𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 ;𝐑.𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐥𝐞𝐲

"Quack."

kinda impt a/n at the back that I need y'all to comment on, thanks!

"Right, Neville,' said Professor Lupin. 'First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?'
Neville's lips moved, but no noise came out.

"Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry,' said Professor Lupin cheerfully.
Neville looked around rather wildly, as though begging someone to help him, then said, in barely more than a whisper, 'Professor Snape.'
Nearly everyone laughed. Even Neville grinned apologetically. Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful.
'Professor Snape ... hmmm ... Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?'
'Er – yes,' said Neville nervously. 'But – I don't want the Boggart to turn into her, either.'
'No, no, you misunderstand me,' said Professor Lupin, now smiling. 'I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?'
Neville looked startled, but said, 'Well ... always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress ... green, normally ... and sometimes a fox-fur scarf.'
'And a handbag?' prompted Professor Lupin.
'A big red one,' said Neville.
'Right then,' said Professor Lupin. 'Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"

Neville nodded.

"When the Boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape,' said Lupin. 'And you will raise your wand – thus – and cry "Riddikulus" – and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, that green dress, that big red handbag.'
There was a great shout of laughter. The wardrobe wobbled more violently.
'If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to turn his attention to each of us in turn,' said Professor Lupin. 'I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical ..."

Rachelle shifted uncomfortably as she struggled to make her greatest fear comical. How was one supposed to make a sound funny?

She eventually settled for a duck.

Ron muttered something about "taking its legs off" which Rachelle guessed to be a spider and it's eight long legs.

"Everyone ready?" Professor Lupin asked, and majority of the class nodded although Rachelle spotted Harry looking panicked.

"It'll be fine."

"Neville, we're going to back away,' said Professor Lupin. 'Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward ... everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot –'
They all retreated, backing against the walls, leaving Neville alone beside the wardrobe. He looked pale and frightened, but he had pushed up the sleeves of his robes and was holding his wand ready.
'On the count of three, Neville,' said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe. 'One – two – three – now!'
A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open.

Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snake started towards Neville, his eyes flashing.

Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes.

'R-r-riddikulus!' squeaked Neville.

There was a noise like a whip-crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and swinging a huge crimson handbag from his hand.
There was a roar of laughter; the Boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, 'Parvati! Forward!'

Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a blood-stained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk towards her, very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising –
'Riddikulus!' cried Parvati.
A bandage unravelled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forwards and its head rolled off.

'Seamus!' roared Professor Lupin.
Seamus darted past Parvati.
Crack! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floor-length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face—a banshee. She opened her mouth wide, and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek which made the hair on Harry's head stand on end –
'Riddikulus!' shouted Seamus.

The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.
Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then – crack! – became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before – crack! – becoming a single, bloody eyeball.
'It's confused!' shouted Lupin. 'We're getting there! Dean!'
Dean hurried forward.
Crack! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over, and began to creep along the floor like a crab.

'Riddikulus!' yelled Dean.
There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap.

'Excellent! Ron, you next!'
Ron leapt forward.

'Crack!'

Quite a few people screamed. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menacingly. For a moment, Harry thought Ron had frozen. Then- "Riddikulus!" Bellowed Ron.

And the spider's legs vanished, leaving the spider to roll around the floor as Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way.

"Rachelle, go!" Professor Lupin yelled.

Rachelle hesitantly walked up and within seconds the leg-less spider was transforming and changing into...

A black cloud.
And for several seconds the whole class wondered why the seemingly fearless Rachelle Lupin was afraid of a black cloud.

Until a slit opened from the middle of the cloud and the sounds it gave out heartbreakingly painful screams and shrieks that made everyone freeze.

And just like that Rachelle was a year old again, sitting on a mound of clothes while staring at the wood panels of the closet she sat in, with tears streaming down her cheeks and clinging to the material of her onesie as they fell down her face.

The screams of her mother rattled through her mind, even when they stopped for an intake of breath. And finally, after so long, the screams stopped.

Someone shook Rachelle's shoulder, pulling her away from the horrid memories. "It's not real anymore." Neville whispered to her.

Numbly, Rachelle nodded. "Riddikulus." She whispered, and the cloud morphed into a cute little duck, with sunshine yellow feathers and orange beak and little feet.

"Quack." Went the duck.

A/n: I had to end the chapter with a cute duck, just once. well after the whole flashback ordeal thing if I left it at that it's just plain depressing. and that's not what the story is about. well fine it's what this chapter is about. sorry not sorry.
PLEASE READ!!!!!!
•how are you liking the book?
•what would you like to see?
•how do you like the duck?
I'm gonna need y'all to answer the qn at least the first and second one cos I really need the feedback so I can improve and we can have a better story in general. thank u!
-cheyenne