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Chapter Eight: Double Potions and Boggarts

Malfoy was out of class until Thursday morning when we were already in double Potions. His arm was covered in bandages and in his sling and acted as if he had survived horrible circumstances. I had similar bandages and a sore arm, but I wasn't being so dramatic.

"How is it, Draco?" Pansy Parkinson simpered. "Does it hurt much?"

"Yeah," Malfoy said, grimacing and furtively winking at Crabbe and Goyle.

"Settle down, settle down," Professor Snape said idly.

As usual, Snape ignored Malfoy's tardiness, since, of course, he was a favorite. He could pretty much do anything and not get a detention.

Today, we were making a Shrinking Solution and Malfoy set up his cauldron at the table Harry, Ron, and I were sharing to place our ingredients.

"Sir," Malfoy called, "sir, I'll need help cutting up these daisy roots, because of my arm —"

"Weasley, cut up Malfoy's roots for him," Snape said, not even glancing in our direction.

Ron went very red.

"There's nothing wrong with your arm," he hissed at Malfoy.

Malfoy smirked across the table.

"Weasley, you heard Professor Snape; cut up these roots."

Ron grabbed his knife and started to chop the roots messily.

"Professor," drawled Malfoy, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."

Snape swept over to our table, looking down at the roots and smiled nastily at Ron.

"Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."

"But, sir — !"

Ron had taken extra care to cut his roots very neatly.

"Now," Snape said in a menacing voice.

Ron pushed his roots over to Malfoy and picked up his knife again.

"And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," Malfoy said, laughing maliciously.

"Potter, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," Snape said. He looked at Harry as he always did, with a loathing stare that was special for him.

Now, Harry was helping Malfoy skin his shrivelfig while Ron tried to mend the mutilated roots. I helped him cut them into neat pieces. When Harry finished skinning the shrivelfig, he threw it at Malfoy who's smirk only broadened.

"You're strangely quiet, Murray," Malfoy said. "How's your arm?"

"It's a lot better actually," I said, "And soon, it will be well enough for me to punch you in the face."

His grin didn't fade. "Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked us quietly.

"None of your business," Ron said jerkily. We had paid a visit to Hagrid last night and he had expressed worries about the school governors having him fired. That was before he realized we weren't allowed to be out on the grounds that late at night, especially Harry and kicked us out before we could say anymore.

"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," Malfoy said, confirming our worst fears. "Father's not very happy about my injury —"

"Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," snarled Ron.

"— he's complained to the school governors. And to the Ministry of Magic. Father's got a lot of influence, you know. And a lasting injury like this" — he gave a huge, fake sigh — "who knows if my arm'll ever be the same again?"

"So that's why you're putting it on," Harry said, angrily. "To try to get Hagrid fired."

"Well," said Malfoy, lowering his voice, "partly, Potter. But there are other benefits too. Murray, slice my caterpillars for me."

I glowered at him and angrily began slicing the caterpillars. It reminded me of last year when he stole my bracelet and threatened to have me expelled. It was the same game all over again.

"Remember, Malfoy," I said, "If Hagrid goes down, you're going down too. I'll make sure of it."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that," Malfoy said, "There's not a whole lot you can do about any of it."

I clenched my fists. I was tired of being dragged into these situations where I felt powerless. I needed to do something to stop him somehow.

"You're not the only one with a family member that has influence," I said, "My aunt Renée actually works for the Ministry of Magic in Law Enforcement. And didn't your father get fired from school governor just last year for having Dumbledore leave the school? It seems like he's lost at least some of his credibility."

Malfoy's smirk faltered and he grit his teeth. But before he could say anything, we were interrupted. Neville was having trouble—his potion wasn't bright, green the way it was supposed to be. Instead it was—

"Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, scooping some out so we could all see. "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's face was pink and his whole body shook.

"Please, sir," Hermione said, almost out of nowhere. I didn't remember her being here a minute ago. "Please, I could help Neville put it right —"

"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," Snape said coolly. "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."

Snape left Neville looking like he'd just been petrified.

"Help me!" he moaned to Hermione.

"Hey, Harry," Seamus Finnigan said, "have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning — they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted."

"Where?" Harry, Ron, and I said immediately. Malfoy was listening carefully.

"Not too far from here," said Seamus, looking eager. "It was a Muggle who saw him. 'Course, she didn't really understand. The Muggles think he's just an ordinary criminal, don't they? So she phoned the telephone hot line. By the time the Ministry of Magic got there, he was gone."

"Not too far from here…" Ron repeated, looking pointedly at Harry. He looked around and noticed Malfoy listening. "What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?"

However, his focus was on Harry and he leaned across the table.

"Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?"

"Yeah, that's right," Harry said curtly.

His mouth turned up into a cruel smile.

"Of course, if it was me," he said quietly, "I'd have done something before now. I wouldn't be staying in school like a good boy, I'd be out there looking for him."

"What are you talking about, Malfoy?" I said in annoyance.

"Don't you know, Potter?" breathed Malfoy, his pale eyes narrowed.

"Know what?"

Malfoy laughed.

"Maybe you'd rather not risk your neck," he said. "Want to leave it to the dementors, do you? But if it was me, I'd want revenge. I'd hunt him down myself."

"What are you talking about?" Harry said angrily.

"Really, you would hunt down a wanted criminal?" I said, "And what would you do if you got hurt, call up your daddy to make him go away?"

Seamus, Harry, and Ron laughed while Malfoy glowered at me again.

Before we could continue, Snape called, "You should have finished adding your ingredients by now; this potion needs to stew before it can be drunk, so clear away while it simmers and then we'll test Longbottom's. …"

Hermione was discreetly giving Neville instructions to fix it. Harry, Ron, and I put away our ingredients and washed our hands and materials in the stone basin.

"What did Malfoy mean?" Harry muttered. "Why would I want revenge on Black? He hasn't done anything to me — yet."

"He's making it up," said Ron savagely. "He's trying to make you do something stupid…"

"You can never tell with Malfoy," I said, "I wouldn't trust him."

The lesson was almost over and poor Neville was trembling as Snape strode over to him. He had the class gather around his cauldron and we watched fearfully, while the Slytherins were looking amused. Snape dipped a small spoon into the now green potion and fed a few drops to Trevor. Everyone waited in silence, watching as the toad swallowed it. With a pop, Trevor was transformed into a tadpole.

Snape looked very disappointed as he gave Trevor the antidote, which put him back to his normal size.

"Five points from Gryffindor," Snape said, which made our smiles fade. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."

We left the classroom and climbed up the stairs out of the dungeons.

"I can't believe Snape still took away points from Gryffindor," I said to Hermione. "It's so unfair. Poor Neville looked so scared. That was nice of you to help him."

"Why didn't you lie, Hermione?" Ron said, "You should've said Neville did it all by himself!"

There was no reply. Ron and I frowned and looked behind us.

"Where is she?" I said.

Harry was looking now as well. We had reached the top of the staircase.

"She was right behind us," said Ron, frowning.

Malfoy walked by with Crabbe and Goyle flanking him. He smirked at Harry and then, rammed into me, hitting my soar arm and knocking me into Ron. "Out of my way, Murray." I glowered after him.

"There she is," Harry said, before Ron and I could raise our wands.

I looked to see Hermione hurrying up the stairs, out of breath with a hand clutching her bag while the other was tucking something down the front of her robes.

"How did you do that?" I asked.

"What?" Hermione said as she reached us.

"One minute you were right behind us," Ron said, "the next moment, you were back at the bottom of the stairs again."

"What?" Hermione looked slightly confused. "Oh — I had to go back for something. Oh no —"

One of the seams split on Hermione's bag since it was stuffed with a dozen, large and heavy books.

"Why are you carrying all these around with you?" Ron asked.

"You're going to strain your shoulder with all those books," I said.

"You know how many subjects I'm taking," Hermione said, panting. "Couldn't hold these for me, could you?"

Ron and I took some books off of Hermione's hands. Ron was looking at one of the books with a frown. "But you haven't got any of these subjects today. It's only Defense Against the Dark Arts this afternoon."

"Oh yes," Hermione said vaguely, and stuffed the books back in her bag. "I hope there's something good for lunch, I'm starving," she added, and headed for the Great Hall.

"That's weird," I said, "I know Hermione is taking all of these classes but they all seem to at the same time as our other classes. It doesn't make sense. How can she be at two places at once?"

"D'you get the feeling Hermione's not telling us something?" Ron asked Harry and I as we followed.

Profesor Lupin entered the class a little late today and announced we would be having a practical lesson. He led us out of the classroom and down an empty corridor except for Peeves the Poltergeist. He was floating upside down while he stuffed the keyhole of a broom closet with chewing gum.

"Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves broke into song at the sight of him. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin —"

But Professor Lupin didn't look angry, instead he was smiling.

"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," he said pleasantly. "Mr. Filch won't be able to get in to his brooms."

Peeves ignored him and blew a loud, wet raspberry.

Professor Lupin took out his wand with a sigh.

"This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely."

He raised his wand at Peeves and said, "Waddiwasi!"

The wad of chewing gum was blasted out of the keyhole and went straight down Peeve's left nostril, causing him to turn upright and take off, angrily.

"Cool, sir!" Dean Thomas said in amazement. I made a mental note to use it against Malfoy if I ever got the chance.

"Thank you, Dean," Professor Lupin said, putting his wand away again. "Shall we proceed?"

With more respect and eagerness, we followed him down another corridor and finally halted outside the staffroom door.

"Inside, please," Professor Lupin said, and stepped aside to let us in.

The room was crowded filled with chairs that looked old and didn't match. Only one teacher was inside—Professor Snape. He eyed our class and sneered. Lupin was about to close the door.

"Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this."

He rose and swept past us, looking like a bat. When he reached the doorway he looked back at us and said, "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."

Neville went scarlet. I found myself glowering at Snape. Neville may make mistakes but that didn't give Snape the right to bully him especially in front of other teachers. It was just like when Count Olaf used to put me down every chance he got. I didn't like seeing it happen to another person, especially someone as sweet as Neville.

Professor Lupin just raised his eyebrows.

"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," he said, "and I am sure he will perform it admirably."

Neville's face turned an even darker shade of red. Snape's lip curled bitterly and then he left. The door closed with a thud.

"Don't worry about him, Neville," I said, "You're perfectly capable of any spells we learn today. It doesn't matter about what Snape thinks."

"Now, then," Professor Lupin said, guiding us to the end of the room to an old wardrobe. The wardrobe shook, and banged against the wall as if something were inside, trying to escape.

"Nothing to worry about," Professor Lupin said calmly. "There's a boggart in there."

Mostly everyone in the class looked fearful. I wasn't sure what it meant, but clearly I didn't want to find out.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said Professor Lupin. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks — I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice.

"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?"

Hermione put up her hand as usual.

"It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Professor Lupin said, while Hermione beamed. "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.

"This means," Professor Lupin said, as Neville sputtered in fear, "that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

Hermione was on her tip toes with her hand in the air while Harry tried to answer the question. "Er — because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"

"Precisely," Professor Lupin said, and Hermione frowned in disappointment. "It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a boggart make that very mistake — tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening.

"The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. What do you think will finish a boggart…Miss Murray?"

Hermione's hand was up again, waving around like crazy.

"Maybe…something funny?" I said. "I know laughter always makes things seem less scary."

"That's correct," Professor Lupin said and Hermione didn't look too happy. "what really finishes a boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing.

"We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please … riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" everyone said in unison.

"Good," Professor Lupin said. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in, Neville."

The wardrobe shook again, though Neville was shaking even more as he stepped forward.

"Right, Neville," Professor Lupin said. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

Neville's opened his mouth and his lips moved, but nothing came out.

"Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," said Professor Lupin cheerfully.

"Professor Snape," he whispered, causing the class to laugh.

"Professor Snape … hmmm … " Professor Lupin said thoughtfully, "Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Er — yes," Neville said nervously. "But — I don't want the boggart to turn into her either."

"No, no, you misunderstand me," Professor Lupin said and smiled. "I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?"

Neville looked taken aback, but said, "Well … always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress … green, normally … and sometimes a fox-fur scarf."

"And a handbag?" Professor Lupin asked.

"A big red one," Neville said.

"Right then," Professor Lupin said. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"

"Yes," Neville said, anxiously.

"When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," Lupin said. "And you will raise your wand — thus — and cry 'Riddikulus' — and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag."

Some people laughed, causing the wardrobe to shake even more.

"If Neville is successful, the boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," Professor Lupin said. "I would like all of you to take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical. …"

Everyone was silent. I thought about my worst fear. That was an easy one. Count Olaf. Even the thought of that horrible man made shivers run up and down my spine. I tried to think of a way to make him seem funny. I knew dressing him in ridiculous clothes wouldn't do it. Even in disguise, he was just as menacing.

I heard Ron muttering, "Take its legs off." I assumed his was probably going to be a spider.

"Everyone ready?" Professor Lupin said.

My stomach flipped. I still hadn't thought of anything funny. It was impossible to make him seem even remotely funny. All I kept thinking of was his shiny eyes penetrating me as if he could see right through me. I wasn't ready for this. I swallowed and felt my heart racing. I wasn't sure if I wanted to voluntarily see him again, even if it was just in boggart form.

"Neville, we're going to back away," Professor Lupin said. "Let you have a clear field, all right? I'll call the next person forward…Everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot—"

We all backed against the walls and Neville stood by himself beside the wardrobe. His face was pale and he looked terrified. His wand was ready, though.

They all retreated, backed against the walls, leaving Neville alone beside the wardrobe. He looked pale and frightened, but he had pushed up the sleeves of his robes and was holding his wand ready.

"On the count of three, Neville," Professor Lupin said, aiming his own wand at the wardrobe. "One — two — three — now!"

Sparks emitted from his wand and hit the doorknob so it burst open. Professor Snape came out with flashing eyes, bearing down upon Neville as he reached inside his robes.

"R — r — riddikulus!" Neville squeaked.

With a crack, Snape stumbled and was now wearing Neville's grandmother's outfit.

People giggled and I couldn't help laugh too. Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!"

Parvati stepped forward and the boggart changed to a bloody, bandaged mummy. "Riddikulus!" cried Parvati.

A bandage came undone and the entire mummy became trapped, with its head falling off.

"Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin.

Seamus sprinted forward. A banshee appeared and wailed.

"Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus.

The banshee's wailing voice was silenced.

Several more people took their turn. Dean Thomas stepped forward just as the boggart was beginning to get confused. The boggart turned into a severed hand which became trapped in a mousetrap.

"Excellent! Ron, you next!" Professor Lupin shouted.

Ron jumped forward.

Crack!

A giant spider came toward Ron, making him turn pale.

"Riddikulus!" Ron bellowed, and the spider's legs disappeared. It rolled over and Lavendar ran out of the way. It rolled right towards me and I raised my wand as the spider became a tall, lean figure with a single eyebrow and shiny eyes. And I knew if I checked the man's right ankle, there would be a tattoo of an eye that used to haunt my every move. Now he was back, the eye was back.

I could feel my entire body shaking—it looked so real. I felt like I couldn't breathe.

His eyes shone brightly as he stepped towards me. "Surprised to see me?" he said in his scratchy voice, "I told you I'd come back for you. Now, why don't you make things easier for me and let me kidnap you right now? You deserve to be punished for everything you did. You're an arsonist, a traitor, and a murderer. I watched you kill that man in cold blood."

"No, no, no, no," I said, "I-I didn't. It wasn't me!"

Suddenly, Olaf disappeared to reveal…Klaus lying there.

"No, Klaus!" I sobbed. It was enough to bring me to my knees and the boggart morphed back into Olaf.

"You did this," he said with a smirk. His eyes were shining brightly as if he had just told a joke. But of course, I wasn't laughing. "I didn't even have to lift a finger. You destroy everything that you've ever loved and now you really have nothing. Maybe you really are a villain."

"No, no, no, no," I sobbed. "It's not my fault! You're wrong!" I clutched my wand tighter. "R-r-riddikulus!"

Nothing changed. I hadn't thought of anything to make him funny looking. The villain just tilted his head back and uttered one of his cruel laughs. "I knew you were still just the same pathetic, weak orphan like you were in my clutches."

Then, abruptly he vanished as Professor Lupin stepped in between me and my horror. In Olaf's place was a silvery-white orb suspended in midair and Professor Lupin said, "Riddikulus!" almost effortlessly.

Crack!

Hermione pulled me to my feet and put an arm around my shoulder. Harry was next in line, but then, Lupin called Neville forward again to finish off the boggart, which was now a cockroach. Neville raced forward, looking more determined than afraid and shouted, "Riddikulus!" and Snape was in the lacy dress again. Neville uttered a "Ha!" of laughter as the boggart exploded into a million tiny wisps of smoke, and then, disappeared.

"Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone." He distributed points to every Gryffindor who managed to tackle the boggart and Harry, Hermione, and I for answering questions at the start of class.

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

"Me neither," I said, shakily. "I-I didn't tackle mine…"

"Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson," Professor Lupin said, "Homework, kindly read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it for me … to be handed in on Monday. That will be all."

We left the staffroom with the class talking excitedly about tackling their boggarts. I was far from happy. After years of therapy to move on from that terrible man and facing numerous terrifying monsters, I still couldn't overcome my worst fear. To think, the entire class saw me too. I was supposed to be brave—a true Gryffindor like Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Instead, I felt like the weak, pathetic orphan Olaf wanted me to be. I couldn't even defeat him with magic!

"That was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson we've ever had, wasn't it?" Ron said excitedly as we grabbed our bags from the classroom.

"Not for me," I muttered. "I completely messed that one up."

"Don't worry about it, Jamie," Hermione said, rubbing my shoulder gently. "No one else in that room went through what you did. And that was your first time encountering that awful man since. Don't let it bother you."

"Wait, that was Count Olaf?" Ron said. "He did seem menacing. I was pretty frightened of mine. I thought I was going to freeze."

"But you didn't," I said. "I just couldn't think of anything

"At least you got a chance to go," Harry said. "Lupin didn't even let me have a turn with mine. Probably thought I was going to faint again."

"I wish I could have had a turn with the boggart too —"

Ron nudged me, sniggering. "What would it have been for her?" he said. "A piece of homework that only got nine out of ten?" Despite feeling embarrassed and upset, I couldn't stop myself from laughing at that. I felt a bit better knowing that my friends were here to support me.

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