[Unforgivable Curses]
Lily wrote on the blackboard with her wand. There were the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw houses. Altair was sitting next to Harley, who was completely focused on the class, not wanting to disappoint her mother in any way possible.
"Does anyone know why they are called unforgivable curses?" she asked. Granger's hand was in the air a second before Azalea's.
"Because using them leads to imprisonment in Azkaban," said the brown-haired girl quickly. Lily smiled at her; the teacher liked Granger very much.
Altair still found her a little irritating, although she was bearable outside of class. "Correct. Azkaban, you've probably heard about it recently," she said, referring to last year, when both Bellatrix Black and Peter Pettigrew escaped from the prison. "It's the most secure prison in the entire wizarding world. Before last year's events, it had a zero escape rate. It's not a nice place, unless you want to live with Dementors," some students shifted in their seats.
"Will you teach us the curses?" asked a Ravenclaw student, the girl next to his desk looking at him as if he were an idiot.
"Not how to cast them, that's for sure," Lily commented lightly. "But to identify them and defend against them." The boy seemed a little less embarrassed by that. "Now, can anyone tell me how many Unforgivable Curses there are?" This time, Azalea answered.
It wasn't because she raised her hand the fastest, but because Lily had imposed a rule in class: if someone answered a question correctly, they couldn't answer the next two. It was a way to ensure that more students participated.
"There are three," Azalea replied, answering only what was asked.
"Do anyone of you know any?" Lily asked again.
"Cruciatus, the torture curse. I heard that Bellatrix Lestrange was quite fond of that curse," the words came out venomously from Ron Weasley's mouth.
Altair looked him in the eye, and Lily stepped between them, not wanting one of her students to wet themselves in the classroom.
"I asked about a curse, Mr. Weasley, not someone who cast it." Lily scolded the boy.
"Is it necessary to protect him?" the redhead asked again.
"As much as throwing accusations into the air," Lily said. Ron opened his mouth to replicate. "No. Don't pretend you didn't mean it that way. You're too young to understand, but during the war, both sides used unforgivable curses. The punishments were temporarily lifted, a controversial decision, and the war became bloodier." The teacher's eyes wandered a little, and she blinked to refocus.
"I..."
"That's the third time you've spoken without raising your hand, 5 points off Gryffindor," said the professor, and Hermione looked like she wanted to throw a troll's club at Ron's face.
"Now, yes, Cruciatus. Its incantation is Crucio. This curse will induce agonizing pain. You can imagine the worst pain of your life and multiply it a thousand times, and it still won't come close. It's not just physical pain; your magic, your soul suffers," the professor explained.
"Magic, soul, how do they suffer?" Hermione asked after lifting her hand.
"It cannot be put into words. Only through experience can you learn it, and I hope you never have to go through it," the professor said, then pointed a magic projector at the blackboard. "The following video will show the curse. If anyone needs to leave, do so now," the professor said, addressing Neville, but the boy did not move from his seat.
The magic projector was another invention introduced recently to the wizarding world. Considering that cell phones had already arrived, one even wondered why there wasn't a device for projecting videos on a large scale.
The projector's memory came from Lily, who had been an Auror. The memory included her alongside a group of five Aurors facing Morti-gars. She made sure that the faces were covered on both sides.
"It looks like an intense red flash. You might think it's similar to Expelliarmus, but no, the intensity is different; it's unique. Even if you've never seen it before, you'll recognize it," said Lily.
Seconds later, one of the Death Eaters cast the spell at an Auror. Through Lily's eyes, she watched as the red beam shot from the tip of the wand and hit the Auror. The scream that followed was heart-wrenching. Lily paused the video after a few seconds of watching the body convulse.
"The next two videos are just as disturbing. Everyone here is 20 years old, so I hope you can handle it, but I won't judge you if you decide to skip them," she said, looking at the pale faces of most of the students. "Next curse," Lily said. "Anyone?"
As soon as she said the last word, three students left the room.
"Imperius," Seamus Finnigan said this time, looking at Ron, who had told him about it. "It gives you the ability to bend the other person to your will," he added.
"Correct," Lily said softly. "This one will bend the recipient to the will of the caster. Most people would not be able to tell the difference between the normal person and the person under the curse." She changed the image on the projector. "Its chant is Imperio. Its color is bluish, so faint that it can go unnoticed. Some skilled casters can cast it completely colorless," said the professor.
The video showed another moment from what appeared to be the same fight as before. Two sides were fighting, and suddenly, one of the Aurors cast an explosive curse in Lily's direction.
"Did anyone notice the spell?" she asked aloud.
No one answered. "It's hard to notice in battle. But that's not the only use for the curse; infiltration was a big problem during the war," she added. "And is there a curse missing, Mr. Black?" she asked Altair directly.
"The killing curse, Avada Kedavra," replied the boy, who didn't seem as gloomy as the rest of the group.
"Yes... The killing curse, considered by most to be the most repugnant of the three. It's fast, a green flash, similar to lightning. It only needs to touch the target, a hand, a foot, a finger, hit them on the ear... If it hit, the person dies, no counter-curse, no magical shield can stop it," she played a new video.
The same fight. Now, only three Aurors were left standing. The students held their breath, watching the Death Eaters, waiting for that green flash the teacher had described.
But the flash did not come from the Death Eaters.
"Avada Kedavra," chanted one of the Aurors next to Lily. The professor had covered his face, but the person who cast the killing curse was none other than James Potter.
The green beam struck a Death Eater.
That was the climax of the fight. The Death Eaters sensed danger, seeing one of the curses they loved to use coming back at them. They fled at that moment.
"The Unforgivable Curses can be terrifying, without a doubt. But there are ways to block them, to avoid them. Put your hand down, Miss Granger. It would be best to review this in the next class," the professor dismissed all the students.
Altair watched as most of them hurried out of the classroom, perhaps a little frightened by the professor. But not him. He had already used two of the three. How could he be intimidated by them?
Finally, he watched as Hermione walked toward the professor, who greeted her with a smile.
"Can I ask you something?" Hermione seemed a little hesitant.
"You always can, Ms. Granger," Lily replied softly.
"How do the Unforgivable Curses do what they do? What does the magic do to take a life completely, to control a person, or to cause them unbearable pain?" the girl asked.
Lily smiled delightedly.
"You're starting to sound more like a scientist than a student," she said happily.
And Altair looked at Granger curiously. She wanted to stop being a walking encyclopedia of magic, and now she wants to write one? He wondered, somewhat interested.