Hogwarts Oneshots

Fighting Fear

Harry Potter watched the mass of 3rd years from the balcony In the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. The sea of cloaks was split evenly down the middle with one side with burgundy inner linings and the other with emerald green. The only exceptions to the divide were two Gryffindor boys chatting up a storm with a Slytherin girl in the back corner. This made a smile come to Harry's face. Even if it was slowly the gap between Slytherin and the other houses was coming down, if only brick by brick. 

" Would you like to begin Mr. Potter."  reluctantly Harry nodded. He had battled dragons and faced off against dementors but a group of third years still made him nervous.        

 Professor Mink, the new Defense teacher wrapped his wand loudly on the banister. Silence slowly spread through the room as Harry descended the winding steps. "Good Morning!" A chorus of welcomes came from the students below. "Well hello then." He strode down the stairs, "The ministry has decided that you lot need to be taught by active aurors," Looking out over the sea of faces Harry couldn't believe he'd ever looked that young. "to heighten your senses or something. So I have decide to show you my favorite lesson from when I was a third year. " He gestured at a very familiar wardrobe. "Does anyone have an idea what could be in here?    

"Coats." Someone offered and class erupted into quiet hysterics. Mink rapped the railing.                

"Quiet! All of you." The man sounded as if he was ready to retire at the ripe old age of thirty five.                                                                                                                                                                                                        "Anybody else?" A single hand raised towards the back, "Yes?" Harry was glad at least one these kids was willing to participate.                                                                                                                                      

"I believe sir, well at least I think," The voice from the back sounded very uncertain and very shy. "In the wardrobe. Is it, is it a boggart?" some students shifted for Harry to see the speaker and he realized it was the Slytherin girl he'd noticed before.                                                                                     

"Yes very good and could you us what a boggart is."                                                                                             

After her last correct answer the girl seemed to gain more confidence, "They are shape shifters," she paused and Harry nodded for her to keep going, "They change into your worst fear."                   

"Right again." the girl grinned, "Today we are going to practice a simple way to rid yourself of a boggart. Now you see the best way to combat fear is not to destroy it, because that is nearly impossible you will almost always will be afraid of something. So the best way to fight fear is to change it, to transform it. We change it into something funny because funny's easy. Think of the last laugh you had and you've done it. All you have to do is say: RIDDIKULUS." He shouted  spell startling the class.  "Do we need an example?" they all shook their heads.                                                         Most likely they were all feeling pretty confident  in being able to make things funny, but harry feared most of them were not taking into consideration the boggart's efficiency in finding a fear that would freeze you to the spot. "Anyone who doesn't wish to see their deepest darkest fears may step to the side ." about one third of the class moved to the right, "The rest of you form a line in front of me."