Author's Note: I still only own Alex and everything else that you don't recognize.
Chapter 8 The Thing That Frightens You the Most
"Thanks Hagrid, I'd love to keep her in the dormitory, but she keeps going to the bathroom on the girl's pillows," Alex said as they approached the hut.
"No problem Alex, I'll take good care o' her and her baby."
It was the second day of school and Alex's Arithmancy class was cancelled because Professor Nellie had to visit his sick brother, so she decided to spend that free time outside. She wasn't in the mood to be pointed at and whispered about like some thing on display.
"All righ' there, Alex? Yeh seem bothered by somethin'," Hagrid asked cautiously.
"It's nothing I can't handle, but thanks Hagrid," Alex said curtly, but soon regretted her coldness to her large friend.
"This don' have anythin' ter do with yesterday, do it?" he asked.
Alex shrugged and didn't look up, but said, "A little. It's just annoying seeing people you barely know pointing at you like you're some contagious disease. I don't mind the name calling because there so stupid, it's funny. It's the dirty looks and whispering behind my back that bothers me. If they're so cowardly that they can't talk to my face, then they should just shut their mouths. But I guess that's what Harry's put up with these last two years so I'm getting a taste of what he has to deal with…what I'd have to deal with if it weren't for Dumbledore."
Hagrid nodded and Alex knew he understood. After all, Hagrid was more than twice the size of a normal man so he was probably used to people staring at him. Hagrid opened the door to his hut and Alex set the owl on the table.
"Now, she's been very moody lately so be sure to be careful when you pick her up. She should be laying in a few days, let me know when she does. Where do you want her?" Alex asked.
"Put her righ' here," Hagrid said, pointing to the table by his oversized bed.
Alex picked up the owl and carried her over to the table. As she was walking, Fang got under her feet, causing her to trip. The owl let out a screech and clawed at Alex's arm, flapping her wings and landing on the bed. Alex's robe was tattered at her left arm and there was blood everywhere. Fighting reaction tears, she took the towel Hagrid gave her and applied pressure.
"Let's get yeh to Madame Pomfrey before yeh bleed through," Hagrid said, steering Alex out the hut and toward the castle at a fast pace.
The Hospital Wing was a mad house. Alex walked in while Hagrid waited outside, because Madame Pomfrey did not like having him crowd the room, and saw every bed filled with little first and second years sporting all kinds of injuries, from scratches barely bleeding to giant boils. One kid even had snakes for hair. The matron was working on that one when Alex came in and ran over to her.
"Find an empty bed and I'll be there in a moment. I swear, these youngsters are driving me insane!"
Alex smiled encouragingly and looked around for a bed. There were only two, each next to Malfoy, who had bandages all over his arm. Apparently even the first years knew not to get too close to him, but Alex had no choice. Hoping he would be asleep or just ignore her, she walked over to a bed and lay down, facing away from him.
"What brings you here?" came the cold drawl of Malfoy.
She held up her arm, which had bled through the towel, and said icily, "Your owl is the biggest spaz I have ever met. I tripped and this is what I get."
"Why didn't you just talk to it like you did with that oaf's stupid creature?" he sneered.
"Name calling is what got you here in the first place, Malfoy," she said angrily, "Don't talk about things you don't know. I saved you sorry ass and all I've gotten for it is a bunch of whispers and dirty looks, from your House in particular. So why don't you tell all your little buddies to keep to themselves and leave me alone?"
Before Malfoy could answer, Madame Pomfrey came over and patched up her arm. Once she was able to leave, Alex gave one last look at Malfoy and turned on her heel.
…...
Alex was putting the last ingredient into her potion later that day when the door opened and Malfoy came in, looking like they had to sew his arm to his body instead just of a few gashes. She rolled her eyes and looked next to her at Hermione. Snape told the class to settle down while his favorite student pulled up a chair next to Harry and Ron, who were behind the girls.
"Professor, I need someone to cut my roots because of my arm," called Malfoy to the Potions master.
"Weasley, cut his roots for him," sneered Snape.
Ron grabbed the roots and began chopping them quickly and unevenly, tossing them back when he was done.
"Sir, Weasley mutilated my roots," Malfoy called again, clearly enjoying himself.
"Weasley, switch roots with Mr. Malfoy."
Ron's mouth dropped and he stared at the roots he had worked so hard on to be even. His arms shaking with rage, he traded roots and began to make them even.
"Ron, put them in as they are and get ready to add the powdered ivy leaves when I say," Alex whispered.
Ron looked at her skeptically but did as she said. Once he put the roots in, the potion turned a nasty yellow color and began to bubble.
"Wait for it…wait for it…all right, put a pinch in now."
Ron took a pinch of the powder and dropped it in. The potion fizzed and became a cool blue. Alex tilted her head and frowned.
"Spit into it."
"What? Are you mad?" Ron hissed.
"Your saliva will allow the ingredients to grow to their full potential and cause the potion to become more powerful. Go ahead, Snape's helping Goyle, he's not paying any attention," Alex encouraged a very confused Ron.
He looked around at Harry who was skinning something for Malfoy and spat into the potion. Snape looked up, but Alex had turned to her potion and Ron covered the noise with a coughing fit. Once the professor turned back, Alex leaned over the potion and smiled.
"Now all you need to do is add a splash of leech juice and stir clockwise ten times," she said, beaming.
"Thanks Alex, you're a lifesaver," Ron said and picked up his leech.
"Hey guys, did you see the Prophet this morning?" asked Seamus Finnegan as he borrowed Harry's scales, "They say Black's been sighted right around here."
"What?" Harry and Alex gasped together.
Alex watched as Seamus left, her mind racing. Black couldn't get on the grounds, not with all the dementors around and with Dumbledore here. And yet, Alex had felt her stomach drop when she heard the news, her heart full of a sense of foreboding. She noticed Malfoy looking between her and Harry and came back to earth.
"What do you want?" she spat angrily.
"Thinking about capturing Black by yourselves, are you?"
"Oh of course Malfoy," Alex whispered sarcastically, "Because I just love going around and catching crazy mass murderers who escape from high-security prisons."
"If I were you two though," he continued, ignoring Alex's comment, "I'd have done something by now. I wouldn't sit in school and wait for him to find me."
"And why would Alex and I risk our necks and do that when Dumbledore has all this protection?" asked Harry.
"You don't know?" Malfoy asked suspiciously.
"Know what?" Alex asked, completely fed up with him talking.
Just then, however, Snape began to talk so the entire class could hear.
"Orange, Longbottom? I thought I chose an easy potion, the Shrinking Solution. Yet somehow you have managed to mess it up completely. Everyone, finish your potions so they can simmer. Once they are all ready, we'll feed some of Longbottom's potion to his toad."
Neville whimpered while the Slytherins laughed and the Gryffindors either looked worried or furious. Alex was muttering about cruelty to animals when Hermione raised her hand.
"Please sir," she said bravely, "If I could help him-"
"This is not a chance for you to show-off, Miss Granger. Longbottom needs to learn his lesson."
Hermione went red and Alex clenched her fists and went about putting her ingredients away. She had just come back from washing her hands when she saw Hermione whispering to Neville when Snape's back was turned. Smiling to her friend, she went over to Harry and Ron, seeing that Malfoy was with his gang, sniggering about something.
"What was Malfoy going on about? Why should we want revenge when we barely know Black?" asked Alex.
"Just the babblings of a Slytherin," said Ron, "Don't pay him any mind. He'd love to see you both get in trouble for going out and searching for Black."
"Still…" Harry drifted off.
"Oh come off it," Ron said shaking his head, "Like Alex said, you barely know him. Oh," Ron cursed as he spilled leech juice all over the table.
Alex pulled out her wand and gave it a flick, vanishing all the juice. She saw Harry and Ron looking at her in amazement and said, "What? I flipped through my mum's old spell books and picked up a few things."
"Sorry, it still amazes me that you can do magic without saying the spell aloud," Harry said with a grin.
Snape told everyone to gather around and watch closely. Neville was shaking from head to toe while Snape and the Slytherins grinned maliciously.
"The potion we are testing, if brewed properly," he stopped to allow the Slytherins to chuckle, "Will turn Longbottom's toad into a tadpole. If, as I believe, he messed it up, it will most likely poison the creature."
"I can't watch, tell me what happens," Alex whispered, shutting her eyes and bracing herself for cries of pain. There was a loud POP, and she opened her eyes to see a little tadpole floating in the professor's hand. Alex smiled and clapped along with her fellow house mates.
Angrily, Snape fed the little tadpole the antidote and turned to Hermione, saying coldly, "I told you, Miss Granger, not to interfere. Ten points from Gryffindor."
It was a good thing the bell rang just then because it managed to drown out the heated mutterings of the Gryffindors. Alex stormed out of the room in a fiery temper, scaring some innocent first years when she happened to glare over at them.
"Sometimes I wish he'd take some of his own poison," she ranted as they ascended the dungeon stairs to the Great Hall. She turned to her friends and found they were one short, "Where's Hermione?" she asked.
"Isn't she right behind us?" Harry said as he looked over his shoulder.
"Apparently not," said Ron, "Wait, she's coming."
Alex looked around and saw her friend gasping for air as she dashed toward them. For a moment, Alex thought she saw a glimmer of gold as Hermione came, but quickly put it aside and continued her ranting about their Potions teacher until they finished their lunch.
"At least its Defense Against the Dark Arts next," said Ron in an attempt to cheer Alex up as they left the Great Hall.
When they arrived, there was no teacher which meant there was a lot of noise and people moving about the room. Alex slammed her bag on a desk, took out her books, and began to take deep breaths. This usually helped her calm down when she was angry…usually. She had just finished when Professor Lupin came in, look tired but not as pale.
"Good afternoon everyone!" he said cheerfully over the noise, "No need for books today, just your wands and yourselves. Once you're all ready, follow me."
"Uh-oh," Alex muttered to Hermione as she stuffed her books into her bag and left it there, following Professor Lupin, "Let's hope it doesn't involve pixies, because I think I've been scarred for life." The last time they had a practical Defense Against the Dark Arts class, Alex and her friends had to gather up pixies and put them back into their cage. Needless to say they hadn't had good experiences during this type of class.
They had been walking for only a few minutes when they saw Peeves the Poltergeist sticking gum into the keyhole of a broom closet. When he heard the class coming, he swooped over to the professor and began singing loudly, "Loony, loopy Lupin!" over and over again. The entire class was watching Professor Lupin for a reaction. He shook his head and gave a small smile.
"You better get the gum out of there, Peeves, otherwise Filch will not be able to open the closet. He'll be very upset with you."
"Upset?" Alex whispered to her friends, "That's an understatement, he'll be furious."
Peeves continued his little song and Professor Lupin turned to the class, wand raised.
"Class, this is a useful spell, so watch closely." He pointed his wand at the doorknob and said, "Waddiwassi!" loudly.
The wad of gum made the sound of a cracking whip and went flying up the poltergeist's nose. Peeves flew off, cursing loudly as the entire class looked at their ragged professor in awe.
"That was awesome, sir," Alex said, very impressed.
"Thank you Alex. Come on everyone."
He led them to the Staff room and held the door open, encouraging them to enter. When Alex walked in, she saw Professor Snape sitting in a chair and reading. He watched as the class filed in and stood up as Professor Lupin came in.
"I'd rather not stay to see this, Lupin," said the potions master. He strode over to the door, stopped, and said, "I don't know if you knew this, but Neville Longbottom is in this class. So, unless he has Miss Granger whispering instructions in his ear, don't expect much from him."
Alex shook her head and watched as Neville and Hermione went red with embarrassment. She was quite happy when she heard what Lupin said in return.
"Actually Severus, I was going to have Neville do a demonstration for the class. I'm sure he will do a fantastic job."
Snape just sniggered and left the room. Professor Lupin walked over to a wardrobe and gestured for the students, who were grouped in the opposite corner looking around nervously, to come closer. Alex, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were the first to move, but the entire class jumped when the wardrobe jerked.
"No need to panic," Lupin said calmly, "There's a boggart in here."
Alex heard people gasp around her and back away. Neville looked around for a way to escape.
"Now, does anyone know what a boggart is?"
Hermione's hand shot up in the air, just missing Alex's ear. Alex took a few steps away from her and listened as the professor called on her.
"A boggart is a shape-shifter. It takes the shape of whatever frightens a person the most," Hermione said, "That's why no one really knows what they look like. It's different with every person who encounters it."
"Correct Miss Granger, very well said. Now, can anyone tell me why I might find a boggart in here," he patted the wardrobe and it wobbled again, "Instead of where we are standing?"
Hermione's hand shot up like lightning. Alex thought for a moment and tentatively raised hers.
"Go on Alex," Professor Lupin said with a cheerful grin.
"Well…it's because boggarts like dark and enclosed spaces," Alex said gaining confidence with each word, "Like that wardrobe, cupboards, or drawers."
"Excellent! So we have a boggart sitting in this dark, enclosed area, waiting to be let out and change into what we all fear."
"Thanks for putting all that out there, now everyone will be too scared to fight it," Ron whispered.
"I'm not," Alex whispered back, receiving a questioning look from her friends, "All right I'm a little scared…oh for Merlin's sake I'm scared to death, you all happy? Just pay attention!"
"This means," the professor was saying, "We have a great advantage over our little friend here. Do you know what that advantage is, Harry?"
"Um…" Harry said as Hermione rose on the tips of her toes with her hand in the air, "Because since everyone here has a different fear, it won't know which one to take?"
"Exactly," the professor said. Hermione lowered her hand, frowning as he continued, "The more people a boggart has to deal with, the more confused it gets.
"The spell used against a boggart is relatively simple, but you need to concentrate. Boggarts cannot take laughter so what you must do is force it to take the shape of something you find funny.
"We are now going to say the spell aloud, no wands yet. Repeat after me please, loud and clear…Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!" cried the class together.
"Very good, but that's only the first part you see. The word alone is useless. Neville, now it's your turn."
Neville walked forward, obviously wishing he was anywhere but where he was then.
"All right now, Neville," Professor Lupin said, "What would you say frightens you the most?"
Neville opened his mouth and said something inaudible.
"Sorry, didn't quite catch that Neville," Professor Lupin said, his cheerfulness returning.
"P-Professor Snape," he whispered nervously and looked around, as though expecting the hook-nosed professor to be in the room.
Alex let out a bark of laughter along with her classmates, even Neville managed a grin. Professor Lupin chuckled and began thinking.
"Neville, you live with you grandmother, am I right?" he asked, still thinking.
"Yes sir, but I wouldn't want the boggart to turn into her either," Neville answered nervously.
"No Neville, you misunderstand me. Tell me, what does your grandmother wear?"
"Well, she has this hat, a tall one with a vulture on the top. A long, green dress, sometimes with a fox-fur scarf…um," Neville paused to think.
"Anything else?" asked the professor, "A handbag perhaps?"
"Oh right, she has a big red one!" Neville said.
"All right Neville, picture them clearly in you minds eye. You have it?" he asked Neville, who had is eyes screwed up, and nodded.
Suddenly Alex knew where this was going. A large grin spread across her face and it was all she could do to not start laughing on the spot.
"Because Neville, when the boggart comes out of the wardrobe, it will assume the form of Professor Snape. You must raise you wand up, point it at the boggart, and cry "Riddikulus!". If everything turns out right, the boggart Professor Snape will be forced into your grandmother's clothes."
There was a howl of laughter from the class, who all hated Snape, and the wardrobe shook more violently than ever. It was several minutes before the class was calm enough to listen to Professor Lupin.
"What will happen after that is the boggart will shift its attention to every one of us, so I ask you all to think of the thing that frightens you most of all and make it funny."
Alex thought for a moment, her mind swirling with thoughts. Before coming to Hogwarts, she might have said bees. Not that Alex had overcome that fear, she still ran away screaming when one came too close. No, it was just that after all the trials she had faced these last two years, she had more things to be afraid of. She thought of Voldemort killing all her friends and family, but then her true fear hit her like being dumped with cold water.
Alex remembered the train ride and how every time she got near one, she felt nauseous. She was terrified of those hooded dementors. Now her only problem was to make them funny. She felt movement near by and opened her eyes to see Harry shivering. She placed a hand on his arm and mouthed, "Dementors?" to him. Harry nodded and Alex mouthed, "Me too." and shrugged. Finally she decided to just make the boggart dementor trip over the hem of its long robe and fall flat on his face. It wasn't terribly funny but it was close enough.
"Everyone has their ideas?" asked Professor Lupin.
The class nodded and Alex took a few deep breaths to steady herself, pulled out her wand, and watched as Neville strode forward. He looked scared but determined as everyone put their backs against the wall and waited.
"On the count of three, Neville. One…two…three." Professor Lupin flicked his wand at the door knob and the door opened.
There was a slight pause and then a boggart Professor Snape emerged from the wardrobe, looking as malicious as the real one did. He walked over to a shaking Neville and looked down at him viciously.
"R-Riddikulus!" Neville cried in a high-pitched voice.
There was a loud CRACK! The class roared with laughter as they saw Professor Snape in a long, old-fashioned, green dress with a vulture-topped hat, and a scarlet handbag, looking wildly around at all the laughter.
"Parvati!" shouted Professor Lupin.
Parvati ran forward and Alex watched as Professor Snape changed into a dirty mummy. It started walking slowly toward her, groaning with its arms outstretched.
"Riddikulus!" Parvati said loudly.
The mummy tripped over one of its wrappings and fell to the ground. The class erupted with laughter.
"Seamus! Your turn!" he yelled over the noise.
Seamus came forward, looking determined. CRACK! The mummy changed into a pale woman with very long, dark hair. Alex wondered what it was, but not for long as the woman opened her mouth and let out an ear piercing scream. It was a banshee.
"Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus quickly.
There was a rasping noise and the banshee put her hands to her throat, slowly losing her , Dean ran forward after being called and the banshee changed into a severed hand. Dean pointed his wand at the hand and cried, "Riddikulus!"
SNAP! The hand was caught in a mousetrap. Ron's name was called next and he strode towards the hand and mousetrap, his face set. Alex watched in horror as the hand turned into the largest spider she had ever seen. As it snapped its large pinchers and bore down on the redhead, Ron bellowed, "Riddikulus!" and the monster's legs disappeared, rolling over to where Alex and Harry were standing. Alex had raised her wand and began preparing for the attack when Professor Lupin dashed over and put himself between the two students and the boggart.
There was another loud CRACK! Alex looked around and saw a bright circle above the professor's head. She didn't get a good chance to look though because, almost instantly, he said lazily, "Riddikulus!" and the circle changed into a tap-dancing cockroach.
"Finish it off, Neville!"
Neville strode forward, ready to take on the boggart. He raised his wand at the boggart Professor Snape and shouted the spell. However, as the class laughed harder than ever, the boggart exploded into wisps of smoke.
"Wonderful everyone! Let's see now, five points to Gryffindor for every person who attacked the boggart, ten for Neville because he did it twice, and five to Harry, Alex, and Hermione for answering the questions correct at the beginning of the lesson. For homework, please read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it for me. Don't forget to get your books from the classroom and have a great rest of the day!"
Everyone was talking excitedly as the left the classroom. That is except for Harry and Alex, who were talking about why Professor Lupin cut them off from the boggart.
"Maybe he saw how we reacted on the train and thinks we can't handle them," said Harry gloomily.
"Don't say that Harry!" Alex answered, shaking her head, "That's ridiculous, why would he think we can't handle a boggart because we got a little woozy in front of those…things? You heard Dumbledore, dementors are the most foul creatures to walk our world. I think it's stupid that people think we're weak just because we react differently."
"Yeah, well, I think it's stupid that everywhere I go, I have people pointing at my forehead. But people are stupid sometimes, Alex. Look at the Slytherins, you save their Seeker from being mauled to death, and see how they treat you?"
Alex decided not to answer and went to the classroom in silence. She found Hermione and took her aside, asking her if they should go see if Professor Nellie was back and had the results. So after dinner, Alex and Hermione went to find their other table mates.
"I'll go find Ernie!" Hermione said quickly and dashed for the Hufflepuff table.
"Thanks Hermione, you're a true friend!" Alex yelled after her sarcastically and walked to the Slytherin table, right up to Malfoy and his gang of Slytherins, who were all laughing about something.
"She's probably got centaur blood in her," Pansy Parkinson was saying, fingering the necklace Malfoy had given her last year. It was a snake made out of diamonds with an emerald eye. Alex knew about it because he had first given it to her when she had taken the Polyjuice Potion.
"Or worse, werewolf blood," Malfoy sneered, "The way she was barking at that foul creature, I wouldn't be the least surprised."
"Now, now," Alex interrupted coldly, "I hope you're not talking about little old me, are you?"
The group of Slytherins all jumped and looked up at Alex. Parkinson was the first to recover. She spat at Alex's feet and snarled, "What do you want?"
"My, aren't you all so sweet? I just wanted to borrow your wounded hero over there," she nodded to Malfoy, "So we could get our results for Arithmancy. But if you all are too busy stuffing your faces, I'll leave you be."
This last comment was directed toward Crabbe and Goyle, who both were shoving every kind of food in sight into their mouthes. Sighing and making a huge deal about it, Malfoy got up and followed Alex to the Entrance Hall. Alex sat on the steps and waited for Hermione and Ernie, trying to ignore the fake groaning from the Slytherin next to her.
"I shouldn't have gotten up so fast, my arm is throbbing," Malfoy complained.
"If you don't shut up soon, I'll give your face a reason to throb," Alex finally snapped in irritation.
"Now why must you always use violence to reason with people?" he asked, though watching as Alex cracked her knuckles menacingly.
"Because that's the only way I can get through to fools like you!" she cried angrily, "You all think you're so funny with your little snide comments as I walk by, or saying I have werewolf blood in me, but it's not funny! It's mean, and childish, and just stupid! You know, it shouldn't surprise me though," she added with a grim laugh, "That pretty much sums up you and your housemates."
Malfoy stared at her, his face unreadable. Alex just shook her head and leaned against the railing. Finally, Hermione and Ernie walked in and they headed off to the Arithmancy classroom, knocking on the door when they arrived.
"Come in!" a wheezy voice called.
They entered and saw Professor Nellie sitting at his desk, looking up as the entered with a smile.
"I'm glad you all are here. Congratulations, you're the winners of our little competition! You got every question right and were the first to turn it in. Here's your prize!" Professor Nellie gave each of them a bar of Honeydukes chocolate and a slip of paper excusing them from a homework assignment.
That night, Alex climbed into bed but couldn't sleep very well. Her mind was turning over everything that had happened that day. Why did Malfoy have to drag out everything? Why did Professor Lupin not let her and Harry fight the boggart? When would everybody forget about her little animal fiasco? It wasn't until one in the morning, according to Hermione's alarm clock, that she finally was able to sleep.
Author's Note: This is a nice long chapter for you all so let me know what you thought of it. Thank you to all who reviewed, added me to their favorites, and put me on alert. You all are absolutely fantastic. If you haven't reviewed yet, don't be shy! The review button is trained not to bite…unless you plan to write a flame. ;)