Alastor Moody

"I am your new professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts. I am here because Dumbledore requested me. End of conversation. Goodbye. Any questions?" he questioned, placing his hands behind his back.

No one dared to ask any questions.

"When it comes to Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which one of you can tell me how many Unforgivable Curses exist?"

"Three, sir," Hermione answered.

"Ah why are they called Unforgivable?"

"Because they are unforgivable. The wizard who uses them..." Hermione was interrupted by thenew professor.

"Gets a one-way ticket to Azkaban, correct?" he growled.

"Now, the Ministry says you are too young to see what they do. I say otherwise. You need to know what you're dealing with. You need to be prepared! So, which curse should we see first?" the madman asked.

"Weasley!" he exclaimed. "Name a Curse."

"Well, my father mentioned one... the Imperius Curse."

"Ah, yes. Your father knows it well. Gave the Ministry quite some work a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why," he stepped back and took out a spider from a glass jar.

"Imperius," he declared and began playing with the small spider, tossing it from one student to another, eliciting laughter from the class.

The spider jumped from Moody's hand onto a thin silk thread and started swinging back and forth as if on a trapeze. It stretched its rigid legs and performed somersaults, breaking the thread and landing on the table, where it began acrobatics in circles.

Everyone laughed - everyone, except Cassi and Moody. "Found it amusing, did you?" he snarled. "Would you like me to do that to you?"
The laughter ceased almost instantly.

"Total control! I could make it jump out the window, drown itself?"

He threw the spider into the water-filled jar. The poor creature writhed in agony as Moody watched with a serious expression.

"A few years ago, many wizards and witches claimed they only followed the orders of You-Know-Who. Under the influence of the Imperius Curse. But here's the question: how do we uncover the liars?"

"The Imperius Curse can be countered, and I will show you how, but it takes real strength of character, and not everyone possesses that. So it's best to avoid being cursed by it if you can." He paused silently.

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE!" he shouted, making all the students jump.
Moody picked up the acrobatic spider and tossed it back into the jar.

"Anyone know any others? Any other illegal curses?"

Many hands were raised, but to everyone's surprise, Neville's hand also went up. The only subject in which Neville typically volunteered information was Herbology, where he excelled without question. The boy seemed surprised by his own boldness.

"Which one?" Moody asked, his magical eye spinning to fixate on Neville.

"There's one, the Cruciatus Curse," said Neville, his voice weak but clear.
Moody looked at Neville attentively, this time with both eyes.

"Your name is Longbottom?" he asked, his magical eye spinning to check the attendance.
Neville nervously nodded in confirmation, but the professor didn't ask any further questions. Turning his attention back to the class, he took another spider from the jar and placed it on the desk, where it remained motionless, seemingly too frightened to move.

"The Cruciatus Curse," Moody began. "I need something bigger to give you an idea," he said, pointing his wand at the spider.

"Engorgio!" The spider swelled and now was larger than a tarantula. The professor raised his wand again, aimed it at the spider, and muttered:"Crucio!"
Instantly, the spider's legs folded under its body, and it turned upside down, writhing horribly, swinging back and forth. It made no sound, but it would surely be screaming if it could.

"Stop!" Hermione cried out with a high-pitched voice. "Don't you see you're hurting it? Stop!"

Cassiopeia looked at Hermione and realized she wasn't looking at the spider but at Neville.

Merlin's beard, yes. Cassi realized. Neville's parents were tortured by this curse until they went insane.

Neville's hands clung tightly to the desk in front of him, his knuckles white, his eyes wide and horrified.

Moody raised his wand. The spider's legs relaxed, but it still continued to writhe. "Reducio," he muttered, and the spider shrank back to its normal size.
He placed it back into the jar.

"Very well... does anyone else know any others?"

Cassi looked around and saw the apprehensive expressions on her classmates' faces, all thinking about what would happen to the last spider. Moody stopped in front of Hermione, who had tears in her eyes and was trembling.

"Perhaps you can tell us the last Unforgivable Curse, Miss Granger."

For the first time, Hermione refused to answer a question. Cassi decided then and there that she detested that professor.

"No?" he questioned, as he placed the spider in front of Hermione.

"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted.

There was a flash of blinding green light and a murmur, as if something vast and invisible was flying through the air.

"The Killing Curse. Only one person in the world has ever survived it. And he is sitting in this room," he concluded, staring at Potter.

⁀➷,

Cassiopeia was running through the castle towards the dungeons for Potions class. She had just used the Time-Turner and hoped to arrive at the class before the other students. However, in her haste, she bumped into someone and fell to the ground with a thud.

"I'm sorry, I didn't see where I was going," Cassi apologized, extending her hand to help the person up.

It was one of the French students.

"It's alright, I wasn't paying attention either," she dismissed while getting up.

"Cassiopeia Gaunt, enchantée," Cassi said with a smile.

She seemed surprised for a moment, but soon smiled widely and shook Cassi's hand back.

"Fleur Delacour, enchantée," she said, still smiling.

"Sais-tu que tu es la première personne de cette école à me parler dans ma langue?" Fleur commented, with a raised eyebrow.

Cassi laughed at that.

"Eh bien, si tu veux pas, je peux continuer en anglais" She suggested with a mischievous smile.

Fleur chuckled. "I don't mind, actUally. It's good to practice English," explained , but suddenly fixed her gaze on Cassiopeia. "You are quite charming, aren't you?"

Cassi blushed at the compliment.
"Thank you, but I believe you are the enchanting one among us," she replied, smiling.

Fleur laughed once again.

"I hOpe to see yoU again... in the corridors , ma jolie" she said with one last awkward wave before walking away.

Cassiopeia smiled like an idiot as she continued her way towards Potions class. The brief interaction with Fleur had left her mind floating.

'Ma jolie'

⁀➷,

It was raining that afternoon when she found Hermione in the library. Cassi observed her friend for a moment, checking out three books at once, looking truly irate.

"What's bothering that beautiful mind of yours?" she asked softly, so as not to startle her.
Hermione looked up with a scowl.

"Did you know there are house-elves in the castle?" she asked, absolutely furious.

"Well, I assumed so. It's quite common, there are some in my family," Cassi explained simply as she sat down.

Hermione seemed even more furious.
"You see, house-elves have a terrible life!" exclaimed Hermione indignantly. "It's slavery, that's what it is! Why isn't anyone doing anything to end such a situation?" Hermione pursed her lips and took a heavy breath.

"I agree, Hermione," said Cassi, nodding to her friend.

"I don't und-" Hermione abruptly stopped and looked at Cassiopeia as if she had two heads.
"Y-you agree?" Hermione seemed very confused.

"But of course, Hermione," Cassi replied simply, as if it were obvious. "They are living beings, they have feelings. They shouldn't be treated as objects, it's sickening."

Hermione was now gasping. "But you said you have-"

Cassi interrupted her. "Yes, my mother has house-elves in our mansions, but they are all treated with respect. They have clothes, rooms, and decent food. They stayed by choice, they find the idea of being 'free' a real insult," Cassi shrugged.

"So they get paid? Do they have vacations? Sick leave?" Hermione asked in a barrage of questions.

"Hermione, they have all the necessary rights, respecting their nature, for a dignified life. I know it may sound crazy... The common thing among pure-blood families is to maintain tradition and treat them as inferior beings. But you must have noticed that my mother has ideals opposite to the Gaunt legacy," she paused nervously.

Completely opposite, her family was the cruelest when it came to blood purity. Salazar would probably have an aneurysm if he talked to Noctua for 5 minutes.

"They are genuinely happy helping and serving. For many, it would be an offense to pay them. I wonder if deep down it's centuries of brainwashing, or if it's part of their nature," Cassi sighed.

Hermione was dumbfounded for a moment.
"I only found out about the Hogwarts elves at dinner when we arrived. I asked the same question to Ron, and he and Nearly Headless Nick laughed at me," said Hermione, looking up.

"Is that why you stopped eating so suddenly?" Cassi asked, holding her friend's hand.

"I couldn't, Cassi, I felt disgusted," Hermione grimaced. "A dinner made with slave labor!"
"People just accept this situation as if it were normal, as if they enjoy being enslaved, when in reality they are undergoing brainwashing," Hermione said sadly.

"Because they are too lazy to think about it when they receive all the privileges," Cassi smiled gently. "Is that what you've been doing? Seeking solutions?"

Hermione vigorously nodded.
"I'm putting together a project, I've barely started and there's so much... I don't even know if it would work," Hermione began to look downcast, and Cassiopeia held her hand tighter.

"It will work! Hermione, you are the brightest witch I've had the honor to know, after my mother, of course," Cassi smiled, and Hermione laughed at that.

"If you truly want this, I'll be by your side to support you in whatever way I can. Ideas, money, connections with influential people... Whatever you need, I'll be here to help you," Cassi said with a big smile. "You're going to change the world, Hermione Jean Granger."
Hermione's eyes were brimming with tears.

"Me? Books and cleverness? There are more important things," she gave a small embarrassed sob suddenly.

"You know you're much more than that. If you weren't, I wouldn't even be your friend. I'm a Slytherin, for Salazar's snakes!" Cassi said with a laugh.

"Come on, show me what you've found so far," she requested, sitting next to her friend.
Cassi spent a few hours listening to Hermione talk, the conviction in her voice, the passionate look she had every time she expressed her anger about injustices. Cassi also addressed important points, explaining to her friend the need to start small and seek respect and an end to punishments. Perhaps because she was a Muggle-born, Hermione didn't fully understand wizarding culture, so Cassiopeia made a point to explain it.

A few days later, Hermione came up with a project called S.P.E.W (Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare). Cassiopeia was the first to sign her name in the membership book and proudly wore the association's badge.