November 7, 1973
Professor Tuttle waved his wand and the chalkboard filled with writing.
"I want you to copy down these notes," he said, pocketing his wand." Then we'll discuss today's lesson and practice."
Calandra read the passage in the book about today's lesson.
A Boggart is a shape-shifting creature that will assume the form of whatever most frightens the person who encounters it.
She swallowed and started copying down notes.
"What do you think yours will be?" Alice whispered.
Calandra glanced around to see if anyone was listening to them. Almost all the other students' heads were hunkered down over their parchments, their quills scratching away.
"Err…" Calandra mumbled. "Probably my father."
"Oh," Alice said. "You could probably talk to Professor Tuttle, if you wanted. He might not make you do it."
Calandra shook her head.
"No, it's ok."
Calandra read back over her notes and underlined the spell. Riddikulus. That's all she had to say, and the boggart would go away. She swished her wand under the table, practicing the motion. Professor Tuttle checked his pocket watch and gathered up a few pieces of parchment on his desk. Calandra hastily scribbled the rest of the notes on the chalkboard and read over them.
Professor Tuttle rapped his cane on the floor.
"Alright class." He said. "Come along, it's only the next room over."
The students scooted their chairs back and stood up, filing out of the room clutching their wands excitedly. Calandra went slowly, walking next to Alice. They gathered in the classroom beside their Defense Against the Dark Arts room and watched as Professor Tuttle pulled a ratty old briefcase off a shelf.
"Now." He began. "This is just a bit of practice. Most of you have never come across one of these creatures before, so you won't be graded on how you handle it today."
A sigh of relief swept through the students.
"That does not mean you shouldn't take this lesson seriously." Professor Tuttle's voice sounded out. "That means you Mr. Potter."
"Everyone line up and we'll give it a go." Professor Tuttle bent down to the briefcase. "Remember, ridiculous thoughts! Ridiculous, Riddikulus! Easy peasy."
All the students hurried to form a line. A figure darted in front of Calandra as she was about to take her place in line. She huffed and Sirius Black stuck his tongue out at her over his shoulder. Alice rolled her eyes and they watched as Professor Tuttle unlocked the briefcase and motioned for Mary Macdonald to come forward.
Mary stepped forward, her wand outstretched, and Professor Tuttle opened the lid to the briefcase. A large snake slithered out, and Mary took a step back. She swallowed and brandished her wand.
"Riddikulus!"
The snake turned into a balloon animal and the class laughed. Professor Tuttle patted Mary on the back and turned to the next student in line.
"Marvelous, who's next! Step forward!"
Lily Evans stepped forward and the balloon turned into a large, hairy spider. She pointed her wand at it and said the spell loudly.
"Riddikulus!"
The spider turned into a ball of yarn that kept unravelling. Mr. Tuttle thumped his cane and called the next student up. One by one Calandra's classmates took their turns standing in front of the boggart.
Paul's skeleton started playing drums with two of its own bones. Jacob's gargantuan rat with red eyes turned into a hamster in a tutu. Dorcas's coffin burst open and multicolored jellybeans cascaded out of it.
On and on the boggart bounced from person to person. Calandra counted the people in front of her and found there were only two left. She looked back at Alice with wide eyes. Professor Tuttle rapped his cane on the ground and called out to them.
"Alright, you last lot there." He stood up and motioned them forward. "Step up. We'll demonstrate how to get rid of the little creature."
Calandra stepped forward with the rest of the students.
"Stand together now. We need to confuse the boggart." Professor Tuttle said.
The boggart spun around and stopped in front of Alice. It transformed into a Cerberus. The large creature's three heads were ferocious. It's mouth's snapped and Alice jabbed her wand forward.
"Riddikulus!"
The boggart turned into a tiny puppy with a top hat perched on its head. It leapt past Calandra to the person on her right. Calandra looked over to find a white-faced Remus Lupin rooted to the floor. His eyes were wide and absolutely terrified, the scars on his face stood out starkly against his pale skin. Calandra took a step forward at the same time as the person on his other side.
The puppy spun around and turned into a tall man. His back was to the class, but Calandra knew who it was. As the boggart started to turn around, it spun in another whirlwind and the man turned into a ghastly looking woman. She turned to face them and opened her mouth. Her head disappeared and was instantly replaced with Calandra's father's head.
"Good, good!" Professor Tuttle called. "You're confusing it!"
The boggart spun around and passed Alice. It turned back into a Cerberus, but this time it was a tiny one. The three headed dog chased its tail and bounded back over to where Calandra stood. The boggart flashed back and forth between her father, the dog, and the woman. The dog in a dress. Her father with a lady's hat. The mean looking woman with dog ears.
Calandra raised her wand and cast the spell.
"Riddikulus!" she cried.
The boggart exploded in a huge puff of dust and the force of it caused the students to stumble. Calandra looked to Professor Tuttle with a horrified expression. That wasn't supposed to happen. Professor Tuttle dusted off his robes and coughed.
"Well. That took care of the little rascal. Good work Ms. White, Mr. Black." He said.
Calandra looked to her right and was surprised to see Sirius Black standing there, clutching his wand tightly and clenching his jaw.
"Although you both needn't have cast the spell." Mr. Tuttle went on. "When the boggart is so thoroughly confused, one person's magic is enough to dispose of it."
Calandra nodded and stared at the spot where the boggart dissolved. Professor Tuttle started speaking to the class, assigning study material and homework for the day. What would her father say if he knew what her Boggart was?
Alice and Calandra went down to the groundkeeper's shack after class. Calandra preferred being outdoors to cooped up in the castle, so she and Alice would work on homework outside whenever they could.
They set their bags down beside the little house and waved to Hagrid through the window. He threw up a large hand in welcome and waved to them. Calandra sat with her back against the wood and stone and pulled her bag close to her.
She rifled through it for a moment, trying to find her Potions book. It wasn't in her bag. She turned to Alice and nodded towards Alice's schoolbag.
"Did you pick up my Potion's book by accident?" she asked.
Alice peered inside her bag and shook her head.
"it isn't in here." She said. "Did it fall out?"
Calandra shrugged and rose to her feet.
"I'm going to go check the path, I'll be back in just a moment."
She walked back up the hill scanning the ground beside the path for her book. She hadn't felt anything fall from her schoolbag. She was certain she'd brought it with her to classes today. Calandra hoped that she would find it. Her father wouldn't be happy at all if she lost one of her schoolbooks.
She spied a book a little way ahead of her. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she stooped to pick it up. Calandra brushed the dirt off of the cover and flipped it open. Her name was written on the inside of the front cover; she had dropped it.
She turned back down the hill and started walking down the path when James Potter stepped up and walked alongside her. He stared at the ground.
"Thanks, White." He said. "For today in class."
With that he peeled off and walked towards the greenhouses. Calandra stared after him. Alice came walking up the path toward her.
"Did you find it?" Alice called.
"What?" Calandra said. "Yeah. I found it."
She held up the book in her hand. Alice nodded and waited for Calandra to reach her. They walked back to the edge of the garden plot and sat down together. Calandra watched Potter walk toward the Quidditch pitch.
She hadn't even spoken to him, today in class. Honestly, she tried not to speak to him at all. He was loud and annoying most of the time. Why had he thanked her? She puzzled over his words until it finally clicked. He wasn't thanking her for himself.
November 27, 1973
The stands were filled with people, the air was crisp and crackling with excitement, and the students were cheering and laughing. Calandra sat with Dorcas and Alice in the Gryffindor stands waving flags and banners as Gryffindor and Hufflepuff faced off in the air.
"We've got Jones with the Quaffle." Gideon Prewett spoke into the microphone.
"And here comes Baker alongside of him hoping for an in." Fabian Prewett leant up and said.
"Jones goes for the goal, but ah!" Gideon groaned. "Davidson gets him on the wrist with a Bludger."
"Andrews swoops in and recovers the Quaffle!" Fabian said excitedly. "He tosses it to Potter and Potter dives for the left hoop."
"Potter's blocked by Hufflepuff keeper and tosses it back to Andrews!" Gideon rattled off. "Andrews goes for the shot! Andrews takes the shot!"
"Bloody hell, Andrews! What the fuc-"
"PREWETT!" Professor McGonagall warned.
"Sorry Professor." Gideon apologized, as his brother yelled over him.
"Andrews throws the ball BACKWARDS to Potter! Potter takes the shot and it's in!"
"Gryffindor scores!" Fabian crowed and the crowd applauded madly.
"They've called a time out to have Pomphrey look at Jones's hand." Gideon peered down at the ground. "Both seekers stay in the air. No sign of the Snitch yet, but its early still. "
Half the players of each team flew down to the ground and the Gryffindors crowded around Jones. The Hufflepuffs leant together around their captain and gestured wildly.
"Hufflepuff will need an early catch if they're going to beat Gryffindor." Fabian said and a chorus of boos rang up from the Hufflepuff stands.
"No offense, lads." Fabian soothed. "Scorecards don't lie. Gryffindor chasers are working wonders this year. Andrews has already been scouted by the Falcons and the Magpies. He's been running tight plays all season. Gryffindor keeper hasn't let anything slide the entire game."
"Hufflepuff chasers are better this year than we've ever seen, but if they don't figure out Kelly's weak spot, that talent won't do much good."
"Just calling it as we see it." Gideon echoed.
"And Jones is back in the air!" Fabian said excitedly. "Both teams are back at it. Score stands at Gryffindor leading 150-10. Kristenson better keep his eyes peeled for the Snitch if he wants the victory."
"Velton takes possession of the Quaffle. Let's see if he can get it past Kelly." Gideon said.
The Hufflepuff chasers passed the ball back and forth between them. Mitchell Kelly, the Gryffindor keeper hovered in the air just under the middle goal post. He watched the other players intently.
Calandra watched as the Gryffindor chasers weaved in and about the Hufflepuffs. Jones tailed the Hufflepuff captain closely. Suddenly Gideon and Fabian's voices rang out through the stands.
"Kristenson has eyes on the Snitch!"
"Jacobs trails not far behind him. He dives for it and tries to cut Kristenson off but falls short."
Everyone leant over the stands to watch what would happen. Hans Kristenson leant over his broom and sped along, close to the ground. He stretched his arm out in front of him. Calandra looked up at the other players just in time to see James Potter lob the Quaffle halfway across the Quidditch pitch to Ollie Anderson who chucked it into the right goal post half a second before the whistle blew. The twins spoke at the same time.
"Andrews scores at the whistle!" Gideon yelled
"Kristenson gets it!" Fabian called. "Kristenson gets the Snitch!"
Everyone looked toward the scoreboard and the numbers glowed back at them.
160-160
"It's a tie!" the twins yelled in unison.
Madam Hooch mounted her broom and flew up into the air. She motioned to the captains of each team and spoke with them. Calandra looked on with interest. She'd never seen a quidditch match end in a tie before. Fabian leant forward and spoke into the microphone.
"It seems as though we're going into overtime, folks!" he said jovially. "First team to score a goal will be the winners!"
Calandra and Alice sat close together as they leant forward and watched the teams circle in the air. Madam Hooch tossed the Quaffle up and the air was a flurry of red and yellow uniforms.
"Kirk has the Quaffle, he passes it to Velton, Velton drives for the goal."
"Jones intercepts and Gryffindor takes possession of the Quaffle."
"He tosses it to Potter. Potter takes a Bludger from Davidson. A right strong hit Davidson has. Potter sends the Quaffle back to Jones."
Calandra eyes darted back and forth trying to keep up with the game. Alice clutched her hands to her face. Dorcas bounced up and down on her seat.
"Velton stays on Andrews, trying to keep them from passing to him. Jones is forced to send it back to Potter. Blimey! Good one Potter. He catches it by the tips of his fingers."
"He's bleeding quite a bit." Fabian cut his brother off. "Only has one good arm now. Using his off arm to throw. Not looking good for Gryffindor."
"Kirk tails Potter, looking to intercept." Gideon said. "Andrews finally shakes Velton. Potter passes to Andrews."
"Andrews takes it!" Fabian shouted. "He goes for the goal. Will Gryffindor win the match?"
The crowd erupted in cheers as the Quaffle passed through the goal. Alice jumped up and down. Dorcas put her fingers between her teeth and whistled. Calandra cheered along with the rest of them.
They'd won! Alice hugged her and Dorcas joined in. Soon half the Gryffindor stands were piled on top of one another jumping about. Calandra laughed at the tangle of arms around her and looked up to find herself staring directly into a piercing set of grey eyes.