CHAPTER SEVEN

THE BOGGART IN THE WARDROBE

"The Boggart in the Wardrobe" Remus read.

Snape scowled while the other teachers, as well as the twins and Ginny looked excited. They had HEARD about what happened and now they would find out what REALLY happened.

"Something tells me Remus will remind us just who his best friends were in school." Arthur whispered to his wife.

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"No." Harry and Ron muttered.

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"Just give me TWO SECONDS with that little brat and I'll show him hurt." Tonks growled, her hair turning orange.

"You do realize he's your cousin right?" Remus asked.

"All the better." Tonks said pointing to Sirius. "only cousin I consider family is that mutt."

"I don't know if I should be touched because I'm the only cousin you consider family or if I should be insulted by the mutt comment."

"C'mon Sirius. You know you're a lovable mutt." Harry teased.

"You too Harry?" Sirius asked faking hurt.

Remus smirked at the next sentence and read.

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"That timing was almost TOO freaky" Charlie said.

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At that, McGonagall, Sprout, and Flitwick glared at the Slytherin who had his quill poised for things Malfoy had done or said behind his back that they'd need to discuss.

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"Didn't have to pick on a Weasley" Charlie muttered under his breath.

"Makes sense though." Bill said. "From what I've heard and seen myself, best way to get to Harry is through his friends. Look at the Chamber incident. Petrify Hermione and then take the best friend's little sister down."

"Are you comparing me to the Dark Lord?" Snape asked Bill dangerously.

"Then stop picking on Harry and his friends." Bill said. "Voldemort's doing that enough."

"Gentlemen." Dumbledore said calmly yet firmly.

"You know, I wouldn't have put it past Malfoy to PURPOSEFULLY put his cauldron there just to give Professor Snape a reason to pick on those two." Ginny said.

"Can't believe I'm saying this." Snape muttered under his breath before adding, "Excellent point Miss. Weasley"

He scribbled that on the parchment and noticed a very awkward silence. The Slytherin looked up and saw Dumbledore's eyes twinkling in amusement while everyone else was gapping at him as if he had just burst out into a muggle song doing a can-can.

"What?" Snape asked.

"You just complimented a Weasley." Tonks said. "A Gryffindor. You NEVER compliment Gryffindors."

"Read Lupin" Snape said.

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"I hope you realize Severus that Mr. Malfoy has learned to take advantage of you." Sprout said.

"He has not." Snape argued.

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"You were saying?" McGonagall asked as Snape scribbled that down on his sheet.

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"Should have known it was too good to be true." Sirius muttered.

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"That boy needs to keep out of official Hogwarts business." Tonks said. "Especially since Lucius is no longer a governor."

"That FAMILY needs to keep their noses out of official Hogwarts business. As do a few other students." Arthur said before turning to the trio.

Everyone else turned to Ron, Hermione, and Harry who were whistling innocently.

"Hey. If Voldemort would stop using Hogwarts business as means to kill me, I'm all for just a nice quiet year" Harry said.

"I'm going to hold you up to that." Sirius said. "That's one of the reasons we're reading these books."

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"I should have brought up Quidditch" Harry muttered.

"Why?" Charlie asked.

"Malfoy only joined the team as a seeker because I'm the seeker. It's something else he's trying to beat me at. If his arm can't be the same, then he can't catch the snitch."

Ron started laughing.

"What?" Ginny asked.

"Remember…the first…game of the season…that year?" Ron asked. "Malfoy was THIS close to actually beating Harry."

"You lost?" Charlie asked Harry.

"It's explained later." Harry said with a smile. "Though I will admit, loosing to Cedric was less painful than loosing to Malfoy would have been."

"And he brought it on himself." Hermione sighed with gratitude towards karma.

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"Try teaching Severus. That's what you're paid to do." McGonagall said.

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Dumbledore shot Snape a we'll-talk-later look.

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"What I don't get is how did he know?" Harry asked.

"Lucius probably filled him in on the popular story." Sirius said. "He's one of Voldemort's top supporters and I'm as anti-Voldemort as you get. Plus, I never really liked him and vice versa. Besides, if he spoke up saying that I'm not a Voldemort supporter, he'd be admitting that he was."

"Mum's never liked him either. According to her, Narcissa wasn't THAT bad of a person. Not as into the Dark Arts as Bellatrix was, but still into the whole Pureblood stuff. But when Lucius married her…Mum never really spoke to her since so I don't know if she's started to dabble into the Dark Arts or just provides Lucius with financial aid from her share of the inheritance." Tonks added.

Sirius nodded.

"It's true. Growing up, Bella would read books on Dark Magic and, if she could get away with it, practice. Narcissa spent more of her time grooming herself to look like the daughter of a proper wealthy pureblood house. Regulus had been the same. Believed the superiority, but didn't think that killing muggleborns was proper behavior."

"But didn't Regulus become a Death Eater?" Arthur asked.

"He never had much of a backbone and was probably pressured into it." Sirius said.

"Okay. This is getting depressing." Remus said.

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"Lucius MUST have told him the full story. Not many people knew about the Secret Keeper part." Moody mused.

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"Wouldn't be the first." Hermione said.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked

"coughMidnightcoughDuelcough" Hermione fake-coughed.

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"It would have been alright Miss. Granger." McGonagall said kindly before throwing a glare at Severus. "I would have PERSONALLY made Severus pay for a new pet for Mr. Longbottom."

"Excuse me?" Snape asked. "He's the one who messed up the potion."

"And did you show the students how to prepare? Not everyone's a master. I think you're the only teacher who doesn't bother to verbally teach." Flitwick pointed out.

Sensing danger, Remus decided to read.

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"Yes." Harry jokingly answered.

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"Practical defense are the best." Charlie said practically bouncing in his seat.

"Charlie!" Molly said in a hush-now tone.

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"Don't count that." Sirius said.

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"Oh brother." Sprout muttered.

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Sirius burst out laughing.

"Brought back memories, didn't it?" Sirius asked.

Remus nodded before adding.

"I believe you taught him that before we became friends if memory serves me correctly." Remus said.

"Who me?" Sirius asked a little too innocently.

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"Then why did he treat you otherwise?" Ginny asked.

"Peeves and I go WAY back." Remus explained.

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"Can't have that happening, can we?" Fred asked his twin.

"Of course not." George answered sarcastically.

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"Took the words out of our mouths." The twins chorused.

Ginny caught Harry's eyes and sent a wink before mouthing 'Malfoy.'

Harry smirked and nodded in agreement. They were DEFINITELY going to have to test that spell on a certain blond Slytherin.

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"That was uncalled for Severus." McGonagall hissed.

"I wasn't in a good mood at the time as I wasn't used to seeing Lupin everyday after 12 years and I was having some painful flashbacks."

"Still, that's no reason to pick on Neville." Sprout said.

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"I'm half tempted to dare him to do it in front of McGonagall." Tonks whispered to Remus.

"In a way he is." Remus whispered back holding the book up a bit and then subtlety gesturing towards the couch of teachers.

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"You knew, didn't you?" Hermione accused.

"I had noticed the look on Neville's face and Professor Snape's statement made me realize that my old friends before they either died or turned would have wanted me to stick up for Frank and Alice's kid. Especially since Alice and Lily had been good friends and Lily was like a sister to me."

"Really?" Harry asked.

"They were both, as well as their husbands, in the Order and had been pregnant at the same time." Dumbledore explained.

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"He's right." Sirius said to her. "That's EXACTLY what he said during our lesson"

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"Why are you singling him out?" Molly asked.

"It should be explained later." Harry said.

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"Oh Merlin" Sirius swore as he buried his head in his hands. "You HAD to tell them that?!"

"Which was yours?" Fred asked.

"And who saw the other?" George asked.

Sirius hesitated before answering. "I saw the corpse and James saw the slug."

"Dad was scared of a slug?" Harry asked confused.

"Don't blame him." The Weasley boys chorused.

"Remind me when we leave to show you a flesh-eating slug" Arthur said.

"Arthur!" Molly scolded.

"Would you rather Hagrid show him?"

"Point taken" She said before turning to Sirius. "But why were you scared of a headless corpse? Was it your own?"

Sirius shook his head and Remus shot his friend a sympathetic look. Sirius' encounter with the boggart was a lot like Molly's. Same result, different people.

"Here's a hint. Never watch a muggle horror movie with Sirius." Remus said. "That mixed in what your boggart is Molly…"

"I've seen James, Lily, Remus, Peter, and MANY others I care about. The worst…" Sirius said shivering as if he was back in Azkaban.

Harry had a suspicion that his own body had been in that MANY others category, but Sirius didn't want to bring up the mental image of a baby's body with a decapitated head.

"Okay, this is getting disgusting." Ginny said. "Professor Lupin?"

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"Notice he told them what to do before jumping into the practical part." Flitwick stage-whispered to Snape.

Snape just rolled his eyes wanting this chapter over with.

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"Don't blame him." Tonks and the Weasleys chorused

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"What does she…Remus! You DIDN'T!" Arthur gasped.

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Sirius developed a shocked look as he turned to his friend who was reading.

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Sirius and the twins were looking like Christmas had come early.

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"Please tell me all went well!" Charlie begged.

Snape shot him a glare that would rival a basilisk.

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Sirius placed a hand around Harry's shoulders as he recalled the dementor attack not long ago.

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"When it takes off it's hood, have it be someone you find funny. Like one of the twins."

"I'd be more likely to hex the boggart" Harry said. "Should have done that at the match."

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Everyone except Snape and Dumbledore burst out laughing. However, Dumbledore was chuckling at the mental image.

"Mate. I know a certain someone who was rolling over in his grave with LAUGHTER." Sirius said.

"I had heard rumors about Snape's treatment towards Harry." Remus admitted. "Thought it would be a good way to pay him back without risking my job too much."

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"James would have done that to the real thing in a heartbeat if provoked enough." Remus said before giving the scowling Sytherin a look. "And from the rumors which turned out to be better than the truth, Lily would have backed me up."

"Recalling how protective Lily had been of Harry and if the sacrifice was anything to go by, she would have added make-up and curls." Flitwick said.

The twins laughed and then looked horrified.

"WRITE THIS DOWN!" They shouted at each other before looking all over for a quill and parchment.

"Remus. Read before they get too many ideas!" Molly instructed.

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"Not unlike my Mum" Sirius pointed out.

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"One of Aragog's descendants." Harry mused.

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Sirius shot his friend a confused look.

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"I think he's the only one to instruct us to 'kindly' read." Ron muttered to Harry.

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"It wasn't a crystal ball was it?" Bill asked.

Remus shook his head as Sirius continued to gape at his friend.

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"Still was in my opinion." Ron said. "If I want a laugh, I either think between that and Malfoy: the amazing bouncing ferret."

"Do I WANT to know?" Molly asked.

"It'll be mentioned in the fourth book." Harry said.

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"That actually wasn't very far." Harry said. "I swear, we may need to get your inner eye tested."

Sirius suddenly got up and pulled Remus to the corner.

"You risked detection!" he accused.

Remus rolled his eyes.

"Tonks? What's the next chapter?"

Tonks flipped through the book.

"Flight of the Fat Lady." She told the werewolf.

"It'll be explained in this chapter." Remus said dragging Sirius back to his seat.

"I'll read." Ron volunteered.