Cue No. 9

As Moody picks up the spider, bassoons and horns move around with uncertainty. The orchestra choreographs the moment he enlarges the spider and begins to use the Imperius Curse on it. While comedic events unfold in the classroom, the pizzicato strings dance around with various orchestrations coming in and out, aurally describing Moody’s apparent enjoyment from terrorizing the children. Ron’s theme gets a quick moment as the spider hovers above him. After the fun and games, the music comes to a halt when the spider is thrown across the room, and Moody begins to explain how dark and evil this curse actually is.

Chords move downwards into a full statement of Chamber 2 theme in the cellos supported by choir. The use of this theme both brings the distant threat of Voldemort into this movie, but also reaches back to when McGonagall told classroom stories about the Heir of Slytherin back in their second year. Neville raises his hand and says that he knows of the Cruciatus Curse, which Moody seems delighted to hear about. A few more dark chords accompany Neville’s walk over to Moody’s desk, and then the strings take off into an uncomfortable post-tonal section of music straight out of John Williams’ ideas for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004).

After Hermione pleads with Moody to stop, we hear ominous low bell tolls in the celesta as Neville goes back to his seat and the class is asked about the final Unforgivable Curse. At the moment Moody uses the Avada Kedavra curse on the spider, the camera zooms in on Harry, and we hear the Three-Note motif. This is the spell that killed his parents, and he just witnessed it performed in front of him. Moody moves over towards Harry, explaining that he is the only person known to have survived the killing curse, and nobody knows how. On the shot of Harry, Hedwig’s Theme plays, emphasizing the mystery of his scar and the event that set this entire series into motion; the death of his parents.

As the scene ends, we hear a Plotting theme as the camera pans over the large, winding staircase.