CHAPTER 5:
The Boggart in the Wardrobe
Once Christina returned to the girls' dormitory, Hermione feigned innocence to having tattled and Christina decided to just ignore her than berate her. It didn't help that Professor McGonagall's punishment in detention was cleaning the desks of the Transfiguration classroom 'without magic', though Christina had no inkling as to how to even start with magic.
On top of Christina's silent treatment to Hermione, Malfoy didn't reappear in classes until late on Thursday morning, when the Slytherins and Gryffindors were halfway through double Potions. He swaggered into the dungeon, his right arm covered in bandages and bound up in a sling, acting, in Christina's opinion, as though he were the heroic survivor of some dreadful battle.
"How is it, Draco?" simpered Pansy Parkinson. "Does it hurt much?"
"Yeah," said Malfoy, putting on a brave sort of grimace. But Christina saw him wink at Crabbe and Goyle when Pansy had looked away.
"Settle down, settle down," said Professor Snape idly.
They were making a new potion today, a Shrinking Solution. Malfoy set up his cauldron right next to Christina, Harry and Ron, so that they were preparing their ingredients on the same table. Hermione a few tables away.
"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," said Snape without looking up.
Ron went brick 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 seized his knife, pulled Malfoy's roots toward him, and began to chop them roughly, so that they were all different sizes.
"Professor," drawled Malfoy, "Weasley's mutilating my roots, sir."
Snape approached their table, stared down his hooked nose at the roots, then gave Ron an unpleasant smile from beneath his long, greasy black hair. "Change roots with Malfoy, Weasley."
"But, sir —!" Ron had spent the last quarter of an hour carefully shredding his own roots into exactly equal pieces.
"Now," said Snape in his most dangerous voice. Ron shoved his own beautifully cut roots across the table at Malfoy, then took up the knife again.
"And, sir, I'll need this shrivelfig skinned," said Malfoy, his voice full of malicious laughter. "Bataskill, you can skin Malfoy's shrivelfig," said Snape, giving Christina the same look of loathing he had given Remus Lupin.
Christina took Malfoy's shrivelfig as Ron began trying to repair the damage to the roots he now had to use. Christina skinned the shrivelfig as fast as she could and flung it back across the table at Malfoy without speaking. Malfoy was smirking more broadly than ever.
"Seen your pal Hagrid lately?" he asked them quietly.
"None of your business," said Ron jerkily, without looking up.
"I'm afraid he won't be a teacher much longer," said Malfoy in a tone of mock sorrow. "Father's not very happy about my injury —"
"Keep talking, Malfoy, and I'll give you a real injury," snarled Ron. Christina could feel her temper rising again, and the glass vials in the cabinet behind Malfoy seemed very breakable all of the sudden…
"– 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," said Harry, accidentally beheading a dead caterpillar because his hand was shaking in anger, "To try to get Hagrid fired."
"Well," said Malfoy, lowering his voice to a whisper, "partly, Potter. But there are other benefits too. Weasley, slice my caterpillars for me." Without warning, three glass vials behind Malfoy's head burst in the cupboard, causing Malfoy to shriek. Snape turned so quickly at the three of them she was sure he would fall over from lack of balance. Snape eyes the three of them down, sure one of them was the cause, and when he can't find the source of the explosion, no wands out, none of them near the incident, "Five points from Gryffindor."
"For what?" Christina barks out.
"Shouting at their professor." Snape replied cruelly, his thin lips curling into a sinister grin. Just as Christina's about to chuck something at the back of his head, Harry grabs her by the elbow, squeezing hard until Snape turns away from them. The moment he does, "Don't provoke him."
"He can't be serious." Christina whispers back.
"He is, and it's been like this for years." Harry replies.
A few cauldrons away, Neville was in trouble. His potion, which was supposed to be a bright, acid green, had turned — "Orange, Longbottom," said Snape, ladling some up and allowing to splash back into the cauldron, so that everyone could see.
"Orange. Tell me, boy, does anything penetrate that thick skull of yours? Didn't you hear me say, quite clearly, that only one cat 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 was pink and trembling. He looked as though he was on the verge of tears.
"Please, sir," said Hermione, "please, I could help Neville put it right —"
"I don't remember asking you to show off, Miss Granger," said Snape coldly, and Hermione went as pink as Neville.
"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 moved away, leaving Neville breathless with fear.
"Help me!" he moaned to Hermione.
"Hey, Harry," said Seamus Finnigan, leaning over to borrow Harry's brass scales, "have you heard? Daily Prophet this morning — they reckon Sirius Black's been sighted."
"Where?" said Harry and Ron quickly. On the other side of the table, Malfoy looked up, listening closely.
"Not too far from here," said Seamus, who looked excited. "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 significantly at Harry. He turned around and saw Malfoy watching closely. "What, Malfoy? Need something else skinned?" But Malfoy's eyes were shining malevolently, and they were fixed Harry.
He leaned across the table. "Thinking of trying to catch Black single-handed, Potter?"
"Yeah, that's right," said Harry offhandedly.
Malfoy's thin mouth was curving in a mean 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?" said Ron roughly.
"Don't you know, Potter?" breathed Malfoy, his pale eyes narrowed.
"Know what?" Malfoy let out a low, sneering laugh.
"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?" said Harry angrily.
"He's just messing with you." Christina murmurs, but at that moment 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…" Crabbe and Goyle laughed openly, watching Neville sweat as he stirred his potion feverishly. Hermione was muttering instructions to him out of the corner of her mouth, so that Snape wouldn't see. Christina, Harry and Ron packed away their unused ingredients and went to wash their hands and ladles in the stone basin in the corner.
"What did Malfoy mean?" Harry muttered to Christina and Ron as he stuck his hands under the icy jet that poured from the gargoyle's mouth "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…"
The end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron.
"Everyone gather 'round," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned."
The Gryffindors watched fearfully. The Slytherins looked excited.
Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat.
There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small pop, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm. The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown.
"Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped the smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."
Christina, Harry, Ron, and Hermione climbed the steps to the entrance hall. Christina was seething about Snape. "Five points from Gryffindor because something exploded behind Malfoy, then five points from Gryffindor because the potion was all right! Why didn't you lie, Hermione? You should've said Neville did it all by himself!"
"It would've only been five points if you could learn to control your temper." Hermione muttered and Christina stopped in her tracks, "Excuse me?"
"What's she goin' on about?" Ron joins in, but Hermione continues to stride away from them, proud. Christina shakes her head.
"Yeah, why aren't you two talking?" Harry asks.
"Because Hermione's a snitch." Christina seethes.
Malfoy passed them, walking between Crabbe and Goyle. He smirked at Christina and disappeared.
They end up catching up with Hermione, Christina still fuming, and notices Hermione's bag is a stitch away from breaking. Bitterly, she senses the thread, and yanks it out without a trace. Hermione spins around on Christina, "That's enough!"
"Admit you ratted me out to Dumbledore!" Christina shouts, alerting the portraits along the castle walls.
"I admit it! I told Dumbledore there's a dangerous and uncontrollable student in Gryffindor House!" She shouts back.
To this, Harry and Ron are shocked and disgusted, "Hermione, you did what?" Harry asks.
"Why would you say that about her?" Ron's jaw is dropped.
"Because she has natural power!" Hermione says, pointed a perfectly manicured finger an inch from Christina's nose. Her entire face goes red, hives threatened to spread again. The portraits begin whispering to one another, gossiping. Without another word, Christina storms off.
"Christina, wait-!" Harry calls out after her. She's not listening, she has no idea where she's going but as long as it's far away from Hermione Granger, then fine.
Her tears blur her vision, and Christina trips on her robe as she's quickly descending the stone steps to the second floor. She quickly picks herself and her strewn books up off the floor and rushes into the nearest room to hide: the girls' bathroom.
Ignoring the large OUT OF ORDER sign, she opened the door. It was the gloomiest, most depressing bathroom Christina had ever set foot in. Under a large, cracked, and spotted mirror were a row of chipped sinks. The floor was damp and reflected the dull light given off by the stubs of a few candles, burning low in their holders; the wooden doors to the stalls were flaking and scratched and one of them was dangling off its hinges.
In one swift motion, Christina waves her hands forward and with a thunderous CLAP! all the bathroom doors slam shut. She crumples to the floor in a pile of tears. How could Hermione have said that? So angry, so mean … she didn't take Hermione for a tattle-tale but then again, considering what a goody-two-shoes she was with Neville and Snape … still, to be ostracized for something she can't control was the worst feeling in the world.
"Who's slamming my doors?!" Christina falls onto her back as the ghost of a teenage girl stares her down angrily. She's got the same glasses Harry Potter had, but her brown hair was up in pigtails.
"Oh, - I'm sorry. I didn't know." Christina stutters, staring at the see-through girl. The ghosts tuts, "Next time you should be more careful where you decide to be distraught!" She shouts.
"Right, right – sorry." Christina picks herself back up, drying her eyes. The ghost floats off towards a stall at the end when she turns back to Christina, craning her next, "Why're you crying?"
"Oh, um … this girl I know … just, she made fun of me. It doesn't matter." The ghost continues to stare her down for more of an answer, "I'm sorry, I don't even know your name."
"Myrtle."
"Hi, Myrtle. Christina."
"Hi, Christina. What'd she say about you?" And for whatever reason Christina somehow found solace in talking to the ghost of a dead teenage girl, and told her everything Hermione had said, to whom she said it, and her natural powers. She didn't know if she could trust Myrtle and she didn't really care, she was just upset and angry. Myrtle seemed just as excited to talk to somebody, she explained no one visited her because they said it made them too sad. To be fair, Christina could understand why they thought that, anytime there was a pause in Christina speaking, Myrtle would add some soliloquy about death and then giggle about living in the U-bend of a toilet. 'Her' toilet.
The doors of the girls' bathroom suddenly burst open and in came Harry and Ron, breathless.
"There you are!" Ron exclaims. Myrtle perks up, batting her eyelashes at the two of them, Harry mostly.
"Why hello boys." She giggles.
"Hi, Myrtle." They replied awkwardly.
"We've been looking all over for you!" said Ron.
"Well, I was hiding." Christina replies with a pout. Myrtle leans in closer, soaking in every second of the drama with the giddiest grin.
Ron continues, "Hermione's bang out of order, she can't talk to you like that, natural—" Harry elbows Ron to stop talking and Christina intervenes, "I told you."
"You did?" Harry asks. Myrtle's face turns sour, "And why wouldn't she? She's my new best friend."
The three of them share a look of apprehension before Harry shakes out of it, "Christina, can we –" He looks at Myrtle again, "Go to lunch?"
Myrtle swoops in, wrapping a ghostly arm around Christina's, "She's not going anywhere with you two. She's living here with me!"
"I don't know about that." Christina says with a laugh.
"You don't know about what?!" Myrtle shrieks.
"Okay, let's go. Bye, Myrtle!" Christina waves her off and joins the boys as they go from a walk to a jog out of the girls' bathroom. Myrtle starts sobbing and wailing all the way to her toilet where she plunges into it with a SPLOOSH!
It's a few moments of silence before either of them say anything, maybe they were just recovering from Myrtle or perhaps the boys were trying to find the best way to explain things…
"I'm sorry I ran off." Christina says finally, breaking the tension.
"No, no –" Harry says quickly. "Hermione… she's—"
"She's probably just jealous." Said Ron. They turn a corner for the staircase up to the Great Hall.
"I doubt that." Christina mopes. They enter the Great Hall and lunch has been served. Hermione is nowhere in sight.
"She'll come around." Harry promises. Christina sighs, feeling like the conversation was getting nowhere. They silently eat their lunch, Ron somehow ravenous, and it's after his third turkey leg when he asks just what Christina can do with these natural powers anyway. She tells them, expecting the same response Hermione had of parental disapproval but instead was met with more curiosity and awe. She admitted to flipping over the Slytherins' bench which instead of a scolding was met with high-fives and more cheers.
Feeling better about herself and her friendship with Harry and Ron, the trio embark on their journey to their first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Professor Lupin.
They all sat down, took out their books, quills, and parchment, and were talking when he finally entered the room. Lupin smiled vaguely and placed his tatty old briefcase on the teacher's desk. He was as shabby as ever but looked healthier than he had on the train, as though he had had a few square meals.
"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."
A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books.
"Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you'd follow me."
Puzzled but interested, the class got to its feet and followed Professor Lupin out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist, who was floating upside down in midair and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum. Peeves didn't look up until Professor Lupin was two feet away; then he wiggled his curly-toed feet and broke into song.
"Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin —"
Everyone looked quickly at Professor Lupin to see how he would take this; to their surprise, he was still 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." From stories told by Harry and Ron, Filch was the Hogwarts caretaker, a bad-tempered, failed wizard who waged a constant war against the students and, indeed, Peeves. However, Peeves paid no attention to Professor Lupin's words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry. Professor Lupin gave a small sigh and took out his wand.
"This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely." He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, "Waddiwasi!" and pointed it at Peeves. With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves's left nostril; he whirled upright and zoomed away, cursing.
"Cool, sir!" said Dean Thomas in amazement.
"Thank you, Dean," said Professor Lupin, putting his wand away again. "Shall we proceed?"
They set off again, the class looking at shabby Professor Lupin with increased respect. He led them down a second corridor and stopped, right outside the staffroom door.
"Inside, please," said Professor Lupin, opening it and standing back.
The staffroom, a long, paneled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty except for one teacher. Professor Snape was sitting in a low armchair, and he looked around as the class filed in. His eyes were glittering and there was a nasty sneer playing around his mouth. As Professor Lupin came in and made to close the door behind him, Snape said, "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." He got to his feet and strode past the class, his black robes billowing behind him. At the doorway he turned on his heel 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. Christina glared at Snape; it was bad enough that he bullied Neville in his own classes, let alone doing it in front of other teachers.
Professor Lupin had 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 went, if possible, even redder. Snape's lip curled, but he left, shutting the door with a snap.
"Now, then," said Professor Lupin, beckoning the class toward the end of the room, where there was nothing but an old wardrobe where the teachers kept their spare robes. As Professor Lupin went to stand next to it, the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall.
"Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm. "There's a Boggart in there."
Most people seemed to feel that this was something to worry about. Neville gave Professor Lupin a look of pure terror, and Seamus Finnigan eyed the now rattling doorknob apprehensively.
"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. "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," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione glowed. "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," said Professor Lupin, choosing to ignore Neville's small sputter of terror, "that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Christina?" Trying to answer a question with Hermione next to her, bobbing up and down on the balls of her feet with her hand in the air, was very off-putting, but Christina had a go.
"Um — because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?"
"Precisely," said Professor Lupin, and Hermione put her hand down, looking a little disappointed. "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. You see, the thing that 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!" said the class together.
"Good," said Professor Lupin. "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 not as much as Neville, who walked forward as though he were heading for the gallows.
"Right, Neville," said Professor Lupin. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?" Neville's lips moved, but no noise came out.
"I didn't catch that, Neville, sorry," said Professor Lupin cheerfully. Neville looked around rather wildly, as though begging someone to help him, then said, in barely more than a whisper, "Professor Snape."
Nearly everyone laughed. Even Neville grinned apologetically. Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful.
"Professor Snape… hmmm… Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"
"Er — yes," said Neville nervously. "But — I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either."
"No, no, you misunderstand me," said Professor Lupin, now smiling. "I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?" Neville looked startled, 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?" prompted Professor Lupin.
"A big red one," said Neville.
"Right then," said Professor Lupin. "Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your mind's eye?"
"Yes," said Neville uncertainty, plainly wondering what was coming next. "When the Boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape," said Lupin. "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."
There was a great shout of laughter. The wardrobe wobbled more violently.
"If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn," said Professor Lupin. "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…"
The room went quiet. Christina thought… What scared her most in the world? Her first thought was a spider, maybe a giant spider, but before she had an idea of how to make it comical, another image popped into her head. A rotting, glistening hand, slithering back beneath a black cloak… a long, rattling breath from an unseen mouth… then a cold so penetrating it felt like drowning… Christina shivered, then looked around, hoping no one had noticed. Many people had their eyes shut tight.
Ron was muttering to himself, "Take its legs off…"
"Everyone ready?" said Professor Lupin. Christina felt a lurch of fear. She wasn't ready. How could you make a Dementor less frightening? But she didn't want to ask for more time; everyone else was nodding and rolling up their sleeves.
"Neville, we're going to back away," said Professor Lupin. "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 —"
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," said Professor Lupin, who was pointing his own wand at the handle of the wardrobe.
"One — two — three —now!" A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville. Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes.
"R — r — riddikulus!" squeaked Neville. There was a noise like a whip crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and he was swinging a huge crimson handbag.
There was a roar of laughter; the Boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!" Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a bloodstained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising — "Riddikulus!" cried Parvati.
A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off.
"Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin. Seamus darted past Parvati. Crack! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floor-length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face — a banshee. She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room, a long, wailing shriek that made the hair on Christina's head stand on end — "Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus.
The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.
Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then —crack!—became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before —crack! — becoming a single, bloody eyeball.
"It's confused!" shouted Lupin. "We're getting there! Dean!"
Dean hurried forward. Crack! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab.
"Riddikulus!" yelled Dean. There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap.
"Excellent! Ron, you next!" Ron leapt forward. Crack!
Quite a few people screamed, including Christina. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron, clicking its pincers menacingly. For a moment, Christina thought Ron had frozen. Then —
"Riddikulus!" bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished; it rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Christina's feet. She raised his wand, ready, but —
"Here!" shouted Professor Lupin suddenly, hurrying forward. Crack!
The legless spider had vanished. For a second, everyone looked wildly around to see where it was. Then they saw a silvery-white orb hanging in the air in front of Lupin, who said, "Riddikulus!" almost lazily. Crack!
"Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" said Lupin as the Boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach. Crack! Snape was back. This time Neville charged forward looking determined.
"Riddikulus!" he shouted, and they had a split second's view of Snape in his lacy dress before Neville let out a great "Ha!" of laughter, and the Boggart exploded, burst into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone.
"Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone… Let me see… five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the Boggart — ten for Neville because he did it twice… and five each to Hermione and Christina."
"But I didn't do anything," said Christina.
"You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Christina," Lupin said lightly. "Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me… to be handed in on Monday. That will be all." Talking excitedly, the class left the staffroom. Christina, however, wasn't feeling cheerful. Professor Lupin had deliberately stopped her from tackling the Boggart. Why? Was it because he didn't think she could handle it? That she was that terrible? But no one else seemed to have noticed anything.
"Did you see me take that banshee?" shouted Seamus.
"And the hand!" said Dean, waving his own around.
"And Snape in that hat!"
"And my mummy!"
"I wonder why Professor Lupin's frightened of crystal balls?" said Lavender thoughtfully.
"That was the best Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson we've ever had, wasn't it?" said Ron excitedly as they made their way back to the classroom to get their bags.
"He seems like a very good teacher," said Hermione approvingly.
"That's my uncle, guys. Quit gushing about him." Christina kids and even Hermione chuckles.
Ron scoffs, "You two talking again, already? Was figured we'd get at least of week of the silent treatment."
"Well, so long as Christina promises to behave and be mindful of her powers, I don't see us having a problem." Hermione turns her head smugly, nose pointing upward self-righteously. Christina didn't feel like fighting, but did smirk as she told the trio, "And slowly but surely Hermione will get over herself." She adds with a shrug.
The boys eyes dart between the two girls, wondering if another battle is ensue, but to all of their surprise, Hermione laughs.
"But I wish I could have had a turn with the Boggart —" Hermione continues, moving on.
"What would it have been for you?" said Ron, sniggering. "A piece of homework that only got nine out of ten?"