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Tom didn't ask any more questions. He didn't expect much from these young wizards in their first year. So, without further ado, he turned to the blackboard and wrote three lines.
"Avada Kedavra."
"Imperius Curse."
"Cruciatus Curse."
After finishing, he tapped the blackboard. "These three incantations are the Unforgivable Curses," Tom paused, giving the young wizards time to copy the content from the blackboard. "These three curses are extremely evil and cruel dark magic. Once used on a person, it will result in a lifetime sentence in Azkaban—the wizarding prison."
"The Cruciatus Curse tortures the body, the Imperius Curse controls the mind, and the Killing Curse takes a life."
At this point, all the young wizards in the class were quietly hunched over their desks, diligently taking notes.
Holding the spider cage, Tom approached the first row of students. Except for Peggy, who sat by the window, they all instinctively shrunk back.
"These three Unforgivable Curses, I can only perform one of them. Although I know how to use it, I have never used it before... this spell is too dark. Today, I'll show you."
Tom gently opened the cage door, and a spider immediately scuttled out, jumping onto the desk in the first row. The front-row students screamed, desperately trying to evade, with some even knocking over the desks behind them.
The spider raced towards the window, getting closer to freedom. However, its escape was abruptly halted by a cup falling from above.
"Professor Lockhart, your spider." Peggy slipped a piece of parchment into the cup and handed it to Tom, the spider nestled inside. Not many knew that Peggy was skilled in Spell Silencing, a talent she'd honed over the years.
The spider, bouncing inside the cup, was separated from Peggy's palm only by a thin piece of parchment. She could feel the spider's eight legs against her hand. While other students cringed at the thought, Peggy's expression remained unchanged.
Tom tapped his wand, making the cup float in mid-air.
"Thank you, Miss Grossman." Tom gestured for Peggy to return to her seat. Once everyone was seated, he overturned the cup and removed the Levitation Charm. The spider crawled to the edge of the cup, and Tom raised his wand.
"Avada Kedavra!"
A dazzling green light flashed, accompanied by chaotic sounds, as if an invisible giant creature was flying overhead. Simultaneously, the spider shuddered, propelled backward by the spell, landing lifeless at the bottom of the cup, unharmed but dead.
The students widened their eyes; some covered their mouths, trying to suppress their horrified thoughts.
"Experiencing the taste of life withering away is terrible—even for a spider. Avada Kedavra has no counter-curse. There is only one exception." Tom looked at the students, calmly stating, "This is dark magic, and this is what I'm teaching you to defend against."
Tom surveyed the students, emphasizing, "The most crucial point is to remain vigilant at all times. Never let your guard down. The enemy is already among us. Remember, don't be misled by its sweet words! Take note!"
The students quickly recorded this statement in their notebooks, but its impact remained to be seen.
Victoire, diligently jotting down notes, thought, "Professor Lockhart is right! I should discuss this with Diary Senior..."
The atmosphere in the classroom was solemn. Peggy sensed the mood and felt puzzled: they seem saddened? Why?
She nudged her desk partner and asked, "Why do you look a bit sad? Is it because the spider died? But creatures die all the time, don't they? And I just saw you seemed scared of it."
Her voice was not loud, but several people heard it. The boy next to her didn't know how to answer and could only stammer that he was unsure.
"Because of respect for life," Tom answered Peggy's question, but his words didn't resolve her confusion.
Peggy nodded, indicating that she understood. Based on her experience, she knew this wasn't the time to dig deeper. She didn't want to upset Professor Lockhart, who could significantly impact her school life. While Peggy didn't care about the opinions of ordinary students, Professor Lockhart's views mattered. She resolved to behave in ways that pleased him.
Tom reevaluated this girl he had known for just over two months. Despite their acquaintance, their interactions had been minimal. Her impression on him was the father's cherished gem, a beautiful little princess, and a smart and eager young witch.
However, today, his perception of Peggy underwent a subtle change.
The topic was brushed aside, and Tom lightly tapped the desk. "Alright, I believe you all have a vivid understanding of the Killing Curse. Now, I will teach you two practical spells that will give you some self-defense capabilities."
Tom released another spider, having learned his lesson and conjured some threads in advance. He demonstrated the practicality of the first spell, "Protego," an intricate yet powerful charm. This spell created a magical barrier that could deflect curses and physical entities, providing protection for specific individuals or areas.
"You might find it hard to believe, but many adult wizards, even those working in the Ministry of Magic, struggle to cast a decent Protego charm."
Tom sighed. This was a fact. During the Second Wizarding War, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes' Anti-Jinx Hats and Anti-Jinx Cloaks sold like hotcakes due to their built-in Protego charms.
It was truly unbelievable that so many wizards couldn't master such a useful spell. No wonder the magical world chose to keep itself hidden.
Tom cast Protego on the spider, then held up a thick textbook three feet above the spider. Letting go of the book, it fell towards the spider.
Many students closed their eyes, imagining the gruesome scene of spider juice splattering everywhere. However, the only sounds that reached them were a bang and the book landing on the ground. The spider remained unscathed.
Protego!
Tom bent down to pick up the textbook and demonstrated once more, this time with everyone's eyes fixated on the falling book. They watched as it was blocked mid-air by a transparent shield, then bounced aside.
After the Protego demonstration, Tom returned the spider to its cage. Next, he pointed his wand at the podium, turning it into a humanoid puppet wielding a wooden sword.
"Expelliarmus, a disarming charm. This spell forces the opponent to release their weapon or any item from their hands—Disarm!"
He motioned for the students to widen their eyes and watched as he approached the puppet. With a flick of his wand, he commanded, "Expelliarmus!"
The puppet tilted backward, and the wooden sword flew out of its hand.
"Expelliarmus is a spell commonly used in wizard duels. Its main purpose is to make the opponent lose their wand, thereby reducing their offensive capabilities. However, losing the wand doesn't necessarily mean losing resistance."
Walking to the fallen puppet, Tom delivered a left hook, knocking it to the ground. He then pointed at the puppet.
"Reducto!"
The puppet instantly shattered, unable to maintain its shape after being severely damaged. It reverted to the podium's original state, now in pieces.
"Reparo!"
The podium returned to its original form.
"Being disarmed isn't the most dreadful outcome. What's fatal is losing your will to fight. Without a wand, you can still perform wandless magic, and you still have your fists!"
Tom signaled the students to note down the key points of these two spells.
In the remaining class time, the students focused on taking notes about the Unforgivable Curses and the two protective spells Tom had taught them. Tom glanced at the timer and realized there were only twenty minutes left.
He clapped his hands. "Alright, students, pause your work for a moment. I'll now explain this academic year's schedule."
"As you know, most other Hogwarts subjects rely on end-of-year exams. I have reservations about this. For this academic year's Dark Arts Defense, your final grades will be determined by a combination of regular assessments, group assignments, and a few major exams."
"Group assignments account for 20%, done in teams of 2-3 people. You'll submit a joint paper, with the paper itself contributing 10%, and the oral defense another 10%. Regular assessments make up 30%—including quizzes, midterms, and finals, each contributing 25%. I considered adding periodic evaluations, but then I thought better of it. We already have enough exams..."
Tom rambled on, not paying attention to the students' thoughts. He found the traditional Hogwarts education system somewhat flawed. Hogwarts followed a per-year exam cycle—one final exam at the end of the year.
While there were occasional homework assignments, the pressure they exerted paled in comparison to the stress of exam preparation. Tom had no intention of promoting rote learning; he aimed for true quality education, a blend of theory and practical knowledge.
"This class ends here. Dismissed! Today's homework remains the same—continue reading. Oh, Miss Grossman, please stay."
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