Dolor Imperio

*August 23, 2014*

Teresa arrived at the Muggle zoo in the dead of night, Disillusionment Charm intact. Hopefully the darkness would aid in keeping her presence a secret.

Her reason for coming was not a pleasant one. If she had simply wanted to see the animals she would have walked among the Muggles, sharing their emotions as she watched the monkeys argue and the dolphins play. Tonight, however, they were her targets.

Marléne and Kinsel were her only allies in this project, and Marléne was the one who offered to aid her in the study of the Imperius Curse. But if Teresa was going to observe her overcoming the Imperius Curse, someone had to cast it on her. She could rely on no one else to help her now. That is- Ferlen’s face lingered in her mind yet again- she should not.

This zoo had closed two hours ago. There were a few guards- she could easily cast a simple Confundus charm if they noticed any suspicious activity. She had all night to master this curse- and she could return again if she did not master it in one night.

She Apparated first into the butterfly house- there was no one actually inside, and there were still dim lights. She had debated practicing first on a spider, as had been shown in class, but frankly she could not fathom working with such an ugly, nasty creature for her first attempts. She could focus more easily on a soft butterfly; ironic, considering the evil nature of this curse.

Teresa’s target was a large monarch butterfly, still and silent as it latched onto a nearby leaf. She drew her wand and went over in her mind what she had to do. She needed to want it to work. Her loyalty to this project was being questioned once more in this new task. If the curse wasn’t strong enough when she performed it on Marléne, Marléne’s mind could be addled irreversibly. She took a deep breath to clear her mind of all but her purpose and her desire.

She pointed her wand at the butterfly. *Imperio.*

In that instant, the butterfly was hers. She was the pilot of its flight as she commanded it to fly high, low, between trees and even upside down. This went on for a few minutes before she released the butterfly from the curse. It fluttered back to its original branch.

Was the butterfly alright? She touched it lightly with her finger, and it flew to a higher branch. It seemed to have no trouble.

Teresa could not yet proclaim her victory. She had to try an animal where she could more clearly see how the curse affected it. She went next to the otters.

This time the otter did flips and paw-stands in the water, then danced on land. When she released it, it returned to the water with the others. She observed it for a full hour, taking notes on its actions. It seemed completely fine. She decided to come back the next three nights and make sure before going further.

After seeing that the otter was just fine, she spent the next two weeks testing her ability on other small animals. Tonight was the final test: the gorillas.

She cast the curse on two gorillas and watched them as they performed a Polish folk dance. She watched in satisfaction. Marléne would be in no danger, and she could progress in her work. It had to be worth it now. She had to succeed.