Venus

14- Irony

"You know something, I think I might try out for the Quidditch team this year." Venus mused over breakfast a week into term, "I mean Alicia Spinnet is out for the season, so that leaves a chaser spot open."

"I'm happy staying on the ground." Mali was furiously scribbling a potions essay that was due in first period.

"What about you Gin?" Venus asked her sister.

"I just want a normal year at Hogwarts." Ginny sighed, looking at her eggs, "nothing else."

"Well I'm going to try out!" Venus picked up her fork, "it could be fun!"

********

"Okay do a few warm up laps around the pitch and then we'll do some goal shooting, each of you will have teen shots, the person who makes the most will be on the team," Oliver Wood told the gaggle of Gryffindor students who has turned up to the trial.

Fred and George gave Venus a thumbs up as she mounted her second hand Comet 100 and kicked off of the ground.

The whole Gryffindor quidditch team had turned upto the trials at Oliver Wood's command.

"We need someone who works well with the team!" Oliver had declared.

After three laps of the pitch a few students had already dropped out, they were either too slow or too lazy for the team.

That left around ten people to practice shooting. The team's current Chasers Angelina Jonsohn and Katie Bell did the shooting practice with the prospective members whilst Wood defended. Harry, Fred and George watched from the stands.

Some of the students were good, but Venus was sure she could do better.

She and Ginny had been stealing their brother's brooms to practice Quidditch for years and Venus had become quite a skillful Chaser, although her favorite position was beater mainly because of how violent it was.

Finally it was Venus's turn. She managed to score 8 out of 10 goals, leaving her in the lead, by a long shot.

"Well," Wood said as they all touched down at the end of the tryouts, "it seems we have our chaser." He patted Venus's shoulder, "we're going to win the cup this year!"

********

Venus took a particular liking to the DADA professor that year Professor Lupin. He was one of the best teachers she had ever been taught by and he was always there if any of his students needed him.

They had looked at all sorts of magical creatures and as it neared the end of October Lupin announced that the class would be looking a boggarts.

"I think that this class is advanced enough to handle boggarts." He told them.

The Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were all very excited for this.

In their next class Lupin lead them towards an empty classroom with with a few desks, a large cabinet and a chalkboard.

"The boggart has taken up residency in here," Lupin patted the cabinet.

He went on to describe the spell that they would be using.

"Everyone, visualise the thing that you fear most, and how you can make it less scary." Lupin told the class.

There was a moment of silence as everyone did so. Venus wracked her brain for what the boggart would become when she faced it, but she wasn't sure. What was her biggest fear? She had plenty of smaller fears such as rats, but what was her biggest fear?

"Okay is everyone ready?" Lupin asked. Everyone apart from Venus nodded, "okay Luna you can start us off."

Luna Lovegood stepped forwards, and pulled out her wand.

Lupin opened the cabinet, but Venus wasn't really watching, she was still trying to work out exactly what her biggest fear was.

She was shaken back into reality when Lupin yelled, "Venus! You next!"

Venus hurried forwards and the pogostick in front of her transformed.

In it's place stood Sirius Black. He was holding a knife in his hand and had a manacle smile on his face. Professor Lupin had gone completely white.

Venus pointed her wand at the boggart, it shook in her hand as Black advanced.

"Riddikulus!" Venus yelled weakly, but it was enough, Sirius Black changed into the large friendly dog that Venus had met in the grounds. It barked playfully and ran around the room.

"Annabel!" Lupin said, "you next."

The Professor was still as white as a sheet at the end of the lesson. Everyone else left the classroom discussing the boggart.

"You guys go ahead," Venus told Ginny and Mali, "I'll catch up."

Venus approached Lupin, who was still very pale.

"Are you okay Professor?" She asked.

Lupin shook himself and smiled at Venus. "Yes of course, just some unpleasant memories."

"Did you know him?"

"Who?"

"Sirius Black." Said Venus.

"Yes I did." Lupin nodded, still looking at the cabinet that the boggart had emerged from.

"Did you know Marlene McKinnon too sir?" Venus asked.

Lupin looked slightly surprised at the question. "Yes I did, we were all at school together."

"They're my parents." Venus felt the urge to confess everything to this teacher, he seemed so understanding, so trustworthy. "Sirius Black and Marlene McKinnon, they're my parents."

"So why was your own father your boggart?" Lupin didn't seem at all surprised by the news, almost as if he had known it all along.

"Isn't it obious?" Venus shrugged, "he probably would kill me if he had the chance, I mean he killed twelve muggles without blinking."

Lupin scratched his head, "and the dog?"

"There's this friendly dog that I've come across a few times around the school." Venus confessed, "he always makes me laugh."

Lupin's eyes widened slightly, but he said nothing.

"You'd best be going now Venus," he told her, "you'll be late for your next class."

Lupin watched the girl hurry away, a lump of guilt in the pit of his stomach.