Imperius Curse

Tuesday, first floor of the Castle.

In the morning, the sleepy little wizard, half-asleep, stumbled through the corridor, occasionally bumping into empty, movable armor. The clanging and clattering startled the ghosts inside, and the little wizard was startled by the suddenly protruding severed hands, feet, or other limbs, instantly waking up from his daze.

Some young wizards bumped into Magical portrait on the wall, disturbing the sleeping figures within the frames. They were then yelled at and had to apologize profusely before running away as if fleeing.

A few unlucky young wizards might encounter troublesome ghosts or images, getting haunted all the way to the Great Hall with their grumbling and cursing.

The staircase leading from the Common Room of the various colleges to the Great Hall was crowded with freshmen who hadn't quite figured out the way yet, or whose legs were stuck in the empty steps, anxiously trying to pull themselves out. Some little Witch, whose first class was Potions class or Transfiguration, had tears welling up in their eyes, on the verge of crying.

Or they might stand at the corner of the stairs, gazing at the ever-changing stone steps, hesitant to move forward. Some clever freshmen might try to follow their seniors, only to discover that what appears to be the same staircase can be abruptly broken in the middle, leading in two different directions.

The young wizards from other grades watched with great interest, especially the second-year students, who were most engrossed, occasionally clicking their tongues in commentary, reminiscing about how they had done last year and how the new students were doing this year...

In short, this is something to cherish. Generally, there's only a lot of excitement to see in the first two weeks of the academic year. After that, once the new students figure out the routes or some clever ones draw up route maps, this excitement disappears.

The ancient Castle, with its thousand-year history, gradually awakens amidst the clanging of armor, angry shouts, and humble apologies, radiating the vitality and energy of a new day.

Loren and Hermione descended the spiral staircase together and saw Luna and Rolf gathered around the fountain statue, with several young wizards nearby, looking up at the hourglass of the House Points, their expressions a mixture of shock and confusion.

Justin had his arm around Rolf's shoulder. "I never would have guessed, Rolf, that you'd go on a night out with a girl, and the date location was the Forbidden Forest!"

Ernie Macmillan asked excitedly, "Tell us what you saw last night, and how the professor caught you?"

Rolf's cheeks flushed slightly, and he looked so ashamed that he wanted to dig a tunnel and escape.

In comparison, Luna wasn't very popular, and the young wizards in Ravenclaw valued House Points more, so they didn't look at Luna with friendly eyes.

Qiu Zhang glanced deeply at Luna, then pulled away with several close friends. Marietta Ekko's harsh complaints could still be heard even after they had gone far away.

Hermione gently patted Luna's shoulder. "Luna, are you alright?"

"Hermione, Loren, it's you two..." Luna smiled easily. "Good morning!"

Hermione pursed her lips, unsure whether the girl genuinely didn't sense the malice or simply didn't care about it. She patted the girl's shoulder and earnestly shared her experience:

"Although your nighttime exploration of the Forbidden Forest resulted in a significant deduction of points, with a little effort, you can still earn them back in a month or two. Aside from Professor Snape, actively participating in class and answering questions in other subjects will earn you five to ten points per lesson. Professor Hagrid gives the most points, so you can..."

"I know Professor Hagrid is going to continue the Blast-Ended Skrewts project." Luna's voice was pure and ethereal, seemingly without a trace of worry. "I love those Blast-Ended Skrewts; they're Fantastic Beasts that have never been mentioned in the books, like the Crumple-Horned Snorkack ... Hermione, do you think Professor Hagrid can breed Crumple-Horned Snorkack ..."

"..."

Hermione took a deep breath; she had never believed in the existence of the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, and her expression showed signs of discomfort.

Loren walked behind with a smile on his face.

Their classes were easy today. The first period was the A History of Magic, which they could sleep through, the second period was Charms, and there was only one outdoor Herbology Class in the afternoon...

In fact, they had a relatively easy time during this period, as all the clubs had cancelled their preparations for the Triwizard Tournament. The Animagus class was also cancelled due to a shortage of Mandrake, and only some graduates could apply to bring their own Mandrake for the course.

Thursday arrived quickly, and the afternoon Defense Against the Dark Arts, taught by Alastor Moody.

Loren and Hermione arrived relatively early and chose seats in the third row.

Because Professor Moody had left a deep impression on the young wizards last week, they behaved much better. Most of them arrived at the classroom early, and no one dared to hide unrelated books under their desks or bring snacks into the classroom.

Professor Moody walked in a minute before the school bell rang.

Just like the last time we met, his face, beneath a thick head of dark gray hair, appeared scarred and weathered, like old, decaying wood. A large chunk of flesh missing from his nose made him look even more grotesque and frightening.

One normal eye, like a black bead; the other an unusually large, bright blue demonic eye. The young wizards now know that the demonic eye can penetrate walls, wooden planks, and even the back of their own heads.

Moody swayed as he placed a cane on the edge of the podium and glanced around. "As I said in the last lesson, I always advocate for practical application in defense against Dark Arts... So in the next lesson, I will let you experience the Unforgivable Curses firsthand, starting with the Imperius Curse."

The young wizards' breathing became clearly audible, and an ominous premonition rose in their hearts. Dean mustered his courage and asked, "Professor, what... does that mean?"

Moody's blue magic eyes darted around, and as he forced a smile, the scars on his face tugged at the notch on his nose, making his whole face look like a writhing lump of flesh. "I am going to recite the spell to each of you in turn, so that you can experience this magic firsthand and enhance your ability to resist the Imperius Curse."

Loren and Hermione exchanged a glance, remaining silent in tacit agreement, deciding to observe the situation before taking any further action.

"But...but you said it was illegal, Professor," a student said.

"That's right."

"To inflict Unforgivable Curses on a person is a crime deserving of imprisonment in Azkaban."

Moody seemed unconcerned about their attitude, casually waving his wand to move the rows of desks and chairs in the middle of the classroom aside, along with the young wizards sitting on them, leaving a large open space in front of the podium.

"I've already discussed it with the headmaster. Dumbledore wants you to experience it." Moody's magical eye darted around, its expression sinister. "If anyone is willing to learn in a more cruel way, such as waiting for someone to recite this spell for you and completely control you, then that's fine, I agree. Those who can't accept it can leave."

The whispers among the young wizards subsided, and out of trust in Headmaster Dumbledore, no one voiced any further objections.

They sat in their seats with nervous anticipation, anxiously awaiting the impending Imperius Curse, their minds racing with a multitude of complex thoughts.

Hermione was incredulous. She whispered, "How could Headmaster Dumbledore agree to this?!"

"Don't overthink it. At least Professor Moody's Defense Against the Dark Arts does teach us something." Loren patted her hand.

Moody's smile widened on stage, "So, the first one Dean Thomas."

Dean's face turned pale with fright. He stood up, trembling, and walked to the front of the podium, saying in a shaky voice, "Professor..."

Moody made no unnecessary movements, pointed his wand at Dean, and boomed, "[Soul Possession]!"

Dean's trembling stopped. Loren and the others were close enough to see clearly that Dean's expression was no longer fearful, but calm and peaceful, with a faint smile on his lips, as if he were particularly relaxed.

"He's too nervous. I think some healthy exercise will help him relax," Moody said with a smile. "How about a relaxing three laps around the classroom?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Dean started hopping and skipping around, singing a song that was out of tune.

The cheerful and lighthearted program failed to relax the young wizards; on the contrary, the effects of the Imperius Curse on living people sent chills down their spines.

Moody waved his wand, dispelling the spell. Dean had jumped to the corner, stopped and crouched down in the corner, clutching his head, looking terrified.

"Look closely, this is the Imperius Curse. If I wanted, I could make him keep jumping until his legs break and he dies of exhaustion!"

Next, Moody began calling the students forward one by one to recite the Imperius Curse. Under the influence of the curse, the students did the most unusual things one after another. Lavender Brown imitated a squirrel, Neville did a series of gymnastic moves, Seamus almost stuffed himself into a drawer...

The young Slytherin wizards initially watched with amusement, but as more and more Gryffindor students fell victim to the curse, they gradually quieted down, their faces turning ashen as if they were about to freeze.