Ch4 - Defense Against the Dark Arts
Once the Trickster ran out of conclusions for the crime, Dumbledore guided him to another part of the castle, a brighter classroom, where he would fulfill one of the clauses attached to his task. Loki was glad to be out of that cold room with a body and a person he clearly did not trust.
"This is our defense against the dark arts class," said the headmaster, gesturing for him to go inside.
"Defense against the dark arts? What does that mean?" said Loki, but the headmaster had gone, shutting the door behind him.
"Ah you must be Mr. Laufeyson?" said a strange man with a peculiar cut healing on his face.
Loki turned around and found himself in a large classroom filled with many students dressed in black robes and school uniforms. For a moment, the trickster was excited for he thought Mobius had returned, mistaking man's mustache for his, and the cut on this man's face for the agent's permanently broken nose, but the light brown hair color, different accent threw him off. Could there be more than one variant here, he wondered. Loki smiled awkwardly.
"I was told that you would be my assistant for this year's defense against the dark arts class?" he said plainly. Loki observed him with great suspicion.
"Right, and you are?" he asked.
"What the bloody hell, they haven't met?" whispered a ginger haired kid to one of his fellow students.
"Why is he wearing muggle clothes?" whispered another. The professor gave him a warm, yet petty smile, similar to the one Mobius gave him the first time they met.
"I, am Professor Lupin," he said stepping forward. Loki cocked an eyebrow.
A strange wardrobe in the middle of the classroom shook, capturing their attention.
"You are just in time for our first lesson," Lupin said turning it. Loki thought the item was odd, given the fact that they were in a medieval classroom, but then again, maybe it made sense here. It wobbled violently the more Professor Lupin walked closer to it.
"Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly because a few students had jumped backward in alarm. Loki eyed him and the wardrobe suspiciously.
"There's a boggart in there," he said to his students.
"A boggart?" Loki said to himself.
"Indeed," said Lupin, "What is a boggart?" he continued to the class. A girl with light brown, wavy hair, raised her hand in vigor.
"It's a shape-shifter," she said.
"Very good, and can anyone tell us what a Boggart looks like?" Lupin continued.
"No one knows. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears most," continued the eager girl, "That's what makes it so -
"Terrifying, yes." Loki's enthusiasm for the school dropped.
"Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a Boggart. Let's practice it now, shall we? Without wands, please…"
'Wands?' Thought Loki. He crossed his arms and observed. Lupin pulled out an elegant stick from his robes. The students followed suit.
"Riddikulus!" said Lupin to his students. Loki scoffed.
"It's this class that's ridiculous," whispered a student with slicked back, bleach blond hair. Loki looked over to see him sneering. He looked like a weaselly boy.
"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?" A half smile crept on Loki's face. The nerdy looking student with shortish brown hair stepped forward toward the rattling wardrobe, queasily.
"You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain. Neville, what frightens you most of all?" asked Lupin.
"Professor Snape … "whispered the poor lad.
"Sorry?"
"Professor Snape," said Neville a bit more loudly.
"Professor Snape. Yes, frightens all," said Lupin laughing as did most of the class except for Loki. The trickster shook his head, not fully grasping the situation.
"And I understand you live with your grandmother. Yes?" asked Lupin kindly.
"Yes, but I don't want it to turn into her, either," said Neville sheepishly. Lupin laughed again.
"No... it won't," he said leaning closer to him. "Now, I want you to picture her clothes. Only her clothes, very clearly,
in your mind.
"What?" whispered Loki to himself.
"She carries a red handbag... "
"We don't need to hear. As long as you see it, we'll see it. Now, when I open that wardrobe... here's what I want you to do. Excuse me." he said stepping right next to him. "Imagine Professor Snape in your grandmother's clothes." he whispered in Neville's ear.
"Can you do that?" he asked. Neville nodded. Loki watched carefully with great anticipation. Lupin waved his wand and opened the shaking wardrobe. The door flew open. A pale hand in a dark sleeve reached out of it nervously. A tall man in completely black robes with many buttons up and down the tunic stepped out. Straight, black hair of medium length framed his very serious face. Loki uncrossed his arms quickly. The man had an uncanny resemblance to himself, minus some facial features. Was this his variant? Had he found him so quickly? Couldn't be, that would be too easy. Loki was about to take out his daggers when Lupin spoke again.
"Yes. Wand at the ready. One, two, three." he said. Neville froze.
"Think, Neville, think. Be brave!" he commanded.
"Riddikulus!" said Neville with a flick of his wrist, and the man's clothes changed to that of Neville's grandmothers'. The man never said a word, he only looked around the room shocked as the students laughed.
"What the hell … " Loki mouthed to himself.
"Wonderful, Neville, wonderful! Incredible! Okay... to the back, Neville. Everyone, form a line... Form a line!" said Lupin and the students lined up excitedly. To set the mood, Lupin put on a record. Swing music filled the room. The students pushed and shoved themselves until one with bright orange hair and a terrified look was forced to the front.
"I want everyone to picture the thing they fear the very most... and turn it into something funny. Next! Ron!" said Lupin. Ron practically whimpered as the previous figure transformed into a giant spider. Loki jumped back in shock.
"Concentrate. Face your fear. Be brave! Wand at the ready, Ron." he said to Ron.
"Riddikulus!" said the scared child and roller-skates transformed onto all eight legs, making it constantly fall as it tried to stand up. The class erupted into laughter again. Loki could not help but snicker. Devious plans came to his head with what he could do with such a creature. Oh, what mischief he could have, but the thought was interrupted by Lupin.
"Yes! You see? Very good, very good! Marvelous! Absolutely, very, very enjoyable! How about you Mr. Laufeyson!" said Lupin. Loki froze.
"I beg your pardon?" he responded, blinking rapidly.
"Show us what you see." said Lupin kindly. Loki thought for a moment and a terrible revelation came to him; the creature would expose his greatest fear … against his will … to a group of complete strangers, let alone kids.
"Hehe …" he began with a fake smile, trying to save face, "I don't think that would be necessary." Lupin narrowed his eyes at him.
"Oh come now, you are my assistant. Show these students what not to be afraid of," he said warmly. Loki kept his eyes glued to the creature and slowly stepped forward.
"Look, even a teacher is scared. Hahaha, how pathetic," said the slimy boy with his blond hair and black and green attire. Loki glared at him and stepped forward again.
"Shut up Malfoy," said another boy with dark brown hair and a round glasses. When he turned back around, Loki noticed something, a mark on his forehead in the shape of none other than a lightning bolt. A strange disdain for this student came to mind despite the fact that he just stood up for him. He couldn't be a variant? Could he?
"Mr. Laufeyson," said Lupin regaining Loki's focus. Loki walked closer to the creature and it began to transform, but what form it would take he was terrified to discover.
"Keep your nerve. Steady. Riddikul-"
A giant, towering, green monster resembling a very buff troll shrieked before him. Loki's face dropped completely. All the color drained from his face. Lupin and the rest of the class were horrified. Some of them screamed. The blond boy squealed like a girl. Loki was completely overwhelmed by fear.
"I need to get out of here …" he muttered quickly.
"Mr. Laufeyson!" yelled Professor Lupin. The trickster yelped as the giant green monster man had grabbed his leg and slammed him into the floorboard of the classroom, completely shattering it like glass. He kept smashing him to various things, breaking desks, and bookcases, finally ending with a quick upside-down check to see if he was still breathing before completely slamming Loki into a stone section of the room. Panting heavily, Loki's body had created a hole in the floor like a cartoon. The students, still screaming, had huddled to the back of the classroom. Loki felt that this humiliation was perhaps worse a second time, and it wasn't even the real Hulk?!
Suddenly, Lupin jumped in front of the beast, yelling with his arms open, wand in hand.
Loki thought he was mad. The creature transformed again. Loki watched in disbelief as the great beast that mangled him into the stone floor transformed into a simple, peaceful setting of a full moon cocooned by light, fluffy clouds.
Loki looked dumbfounded. He tried to curse at him, but nothing but a whimper came out. 'A moon! A damn moon! This man was scared of a stupid moon and he got the incredible Hulk! It would be him, he would lose at this too. Humiliating,' he thought.
"Riddikulus!" said Lupin with a sharp wave of his wand transforming the peaceful moon into a leaky party balloon, banishing it to wardrobe from whence it came.
"Right. Sorry about that! That's enough for today. Collect your books from the back. That's the end of the lesson. Thank you! Sorry!" said Lupin quickly to the terrified students. One of them ran over to Loki. It was the boy with the weird glasses, and the lightning bolt scar. Loki was in so much pain and humiliation, he didn't even try to move.
"Professor! Are you alright?!" he asked, scared for him. Thrown to the ground by apparently his worst fear like a rag doll in from of a bunch of children, only to be saved by a simple man's fear of the damn moon, and now a boy with a damn lightning bolt etched into his forehead showed concern for him. Rage and humiliation did not hold enough meaning to properly define how he felt.
"Harry! Help me get him to the hospital wing! NOW!" said Lupin quickly approaching them. They attempted to pull him out of the ground like a daisy, but he winced in pain. The stone was too strong for them.
"Bloody hell," said the red headed boy from behind them. Lupin backed up. He could not believe what he was seeing.
"Back up Harry," he commanded, and he did so. Lupin pointed his wand at Loki. Loki tried to put his hands up.
"No," he whimpered. Lupin shot a spell that loosened some of the rock.
"How the hell is he stuck in the ground like that?" asked the red head astonished.
"That! That is what you are concerned about Ronald?! How is he still alive?" said a frantic girl next to him. It was the know-it-all with light brown hair. She cast a spell at him that lifted him off the ground gently, like a cloud.
"Very good Ms. Granger," said Lupin. They could not see it, but Loki was furious. What the hell was going on?!