"Ah, another Malfoy," the hat sounded amused. "You are not what you seem, or what your family and peers see, are you? Your heart is double. A Malfoy in name, but your true lineage is hazy, which makes you quite tricky to place. You would do well in...
At breakfast, Seamus ran in screaming, "he's been sighted! He's been sighted," and dropped a newspaper down near Harry and Ron.
I went over to take a look.
"Dufftown, that's not far from here," I say.
"You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts, do you?!" Neville asked.
"With the Dementor's at every entrance?" Dean said.
"He's already slipped by them once...who's to say he can't do it again?"
"That's right, Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke. Or trying to catch smoke with your bare hands," the Gryffindor boy said ominously; he was the one who had read out the description of the Grim.
Now that further worry and concern for our safety had settled in, we had our Defence Against The Dark Arts class, and I was interested to see what our new professor was like. Anyone would be better than Lockhart at this point.
A wardrobe stood in the middle of our class room, all the tables were gone and we stood around in a loose huddle.
"Intriguing, isn't it?" Professor Lupin started. "Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what's inside?" He asks as it had begun to shake.
"That's a Boggart, that is," Dean said, another boy from Gryffindor.
"Very good, Mr Thomas. Can anyone tell us what a Boggart looks like?" He continues.
"No one knows," I replied. "Boggarts are shapeshifters. They take the form of whatever a particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so-"
"So terrifying, yes! Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a Boggart. Let's practice it now! Without wands, please. After me, Riddikulus!"
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"Ridikulus!" We all said in unison.
"Very good. A little louder. Very clear. Listen. Riddikulus!"
We all repeat it and I hear Draco saying something about this class being ridiculous.
"Very good! Well so much for the easy part! You see, the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a Boggart is...laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you truly find amusing. Let me explain, uh, Neville, will you join me please?"
Neville's eyes widened, but he took a step forward and waited for Lupin to tell him what to do.
"Neville, what frightens you most of all?" He asks.
"Professor Snape?" He muttered quietly, that if I wasn't stood nearest to him, I probably wouldn't have heard him at all.
"Sorry?" Professor Lupin asked.
"Professor Snape," he said it clearly.
"Professor Snape. Hm. Frightens all. And I believe you live with your grandmother?"
"Y-yes, but I don't want it to turn into her either," Neville quickly replied.
"No, it won't! I want you to picture her clothes, only her clothes, very clearly in your mind."
As the Boggart version of Snape stepped out of the wardrobe, that's when I held my breath.
"Think, Neville, think!" Lupin encouraged him.
"Riddikulus!" Neville exclaimed, and soon Snape stumbled backwards and grew a green dress, a red handbag on his arm and an awful looking bird hat.
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"Wonderful Neville! Wonderful! Incredible! Okay. To the back Neville, everyone form a line!"
We all created a line, but there was a lot of pushing and shoving as we were all eager to have a go. When it was Ron's turn the Boggart to form of a huge spider; then it sprouted roller skates on its legs.
But when it was my turn, I couldn't properly think about what my fear was. Part of my fear was losing the young woman with fiery hair.
I grabbed my wand. "Riddikulus!" Suddenly the fading dream or memory it was, turned sharp and vibrant and it bathed the entire classroom in light.
I laughed because I was relieved and surprised, and the rest of the class, they laughed too, but I could feel the confusion in the room.
"Wonderful Ally! Right, next up, next up?!" Lupin asked.
That's when Harry took his step forward. My vibrant memory quickly began shifting from one thing to the next, until finally it stopped as a Dementor. No one then expected Lupin to lurch forward and throw himself in front of Harry.
The Boggart shifted into a full moon and I quirked an eyebrow. Unusual.
"Riddikulus!" Professor Lupin flicked his wand and caused the Boggart to turn into a balloon which was quickly losing its air.
It circled startlingly around us until Lupin opened the wardrobe and directed it back inside. "Alright, well sorry about that! Uh-that's enough for today. If you would all like to collect your books at the back of the class, that is the end of the lesson. Thank you!" Everyone who didn't get a turn started to moan. "Sorry!"
Draco grabbed me on the way out and pushed me into an empty classroom. "What was that?" He immediately asked; his forcefulness pushed me back into a table.
"Nothing, Draco! I don't need to explain myself," I glare at him. "Worry about yourself! You act like you're older, but we're the same age. Get over yourself, otherwise you'll find yourself a ferret!" I hiss at him.
He looks at me, puzzled. "You don't tell me anything anymore."
"Because you make everything so difficult, and it drives me crazy. I've never felt like a Malfoy, and how could I when my very nature is everything a Slytherin and a Malfoy is not?!"
"Your heart," Draco began, a softer edge in his voice. "You might not think yourself a Slytherin, but you are. That's why you're cunning, because you show it in other ways."
I want to tell him he's wrong, but something prevents me from doing so.
