Hope Mikaelson Goes to Hogwarts

Chapter 5: Professor Mad-Eye Moody

Hope's POV:

It's now the first day of classes and if I had any other class first, yes, even potions, I would be excited, but I have Defense Against the Dark Arts first. Now, usually it's my favorite class, but even since last night I've had an off feeling about Professor Moody.

I can't pin point it exactly, but I've learned to trust my instincts when I get a bad feeling about someone. To start off Moody writes his name messily on the blackboard behind him. I'm surprised the chalk he's using doesn't snap with the amount of force he's using.

"Alister Moody, ex-Auror, Ministry malcontent, and your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. I'm here because Dumbledore asked me. End of story. Goodbye. The end. Any questions." No one moves to say anything.

"When it comes to the Dark Arts, I believe in a practical approach. But first, which of you can tell me how many Unforgivable Curses there are?" What? Why is he asking about those. We're fourth years, we don't need to know those. "Three sir." Hermione answers. "And so named?"

He turns to the blackboard again starts writing. "Because they are unforgivable. The use of any one of them will..." "Win you a one way ticket to Azkaban, correct." He spits are he finishes what he's writing. Something about his posture doesn't make any sense.

He's tense, like he's angry about something. He turns back to us. "Now the ministry says you're too young to see what these curses do. I say different! You need to know what you're up against!" He turns back to the board.

"You need to be prepared! You need to find another place to put your chewing gum besides the underside of your desk Mr. Finnegan!" He yells. "No way. The old coder can see out the back of his head." Seamus mutters as everyone turns to look at him.

Suddenly Moody whips around and chucks his chalk at us. I flinch. What the hell? "And hear across classrooms!" He yells. "So, which curse shall we see first? Weasley!" "Yes?" Ron asks, his voice cracking in fear. "Stand." He shakily does as asked. "Give us a curse."

"Well, my dad did tell me about one. The Imperius Curse." "Oh, yeah, your father would know all about that. Gave the Ministry quite a bit of grief a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why." He walks away from Ron who promptly sits down. He grabs a glass jar with a bug in it.

Hermione and I exchange a worried glance. "Engorgio. Imperio." Moody chants. The bug grows and then he uses his want to levitate the bug towards Dean and Neville's desk. The Crabb's face. "Don't worry. It's completely harmless." He then makes it fly onto Padma Patil's hand.

Her and Pavarti start to freak out. He then hovers it over Ron's head. Everyone is laughing by now, well, except me. I'm still trying to figure out why Moody is showing us these. I think Malfoy is laughing the hardest. "What are you laughing at?" Moody asks, flinging it onto his face.

Even I crack a smile at this. The idiot deserves it. "Talented, isn't she? What should I have her do next? Jump out the window?" He flings the bug onto the window. He then hovers it over a bucket of water. "Drown herself?" No one is laughing as Moody returns the bug to his hand.

"Scores of witches and wizards have claimed that they only did You Know Who's bidding under the influence of the Imperius Curse. But here's the rub. How do we sort out the liars? Another. Another." He urges. Several people raise their hands. Surprisingly Hermione isn't one of them.

She's as opposed to this as I am, I can tell. Finally I see Neville's hand raise shakily. "Longbottom isn't it? Up." Neville stands. "Professor Sprout tells me you have an aptitude for Herbology." Neville nods before speaking. "There's the, um, Cruciatus Curse." He mumbles.

He's shaking and he's voice is the most grim I've ever heard it. "Correct. Correct. Come, come." Moody says, urging Neville to follow him to the front table. He does as instructed. "Particularly nasty. The torture curse." Moody mutters. "Crucio." I can hear the bug crying out from here.

Neville looks pale and that's when I remember a conversation Hermione and I had about him in second year. About his parents. He's flinching. "Stop! Stop it! It's bothering him, can't you see that?!" I yell. Moody stops the spell and looks over at me. Neville gives me a grateful smile. I nod.

Moody picks up the bug and walks over to me, placing it on my textbook. "Perhaps you can give us the last Unforgivable Curse, Miss Mikaelson." I meet his eyes, glaring. I'm not backing down from the challenge he seems to be pressing on me.

"I don't think we need to know that one. I don't think we need to know any of these. You shouldn't be demonstrating this in front of fourth years. There's no reason behind it." I snap. "Ah, very strong willed Miss Mikaelson." I keep my glare.

"Avada Kadavra!" He yells, killing the bug. I flinch at the green light and glance over at Harry who has an uneasy look on his face. "The Killing Curse. Only one person is known too have survived it...and he's sitting in this room." Moody says, walking over to Harry.

He looks down at him for a second before taking a swig from his flask and walking back to the front. I catch an action right before he does take a drink though. His tongue shoots out the lick the bottom right side of his mouth. Something's off about Professor Moody.

The way he was talking about the curses. The way he talked about Voldemort's followers who claimed to be under the Imperius Curse. He didn't sound agitated that they got away. He sounded angry. Like it was personal.

Maybe he's the one who caught them, but I think there's more to it than that. I just need to keep my distance and observe. Something's wrong with this guy. Very wrong.