Title: Haunt
Author: Calilsrewolf
Summary: When one 7th year Defence Against the Dark Arts class gets a curious interruption… and sometimes, digging too deep just 'aint worth it.
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): Ron/Hermione
Feedback: Wanted.
Characters: All.
Betas: None As Of Yet
Disclaimer: The Goddess JK Rowling owns this universe, I merely meddle. This was started before I'd read the fifth and sixth books... so can I just use the artistic liscence please.
Notes: I'll probably edit and extend this within the next few days, who knows.
Haunt.
Chapter 1: Suggest
"Moony, may I ask why you feel it's necessary for sixth year students to defeat a boggart again?" Sirius Black, former prisoner of Azkaban prison was lounging across from his closest friend, Remus Lupin in their rooms at Hogwarts. It was time for Remus to begin on lesson plans; the students were due back in two days time anyway. He'd repeatedly pushed the parchment across his desk, somewhat reluctant to even begin to fathom the year ahead. Dipping the quill into some in, he sighed, and replaced the cap to it, glancing over toward Sirius, he smiled.
"And Padfoot, may I ask why you, who clearly is not the resident teacher feels it necessary to question my lesson plan?"
"But why a boggart?"
"Padfoot, honestly, fear's change, and if these children are to understand themselves any better than they already can to their perceived uttermost abilities, facing their fears will help." Remus continued to scribble onto the yellowed parchment. He was seated at a small oaken desk, and Sirius had dragged a chair from the main room earlier to be across from him. He rested his body across the chair the wrong way for a moment, sighing again, his gaze travelled the room, smiling. The décor was simple, nice warm tones of red and gold. And the fireplace crackled merrily, the mantle piece above showing photographs, blank of course, because the people had better things to be doing.
"But what about Harry?"
"What about Harry?" Eyebrows raised the wolf man regarded the dog man.
"How did he go with the boggart the first time?"
"That was three years ago, Sirius, the boy has changed, any one can see that." Indeed, over the past three years, Harry Potter had changed. He had seen He Who Must Not Be Named, and lived to tell the tale, twice. Brown eyes met grey for a moment as the two men stared at each other, remembering their first encounter after Sirius' escape from Azkaban, in Harry's third year. "Harry's boggart was a dementor, as you know, and I am quite interested in finding out what form all the children's boggarts will take."
"You're a snoop Remus, nothing's changed." Acknowledging this with a nod Remus continued with his work. Sirius sighed, and the sighed again. Shifting in his chair like a child bored with a car ride.
"Sirius." The tone of Remus' voice was sharp, and he hid a smile as he bent his head forward. The smell of coffee and tea filled the air, announced by a whip crack as a house elf appeared.
"Binde is bringing you tea and coffee and cakes sirs!" The house elf, which was small by house elf standards quickly placed the tray on the table and vanished with another whip crack.
"Ah," Sirius took a deep breath. "Smells great." He added, with a sniff of the air.
"Oh, push off you great big dog." The two men began fighting over who was going to eat what cake, and whether the angel cake was really too good to be shared between two.
"You must tell me how the students react to the boggart again Moony."
"Alright, alright, gather round. Now, I know you have all faced a boggart before in my class, and some of you may have faced one in Professor Moody's class, but who can tell me why you might face one again?" The large class of Gryffindor and Ravenclaw students were in one of the empty classrooms. They lined the walls and stared enthusiastically with bright eyes at the cupboard at the front of the classroom. Occasionally it shook from the inside, and it was a good thing the Professor had cast a charm to level the thing.
"As a person grows, and experiences new things, their fears can change." Hermione's hand was up in the air, and she quickly answered, looking excited. Harry Potter was standing to her left, and on her other side was Ronald Weasley. Both boys had grown taller during the years past, and Ron towered over her. He was the new Gryffindor Quidditch keeper, and Harry, whose hair still could not be tamed, was still the seeker.
"Correct, five points to Gryffindor." Remus paused, and looked over the students. "Now, if anyone other than Hermione can remember the boggart counter curse, I will award twenty points to that house."
"Riddikulus." Neville Longbottom shyly said from the back of the classroom.
"Well done Neville, twenty points to Gryffindor. Now, repeat after me, Riddikulus."
"Riddikulus." The class said, anticipation made several of the students fidget in their places.
"Now, if you would all form a line," The two houses pushed and shoved for places. "That's good, no pushing, Padma." He waved his wand at the cupboard and the door sprung off.
"Go," Stepping forward Ronald Weasley was not faced with a spider, but rather, an Acromantula, it drew its giant body back and prepared to speak.
"Riddikulus." Ron said backing away fast, the spider, just as it did three years ago, fell backward on roller skates. Neville, stepping forward frowned when a wand appeared in front of him, the wand snapped in half, and laughed echoed through the room.
"Riddikulus!" He cried, and the wand became whole, sparks of red and gold flying out.
"Excellent, next!" Student after student faced off with the boggart, no one laughed at other people's fears, and no one yet had been too scared to tackle their own.
"I didn't know you were scared about being a squib Neville!"
"Yeah, I thought you were still scared of Snape!"
"Riddikulus" Appearing in front of the young boy was a shadowy figure of a Dementor, it didn't move, and Harry said the counter curse and it vanished with a wave of his wand. The boggart turned to its next victim, one of the Ravenclaw girls. She had a small heart shaped face, and dark brown hair. Stepping forward she waited only a few seconds for the boggart to notice her. The rippling form of the dark monster expanded and shifted. It soon became a man in a hooded cloak. He stepped towards the girl, his gloved hand stoked her cheek gently and he whispered something into her ear, but as the man leant forward, spell forgotten she screamed.
"Here!" Throwing himself in front of the boggart, Remus Lupin drew the attention of the creature, and the moon floated in front of his face. "You girl, your name was?" He turned back to the Ravenclaw girl; she wasn't the kind of person one would notice in a crowd.
"I-I'm Mandy Brocklehurst, sir." Pale and shaking the girl backed up almost into the wall.
"If you would wait behind after class please."
"Follow the simple instructions on the board if you please, and once you have finished, bottle the Viscus Potion." Professor Snape was talking quietly at the front of the class. Harry, leaning over to Ron was still talking about the Defence Against the Dark arts class.
"Bloody Hell! Did you see who that guy was?" Hermione shook her head, her bushy brown hair moving gently.
"I think we should find out who that guy was Harry." Ron suggested. Hermione quickly bent over her cauldron as a black shadow appeared over their table.
"Perhaps, Potter, it would help your infantile mind to concentrate if you moved yourself to the front of my classroom." Professor Snape loomed above them for a moment. He was standing next to their small table, hands calmly folded in the depths of his black robe. He turned to walk away, and then, turning back arched an eyebrow. "And, perhaps you could share with the class just whom "that guy" is?" His eyes burned into Harry's own for a moment, and he sneered.
"Sorry Professor, we had a boggart in our class this morning." Harry said, and he grinned, remembering his third year class, and Neville at the front of the class coughed quietly. They were in the dark dungeon classroom of the Potions Master. Sixth years of both Gryffindor and Slytherin were present, as usual. Draco Malfoy and his friends were sitting towards the back, and to one side were the Slytherins, and on the other, the Gryffindors.
"Did Professor Lupin give you any good advice for sixth years fighting a second year creature?" The tone of his voice suggested he would rather drink acid than call the professor a professor.
"Actually, one of the girls from Ravenclaw had a bit of a hard time fighting her boggart off, didn't she Seamus?" Dean Thomas nudged his potions partner who nodded.
"Yes, she did professor, and none of us could tell who she was seeing. He was dressed from head to toe in black, and he was really creepy." Seamus laughed a bit, but the professor eyeing him made him settle.
"I see." He turned away from the class, and seated himself at his desk.
"Hey, Remus, I heard one of the girl's boggart attacked her, do you suppose she's been attacked by that man?" asked Sirius, they were sitting in the staffroom, Remus was holding out a cup of tea for him to take.
"I don't know Padfoot; it could just be teenage paranoia."
"Lupin, what flight of fantasy would give her an un-explained fear of a man in a dark cloak? Clearly she knew the man, or did know him." Professor Snape muttered darkly. He turned back from the door and glared. "You of all people, or animals should have been able to smell her fear." He slammed the door and was gone.
"I hate to say it Moony, but Snivellus is right, maybe she was attacked by someone?"
"Or maybe, Sirius, she was attacked many years ago. I don't think we should worry."
"That's not like you." Replied Sirius, he quickly strode over to his best friend. "Come on, why don't we investigate this together?"
"I doubt we will find anything worthwhile." He snapped, and then moved toward the window. "Maybe next week, after the full moon," He sighed. "I am in a bit of a tiff today, the first years wouldn't go near the grindylows, and it was very tiresome." Running a hand through his hair he yawned as proof.
"Have you had your potion?" He asked.
"Severus has yet to bring it to me. Perhaps I should go down and ask him for it?" Sirius nodded. "But not tonight, I think tonight I shall go to bed."
"Is it true you couldn't fight off a boggart? Ha! I'm surprised, and I was told Ravenclaws were smart!" A blond boy, with two large boys was standing in front of two girls trying to get up a small stairwell.
"Not that it's any of your business Malfoy." Padma threw a dark glare at the boy. "Bugger off would you?"
"Leave her alone Malfoy!" Harry came up from behind them, wand out.
"Oh, you got yourself another bodyguard have you?" Malfoy smirked.
"Like you can talk with your two goons." Mandy snapped, pulling out her own wand. "Just shut up you troll."
"Why-" Malfoy spluttered.
"Furnunculus" She hissed, and boils started to sprout over Malfoy's body and face. "I've had enough of this today! Tarantallegra" He started to dance uncontrollably in jerky movements.
"And just what are you doing?" An ominous figure stood at the foot of the stairs. Professor Snape was at them within moments. "One hundred points from Ravenclaw, we do not condone teenage mood swings and immature tantrums at this school." He paused, and noticed Harry. "And fifty points from Gryffindor. I should have known Potter was involved."
"But Sir! He provoked us!" Professor Snape smirked.
"And you are provoking me into giving you all detention for two weeks." Severus muttered sarcastically, he pointed his wand at Draco who had continued to move in jerky movements. "Finite." Assessing the situation quickly he moved to the side. "Take Draco to the hospital wing immediately. I will deal with you three later." Crabbe and Goyle quickly helped Draco down the stairs and around the corner. Turning, Snape observed them for a moment.
"Tsk tsk, I would have expected this from you Potter, but dragging down two innocent girls?" Shaking his head Snape mockingly smiled. "I'm surprised the Know-It-All and that Weasley boy aren't following you at your beck and call. Imagine that Potter, all alone." During this little speech directed at Harry, Mandy and Padma were quickly ascending the stairs. "What was your name girl?" Mandy sighed, everyone was forgetting her name today.
"Mandy Brocklehurst." His eyebrow rose. "Sir." She added.
"You're the girl who had trouble with the boggart?" To her surprise Professor Snape sounded incredulous. Was the whole school going to know about that?
"Yes, sir." She was staring at the ground now, and Padma nudged her.
"Indeed. Potter, come with me, you and I need to have a little chat with the Headmaster." Harry nodded, downcast, it was his second day back, and already he was getting dragged to the Dumbledore's office. Professor Snape turned, and was gone around the corner at the top of the stairs within moments.
"Well, I'd uh better catch up with the greasy-git then. See you later!" Harry waved apologetically to the two girls.
"Bye." Padma grinned at Mandy for a moment. "Come on, let's go!" And the two girls quickly followed the stairs to their dormitory.
TBC
I guess it's a bit of a cop out to say, but please, tell me what you think!