his mouth that Ron supposed were meant to be a fish breathing. Neville performed gymnastics he would never have been able to make of his own free will. As for Hermione, she played percussions with her fists on the table. For each and everyone of them, Moody instructed them to focus and resist the curse, but no one succeeded. Ernie Macmillan ran at full speed from one corner of the class to another for over a minute, sweating and breathing deeply at the end. Seamus remained still, head upside-down, for an entire minute, before he lost his equilibrium when he was released from the curse. As for Parvati, she made tap dancing. Sally-Anne Perks held a huge jar of crystal at the top of her small finger, before the curse was broken and the jar fell to the floor. It was stopped by Moody who made it levitate back to its place before it crashed.

"Potter, you next," Moody finally said.

Ron's best friend stepped forward, and an instant later, Moody cast the Curse on him. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, Harry bent his knees. Ron thought he was about to jump. But something was wrong. Harry remained like this, his knees bent, but he didn't move further. It was like that for several seconds that seemed to last forever. Then, finally, Harry jumped. And his legs hit Moody's desk, toppling it over. The next moment, Harry was on the floor, and he was obviously in pain. Ron made a grimace, imaging how he would feel in his place.

"Now, that's more like it!" Moody declared. "See, everyone. Potter resisted. He fought the curse, and he almost defeated it. We're going to try again. On your feet, Potter. Watch very closely what he does."

Ron had to admit he was impressed. Four more times, Harry received the Imperius Curse, and each time he resisted it better. The last, he managed to hold against it completely. He just remained there, standing, doing nothing, for an entire minute, until finally Moody removed the curse. "Very good, Potter! They'll have trouble controlling you. Twenty points for Gryffindor. Now, Roper, it's your turn."

As the Gryffindor girl from their year came forward, Harry joined back the rest of the class, limping.

"Are you alright?" Ron asked, half-concerned, half-impressed.

"I think I broke something," Harry said, sitting against one of the desks behind the classroom.

"How did you do, Harry?" Dean asked him.

"I don't know. I just… tried to not do what Moody was telling me."

"Back of the classroom! Watch!"

Ron immediately brought back his attention to the front of the class, where Sophie was behaving as if she was a mime. Afterwards, Dean rounded the classroom while singing the national anthem. Finally, Ron's name was called. He didn't get the chance to know more from Harry about how he resisted the spell. And he was unprepared when Moody cast it on him.

Ron's stress and uncertainty disappeared all of a sudden. It was as if all his worries were lifted and he was free. It was as if his head was emptied. And a voice was murmuring to his mind.

Skip in circle around the class.

It seemed to be a very good idea. And Ron immediately did it. A huge smile on his lips, he made small jumps all around, hearing some cries of joy and laughter far away, which fueled his relaxed state. The small voice in his head kept instructing him to move, left, right, forward, backward, until finally it was gone.

All of a sudden, Ron found himself facing the rest of the classroom, all smiling widely, and giggling for many girls. And he got red immediately.

"You got to do better than this, Weasley," the rough voice of Moody declared. "As do most of you. Potter is the only one who managed to resist the curse. I'll do my best so that someone else does by the end of this lesson. Bones, forward."

Ron went back to his place, feeling everyone's gaze upon him. Soon, however, to his great relief, they all looked at Susan as Mad-Eye Moody sent another curse at her. She began singing opera once again immediately. He made another four attempts on her, but this time, there was always a moment before she began to sing. At the last attempt, Ron got the impression that she resisted a few seconds before beginning to sing, and her song was disjointed, and almost stopped at times. The professor moved to other students after that. A few showed signs of perhaps offering some resistance to the curse, but no one managed to totally ward it off like Harry did. Even Hermione couldn't succeed, although on her last attempt she stopped her movements on two occasions for a fraction of a second.

Ron couldn't have been more relieved when they finally left the classroom at the end of the afternoon. Ron was still skipping from time to time. Moody told him the effects would disappear by the evening. Their professor cast the curse four times on him, and Ron failed each time to resist it. Even though the last time, he thought he managed to resist a fraction of a second. He hoped this side effect of the curse would indeed not last long. He envied Harry for managing to break it, though his best friend didn't look much better, limping after being ordered to jump on a table so many times. Hermione fared better than they did, but she was still rubbing her fists and they involuntarily moved as if she was still tapping on something from time to time.

"This guy is completely paranoid," Ron stated.

"Yeah. He taught to my mother while she was an Auror. No wonder she was exhausted by her training," Harry said, looking as desperate as everyone.

"How did you manage to break the curse, Harry?" Dean asked him behind them.

"I don't know. I just… I just resisted doing it. He was asking me to jump on the desk, but I kept thinking that it was a stupid thing to do. And it was." Harry grimaced, probably out of pain.

"I think that I managed to resist for maybe a second on my last attempt," Seamus said. "And I think you did too, Hermione. Your rhythm was not very good the last time."

"Not at all," Hermione replied. "I couldn't refrain myself from doing what he was ordering me to. I understand now why these curses are unforgivable. He could have ordered any of us to do anything."

"Well, he did order us to do humiliating things," Ron pointed out.

"And painful ones too," Harry added.

"Yes, I get it, but he could order someone to really harm someone else, or to kill. He could even order someone to commit suicide," Hermione said, scandalized.

And right at this moment, Lavender jumped into the conversation. "Too bad he didn't order anyone to kiss. That would have been quite enjoyable."

Ron grimaced out of disgust. In the meantime, Hermione rolled her eyes in exasperation. This was one of the times where the two of them agreed on something.

Please review.

Next chapter: Ron