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Almost at the exact moment Moody's shoulder muscles tensed and his wand was about to rise—even earlier, when Moody's gaze locked onto him and his glass eye swept over the side pocket of Lynn's robes—the faint warning sign from [Peters Jolt] overlapped with Lynn's own intuition.
Lynn's hand reached into his robe pocket faster than his thoughts.
His arm snapping outward at a tricky angle.
A glass bottle filled with a thick liquid flew from his fingertips, shooting straight toward Moody behind the podium.
Moody's reaction was astonishingly fast.
The wrist holding his wand flicked to the side, shifting the tip by a mere fraction of an inch. The red light of the Expelliarmus Spell narrowly missed the incoming glass bottle, its trajectory unchanged as it still aimed straight for Lynn.
At the same time, his free left hand swept through the air, redirecting the bottle's path. The glass container instantly veered off course, flying toward an empty corner of the classroom with a sharp whoosh.
Bang! Crash—
The glass bottle slammed hard against the wall and shattered instantly.
The undiluted Bubotuber pus inside splattered outward, leaving a cloud of white smoke and a sharp, acrid odor spreading across the wall and floor.
From beginning to end, Moody didn't even glance back at the dangerous pus; his magical eye had already registered the "surprise" hidden in Lynn's pocket.
But he truly hadn't expected that Lynn's awareness and decisiveness would be a step faster than his own.
The Expelliarmus aimed at Lynn was deflected by a split-second Shield Charm Lynn cast. The spell struck an empty chair behind him, knocking it back a few inches.
The classroom fell so silent it felt like the sound itself had been cut out. Everyone was stunned by the lightning-fast exchange.
Moody slowly lowered his wand, his eye fixed intently on Lynn.
"Excellent alertness… better than I expected," he commented, his tone making it unclear whether it was praise or something else. "Quick reactions too, and… very good at striking first."
He paused, taking a step forward; his wooden leg landed with a heavy thud.
"To be honest, before coming here, while speaking with a few other Professors, someone mentioned they believed you… stood a good chance of finding a way to bypass the Goblet of Fire's age restriction. At the time, I was skeptical. Now…" He gave Lynn a long look. "I'm starting to believe it a little."
This sudden evaluation sent another wave of shock through the classroom.
They looked at the calm Lynn, then at the serious-faced Moody.
Clap… clap…
No one knew who started it, but scattered applause broke out, quickly spreading like wildfire.
The applause grew denser and louder. It wasn't only for Lynn's sharp reaction, but also for Moody's blunt, combat-oriented teaching style.
Compared to reading from a textbook, this was clearly more to the taste of young wizards.
Moody let the applause continue for a moment before tapping his crutch heavily on the floor.
"Quiet!"
The applause died down quickly, though the excitement in the students' eyes only intensified.
"As I said before," Moody returned to the center of the podium, "what you lack is practice—the knowledge needed to face the darkness. So, speaking of Dark Arts, we cannot avoid the most notorious of them all—the Unforgivable Curses!"
He scanned the room, seeing fear appear on many students' faces at the name. The atmosphere tightened again.
Then he asked loudly:
"Who can tell me what the Unforgivable Curses are?! Don't tell me you've spent three years in Defense Against the Dark Arts and don't even know this!"
A low buzz of whispers spread immediately. Many students shrank back, avoiding his gaze entirely.
Moody slammed his crutch against the floor—thud, thud—the sound cutting through the murmurs.
"Look at yourselves!" he roared. "Fear? Taboos? The Ministry of Magic thinks these spells are unsuitable for minors—forbidden to discuss! I don't agree! Ignorance is the greatest danger! You need to know your enemy! Know what they are most likely to use against you! Bury your heads in the sand, and by the time a curse hits you, it'll be too late to cry!"
His gaze swept across the class, finally landing on Edgar.
"Bones!" Moody suddenly barked.
Edgar jolted so hard he nearly fell out of his seat.
"You shouldn't be a stranger to the Unforgivable Curses, should you?" Moody stared at him. "After all, both your parents work at the Ministry of Magic. One of those spells in particular caused quite a bit of trouble there."
The first half made Edgar break into a cold sweat. His mind instantly filled with panicked thoughts: Did Lynn get exposed? Does he know something? Am I in trouble too? Am I getting expelled?
But as he listened further, he realized Moody was referring to the Imperius Curse.
Edgar swallowed. "It's… the Imperius Curse, Professor."
"Correct! The Imperius Curse!" Moody's voice rose again. "One of the Unforgivable Curses! It can completely control another person's mind, turning them into a puppet! Think about it—if someone near you, or even you yourself, were placed under it, what would the consequences be!"
He said no more, instead turning to pull a transparent glass jar from under the podium, containing a common spider.
With a flick of his wand, he cast an Engorgement Charm; the spider instantly grew to the size of a palm.
Then, under the breathless gaze of the class, Moody pointed his wand at the spider and clearly incanted:
"Imperio!"
The spider's movements instantly stiffened, and then it began to perform a bizarre, almost comical dance under Moody's silent control inside the jar—somersaulting, spinning, and striking unnatural poses with its legs, completely against its instincts.
The classroom was dead silent. Lynn felt he had learned something.
Just as Moody was about to lift the curse and move on—
"Professor!" William raised his hand.
Moody's eye flicked toward him. "Yes, Smith?"
William pushed up his glasses. "Sir, you've demonstrated the Imperius Curse. So how can we tell if someone is under it? Are there any reliable signs… or ways to break it?"
"Good question!" Moody looked satisfied. "That's exactly what I was going to cover next—identification and response."
He turned back to the class, tone growing more serious.
"If you notice someone's behavior suddenly becomes strange, illogical, or inconsistent with their usual character—for example, a gentle person becoming violent, a cautious person becoming reckless, or a loyal person suddenly turning indifferent—then you must stay alert. Of course, that requires you to actually understand the people around you in the first place."
He paused.
"But remember: abnormal behavior is only a reason for suspicion, not proof. Reckless accusations can lead to serious consequences. A skilled Imperius caster can disguise it very well."
Then he answered William's second question.
"As for breaking it?" A faint, mocking curve appeared at the corner of Moody's mouth. "If you manage to solve the Imperius Curse, I guarantee the Ministry of Magic would happily give you an Order of Merlin, First Class, plus enough Galleons to last a lifetime. Think of how much trouble that would save them."
Lynn thought, So the Ministry of Magic basically owes me a First Class Order right now.
Seeing the disappointment spread through the class, Moody's tone shifted slightly.
"Of course, there are exceptions. Most spells, including the Imperius Curse, weaken over time. A strong will, internal resistance, or intense external stimulation may help break it—but," he emphasized, "this is never easy. The best defense is to stay vigilant and never give the caster the chance to use it in the first place."
He looked back at William.
"Any other questions?"
William shook his head. "No, Professor. Thank you."
Moody nodded. "Then… let's move on to the next Unforgivable Curse."