A Child of Black I Harry Potter fanfic

Boggarts

           

It was the second day of classes and the group of Gryffindor third years had been looking forward to this class all day. One by one they filed into the classroom and took their seats. Jamie sat down at a desk in the back, think it would make it harder for her to be noticed. She tucked a strain of hair behind her ear as she tried to remain calm. The new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was all anyone was talking about these days. While Jamie had been doing her best to avoid the stranger who kept starring at her during meals.

"Good morning class!" Professor Lupin exclaimed upon entering the classroom. "Could you all please put away your books, take out your wands, and follow me."

The students did as instructed and followed their teacher out into the corridor, down the hall, and into an empty classroom. They all gathered around Professor Lupin who stood beside a large wardrobe that was shaking a bit.

"Intriguing isn't it?" Lupin asked. "Would anyone like to venture a guess, as to what is inside?"

"That's a boggart!"

"Very good Mr. Thomas, now, can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like?"

Harry glanced back at Jamie and motioned for her to answer, knowing she had spent last year reading about all sorts of creatures trying to help find something on the monster that had been attacking the school. Jamie shook her head, not wanting to draw any attention to herself.

"No one knows," Hermione spoke up, causing Ron to jump. "Boggarts are shapeshifters, they take the shape of whatever particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so-"

"So terrifying, yes. Five points to Gryffindor, thank you, Miss Granger." Lupin smiled as he spoke. "Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart. Let's practice it now, without wands please. After me, Ridiuklus."

"Ridiuklus" The class repeated.

"Very good. A little louder and very clear. Listen, Ridiuklus!"

"Ridiuklus!" The class repeated once more.

"Very good! Well, so much for the easy part. You see, the incantation alone is not enough, you see, what really finishes a boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain, ah, Neville! Will you join me please?"

The students parted as a nervous Neville made his way to the front.

"Come on, don't be shy," Professor Lupin encouraged. "Now, Neville, what frightens you most of all?"

"Pr-Professor Snape," Neville stammered making the class laugh.

Professor Lupin chuckled, "Yes, he frightens us all. I believe you live with your grandmother, correct?"

"Yes, but I don't want that boggart turning into her either!" Neville exclaimed as everyone giggled.

"No, no, it won't" Lupin reassured Neville. "I want you to picture her clothes, only her clothes very clearly in your mind."

"She carries a red handbag..."

"You don't need to tell me. As long as you see it so will we. Now when I open that wardrobe, here's what I want you to do." Lupin moved so he was now standing beside Neville instead of in front of him. He leaned down and whispered something in the boy's ear, so the rest of the class could not hear him. "Can you do that? Yes, I believe you can" Lupin took out his wand as he talked. "Wand at the ready! One, two, three!"

With a flick of Lupin's wand, there was a click and the doors to the wardrobe swung open. Out stepped Professor Snape, fixing Neville with a hard-cold stare.

"Think Neville think!" Lupin encouraged him.

"Ridiuklus!" Neville exclaimed. Suddenly, instead of his usual dark attire, Professor Snape now wore a long green dress, a fox scarf, a large hat with some sort of bird on it, and he carried a red handbag. Professor Snape looked around in confusion as the class continued to laugh.

"Wonderful Neville! Wonderful! Okay, everyone form a line!" Professor Lupin instructed. "I want everyone to picture the thing they fear the most and turn it into something funny." Lupin turned on his record player and music filled the room.

One by one students would approach the boggart and they would face their greatest fears. Ron faced a giant spider and one of the girls turned a snake into a clown. Professor Lupin chuckled with delight as he watched his students succeed.

When Jamie stepped up the Professor's laughter stopped. She watched as the boggart began to take on a new form. To be honest, she expected it to turn into Orion. But instead of seeing her adopted father, Jamie was now looking at herself.

Was she afraid of herself?

"Ridiuklus!" Jamie exclaimed. She watched as the boggart Jamie's hands grew to the point where they were bigger than her body and her eyes became as big as a globe. There were fewer laughs this time as Jamie stepped to the side.

Next was Harry. Jamie half expected it to turn into Lord Voldemort. Though before the boggart could take a new form Professor Lupin jumped in front of the boy. Boggart then turned into what appeared to be a moon.

"Ridiuklus!" Lupin shouted. The white moon flew away like a balloon that had just been popped. "Right! I think that's enough for today, class dismissed!"

There were many grumbles of disappointment from the those who did not get a turn as the students made their way out of the classroom. Before Jamie left, she looked back at her teacher to find him staring at her. That was it! Jamie had had enough of this. She waited for the last student to leave before marching right up to Professor Lupin.

"Why do you keep looking at me!"

"Pardon?"

"You know what I'm talking about! You keep staring at me during meals and even in the halls. It's creepy and frankly, a bit weird." Jamie's tone was harsh and fierce as she spoke. She didn't care that she could get in trouble for speaking this way to a teacher.

"Jam... Miss Black, I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable. That was not my intention."

"Then tell me, Professor, what were your intentions?" Jamie demanded.

Lupin sighed and ran a hand through his thin hair. "There is much you do not understand... And I'm not sure I'm the right person to explain this to you."

"Well, if you're not going to explain yourself then the least you could do is stop starring!" And with that Jamie spun around and walked out of the classroom.

"Hey," Harry said as he sat down beside Jamie in the Gryffindor common room. It was midafternoon, so the place was practically deserted due to most people either being in class or outside. "How are you?"

Jamie passed him the newspaper that had a picture of her father on the front page. "Just dandy..."

"I heard about the sitting near Hogsmeade. Do you think he might actually come here?"

"Who knows, the man's supposed to be crazy right?" Jamie responded.

Harry shook his head and put the newspaper on the coffee table. "I'm sorry Jamie, you don't deserve a murder for a father."

"And you didn't deserve to have your parents killed, and yet, look where we are."

"Miss Black!"

Harry and Jamie jumped at the sound of Professor McGonagall's voice. They turned to see the woman standing in the doorway of the Gryffindor tower.

"Yes?"

"Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office."

Jamie nodded and stood up. She smiled at Harry before following Professor McGonagall out of the common room.