A/N: For the question about how come it took so long for Peeler to teach defense, the past couple of months had been review. What I had meant was for him to get started on the new stuff.

Chapter 4: The Boggart

"Ok Class." Peeler said . Pettigrew was absent due to a Slytherin prank. "Today, you will learn about Boggarts. No they are not green slimy things like some people thought during the assessment test." He looked at a certain Marauder.

Sirius tried to look innocent.

"I can't believe you other teachers didn't teach you." Peeler sighed. "Can ANYONE tell me what a boggart is? Miss. Evans?"

"A boggart is a creature that takes the form of your worse fear." She said

"5 points to Gryffindor." Peeler said. "Now, to stop a boggart, you think of something funny and say the incantation, "Riddikulus". For example, say, someone is scared of spiders. They just have to visualize the spider wearing roller skates and say the incantation. Then, the spider will be slipping and sliding."

Everyone laughed.

"Exactly." Peeler continued. "Laughter is the way to defeat a dementor. Now, think of the thing you are most afraid of."

Spica raised her hand.

"Yes Miss. Jenkins."

"What if you don't know?"

"Good question. In fact, the boggart may not change into what you think. It's a good way to figure out what you're afraid of." Peeler told them.

Everyone thought of what they were scared of.

"Does everybody have it?" he asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Good. Now, think about how you can make it funny. This is crucial."

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"Because if you don't, it will only turn into another fear." Peeler explained. "Now, if your fears are not what you expect, then just remember that they are not real. If you feel that you can't handle it, it's fine, just say so and another classmate will step up."

He turned to the trunk.

"In here," he continued is a boggart. "Now, get in a line a await your worst nightmare."

Peeler opened the trunk as everyone ran to the back of the line.

After the boggart had turned into various objects from spiders and giant cockroaches to mice and dogs,

"Next." Peeler said with a smile. Some of these students could think of funny things.

John was up. The Boggart took one look at him and turning into Voldemort holding Sara at wand point. John and Sara paled.

"RIDDIKULUS!" John yelled.

Voldemort transformed into John. The boggart Sara put her arms around him causing the rest of the class to snicker as the real John and Sara turned bright red.

"Next."

"I couldn't think of anything." John defended as James shot him a smirk.

Sara was up. The boggart looked at her and transformed into the back of a giant snake. Only Sara and Peeler noticed John's body was at its side.

Before the snake could turn around to her,

"RIDDIKULUS!" Sara yelled.

The basilisk turned into a harmless garden snake and John's body disappeared.

"Next."

Sirius was up. The garden snake laid still and transformed into the Dark Mark

"RIDDIKULUS!"

The green skull changed into a smiling mask.

"Next"

Spica moved up to the front. The mask frowned and took a more solid form. The Whomping Willow started thrashing.

"RIDDIKULUS!"

The branches started to braid themselves and bowed toward her.

"Next"

James took his turn. The boggart turned into the dead body of a ten year old black-haired girl. James turned extremely pale.

"R-Rid" James hesitated as he stared at the corpse. He was visibly shaking.

"Next." Peeler said taking the hint.

Melissa stepped up. A tame werewolf appeared. Melissa looked confused as did most of the others.

She had her wand at the ready, but before she could wave it and say the incantation,

The werewolf howled in pain and keeled over with a wound in it's side where a silver bullet was lodge.

Melissa fainted

"Next." Peeler said while using his magic to get her out of the way as Remus stood between her and the fallen werewolf.

The Boggart came up as the Full Moon.

"R-RIDDIKULUS!" he yelled.

The Moon turned into a white balloon and deflated as it flew across the room.

Lily was last. The dead werewolf rose and turned into her parents.

"Petunia was right." Mrs. Evans said.

"Why didn't we see it before?" Mr. Evans added. "You are a freak."

"I am not." She told them.

"You are so." Mrs. Evans said to her. "In fact, we've decided to disown you."

"No! Mum! Dad! You can't!" Lily started crying.

Peeler stood between Lily and her parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Evans dissolved in each other and turned into a shadowy hooded creature.

Professor Peeler started to go pale.

"RIDDIKULUS!" he yelled.

The Dementor planted four feet on the ground and took off its hood to reveal,

"Got you Mate." Two redhead boys in their 20's told the Professor.

The two boys had their arms around each other so it looked like one body.

Peeler smiled and laughed. He then had Remus go again to let the Moon turn into a balloon and sent the boggart back to the trunk.

After that episode, Peeler shook his head with a grin thinking of who he turned the boggart into.

"Class Dismissed. If anyone wants to stay behind and chat, you're welcome to."

Sirius, Remus, Lily, Spica, and Melissa, who recovered, stayed behind. James was the first one out the door in a fast run.

"Here." Peeler said giving them all chocolate. "It will help."

"Thank you." The five students said to him.

"Apparently you all have questions." Peeler told them.

"What was that thing?" Sirius asked. "When it turned to you."

"That was a dementor." Peeler explained. "We will cover them next year."

"Who was those people?" Lily asked.

Peeler smiled. "My girlfriend's brothers who are jokers. I was originally going to turn it into my father who is also a joker at times, but that wouldn't be a good idea. I miss him too much. But I don't think you're here about my boggart."

"Why did mine turn into what it did?" Melissa asked. "I was thinking more along the lines of mice."

"As I said earlier," Peeler said, "it may not turn into what you think. You thought you were scared of mice when you were really frightened of witnessing the murder of a werewolf. Possibly a really close friend of yours."

Melissa looked at Remus out of the corner of her eye.

"Why did you get between me and my boggart?" Lily asked.

"Because when someone starts arguing and crying because if it, that is a sign that they need assistance. You are not weak Miss. Evans. Far from it."

She smiled.

"What about mine Professor?" Sirius asked "I don't understand it."

"You fear the Dark Mark. Voldemort's sign." Peeler explained. "Usually when it is shown, he has killed someone. You fear that you will see it and find a close friend was the latest victim."

"My parents," Sirius stated, "Like to hear about the Dark Mark. I never realized what it really meant. I just knew it couldn't be good if they like it."

0000

A few hours later,

"Professor?" Sirius said worriedly as he entered the room with Remus

"What do I owe the pleasure?" Peeler asked with a grin. "Where are Mr. Pettigrew and Mr. Potter?"

"Peter will be in the hospital wing for the next two days." Sirius said. "As for James,"

"We were hoping you knew." Remus finished

Peeler frowned.

"He's disappeared since the lesson. He didn't show up for Potions." Sirius continued.

"I'll find him for you." Peeler vowed.

0000

Peeler smiled as he made his way to the Lake. There he found James Potter. He was sitting on the shore of the lake looking at a picture of the unfamiliar bodies in his boggart. It was his family.

"Hi." Peeler said to the 16 year old.

"Hello." James said solemnly.

"I know how you feel." Peeler said taking a seat next to the boy. "You feel exposed. You're used to being known as the person who fears nothing, but you showed the class your greatest fear."

James nodded.

"If you feared nothing, then you would be a fool." Peeler told him. "When you don't have the right feelings, then the boggart would turn into something else you fear. If my feelings weren't what they were, I can tell you right now that the Dementor boggart would have either turned into a more powerful Voldemort or like yours, the bodies of my friends and family. Including my three year old sister."

"My father's an Auror." James told him. "He told me about Azkaban and Dementors. You fear those above all?"

"Fear of fear itself." Peeler told the younger teen. "I used a boggart to practice how to repeal dementors."

"Really?"

"Yes. The Patronus charm. We'll be discussing that next year."

"How is it," James asked. "That you are only two years older than me, but you are so much more…"

"Mature?" Peeler finished. "I've been through way more than you have."

"Doubt it. You're younger sister probably wasn't sent last year to America instead of Hogwarts." James looked at the picture again.

"No. But I did witness things that would give you nightmares for years." Peeler told him

"Thanks for helping Evans out." James said changing the subject feeling that Peeler didn't want to go into detail.

"It was my job." Peeler told him. "C'mon. Your friends are worried."

"Thanks for the talk Professor." James said to him after a few minutes. "It helped."

TBC