Chapter 9: Slytherin Fears
Remus had been torn over the decision to allow the third year Slytherin students to make up their class on Boggarts. On the one hand, he thought it set a bad precedent to allow the children to make up a class that they had walked out on. It could settle the idea in the student's heads that they could get away with such behavior in the future. It was only his concern for those students, that they needed to learn this spell that caused him to give in and allow them to make up the class. They would learn the spell, but he would not give them full marks on it. After all, they had missed the class participation and were forcing him to alter his schedule on a Saturday.
He glanced at his office and smiled slightly when he thought of the young man who currently occupied a seat in his office. Harry had arrived thirty minutes ago to begin his first lesson on the Patronus Charm. Remus had hoped they would get to the practical application of the charm that day, but alas, he had to teach the wayward Slytherin's how to defeat a Boggart. He doubted that he'd have time to get Harry doing the practical that weekend. He had given Harry two books that spoke about the Patronus Charm in various detail and had bid him read and take notes on the Charm while he dealt with the Slytherin's. He hoped to deal with the Slytherin students swiftly. After all, what did they really have to fear?
As if just thinking of them summoned them, the third year Slytherin's filed into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. Remus took in the sight of them. Each of them was dressed in common clothes and he was surprised to see that both Pansy Parkinson and Lyra Malfoy were dressed in muggle denim. He would have thought that such clothes were beneath two ladies born to such ancient and dark houses. He had noticed during his short time teaching at Hogwarts that most of the Pure-blood heiresses dressed in skirts or slacks. He would never have pictured either Parkinson nor Malfoy wearing such decidedly Muggle attire.
"I hope that each of you has taken the time to study up on Boggarts and the charm to defeat them," Remus said with less joviality than he would have normally used. He was still feeling embittered toward these children for what they had done earlier in the week. If he hadn't seen that Snape was angry over what his Snakes had done, then he would have thought that Snape had put them up to it as revenge for their school days. Remus felt ashamed that he had thought that Snape would use children as a tool for his own revenge. Snape had always stood alone against the four marauders. Their childhood rivalry had helped hone Snape into a formidable force. Remus would feel pride in it if he didn't also feel that tendril of shame for all the times that they had hurt and humiliated the boy that Snape once was.
"Yes Professor," the boy, Theodore Nott, spoke up for the group of Slytherin's.
Remus took the time to study the boy. Most of the staff believed that this boy was the Slytherin Prince, the one that all other Slytherin students would listen to and look to for leadership and guidance. The Nott family was one of the old and powerful families and with the glaring fact that there was no Black and no male Malfoy in the school, it stood to reason that Nott would be the next best option. Still, there was something that didn't settle right in his mind about the idea. There was something about the way that the Nott boy treated Lyra Malfoy. Remus sighed as he went to the cabinet that held the Boggart and put it into position for the students. He was being foolish. Just because the children were Slytherin's didn't mean that there was some sort of conspiracy to hide the real Slytherin Prince. There was likely an easy explanation for what he had seen of the Nott boy in his regard for Lyra Malfoy. Perhaps they were betrothed, or the Nott boy hoped that one day soon they would be.
"Alright," he said after he had arranged the cabinet and he nodded in approval when he noted that each of them had formed up into a line to face off against the Boggart. "Very good," he praised. "Now, please remember the charm Mr. Nott," he said.
"Yes Professor," Theodore Nott said. He then took up his position some feet before the cabinet.
Remus nodded and opened the cabinet door. He watched as the Boggart left the cabinet transforming as it moved into the form of Orran Nott. Theodore's father was dressed in expensive looking robes of deep burgundy. The man sneered as he looked at Theodore. "Worthless," he hissed at the boy. "Just like your weak mother," he sneered.
Remus turned his gaze to Theo and watched as the boy swallowed hard.
"Do it, Theo," Remus heard the softly whispered voice of Lyra Malfoy speak. It was so softly spoken that Remus realized he wouldn't have heard her if he didn't possess enhanced hearing due to his lycanthropy.
Apparently, the Nott boy heard her as well. He squared his shoulders and then raised his wand. "Riddikulus!" he said with strength and determination. The Boggart transformed then. Orran Nott no longer looked imposing and cold. Food was dripping from him. The children smiled, and a few laughed at the image.
"Good Mr. Nott," Remus told him. The boy gave him a polite nod and then turned away to go to the back of the line to stand beside Lyra Malfoy who was stationed at the end of the line.
Remus didn't feel comfortable with what he had seen. He had never dealt with Orran Nott. The man was much older than he was, and he and Remus did not move in the same circles. He couldn't help wondering if Orran Nott was really that verbally abusive toward his only son and heir.
"Miss Parkinson, it is your turn," Remus called the proud girl forward. He was not particularly fond of this girl. He had seen her in the halls fighting with Harry's friend, Hermione Granger. He liked Hermione. She was a smart and kind girl. Parkinson was smart but rude and proud.
"Yes Professor," Parkinson said, and Remus belatedly realized that Pansy Parkinson was looking terribly pale and shaking quite badly.
"Take a few deep breaths to center yourself, Miss Parkinson," Remus urged her and watched as she complied. She was still too pale, but she was no longer shaking quite so fiercely. When he thought she could handle the challenge of the Boggart, he released it. He watched in horror as the Boggart morphed into a large snake eating a child. Small whimpers and gasps were coming from the Parkinson heiress as she watched the scene. She raised her wand and stuttered the incantation. It was not at all a surprise that it didn't work. The girl collapsed in tears after a second try.
Remus watched as the Goyle boy, Gregory Goyle, strode forward to stand in front of Pansy, facing the Boggart. The Boggart looked at the boy and then morphed into the form of his father, Richard Goyle. At the man's feet was a dead puppy, the head twisted in such a way that it was clear the man had broken its neck with his bare hands. Richard Goyle's hand was tangled in the hair of Pansy Parkinson, who was on her knees before the man. Her face showed severe bruising, swelling, and cuts. It was clear that the violent man had been beating her. Remus felt his heart clench at the sight of this boy's fear.
The Parkinson heiress reached out a hand to the boy's leg and gripped his slacks. "Gregory," she whispered through her sobs.
"Riddikulus!" Gregory Goyle said with great determination. The image of a beaten Pansy Parkinson disappeared and a loud squeaking product from Zonko's was now gripped in the hand of Richard Goyle, who looked very bewildered. Flowers sprouted from the man's clothing and in his hair and the man began to sneeze. Then Gregory turned toward the Parkinson heiress and crouched down to her level. He pulled the crying girl into his arms and cradled her close. "Come on Pansy," he said gently to her, crooning to her softly as she clung to him. "I've got you," he promised her. "I'm here," he said softly.
Remus felt more than a little shaky now as he watched the boy lead her to a desk near the door. So far, these children had surprised him with their fears. He had thought that these pampered and spoilt children of the higher echelons of society would have simple fears like the House Elf giving them a food they didn't like for breakfast or perhaps a fear of dust, mice, or spiders. He felt like a fool for making such assumptions. These children came from dark families. Most of them came from families that had served Voldemort. He knew that. He had also known the torment that Sirius had gone through in his own family. How could he have let himself just assume that these children had little to fear from their families?
The next child was Millicent Bulstrode and Remus watched as she attempted to overcome her fear of a father who hated her for being born a girl instead of the desired son. It took her two tries to make the charm work. Remus watched as she had then stridden away with anger in every line of her posture. She joined Pansy and Greg in the back of the room. She put a comforting hand on Pansy's shoulder.
Then came Vincent Crabbe. The boy's fear was of being locked away in a small dark place and left alone. It could be tame in comparison to the other children, except that Remus realized that the boy must have experienced this at least once to fear it so. Remus remembered the younger Crabbe's father. The Senior Crabbe had been a vicious bully in school. He had constantly picked on the younger years and he delighted in singling out Hufflepuff's to harass. Remus wondered now if Crabbe Senior abused his son? Vincent swiftly joined Parkinson, Goyle, and Bulstrode at the back of the room.
The next child was Tracey Davis, who Remus had been surprised to learn was not a Pure-blood Slytherin. She was a half-blood. It was only when reviewing the student files for these Slytherin students that he had discovered that she was a half-blood. By the way that the Slytherin's treated her, he would never have guessed. They treated her just as if she was one of their own. When he had been in school Slytherin's would ostracize members of their own house that were not Pure-blooded. Apparently, the Slytherin Prince didn't believe in ostracizing members of his House based on blood. That was interesting. He'd have to remember to talk to Albus about his observation. He watched as Tracey Davis left her place beside Daphne Greengrass. The two girl's squeezed hands and then let go so that Tracey could take her position facing her greatest fear.
Remus had been hopeful that this girl's fear would be something more mundane. He was disappointed. The Boggart had morphed into the form of a small boy. Hazel eyes were glazed in death and staring, unseeing. He watched as Tracey Davis fought against a sob and raised her wand.
"No, it's not real. Not real," the Davis girl chanted. Then she aimed the wand right at the Boggart and said loud and clear "Riddikulus!" The Boggart remained as a little boy, but he got up and dusted himself off and smiled brightly at her. "I fooled you Tracey!" the boy cried and laughed at her. A small smile curved her lips as she nodded.
"Great job Tracey!" Daphne Greengrass exclaimed.
Remus watched Davis smile at Greengrass and then meet the eyes of Lyra Malfoy. The Malfoy heiress gave a nod of respect to the Davis girl. Davis seemed to brighten even more at that and then she proceeded to the back of the room to join all the Slytherin's who had faced the Boggart.
"Mr. Zabini, if you would?" he requested.
"No," Daphne Greengrass said stepping forward. "Blaise will go after me," she insisted.
"Ladies first," Blaise said easily, a smirk in place.
Daphne moved forward then, brushing past the Zabini boy. Remus watched as she took up her position and then he released the Boggart once again. The Greengrass family was not a dark family and they had not sided with Voldemort in the last war. They had refused overtures from Dumbledore to join his Order of the Phoenix and that had unsettled Remus during the last war. He had wondered if perhaps the Greengrass family were secretly siding with Voldemort. Now he wondered if perhaps they were just waiting to see which side was going to win. Yet if that were true, they would have joined Voldemort in that final year of the war. He was clearly going to be the victor. Only a Pythia could have foreseen Voldemort's defeat at the hands of a babe. He wasn't sure what to make of Daphne Greengrass. From what he had observed thus far, she was a dear friend to Lyra Malfoy. She was poised and contained in a way that was like the Malfoy heiress. The two girls clearly had a similar temperament.
The Boggart, when released, took on the form of a girl that Remus recognized from the sorting. Dark haired Astoria Greengrass lay dead just like the sibling of Tracey Davis had likewise lain a few moments before. With hard eyes, Daphne Greengrass stared at the Boggart mimicking her sister. "Riddikulus!" she cried out. A moment later the Boggart transformed to Astoria Greengrass sitting on the floor with a crup in her lap. The dog was licking her face and she was laughing. With a satisfied smile, Daphne Greengrass turned away and went to the back of the room.
Remus resettled the Boggart, forcing it yet again back into the cupboard before he called Blaise Zabini forward. He only knew the rumors about the Zabini family. Rumors held that Madame Zabini was some sort of Black Widow who hunted rich and powerful men. She was a beautiful woman and Blaise was every bit as good looking. He was already a heart-throb in the school, and would no doubt become even more of one in the next few years. The boy seemed cold and aloof, but also gracious toward the ladies of his house.
"Let's get this over with, shall we?" the boy said in a bored tone.
Remus nodded. "If you are ready," he agreed.
Blaise nodded and then Remus released the Boggart from the cabinet. He watched as the Boggart transformed into the dead body of Lyra Malfoy and then it morphed into the dead body of Arya Malfoy, then Satyra Malfoy and then it transformed into a dead Theodore Nott. Slowly it transformed into every single one of the Slytherin students in the room. Blaise swallowed hard and his hand trembled before tightening upon his wand. "Riddikulus!" he said and a moment later the Boggart transformed into a smiling Blaise Zabini.
Remus would not have expected this cold boy to have feared the death of his friends. To be honest, he wasn't altogether sure that Zabini had any friends. He had assumed that the Slytherin students in his year were just that, fellow students. It seemed that he was still falling into old habits that he had held as a child attending Hogwarts. He was assuming things about the Slytherin's because he didn't understand them. He had never tried hard to understand them. It was a trait he had noticed plenty of Gryffindor students engage in. It was easy to do due to the enmity between Gryffindor and Slytherin Houses.
"Miss Malfoy," he called after collecting the Boggart back into the cabinet.
"Saved the best for last," Theodore Nott, who had been standing back with Lyra Malfoy proclaimed.
She gave him a glance but no more. She moved forward and took up a stance before the cabinet just a few feet away. "I am ready when you are Professor Lupin," she said, and her voice didn't waver in the slightest. He was positive that she was ready, and he found himself curious as to what her greatest fear would be. Perhaps the death of her sisters. He had been informed by a few of the Professors how fierce and frightened Lyra Malfoy had been at the end of the previous school year when her youngest sister had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets.
He released the Boggart from the cabinet for the final time. He gasped when he noticed the form it was taking on. Lord Voldemort stood before them and in his hands, he was clutching an ancient looking book. He looked sinister and altogether too pleased by what he held in his hands. Remus wondered what the book was and why Lyra Malfoy feared the Dark Lord getting his hands on it? He inched closer from behind the Boggart in the hopes of perhaps seeing what the book was. Yet before he could make out much he heard Lyra Malfoy calmly utter the charm to dispel her fear.
"Riddikulus!" she cried and a moment later the book changed into the Giant Book of Monsters that Rubeus Hagrid had assigned for his Care of Magical Creatures class. The book jumped forward and took a huge bite out of the Dark Lord. The other Slytherin students stared in astonishment for several moments before they burst into peals of laughter. The Boggart looked up with Voldemort's hate-filled angry eyes. The children kept laughing and finally the Boggart dissipated.
"The Old Dragon would be proud," he heard Theodore Nott murmur to Lyra Malfoy as she passed him to go to the back of the room. She paused for a moment and nodded to Theo with a small smile curving her lips. Then the smile was gone, and the girl was moving to the other students. Remus watched as she asked Pansy if she were alright and up for trying again. The Parkinson heiress shook her head miserably, though Remus was pleased to see that she had ceased to cry.
He cleared his throat then, gaining their attention. "I can understand now why you chose not to air these fears in front of your fellow students," Remus admitted, and he hated admitting it. He hated the thought that the Slytherin students couldn't trust their Gryffindor counterparts to comfort them and help give them the strength to overcome their fears. "You all did very well. Miss Parkinson, since you did so poorly in the application, I am assigning you extra homework. You'll research Boggart's and the charm to overcome their hold over us."
"Yes Professor," Pansy Parkinson agreed with a subdued voice. Remus hated the sound of her so subdued.
"Very well, you are dismissed students," Remus told them.
"Thank you, Professor Lupin," a few of the children said while others nodded.
He watched as they began to file out of the room. "Cheer up Pansy," he heard Lyra Malfoy say to the girl. "I'll help you find books about Boggarts and the Riddikulus Charm in the library tomorrow," she said.
"I thought you would go to Hogsmeade," the girl admitted.
"There'll be plenty of Hogsmeade weekends," Lyra Malfoy waved away.
He saw Pansy Parkinson smile in gratitude before she schooled her features. It was like a mask was raised and he swiftly noticed that each of his Slytherin students had done the same as they began to exit the classroom. Gone was any hint of vulnerability. These children felt like they couldn't show weakness among the other students of the school. The thought made him feel sick at heart.
Once the students had gone, Remus waved his wand, using voiceless magic to close the door. "You can come out now Harry," he said looking pointedly at the corner of the classroom where he knew Harry Potter was sitting beneath a very familiar Invisibility Cloak. He watched in amusement as Harry slowly pulled the cloak off himself.
"How did you know?" Harry asked, curiosity bright in the green eyes that reminded him of the boy's mother.
"I have my ways," Remus chuckled. "Now, perhaps we should talk about what you saw, hmm?"
Harry nodded slowly and he looked a little bit ashamed for having spied on the Slytherin's lesson. "I wanted to know what they were hiding," Harry admitted. "I thought it justified since they saw our fears."
Remus didn't have to ask about who Harry meant by "Our". He knew Harry was referring to the other third-year Gryffindor's. "Very well," he said. "But now that you know, you will promise not to use those fears in any arguments with them," he told Harry. He expected a protest. James would have protested. Instead, Harry immediately nodded.
"This isn't like someone being afraid of spiders. Some of their fears," Harry paused for a moment. "Professor Lupin, some of their fears has to mean that they experienced something like it already. Parkinson's fear was just too vivid. Crabbe's face when he faced his fear, it was like he knew exactly how it felt to be trapped in a cramped dark place. And even Nott's fear was vivid enough that I think he's endured that from that man."
It was the way that Harry referred to Nott that perked Remus's curiosity. There was something in Harry's voice that suggested that he didn't like the boy, but he had not heard of any serious altercations between the two boys. Remus decided that he'd keep a watch on Harry's interactions with Theodore Nott. "I think that you are right," he agreed. "What did you think of the others?" he asked curiously.
"I think that Bulstrode has heard those words before," Harry said as he contemplated each of the student's fears. "I don't think that the man, her father I think," he smiled slightly when Remus nodded that it was indeed her father. "I don't think that he's ever said it to her face, but he has said it within her hearing and it must have hurt her since it's her fear that he'll tell her directly."
"Very good," Remus said agreeing with Harry's assessment.
Harry smiled bashfully at the praise. It was clear that he was not used to be praised for getting something right. "Both Davis and Greengrass had similar fears. Both feared for what looked to be a younger sibling," Harry said. "It isn't just the death though that bothers them. I think that the Boggart showing them their dead sibling makes them feel that they failed to protect and nurture their younger sibling."
Remus smiled again. "Very good Harry," he praised again. "You are quite correct. Most think that a Boggart simply shows us an image of something we fear but it goes deeper than that. By showing us the image, it reminds us why we fear it."
"Zabini surprised me," Harry admitted. "I didn't really think that he had friends. He's smooth with the ladies, but I thought he was just," he trailed off and his expression was grim. "I thought he was just a charmer with no real substance underneath."
"I confess that I was also surprised that Zabini cared so much for his fellow Slytherin's and for the Malfoy sisters," Remus confessed to Harry. He saw the surprise in the boy's eyes. "Oh Harry, you are not the only one who can fall for the masks that the Slytherin's put up. I too had assumed that Mr. Zabini was all flash and little substance. Now we both know better."
"Yeah," Harry said and exhaled shakily. He looked troubled as he thought about Zabini or rather what Zabini's Boggart had shown them. "He fears to lose them and to be alone. I think he fears to fail them somehow," his brow furrowed in thought. "I don't know how he fears he'll fail them just that he does."
Remus mulled over Harry's words for a moment as his own thoughts flowed. The Zabini's were notorious for looking out for their own interests alone. They didn't become attached to people. This was another reason why Remus had assumed that Blaise Zabini was all flash and no substance. Perhaps that was it! Zabini's were supposed to look out for themselves alone. They had no joined Grindelwald and they had not joined Voldemort. They also had not joined those sides who had chosen to fight against each of those Dark Lords.
"The Zabini family has a long history of neutrality when it comes to politics. They didn't side with either of the last two Dark Lords nor did they side with those who fought against them," Remus explained to Harry. "This Zabini appears to be different. He has affection for his friends and he does not want to lose them by doing nothing."
Harry nodded slowly as he contemplated what he had seen. "That makes sense," he said softly.
"What of Gregory Goyle?" Remus asked of Harry.
"That one was a bit confusing," Harry admitted. "I think the dead pup really happened so that wasn't a fear because he couldn't fear it being killed again," he mused. "But that it was incorporated in the fear I think suggests that he feared that the man was going to do the same thing to Parkinson. That man had clearly been beating her," he told Remus with a hard glint in his eyes.
"Very good," Remus again praised Harry. "The man was Gregory's father, Richard Goyle. The man was a Death Eater. He does not have a reputation as a very kind man. He was a bully in school along with his friend Victor Crabbe. Both men targeted the younger years. They were a few years older than your parents and me," he revealed to Harry.
Harry nodded at that and it was clear that Harry was curious about his parents and their school days, he didn't ask. "The one that confused me the most was Lyra Malfoy's Boggart," he admitted to Remus. "It was Voldemort. I know his face from my first year," he said referring to his encounter with Voldemort when he was using Quirrell to sustain him while he tried to get the Philosopher's Stone. "Voldemort holding a book. She was less afraid of Voldemort himself and more afraid of him having that book," Harry insisted.
Remus blinked at that. "Are you sure it was more about the book than the man," he asked. It felt absurd to refer to Voldemort as a man. He had clearly given up being a man in favor of being a monster a very long time ago. Probably before Remus was born.
"I know Lyra," Harry went on with conviction ringing in his tone. "It was definitely about that book. Her fear was Voldemort having that book. Why?"
Remus stared into green eyes that were hard and determined. At that moment Harry didn't remind him of James nor of Lily. He was completely his own person and not a shadow of his parents, Remus's beloved friends. "I don't know. I saw very little of the book. The script of the page was handwritten so it was not a published book."
Harry nodded at that. "I wasn't close enough to get a look at it," he told Remus. "I was at the right spot to watch the Boggart and to watch them. Lyra's eyes were focused more on that book than on Voldemort. It was all about the book for her."
Remus tilted his head as he contemplated what Harry was saying. "Not quite just the book," he said and held up a hand when Harry began to protest. "No, you are right about the book, but it isn't just about the book, Harry," Remus assured Harry. "She feared it falling into the Voldemort's hands."
Harry blinked. "You say his name," he mused. "I cannot get Ron to say it."
Remus chuckled. "I did my share of fighting against him during the last war, Harry," he said lightly even though it was not a light subject. He tried not to think too much about the last war. He honored his lost friends, but he tried not to dwell on how they had died and the injustice of it all. If monsters like Voldemort didn't exist, then war's like that would never happen.
"Right," Harry said swiftly, accepting the knowledge that Remus was a warrior against Voldemort and his Death Eaters in the last war. "So, the book might be important then?" he asked as he once more contemplated what he saw of Lyra Malfoy's Boggart.
"I think it is a very real possibility," he agreed with Harry.
"Then we need to learn more about that book," Harry said.
Remus chuckled then.
"What's so funny?" Harry asked slightly defensive.
"Nothing," Remus assured him. "It is just that you reminded me of your father just then."
Harry looked curious once more. "Could you tell me about them?" he asked quietly. "I've heard a few things, but well, you were good friends with them, weren't you?"
Remus nodded his head. "Yes, I knew your parents quite well. I knew your father a little better than your mother," he admitted. He thought briefly to direct Harry to Severus for questions about his mother but then thought better of it. From what he had seen, Severus disliked Harry and the feeling seemed to be mutual. That was a pity for few people knew a younger Lily Evans better than Severus Snape.
Remus moved forward then and put his arm around Harry leading the boy back into his office. "I first met your father on the Hogwarts Express when I was a first-year heading to Hogwarts for the first time," Remus began as he and Harry settled in for a long chat. It looked like Remus was correct, they would not be getting to the practical application of the Patronus Charm that day.
Thank you dear readers for your patience as I struggled with this chapter. I had family issues come up that made writing difficult. First a sibling and then my father spent time in the hospital. Things were a bit crazy for a while but everyone seems to be on the mend. Coming up with the fears of the Slytherin students took me a while and then more time in coming up with what the Boggart would like after they mastered the spell. Let's face it, we cannot all be awesome like Neville when he conquered his Boggart of Snape. Harry snooping on the Slytherin's... really who didn't see that coming. Harry is a curious guy and he would want to know what the Slytherin's were so afraid of that they refused to participate in the class with the Gryffindor's.