Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: Chapter 14 Summary.
The Unforgivable Curses
Chapter 14 of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, titled ‘The Unforgivable Curses’ deals with Mad-Eye Moody’s first lesson as the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor.
Defense Against the Dark Arts.
The fourth years of Gryffindor excitedly wait for Thursday’s Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. When it finally comes, the class lines up outside the classroom before it starts. The trio rushes in when the doors open, and picks their seats right in front of the teacher’s desk.
The students are in the process of opening their books when Moody enters the classroom. The clunking noise of his distinctive footsteps can be heard all through the corridor, thanks to his wooden leg. Moody limps inside, and growls at the class to put their books away since they wouldn’t need them.
He takes the roll call and notes that while the class has made good progress with dark creatures, they lag in dealing with curses. He has one year to teach them how to fight against dark magic, after which he will go back into retirement.
Moody begins the lesson by saying that according to the Ministry, he is only supposed to teach them countercurses. However, Dumbledore has a higher opinion of the class, which is why he has decided to introduce them to some illegal curses.
Suddenly, he scolds Lavender for talking during the class. Behind the cover of her desk, she was showing Parvati her completed horoscope. Moody’s magical eye, however, saw right through it.
Ignoring the interruption, he asks the class if they know any illegal curses. Ron raises his hand to answer and says the Imperius Curse.
Imperio!
Moody appreciates him for answering and announces that the Imperius curse gave the Ministry a lot of trouble at one point. He pulls out a glass jar containing three large black spiders from his desk drawer.
Moody grabs one of the spiders and places it on his palm. Holding it out in front of the class, he points his wand at it and mutters ‘Imperio!‘.
The spider leaps out of Moody’s hand on a fine silk thread and begins swinging as if on a trapeze. He explains that the Imperius Curse gives the caster complete control over anyone. After Voldemort fell, a lot of his supporters claimed they were acting under the Imperius Curse. It became extremely hard to tell who was lying and who wasn’t.
Moody claims that with real strength and character, the Imperius Curse can be fought. He would teach them to fight it, but of course, it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. He then asks the class to name another illegal curse, and Neville answers; the Cruciatus Curse.
Torture and Death.
Moody asks if Neville’s last name is Longbottom, but doesn’t elaborate any further. He takes another spider out of the jar and enlarges it with Engorgio. He puts it on his desk, and mutters ‘Crucio!’.
The spider instantly begins to twitch violently, and rocks from side to side. Neville has a bad reaction to this sight, and his knuckles go white. Seeing this, Hermione asks Moody to stop it.
Moody frees the spider and explains; the Cruciatus Curse causes intense pain to its victim. Moving on from it, he asks about the final illegal curse. Only Hermione’s hand goes up, and she whispers the answer; Avada Kedavra.
Moody grabs the last spider and places it on its desk. The spider tries to run away, but Moody roars ‘Avada Kedavra!‘. The spider rolls over, dead on the spot.
As the class goes silent, he explains; the killing curse has no countercurse. Only one person in the world is known to have survived it, and that person is Harry.
S.P.E.W
Students spend the rest of the class jotting down points about the Unforgivable curses. After the lesson is over, the trio heads over to check on Neville. He pretends to be fine but is acting weird. Before they can speak to him, however, Moody limps towards them and invites Neville to his office for a cup of tea.
As Neville leaves, rather unwillingly, the trio heads to the Great Hall for dinner. Hermione eats quickly and leaves for the library, while Ron and Harry head to their Dormitory to get started on their Divination homework.
The boys find Neville sitting on his bed. He assures Harry he is fine, and was just reading this book about Herbology that Moody lent him. Taking his word for it, Ron and Harry grab their books and leave.
After an hour, they give up on their homework and decide to make things up. For another hour, they make predictions that grow increasingly tragic. Hermione walks in a while later, and scolds them for being insincere with their homework.
She has a box with her containing around fifty badges, with the slogan S.P.E.W. She explains that it stands for ‘Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare’, a society she has just started. Its short-term goals would be to secure wages for house elves, while in the long term, it aims to help with the laws regarding house elf rights.
Before either Ron or Harry can reply, there is a tap on the window. Hedwig has returned, and she has Sirius’s reply with her.
A Letter from Sirius
Harry rushes to his owl and unties the letter. It is from Sirius. Concerned for Harry, Sirius has written he is flying North. Harry’s scar hurting and the recent attack of the Death Eaters might have a deeper meaning. He suggests that if it hurts again, Harry should inform Dumbledore immediately.
The fact that Sirius is coming back north because of Harry scares him. He gets frustrated with himself for possibly endangering Sirius, and snaps at Hedwig when she asks him for a treat. He announces he is going to bed and leaves without another word.
The chapter ends as Harry lies in his four-poster bed, feeling angry with himself. He stares into the dark canopy of his bed, and realizes that the absence of Neville’s snores means he is not the only one awake.
