Draco's Despair
CHAPTER ONE
I awake to the magnificent glow of the summer sun spilling through the windows of my bedroom. Reluctantly I get up, knowing that, due to my late awakening, I don't have much time to get ready, and I am too hungry to miss breakfast this morning. After taking a quick shower and getting changed, I check my appearance in the large mirror in my room and head down to the great hall where I am met with the shrill voice of Pansy Parkinson. Her expression is full of delight, rather than her usual solemn stare, which makes me slightly uncomfortable. Why is she so … happy? This is not like Pansy at all, something mustn't be right. "Draco, Draco! Guess what …" she almost screams in my ear, her voice urgent and ear-splitting. I shrug my shoulders and glance over to Blaise, who is sat in his usual seat with a smirk on his face. Pansy's face lights up as she explains that in Defense Against the Dark Arts, first period, we will be studying boggarts; apparently these creatures take the form of one's most feared thing, be it spiders or you-know-who, and this makes me rather apprehensive about attending today's lesson.
After noticing that I am not as thrilled as she is, Pansy asks me what is wrong. "Nothing's wrong. I just don't see why we are studying something that isn't going to be useful whatsoever." With that, Pansy just sighs and sits back down at our table. I also take my usual seat, in between Blaise and Cassie Taylor, my two best friends. "Have you heard about Defense today?" asks Cassie hesitantly, and I notice not only apprehension, but also a hint of anxiety, much the same as myself. "Cassidy, with Pansy here of course I have heard about it. Who does she think she is, rushing over to me, only to scream in my face? And that voice of hers, she sounds like a cat being tortured by the cruciatus curse." I say with a grin on my face, and she replies with possibly the cutest noise of agreement that I have ever heard in my life. I happily demolish all of the breakfast in front of me and turn towards Cassie, who has a relatively conceited look on her face.
"Why are you looking so smug?" I enquire, and Cassie replies with only a soft chuckle. With anyone else I would continue to attempt to find the source of their smugness, but I know that there is, most likely, no actual reason for the strange expression sitting upon Cassie's face because she is nothing like anyone else that I know of.
Every so often I wonder how on Earth she was ever placed in Slytherin with the likes of Blaise, Gregory, Vincent and I. Cassie is the sweetest, most gentle person that I know; her smile has the ability to enlighten, comfort and sympathize all in one, and her eyes are a calm and tender blue, rather like a beautiful lagoon on a bright and unclouded day. Wherever she goes, she carries with her peace, relaxation and bliss; her mere presence brings utopia. I've never seen any side of her that could possibly provide a justified explanation as to why she was placed in our house, though I'm sure there is one hidden deep within.
After breakfast we all trudge out of the great hall, well … everyone other than Cassidy, who decides to skip out of the hall pulling me along with her. We make our way down the corridor to the Dark Arts classroom; as we enter the room we notice that the desks have been moved to the sides, leaving a large empty space in the center. As I glance around, I notice what seems to be a large wardrobe at the head of the room. I look in confusion at Cassie, who appears to be just as bewildered as I am. After all of the students arrive, we see Professor Lupin walk down the spiraling staircase leading from his office.
"Today we will be learning about boggarts, now can anyone name something about them?" and almost instantly, Granger's hand shoots up. "Yes, Granger." Pronounces Professor Lupin.
"Boggarts are creatures which take the shape of their opponent's biggest fear." Granger states proudly. Professor Lupin points to the wardrobe that had almost slipped my mind, "So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears," Professor Lupin continues, "everyone will get a chance to practice the ridiculus charm. Each one of you will face the boggart and as soon as it takes shape, you must think of the funniest thing you can, and then say 'ridiculus'. Now, I want everyone to form a line in front of the wardrobe." I feel myself shudder at the thought of my worst fear, and I can tell that the reaction of the rest of the class is similar to mine. I see students glance over at each other, exchanging worried looks as we all stand in a line, my fellow classmates fighting to avoid being at the front. I am stood near the back, silently praying that the bell will ring before I get a chance to face the boggart; Cassie, who is stood fairly miserably in front of me, has a look of almost distress on her face, clearly her worst fear, similar to mine, is one she doesn't wish to share with the rest of the class.
Daphne Greengrass, the first student to face the boggart, possesses a look on her face never seen by me before. Terror enshrouds her face, her eyes wide and petrified of what is to come. With no idea of what to expect, Daphne clutches her wand and stands, ready to face the boggart. When professor Lupin finally lifts his wand and unlocks the wardrobe, out from the darkness scuttles an enormous spider, it's eight crooked legs scurrying towards Daphne, but before it has time to do anything more, she utters the spell ridiculus and the spider appears once again, but at the foot of each of its legs are roller skates, leaving the spider unable to move without slipping and sliding around. Many of the students burst out laughing, but nothing, not even a spider wearing roller skates, can ease the trepidation inside of me.
The line of uneasy students seems to become smaller and smaller, and before I know it I am stood second from the front. My heart beats rapidly in the confines of my chest as I watch Cassie grip her wand tightly. With a light flick of his wrist, Professor Lupin unlocks the wardrobe once again, and I gasp when I see the boggart transform into the most ghastly image conceivable. Staring blankly at Cassie, a girl hangs, lifeless, blood pouring from the open gash in her throat. Her skin as white as chalk, dark shadows around the black hollow holes of her eyes, that's when I notice the tight rope wrenching her head up. I watch as Cassie's trembling fingers slowly raise her wand, and she whispers "ridiculus" and the ghost girl starts dance hysterically. Breathing a sigh of relief, Cassie turns away from the boggart and makes her way to the side, so as to take a seat to watch everyone else. As she walks past me she pauses to kindly hug me, and in my ear she whispers "good luck" and I reluctantly take a step forward.