Annabeth Chase the Triwizard Champion

Chapter Ten

The next few weeks were uneventful and tedious. The classes had upped the scale of homework assigned, but Annabeth was glad for the distraction as long as it wasn't an essay. She found small ways to interact with Harry and his friends to build their trust, like returning a dropped quill, giving advice when they were struggling in class, small stuff like that.

    Percy's letters came back at a pace that was like having an actual conversation with him, like texting but on paper. She still missed seeing his face, so she was happy when Percy sent a bunch of pictures of him and their friends, from various stages of their quests and lives.

    On the other hand, Annabeth was growing more and more wary of Moody. He seemed to find violence amusing, and the way he showed no emotion at all over cursing those spiders bothered her. He laughed at the effects of curses they went over in class, and he seemed to have little regard for the feelings of his students, no matter what he said.

    Annabeth's wariness was only bolstered when Moody announced that he would be casting the Imperius curse on all of them.

    Sure, she had been in more dangerous situations just for training at camp, but wizards weren't being actively hunted like demigods were. They didn't need specific training just so they could live another day. Wow, that was a morbid thought.

    There were a number of surprised sounds and protests when Moody announced this.

    "But— but you said it's illegal, Professor," Hermione stuttered, moving out of the way of a desk as it flew to the side of the room. "You said— to use it against another human was—"

    "Dumbledore wants you taught what it feels like," Moody said. "If you'd rather learn the hard way, when someone's putting it on you so they can control you completely, fine by me. You're excused. Off you go."

    Hermione went pink but didn't move.

    Moody grunted, then started beckoning students forward into the cleared space, picking names from down the roster. The first girl called was Lavender Brown, who, after being put under the curse, ran around the room imitating a squirrel.

    "Chase," Moody growled, "you next."

    Steeling herself, Annabeth stepped forward. She was expecting Moody to go hard on her, make her do something embarrassing to get back at her for the ferret incident. She stood her ground and looked Moody in the eye as he cast the curse.

    "Imperio."

    Annabeth was surprised to find the feeling that washed over her sort of... familiar. A dampening calmness overtook her body, overshadowing her worries about the quest, her longing to see Percy and her friends, her anger at how the school treated her. Everything felt at peace, like nothing was wrong in the world, like she could stay there forever and be fine.

    And that was the thought that made her realize what the feeling was reminding her of. And that was how she was able to resist.

    Do the chicken dance, a voice said at the back of her head.

Excuse me? Annabeth thought. That voice was familiar, too. It was like the eidolons, whispering horrible ideas into her ear.

    Do the chicken dance, the voice repeated, and hop up and down.

    Annabeth felt her limbs moving, outside her control, her hands inching up to her armpits. She stopped them at her hips, resisting as much as she could against the pull.

    I'm not doing that, Annabeth thought. No thanks.

    Do it, the voice insisted. now!