PHANTOM FIGURES | harry potter

24. flight of the fat lady

     In no time at all Defence Against the Dark Arts had become most people's favourite class. Only Draco Malfoy and his gang of cronies had anything bad to say about Professor Lupin.

     "Look at the state of his robes," Malfoy would say in a loud whisper whenever Lupin walked by. "He dresses like our old house-elf.

     But no one else cared that Professor Lupin's robes were patched and frayed. His next few lessons were just as interesting as the first. After Boggarts, they studied Red Caps, nasty little goblin-like creatures that lurked wherever there had been bloodshed: in the dungeons of castles and the potholes of deserted battlefields, waiting to bludgeon those who had gotten lost. From Red Caps they moved onto kappas, creepy water-dwellers that looked like scaly monkeys, with webbed hands itching to strangle unwitting waders in their ponds.

     Aspen only wished her other classes were as fun as Professor Lupin's. Worst of all was Potions. Snape was in a particular vindictive mood these days, and no one was in any doubt why. The story of the boggart assuming Snape's shape, and the way that Neville had dressed it in his grandmother's clothes, had travelled through the school like wildfire. Snape didn't seem to find it funny. His eyes flashed menacingly at any mention of Lupin and he was bullying Neville worse than ever.

      Aspen was also growing to dread the hours she spent in Professor Trelawney's stifling tower room, deciphering lopsided shapes and symbols, trying to ignore the way their Professor would gather tears in her eyes every time she so much as glanced at Harry. Parvati Patil and Lavender Brown had taken to haunting Trewlawney's classroom during lunchtimes, and always returned with annoyingly superior looks on their faces, as if they knew something the others didn't. The two girls also took it upon themselves to start speaking to Harry in hushed tones as if he were on his deathbed.

     Nobody really liked Care of Magical Creatures, which, after the first action-packed class, had become extremely dull. Hagrid seemed to have lost his confidence. They were now spending lesson after lesson looking after flobberworms, which had to be some sort of the most boring creatures in existent.

     "This is ridiculous," Jasmine muttered quietly, making sure Hagrid wouldn't hear. "I feel lifeless during this class."

     At the start of October however, Quidditch season was approaching, so the whole school had something to look forward to. It also meant Aspen and Leo would start having their lessons.

     Aspen organised the first session to be held in the library, at a table settled right beside a window that let the last few hours of sun peek through, surrounded by bookshelves.

     She had set down Charm books and brought out her parchment and quill to take notes. She told Leo to meet her at six o'clock and it was ten till. The Fawley boy arrived five minutes later, punctual as usual.

     "Hi, Leo, how are you?" Aspen smiled at him as he took the seat next to her.

     "I'm well," Leo checked the time on his expensive watch. "And you?"

     "The same, shall we begin?" She questioned, opening the textbook he brought to the page with Freezing Charm written across it at the top. "Professor Flitwick told me you struggle with this and the slowing charm specifically, is that right?"

     "Yes," Leo answered quietly.

     "Do you think you know why?"

     "No, not quite. I have trouble with a lot of things. Really, I'm only good at Defence Against the Dark Arts, I like it because there is less reading."

     "You don't like to read?" said Aspen, jotting words down on her parchment.

     "I think reading is fun, I'm just not good at it."