Remus Lupin and the Prisoner of Azkaban (#Wolfstar)

Chapter Five- The Boggart

Wordcount: 2606

Remus Lupin mentally scolded himself as he hurried down a long corridor. Being late to his own class, how careless of him!

When he arrived at his first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson, the students, all third year Gryffindors, had sat down, taken out their books, quills, and parchment, and were talking.

Remus smiled vaguely as he entered the room and placed his tatty old briefcase on the teacher's desk. He was as shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. They had apparently never had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts before, Remus noted, but some students muttered something about a memorable class last year when their old teacher had brought a cageful of pixies to class and set them loose.

"Right then," said Remus, when everyone was ready. "If you'd follow me."

Puzzled but interested, the class got to its feet and followed their professor out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist, who was floating upside down in midair and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum.

Peeves didn't look up until Remus was two feet away; then he wiggled his curly-toed feet and broke into song.

"Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin --"

Rude and unmanageable as he almost always was, Peeves usually showed some respect toward the teachers. Remus guessed it was the fact that when he was a student, he and his friends used to host annual competitions whose pranks were the best and they defeated the Poltergeist almost every year, who hated them for it from the bottom of his cold dead heart.

Everyone looked quickly at the Professor to see how he would take this; to their surprise, he was still smiling.

"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," he said pleasantly. "Mr Filch won't be able to get into his brooms."

Filch was the Hogwarts caretaker, a bad-tempered, failed wizard who waged a constant war against the students and, indeed, Peeves. However, Peeves paid no attention to Professor Lupin's words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry. Remus gave a small sigh and took out his wand. In the last decade, the Poltergeist seemed to have forgotten who he was, and he was only delighted to remind him.

"This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely."

He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, "Waddiwasi! "and pointed it at Peeves.

With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves' left nostril; he whirled upright and zoomed away, cursing.

"Cool, sir!" said Dean Thomas in amazement.

"Thank you, Dean," said Remus, putting his wand away again. "Shall we proceed?"

They set off again, the class looking at shabby Professor Lupin with increased respect. He led them down a second corridor and stopped, right outside the staffroom door.

"Inside, please," said Professor Lupin, opening it and standing back.

The staffroom, a long, panelled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty except for one teacher. Of course, it had to be Severus Snape, sitting in a low armchair, looking around as the class filed in. His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth.