RIDDIKULUS

A tall wardrobe rattled violently in the front part of the class. Everyone was intrigued by it, and also scared. Remus was biting an apple as he proceeded with his class.

- Intriguing, yes? Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what's inside?

- That's a Boggart, that is. – said Seamus.

- Very good, Mister Finnigan. Can anyone tell us what a Boggart looks like?

- No one knows. – suddenly, Hermione spoke. Alex would have sworn that she wasn't there. And for Ron's reaction, he was surprised as well.

- When did she get here?

- Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears most. That's what makes it so…

- Terrifying, yes. – Remus continued. - Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a Boggart. Let's practice it now, shall we? Without wands, please…Riddikulus!

- Riddikulus! – the whole class said.

- Very well. Louder and clearer. Riddikulus!

- Riddikulus!

- It's this class that's ridiculous. – Draco said. Alex, who was next to him, punch him in his bad arm, which made him moan in pain. – Ouch!

- Good. So much for the easy part. You see, the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a Boggart off is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Neville, come up here, will you? – Neville looked around and then walked closer to the wardrobe, his eyes on the floor.

- Don't be timid. Now. What would you say is the thing that frightens you most?

- Profter…Snafpt…

- Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry.

- Professor Snape. - Everyone laughed good-naturedly. Remus nodded thoughtfully.

- Professor Snape? Yes, frights us all. And I believe you live with your grandmother?

- Yes, but I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either. – the class laughed once again. Neville looked really terrified.

- It won't. But I want you to picture her clothes, only her clothes, very clearly in your mind. Can you do that?

- She carries a red handbag…

- That's fine. We don't need to hear it. If you see it, we will. Now, when I open this wardrobe, Neville, here's what I want you to do… – Remus whispered something at Neville, and his eyes opened in shock. – You can do this, Neville. Right then. Wand at the ready. One. Two. Three! – Remus opened the wardrobe, and instantly, professor Snape appeared. Neville backed away in fear. – Think, Neville. Think!

- R-R-Riddikulus! – he pointed his wand at the fake Snape, and suddenly, he was wearing a dress and a hat, with a crimson handbag. Neville slowly laughed, as the rest of the class did.

- Great, Neville. Go to the back. I want you all to form a line. In order, please. – Draco started pushing people around with his bad arm.

- Weren't you in pain, Draco? – Alex looked at him with narrow eyes. He flashed a smile at her.

- I'm doing better. I found myself a great nurse. – he winked at her. The shivers. Again. What was that? Was he talking about her? Or maybe about Pansy? Why was her face red?

- Alex. – she jumped at the voice. Remus was next to her. – For this class I just want you to look, okay? We don't want…to alarm anyone. – she knew what she meant. With things how they were, the boggart would probably turn into her dad. The last thing they all needed was to have a false Sirius Black in the class.

- Okay. – she nodded and sat on top of a table, watching the rest of the class.

- Very well. – Remus started playing and old gramophone. Then, he pointed at Ron, who was the first on line. – Ron! Forward! – Snape dissolved into a mad whirling mass, then mutated into a giant spider. As Ron and Alex gasped, Remus put his hands on Ron's shoulders to steady him. Ron raised his wand.

- Riddikulus! – Roller skates materialized on the spider's feet and it began to shuffle crazily in place. Everyone laughed and Ron relaxed.

- Parvati! – the Gryffindor girl stepped up and a giant cobra popped up.

- Riddikulus! – the cobra's head transformed into a jack-in-the-box. Remus and everyone else laughed.

- Next! – it was Harry's turn. Suddenly, Remus's face showed concern. Alex saw, and she understood. "Voldemort". However, the boggart didn't turn into Voldemort, but into a Dementor. Before anything else happened, Remus stepped between.

- Here! – the boggart fixed its look on Remus, and transformed into a full moon with clouds all around. The rest of the students couldn't understand, but Alex did. – Riddikulus! – the moon deflated like a punctured balloon and went crazy around the room. Remus pointed his wand at it, and got it inside the wardrobe again, closing it. - Well done, everyone. I think that's enough excitement for today. Gather your books at the end of the class and let's go.

Harry stood there for a few moments. When he looked at Remus, he exchanged a glance with him, and softly smiled.

A great buzzing queue of students, third years and older, each clutching a permission form, passed by a glowering Filch. It was the first time they would be going to Hogsmeade, and not just to grab the carriages to Hogwarts. They would be able to look around town.

- Remember! These visits to Hogsmeade Village are a privilege. Should your behaviour reflect poorly on the school in any way, that privilege shall not be extended again. - Draco had his permission signed by Lucius. However, he decided Alex wouldn't get that privilege. Too bad for him that Alex's godfather was a teacher at Hogwarts. Remus signed her permission and since he was her legal tutor, they let her through. She headed to the bus. Draco was saving a seat next to him.

- Thank God Lupin is your godfather. This would be such a boredom without you.

- No way! I'm sure you'd have a blast with Pansy. - she looked at her. She was sitting next to Millicent Bullstrode. She addressed a deadly look at Alex.

- She is way too clingy for my liking…

- But you never push her away.

- Wait, is that… - Draco gasped. - Is that jealous I detect?

- Jealous? Of Pansy? Never. - Draco laughed.

- Good. Because you have no competition. - shivers, again. This time, she was able to hide them from him.

- Shut up. - she lightly pushed him.

The road towards Hogsmeade was so much fun. Students from all years and houses talked and joked on the bus. It was good to get out of the school. When they arrived at Hogsmeade, Draco and her parted ways, so she could spend some time with the rest of her friends, but they agreed to meet up later. Alex ran towards her friends, and jumped on top of Fred.

- Woah! - Fred wasn't expecting her. Once he recomposed, he said. - Where to, my lady?

- To the nearest candy store! - George laughed as his brother started running with Alex on his back.

They visited all of the stores around. They started with Honeydukes. There were shelves upon shelves of the most succulent-looking sweets imaginable. Creamy chunks of nougat, shimmering pink squares of coconut ice, fat, honey-coloured toffees; hundreds of different kinds of chocolate in neat rows; there was a large barrel of Every Flavour Beans, and another of Fizzing Whizzbees, along yet another wall were 'Special Effects' sweets: Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, the strange, splintery Toothflossing Stringmints, tiny black Pepper Imps, Ice Mice, peppermint creams shaped like toads, fragile sugar-spun quills and exploding bonbons. It was paradise. Alex bought a lot of candies. Of course, she would save them for the week, she wasn't going to eat them at once. Next stop was Zonko's Joke shop. It had jokes and tricks to fulfil even Fred and George Weasley's wildest dreams. Products sold at Zonko's were: Dungbombs, Hiccough Sweets, Frog Spawn Soap, Sugar Quills, and Nose-Biting Teacups. She had a great time with the twins. Neville, Ron and Hermione joined them at The Three Broomsticks, a popular inn and pub in the all-wizarding village of Hogsmeade, often frequented by students from Hogwarts. After lunch, she went to meet with Draco.

They had agreed to meet at the Shrieking Shack. It was an abandoned house there. Villagers thought it was haunted because they often heard screams coming from inside, but Alex knew the truth. Remus had told her years ago, when he first took her to Hogsmeade.

"This house and the tunnel that leads to it…they were built for my use. Once a month, I was smuggled out of the castle, into this place, to transform. An enormous tree was placed at the tunnel mouth to stop anyone coming across me while I was dangerous."

"The Whomping Willow''. When she arrived at the surroundings of the house, Draco was already there. He was looking at the house with curiosity.

- It's not haunted at all. - Alex said, getting next to him.

- How do you know?

- It's a secret. But trust me. - he looked at her with suspicion.

- Oh, c'mon. There are no secrets between us! - he said with a hurtful voice, playing around. - How was your day?

- Oh, it was awesome! I bought a lot of candy. - she said pointing at the bag on her back. - How about yours?

- Pansy had been all day glued to my back…She almost came here with me.

- That would have been such an amazing date. You, me and Pansy. Lovely.

- So, this is a date? - he turned to look at her directly in the eyes, with a grin on his face.

- What, no. I didn't say that.

- Yes, you did. - he laughed. Before Alex could answer back, there was a bark behind them. They turned and saw a big black dog staring at them, with his ears down. He looked scared. - What's that mutt doing here?

- He looks lost. - Alex kneeled and extended her hand. - Are you lost, boy? - the dog started to walk towards them. He was almost next to Alex, barely touching her hand, when the dog looked at her. It was a sad look, almost human, Alex though. Suddenly, a memory went through her mind.

- The three of them turned into animagus to come with me on full moon nights.

- That's super cool! What animal did dad turn into, uncle Remus?

- He turned into a black dog.

She backed off in fear. The dog noticed that, and he turned around and quickly left. Draco looked at her with curiosity.

- What happened there?

- Nothing…I just…what if he was aggressive? He could have bitten one of us. - she didn't want to share with Draco her actual thoughts, that the dog was probably her father. She'd rather talk with Remus first.

- He didn't look aggressive. But you've got a point. – Draco noticed something was wrong. Alex looked terrified. – Hey, why don't we go somewhere else? We still got some time left.

- Yeah, okay… - Draco led the way and Alex followed. She looked back one time to see if the dog was still there. Draco and her ended up on the lake. He sat down on the shore, and she did the same.

- Is there anything you want to talk about? – he asked, looking at her. – You look…scattered.

- Sorry about that…It's my dad thing, you know? I'm confused and worried…

- Well, like I told you, I'm here. And I'm not letting him or anyone else hurt you, so… - Alex looked at him. The sunset made his eyes brighter. He was looking at the horizon. He looked beautiful. Shivers, once again. Draco realised she was staring and turned to look at her. At that moment, she looked away, her cheeks red. He smiled to himself.

- I'm glad I have you… - she said, still flustered.

- Me too. – neither of them was sure of what was going on between them, but it felt good. Nice. Draco wanted to get closer to her. Kiss her, maybe? But then, she spoke, getting him away from his own mind.

- We should go, it's getting late. We need to get to the bus. - Alex got up, and offered Draco her hand. He took it and stood up. But he didn't let go. Instead, they walked hand in hand towards the bus.

Later at night, every place at the castle was filled with tales of Hogsmeade. Alex didn't stop around. She went to Remus's office. He was rearranging some things around the class when she arrived.

- Oh, you're here! How was Hogsmeade? Was it as you remembered it?

- I think I saw him. - Remus grew silent, with a serious face.

- You saw him? Do you mean…?

- Dad. - Remus walked toward the door and closed it, making sure no one was around there.

- Did he talk to you? Did he hurt you? - he grabbed her by her shoulders.

- No, he…I'm not even sure it was him. It was a dog. A black dog. He was looking at me, he got nearer and then I…I don't know, his eyes, it was like he was human. I remembered what you told me about him, that he turned into a black dog.

- All things considered…It could have been him…- Remus looked worried. - What did he do?

- Nothing. The moment I realised it could be him and backed away, he left too.

- Listen to me. Next time you see a dog like that, run. We can't afford… - before he could continue speaking, McGonagall's voice sounded around the castle.

- Every student needs to go to the great hall, immediately. As well as the teachers. There could be an intruder in the castle. - Alex and Remus looked at each other. Remus grabbed Alex's hand, and took his want out with the other.

- It's okay. Let's go to the great hall.

When they arrived, most students were already there. When Draco saw her, he ran towards her. Remus let go of her hand and she joined Draco.

- Are you okay?

- Yes…what's going on?

- People are saying he's here, at the castle…Apparently, he attacked one of the pictures at the Gryffindor common room. - she looked around the room, until she found Harry. They looked at each other with concern for one another.

They slept at the great hall that night, as the teachers looked around the castle for Sirius Black and watched over the students. Alex and Draco were holding hands as the boy slept, but she couldn't. So, when Snape and Dumbledore started talking, she heard.

- I've done the dungeons, Headmaster. No sign of Black. Nor anywhere else in the castle.

- I didn't really expect him to linger.

- Remarkable feat, don't you think? To enter Hogwarts castle on one's own, completely undetected…You may recall, prior to the start of term, I did express my concerns when you appointed Professor…

- I do not believe a single professor inside this castle would have helped Sirius Black enter it, Severus. Especially not Professor Lupin. He is the one who has more to lose if Black gets inside the castle. No…I feel quite confident the castle is safe. And I'm more than willing to let the students return to their Houses. But tomorrow. For now, let them sleep…

Alex spent the whole night thinking about it. If that dog was really her dad and if he had entered the castle and headed to the Gryffindor common room…maybe he wasn't after her. Not to hurt her, anyways. However, he seemed to want to hurt Harry. And he was Alex's friend. She couldn't let that happen. There was one way to find Sirius, even as a dog. And it was also a defensive method against him if he attacked them. Alex had her mind set. Next morning, she would start her plan and hope for a lightning storm to be nearby.