Chapter 478

Marianne, who was fiddling with her new hair clip with her head down, was startled by the sudden sound. When she looked up, she realized that Moody's demonic eye had been watching her all along.

She stood up tremblingly, her face flushed red, and whispered, "I've heard of it, it should be the Killing Curse..."

"Very well, sit down. But next time you come to class, you'd better put that thing away."

Moody turned her head, but the demonic eye remained fixed on her. "That's right, the Killing Curse, the most terrifying curse... but these are courses for sixth graders and above, too early for you."

"Who knows anything about more common forms of Dark Magic now?"

Several more hands were raised.

"Miss Prince," Moody pointed to Kanna.

"Uh, there should be one," Kanna said, "the Corrosion Curse."

"Ah, yes, standard Dark Magic." Moody nodded. "It can corrode flesh and bone, is extremely dangerous, and is the most popular technique among most dark wizards... You might not understand what I mean."

He took out his wand and flicked it lightly at the podium.

The platform was immediately covered with a layer of purple, mud-like substance, and the hard wood melted instantly, like ice cubes being doused with hot water.

The students sitting in the front row leaned back, afraid of being affected.

Moody waved his wand again, restoring the podium to its original state.

"Anything else? Does anyone know of any other spells?"

Everyone raised their hands again, and he randomly pointed to someone.

"Horn-Growing Hex!"

"Barely," Moody said, "But this curse is more often classified as a restrictive curse; it's not illegal as long as it doesn't cause harm."

"I know one, Professor," someone else said. "The Fiendfyre."

"The standard answer."

"Densaugeo Curse!"

"Very good."

The atmosphere in the classroom had been completely enlivened; the students no longer seemed afraid of Moody's scarred face and began eagerly raising their hands to answer questions.

However, among these people, some truly knew, some were just hearing rumors, and some even made up a spell on the spot... but Moody immediately saw through it.

Once the atmosphere was just right, Professor Moody clapped his hands again, signaling everyone to put them down.

"Alright, let's get back to the point," he said. "Without exception, all of these Dark Magic can cause a lot of trouble. Logically, I should be teaching you all the various counter-spells right now, whether it's the Ministry of Magic's regulations or the textbooks, that's what they say, but I don't think so."

I believe the most effective way to break a curse is to prevent the enemy's Dark Magic from hitting you. Therefore, I've decided to teach you the simplest and most common defensive method in the first lesson!

He turned his head and quickly wrote several large characters on the blackboard, but everyone knew that at that moment, his "magic eye" was definitely observing them through the back of his head.

So no one dared to whisper at this time; everyone sat up straight.

Moody finished writing quickly, turned around, pointed to the blackboard, and said:

"The Shield Charm is the most effective defensive measure. Wizards who are proficient in the Shield Charm can resist ninety percent of Dark Magic. At the same time, this charm is also the entry requirement for Auror."

If any of you want to become Auror after graduation, remember this: only those who are proficient in the Shield Charm can take the Auror exams. Otherwise, even if you get all the certificates, you will be rejected.

Some people immediately took out their quill pens and began to take notes seriously.

"Professor..." At this moment, someone raised their hand and asked, "Can the Shield Charm withstand the Killing Curse?"

Moody's magic eye darted around, looking at the person.

"Theoretically, it is possible," he said. "But the Killing Curse is special. It contains not only magic but also the malice in people's hearts, which is the key to the Killing Curse. And this malice is far more terrifying than magic, so it often requires several times the magic power of the opponent to block the Killing Curse with the Shield Charm."

The difference is like you using Killing Curse against me... Honestly, it's not only pointless, it's also incredibly stupid. Because you don't know if your opponent is really as weak as they appear.

Therefore, the best way to deal with the Killing Curse is to avoid it, not to resist it...

The sound of quills scratching as they wrote could be heard again in the classroom.

Although this was something that was taught in higher grades, Moody didn't stop them from taking notes; instead, he waited quietly.

After everyone had finished writing, he waved his wand, and lines of small words appeared on the blackboard, along with a diagram of the wand gesture.

The diagram clearly shows the hand gestures required to cast the Shield Charm, as well as the direction and amplitude of the wand swing.

"This is homework," Moody said. "It's also the Shield Charm technique I've summarized. I require you to write it all down. We'll practice it in the next class. If anyone's theory is a mess..."

He grinned, revealing a jumble of scars on his face that made him look even more terrifying.

"Believe me, you'll regret it later."

Of course, I know some of you won't care about this at all, but that's okay. I'll tell the treatment room at the Hospital Wing in advance and have them prepare a few beds for you..."

The classroom was completely silent. For the rest of the class, everyone was busy copying notes from the blackboard; no one spoke until the bell rang...

Moody limped out of the classroom, the thumping sound of his wooden legs on the ground fading into the distance until it disappeared.

In an instant, a torrent of discussions arose.

Apart from a small number of students who expressed concern, most were excited and just wanted Friday to come quickly, as that was the only day they could have their second Defence Against the Dark Arts.

"He's really good, isn't he?" Mikel said, looking at the parchment covered in writing in his hand after leaving the classroom.

"He's incredibly knowledgeable about all kinds of Dark Magic. I made up such a convincing story, yet he still managed to spot it... It seems not everyone is like Lockhart, all talk and no action."

Kyle glanced at him, hesitating whether to tell Mikel that the so-called "cleansing spell" he had made up actually had another name: the "purification spell."

Making whatever the wand points to disappear instantly—isn't that just like Scourgify?

Just as the Transfiguration Spell cannot conjure food, the Cleansing Charm is also ineffective against any living object. Let alone Moody, any wizard with even a modicum of common sense would know this is fabricated.

Otherwise, the Killing Curse would have been ranked second long ago, since it's far less convenient.