And it continues...

Ridiculous!

The class tries the 'Ridikkulus' spell for the first time.

A whole new light shone on arrogant, prickly Lucas Green-Wiltshire after today's Defense against Dark Arts lesson.

They were talking about boggarts, beings that took form of your biggest fear. To defeat something like that, their professor Lucian explained, you have to master a spell named “Ridikkulus” and make your fears laughable.

Imagining them with something ridiculous, so to say.

Max was picked as an example, he stepped forward with some uncertainty, uncommon for the Gryffindor.

Lucian let the monster out and immediately, it took the form of a mangled and bloody corpse, unrecognizable, however.

Max swallowed. He looked scared but determined as he swung his wand and shouted “Ridikkulus!”. The spell was successful on the first try, turning the corpse into a fry covered in ketchup. The class laughed. Caitlyn sniggered aswell. Only Max would think to turn a damn corpse into food, a fry of all things!

Lucian clapped his hand in amazement. He asked the students to form a line to practice, which they did. Ariana was next and her fear turned out to be a big, fat spider. “Ridikkulus!”, she shouted and the spider was suddenly dressed in a maid costume, much to the classes amusement. After praise from Lucian, she let others step forward.

Then Lucas Green-Wiltshire faced the monster. The Slytherin looked awfully timid, like he didn't want to do this at all. It was very uncharacteristic of him, Caitlyn thought, as the monster changed form again. Lucas would never throw out a chance to show what he could do. He was a big showoff, after all.

When the monster completed the transformation, Caitlyn was even more puzzled. It took a human form, a human in his late thirties and elegantly dressed. He looked a lot like an adult Lucas, it was probably a relative. Caitlyn didn't know, but the tested student did.

His eyes widened in recognition and fear and he seemed to be frozen, flinching when the monster on human form took a step forward. “Lucas!”, Professor Lucian called out and the boy seemed to snap out of his trance, remembering what he had to do.

Shaking, he lifted his wand. “R-ridikkulus!”, he called out with a weak voice, dripping with fear. Nothing happened. He tried again, but it wouldn't work. And when the phantom stepped forward again, Lucas took a shaking step backwards aswell, nearly slamming into the others in front of the line.

This was the first time Caitlyn had seen Lucas this scared, she was amazed. His fear stopped him from completing the spell and when the phantom stepped forward once more, the Slytherin froze up completely, not moving, not talking, pale as a sheet, just staring at the moving lips of the human formed monster.

Professor Lucian seemed to notice what was wrong and stepped in between Lucas and the monster, which changed form just as he did. “Ridikkulus!”, he shouted and what was a fire monster turned into a cutesy flower with a sweet face.

Behind him, Lucas slumped and fell, landing on the ground with his butt with an undignified yelp.

Worried, the professor tried to soothe the student, but he just kept on shaking his head and quiver in fear, his eyes looking watery and his face red.

The professor called the lesson off and everyone dispersed, only Lucas’s friends staying behind to try to cheer him up, to make him calm down.

Caitlyn left the room just like in trance. Lucas Green-Wiltshire, arrogant, showoff, prickly, self-confident Lucas Green-Wiltshire, fearing something so much it made him stop moving?

It was incomprehensible for her and she couldn't help but to think that she might have judged him to quickly. And wrongly.