Chapter 473: The Unforgivable Curses

On the way from the dueling hall to the dungeons, Professor Snape said nothing.

Only when they entered the dark, damp dungeon did Snape suddenly stop.

“You’ve learned quite a few curses, hexes, and jinxes…”

He spoke in a low voice, his hooked nose sharply defined under the dungeon’s dim light.

“Thirty-six curses, eighteen hexes, and six jinxes, Professor.”

Wizard Sean nodded.

“Hmph…”

Snape let out a cold snort, revealing a suppressed unease so tightly hidden it left no trace.

“Your progress is barely acceptable—but—

In how to counter spells, you’ve learned far too little—far too little. This will be your first lesson, perhaps your last.

Today, you will truly witness what wizards do to one another. I will spend enough time teaching you how to counter…”

He fell silent again, studying Wizard Sean with intense focus.

Not just those green pupils.

“Listen carefully—”

Snape raised his wand.

“You’ve learned trivial spells, each with many forms and varying magical energies.

I’ve trained you to counter some dark magic—how to prevent and dispel them… but those are merely the weakest fragments of dark magic.

Legally, illegal dark curses are far beyond your reach. You cannot imagine them, nor can you mount any effective resistance against them.

Yet some ‘greatest wizard’ believes you can face them?

The greatest fool of all is the idiot who thinks he can stand before the most evil, darkest aspects of magic—”

Snape’s eyes locked onto Wizard Sean.

Wizard Sean was confused; he didn’t know what Professor Snape had sensed.

Was it the Ravenclaw diadem, the Gaunt ring, or Slytherin’s locket?

As a double agent, Wizard Sean had never doubted Professor Snape’s ability to investigate and deduce.

“You know, Professor?”

Wizard Sean said.

“I know far more than you realize…”

Snape gave a mocking laugh.

“The sooner you understand what you’re up against, the better. If you’ve never seen something, how can you possibly stand against it—”

Snape fell abruptly silent, staring at Wizard Sean, then spat out a few words through clenched teeth:

“Survive…”

After a few seconds, he continued:

“You’d better remember this, Green—living is the only meaning.

If someone intends to cast an illegal curse on you, he won’t tell you his plans.

You must clearly understand this, stupid Green—he won’t cast it politely, fairly, or openly. You must be ready. Stay alert.

So… Green, tell me: which spells draw the harshest punishment under wizarding law?”

“The Unforgivable Curses, Professor.”

Wizard Sean was surprised—was Professor Snape teaching him the Unforgivable Curses?

Why?

“You’d better know. The Unforgivable Curses are the three most powerful and evil dark spells known in the magical world.

They are the Avada Kedavra, the Cruciatus, and the Imperius.

According to Ministry law, using any one of these three spells on a human being carries a sentence of life imprisonment in Azkaban.

These three curses are grouped together due to their lethal, cruel, and utterly controlling nature—they are their most common signature tools.”

Snape paced back and forth, then suddenly picked up a slug.

“Imperio!”

The slug began to dance, its movements strange and repulsive.

“That’s the Imperius. Now it’s completely under my control—I can make it drown itself, or jump out the window…

Listen, Green, if you keep being this foolish, I might just use this curse on you. Better to live in chains than be dead.

Many wizards were once controlled by the Imperius Curse.

The Ministry’s fools could never tell who acted under compulsion and who acted of their own will…

But the Imperius can be resisted. I’ll teach you how—but it demands great inner strength. When you face it, you must avoid being hit at all costs.”

Snape finished slowly.

Before Wizard Sean could process it, he continued:

“Cruciatus… excruciating pain!”

Snape waved his wand at the slug; Wizard Sean saw it convulse violently, then soon could no longer writhe at all.

“The final curse—Avada Kedavra, the Killing Curse. When you hear it, Green, run! Move your legs—get behind Dumbledore if you can—Avada Kedavra!”

Snape spoke calmly, uttering the incantation. A blinding flash of green light seared the eyes, accompanied by a chaotic sound, as if an invisible giant had flown overhead.

Like Death swinging his scythe.

At the same time, the slug flipped over, lying on its back on the table, unmarked yet unmistakably dead.

“Highly unpleasant. And no counter-curse exists. No defense against it.”

Snape fixed his gaze on Wizard Sean’s eyes.

“Dumbledore sees you as the wizard he most needs to protect. He won’t allow anyone to teach you such dark magic.

As everyone knows, dark magic corrupts a wizard’s mind—but…”

He looked at the young wizard before him.

He would rather raise a Dark Lord than endure again the helplessness of gathering only corpses like a failure.

“So… these three curses—Avada Kedavra, Imperius, Cruciatus—are called the Unforgivable Curses.

Using any one of them on a human is enough to earn you a lifetime in Azkaban.

This is what you must resist. This is what I will teach you to resist. You must prepare. You must be vigilant.

What are you waiting for? Take out your quill… write this down…”

Snape’s voice blended with the cold wind of the dungeon.

As Wizard Sean left the dungeon, dazed and carrying his new knowledge of the Unforgivable Curses, Snape remained in the dungeon’s shadows.

He extended his left arm—a mark burned into the inner side of his left forearm, resembling a vivid red tattoo.

The mark’s sensation had weakened further; the Dark Lord’s power had been diminished more than once.

He didn’t need to think to know who was behind it.

But he would return. No one could truly kill him—this had been proven many times.

And for those who blocked his plans…

“Dumbledore—you’d better explain—”

Snape suddenly turned his gaze toward the dungeon door.

Behind the wooden door, an old wizard with long, white beard was slowly materializing.