When they arrived at the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, the trio found the room full of students but empty of a teacher. Saiph led the way to the back row seats. It was obvious most of the school had heard about what she did to Draco as the students around her kept stealing glances and pointing in her direction. To be honest, it was getting annoying but Saiph couldn't risk getting into even more trouble. She expected Snape was now waiting for the perfect time to corner her and give her a whole year's worth of detention. Draco was always his favourite after all.
Saiph hesitantly got her books and quills out, she knew what was going to happen next, Lupin walks into the classroom and announces a practical lesson. They didn't need their books for this lesson but she did not want more attention drawn to her by being the only one without equipment out.
Maybe she was being stupid but one thing she noticed coming into this world was, most of her life was perfect, she was pretty, smart, strong, sort of popular. All that was great and she had almost everything she had ever wanted, the one thing that hadn't changed though, was her anxiety. Her fear of being the odd one out, fear of being different. Sure, it was less prominent but it was still there. There was no time to dwell on that though, if you were sorted into Slytherin there was one thing the older students drilled into you from day one. Never show your fear.
The sound of rustling parchment and babble filled the room and Saiph was once again reminded of how inefficient the wizarding world truly was. Not to say that she hated everything about it but there were some things that annoyed her when it came to how old fashioned everything was. Where she was originally from, it was the early 21st century, there were phones, computers, wireless, electricity, pens, notebooks. Harry Potter may have been set in the 90s but they also had all that in the nineties.
It was the prejudice of the old traditional wizards that was setting the wizarding world back hundreds of years. Saiph did not want to take part in it any longer. As soon as she could, the young witch would be going to the shops and buying a pen and notebook. So what if she got weird looks, so what if the teachers were displeased when she handed in a notebook instead of a piece of parchment. She was from the 21st century and she was going to act like it.
While she was at it, perhaps she could bring a television into the Slytherin common room. It was so dull when all one could do was study and chat. Wizards needed some real entertainment.
Saiph looked up at the sound of the door to the teachers office opening. Professor Lupin walked out with a small smile on his face, his clothes as raggedy as ever. It may not have been neat and professional but it brang a lot of charm to the outfit. It reminded Saiph of the Doctor from Doctor Who, no matter what he was wearing, he always gave an air of safety around him.
Oh, how Saiph loved that show. Since she now knew that shifting was real, she would have to go visit it sometime.
"Good afternoon" Professor Lupin spoke softly. He moved toward the teachers desk and placed down his things before casually leaning on the table. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will only need your wands" He said to the class.
Saiph silently cheered, even though she knew it was coming, her first practical DADA lesson was still exciting. She wondered what her boggart would be before quickly packing up, and taking her wand out of her messy bun. Saiph often liked to keep it in her hair, that way she would always know where it was. As much as keeping a wand in your pockets was helpful, the Hogwarts school uniform had a surprising amount of pockets and Saiph always forgot which one she put her wand in.
The rest of the class exchanged confused looks before packing up their own things. "Right then, if you'd follow me" said professor Lupin, Then he walked briskly out of the classroom with the class following behind.
In the deserted corridor the students and teacher were met with Peeves, Hogwarts resident poltergeist, floating upside down and stuffing chewing gum in the nearest keyhole. The poltergeist didn't notice the class until professor Lupin was 2 feet away. He looked up and wrigled his toes before bursting into song "Loony, loopy Lupin. Loony, loopy Lupin. Loony, loopy Lupin –"
Saiph smiled, knowing about Lupin's history as a Hogwarts prankster, he certainly wasn't a marauder for nothing. The professor wasted no time in warding off Peeves, he sighed and held out his wand, "This is a useful spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely."
He flicked his wand and with the force of a bullet the piece of gum that was once lodged in the lock flew into Peeve's left nostril. The poltergeist flew away sulking. After that was sorted, the class once again followed Lupin down the corridors to where they were now stood outside of the staffroom.
Professor Lupin opened the door and gestured for the class to enter. "Inside please," he said. The group of students shuffled into the room unsurely, most had never been in the staffroom before and it was interesting to see where the teachers spent most of their free time. The room was long and wood panelled. There were desks for each teacher along the sides and in the middle of the room was a strange assortment of mismatched armchairs. Overall the room was very underwhelming, even if Saiph hadn't expected much in the first place. Maybe she could gift the teachers a coffee machine sometime, Gods knew they needed it.
Snape was the only other teacher in the room, he gave them a sneer before turning to face Professor Lupin who was just about to close the door to the room. "Leave it open, Lupin. I'd rather not witness this." Snape said. His cold black eyes scanned the class before they fell on Saiph. "Come see me after class, Miss Gray. We have matters not to be discussed in front of others." He said. 'Great,' Saiph thought, 'now I'm definitely getting detention.'
At Snape's words, the golden trio sent Saiph a suspicious look. Knowing them, they were probably thinking of all the evil plans the teacher and student would discuss. Why did Snape always have to word things to be so sinister. No wonder Harry thought he was evil for so long.
Sanpe then strode towards the door, his black robes billowing behind him, before turning back to the other professor and saying, "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 turned red in embarrassment at the professor's comment.
'Fuck it,' Saiph thought, she may as well get into more trouble, what would one more detention do. "Sir, Maybe Neville would work better if you were a better teacher, but I guess we can't all have what we want," Saiph smirked at the professor but inside she had resigned to her fate, 'he's definitely going to kill me after this.' Saiph took a breathe and continued, "can we, Snivellus."
The two professors grew shocked looks at this name, except one held a hint of pride. Snape's expression was quickly steeled though as he glared at the girl. Saiph already knew she had an advantage over him at this point, Snape wouldn't dare take points off of his own house. Maybe she would be hearing words about this later but it was fun while it lasted, not to mention greatly amusing.
Snape stayed silent before leaving the room. Either side of her her friends were rolling their eyes with small smiles on their faces. None of them ever really liked Snape but they often sucked up to him for the advantages it gave them. Slytherins were known for their resourcefulness after all.
Lupin broke the silence with a clap of his hands, "Now then," he said and led them to the end of the room to a box. As the class approached, the box rattled causing the more fragile minded of them to jump back. "Nothing to worry about," Lupin said calmly as he stepped closer to the box. "There's a Boggart in there, Boggarts like dark enclosed spaces." The professor told the class. Many looked at him with looks of pure fear, Saiph knew why. Boggarts were magical creatures often found inhabiting old wardrobes and the dusty undersides of beds. Literally and figuratively they were the monster under the bed that all witches and wizards, young and old feared. They showed your worst fear, so really, there was a lot to worry about.
This was one of the only things Saiph was unsure of in this world. Her greatest fear. She had a feeling it wasn't something as trivial as the dark, or snakes, or spiders, it was much worse. A feeling it would reveal something about her that she wanted no one knowing. Dread creeped into Saiph's bones, chilling the witch to her core.
Saiph was snapped out of her silent panic by Lupin continuing his explanation of the foul creature. Saiph prided herself in loving and caring for all magical creatures but not this one, never this one. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks – I once 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 may ask ourselves is, what is a Boggart?"
Hermione was the first to put her hand up, followed by a couple of other less sure ones. Seeing Hermione's eagerness, Lupin pointed to the frizzy haired witch to answer. "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, Hermione beamed at the praise, for being the 'brightest witch of the age' she didn't actually receive this very often. Saiph would just have to make sure she received the praise she deserved in the future. Positive reinforcement did wonders for one's self-esteem.
"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 fear. This means that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?" The Professor asked.
"Er – because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?" Harry said with trepidation, it was hard to answer questions with Hermione bobbing up and down like a bucking horse next to you. "Precisely," affirmed Professor Lupin.
"It's always best to have company when 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." A ghost of a smile graced the Professor's face, as if he was reliving a distant fond memory before he continued on.
"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."
That just confirmed it for Saiph, Pennywise the dancing clown must have been a particularly powerful Boggart. It all made sense, he wasn't some mythical tribal creature, he was a magical one. The clown took the shape of what you feared the most, so did a Boggart. Pennywise was ultimately defeated by laughter, so is a Boggart.
'Sweet,' Saiph thought. Another mystery solved by Scooby and the gang, just without the gang. Saiph took full credit for this new theory. Copyright Saiph Black 2007. '2007' she thought, is that what year it was? Wasn't Harry Potter supposed to be set in the mid 90s? She would just have to ask. "Hey," she whispered to Daphne, who was standing beside her "What year is it again?" She asked.
Daphne gave her a confused look but answered nonetheless. "It's 2007, are you sure you're okay?" She said worriedly.
"Yeah fine, just a bad memory is all'' Saiph told her. Daphne didn't look convinced but chose not to pursue it further.
"We will practise 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 as Neville walked forward looking like he was about to soil his pants. "Right Neville. First things first: What would you say is the thing that frightens you the most in the world?" asked Professor Lupin to the shaking boy.
Neville looked up timidly and muttered something under his breath. "Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry." Lupin gave him an encouraging smile. Neville straightened his back and repeated. "Professor Snape."
While the rest of the class burst into boisterous laughter, Saiph looked at Neville sadly. To be so scared of a teacher to the point they were your worst fear was just wrong. Because Hogwarts was a boarding school the students were technically under the teachers care for most of the school year. The professors were supposed to be trustworthy and safe. Snape had always been a big bullie to the students but Dumbledore just let him off every time. This had to change.
"If Neville is successful, the Boggart is likely to turn 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 and Saiph closed her eyes. When she thought of her greatest fear nothing in particular came to mind. A lot of things were scary to her even if she didn't like to show it, but none of them screamed 'Worst fear' material. As she flicked through her memory (Which not all of them had returned yet) an image of an old woman holding a baby came to mind and for some strange reason the image scared her.
That was step one complete, now how to make it funny. Saiph thought and thought but it was nearly impossible to turn something not remotely frightening to an outsider into something funny. Maybe that was what was so sinister about the image. That fact that it wasn't.
Saiph looked up at the sound of rattling only to find that the wardrobe was now open. A figure with a hooked nose and greasy black hair stepped out; Professor Snape. The teacher's dark eyes quickly connected with Nevilles frightened brown ones. Said boy looked frozen in fear but before the Boggart could get too close Neville held his wand out and shouted, "Riddikulus!"
There was a sharp pop before Snape once billowing black robes became a lacy green dress. On his head appeared a large witches hat with a stuffed vulture sitting on top. In his hand was a bright red leather handbag with little buckles on the side. The class once again burst into laughter and the Boggart looked around confused.
After Nevilles success, Professor Lupin called student after student, causing the Boggart to shift into a multitude of different fears and phobias.
When Saiph's turn approached she stepped forward hesitantly, what was her greatest fear? She didn't know. As she stood at the front of the line the Boggart shifted and swirled before it came a white screen, like the ones you'd see at the theatre. Suddenly the screen lit up like it was playing a movie, except it wasn't a movie it was a memory. One that Saiph herself hadn't seen yet.
It started with a young woman, she was sitting on a park bench and seemed to be rocking a baby. The park looked familiar to Saiph but she couldn't place where she'd seen it before. It looked deserted apart from the women and the baby and for some reason that was wrong to Saiph. She had a feeling that the park was supposed to be flowing with life and activity.
Suddenly an old woman appeared at the bench like she had teleported there. "What a nice little babe you've got there, may I hold her?" She said to the young woman. The young woman looked up and smiled but that smile soon fell as she saw the old woman. Saiph was confused by this, the old women looked like any nice grandma so why was the young women so terrified.
The young woman let out a piercing scream and clutched the baby tight to her chest. "What are you!" She yelled. Behind her Saiph could hear the befuddled murmurs of her classmates. Apparently, all they saw was an old woman as well.
Saiph had a feeling that if she let this memory continue playing it would reveal something very important about her. The question was, did she want her classmates to know this information too. No, no she did not. She took a breathe and held out her wand, "riddikulus." She said calmly and the Boggart whipped into a small kitten that rolled around the floor. Her female classmates cooed and awed.
"Very good," Professor Lupin nodded. Saiph sent her own quick nod back before she fell back to her friends who looked at her with confusion and concern. "What was that?" Theo asked the girl.
"I - I don't know, Saiph slightly stuttered back, then she cleared her throat and said, "It confused me more then scared me so I guess it means i'm not scared of anything." Theo and Daphne sent a small smile at her joke and the tense atmosphere was lifted.
Soon it was Neville's turn to tackle the Boggart once again. It had just been turned into a cockroach by Professor Lupin before it saw Neville and swirled into Snape. "Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" Professor Lupin shouted. Neville charged forward looking determined. "Riddikulus!" He said and the class caught one more glance of a green lacy dress before Neville let out a victorious "Ha!" And the Boggart burst into thousands of tiny wisps of smoke.
"Excellent!" cried Professor Lupin as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone. Let me see … five points to Gryffindor and Slytherin for every person to tackle the Boggart – ten for Neville because he did it twice – and five each to Hermione and Harry."
"But I didn't do anything," said Harry.
"You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Harry," Lupin said lightly. "Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on Boggarts and summarise it for me … to be handed in on Monday. That will be all."
Saiph left the classroom chatting excitedly with her friends. The Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons had always been her favourite when she was reading the books. When they reached the corridor, Saiph turned back to her friends. "Well I best be off, Snape will get mad if I keep him waiting." She said then walked off to the Potion Professors office. "Goodluck!" They called after her. Saiph laughed and held a thumbs up while she walked.
When Saiph reached the office she saw that the door was closed. She softly knocked on the door and heard a stern "come in," from the other side. In the office sat Snape amongst a variety of potion samples and ingredients. "Miss Gray, sit," He said without even a glance in her direction. Saiph sat quickly in the wooden chair. She always hated being alone with teachers, it was always so awkward.
"Mr. Malfoy is currently in the infirmary with a fractured arm, would you happen to know why that is?" Asked Snape.
"Because he pissed off a Hippogriff? I thought you knew this sir." Saiph lied, she hated throwing the poor bird under the bus but detentions were a pain.
"We both know all that thing gave him was a scratch but now, for some reason Mr. Malfoy won't tell me how his arm is broken. Miss Parkison has told me you had a fight before she found him writhing in pain on the floor. So I ask you again, Miss Gray, do you happen to know why that is?" He interrogated.
Draco hadn't told him it was her? Why? If Draco was known for anything, it was being a snitch. She would have to go visit him later. Saiph hardened her features "No sir, I don't." She said.
Snape didn't look convinced but he had no evidence to do anything more. He stared coldly at her for a few more seconds before saying "You may go." Saiph silently let out a breath of relief and started to get up. "And Miss Gray, detention, tomorrow afternoon at 6 sharp. Don't be late." Snape said. Before Saiph could protest, he continued. "For your cheek in the staffroom."
Saiph decided it was best not to say anymore and nodded. She silently left the office and headed towards the Great Hall for dinner. She was famished.