After the student ahead of her turned their angry grandfather into a mannequin wearing a butler's uniform, it was Lamie's turn.
Her fellow classmates swayed behind her, curious to see what would emerge. Most knew little of Lamie's personal history, so this was exciting to see. She stood in front of the old, dusty brown cabinet and waited for the boggart to emerge. Her hands started to get clammy but still gripped tightly on her far-too-large wand. Her stance was at the ready, unsure if her body would fight or flight. She didn't have to wonder too hard on what she would face; she still has nightmares about it to this day.
A slow trickle of smoke seeped through the gaps in the wardrobe. Imelda, Ominis, and Sebastian already knew about Lamie's negative association with fire. Imelda and Sebastian had already had their turn, so they backed up to avoid the upcoming flames. Ominis was next in line and stood right behind Lamie, not too afraid, having "witnessed" Lamie put out many fires that Sebastian started in the Undercroft.
The doors burst open, and the strong heat rushed through the room. The flames spread quickly, engulfing the rugs and desks before them, making their way straight to Lamie. Her throat turned dry, and she winced at the feeling of the feverish heat. Some students behind her yelped at the sudden explosion of fire, with Professor Hecat calming the students, but the flames flickered at their feet harmlessly. Lamie remained motionless, ignoring the orange sheet of fire, her eyes still focused on the dark contents of the wardrobe, for this was only the red carpet to the main event.
Some students turned their attention away from the fire climbing up the draperies to the large thump that landed on the floor in front of them. Ominis didn't have his wand out, so he couldn't make out what caused the noise. When not focused on the strong heat that surrounded him, he could hear Lamie's breathing getting louder and stronger. She had finally turned her attention away from the depths of the wardrobe to what fell lifelessly onto the ground. Ominis could hear his classmates behind him questioning each other if some burnt Inferi was it, and how much of a letdown all the hype was. Lamie's breathing was quicker than ever. Then more thumps originated from the wardrobe, all burnt Inferi falling onto the ground, multiplying. As each one fell, they became more charred than the rest, but also soon began to crawl towards their target. They grew louder and louder. Broken nails clawing the wooden floorboards. The stentch of death mixed in with the chocking smell of smoke. The voices of the damned overlapped each other, pleading for Lamie nonsensically. Some even muttered Lamie's name and questioned how and why she wouldn't help them. Ominis felt Lamie back up into him, as Professor Hecat tried to direct Lamie to dispel the boggart.
Lamie's anxiety grew as her vision tunnelled. She felt apologetic and hopeless, not wanting to face them again or remember them as black, demented figures devoid of any recognizable familiarity. As the Inferi reached her feet and tore into her gray socks, she remained fixated on the original two bodies that had fallen first, barely making them out as more corpses emerged from the wardrobe. She felt lightheaded, with her heart rate at its peak and breathing so fast that she was on the verge of a panic attack. Her own thoughts rang in her ears, making her unaware of Ominis checking on her from behind, Professor Hecat commanding the students to get back, or Sebastian's shouting from the back to watch out.
She looked back up at the darkness inside the wardrobe. It was concealed in curtains of flames, and there stood, the shadowy figure from the same night. It noticed her first, and knowing what was to come, Lamie reacted on instinct. If her classmates weren't screaming from the mob of the undead, they had something to scream about now. The flames flickered higher than ever as the shadowy figure stood over Lamie's parents. Lightning struck across the classroom of red and green as the two stood at a deadlock, their wands pointed towards each other, arms flexing to add more strength to their spells. The intersecting mass of power crept closer to Lamie. She grimaced, too weak and distracted by what was on the floor to focus on the hate in her heart. All she wanted was to inflict torture on the shadowy figure. But her feet started to slide back. She couldn't. Her willpower was not as strong as it once was when she began her descent towards the study of the forbidden Dark Arts. It was not the same as the anger-fuelled nights she spent fighting dark wizards hidden in the forests around Hogwarts. She was conflicted. A small shout of pain left Lamie's mouth as she was pushed further back, with the electrical heat of the growing green and red intersection crept towards her. Her vision worsened with wet tears blurring her line of sight.
Professor Hecat didn't take long to understand the situation and responded accordingly. Her first priority was the students, ushering them to the safest post in the classroom, away from the fire and Inferi. Some, such as Sebastian and Natsai, took it upon themselves to practice some duelling on the undead. Imelda had to force Sebastian away from Lamie as she began her duel with the boggart. He couldn't help but watch in worry and wanted nothing more than to help her. Yet he also knew the risks when it came to these recognizable spells. One slip-up from him could cost Lamie worse than a scar on her eye. His heart grew frantic as he heard Lamie cry out in pain; she was losing this battle. Professor Hecat managed to catch Lamie's attention; the teacher motioned at something, and the next thing he knew, she struck the shadowy figure with Riddikulus. Lamie redirected the residual dark spell to the wall behind her, knocking her to her side.
Sebastian ran quickly to help her up. Lamie groaned in pain and rolled onto her back, with Sebastian's head casting a shadow on her face. He could tell she was distant for a second, but she came to when he called her name for the third time. Imelda and Ominis soon joined them, both voicing their worried concerns and stating how dangerous the situation was. As Sebastian stood, holding Lamie up with him, she looked away and wiped the tears that visibly streaked down her dark, ashen face.
The Defense Against the Dark Arts class slowly walked forward to see the spectacle of the boggart. The once-burning flames were now candles, with all lights pointed towards the dark mass. Charred corpses were now leathery, forming ten large fingers and two large palms, gloves, intertwining with each other to form mystical shapes before the lights. This, in turn, cast a shadow, once a human figure, now a bunny rabbit hopping around. The boggart had turned into a light show, and the young wizards and witches oohed and aahed at the now light-hearted, funny display.
Lamie watched as her teacher pushed the boggart back in and sighed as it was now over. Hecat checked on all the students to see how much damage was caused, and once satisfied that no one was seriously injured, set everyone to practice Repairo in the classroom. Despite Lamie's failed attempts at reassuring Professor Hecat that she was fine, the teacher sent Lamie to the hospital wing to be safe. Compared to the other students' handling of their fears and traumas, none had to raise their wands in self-defense. Without fail, Sebastian volunteered to ensure Lamie would make it to Nurse Blainey safely. When Hecat approved and they both made their way out of the classroom, they never reached the South Wing. They both spent the rest of the class sitting in the fields, under their usual tree, laughing and joking about some of the funny outcomes of Riddikulus prior to that day, content and safe around each other.
