Hello, everyone. A thousand apologies for not being active for so long. Truth is, I've been pretty busy with college and have been suffering writer's block because of all the academic papers I need to write. Hope you can all forgive me.

I'm still working on that new chapter of Harry Potter and the Phoenix Soul and it probably won't be ready until next week. Actually, I'm in a bit of a rut as to what I should write as the Sorting Hat's song (if you've read the Harry Potter books, you know that the Hat always sings a song prior to the sorting) as well as names for all the new First Years joining my OCs Jemma Dursley, Vincent Aurelius, Lawrence Casby, and Wendy Barnabas.

If any of you can offer me suggestions on possible names and Sorting Hat Songs, I'd greatly appreciate it.

This is a Harry Potter story that can be read in tandem with "The Other Dursley" and a sort of exercise to get my creative juices flowing again. Read and review whenever you like. I love constructive criticism!

NOTE: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER. ALL RIGHTS GO TO JK ROWLING!

It Wasn't a Dementor

Professor Remus Lupin watched, delighted, as his students faced off against the boggart. Neville's performance earlier had been absolutely brilliant. He had hardly been able to hold in his laughter when he saw the boggart assume the form of Snape dressed in a gaudy, lace-trimmed frock and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten stuffed vulture while carrying a red handbag as he called Parvati forward. Ah, if James had been there, they would have shared a hearty good laugh...

And all the other students were just as great. Whatever worst fear the boggart took form, they were able to turn it into something comical. Shouts of "Riddikulus!" filled the classroom as the boggart transformed into a mummy first, a banshee next, followed by a rat, a rattlesnake, a single, bloody eyeball, and a severed hand that got stuck in a mousetrap courtesy of Dean Thomas.

"Excellent! Ron, you next!" Remus called the Weasley over, who stepped forward. Quite a few people screamed as the hand disappeared with a loud Crack! And was replaced with a six feet tall spider. Ron froze for a moment, terrified at the menacing arachnid clicking its pincers at him, before summoning every ounce of his Gryffindor courage and bellowed, "Riddikulus!" the spider's hairy legs vanishing. Remus nodded in approval and watched the spider roll over and over on the floor, Lavender Brown quickly running out of its path, until it stopped in front of Harry.

Fearing that the other students would see Voldemort and panic, Remus shouted, "Here!" as he hurried forward, prepared to spare Harry from the torment... but it was too late.

There was a loud Crack! Followed by a few more screams and horrified gasps. It took a moment for Harry's brain to completely register what he was looking at and, once it did, his face drained of colour.

Because his boggart wasn't a dementor, the thing he had begun to fear ever since the first encounter on the train ride to Hogwarts. It wasn't even Voldemort.

It was something worse... much, much worse...

Remus had expected to see the face of You Know Who, but, instead, found himself staring at a small body lying in a pool of blood. Upon closer inspection, Remus realized that it was the body of a little girl. Her black hair was fanned out over the pool of crimson, her face chalk white, and her clothes were soaked with blood. And her eyes, brown like a doe's hide, stared up at the ceiling, glazed and unseeing.

"No..."

Remus tore his eyes away from the heartrending sight and noticed Harry back up a step. The boy looked absolutely petrified with fear, his bright green eyes widening in shock and horror, and his wand shook in his hand as he tried to cast the charm. "R-Riddi-ri-riddiku..." Harry stuttered, trembling all over, before the professor quickly stepped in front of him. Instantly, the little girl's corpse transformed into the full moon. "Riddikulus!" Remus said quickly and the moon turned into a balloon, which zoomed back into the wardrobe that Neville quickly locked with a wave of his wand. 'He's inherited Frank and Alice's quick reflexes, that boy...' Remus thought admiringly before hearing Hermione's voice.

"Harry, it's all right... It wasn't real..."

Turning around, Remus saw Hermione and Ron with Harry. Remus worried when he saw Harry's state. James's son looked distraught, almost on the verge of tears, as he composed himself. "I worry about her ever since I just left without even saying goodbye... What if...?" Harry murmured, blinking the tears away that had begun to well up in his eyes. Ron reassuringly patted Harry's back. "Mate, I'm sure she's fine. You said it yourself once that she's fully capable of taking care of herself, remember?" he told his best friend. Remus couldn't help but wonder about the girl's identity. Who was she? And why had Harry been so afraid of seeing her dead?

Before he could ponder any further, Remus saw Harry cautiously raise his hand. "Professor, um... can I go to the Owlery, please?" he asked slowly before adding, "It's urgent." Much to Remus's relief, Harry didn't look as pale as he had been when facing the boggart and that he had calmed down. Giving Harry a small smile, Remus nodded. "Thank you," Harry said gratefully and quickly gathered all of his things and left the staffroom. Whatever Harry needed to do at the Owlery, Remus figured that it required speed as he saw the boy practically sprint down the hallway as soon as he was out the door. The students immediately began murmuring amongst themselves. Clearly, Remus wasn't the only one wondering why Harry's boggart had garnered such a strong reaction from him.

"Scared of a corpse? That's just bloody stupid. People die all the time. Why would Potter be so scared of a dead body?" Malfoy sneered, earning disgusted looks from the Gryffindors and even some of his fellow Slytherins along with a pointed glare from Professor Lupin. "Bloody hell, Malfoy, are you that heartless?" Ron snarled, balling his fists, and would have socked the Slytherin good in the nose if Hermione hadn't stopped him. "Ron's right, Malfoy. Didn't you see it? It wasn't just a corpse. It was the corpse of a little girl," Neville told him sharply, glaring at Malfoy in earnest. Malfoy scowled at him, but didn't say anything else while the rest of the Slytherins looked at themselves nervously, as if hoping to be spared from Longbottom's glare that was quite intimidating. "But who was that girl? Harry sure looked horrified to see her dead earlier..." Lavender wondered out loud, looking a bit worried. Remus was worried as well and was just about to end class early so he could follow Harry to the Owlery when Hermione spoke up.

"I think the girl was Jemma, Harry's younger cousin. The two of them are really close..." the bright girl said quietly, Ron nodding in agreement.

Remus felt a pang of sorrow for Harry. To see one of the few family members he had left dead... No wonder he had been so afraid earlier...

Hedwig hooted softly as she watched her owner write a short message to little Jemma, the girl who always enjoyed a quick chat with her and always gave the Snowy Owl a nice bit of toast after she delivered her daily letter from Harry to her.

Jemma,

I know you're still mad at me for storming off, but are you okay? Are you sick? Hurt? Are your parents treating you well? Is Dudley picking on you? Please send me a reply as soon as you get this. I'm worried about you. Be cross with me all you want. I'm all right with that. I just need to know that you're safe. Write to you again soon, Jem. I'm sorry for leaving without saying goodbye.

Harry

After scribbling all of that down on the small sheet of parchment, Harry gave it to Hedwig. "Fly as fast as you can, Hedwig. I need this sent to 4 Privet Drive as soon as possible," he murmured to his feathered companion. Hedwig spread her wings and promptly took off into the air. Harry knew that he was probably overreacting to what happened in class earlier, but the sight of Jemma lying dead in a pool of blood right in front of him...

'It was a boggart, idiot! It wasn't real Jemma's safe and sound back in Surrey... It wasn't real... It wasn't real... It wasn't real...' the Boy Who Lived thought to himself over and over again, hoping that he would believe it if he repeated this mantra of sorts enough times, as he left the Owlery.

Later in the day, Remus was able to find Harry at the bridge overlooking the Scottish valley of Hogwarts. When he asked Harry about the boggart, the boy looked slightly hesitant but confessed that, while Voldemort was someone he considered terrifying, nothing terrified him more than the thought of losing Jemma. Remus nodded in understanding and smiled warmly at Harry. "You value the lives of your loved ones more than yours and, despite facing death several times, your fear is that they would be taken away instead. That's a kind of fear, Harry, that shows good qualities and a loving heart. James and Lily they were like that, too," he said. "You knew my parents?" Harry asked curiously. "James and I were best friends at Hogwarts. You know, Harry, when I first saw you, I thought I was looking at your father once more. You look so much like him. Except for your eyes. They're your mother, Lily's, and I remember her to be a gifted witch and an amazingly kind woman who saw the best in everyone... even when they couldn't see it themselves," Remus replied before he and Harry looked out over the valley. "You're more like them, Harry, more than you'll ever know..." Remus murmured, allowing his mind to wander down old memories.

Harry didn't say anything, but he felt grateful to Professor Lupin. He was the best DADA teacher Hogwarts has had in a while. And that was saying something, because no DADA teacher has lasted until the holidays without something going wrong in their class. Memories of Professor Lockhart unleashing a cageful of Cornish Pixies flashed through Harry's mind, making him smile a little. Then, he caught sight of Hedwig swooping down towards him and held out his arm. The Snowy Owl alighted on Harry s arm, a letter firmly clutched in her beak. Harry took it and opened it.

Harry,

Still mad at you for leaving without saying goodbye to me after blowing Aunt Marge up. But I'm all right. Mum and Dad are treating me well and Dudley's back at Smeltings so I'm not being picked on by anyone. Don't worry about me.

Jemma

PS: Expect to hear two earfuls from me when you get back here, mister.

Harry let out a relief-filled laugh after reading that last sentence, prompting Professor Lupin to look at him curiously. "She's going to subject me to two of her long lectures... I've really gone and done it this time..." the Boy Who Lived chuckled, shaking his head in amusement. "Hermione mentioned her name earlier Jemma, was it?" Remus asked him and Harry nodded. "She must mean the world to you if that boggart earlier had taken her form," Remus surmised. "She does, Professor..." Harry nodded and they walked across the bridge, not minding the frosty chill, Hedwig flying off into the valley.

Then, as they reached the castle, Harry remembered that Professor Lupin fought off that one dementor on the Hogwarts Express before...

Maybe the Professor would be willing to teach him how to fight them off himself...

Thankfully, when Harry asked, Remus replied that he would after the holidays. Also, the professor offered Harry some sound advice about his boggart. "Now, the next time you see her, try to imagine Jemma looking rather cross and ready to give you a lecture. That, I think, will repel the boggart most effectively," Remus told Harry, who nodded and, promptly, laughed when the thought of his younger cousin telling him off entered his mind.

Well, this is the best I can come up with. And, seriously, suggestions about names of future First Year Hogwarts students joining Jemma, Vincent, Wendy, and Lawrence as well as lyrics for the Sorting Hat to sing are most welcome. Cheers!

-GuardianDragon98