THE BOGGART

{Potions Classroom, 1993}

"Sir," Malfoy called out to the front of the room, partially raising an arm. "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm-"

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," Snape demanded, not even bothering to look up from his current task.

"What a git," Neville mumbled to the girl next to him, his best friend, Grace. "Only a complete idiot would believe his arm is actually broken."

"You got that right." She replied, stirring her Shrinking Solution. Grace Walker was a average-height third year Gryffindor girl with straight black hair that reached just past her shoulders and pale blue eyes that were slightly larger than normal.

"Professor," Malfoy said, looking down at Ron as he purposefully cut the roots unevenly and carelessly. "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."

Snape walked over to where Malfoy was sitting and looked down at the table. "Change roots with Malfoy, Wealsey."

"But, sir-!" Ron whined, thinking of all the time he had spent making his slices perfectly even.

"Now." Snape replied, practically snarling.

Malfoy smirked and Grace rolled her eyes at the sight of Ron shoved his perfectly cut roots to Malfoy and begun attempting to fix the ones he had destroyed. "And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned."

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig." Snape said quickly, glaring at Harry.

"Orange." Grace stared at Neville's cauldron, eyes wide in horror.

"What?" Neville looked at her with confusion. "What color is it supposed to be again?" He opened his copy of Magical Drafts and Potions.

"Page twenty three," Grace suggested, still staring at the Shrinking Solution with a mortified expression.

"Thanks," Neville flipped to the page, "Bright, acid green?"

Grace nodded as she heard Malfoy call out in their direction, "Walker! Come over here and slice my caterpillars for me."

"Son of a bitch," Grace muttered, walking over to the table that contained Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Malfoy, and picked up Draco's knife, beginning to slice his caterpillars neatly, evenly, and quickly.

"Orange, Longbottom." Snape's cold voice caught their attention, causing them to look over at him staring down at Neville's cauldron. "Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one rat spleen was needed? Didn't I state plainly that a dash of leech juice would suffice? What do I have to do to make you understand, Longbottom?" Neville looked up at Professor Snape with hazel eyes full of fear.

"Please, sir," Hermione chimed in, "please, I could help Neville put it right-

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," Snape replied coldly. Grace's face was red with anger, and she was gripping Malfoy's knife so tightly her knuckles were white and she thought it might snap, as Snape continued, "Longbottom, at the end of this lesson we will feed a few drops of this potion to your toad and see what happens. Perhaps that will encourage you to do it properly."

As soon as Snape had walked away and turned his back, Grace hurried back over to Neville and her hands moved like lightning around the table, fixing his potion as it slowly turned acid green. "Thank you," he whispered, having more graditude than he could put to words.

"No problem, I'd do anything for you." She whispered back with a warm smile.

"Excuse me, Walker," Draco said loudly, "You still have quite a few caterpillars to slice."

Grace groaned in frustration, walking back over to the tall Slytherin boy, her face burning with anger as she picked up the knife once again, carefully and quickly cutting up the caterpillars once more.

Draco examined her work with a satisfied smirk, "It seems only the pretty ones can slice things properly."

Harry held his wand up to the other boy's neck, "Don't you dare speak to her like that." he spat, shooting him a glare.

"I was simply complimenting her, Potter," Draco sneered, "perhaps you should learn to hold your tounge," He grabbed Harry's wand, throwing behind him, where it landed in Seamus' cauldron with a large splash.

Snape walked over to Seamus' cauldron, plucked up the wand, and handed it to Harry, "Five points from Gryffindor, Potter," He walked off without another word.

"Harry!" Grace sighed in exasperation, rolling her eyes, just as she finished slicing the caterpillars. He then mumbled about how Draco deserved it, and Grace walked back over to Neville.

"Everyone, gather 'round," Snape said, walking over to Neville's cauldron. "and watvh what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be posioned." Grace gripped the boy's hand tightly as Snape fed Trevor the toad a few drops of the potion.

Trevor turned into a tadpole, much to Snape's disgust, and he poured a different elixr onto Trevor, and he reappeared full size once more. "Five points from Gryffindor," Snape said coldly, "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger."

"Actually, sir," Grace stepped foward, and felt Neville squeeze her hand tightly, "It was me who fixed Neville's Shrinking Solution, not Hermione."

"Ten points from Gryffindor, then," He said coldly, "class dismissed."

{Hogwarts Staffroom, 1993}

"First thing first: What scares you the most in the world?" Professor Lupin asked, looking at Neville.

Neville mumbled two uncomprehensible words that no one could make out. "Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," Lupin smiled cheerfully.

Neville looked around as if he needed someone to help him, and suddenly yelled "Professor Snape!" as Grace pulled out her wand and flicked it, sending a small jolt of electricity through him.

Nearly everyone laughed as Neville looked back, seeing everyone laughing, but Grace just sat there, smiling warmly at him.

"Professor Snape...hmm...Neville, I believe you live with your Grandmother?" Lupin asked thoughtfully.

"Yes," Neville replied nervously before adding quickly, "but I don't want it to turn into her either."

Grace laughed, she had met Neville's grandmother; she didn't want it to turn into her either.

"What's your worst fear?" Ron asked her, causing Grace to turn to him as Lupin told Neville exactly what he was to do.

Grace thought for a moment as she saw Neville in the corner of her eye, as he stared at the wadrobe containing the boggart as if it were about to eat him. She didn't know what she would do if he- No, she wouldn't think like that, "Snakes." She said curtly, trying not to show in her expression that she was lying.

"Mine's spiders," Ron shuddered at the thought, "filthy little buggers. Too many eyes, you know?"

Suddenly, everyone turned to Lupin and Neville as the wardrobe opened, and Snape stepped out. "R-r-riddikulus!" He stammered and Snape suddenly was dressed like Neville's grandmother.

There was a wave of laughter as Lupin looked at the crowd. "Parvati!" as Parvati stepped forward, the boggart transformed into a mummy before Parvati yelled the incantation and it tripped on it's own bandages. After Seamus and Dean went, Lupin looked to the ginger standing next to Grace. "Excellent! Ron, you next!"

Ron stepped forward, obviously nervous, as the boggart became a very large spider, sending a few screams through the class. "Riddikulus!" He yelled, and the spider's legs vanished, sending it rolling about.

Lupin's gaze fell on Grace. "Grace! Your turn!"

She stepped foward, gripping her wand tightly, and eyed the spider. You will not turn into Neville dying. She thought, and tried desprately to think of what scared her the most. There was a sound like a whip crack, and there Neville was, lying on the ground as blood pooled around him. "Riddikulus!" There was another crack, and the blood vanished, as the figure stood up, but it wasn't Neville any longer; it was Snape, dancing around like an idiot. Grace sighed in relief as Harry stepped forward.

Lupin noticed Harry standing there and jumped in front of him, causing the boggart to turn into the full moon. "Riddikulus." He muttered. "Neville! Finish it!"

Neville stepped out, and it turned into Professor Snape once more. "Riddikulus!" He cried out, and Snape once again wore his grandmothers close before exploding into thousands of little wisps.

"Five points to Gryffindor for everyone who tried, ten points to Neville for doing it twice, and five each to Harry and Hermione."

"But I didn't do anything." Harry said.

"You two answered my questions correctly." Lupin looked around. "Homework," -a groan spread through the crowd- "kindly read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it for me... to be handed in on Monday. That will be all."

Everyone left the class, and Grace began to run, but Neville grabbed her shoulder tightly, "Are you alright?" he whispered as they walked.

"Yea, of course, why would you ask?" she lied.

"That was your worst fear?" he looked at her incredulously.

"I guess." she replied quickly and nervously before trying to escape.

"Would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me this weekend?" Neville suddenly blurted out without thinking.

"Like... a date?" Grace asked, raising an eyebrow.

"O-only if you want it to be." He stammered out.

"Sure," She smiled warmly, "I'd love to."

A/N: Please, please, please, please REVIEW! I update a lot quicker when people review.