Chapter 22 - BLOODY BOGGARTS

Daphne POV

I was sitting in the great hall eating lunch. It had already been a week and a bit since Malfoy got hurt and he has still gone on and on about it at the Slytherin table. It was Thursday and Malfoy was groaning on still.

"It comes and goes I suppose… still! If not for Madam Pomfrey, another minute or so and uh… I might have lost my arm! I couldn't possibly do any homework for weeks…"

I rolled my eyes again at his antics. At least he couldn't do anything to Hagrid or the hypogriff, that would be admiting Harry saved Malfoy, and Malfoy would never ever admit that. Pansy was rubbing his injured arm and trying to get him to feel better whilst Crabbe and Goyle nodded at everything Malfoy said. I then looked across at the Gryffindor table and saw Harry was missing. I then signalled to Hermione as Tracey and I both got up and left the great hall. We made our ways up the moving staircases to the seventh-floor towards the Room of Requirement. In the past week, if Harry wasn't in the great hall he must be in the Room practicing whatever Godric was teaching him.

I know right? Tutoring from the Godric Gryffindor, one of the four founders of Hogwarts.

Harry told me all about it on our Hogsmeade weekend. I could sense there was something else he wasn't telling me, like his story was incomplete, but I didn't push it and let it be. I decided that he would tell me when he was ready. As the three of us finished circling the third time around the corridor, the wooden ornate door appeared. When we opened the door a wave of heat rushed out. I looked inside and saw Harry waving his wand and his other free hand as well, redirecting the fire around the room.

Except this was no ordinary fire! I saw a stag within the fire as it was running around according to Harry's wand movement. HE WAS HANDLING FIENDFYRE!

"Harry!" I yelled.

Harry then made a large circular motion with a finesse at the end with his wand and the fire was cut out cleanly. He then turned around, he was sweating slightly and his breath slightly uneven.

He then smiled at me.

"Hey Daph".

Harry had started to follow Tracey and call me Daph over the last week.

Although I appeared annoyed, I secretly liked how he called me by my nickname.

I then marched over to him and yelled at him.

"Why in Merlin's name are you practicing cursed magic? That spell is incredibly dangerous and nearly impossible to handle! You could have burned down the entire school! Do you know that it is cursed fire?!"

He then sheepishly responded while scratching his head.

"It seemed like an interesting spell to do, Godric said I could make animals with the fire and said it was very powerful fire above the ordinary… he didn't mention it was cursed…"

I then knitted my eyebrows together and was about to yell when Harry spoke up again.

"Sorry Daph, I didn't think this through... but I promise I did take precautions..."

I then walked over to him before grabbing his hand tightly.

"Next time you are going to do something so thoughtless, tell someone at least… It doesn't have to be me, but you can't just go off and get yourself potentially killed alone Harry…"

I then stared longingly into his eyes before letting go of his hand and turning on my heel. However, I only took a few steps before I turned around and shot a flipendo and knocked him onto his butt. He groaned as he made contact with the ground.

"That is for being a dunderhead, now let's get going to DADA!"

I then turned around and continued to walk. I heard a chuckle from Harry behind me as he scrambled onto his feet. The four of us then went towards the DADA classroom.

When the four of us entered the classroom, it started a bunch of murmuring and whispering.

Yeah, thank, Weasley! Over the last week, Weasley basically shouted out that Harry and I were dating and that he was a traitor to Gryffindor.

The irony was that Harry was Gryffindor's heir as he possessed his sword, but Harry didn't even need to take out the sword to show people or say a single word to anyone at all… to put it simply, nobody believed Ron, at least about the traitor part... Unfortunately, the entire goddamn school now believes and knows about our relationship now.

Oh, a Slytherin dating a Gryffindor! Sigh... I also was not surprised when my potion grades dropped a bit... Snape...

However, Weasley's spill on my relationship with Harry also gave Tori, the little devil, free reign to gossip about my relationship with Harry now that it was known in the school. Every Time I saw Tori, she would pester me about my boyfriend.

Professor Lupin then entered the classroom and cleared his throat. The whole class then went quiet as he waved his wand and pulled the shaking closet at the back of the classroom to the center.

"Intriguing isn't it? Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what is inside?" exclaimed the professor as he strolled towards the closet.

Then a boy in Gryffindor talked out loud.

"That's a boggart that is!"

"Very good Mr. Thomas!"

The closet then shook even more violently than before.

"And can anyone tell me what a boggart...looks like?"

Hermione then raised her hand immediately.

"Yes, Miss Granger".

"No one knows, boggarts are shapeshifters, they take the shape of whatever a particular person fears the most, that's what makes them so-"

"Terrifying, Yes yes…"

Then a louder rumble than before occurred from the closet as the closet veered forward slightly. The professor then continued on like nothing was happening.

"Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart… let's practice it now, shall we? And ah without wands please".

He then cleared his throat.

"Repeat after me… riddikulus!"

The class then echoed after him.

"Riddikulus!"

He then spoke louder at the class

"Riddikulus!" The class once again repeated after him.

"Good, so much for the easy part… You see the incantation is not enough, what really finishes a boggart is… laughter! You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing… let me explain, ah Neville! Will you join me please? Come on now don't be shy!"

Longbottom then reluctantly walked forward until he stood in front of the professor.

"Hello! So... Neville, what frightens you the most?"

Longbottom then stammered out, "Profes-Professor S-snape sir".

The class then laughed at this as professor Lupin smirked slightly with a mischievous look in his eyes.

"Professor Snape yes hehe? Frightens all…"

I couldn't help laugh slightly at the sarcasm in his voice. Professor Lupin must have had some history with Snape, maybe they were in the same year during their time at Hogwarts as students?

"...And I believe you live with your Grandmother, don't you Neville?"

"Y-yes, but I don't want that boggart to turn into her either!"

This had the class roaring in laughter, led by Malfoy and surprisingly Weasley as well. I couldn't hear what professor Lupin said to Neville as the laughter was too loud. Neville then took out his wand as professor Lupin motioned his own wand at the shaking closet. With a click, the closet unlocked and out came professor Snape. The class then went quiet as boggart Snape strode towards Neville. Professor Lupin then whispered to Neville.

"Think Neville… Think…"

Neville then yelled out "RIDDIKULUS!"

This time the class collapsed in hysteria. In front of them was professor Snape dressed in an ancient looking dress and hat, along with an ugly red handbag. I looked over at Harry and saw him on the floor sprawling with uncontrollable laughter. Professor Lupin somehow managed to yell over the crazed laughter.

"Wonderful Neville, Wonderful, incredible! Okay to the back Neville! Everyone form a line!"

Everyone then stopped laughing and quickly fought to try and get to the front of the line. I was quite close to the front, along with Tracey. Hermione was unfortunate and was stuck somewhere in the middle. Harry didn't even bother as he was still laughing on the floor at the image of Snape in an ancient women's dress and hat. He then managed to get up after Professor Lupin told him to get to the back of the Line. However, from what I could tell, the Professor seemed to regret telling Harry to stop laughing at the mental image of Snape in ancient women clothing.

I then looked in front of me, it was Thomas, then one of the Patil twins, then Tracey, then me. Professor Lupin then started a stereo as music played in the background. Thomas then looked directly at the boggart and it started to transform. The boggart then turned into a werewolf, Thomas paled at the sight of the werewolf. The werewolf then bared its teeth and got ready to pounce.

Thomas then yelled out, "RIDDIKULUS!"

The werewolf all of a sudden wore a dress and an apron and held a fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies on a tray. Some of the class howled with laughter at the werewolf while others stayed silent and didn't get why it was so funny. Tracey leaned back and then told me it was a muggle thing, there was a funny children's tale about little red riding hood, and in the tale, the wolf dresses up as her grandma to deceive her.

"Wonderful! Next!" called out professor Lupin.

I noticed that the professor seemed a little bit nervous when the werewolf came out… Then one of the Patil twins stepped up. The boggart then started to shapeshift and turned into a giant snake that was taller than the closet it came out of!

Professor Lupin then chimed in, "Wand at the ready, wand at the ready".

Right before the snake struck, she screamed out, "RIDDIKULUS!"

The snake then changed into a giant clown in a box! Some students screamed in fear, while others roared out laughter.

"And next! Step up step up!"

Tracey drew her wand then walked forward as Patil went to the back of the line. The clown ticking back and forward. Once Tracey stared directly at it, it started to shapeshift and out came… a dementor! Tracey lost her grip on her wand as it fell to the floor, she stumbled back. I managed to catch her as she fell into my arms. The boggart dementor dove towards us. I tried to get out of the way, but I couldn't with Tracey going limb in my arms.

It was about to come into contact when a bright white light shielded us from the dementor. I then recognize a familiar stag in front of me, radiating bright white light. Harry walked to the front of the class with his wand raised, he then stood in front of Tracey and dissolved his patronus.

"Over here!" he yelled at the boggart.

The boggart then started to shapeshift again, and out came... Lord Voldemort! Majority of the class shrieked! Some ran underneath the desks that were pushed to the side of the classroom. However, the boggart Lord Voldemort wasn't looking at Harry, it was looking at directly at me…

It raised its wand and chanted "Avada-".

Then I realized it was about to cast the killing curse at me! I tried getting out of the way, but Tracey had slacked, and I think, full on fainted in my arms.

Harry then called out, "RIDDIKULUS".

Voldemort's bald head then became a balloon as his robes dropped to the floor. The balloon then whizzed around the room causing many people to laugh at the sight, aside from those underneath the desks. Professor Lupin then waved his wand and banished the ballon back into the closet and locked it.

"Oh right, sorry about that... now move your desks back into where it is regularly placed. Page three-hundred and seven, there is a chapter on boggarts! Sorry about that!"

The class then groaned in disappointment. Professor Lupin then quickly approached Tracey and I.

"Miss Greengrass would you please take Miss Davis to the hospital wing… I am afraid I may have been inconsiderate about recent events, and not have taken the proper precautions to avoid this situation happening".

He then knelt down to check on Tracey who had passed out. He looked up Harry who was standing nearby.

"Mister Potter..."

Harry already understood what the professor was about to ask. Harry with a wave of his wand lifted Tracey up into the air. He banished a chair from the edge of the classroom right underneath her before transfiguring it into a stretcher. He then set Tracey down onto the stretcher before levitating both it and Tracey. Professor Lupin looked surprised, must be because of Harry nonverbally doing all this magic. Whilst Harry did his magic, I went over and picked up Tracey's wand and then Harry and I stood side by side Tracey as we escorted her to the hospital wing.