Vega swallowed hard as he, Hydrus, and Viola walked from the Pit, heading for the Defense classroom. Just over a week into February, the delivery Tadyggbo had been waiting on had finally arrived, so they could begin on the anti-boggart training. Most of the students weren't thinking much about it, though a few, like Vega, seemed rather put out of having to display what they feared most in front of others. To expedite the training and get as many students thinking about it as they could, they were doubling up classes. Slytherin was with Ravenclaw, and Gryffindor was with Hufflepuff. Some part of Vega wondered if McGonagall was doing this on purpose.
"You alright? You look really green." Viola said, falling back in step with Vega and reaching over to rub at his back slowly.
"Fine as I can be, considering." Vega croaked, eyes shifting quickly from the ground to Hydrus, then back again. "This is gonna suck..."
"We all have to do it. It's for our own good." Hydrus said.
"You're not being very helpful, Hydrus." Griped Viola, glaring at her twin brother. Turning her attention back to Vega, she continued in a softer voice, "You'll get through it fine. Didn't you say you figured something out?"
"Yeah, but I dunno if it'll work. Not like I was able to practice." Vega said, letting out a yawn. He had spent the better part of the night awake and desperately scanning the grimoire's pages, trying to find something other than the intended spell. Something that he could use to get rid of the boggart before it could turn into Hydrus. Before it could open its mouth. He had eventually found something, but by that point, it was too late to try and figure out a way to practice using it. The only thing he had accomplished in the end was making himself sleepy. On the one hand, the fear of the school finding out was slightly dulled by the tug at his eyelids. On the other, if he tried to cast the spell he had found in such a state, he wasn't entirely sure it would work. It did claim to need a lot of focus and power. At the moment, Vega had neither of these.
"Just use the Riddikulus spell like everyone else. Honestly, Potter, whatever it is can't possibly be that bad, can it?" Asked Hydrus. He glanced back over his shoulder at Vega, who ducked his head suddenly. "...Well, you'll get to see us make fools of ourselves first, if the rumors of Tadyggbo going in alphabetical order are true."
"Wonder if Eskander's gonna be okay..." Vega said, lifting his head and frowning. "He was really messed up during that game. Justified entirely, of course, but it has to be getting in the way of everything else. I knew if my parents were missing, I wouldn't be able to concentrate. Like, what's the point of doing well in school if your parents might be dead, you know?"
"Not sure that's what's bothering him." Viola said, her voice quiet. Blinking, she continued a little louder, "Anyway, just try and rest, alright? You can always tell Tadyggbo you were up late studying on something. Or having nightmares. He's let people rest their eyes before. Just can't outright fall asleep."
"Don't think falling asleep's gonna be a problem. Got a nagging voice in my head keeping me awake." Vega said, suddenly scowling.
"Yeah, I know whatcha mean." Viola said, sighing. "Been double-guessing myself all morning. I know what I'm scared of, and I know how to make it funny, but I have no idea if the boggart will actually turn into it. What if what I'm actually most afraid of isn't what I think I'm most afraid of? Guess I'll know soon enough."
"Y-yeah..." Vega said. He closed his mouth and glanced back down at the floor. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to say anything. He had been talking about something completely different. But, he figured, even telling his best friends too much about hearing the voice in his head wasn't wise. He would just have to try and tune it out as best he could. It did seem to love making noise when he was tired, though. It was faint, and had a bit of static to it, but every so often, it would get a full, clear sentence out. It was all rather jarring. He had been having a decidedly hideous cup of strong coffee that morning to try and wake himself up, and in the silence of the Pit, a voice similar to his had suddenly called out to him. He had managed to avoid spilling the coffee all over himself, but only just.
From the clear bits and pieces he had let himself catch, it almost seemed excited about the class that they were walking to. Making a face, Vega rounded a corner with the twins, looking up to see the Defense room coming into view. Who could possibly enjoy exposing their fear to a school that seemed built on rumors and teasing at times? Blowing out a sigh, Vega muttered, "Starting to regret eating anything today. I really don't feel good."
"It's just nerves. They'll settle down once people start turning their fears into something silly." Hydrus said. "Besides, every time you skip a meal, you always end up getting shaky and feeling sick anyway."
"Hyde, I don't want to get sick in front of everyone anymore than I want to show my fear to them." Said Vega, his voice quiet. He knew Hydrus was right, but he also knew the spell he was planning on using was probably going to get him into trouble. He also didn't care. As long as he kept the school from finding out his secret, he would happily take a month's worth of detentions.
'-ah. C'mon, let me do it!' Came the jarring voice in his head.
'Oh good, you again.' Vega thought. 'What do you mean, let YOU do it?'
'I can come forward and take control. Like when Hyde and Vivi got attacked that time, or when we were in the air with Lapis that time!' Said the voice.
'I don't need your help.' Vega explained. 'I have a plan.'
'Not gonna work.'
'How do you know?' Asked Vega.
The voice let out a barking laugh. 'I just know, okay? Look, you can do what you want. I'm just sayin', I could do better. So let me do it for ya! It won't hurt or anything. Might pass out from the strain, but that's it. If you're willing to get detention, why not be willing to pass out?'
'I'm not having this conversation.' Vega thought sourly. 'Just... look, just be quiet until class is over with, alright?'
'Not makin' any promises. You're gonna need help.'
'By the time they get to me, I'll have seen loads of people use the spell.' Vega argued.
'You don't need to watch everyone. Just the one that matters.' Said the voice, the joking tone to its disembodied voice growing serious.
'Which? Vivi or Hyde?'
'Lapis.'
'Eskander? Why's he the one that matters?'
'Call it a hunch. Alright, I'll go quiet. But if you lock up, I'm stealing control away.' Said the voice.
Vega could almost hear it grinning at him. He muttered something under his breath, pushing open the door to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom as he and the twins reached it. They followed him in, Viola squeezing his shoulders in support as they found an empty spot to sit. Most of the class had already arrived. Once he was seated, the twins sitting to his left, Vega crossed his arms on the desk and lowered his head. He kept his eyes open and facing the front of the room, where a pair of Prefects were standing next to a chest that had been locked tightly. Numerous chains and absurdly large padlocks surrounded it, as though transporting the most dangerous creature on the planet inside. Which, Vega thought, tilting his head to one side, it just might be. What was worse than something that could turn into what you're most afraid of? Anyone would have trouble dealing with one if they weren't expecting it.
Glancing to his side, he searched the Ravenclaw students until he saw Lapis Eskander and his two friends. Lapis looked about as bad as Vega felt. He had deep bags under his eyes, and his hair was in a state of rather shocking disarray. Usually, the Ravenclaw boy kept himself looking good, even if he didn't necessarily feel good. Maybe it was just the fact that he was sleepy, but Vega bit back a chuckle. Though he had his eyes set on Hydrus - somehow - he had to admit that Lapis was rather attractive. It was a different sort of attractiveness, though. With Hydrus, what he loved was the cool and calm exterior that he knew hid a very un-Malfoy side. When Hydrus' typical demeanor broke, it was always for a reason, be it anger or indignation. Vega was certain he could count the amount of times he had seen Hydrus being flustered on one hand. He was just like any 'normal' boy when he stopped trying to follow in his father's footsteps.
Lapis, on the other hand, Vega wasn't entirely sure of. Maybe it was merely the Quidditch rivalry getting to him. Or, he thought, maybe it was something far simpler than that. Though he clearly was trying to hide it, Vega knew how hard it had to be, not knowing if your parents were alive. The only reason he hadn't approached the boy was due to the girls who always seemed to be around him. Then again, what would he have been able to do, outside of offering to fly with him? Vega was terrible at giving advice, and he wouldn't know what to say if Lapis were to open up to him and ask what to do. Blowing out a soft sigh, Vega shook his head to try and clear it. Whatever it was, something about Lapis got to him. Of course, it helped that both Lapis and Hydrus were, at least to him, strikingly handsome.
Just then, Lapis blinked, turning his head slightly. For a moment, the two locked eyes and a silent question went back and forth. Lapis' brow creased, Vega's raised, and Lapis simply shook his head, trying and failing to offer a confident smile at the Slytherin. Vega tried giving what felt like one of his own, though from the look on Lapis' face, it went over about as well as the one he had been given.
"Gonna make you go sit with them if you don't start paying attention to us." Whispered Viola from right next to his ear.
Jumping, Vega turned and stared at the girl, clutching tightly at the edge of the desk. "Don't do that!" He cried.
Snorting, Viola crossed her arms. "You were spaced out and trying to have a psychic conversation with the enemy Seeker over there. Hadta do something to snap you out of it, now didn't I?"
"The enemy Seeker." Repeated Vega. "You been talking to Danielson again, Vivi? Bad for your health, that."
"Quiet, you two, look." Hydrus said, motioning toward the door at the far end of the classroom. It had opened, and Gareth Tadyggbo stepped out, looking somewhat surly.
"Sorry, everyone, I would have been in a bit sooner, but I've got a shipment of pixies back there that've been giving me troubles. Keep figuring out how to get loose from their cage. If you catch any noises from back there, it's going to be that lot. Shouldn't be able to open the door from my office to in here, but I'll take care of them if they do..." Tadyggbo explained, walking around to the chest. "Right! I hope all of you are ready for this! Now what we're going to do is, everyone's going to stand up and we're going to move the desks and chairs along the walls so we have a bit of room to move. All of the Slytherins will be on one side, the Ravenclaws opposite, and I'll be going down this list..."
Producing a piece of paper from one pocket of his robes, Tadyggbo continued, "I've written your names down, in alphabetical order, alternating between Houses. So we'll get one person from Ravenclaw, then one from Slytherin, and so on. We do have three more Ravenclaws than Slytherins, so they'll all be at the end. Now, about the spell that we'll be using..."
Vega tried listening, but the buzzing in his head was growing, as was the feeling of nausea. The butterflies in his stomach were trying desperately to get out. Licking his lips, he sat up straight and tried to steady himself. He tried thinking the class was going to be fun, and he was certainly a little curious as to what fears people had and how they would manifest. He wasn't particularly proud of this fact, however. But he was in desperate need of a distraction. And seeing someone freak out over a particularly large spider might be just what he needed.
Time slowed to an utter crawl for Vega as, one by one, students went up to face their fears. The Prefects were sitting at the back of the room, watching with amused looks on their faces. Vega wouldn't be able to make a run for it with them there, that was for certain. It would have to be his way or nothing at all. And, even as one of the other Ravenclaw first years turned a mummy into a giant roll of toilet paper, he felt his stomach roll over on him again. Sucking in a low breath, he leaned back against one of the desks.
"You okay?" Whispered Viola. "You're really looking bad..."
"I guess if I get sick, I'll at least have an excuse to leave..." Vega murmured back, arms crossed over his stomach. His breathing felt forced now, as though someone had ahold of his lungs. Looking up, he caught Lapis looking at him with a worried look on his face. Vega shook his head slowly, then offered another feeble smile before turning to watch one of the Slytherins take the test.
"Lapis Eskander, it's your turn!" Tadyggbo called, smiling over at the Ravenclaw, who let out a weary sigh. Hopping down from the desk he had been sitting on, Lapis trudged to the front of the class, his eyes glassing over.
"Wand out? Good, good. Now then, do you know what your fear is?" Asked the Defense professor, smiling at his student.
"Yeah, I know what it is." Lapis answered, staring at the chest. "Not happy about it, but I know what it is."
"Well, no need to worry too much. Everyone's fears will be out before long. Hard to tease anyone when you can just throw their own irrational fear back at them, after all." Tadyggbo said, chuckling. "Now then, let me know when you're ready."
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Muttered Lapis, raising his wand. His eyes focused and narrowed. When Tadyggbo popped the chest open, the boggart shot out of it, a swirling, silver wispy form quickly changing as it caught sight of the Ravenclaw. It shot down to the ground and proceeded to turn into an exact duplicate of Lapis, down to the serious expression on his face. The real Lapis quickly did something that seemed to make him wince, then aimed at his boggart doppleganger and growled, "Riddikulus!"
Just as the boggart had opened its mouth to speak, the spell connected with it. It doubled over for a moment, then jerked back upright, its clothes having changed from standard school robes to a deep blue sundress and matching hat. It looked back up at the real Lapis, who let out a cold chuckle, then let out a soundless cry as an invisible force threw it backwards towards the chest. It changed back into a silver wisp as it flew, bouncing off of the opened lid of the chest and falling back down into it. As Lapis turned and walked back over to his friends, Tadyggbo slammed the lid closed on the chest, making sure it was locked before looking over at the Ravenclaw.
"It hadn't finished forming all the way." He noted. "You should have waited a bit longer before casting the spell! It would have been far more powerful if you had."
Wiping at what seemed to be a bleeding lower lip, Lapis simply shrugged, making a face as he ran his tongue over the self-inflicted bite wound. "I repelled it. That's all that matters, right?"
"Well, yes, but that's still not the way I would've liked to see it done. You'll get credit for it for a successful repel, but I'm afraid I can't award full marks." Tadyggbo said.
"Acceptable enough." Lapis muttered.
Samantha and Valerie converged on him as he hopped back up on the desk he had been on, berating Lapis for having to chomp down on his lip in order to focus himself enough to cast. Lapis just swatted them away, looking irritated and murmuring something that Vega couldn't make out. The two girls exchanged an odd look before sighing and returning to where they'd been standing.
"Now what the devil could that have been about?" Hydrus wondered aloud, keeping his voice down as the next student was called up.
"Yeah, that isn't fair. But hey, Vega, that means there's hope for you, right? You can just cast the spell before the boggart-" Viola began.
"Won't work. Need to do something before it forms at all. Eskander had the right idea, he just wasn't quick enough. ...Wonder why he had to bite his lip like that, though. Couldn't have been that bad, could it?" Vega pondered.
"Dunno. Whatever works, I suppose." Viola said. "Lapis kinda looked cute in a dress, though."
"Vivi!" Vega cried.
"What? He did! You'd look cute in a dress, too!" Viola stated. "He's not that much bigger than you!"
"I suddenly have a terrible feeling I know what you'd going to do when your turn comes up!" Vega stated, giving his friend a traitorous look. "Hyde, if she puts boggart-me in a dress, can I cancel Christmas for her?"
"Oh come on!" Viola exclaimed, poking Vega's shoulder.
"Permission granted." Hydrus said.
"Oi!"
"Much obliged, sir." Vega said, smirking.
"You guys are jerks." Viola declared.
Vega smirked, but it belied how he was feeling. Now he was really curious as to what Lapis had been fearing. And, for that matter, why his inner voice had thought watching him would be so damned intriguing. Lapis was still working to stop his bleeding lip, but he didn't look quite as tense as he did prior to performing the spell. Again, the Ravenclaw looked up and caught Vega staring. Vega put on a big, stupid grin on his face and mouthed 'ooh la la' at Lapis, who responded with a decidedly rude hand gesture, kept low enough that Tadyggbo wouldn't see. Vega snorted, biting down on his own lower lip to keep anyone from hearing. Lapis rolled his eyes and mouthed a 'good luck' at him before nodding back to the front of the class.
"Mr. Malfoy - you're up!" Tadyggbo called, looking toward Hydrus.
Pushing away from the desks, Hydrus strode to the front of the room. Now it was Viola's turn to act surly. She wasn't looking forward to this one bit. As Hydrus drew his wand, she called out, "If it's still the same thing you mentioned, I'm gonna hex your lips off!"
Shoulders slumping slightly, Hydrus looked over his shoulder, saying, "I really don't have much control over it, you know."
"Then I suggest finding a way to gain control!" Viola cried.
"Is there a problem here?" Tadyggbo asked, eyebrow raised as he looked from one twin to the other.
"None, sir. I'm ready." Hydrus said, lifting his wand up.
"Then have at it!" Tadyggbo cried, throwing the lid to the chest open once more. The silvery wisp flew out and began taking shape almost instantly. But instead of manifesting as Viola, it started taking the form of something far larger. In fact, Vega was sure that the low ceiling was the only thing keeping it from growing even bigger than it ended up being. A gigantic grindylow leaned over, gnarled claws clicking on the ground as it leveled its head with Hydrus', fierce glowing eyes narrowing. It opened its mouth, exposing rows of pointed teeth, and let out a low, warning growl.
Hydrus had taken a step backwards as the boggart shape had grown, but was recovering quickly once he had seen what form it had taken. It was a little different than what he had been imagining, but it still made sense. The grindylow had been what almost caused Viola to drown, after all. Maybe it was simply the creature coming again that frightened him, rather than it specifically pulling Viola down into the murky depths of some large body of water.
Raising his wand, he aimed between the creature's eyes. "Riddikulus!"
The giant, mutant grindylow suddenly had its slimy, scaly skin turn a rather odd pinkish color, and tiny little bows began popping up all along its body. It seemed confused by this for a moment, looking back to Hydrus, who was now grinning triumphantly at it. And, just as it had been doing for every student thus far, it suddenly got thrown back, reverting to what must have been its default state as it ricocheted back into the chest. Once Tadyggbo had closed the top and approved of Hydrus for waiting, the Slytherin turned and headed back towards Vega and Viola.
"That was... different." Vega said, brow creased.
"I'll take it!" Viola cried, hugging Hydrus as soon as he got within range.
"I didn't change it. It just... came out that way." Hydrus said, trying to pry his sister off of him. "Wasn't quite expecting a mutated creature..."
"Whatever works!" Viola chirped, looking quite pleased. Tadyggbo then proceeded to call her up to the front of the room, and her happy mood plummeted so fast it made Vega laugh. "Aw man..."
"Go on, then." Vega said, grinning. "Let's see what you're gonna do. Maybe I'll escape this unscathed, too!"
"You'd better. Eskander over there stole my gimmick." Viola said, sticking her tongue out at Vega and walking up to the front of the class.
"...Hyde, did you just hear her say that she was going to put me in a dress? Because that's what I heard." Vega said, his own mood dropping like a stone. "So help me, if that's what she's going to do, I'll..."
"Sputter indignantly and yell at her for awhile?" Suggested Hydrus.
"Yeah, some of that!" Vega said, nodding. "...Well, I guess me and Eskander are gonna be laughingstocks this week..."
"This week, if you're lucky. With how the rumor mill operates, you'll be having people trying to transfigure your robes into a dress for a good month." Hydrus said.
"Not helping, Hydrus!" Vega said, his teeth clenched now.
The amusement he had been feeling had completely given way to his paranoia and the butterflies in his stomach had started to flutter once more. Vega scowled, glaring at the back of Viola's head. Whatever she was planning, he wasn't sure he wanted to see it anymore. The chest opened, and sure enough, the boggart promptly changed into Vega. But it was different. It looked almost crazed, a wild-eyed look on its face and a too-wide grin splitting its face.
"That's what you looked like in the air those times." Hydrus said, his voice low. "Now I get it. She's afraid of losing you to whatever that is..."
'I do NOT look like that.' Came a sudden comment from the back of Vega's head.
Vega ignored the voice entirely, and wanted to run more than ever once Viola had cast the spell and turned the boggart-Vega into a dress-wearing boggart-Vega. He heard Lapis let out a bark of laughter, and he turned to glare daggers at Ravenclaw's Seeker. Lapis pulled his lower lip into his mouth, trying not to laugh more, but he wasn't doing a very good job of it. In fact, very few people seemed to be able to keep their laughter withheld.
"Vivi, I'm gonna throw you to the giant squid!" Vega yelled suddenly, turning and sulking as Viola walked over.
"Oh, I'm sorry!" She called, rushing over and throwing her arms around him. "I'm really sorry! I just didn't know how else to make that funny! No amount of insane looks could be taken seriously in a dress, though! I did try to make the dress prettier than the one Lapis put his boggart in!"
"I don't care about whose boggart's dress was prettier!" Whined Vega, ducking his head and letting out a defeated groan. "Vivi, you suck..."
"I'll make it up to you on Christmas!" Viola promised. Then, to try and steer the conversation to somewhere other than Vega in a dress, she continued, "So... c'mon, tell us what you're gonna do when it's your turn!"
"Not tellin' you nothin'." Vega muttered, lower lip jutting out. "All you need to know is I found a countercurse that isn't the one everyone else is using. Not telling Tadyggbo before I use it, either. He probably wouldn't think I could cast it. I don't think I can cast it. But it's worth a shot... not like anything's going to go uphill at this point..."
Leaning over so her mouth was right next to Vega's ear, Viola whispered, "You're gonna have to be really quick, though. That thing seems to change in about two seconds flat. You think you can get the spell off that fast?"
"No idea." Vega said, letting out an almost defeated sigh. "We'll know soon enough, though..."
'Soon enough,' as it turned out, came far too soon for Vega's tastes. Tadyggbo finally called his name, and he shoved himself away from the desks, pulling his wand from his back pocket. Time seemed to slow again, and he could feel his heart pounding. So loud, in fact, that it seemed to drown out all other noises. He got to the front of the class and looked at Tadyggbo, who mouthed something at him. Vega licked his lips, then nodded.
'You're seizing up!' Screamed the voice in his head, suddenly. 'I'm taking control!'
'I'm fine.' Replied Vega, watching as Tadyggbo's hand slowly popped the lid of the trunk open again. 'I can do this.'
'No, you can't!' The voice cried. 'You should have your wand up already!'
'It's moving so slowly, though. I have plenty of time...' Vega replied.
'You idiot, you only THINK it's moving slowly! You're going to go at the same speed! Move your damn arm!'
Vega paused, but tried lifting his wand arm, which suddenly felt as though something was weighing it down. A look of fear flashed across his face as his eyes darted from his arm to the chest, where the wispy form of the boggart was starting to rise. 'No... no, no, no, no...' His eyes squeezed shut, and his stomach once more rolled over on him. 'I can't do this!'
'MOVE!'
Eyes snapping open, Vega's arm shot up and he snarled, "VORO EXSILIUM!"
The boggart was frozen in mid-shift, looking quite like a mangled human body that was floating in the air under its own power. There was a moment where nothing happened, then the boggart started getting dragged toward Vega's outstretched wand. When it connected, the boggart let out an unearthly cry of pain before it was sucked straight into the wand itself. Teeth clenched, Vega jerked his arm down so it was aimed at the chest. A wild grin splitting his face, his eyes flashed blue as a noise like a cannon firing filled the Defense classroom. The boggart, or what was left of it, came shooting back out of Vega's wand. Sickly grey chunks of meat, along with a yellowish blood were splattered all over the chest. Half of the boggart seemed to be in the chest, half dangling outside of it. Ichor dripped from the mutilated body, pooling on the ground.
Vega's eyes suddenly flashed back to their normal color, and he instantly wobbled, dropping down to the floor and throwing up violently on it. After the food had ended, blood began to come up. The moment his mouth wasn't being used to deposit the contents of his body onto the ground, he let out an anguished wail and fell onto his side, curling up tightly and shaking. Whimpering quietly, Vega stared across the room, a blank look in his eyes.
Tadyggbo was the first to recover, rushing over and kneeling next to Vega. His wand was out as he performed a series of rapidfire spells, and from the expression washing over his face, he didn't like the results he was getting. Getting back to his feet, he stunned Vega and floated him into the air, quickly moving with him to the door. As he went, he barked, "All of you are to remain here until I return! Someone clean up that mess!"
The door slammed behind them as they left, and this seemed to snap the class out of the shocked silence they had been in. Immediately, the room filled with noise as people began to wonder what on earth they had just witnessed. Hydrus glanced aside at his sister, who had become quite pale and was presently hugging herself. He reached over and put his arm around her, pulling her towards him. She turned midway, throwing her arms around Hydrus and sucking in a shaky breath.
"What the hell was that?"
"I don't know." Hydrus replied, giving Viola's shoulder a weak squeeze as he pulled his wand out. Aiming it at the puddle of sick that Vega had coughed up, he quickly banished the mess away, as no one else seemed up to the task.
"He's going to be okay... right...?"
"He'd better be..." Hydrus murmured. His eyes flickered up toward the pack of Ravenclaws across the room. Lapis Eskander stood frozen to the spot, staring at the decimated form of the boggart with an absolutely terrified look on his face. Turning his attention back to his sister, Hydrus put his wand away and wrapped his other arm around her. "He'd better be..."
The next fifteen minutes passed by at an excruciatingly slow pace. The initial din had given way to an uncomfortable silence. Hydrus had tried a few times to levitate the pieces of the boggart into the chest so he could clear away the gore, but he was feeling too shaken to get any of it done properly. Viola was now sitting on the ground, hugging her knees, and Lapis still had that far-off, frightened expression. Hydrus was trying not to show how scared he actually was, but he wasn't sure if he was doing a very good job.
Where had Vega pulled that power from? He was barely scraping by in most of his classes! He shouldn't have been able to draw the boggart in, let alone destroy it so utterly. The question, as it turned out, would be answered by Tadyggbo, who returned looking as though he hadn't slept in weeks. The class immediately began asking questions when the door opened, but Tadyggbo raised his hands to silence them. As he walked to the front of his classroom, cleaning up what was left of the boggart and banishing the ooze-like blood, he explained, "The spell was far beyond Potter's skill level. Instead of the boggart taking the full force of the spell, a portion of it rebounded back into Potter's body. He took a part of the impact himself. Imagine, just for a moment, what that means. Not sure where he got the power to use it, but you all saw the results. This is why we don't just go randomly flinging around spells we don't know how to correctly cast."
"Is... is he okay...?" Asked Viola, her voice very small.
Closing the lid of the chest, Tadyggbo walked around his desk and sat down heavily into his chair. Leaning forward on his legs, he looked at the Malfoy girl for a few moments before speaking. "We had to call in healers from St. Mungo's, Miss Malfoy, if that's any indication. Potter will be fine, but he's not going to be awake any time soon. Almost all of his ribs are completely destroyed, and he's incredibly lucky that the sheer force of the thing didn't reach his spine. His internal organs were punctured by shards of bone, but the healers were able to extract those without any real trouble. Yes, he'll survive, Miss Malfoy. But only just. He's damn lucky, if you could call it that."
Hydrus sat down next to Viola as Tadyggbo spoke. She had reached out and grabbed hold of his robe at one point, and was crying against him by the time the professor finished. Frowning, Hydrus looked back at Tadyggbo and asked, "I assume class is over."
"You assume correctly." Tadyggbo said, blowing out a long sigh. "We'll need to find a new boggart, and I don't think anyone will be able to focus after Potter's insane stunt. Even if the boggart had made it through intact, I would have called class here. If you go to see him, be very quiet. The healers were still around when I left. They assured me he'd be fine and told me to come back here, so that's what I did."
Hydrus helped Viola back up and, slowly, the students began to filter out of the Defense classroom. Tadyggbo motioned for the Prefects to go, as well. Nothing to guard, after all. Once the last of them had left, Tadyggbo leaned back in his chair, glancing down at one of his hands, which was shaking rather badly. Closing his eyes, he pulled in a slow breath. As he let it out, he opened a drawer on his desk, pulling out a small glass and a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey. Unscrewing the cap, he looked down at the liquid and muttered, "I hope Minerva knows what she's doing..."
With an annoyed sigh, he put the glass back in the drawer, taking a long swig directly from the bottle. As the bottle left his lips, a noise that sounded like a stack of books falling over came from his office. Setting the bottle down, he turned and cast a withering look at the closed door. Getting up with a long-suffering sigh, he trudged toward it and grumbled, "Because this is what I want to deal with right now. Damned pixies..."
oOoOoOoOoOoOo
Author's Notes: Heyyy, a chapter that didn't take four months to get out the door. Good for me, I'm getting better!
I really wanted to do this. The Exsilium and its effect on Vega were one of the moments I'd wanted to do since I started the book. Every book has a few 'big' moments in them, and I sorta use those as markers for how far into a story I am. As of this chapter, we're now downhill into the final act of the book. Between now and when Vega wakes up, events will force him to take action once he's feeling better.
I've had to merge a few chapters so far. The Defense lesson was originally to be two chapters, but it seemed better to do them as one and end on the Exsilium and its aftermath. For the record, I always thought a boggart's 'body' looked sort of like a powder-white humanoid, albeit with any features on the head. The wispy form is what it takes on when it's about to attack. Totally nothing in the canon to suggest any of this, but it's hard to describe the decimation of a wisp of energy. Besides, imagine a den of boggarts in their default state. Just this dank hole in the ground, filled with pale, almost-human figures. Give-a me the jibblies.
Also, and this is something I only noticed as I edited this chapter, our DADA professor's name's spelling went off course at some point. It should be Tadygbbo, not Tadyggbo. I'm not sure how far back this problem goes, but I guess it doesn't matter at this point, considering. I'll explain why the spelling being correct is worth noting at the end of next chapter, though. Until then, kids! As of this writing, I have one-third of 15 done, so hopefully that'll be out before 2010 ends. Derp.