Chapter 3
Title Goes Here
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Recap:
But right at that moment the door to the classroom opened and the second professor entered. He looked over the class for a moment, his eyes resting briefly, or so it seemed, on Lily Evans and James Potter. Then he turned to Ginny.
"I've found one," he said comfortably and, turning on his heel he walked right back out the door.
And on to Capitulo Numero Tres:
Ginny jumped off her desk. She walked straight to the door, her heels clacking on the stone floor. Her hand was on the door handle when she turned back to the students, still sitting nervously in their desks. "Evidently Harry has found your first lesson. Follow me." With much knee-banging and elbow shoving, the twenty-odd students hurried after her into the hall. Peter, after banging his stomach painfully on the corner of a desk, trailed behind his more agile friends, whining moodily from the back of the throng of students. James, having just, finally, succeeded in asking out the girl of his dreams had hoped that Lily would want to come hang on his arm or something, but she was ignoring him as usual, chatting with her friends further forward. Shaking this unhappy thought to the edges of his mind, James let in a little nerves at the thought of what their lesson might be. The professor, the male one, had had said he had 'found one.' If that wasn't ominous then James didn't love Quidditch. The students hurried forward, filling the hall, much to the discontent of a passing Professor McGonagall, but whether she had harsh words with the two teachers, James didn't know, because both Ginny and Harry were hurrying far ahead of their students, rounding corners just as the seventh years appeared in the hall.
"Gawd, for a woman wearing heels that Ginny could sure run a marathon," blustered a panting Peter, just catching up to his friends. No one bothered to respond.
Suddenly the crowd stopped. James was crushed between a sweaty Peter behind and his best mate, Sirius, in front, who was craning his neck to see what the hold-up was. "Looks like we're there," he said vaguely.
"Where's there?" asked an annoyed James.
"No idea. But that Harry's talking to. Are you ever going to investigate why he's your twin?"
"Shh!" said Remus who was listening intently to the teacher. Sirius rolled his eyes.
Up front, Harry was indeed talking. "Professor Weasley has, on the way here, informed me that she has given you a quick, though unorthodox lesson on…yes?"
He raised his eyebrows at the upraised hand of Amelia Bones. "Erm…." She faltered slightly, but pressed on, "Prof…Gin…she," she pointed to Ginny, "told us to call you Ginny and…erm…Harry." Harry turned to the redhead beside him.
"She did, did she? I don't recall giving my permission…."
"Your permission, your permission?" said Ginny incredulously. For some reason this comment seemed to really set her off. Amelia Bones turned pale as the professors started ranting at one another.
"Yes my permission, Weaselbrain!"
"You're calling me Weaselbrain in front of the students? Why I'll tell you something, Scarface…." Now thatJames thought of it, there was a thin red scar snaking down the center of Harry's forehead.
"What, ickle-ginnykins? About to announce your engagement to Malfoy?"
"Oh, no you didn't!" Ginny yelled.
"Indeed, Mrs. Malfoy."
"Chosen One my butt!"
"Freckleface!"
"Umbridge-lover."
"Ouch, that one hurt! Mrs. Bouncing Ferret!"
At this both teachers seemed to go off their rockers and broke into cackling laughter. The laughter escalated to silent mirth and Ginny actually sank to the cold stone floor, tears streaming from her eyes. Harry put his arm up against the wall and leaned on it, his body shaking uncontrollably from laughter. Every student was momentarily stunned, but then began shooting each other very alarmed looks, wondering if someone should run and get McGonagall. Obviously Dumbledore had appointed two nutters to teach Defense and someone ought to be told.
Harry was the first to recover. He turned back to his students as though nothing at all had happened. Clearing his throat he continued. "As I was saying…."
"Erm…Professor…." A small voice could be heard from somewhere near the front. The professor craned his neck to see who was speaking and James was sure his eyes softened when he realized it was Lily Evans.
"Yes, Miss Evans?"
"Erm…if you don't mind my asking: what was all that about?" The hall was filled with murmurs and several annoying squeals of disbelief that Lily Evans, head girl and Miss Perfect to boot, would be so bold as to question a teacher, no matter how insane his antics. To everyone's immense surprise, Harry did not look the least bit unhappy about this. He smiled, and his gaze shifted a little, as though recalling a very happy time in his life.
"Well, Miss Evans, a certain…shall we call him…acquaintance of mine was once turned into a bouncing ferret for disregarding certain Hogwarts rules. Let this be a lesson to you all that, though McGonagall will have our heads, Ginny and I are not afraid to turn any rule breakers into bouncing ferrets." By this time, Ginny had recovered herself and was standing next to Harry, nodded her head solemnly.
Sirius grinned and turned to James, who grinned back. Someone who could speak of readily turning someone into a bouncing ferret was definitely part prankster and the Marauder's view of the professor increased to match that of his redheaded colleague.
"Now, on to the lesson. We will be starting with what was my first real lesson when I was at Hogwarts…."
"And how long ago was that?" said a burly Ravenclaw boy near the front, obviously fashioning himself to be very cool. The tone of his voice was unmistakably rude. A glance passed between Harry and Ginny, but Harry answered, unfazed.
"I am eighteen. You do the math," he said firmly, but the Ravenclaw boy could not take a hint.
"So you only graduated just last year. How can you be qualified to teach us something you've only just learned and have probably never used?" The boy obviously thought that he had the teacher cornered, because he turned to his friends and gave a haughty smirk. Again, a glance between the two professors.
"I'm seventeen," volunteered Ginny, "What do you make of that?" Sirius turned to James and gave a gleeful thumbs up.
"She's our age, Prongsie, our age!" he whispered.
"So you aren't even out of Hogwarts?" cried Lily Evans, who was very afraid of not getting the right education.
"I will have you know that Dumbledore is aware of our ages," Harry said in a stern voice that silenced the students, "and that we are fully qualified. As to your," he pointed at the Ravenclaw boy, "question concerning the non-use of Defense skills on our parts, Ginny and I have faced Lord Voldemort on more than one occasion." There was a collective gasp from the students. Lord Voldemort was gaining power, gaining allies and supporters and the killing was starting, the fear, rising. James' respect for the two professors was rising with each word. Harry turned to Ginny, "Six times for you, is it? Or seven? In person, I mean."
"Eight. Now then," interrupted Ginny, for Harry had opened his mouth again, "I think we can begin the lesson." She looked pointed behind her and James, for the first time, noticed the oak door that led off the hall. Suddenly, as if on cue, the doorknob rattled and the several students took hasty steps backwards. Ginny continued as though nothing had happened. "Inside this," she turned to the door, "broom closet Harry has discovered a fully fledged boggart. Now, can anyone tell us what a boggart is?" As per usual Lily Evans' hand was in the air before Ginny had finished the question. "Yes, Miss Evans."
"A shape shifter."
"Correct, ten points to Gryffindor. This boggart or shape-shifter as Miss Evans so perfectly described it will, upon being let out of the closet, assume the shape of what each of us most fears. Mr. Lupin, forward." James looked toward Lupin. He was very pale, but a determined line had creased his forehead.
"Go get it, Moony," he said, punching Remus playfully as his friend pushed his way towards the closet door.
"Now, Mr. Lupin, I want you to think about what you most fear," Harry had taken over, "Do you have a clear picture of it?"
The Ravenclaw boy, still irked about his previous failure at discrediting the new teachers, spoke out again. "Don't you think he should tell us what he fears so we all know what to expect out of that closet?"
James heard Peter's sharp intake of breath and saw Sirius' suddenly pale face. This was a definite problem. All three knew that Moony's greatest fear was the moon, but wouldn't that seem awfully strange to a crowd of classmates (not to mention the two teachers) that didn't know about Remus'…condition? The professor, though, was already replying to the Ravenclaw. This time he didn't look the least bit amused.
"No, Mr. Lupin will not be telling you what will be coming out of that closet. Learning to not be afraid of the unknown will help you in what is to come." James looked quizzically at Sirius. What was to come? What was that supposed to mean? "Furthermore," Harry continued, "I would thank you to shut up, please." The whole class laughed and the Ravenclaw boy reddened visibly. Harry turned back to Remus. "Alright, Mr. Lupin, now I want you to think about a way in which you could make your vision of fear amusing. After Mr. Lupin we will start with Miss Bones and continue down the rows. Each of you will be facing the boggart. If we manage to laugh enough and sufficiently confuse it then it will be…."
"Bye bye boggart," Ginny interrupted from beside him.
"Unfortunately," Harry continued as though nothing had happened, "It will not be enough to simply think about making your fear funny. The incantation is Riddikulus! Repeat it, please." The strange word echoed throughout the hall.
"Now, Remus," Ginny said with a kind smile, "Step forward and on the count of three I will be opening the closet, alright?" Remus gave a little half-nod and edged forward, the determined line deeper than ever. "One," James stood on tiptoe to get a better view, "Two," all talk in the hall ceased, "Three!" For a moment nothing came out of the closet, but then a cold black mass drifted forward. The black slowly parted to reveal a full, bright, shining moon.
"Come on Moony," James muttered under his breath and his friend raised his wand.
"Riddikulus!" Remus yelled and suddenly a fat gray mouse appeared and began nibbling at the edges of the moon. Most of the class was entirely confused, but the professors and Marauders were burst into laughter and Amelia Bones was beckoned forward. Remus fell back into place, a wide grin spreading his face.
"Why not a rat, Moony?" Peter asked gleefully.
The two professors looked on as their students stepped forward one by one to face the boggart. "Getting on quite well, aren't they?" Ginny commented as they watched Sirius vanquish what looked suspiciously like his mother.
"Indeed," agreed Harry as James stepped forward. A bloodied body that had an uncanny resemblance to Lily Evans appeared on the floor before him, but he shouted the incantation so quickly and stepped aside so fast that no one could be sure.
"Good job getting at that Ravenclaw kid. Bloody bugger."
"Thanks," grinned Harry. "We've got a few bloody buggers in our time, haven't we?"
Unknown to the two professors Remus had approached them, wanting to thank them for letting him go first and not making him share his fear to the whole class. Standing, waiting, at Harry's elbow, he heard every last word of Harry's last comment. 'Our time'? he pondered the possible meaning of such a phrase. Just then Harry noticed him.
"Good job with your boggart, Remus," Harry grinned widely. Still thinking about Harry's sentence, Remus was taken off guard. He stammered out a quick thanks and hurried back into the excited throng of students.
"Do you think he heard?" Harry turned anxiously to Ginny.
"Don't worry about it," Ginny insisted, for the last of the students had just made her blood covered skeleton choke on a dog bone and the boggart and burst into a million smithereens.
"Good job!" Ginny said, "Good job, all of you! You did a really superb job tackling that boggart."
"Really superb," Harry agreed. "Now you may return to the classroom and pick up your things. See you all next class." A few murmurs of goodbye from the students the throng moved off, the hall getting narrower behind them.
As they pranced back to the classroom, the students were buzzing with excitement at their latest lesson. They'd never had a real practical lesson in all their years at Hogwarts and they were looking forward to meeting the next creature they were to face. "I'll bet it's a dragon!" a passing Ravenclaw insisted. Peter blanched and James rolled his eyes.
"There's no way they could bring a dragon onto the ground, no bloody way, Petey," he laughed.
"They might," Peter muttered.
"Can you believe it, though? A boggart! I'd never seen one before. Wonder how the professors found it," James continued. He looked over to Sirius who looked unusually pale. "What's wrong, Paddy?"
"I've just…realized," Sirius stammered. This was very uncharacteristic of the Hogwarts heartthrob, "I was…that was…."
"Well? Out with it, Paddy!"
"That was going to be my next snogging closet! Can you imagine if my bloody mum appeared in the middle of….?"
Alrighty…there it is! What do you think? Press that little button and review, please! Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you that reviewed earlier. Unfortunately, I'm going on vacay this Friday and won't be back for a week so…we'll see when the next update is. Sorry all!
Lots of love, from,
Crookshanksroxmysox