NOVEL NEXT Chapter 29: The Unforgivable Lesson
The next morning, Dante, Draco, and the rest of the Slytherin house made their way to the Great Hall for breakfast. As they walked, they encountered Luna Lovegood, who greeted them with her usual dreamy smile. Dante nodded in acknowledgment, and Draco, though less enthusiastic, followed suit. The group entered the dining hall, with Luna heading to the Ravenclaw table and the Slytherins taking their seats.
As they ate, Draco groaned. "Herbology first thing in the morning," he muttered. "What a waste of time." He turned to Dante. "What's your first class?"
"Defense Against the Dark Arts," Dante replied, his tone neutral.
Draco raised an eyebrow. "How bad do you think Lockhart will be?"
Dante shrugged. "I don't know. He made it to Hogwarts, so it shouldn't be too terrible."
Draco snorted. "If last year's professor is anything to go by, don't underestimate how bad it can get."
Before Dante could respond, a bright flash of light hit them. Dante turned to see a first-year Gryffindor holding a camera, a wide grin on his face.
"Hi! I'm Colin Creevey," the boy said excitedly. "I just wanted to take a photo of the famous Dante Malfoy!"
The Slytherins around them looked annoyed, and Draco stood up, his expression dark. "Do your parents not teach you manners?" he snapped.
Colin's smile faltered, and he took a step back. Dante, however, said calmly "Sit down, Draco". Then, turning to Colin, he added, "It's rude to take photos of people without asking. It can easily be misunderstood as disrespect."
Colin's face turned red. "I-I'm sorry! I was just excited. I'll ask next time!"
With that, the boy hurried away, and the Slytherins returned to their breakfast.
___________
Later, Dante made his way to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The first class of the year was shared with Gryffindor, and the room was already buzzing with chatter when he arrived. He took a seat near the front, his expression as detached as ever.
Lockhart entered the room with his usual flair, his robes shimmering and his smile blinding. "Welcome, welcome!" he said, his voice booming. "I am Gilderoy Lockhart, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member of the Dark Force Defense League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most-Charming-Smile Award."
He paused, clearly expecting applause, but the room remained silent. Undeterred, Lockhart handed out a quiz to the students. "Let's see how well you've read my books!"
Dante looked down at the paper in front of him, his brow furrowing slightly. The questions were all about Lockhart himself—his favorite color, his achievements, his hobbies. Dante glanced at the paper next to him, half-expecting it to be different, but it was the same.
Annoyance flickered in Dante's eyes as Lockhart approached. "Professor Lockhart," Dante said, his voice calm but firm, "I'm not here for jokes. This is a class for learning." He handed the blank quiz back to Lockhart.
Lockhart's smile faltered. "This is not a joke, Mr. Malfoy," he said, his tone sharp. "Such behavior is inexcusable, even for someone as… famous as you."
The students snickered, and Lockhart felt a surge of satisfaction. In his mind, this was what Dante deserved for stealing his spotlight and ignoring his letter.
Dante, however, was unimpressed. Without a word, the quiz paper in his hand burst into flames, turning to ash in an instant. His silver eyes glowed faintly as he spoke. "Lockhart, if you're here to teach, do it properly. Otherwise, leave the school early."
The room fell silent. Lockhart's face darkened. "10 points from Slytherin for disrespecting a professor," he said, his voice trembling with anger.
The Gryffindors nearly cheered, while the Slytherins looked pained but remained silent.
Dante's eyes narrowed. He didn't care about the points, but Lockhart's behavior was repulsing. He stood up and walked to the front of the class, ignoring Lockhart's protests.
"Another 10 points from Slytherin" Lockhart said with an angry voice.
"The fourth year is about learning curses and countering them," Dante began, his voice calm but commanding. "The most important curses of this year are the three Unforgivable Curses."
Lockhart stepped forward, his face red with anger. "What do you think you're doing?"
Dante ignored him. "The first is the Torture Curse, Crucio." He pointed his wand at Lockhart, who froze in place with a shocked look.
"Crucio" Dante spoke softly.
Lockhart dropped to the ground, screaming in agony. The students watched in horror as Dante calmly explained the curse. "The Cruciatus Curse inflicts unbearable pain on the victim. It's one of the darkest spells in existence as you can torture someone into madness with this curse. You can block and evade it but once it hits you, you can only wait for the effect to end"
When Lockhart's screams subsided, Dante continued. "The second is the Imperius Curse, Imperio." He pointed his wand again at Lockhart and spoke "Imperio".
Lockhart stood up, a blank smile on his face. He began slapping himself repeatedly as Dante explained. "The Imperius Curse allows the caster to control the victim's actions completely. You can break free out of its control, if you have strong will of course, which is something Lockhart here clearly lacks"
Dante released Lockhart from the curse, and the man collapsed to his knees, trembling.
"The third is the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra," Dante said, his voice cold.
Lockhart's eyes widened in terror, and he began crawling away. Dante's silver eyes bore into him, devoid of emotion.
"What do you think of the first curse, Lockhart?" Dante asked.
Lockhart stared at him, too afraid to speak.
"I think it deserves 10 points for flawless execution," Dante said.
Lockhart nodded frantically. "T-ten points to Slytherin!"
"And the Imperius Curse?"
"Another 10 points to Slytherin!"
Dante's gaze hardened. "I can also perform the Killing Curse flawlessly."
Lockhart paled. "T-twenty points to Slytherin!"
Dante lowered his wand, his voice icy. "There is no place in this world that can keep you safe from me. Teach the students properly, or you are not needed in this world."
With that, Dante turned and left the classroom, leaving behind a broken professor and a room full of terrified students.
___________
The aftermath of Dante's demonstration in the Defense Against the Dark Arts class spread like wildfire through Hogwarts. Students talked about what happened, their voices filled with a mix of awe and fear. Lockhart, still trembling and in shock, had to be carried to the infirmary by a group of Gryffindor and Slytherin students. The sight of the once-flamboyant professor reduced to a quivering mess was something no one would soon forget.
By the time the next period was supposed to begin, the entire school had heard the news. A student had used the Unforgivable Curses on a professor—on the first day of class, no less—as a demonstration. It was unheard of, and the professors were left scrambling to respond.
Classes for the next period were abruptly canceled as the staff gathered in Dumbledore's office. The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with disbelief and anger.
"What was Lockhart thinking?" Professor McGonagall demanded, her voice sharp. "Handing out a quiz about himself on the first day? It's completely unacceptable!"
"And Dante," Professor Flitwick added, his tone a mix of concern and frustration. "Using the Unforgivable Curses on a professor? What student does that?"
Snape, standing in the corner with his usual scowl, remained silent, though his expression was pensive. Many of the professors remembered Dante as a respectful, calm, and hardworking child. This sudden display of ruthlessness was as shocking as it was troubling.
Dumbledore sat at his desk, his hands steepled in front of him, his expression thoughtful. "We must address this situation carefully," he said, his voice calm but firm. "Dante's actions cannot be ignored, but we must also consider the circumstances that led to this."
Before the discussion could continue, the door to the office opened. The professors turned, their eyes widening in surprise as Dante stepped inside. His expression was as calm and unreadable as ever, his silver eyes scanning the room with quiet confidence.
"I heard there was a meeting about me," Dante said, his voice steady. "I thought I should be here myself."
The room fell silent, the professors exchanging uneasy glances. No one had expected Dante to show up uninvited, let alone with such composure.
Dumbledore was the first to speak. "Dante," he said, his tone measured, "your actions today were… unprecedented. Using the Unforgivable Curses on a professor is a serious matter."
Dante replied. "I felt it was necessary to demonstrate the gravity of the situation."
"The gravity of the situation?" Professor McGonagall repeated, her voice rising. "You attacked a professor!"
"I did," Dante admitted, his tone calm. "But only after he proved himself incapable of teaching. Lockhart's quiz was a waste of time, and his incompetence is a danger to the students. If he cannot handle the responsibility of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, he has no place in this school."
The professors exchanged uneasy glances. While they couldn't deny the truth in Dante's words, his methods were deeply troubling.
"Dante," Dumbledore said, his voice gentle but firm, "there are proper channels for addressing such concerns. What you did was reckless and dangerous."
Dante's gaze met Dumbledore's, his silver narrowing. "Albus Dumbledore, part of your job is to interview and check the material of school ahead of time, this was the rule set since the founding of the school. Lockhart's incompetence was evident from the moment he stepped into the classroom and his start was the worst I have ever seen or heard of. If you can't do your job, you are also not needed. I warned you before, this is the second strike. The next time, you will answer to me"
Dante's eyes glowed dangerously, at its core the reason why he kept reincarnating was to explore the world and spread knowledge and viewed tarnishing this as a grave sin, it goes against his purpose of existence, he is especially angry that this school is responsible for most of the wizards in England.
The room fell silent again, the weight of Dante's words sinking in. The professors were torn between their outrage at his actions and shock from the blatant threat. On the other hand, Dumbledore felt a chill crawl up his spine, in all his long life he has never felt death so close.
Finally, he spoke carefully. "Dante, your actions are excessive. However, I will take your concerns into account as we decide how to proceed."
"Very well. But let me be clear: if that fraudster remains in this school, he has to do his job properly, otherwise I won't sit idly watching him ruin the students" Dante replied as his eyes stopped glowing. And with that, Dante turned and left the office, leaving the professors stunned.