Harry Potter and the Bucket List

Year 4 - 3

Beta: Cloudy

(≖‿‿≖)ノ⌒●~*

Everything was semi-normal for the next couple of weeks at Hogwarts. Hagrid seemed to catch on that a lot of the students were thoroughly grossed out by the abomination he had bred together, and offered that a couple of students could help out by mucking out some other animal pens.

If it was a choice between cleaning up griffin shit or feeding those balls of yuckiness I took the shit every time.

The other classes weren't getting easier, either. Runes homework took up a lot of my free time, and the other classes weren't holding back in handing out assignments. Even my favorite—Potions—was getting a hassle with the amount of essays on antidotes Professor Snape was demanding.

I was a hardworking genius at Potions, but that didn't stop my hand from cramping writing out everything requested. I barely had time for my self-studies in spellcrafting and rudimentary rituals (basically vanilla rituals since I couldn't be caught learning about the heavy-duty rituals at Hogwarts).

At least Tom was having fun while I did classes. He had been devouring what medical knowledge I knew with rabid fascination. He started asking if I could check out alchemy textbooks and peruse through them so he could have the memories. I wasn't sure how exactly that worked—maybe Tom figured out a way to capture memories in my mind palace like a photograph? Checking out and flipping through the public texts on alchemy ate up the last bit of my little time I had outside of work. It made Tom happy though, so I wasn't complaining.

All the fourth years had noticed a definite increase in the amount of work we were required to do this term. Professor McGonagall explained why, when the class gave a particularly loud groan at the amount of Transfiguration homework she had assigned.

"You are now entering the most important phase of your magical education!" she told us, her eyes glinting dangerously behind her square spectacles. "Your Ordinary Wizarding Levels are drawing closer and you need to be prepared."

And then came Moody's announcement that he would be putting the Imperius Curse on each of us in turn, to demonstrate its power and to see whether they could resist its effects.

No one wanted that at all, but Moody didn't care.

"I don't suppose using occlumency will help me resist it?" I uneasily asked Tom.

"Actually, yes. If you prepare your defenses enough. Although with me here I don't know what will happen."

Moody began to beckon students forward in turn and put the Imperius Curse upon them. It was uncomfortable to watch, and I was dreading it when it was my turn.

"Potter," Moody growled, "you next."

I gingerly stepped up to the front, doing my best to prepare my shields as Moody raised his wand and cast the spell.

"OW!"

It wasn't pleasant at all like the books described, it felt like someone took a sledgehammer to my head then set off a series of bombs.

And then—

"Huh."

"Huh."

I was perfectly safe inside my mind palace, but somehow while under the Imperius—I could still feel it trying to assault me—Tom had taken control over my body.

"So... the Imperius forces a change between the possessor and possessed? Fascinating."

"I wonder why."