Basil stood up for Neville, and 'Moody' was left hanging upside down in mid-air.
However, this is only how others see it.
In fact, Basil sneered and recited the spell that had just been cast in the room.
[Cruciatus Curse]
"Hello, Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch Jr."
Barty Crouch Jr. didn't think about how this boy, whom he deliberately ignored and who couldn't even be seen with 'Moody's' magic eye, knew his name.
I didn't even think about why a fourth-grade student could use the Cruciatus Curse so skillfully.
He had no intention of thinking about his master's mission.
His entire body was burning, something seemed to be trying to tear his skull apart, his eyeballs were rammed into his brain and spinning wildly, every nerve was being torn apart by ants, and his skin was being forcibly peeled off and doused with chili water.
He couldn't faint; his mind was incredibly clear, and he was acutely aware of everything.
He had only one thought: to faint or die.
He actually did it; his body slammed against the ground, his fingers rubbed against the ground, and he gouged out and crushed his eyeballs while scratching himself.
Barty Crouch Jr. had never been subjected to such the Cruciatus Curse, not even his master's.
The string of reason is broken and then repaired; even madness, like that of the Longbottoms, cannot be used to escape suffering.
They can still rationally control their own bodies as they abuse themselves, in vain trying to escape some of the pain originating from the Cruciatus Curse.
It seems that thousands of years have passed.
The boy's voice rang out again, "Oh dear, I can't break you yet."
Then, the hand that had been rubbed raw to the bone healed, the eyeball reappeared in its socket, and the mixture of minced meat, blood, and bone fragments on the ground disappeared.
Everything was restored to its original state, including his memories.
Everything that had just happened was transformed into a dream that only Basil, the mastermind, remembered; it did not become reality.
"Finite Incantatem." 'Moody' pointed his wand at himself, and a flash of blue light appeared.
He landed on the ground. Oh no, I forgot about this clueless brat.
He forcibly forgot his own identity and put himself in the shoes of the real Mad-Eye 'Moody,' thus finding an excuse not to punish Basil.
For some reason, he subconsciously didn't want to offend the boy.
"Bucky," Hermione said anxiously, "He's a professor, after all."
Apart from Draco and his two companions, whose eyes gleamed with glee and schadenfreude, everyone else shared Hermione's worry.
However, the boys mostly admired him, respecting his courage, boldness, and superb Nonverbal Spell.
Then, their expressions turned to confusion.
Because 'Moody' wasn't angry, 'Good lad, you've got guts!'
He waved his wand, merely cleaning up the liquid and bottles that had spilled on the ground.
He was not worried about the Polyjuice Potion being recognized.
The cooled Polyjuice Potion decoction is a dark, viscous, mud-like liquid.
The potion, once added to a wizard's body tissue, will change color and taste depending on the wizard.
It hasn't been finalized at all.
Moreover, he added sherry without affecting the efficacy of the medicine.
To most wizards in the British Wizarding World who only followed the rules when brewing Potions, this alcohol-smelling stuff could not possibly be Polyjuice Potion.
He's only thinking about how to cover it up right now.
"Hufflepuff 10 points!"
"Because you dared to risk offending the professor to help your friend."
"Hufflepuff, deduct 5 points for attacking the professor."
"What?" Hermione asked, disbelieving her ears.
Neville, who was preparing to plead for leniency, and everyone else in the classroom had their mouths agape in an "O" shape.
Moody chuckled. "You think I'd punish this brat?"
"I am a Gryffindor."
"Most importantly, I am still Frank and Alice's friend."
Neville's face flushed instantly, his expression a complex mix of shame, fear, and surprise.
Everyone else looked at Neville with curiosity, as he seemed to have never talked about his parents.
Taking advantage of the moment, Moody struck hard, slapping Neville on the shoulder.
"Do you think you're weak, mediocre in magic, and good for nothing except Herbology?"
Neville nodded subconsciously.
"Wrong!" Moody shouted angrily, "You are Neville Lumbaton!"
"Your parents were both Auror fighting on the front lines against the Death Eater, and were highly skilled wizards Mana survived three separate incidents even when the Dark Lord himself intervened!"
"You are their son!"
Neville lowered his head even further; he had heard his grandmother say these words many times before.
"His parents are so amazing, how come they've never mentioned it?" Ron said incredulously.
"Lift your head, kid!" 'Moody' snapped.
"Otherwise, all my efforts would have been in vain."
"You don't actually think I let you observe the Cruciatus Curse up close just to scare you, do you?"
"I'm doing this to help you overcome your weaknesses."
Moody laboriously shuffled his prosthetic leg to Neville's side, turning him to face the audience, and raised his hand high as he took his. "There are two victims of the Unforgivable Curses in this classroom."
"One of them, of course, needs no introduction—the famous Harry Potter, the only the Boy Who Lived to survive the Killing Curse."
"And the other one is Neville Lumbaton!"
"I was also under that spell?" Neville murmured.
"Of course not," Moody released Neville's hand and patted his back heavily. "You've been hit by the Cruciatus Curse."
You should remember those four people's names, right?
Moody leaned down, his voice trembling, concealing an unknown excitement.
Neville closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Bellatrix Lestrange Rodolphus Lestrange Rabastan Lestrange, and..."
"Who else?" Moody practically roared, his body trembling. "Speak!"
The whispering students immediately fell silent, becoming completely quiet.
Neville was startled too, clenching his fists and shouting just as loudly, "Barty Crouch Jr. Crouch.!"
"Well said!" Moody's face flushed. "It was those four who used the Cruciatus Curse to drive Frank and Alice insane in order to find out where the Dark Lord was! But they weren't the only victims that night."
"Me?" Neville's pupils contracted.
"Yes!" Moody nodded. "They didn't let you go. In fact, you suffered far more than your parents did."
"But you persevered!" 'Moody's' still-intact eye gleamed.
"But unfortunately, your grandmother cast Memory Charm on you in an attempt to help you."
"Moody" sighed, "Your forgetfulness, cowardice, and insensitivity to magic all stem from this."
"The Memory Charm helps you get rid of the painful memories of the Cruciatus Curse, but it also brings you these aftereffects."
"Without it, you would be a gifted wizard, not just good at Herbology."
Do you regret it?
Neville shook his head, his gaze resolute. "I don't regret it. At least I had a fairly happy childhood, and I love herbs the most."
Moody looked a little disappointed, but then perked up, "You won't think that way anymore."
"The Memory Charm cannot erase your talent; it still exists. All you need is a little confidence and a new wand."
"If I'm not mistaken, it is—"
Neville gripped his wand tightly, as if afraid someone would take it away. "It belongs to my father."
"Yes," Moody laughed, "It is also the greatest source of clumsiness and incongruity in magic."
"Twelve inches, sapwood, Unicorn Tail Hair."
"It is not bad."
"However, wands made of Unicorn Hair are very loyal and are usually closest to their first owner."
"But its owner is still alive and did not personally hand it over to you."
"Therefore, it is still loyal to your father."
Ron nodded. "I've used Charlie's wand before, it's also made of Unicorn Tail Hair, and I only did so-so in my first and second years. Neville, you really should get a new wand."
Neville lowered his head, seemingly muttering something like, "My grandmother."
Moody quickly added, "I will write to Augusta; we can't let futile insistence harm Frank's son."
Neville returned to his seat, and the lesson continued.
Next, 'Moody' did not demonstrate the Killing Curse as before.
Instead, they began to talk about its history.
"'Avada Kedavra' is an ancient Aramaic spell, the exact time and person who created it are unknown."
"Actually, it would be more appropriate to call it the Killing Curse, but in order to conceal its casting conditions and its significant killing effect, there is no counter-curse, so people prefer to call it the Killing Curse."
"It is worth mentioning that the Ministry of Magic only listed the Killing Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse as the 'Three Unforgivable Curses' in 1717."
"So, even earlier, it was actually legal."
For the rest of the class, the students were busy taking notes, recording the three Unforgivable Curses.
The classroom was quiet, no one spoke until the bell rang—but as soon as Moody announced the end of class and the students left the classroom, all sorts of discussions suddenly surged up like a flood that had burst its banks.
Most of the students spoke of Basil's remarkable feats in the classroom with awe.
"He's so cool. That's Mad-Eye Moody, and he just hung him upside down in mid-air."
Ron, with a somber expression, said with deep emotion, "Like Neville, I am a genius held back by my old wand. It's been a year since I got a new wand. When will my talent awaken from its slumber?"
Hermione and Harry ignored him.
Hermione was still shaken and clung to Basil. "Luckily, Professor Moody didn't make a big deal out of it. It would have been terrible if you had been sent back to Castelobruxo."
Harry has been frowning ever since class started.
They didn't even notice when Moody invited Neville to his office for tea in front of them.
Ron finally noticed that something was wrong with Harry.
"Harry, why are you going upstairs? It's lunchtime, time to eat. What's wrong with you?"
Harry quickly changed the subject. "I have a feeling that something's off about what Professor Moody drank, it's like... like... Polyjuice Potion!"
Basil looked at Harry in surprise.
Polyjuice Potion is a near-perfect Potions. The changes in taste and smell that occur after it is added to a wizard's body tissue are imperceptible even to the most skilled Master of Potions, unless observed up close.
Harry happened to observe it up close, and he had also drunk Polyjuice Potion once, but he actually—
That makes sense, though. Despite the negative influence of Snape and Ron, Harry was still able to get an E (good) in Potions at OWLs (Ordinary Wizarding Levels).
While Basil pondered Harry's Potions talent, Ron recalled what Polyjuice Potion was different from, Hermione decisively shook her head.
She pointed out sharply that the liquid flowing from the bottle had an unmistakable alcoholic smell.
Polyjuice Potion cannot be mixed with alcohol. The book states that their reactions are very delicate, so if any of the ingredients, timing, or stirring techniques are incorrect, the decoction will fail, let alone adding alcohol.
"Hermione, your thinking is too rigid," Basil sighed.
Hermione's rigid thinking and rote learning are personal traits that she inevitably embodies even in the movie version.
"If you want to add alcohol without affecting the efficacy of the medicine, simply add the alcohol before the African Tree Snake Skin turns the liquid blue, and at the same time add one-fourteenth of the volume of the alcohol powder of the Sacred Horned Beast."
"The Potions textbook describe the general techniques, but each Master of Potions has a more personalized approach and their own favorite herbs."
"For example, Kree Belby, the inventor of the Wolfsbane Potion, preferred to use a combination of swan feathers and Dingxiang rather than beetle powder when softening mineral toxins."
"Castelobruxo very familiar with this kind of operation. When we learn Potions, we don't just tell you the ingredients and the key points of the operation."
"We will also break down each step, explaining to students why we do it, what its purpose is, and how else we can do it."
"So don't be surprised if you drink a Butterbeer- flavored Potions in Castelobruxo."
"You can do that?" Hermione was very surprised. "I knew that Castelobruxo's students were particularly good at brewing Potions, but I didn't know that's how the difference was made."
"No wonder Libashe Borach was able to write such great works as 'Advanced Potion-Making,' 'The Asian Antidote Compendium,' and 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Bottle!!'"
Basil reminded him, "Don't forget where Kree Belby comes from— Ravenclaw."
"Don't be fooled by their less-than-stellar academic performance; it's because they dedicate more energy to research."
"Study your favorite field and pursue its principles."
"Not in exams."
Hermione recalled the nickname 'Know-It-All'.
At that time, every student in her grade had called her "know-it-all" at least once, and even Snape once made that sarcastic remark about her.
From then until now, she has always believed that her jealousy stemmed from her own excellence.
Just now, she realized for the first time that this might not have anything to do with jealousy.
It was simply a sarcastic remark that she only knew how to be a good student who strived to excel in every subject.
After getting a perfect score in a course, stop there and only scratch the surface.
"Did I really go the wrong way?" Hermione murmured.
Basil took her hand. "Not entirely. Getting a perfect score in every subject is also a testament to your talent."
"Your problem is that you learn too much and don't have time to digest it and make it your own. This leads to rigid thinking."
"If all you want to do is graduate with excellent grades, find a good job, and be a simple magic user, then that's fine."
"But if you want to achieve something in magic and delve deeper, you need to pursue something beyond the pages."