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Yes. Professor Moody had not been facing the young wizards. He had stood sideways, with his head lowered. His body had happened to block the view of some students on the left, so they had not been able to see what he had done. They only knew that the spider seemed to be in pain.
Their reminder just now had been meant to tell him they had not seen clearly.
Moody had completely ignored it.
That made things awkward.
They could only do it again.
Moody deliberately turned and glanced at Neville, who sat near the back rows. He saw that Neville's expression remained normal. Facing the curse that had broken his parents' minds, Neville was still calm.
With a gloomy face, Moody cast the spell a second time. This time, he chose a position facing everyone, and he did not lower his head completely. Every young wizard could see clearly.
After the second spider tore off all its legs, Moody finally withdrew his wand with satisfaction.
Then he asked the same question again.
"Professor, this is a sustained curse. If someone counterattacks while under the Cruciatus Curse, can they stop it by defeating the caster?"
This kind of question again.
Moody fell silent.
"Professor, if someone blocks pain, can they become immune to this spell? There is a potion that can numb a person's sense of pain. If someone takes that potion, can they resist Crucio?"
Moody fell silent again.
The students in this class were very different from what he had imagined. They were completely different from students in other years.
Their focus was wrong.
Very wrong.
"Next is the final Unforgivable Curse."
"The Killing Curse."
When he spoke that name, everyone's expression became unnatural.
Compared with the first two curses, the last one, Avada Kedavra, was the most terrifying.
Seeing the young wizards' expressions, Moody nodded in satisfaction. This reaction was finally correct. His crooked mouth twitched, forcing out a smile uglier than a grimace.
"The final and most powerful curse. You call it the Killing Curse."
As he spoke, Moody placed the two legless spiders on the desk, took out his wand, and pointed it at them.
"Avada Kedavra!"
With a flash of dazzling green light, the two spiders flipped over. There was not a single wound on their bodies, but a gray-white film covered their eight eyes.
Clearly, they were dead.
The young wizards below widened their eyes, their bodies shivering involuntarily.
The Killing Curse was a taboo even among Dark spells.
"Unpleasant, is it not?"
Moody's voice was very calm.
"There is no counter-curse, and no way to block it. As far as people know, only one person has ever escaped this curse, and he is sitting in front of us now."
Along with his words, the young wizards all looked toward Harry.
This time, there were finally no strange questions.
"Avada Kedavra requires powerful magic as its foundation. Ordinary wizards cannot cast it properly at all. If you do not believe me, you can all take out your wands, point them at me, and speak the incantation. I suspect I would at most get a nosebleed. But that is not the point. I am here to teach you how the curse is spoken."
Moody paused after speaking, seeming to realize that this sounded improper. He added another sentence.
"If there is no counter-curse, why am I showing you this? Of course, to make you understand it clearly. Only by understanding the severe consequences can you remain vigilant about what may happen in the future. Remember, using any one of these three curses on a human being is enough to earn you a lifetime in Azkaban."
"Of course, some people have used underhanded little methods to escape the Ministry's punishment. Like the survival tricks of filthy rats in a sewer."
As Moody spoke, his gaze fell on Draco.
"Am I right, child of the Malfoy family? Your father claimed he had been under the Imperius Curse and had not served the Dark Lord of his own will. Listen to that pathetic excuse."
"He was one of the Dark Lord's most trusted right-hand men. We saw him standing beside the Dark Lord more than once."
"A vile vulture. Filth from a gutter. He should be glad he did not meet me when he was committing crimes before, or I would have broken both his legs and dragged him to Azkaban myself."
If Draco still sat there and did nothing after someone publicly insulted his father, he would truly become a laughingstock.
Ignoring Crabbe and Goyle pulling at him, Draco stood from his seat and said to Moody with a dark expression, "Professor Moody, I believe my father is not as contemptible as you say."
He did not know why this old madman had suddenly attacked him, but Draco did not believe in staying silent after being insulted.
"You say my father is a criminal. Do you have evidence?"
Moody's mouth twisted into an ugly smile. Draco did not know that Moody's purpose was precisely to make him argue back.
"Oh, you are truly like your hypocritical father. The same disgusting face. The same loathsome air."
Moody suddenly raised his wand and flung a spell at Draco.
"The first lesson I will teach you today is this."
"Never question a wizard stronger than you."
However, Moody's smile froze the moment it appeared.
"Protego."
Draco reflexively drew his wand. The instant Moody cast at him, he released a Shield Charm on himself.
When Dudley and the others practiced dueling, they often chose to attack suddenly. Anyone who reacted too slowly would be toyed with.
Over time, the reaction speed of the disciplinary group naturally became something else entirely.
Although the Shield Charm blocked Moody's attack, the force still pushed Draco several steps back.
"A Transfiguration spell? Professor Moody, you attacked me?"
Draco looked at Moody in disbelief. He had not expected a professor to attack him.
Moody had also not expected a mere fourth-year student to block his attack, especially a surprise attack.
There was a sharp scrape.
Every member of the disciplinary group stood up at once. Many Slytherin students also rose with them.
"Professor Moody, I think you owe us a reasonable explanation."
Leaving aside the disciplinary group, Slytherin was currently more united than ever. Moody had struck Draco without any clear reason. They naturally had to demand an explanation. If he could not provide a reasonable one, they did not mind taking the professor down first and bringing him to Dumbledore to answer for it.
"Good. You did well, Malfoy."
Moody stared at Draco for a while with his magical eye.
"I only wanted to tell you that no matter what you face, and no matter whom you face, you cannot relax."
"I am not only talking about professors. Sometimes, even in front of family, you must remain on guard, or you will die miserably."
"You need constant vigilance. Never slacken."
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