To Thwart The Darkness {Book 3}

Consequence Of Not Having a Wand At Hogwarts

Hogwarts

The seventh year Gryffindor and Slytherin students gathered in the Great Hall for their Dark Arts lesson Monday morning of the forth week of school. The long tables had been stacked on either side of the hall after breakfast and the students were assembled in the large room. It looked even bigger now the tables weren't there. Amycus Carrow and Severus Snape stood on the steps to the staff table, their faces unreadable.

"What do you think we're doing?" Nico whispered to Will. They hadn't had detention in the past three days, their two weeks of punishment over. The bags under Will's eyes had started to disappear and he'd gotten his usual sunshine energy back.

"I'm not sure," Will replied, watching the two staff members.

Jason fingered his wand in one hand and his coin in the other. "You don't think it has something to do with the announcement Snape made last night at dinner, do you?"

Dinner of Sunday night had gone as normal as possible, but towards the end, their Headmaster had stood and delivered a message; the current detention was to be re-evaluated and changed. No longer would the detention students be walking through the Forbidden Forest. Now, they were to meet with Amycus and Alecto in the Dark Arts classroom immediately after sixth period.

"Quiet!" Amycus commanded, and the small whispered conversations around the hall halted. "Today we're going to be going something different." His lips moved into something that resembled a gleeful smile. "The past few weeks we've been covered different difficult spells in theory and today, you'll be putting what you learned to the test."

Will's stomach dropped and his eyes darted to his boyfriend beside him. Nico's expression didn't change, even though he didn't have his wand. Nico didn't have any wand. But he didn't react.

"We're going to start simple," Amycus continued. "The Imperius Curse. As you should recall from last week, if performed poorly, the victim will receive damage to the brain. If performed correctly, however, the victim will be completely under your control. Pair off, Gryffindor with a Slytherin."

They did as they were told. Will took Nico's hand and lead him over to where a few Slytherin students were standing near them, but Snape - out of no where - appeared in front of them.

"I think Crabbe and Goyle are eager to be your partners," he said and gestured over to Malfoy's sadistic goons. Despite the fact that Draco hadn't shown up for school that year, Crabbe and Goyle were still causing trouble for the Gryffindor students and were still Snape's favourite.

Nico let go of Will's hand crossed his arms, not wanting to argue with the headmaster. "Fine."

The Gryffindors lined up down the hall and the Slytherins took their place across from them. Nico faced Goyle, Will made an effort not to look at Crabbe, Jason smiled at a girl with a pixie cut, and Piper's partner was a timid looking girl with pigtails. Ginny, Neville and Seamus were down the line near Piper, scowling at the Slytherins across from them.

"Gryffindors will perform the spell first," Amycus sneered. He waved his wand and black buckets appeared down the line between each pair. Another wave and the buckets filled with water. "The task is simple; get your partner to step into the bucket. Wands at the ready." Gryffindors moved and held their wands in front of them. Nico did nothing but scowl at Goyle, who smirked at his lack of movement. "Begin!"

There were mutters and murmurs down the room of the imperius curse. Snape frowned at the students who hadn't cast the spell.

"Did you not hear him? Begin."

More students attempted to cast the spell. The most the Slytherin partners did was shuffle closer to the bucket.

"The key to this spell, as we studied last week," Amyucs said as he walked down the line behind the Gryffindors, "is commitment. Commit to casting the spell."