"Some of these spells are classified as Dark Arts by the Ministry of Magic because they are generally lethal and high-level Dark Arts such as the Killing Curse require the caster to be extremely murderous…"
Yvonne talked for several minutes in the enclosed classroom of the Defence Against the Dark Arts class, thinking she had missed nothing.
"That's all I know … Professor!" Ivan finally said.
Moody looked at Ivan with an odd expression on his face. He had asked the question because he wanted an excuse to explain the Dark Arts to his students, but he did not expect Ivan to say everything he wanted to say.
"Professor?" Ivan ventured when Moody did not respond.
"Ah? Well said! Ten points to Gryffindor!" Moody snapped, reacting quickly to Ivan's warning.
"As Hales said, many Dark Arts require the caster to be malicious in order to perform their true power, which is why Hogwarts does not openly teach the Dark Arts…"
"I have seen many gifted wizards who, intoxicated by the power of the Dark Arts, immersed themselves in the study of advanced Dark Magic, resulting in a drastic change of temperament…"
"In my years as an Auror, I have captured at least twenty such wizards, all of whom are now either dead or in Azkaban!"
Moody's sharp words, coupled with his scarred face, sent a chill through the hearts of the young wizards present.
For a moment, the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom was silent, broken only when Ivan spoke.
"Professor Moody, do you think wizards should not learn the Dark Arts?"
Yvonne wondered what the legendary Auror thought of the Dark Arts.
Ever since he realised the effects of snake eyes and knowledge of the Dark Arts on his personality during the summer holidays, he had been debating whether or not to pursue his research.
The Slytherin students also looked nervously at Moody, as they had more or less been taught two-handed jinxes, some of them in the dark arts.
"Of course we shouldn't learn the wicked Dark Arts…" Hermione burst out before Moody could reply.
To Hermione's surprise, Moody cut her off. "No! Miss Granger, I don't think wizards need to be completely cut off from the Dark Arts…"
"You mean you approve of us learning the Dark Arts?" Hermione asked, surprised. She had expected a legend like Moody, who hated evil, to be very resistant to the Dark Arts.
"I mean we have to know something about the Dark Arts to know how to deal with them!"
Moody explained as he paced the classroom on his wooden legs, glancing at the faces of every student.
After a pause, he continued.
"I just wanted to remind you not to get too caught up in it, and not to try to learn dangerous magic beyond your means. It's best if you don't… do research on your own. It's very important!"
"In fact, I suggested to your Headmaster Dumbledore two days ago that some of the less dangerous Dark Arts should be allowed to be taught to older students.
It's better to have a teacher than to think about it yourself…"
Moody's gravelly voice echoed through the closed classroom, and he did not think it was a good idea to ban the teaching of the Dark Arts, as there was always a chance that the students would learn about it.
The Hogwarts Restricted Section, for example, was a great way to gain knowledge of the Dark Arts, and every year some clever young wizards or witches learned a great deal of the Dark Arts by reading books.
However, due to his lack of guidance, he might go astray one day…
When Moody finished, there was a quiet discussion among the wizards.
Ivan, on the other hand, found Moody's ideas to be to his liking, as he had always believed that there was no need to fear the Dark Arts, and that proper research and learning were necessary.
The Headmasters would not have allowed so many advanced books on the Dark Arts to be stored in the Restricted Section.
Perhaps the purpose of the Defence Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts was to allow the Professor to guide the students through their knowledge of the Dark Arts and protect them from it.
Unfortunately, due to Lord Voldemort's curse over the decades, most Defence Against the Dark Arts professors were unable to perform their duties.
"Alright… let's stop for a moment. If you have any ideas, you can discuss them after class, or you can come to me directly after class!" Moody said as he knocked his cane heavily on the ground to get everyone's attention.
"Now, may I ask who knows what is the worst kind of Dark Magic?" Moody asked the young wizards.
"The Imperius Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse that I mentioned earlier! They are all Unforgivable Curses under Ministry of Magic regulations! If you release them on a person and they are caught by an Auror, the caster will be imprisoned in Azkaban!" Ivan replied immediately.
When Ivan once again jumped to his feet without permission, Moody's scarred face screwed up, and he went on angrily, "Then do you have any idea why these Charms are listed as Not Allowed…"
Yvonne did not wait for Moody to finish this time.
"One of the reasons why it is listed as an Unforgivable Curse is because there is no corresponding counter-curse. For example, once hit by the Killing Curse, the victim will instantly lose their life. This process cannot be reversed!"
"Although the Imperius Curse can be resisted by sheer force of will, it was one of the many spells that caused trouble for the Ministry during the last Wizarding War."
"As for the Cruciatus Curse…I think it's because it's inhumane to use magic that can kill!" Ivan said hesitantly, looking at Moody.
"Is there anything else I'm missing, Professor?"
"I need to remind you that I'm not teaching you alone! HALS…" Moody glared at Ivan. "If you're done talking, what am I supposed to say?"
"All right, Professor, I'll be more careful next time." Ivan was also embarrassed, but the system prompt in his head made him unable to stop.
Moody, unaware of Ivan's thoughts, mistakenly believed Ivan to have seen the error of his ways, and nodded in satisfaction before adding,
"You were very detailed, but I have to correct you on one point, Hales! The Killing Curse is powerful, but it requires a great deal of magical power as a foundation.
If you use it on me…"
Moody looked at Ivan and quickly swallowed his words, pointing his cane at Harry and Ron.
"I mean, if you say Avada Kedavra to me, the spell most likely won't work, and I'll probably get a nosebleed!"