Yes, Professor Moody wasn't facing the students at all. He was standing sideways with his head bent so low his body completely blocked the view for some of the students on the left, making it impossible for them to see what he was doing. All they knew was that the spider seemed to be in terrible pain.
The earlier question from a student was a subtle hint that he hadn't seen a thing... but Moody just ignored them.
That was a bit awkward.
So, they had to start over.
Moody turned his head specifically to look at Neville, who was sitting in the back row. He noticed that Neville's expression was calm and composed, even though he was facing the very curse that had driven his own parents to madness.
Looking utterly vexed, Moody cast the curse a second time. This time, he faced the entire class and didn't lower his head so everyone could see clearly.
Only after the second spider had pulled off all its own legs did Moody finally seem satisfied and lower his wand.
He then asked the same question as before.
"Professor, is the curse continuous? If someone is under the Cruciatus Curse, could they counter it and make it lift just by defeating their opponent?"
Again with these questions…
Moody: …
"Professor, could you become immune to this spell by blocking pain? There's a certain potion that makes you unable to feel pain. Would taking that potion make you immune to the Cruciatus Curse?"
Moody: …
This group of students wasn't what he expected. They were completely different from the other years.
Their focus was all wrong.
Yeah, totally wrong.
"Now for the last Unforgivable Curse."
"The Killing Curse."
When he said the name, everyone's expression immediately became uneasy.
Compared to the first two spells, the Killing Curse was by far the most terrifying.
Seeing the students' reactions, Moody nodded in satisfaction, muttering to himself that this was the proper response. His crooked mouth twitched, forcing out a smile that was uglier than a grimace. "The last and most powerful curse... the one you call the Death Curse."
With that, Moody placed the two legless spiders on the desk, pulled out his wand, and pointed it at them.
"Avada Gna-Da-Gua!"
A flash of dazzling green light shot from his wand, and the two spiders flipped over. They had no visible wounds, but a layer of gray film had covered their eight eyes.
They were obviously dead.
The students' eyes widened in shock, and they shivered uncontrollably.
The Killing Curse... it was a forbidden spell even among the darkest of magic.
"Not a pretty sight, is it?" Moody's voice was remarkably calm. "There's no counter-curse, no way to block it. As far as anyone knows, only one person has ever escaped this curse, and he's sitting right here in front of us."
As he spoke, all the students turned to look at Harry.
This time, there were no strange questions.
"The Killing Curse requires a very strong magical core to cast. Most people can't manage it at all. If you don't believe me, you can all pull out your wands, aim them at me, and say the curse. I doubt I'll get more than a nosebleed. But that's alright, I'm here to teach you how to cast them."
Moody paused, as if realizing that wasn't quite right, then added, "So, if there's no counter-curse, why am I showing you this? Of course, it's so you understand the severe consequences. Only by understanding the consequences will you be on your guard in the future. Remember, using any of these three curses on another human being is enough to land you in Azkaban for life."
"Of course... some people have used underhanded tricks to escape punishment from the Ministry... like the survival tactics of a filthy rat in the sewer."
As he said this, Moody's gaze fell on Draco.
"Am I right, Malfoy? Your father claimed he was under the Imperius Curse and served the Dark Lord against his will. What a pathetic excuse that is."
"He was the Dark Lord's most trusted second-in-command! We saw him standing right by the Dark Lord's side more than once."
"That contemptible vulture... that scum from the gutter. He should be grateful he never ran into me while he was committing his crimes. Otherwise, I would've broken his legs and personally dragged him to Azkaban."
When your father is being openly insulted, sitting back and doing nothing would make Draco an absolute laughingstock.
Ignoring the two lackeys trying to pull him back, Draco stood up. With a dark expression, he said to Moody, "Professor Moody, I don't believe my father is as despicable as you say."
He didn't know why this old lunatic was suddenly attacking him, but Draco knew that not fighting back wasn't his style.
"You say my father is a criminal, but where's your proof?"
Moody's lips curled into an ugly smile. What Draco didn't know was that Moody's entire purpose was to provoke him into fighting back.
"Oh, you're so much like your phony father... just as disgusting, just as loathsome."
Moody suddenly grabbed his wand and cast a spell at Draco.
"The very first lesson I want to teach you today is this..."
"Never question a wizard who is more powerful than you."
But Moody's smile had barely blossomed before it froze.
"Protego."
Draco's hand shot out with his wand, and the moment Moody cast his spell, Draco had already instinctively cast a Shield Charm on himself.
When the Discipline Squad members practiced dueling, they often used surprise attacks. If you were slow to react, you'd be made a fool of. After a lot of training like this, the members' reaction times were second to none.
The Shield Charm successfully blocked Moody's attack, but the force of the spell still sent Draco stumbling back a few steps.
"A Transfiguration spell? Professor Moody, you attacked me?"
Draco looked at Moody in disbelief. He couldn't believe a professor would attack him.
Moody also hadn't expected a mere fourth-year student to be able to defend against his spell, and a surprise attack at that.
With a sudden schwing, all the members of the Discipline Squad stood up at once, joined by a number of other Slytherin students.
"Professor Moody, I think you owe us all a reasonable explanation."
Leaving the Discipline Squad aside for a moment, the Slytherin students were incredibly unified right now. Moody attacking Draco without any clear reason meant they were going to demand an explanation. If he couldn't provide a good one, they wouldn't hesitate to take him to Dumbledore and hold him accountable.
"Very good, Malfoy, well done."
Moody stared at Draco with his magical eye for a moment. "I just wanted to show all of you that you can never let your guard down, no matter who you're facing."
"Forget about your professors; sometimes you have to be wary of your own family, or you'll end up dead."
"You need to stay alert at all times. You can never let your guard down."