Chapter 10
LB
I was writing my potion's essay at my desk in our living room while Moony sat next to me going over the class for tomorrow with the third years. I finished it rather quickly as I had made the potion before. When the ink had dried up, I rolled up the parchment and stuffed it in my bag. I pushed myself backwards and stood up. Just two small steps further and I was standing behind him, leaning over his shoulder to look at the lesson plan.
"Oh!" I gasped as I saw what he was going to do tomorrow. "A boggart! Where did you find one?"
"In Filch's filing cabinet."
"The caretaker? How did it get in there?"
"Don't know." He said as he filled in the steps.
"Can I come and watch?" I asked excitedly. Remus turned a little in his chair to look at me with raised eyebrows. "Oh, come on!" I whined a little. "It's been years since I've seen one. See, your class is in fourth period, that's my free one." I grinned.
"And do you want to face it yourself? The last time..."
"No." I shook my head. "I'll keep my distance if you want me to. But I did defeat the last one, remember."
"I do, but you had nightmares for a week, cub."
"I'll be fine." I waved him off and leaned my head on his shoulder. "Please." I looked at him with my pleading puppy eyes.
"Alright fine."
"You're the best." I screamed and hugged him. I gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek and headed towards the door.
"Where are you headed?" He called after me.
"Even with the Wolfsbane, you still want to go hide out in that Shrieking shack. I'm going to see if that's suitable for us."
"Us?" Remus jumped up. "You're not coming, Alec."
"But I am." I turned to him. "I always do, uncle Moony. Ever since I became an Animagus. We both know it's perfectly safe, now even more so with the Wolfsbane potion. You won't change my mind."
Remus groaned in his hands, and then his hand ran tiredly through his hair. "Fine, fine." He slumped back in his chair. "Don't tell anyone, alright?
"I never do. That's the benefit of not sleeping in the Gryffindor tower, otherwise it's harder to explain." I glanced at my watch. "I'll be back in an hour."
"Remember what I told about how to get in!" He called as I walked out the door.
"See you later!" I called back just before the door closed behind me.
LB
Yeah, alright. The Shrieking shack was true to its name – a shack -. It was worn down, battered and the floorboards creaked so loud, I thought I might fall through. I toddled on through the shack on my four white paws and when I reached the first landing, I transfigured back into my human body. My breath got caught up in my throat as I looked around the room Remus told me about. It was the room he used to stay in during his school days. The room he had torn apart, where his friends joined him on his monthly nights. When I was younger, I never seen his wolf side. He was always far away from me, so I never knew what he did or how he felt during that time. But seeing all the scratches on the walls and the floor, broken glass and still some fur scattered around the room, it hit me hard. I started my Animagus training the first year I started school. He had told me when I was nine what his friends did for him, and I wanted to do the same. I wanted to be with him, help him. Repay what he did for me for all those years. I read up as much as I could before school and once I started, I began the process to become one. I was hard work, and the teachers didn't want me to start that young, but I pushed my will. The teachers had tested me on other things to see how I would react, to see if I was physically and emotionally ready to undergo it all. And after a year of extra testing, they agreed to let me start in my second year with a private tutor to help me. Only two of my friends knew about it, as the teachers wanted it to keep it quiet. Remus was surprised what my form was, seeing that Sirius was a large black dog and I turned into a wolf. He thought it was a mixture of the two of them, of Sirius and Remus. But a being of light, my fur was so white, Remus always said it radiated of warmth, love, good. The light in the dark, a large contrast to Sirius's black dog form. Even after my success of becoming an Animagus, Remus didn't want to let me come with him during a full moon. I convinced him to let my tutor come with us for the first few times, and after two successful times, I'd go with him alone. Once we had found someone to make Wolfsbane, those nights went even easier, but my uncle never trusted himself and we always go to an abandoned or locked place for those nights.
So, now I was standing here alone in that room, and I pulled my wand out of my worn out All Stars. I mended the room as much as I could, so he wouldn't have to face everything he did those long nights he was locked in here. There was a chair lying on the ground with a broken leg, with a wave of my wand, I transfigured it into a dark grey three-seater. I fixed the broken glass from the windows and from a mirror, leaving the floor spotless. There wasn't more I could do; I could only think of bringing over a blanket and some tea the night itself. With a last glance around the room and turned back into Loki and toddled back down the stairs. When I climbed out of the dark hole, the whomping willow was swaying softly above me. When I saw a red streak in the corner of my eye, I tore my eyes away from the tree and saw a large ginger cat with a squashed face strut around the grounds. The cat stopped and looked at me for a few seconds. Neither of us moved as our eyes were locked on each other. There was a slight rustling in the bushed a little further and the cat looked away before disappearing from sight. Weird. I thought to myself, but since it was getting dark, I toddled back to the castle.
LB
"Miss Lupin-Black?" Professor Snape called me over after the end of our double potions class. I glanced at my watch as Remus's lesson was going to start in fifteen minutes as I walked to his desk.
"Yes, professor?"
"I reviewed all of your work and the letters that Professor Lupin had send me." He said, only looking up at the end of the sentence. "And since you're wasting your time here..."
"Professor?" I asked confused.
"Like you said, your potions are seventh year level, NEWT level. I suggest we change your lesson plan, and you would join the seventh years and take your potion's NEWTs at the end of the year."
"Oh." My mouth made a little O in surprise. The professor looked back down at his papers. "But what about my OWL's?"
"I've discussed this with your head of house and your guardian. If you want, you can take the potions OWL's at the end of October."
My eyes turned comically large as I looked to the professor at his desk. "I would love to, sir."
"Alright, I'll pass it through to the examinator. If you pass your OWL's, this will be your new timetable." He handed me a piece of parchment. "That's all. Go."
I glanced at the parchment in my hand as I walked to the door. "Thank you, professor." I heard him grumble. I stuffed the timetable in my bag and hurried to the DADA classroom. My head filled with excitement, and I was already planning to study for the exams for the end of next month.
LB
I saw the third years trickle in, in the classroom by the time I had reached it. I saw Harry and his friends walk near the back. Behind them a boy with stark blond hair, which Remus informed me, long ago, was in fact a cousin of mine on Sirius's side. I waited until the Gryffindors and Slytherins had all walked in the classroom. Remus had gestured them all to the back of the classroom as the desks were all situated to the side, leaving a large open space in front of them. On the other side of the classroom was Moony and a large wardrobe. When Remus saw me, as I closed the door behind me, he smiled and nudged his head to call me over. The third years all began to whisper to each other, wondering why I was there. I smiled at Remus and hopped on a desk against the side, next to Remus before my eyes went to the kids. Most of them looked away when my eyes crossed them, a few Slytherins, including my cousin challenged by gaze. But it was when I saw Harry looking back at me, my breath hitched a little. The boy's green eyes were curious and large, and I wanted to tell him everything in that moment. I was glad that Moony started to talk to the students and we both looked away.
"Good afternoon, everyone." Remus walked a little closer to the students. "You won't need your books today; it will be a practical lesson. You will only need your wands."
I grinned as some of the students looked confused, like they never had a practical lesson of DADA before. Which was probably so, from what the others and Remus told me. The wardrobe began to shake and banging noises were heard inside.
"Not to worry about that." Moony said calmly as the students jumped back in alarm. "There is a Boggart in there. Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces. Like wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, cupboards under the sink. I once met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon. So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a Boggart?" He asked the class expectantly. My eyes went over the students and stopped at Hermione Granger who had her hand held up high.
"It's a shape-shifter, sir." She said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us the most."
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Moony said and the girl glowed. "So, the Boggart sitting in the darkness has not yet assumed a form. He does not 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 become whatever each of us fears the most." A boy behind Harry made a noise filled with terror. "This means we have an advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"
My eyes shifted from Moony to Harry, Hermione next to him had her hand in the air again. Harry looked between me and Moony before he answered. "Er - because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?" He said a little uncertain.
"Precisely, it's always best to have company when dealing with a Boggart. It becomes confused. 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. We will practice the charm without a wand first. After me please... Riddikulus."
"Riddikulus." The class said together.
"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 boy named Neville paled as Moony called for him. The wardrobe shook, but not as hard as the boy himself, who looked like he was walking to his death.
"Right, Neville." Moony said, standing next to the boy as they both faced the wardrobe. "What frightens you the most?"
I leaned forward and tried to focus as Neville's lips moved, but no sound came out. "I'm sorry, Neville. I didn't catch that." Moony said.
Neville looked around for anyone who could save him and when his eyes crossed mine, I gave him an encouraging smile. "Professor Snape." He whispered, but everyone heard and started to laugh. I smiled a little as Moony didn't laugh with the others but looked thoughtful for a moment.
"Hm, alright. And I believe you live with your grandmother?" He asked Neville."
"Y-yes, but I don't want it to turn into her either."
"No, no." Now Moony and I chuckled lightly with the boy. "You misunderstand me. I want you to-" Moony whispered the last thing to him, so no one but Neville and me (wolf hearing) could hear what he was saying. Neville's eyes went wide as he looked at his professor. "Alright." He turned back to the class. "When Neville succeeds, the Boggart will turn to one of you. So, if you will all form a line behind Neville." The class started to move. "Think of what frightens you the most and think of how you could turn it into something comical. Everyone ready?" He asked as he walked to stand next to me. "One the count of three, Neville." He said and I slid off the desk to get a better look. "One - two – three- now!" With a wave of his wand the wardrobe flew open. The boy began the shake hard, his wand bobbed up and down as it pointed at the wardrobe. An exact replica of Professor Snape walked out of the closet; his glare fixed on Neville.
"R-Riddikulus!" Neville shouted and suddenly the professor was wearing old woman's clothes and a large red handbag. The whole class started to laugh, and I clapped my hands with a large smile as Neville turned to us shyly.
"Great work, Neville! Parvati, forward!" Moony called out.
Snape turned into a mummy before it crumbled to the ground as it unravelled itself. When a boy names Seamus came forward it changed into a Banshee, an unearthly sound filled the air as the banshee opened her mouth. When Seamus called out the charm, the noise faded as she clutched her throat, her voice gone. The Boggart keeps changing going from one thing to another.
"It's getting confused! We're almost there!" Moony shouted over the excitement in the room.
After the twins' brother, Ron had vanished the legs of a large spider, Harry stepped forward. I felt Moony stiffen next to me, and I subtly grabbed my wand, ready to step in. The spider turned into a Dementor, and Harry took a step back.
"Over here!" Moony shouted trying to get the attention of the Boggart.
"No." I hissed and stepped in front of him. I knew in what the Boggart would change if it focused on him. I felt him behind me, trying to make me move, but I wouldn't. I knew what to expect and wasn't surprised to see the Dementor turn into a large green bolt of light, directed at me. "Riddikulus!" I called out easily and the green bolt of light changed direction and shot it the air. The green accompanied with other colours near the ceiling, as fireworks exploded above us. The colours got pushed together before they exploded, and the Boggart was gone. The class all turned to me in surprise or shock, I couldn't really figure out which.
"Excellent!" Moony said as he stepped up next to me. "Five points for Neville for facing the Boggart first, and five points for Harry and Hermione for answering my questions correctly. Now for homework." The class groaned a little, and Moony and I smiled softly. "Read the chapter on Boggarts and summarize it for me, you can hand it over on Monday. That will be all." The class excitedly walked out of the classroom, all talking about the lesson. "Alec."
I looked away from the retreating students. "I'm sorry, I didn't want to give them any assumptions."
"No, no. It's fine. You did brilliant. Five points for Gryffindor." He winked. "Duelling in thirty minutes?"
"I'll be there." I grinned and walked out of the room. My eyes scanned the corridor and when I saw the combination for red, brown and black, I headed over. "Potter!" I called out. "Harry!" The trio stopped and all turned to look at me.
"Uhm- hi." Harry looked confused.
"Can I have a word?"
"Yeah, sure." He looked to his friends. "I'll see you at lunch, alright." The two looked hesitant at first, before they walked in the direction of the great hall.
"I should probably introduce myself first. I'm Alec Lupin-Black." I held out my hand formally.
"Harry Potter." He shook it. "So, what did you want to talk about? Is this about-" He glanced sideways before whispering. "- your father?"
"No, not really." I shook my head. "I know Mo- Professor Lupin hasn't said anything, because he doesn't want to cross the line with a student. But he was one of your parents' best friends."
"R-really?" His green eyes wide.
"And I wanted to tell you about him and them. I even have some pictures."
"That... that would be great." He smiled.
"Are you going to Hogsmeade? Maybe we can go together?"
"I - I wish I could, but I don't have permission to go."
"Oh." I frowned, then something occurred to me, something the twins had showed me. "How do you feel like sneaking out? I may or may not know a secret passageway out of the castle." I grinned.
"Well, how can I say no to a bit of sneaking around. Does Professor – your uncle know?"
"It will stay our secret." I winked, and I chuckled as the boy blushed. "I actually have to get going, I'll see you later, Harry."
"Wait!" He called as I turned. I looked over my shoulder to him. "Where do you go every lunch time?"
"Everyone here is always so curious." I grinned. "Bye, Harry." And I walked away, leaving a stunned boy behind.