Natalia Potter

holding me back

The forth and final class of their day was Defense Against the Dark Arts which they knew they couldn't and wouldn't miss as Lupin was teaching them along with the Slytherins. The trio walked swiftly towards the classroom, avoiding Snape where they could as they had already purposefully missed his class earlier that day.

At the end of the classroom was a chalkboard, completely blank, the desks were pushed aside and dummy bodies were hung magically around the room. The professor stood at the end of the room beside the board, "Okay, gather round, gather round." The class fell silent as Lupin spoke, "I am Professor Lupin and this year I will be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. I am aware that you have a had a rocky couple of years with this subject so today we will be testing out what we know and what we need to learn. Now if you will," he spoke as he used his wand to pick  up the white chalk. "Name all the spells you have learnt so far and we will practice them, I will be assessing how well you can perform them and what you haven't been taught so well and we can relearn them." 

For fifteen minutes the forth years shouted out spells they had learnt, after a while Lupin listed some, unanimously the class either announced they had or hadn't learnt them. Once the chalkboard was full, the chalk dropped and they were split into groups of three, each assigned to a dummy. The trio stood together around the dummy closest to the front, each of them attempting the spells on the board. Fred and George although very good wizards struggled to remember each spell as they had never paid enough attention in the classes they attended. Though when Natalia showed them how to do it, as she was the best in her year, they picked it up with ease, feeling it easy to listen and acknowledge what she was saying. 

Finally, the class was left with the final spell of the board, Reducto, which none of them were able to do as professor Lockhart had tried to failed to teach them it, Nat having Lupin as one of her Uncles was able to do it but chose not to, not wanting the others to feel inferior. 

"Nat, step forward if you please." Lupin loudly spoke, the girl didn't question her uncle until a dummy appeared in front of her, "if you please." Pulling out her wand the girl rolled her eyes at the older gentleman wishing he didn't know of her strong abilities that she had gained from the potter bloodline. Perfectly she cast the spell sending the dummy flying backwards nocking the chalkboard over before disintegrating. 

Hurriedly she stepped back next to her boys before the class was dismissed, the clearing of a throat was heard as she began to leave. She sent the boys ahead and told them she would find them later, knowing she had the map they left without a fight. 

"Why do you try so hard to hold back your talents and your power, you have been able to do that spell since you were eleven." Her uncle wisely spoke, "look I just don't want people to respect me just because I have power and they fear me, I want them to acknowledge me and respect me because I'm a good person." Nodding gently he insisted that she stayed and assisted him with his final class, agreeing as she had no more classes for the day. 

The class walked in not noticing Nat as she sat on the stairs slightly behind the large wardrobe that had been placed in the front of the classroom, "Does anyone know what this is." "That's a boggart that is." Recognizing the voice of her brothers friends voice as she described the boggart Nat stood and allowed the class to see her before walking down to beside her Uncle.

"Today I have two boggarts, I have asked miss Potter to assist me here, a simple spell can be used to counter act a boggart, now repeat after me Ridiculus." they did so and Nevil stepped forward facing his fear of professor Snape. 

The class of third years made two lines behind two cabinets, Harry and his friends stepped into the line in front of Nat, knowing that she was just as capable as Lupin. 

Both cabinets opened at the same time, Ron the first one in Nat's line faced his fear of spiders that began to tap whilst another Gryffindor faced her fear of snakes, turning into a jack in the box. Lupin observed closely as Harry stepped in front of the Boggart. The Boggart turned into a dementor, though Nat had heard the rumors of them circulating the train she had no idea if the were true. 

Quickly Natalia stepped in front of her Brothers Boggart allowing it to turn into an image of herself, manically holding a striking red journal.

The class was dismissed soon after Lupins niece and faced her Boggart, allowing himself and her to be left alone in the newly deserted classroom.