I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.
Chapter 11
The first week passed without much incident. Moony continued to be a huge hit with the students of Hogwarts. Even some of the nicer Slytherins thought he was great. Although, considering who their last DADA teacher was, this was not an amazing feat.
Then again, they were Slytherins and as such, they were notoriously hard to impress. In other Slytherin news, Malfoy had been moaning his bandaged up arm the entire week.
Devyn highly doubted that the injury was as bad as Malfoy was making it out to be, but because of his injury, he was able to have other students help him with his physical work. For example, in Potions, he deliberately sat next to Harry and Ron and told Snape that he needed help cutting up his daisy roots and skinning his shrivelfig.
So, of course, instead of telling Malfoy to suck it up and do his own work (like he would have done if it were anyone but Malfoy) Snape instructed Ron to cut his daisy roots and Harry to skin his shrivelfig.
Now, Ron (as well as Harry and the others) knew that Malfoy's arm was not that badly injured – not to mention, Madam Pomfrey would have been able to heal that wound in a trice – and was subsequently so angry at this injustice, that he ended up butchering Malfoy's roots (although this could have been done on purpose. Devyn didn't know because she was sitting at the table next to theirs with Neville and Hermione and was very focused on her own potion, a Shrinking Solution – which, incidentally, earned an 'E', which meant "Exceeds Expectations".
For some reason, Snape never gave her any grief – only Harry, Ron, and occasionally Hermione and Neville, if that former was being a so-called know-it-all and if the latter had botched his potion. That, luckily, was happening less and less nowadays because Devyn was usually there to give him confidence, but now and then, Neville would still slip up and get heavily insulted for it.
Anyway, when Malfoy realized that Ron had butchered his daisy roots, he told Snape, who in turn forced Ron to swap roots with Malfoy. Now normally, this wouldn't have been a big deal – if it weren't for the fact that Ron had spent the last half an hour carefully cutting his roots to mind-bending precision.
By the time they had exited that Potions class, both Ron and Harry were having trouble controlling their anger. Devyn recommended punching Malfoy – that had done wonders for her anger in first year.
Hermione looked at her like she was insane and then proceeded to implore the two boys not to physically assault Malfoy. Thankfully, they listened to Hermione – although, they weren't really stupid enough to randomly attack Malfoy, so the odds of them actually doing it in the first place were slim to none.
"Does it hurt terribly, Draco?"
Devyn came out of her memories of the past week in time to hear Pansy ask Malfoy about his arm.
"It comes and it goes," Malfoy told her. Devyn rolled her eyes and tried desperately to block out the annoying voice that belonged to Draco Malfoy. "Still, I consider myself lucky. According to Madam Pomfrey, another minute or two, and I could've, uh, lost my arm. Couldn't possibly do any homework for weeks."
Neville glanced at Devyn with a look in his green eyes and whispered, "That's a crock of sh-"
Hermione cleared her throat and Neville cut himself off, realizing that McGonagall was in hearing range. Neville shrugged and looked at Devyn, knowing that she had gotten what he was about to say.
"Yeah, I know. But he'll get tired of it eventually. And you know he's doing it to bait us."
Neville nodded just as Ron said, "Listen to the idiot. He's really laying it on thick, isn't he?"
"Yeah," Harry agreed. "But at least Hagrid didn't get fired."
Devyn nodded emphatically. As long as Hagrid got to retain his new teaching position, Malfoy could continue this charade for as long as he wanted.
"Yeah, but I hear Draco's father's furious. We haven't heard the end of this…" Hermione said, almost in warning. Although, knowing Malfoy and his fondness for the phrase 'My father will hear about this', it wasn't surprising that Lucius Malfoy was having a cow over the injury.
"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" Seamus shouted, running over to them, clutching today's Daily Prophet in his hands. But that could only mean one thing…
"Who?" Ron asked, slightly startled from Seamus' sudden outburst.
"Sirius Black!" Seamus replied in the same tone – one that suggested shock, horror, and excitement all at the same time.
Seamus slapped the newspaper down on the table and they all bent over to read it.
Devyn scanned the article; Sirius Black…escaped Azkaban…murdered thirteen people with one curse….one wizard, Peter Pettigrew…twelve Muggles…was sighted in Dufftown.
"Dufftown?" Hermione said in surprise and concern. "That's not far from here."
"You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts…do you?" Neville asked, fear entering his voice. Devyn slipped her hand into his and squeezed. She knew that he was concerned not only for everyone's well-being, but also Harry's considering they knew that Black was apparently after Harry, although Devyn was still sure that there was more to the story.
"With Dementors at every entrance?" a student commented.
"Dementors?" Seamus scoffed. "He's already slipped past them once, hasn't he? Who's to say he won't do it again?"
"That's right…" Bem said. "Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke. It's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands."
In other words…it's impossible.
Luckily, Devyn was able to keep her mind off Black for a little while – her first class with Moony as her DADA professor was next.
When they arrived in Moony's classroom, there was a large mirrored wardrobe in the middle of the room and it kept shaking violently. Devyn looked around at her friends and noticed that Hermione was once again missing. That was really odd because she had just been there, not thirty seconds before.
The first couple of times, Devyn had jumped, unaware of what might be inside. Moony had been ultra-careful not to reveal any hints about today's lesson to her, so she had no idea what was in store for her and her class.
"Intriguing, isn't it?" Moony said from the back of the class. "Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what is inside?"
He walked toward the front of the class and smiled briefly at Devyn as he passed.
"That's a Boggart, that is," Dean said.
Moony nodded and said, "Very good, Mr. Thomas. Now, can anyone tell me what a Boggart looks like?"
"No one knows," Hermione said suddenly from Ron's side.
"When she'd get here?" Ron commented in confusion. Devyn felt he had a very valid question – when had Hermione gotten there? And why had she disappeared so suddenly? Something was off…
"Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so -"
"So terrifying," Moony finished for her. "Yes, yes…yes. Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a Boggart. Let's practice it now…ah, without wands, please…after me, Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!" the class chanted back at him.
"Very good," Moony said. "A little louder and very clear…listen – Riddikulus!"
The class once again repeated Moony and Devyn heard Malfoy mutter, "This class is ridiculous."
Devyn turned slowly and glared at him with such a ferocity only seen in a wolf protecting her pack. And Moony was most definitely part of her pack. Malfoy glared back, but Devyn could a shadow of fear in his eyes.
Good, she thought savagely. Nobody gets to insult my godfather.
"Very good," Moony said, drawing Devyn's attention back towards him. "Well, so much for the easy part. You see, the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a Boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain. Ah – Neville, would you join me, please?"
Neville immediately adopted the expression of a deer caught in headlights. Devyn nudged him forward and he hesitated just a bit.
"Come on, don't be shy. Come on…come on," he said, trying to encourage Neville. Devyn knew that Neville was not afraid of Moony, but of failing in front of the entire class.
"Hello," Moony said jokingly when Neville finally stepped forward to stand next to him. "Neville, what frightens you most of all?"
Neville muttered something and Moony said, "Sorry?"
Devyn knew perfectly well that Moony knew what he had said (and she had heard as well) because of his werewolf hearing, but the rest of the class didn't, so that was why he asked him to repeat what he said.
"Professor Snape," Neville answered, loud enough so that everyone could hear this time.
The class laughed and Neville smiled half-heartedly. "Professor Snape," Moony mused. "Yes, frightens all…and I believe you live with your grandmother?"
"Yes, but I don't want that Boggart to turn into her either," Neville said quickly. Devyn laughed, knowing just how formidable Augusta Longbottom could truly be.
"No, it won't…" Moony reassured him. "I want you to picture her clothes – only her clothes – very clearly in your mind."
"She carries a red handbag…" Neville began but Moony shook his head.
"We don't need to hear. As long as you see it, we'll see it. Now when, I open that wardrobe, here's what I want you to do…"
Moony moved over to whisper in Neville's ear and said very quietly so only he could hear, "Imagine Professor Snape in your grandmother's clothes."
Neville looked at Moony as though he had just sprouted about five more heads and Moony nodded.
"Can you do that? Yes."
Neville looked entirely unprepared, but Moony had already gotten his own wand out and pointed it at the wardrobe.
"Wand at the ready," Neville got his own wand out, "One…two…three…"
Moony flicked his wand and the doorknob turned and the mirrored door of the wardrobe creaked open – and a very menacing Professor Snape stepped out, looking directly at Neville. Moony moved directly behind Neville and said, "Think, Neville, think."
Boggart-Snape walked toward Neville, every clunk of his step increasing Neville's fear. Devyn worried that he had frozen up but then – "Riddikulus!"
Boggart-Snape stumbled and suddenly his traditional black robes became emerald green, a red handbag materialized in his hand, and a hat with an ugly stuffed vulture now sat atop his head.
The class erupted in laughter, Devyn along with it, because she had seen Mrs. Longbottom wear that exact outfit on more than one occasion, and to see Snape wearing it was far too amusing to not laugh at.
Moony's warm laughter rang out through the classroom and he said, "Wonderful, Neville, wonderful!"
"Incredible!" Moony complimented Neville. "Okay. To the back Neville! Everyone form a line."
As he moved to a record player sitting on the table in the corner, every student tried to get into a semblance of a line and Devyn ended up right in front, Ron directly behind her. There was a fair bit of shoving and Moony had to remind them that they were trying to form a line, but all in all, they got it sorted.
Moony put a record on and said, as he put the needle down and swing music started playing, "I want everyone to picture the thing they fear the most and turn into something funny! Next! Devyn!"
Devyn stepped forward, with her fear already in mind. The creature had haunted her dreams for months now and she was ready for it. She knew what she had to do. It'd be difficult, considering she didn't know how dangerous the Boggart form would be, which meant that for safety reasons, she'd close her eyes straightaway.
She stepped up and the Boggart straightened up before shifting into the massive serpent that had plagued her subconscious for months on end. Devyn clamped her eyes shut just as she heard her classmates gasp and shout in fear. She didn't know how the Basilisk would even fit in the classroom, and she wasn't about to find out.
She heard the hissing and instantly images she couldn't forget raced through her mind – being within inches of the foot long fangs of the Basilisk, having to run from the creature with her eyes shut, never knowing if she was about to die…
She started shaking but she held her ground.
You're not real. You can't hurt me…
"Riddikulus!" she shouted, her trusted wand pointed straight at the Boggart-Basilisk and she opened her eyes the second the last syllable left her mouth. The Boggart-Basilisk, which had been massive, but not as massive as the real thing, instantly transformed into a small rubber Muggle snake toy and it fell to the ground, utterly harmless.
She breathed in relief and moved toward the back of the line, where Neville slung an arm around her, having already known that the monster she and Harry faced was a Basilisk.
"Excellent, Devyn!" Moony said. "Ron, next!"
Ron stepped forward and Moony said, "Concentrate, face your fear – be brave!"
The rubber snake instantly transformed into an impossibly large Black Widow spider – Ron's worst fear after all, was spiders.
Ron whimpered in terror but pulled out his wand regardless and managed to use the charm, which in turn caused the spider to scuttle about on the roller skates it was now wearing on all eight legs.
The class chuckled at the absurd scene and Parvati stepped forward when Moony called her name. Her Boggart was similar to Devyn's – it was a giant King Cobra – but not quite as deadly in real life.
Parvati transformed hers into a jack in the box and then Harry was up.
Devyn's heart stalled for a moment – what if Voldemort appeared in the middle of the classroom? But then, was Harry afraid of Voldemort? Devyn wasn't sure. She knew he hated having to face him, but she never knew him to actually fear the one people called You-Know-Who.
So what would his Boggart be, then?
Moony seemed to be wondering the same thing because he stopped chewing on his apple to watch Harry and the Boggart – which had now swooped down on him, in the form of the blood-chilling Dementor.
"Here!" Moony shouted and moved between Harry and the Dementor. The Boggart stopped and immediately changed into the full moon. It seemed only Devyn actually noticed it was the full moon (afterwards, people would be asking themselves why their new DADA professor was frightened of crystal balls) and Moony confidently said the charm's incantation and the full moon became a white balloon that was losing air and flying around the room with a loud squeaking sound.
"Right…" Moony turned around and faced the class, still holding his apple. "Well, sorry about that. Ah, that's enough for today. If you'd all like to collect your books from the back of the class…that's the end of the lesson."
The students who weren't able to have a go groaned and Moony apologized. "Sorry. Sorry, can't have too much of a good thing."
Devyn and her friends were about to leave the classroom when Moony said, "Devyn, would you stay a moment, please?"
Devyn, with her back still turned to Moony, closed her eyes in frustration. She wondered if he was going to do this. She wasn't actually sure that Moony knew the monster she and Harry had squared off with was a Basilisk. She couldn't remember ever telling him.
"Sure, Mo-…er, Professor Lupin," Devyn said. Neville smirked at her, having noticed her almost slip-up, and said, "You want me to wait up?"
"No, its fine, Nev. See you later," she said, turning to face her godfather. Neville nodded and left the classroom, which left only Devyn and Moony.
"It was a great lesson, Moony, really," Devyn said, trying to put off the moment where she had to tell him where she had seen the Basilisk from, to even be able to fear it.
Moony just looked at her, like he knew what she was doing. He probably did.
"Alright, alright…I know what you're going to ask me," Devyn said, giving up the charade.
"Devyn, how did you know to close your eyes when the Basilisk appeared?"
"I…"
"Let's be honest, you don't come across Basilisks just in recreational reading, and you certainly don't close your eyes on instinct if you don't know anything about the creature, so how'd you know?"
"You know how the legend of the Chamber of Secrets says that a monster dwells within it…? Well…"
"Oh, no. You've got to be joking."
Devyn shook her head and said, "I wish I was. Believe me, I wish I was."
Moony gaped and said, "A Basilisk? Oh my god...and you knew, didn't you? You knew what was down there, and you still went?!"
"Of course I knew, Moony! I'm a bloody Parselmouth! Yes, I knew. And yes I still went down there! What, did you expect me and Harry to leave Ginny to die?!"
Moony sighed and shook his head. "No, I didn't expect that of you. Of course I didn't. So what happened down there…with it?"
Devyn refused to answer, only shaking her head in response. She relived the encounter with the Basilisk constantly in her sleep; she didn't need to do it when she was awake as well.
"Okay, fine. You don't have to tell me. But what happened to it? The Basilisk, I mean," Moony asked. Devyn cleared her throat and said, "Dead. It's dead, Harry killed it."
Moony made a noise of understanding and asked, "Are you okay?"
She didn't want to worry Moony, so she said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be fine. Don't worry about me."
"You know that worrying about you is in my nature, right?"
Devyn nodded and Moony said, "Alright. So long as you're okay…you'd better run along."
Devyn smiled and nodded before turning away to leave. She was halfway out the door when Moony said, "Oh, and Devyn?"
"Yeah?"
"You did excellent today. I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks, Moony. You know, you should be careful – people might think you're playing favorites." And then with a wink, she disappeared from the door.
"Cheeky little…" Remus muttered to himself as his goddaughter left his classroom. But he had been serious. She had done exceedingly well, especially when one figured that she had her eyes closed from the second that the Boggart started shifting.
He still couldn't believe that his goddaughter had faced off against a Basilisk, which was at least twice the size of the serpent that she had faced in class today. Dumbledore had left out that particular detail…
It made him wonder what else he didn't know about Devyn's previous years.
