Defense Against the Dark Arts in the original story mainly covered three themes.
First, recognizing and learning how to deal with Dark creatures.
For example, in their third year, Lupin taught Harry and the others about a range of Dark creatures.
Boggarts, Red Caps, and the like.
Second, learning about Dark spells and developing some ability to defend against them.
For instance, in the original story, Moody (though he was actually Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise) once used the Imperius Curse on Harry.
This was to train him to resist the spell.
Third, dueling rules, along with some commonly used spells and techniques.
Harry learned the Disarming Charm and basic dueling rules in his second-year classes.
What interested Devero most were the various Dark spells.
In the original story,
Harry and the others encountered the Three Unforgivable Curses in their Fourth Year.
But Devero had only just realized, after getting Quirrell's syllabus today,
that the Three Unforgivable Curses were actually part of the Sixth Year curriculum.
Moody had actually taught material beyond the syllabus.
The main focus in Fourth and Fifth Year was on various defensive and counter-spells.
The main focus in Years One through Three was defending against different Dark creatures.
Of course, that material was also covered from Fourth to Seventh Year.
But it made up a much smaller portion of the curriculum.
At that moment, Devero was sitting on a bench outside Professor Quirrell's Defense Against the Dark Arts office.
The place reeked of garlic.
But it was still far better than Quirrell's office!
When Devero had just walked in,
he'd almost thrown up right in the doorway.
Luckily, he'd adjusted his breathing in time using the Zen Meditation Method.
That had kept him from passing out on the spot in the office doorway.
After that, he'd absolutely refused to go back inside Quirrell's office.
That place was practically hell!
Devero couldn't understand how Voldemort could stand such a horrendous environment.
Oh! Right.
Voldemort didn't have a nose!
At the thought, Devero couldn't help snickering.
"What's the matter, Alexander? Have you made your choice?"
Quirrell sat down beside Devero, speaking in a shrill, soft voice as he carried a teapot.
Professor Quirrell looked kind and amiable.
You'd never guess he was a Death Eater possessed by Voldemort.
Devero discreetly shifted a little farther away.
The smell coming off Quirrell was just...
Truly awful.
"Professor, I've made up my mind. I'll go straight into the Sixth Year course."
Devero handed the syllabus back to Quirrell.
At that,
Quirrell's hand paused as he poured the tea.
He looked at Devero in surprise.
"Er, Alexander, you're only in your First Year. Professor Dumbledore told me you have a great talent for spells, but jumping straight into Sixth Year is still..."
Quirrell furrowed his brow slightly.
He tried his best to talk Devero out of it.
"If you're interested in spells, you could consider joining the Fourth Year course. This year, we'll start covering some counter-spells. It should be just right for you."
As he spoke,
Quirrell flipped open his syllabus.
He turned to the page for Fourth Year.
That surprised Devero a little.
Quirrell really was preparing to teach his students properly?
When Devero had first gotten the syllabus,
he'd assumed Quirrell had simply borrowed someone else's lesson plans.
He hadn't expected him to know the material so well.
Devero narrowed his eyes slightly as he considered Quirrell's suggestion.
But in the end, he shook his head.
"Professor, I still think I should start with Sixth Year. Trust my talent. If I can't keep up, I can always join the Fourth Year course instead."
After hearing this,
Quirrell didn't try to dissuade him again.
Instead, he asked Devero with great interest.
As he spoke, he waved his wand.
The teapot floated over and filled Devero's cup.
"All right, but I have one more question, Alexander. Why choose Sixth Year instead of Seventh Year? If you really want a challenge, Seventh Year has a comprehensive review specifically for the N.E.W.T.s. Since the material has already been covered, it isn't actually much more difficult. It would also let you review the previous years' lessons, so it might suit you better."
Quirrell sounded incredibly professional.
He spoke just like a real teacher.
Even so,
Devero shook his head slightly.
"Professor, I'm mainly very interested in the Sixth Year lessons on Silent Spells."
As he spoke,
Devero picked up the tea Professor Quirrell had brewed and took a sip.
A flicker of anticipation showed in his eyes.
"And I'd get to see the Unforgivable Curses, wouldn't I?"
Clang!
The teacup fell from Quirrell's hand.
It hit the floor and shattered.
The tea splashed all over him.
Devero was startled too.
He jumped to his feet.
He looked at Quirrell.
Suddenly, Quirrell seemed to have lost his soul.
His eyes were blank.
The scalding tea had splashed all over him,
but he didn't react at all.
A full ten seconds passed.
Devero had already used his wand to clean up the mess on the floor
before Quirrell finally seemed to come to his senses and looked around.
"Professor, are you all right?"
Devero offered him a cup of water he'd conjured with the Water Summoning Charm and asked with concern.
Quirrell took the cup in a daze.
He drank it all in one go.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry, Alexander, I'm so sorry. I... it's a side effect from when that vampire hurt me earlier. Oh dear... I'm fine, I'm fine..."
Quirrell sat down in a chair, rubbing his forehead.
After a little while, he finally looked up at Devero.
"I see, Alexander. Yes, I can understand. When I was a student, I was fascinated by the famous Three Unforgivable Curses too. I wanted to study them, but..."
Quirrell straightened up.
His expression turned serious.
"But unfortunately, last year the Ministry of Magic issued a ban forbidding us from demonstrating the Three Unforgivable Curses to students in class. We'll only discuss their ori—"
As he spoke,
Quirrell suddenly froze again.
His eyes went blank once more.
That vampire thing must have flared up again.
Honestly,
Devero was very disappointed to hear that.
He hadn't seen any such ban in the original story.
But then again, it made sense.
In the original story,
Barty Crouch Jr. had taught the class disguised as Moody.
As a Death Eater, or the Ministry of Magic's greatest Auror,
breaking a rule or two was perfectly normal.
But Quirrell had come to the school on a special mission.
There was no way he'd grant Devero's wish
and actually demonstrate an Unforgivable Curse in class.
If someone complained afterward,
his plan to steal the Sorcerer's Stone would be ruined.
Devero was now fairly certain
that his plan to learn the Three Unforgivable Curses by watching someone else cast them
would have to be put off.
Just then,
Quirrell's presence of mind suddenly returned.
He looked at Devero,
his expression conflicted.
It seemed like he was struggling to make a difficult decision.
At last, he took a deep breath.
The corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
In his shrill, soft voice, he said to Devero,
"I'm sorry, Alexander. Perhaps I remembered it wrong. There must not be any such ban. Demonstrating the Three Unforgivable Curses in class is, of course, an essential part of the curriculum."
--
After Devero left the room in high spirits,
Quirrell's expression instantly turned to terror.
He trembled,
and spoke with extreme caution.
"Master, this... this is far too risky. If we get—"
Before Quirrell could finish,
a voice, extremely weak
yet full of authority, came from the back of Quirrell's head.
"Quirrell, put aside your cowardice! This boy is interesting. Alexander... he's very special. If he can be brought to my side, the Sorcerer's Stone won't matter at all!"
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