Chapter 7: The Boggart

I don't own Digimon or Harry Potter.

With a loud cry, one of the many ghosts of Hogwarts Castle jumped through a window in the Entrance Hall, riding a mighty steed. The ghostly horse wailed as it galloped into the Great Hall and ran across one of the four house tables. Another ghostly horse entered the Great Hall a moment later, the rider swinging a flail above his head as he gave chase.

At the Slytherin table, Malfoy was surrounded by other Slytherins, all listening to the story of his supposed near-fatal encounter with the Hippogriff.

"Oh Draco, I'm so glad you didn't get hurt," Pansy Parkinson swooned.

"I know. I'm lucky. Who knows what might have happened if that beast had attacked me?" he said. "Though I'm still in shock, I don't think I'll be able to practice Quidditch for a while."

"Listen to that idiot," Ron grumbled from the Gryffindor table, glaring at Malfoy. "He's really laying it on thick. Because of him, Daisuke's still in the Hospital Wing."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, Dad told Jun and me that she'll be fine. But she has to take a pain reliever potion before bed for a week and sleep on her stomach."

"At least Hagrid didn't get fired," Herissmon said, relieved.

"Yes, but I heard Draco's father is furious that his son was almost injured. We haven't heard the end of this," Hermione said worriedly.

"Terrific…" Harry and Ron muttered.

"I still can't believe he managed to convince Snape to get them to push the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Gryffindor back over some tripe about being too traumatised to do Quidditch practice." Fred could be heard muttering to his brother George and the other members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team further down the table.

"At least he didn't get out of doing his homework. Even Snape won't let him get away with that much," another Gryffindor muttered.

As they did their homework or chatted with friends, Veemon and Daisuke walked into the Great Hall, followed by Leon and Lancelot. They walked down the length of the Gryffindor table towards their friends, and the first to notice them was Ginny Weasley.

"Daisy!" she gasped, making the others look up and see Daisuke standing in a baggy pair of slacks, sneakers, and a baggy shirt at the end of the table.

"Yo," She greeted, waving her hand and smiling. "Miss me?"

Harry jumped from his seat and gently hugged her, taking care to avoid squeezing too tightly. Once he finished hugging her, Hermione hugged her, followed by a few others nearby.

Daisuke smiled at them all before glancing over at Draco and his friends and saw the blonde looking a tad regretful before he looked away before anyone noticed.

"What're you doing out of the Hospital Wing?" Ron asked her. "I thought Madam Pomfrey would have kept you there for longer."

"Oh, she tried, but ya know me, I don't like being confined to a bed for a long time." Daisuke chirped. "I convinced her to let me out early."

"What she means is she snuck out, and Lancelot and Leon caught her," Veemon chirped, earning a glare from his partner.

"Hush you," she said, smacking his head gently.

"So why didn't they take you back to the Hospital Wing?" Hermione asked, looking at the two Dragon Cloaks behind Daisuke.

"Oh, we tried, believe us," Leon said. "But she's too much like her parents, strong-willed and stubborn to boot."

"So, we decided just to follow her around until she got annoyed with us and went back to the Hospital Wing by choice," Lancelot said.

"Not happening," Daisuke muttered, glaring at the two.

"He's been sighted. He's been sighted!" Seamus shouted, slamming down a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table.

"Who?" Ron blurted out.

"Sirius Black!" Seamus replied, and everyone hurried over to look at the front page.

"Dufftown! That's not far from here," Hermione said.

"Y-you don't think he'll come to Hogwarts, do you?" Neville asked nervously.

"With Dementors at every entrance and the Dragon Cloaks here?" another student asked.

"Dementors, he's already got past them before. Even with the Dragon Cloaks, I doubt he'd get caught." Seamus said.

"That's right. Black could be anywhere. It's like trying to catch smoke, like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands," another student said.

"Elyan and Winn have been dispatched to Dufftown to search for clues on where Black might have gone," Leon said. "They should have sent a message by now. I'll go and check with Alexander." He then looked at Lancelot. "Stay with Daisuke."

"Or you could leave me alone. I've got Veemon with me. So I'll be fine," Daisuke told them.

Both Dragon Cloaks shared a look before turning to her. "No," they both said, making her pout.

"No fair," She huffed, crossing her arms. Leon rolled his eyes before he walked out of the Great Hall. Daisuke sat at the table beside Hermione as the others returned to their seats.

"Why are they watching over you like this?" Ron asked her.

"Because dad's mad I got hurt. He doesn't want me going anywhere without one of them always keeping an eye on me." She answered. "I remember one time I broke my arm at school, and despite being fine, I always saw one of them watching me until my arm healed; mostly, it was Percival because of his pet falcon."

She then glanced at Harry and saw him looking at the front page of the Daily Prophet, which had a moving picture of Sirius Black on it. She gently nudged him, making him jump and look at her. "Hey, are you alright?" She asked gently.

"Yeah…j-just worried about Black being so close," he answered.

She smiled at him reassuringly. "Well, don't worry; with the Dragon Cloaks, the Professors, Mum and Dad, and our Digimon, I don't think Black will be able to lay a finger on us." She told him.

Harry smiled and nodded. "Yeah, you're right," he replied and continued his homework, the fears of Sirius Black at the back of his mind for now.

It wasn't until Thursday after lunch that Daisuke was allowed to take classes again. Madam Pomfrey seemed delighted to make the young woman wait as long as possible in the Hospital Wing before clearing her, probably as a small modicum of payback for sneaking out a few days previously.

Daisuke hurried along the corridors and hallways of the castle with Veemon running beside her as they hoped to make it to their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson of the year before they lost points for being late.

They made it to the classroom, and Daisuke pushed open the door, skidding to a stop, with Veemon bumping into her from behind. The class turned to look at them, and Daisuke sheepishly smiled at them.

"Um, sorry we're late, Professor. But unfortunately, Madam Pomfrey wouldn't let me out of her sight until she was sure I was ready to be discharged."

Professor Lupin smiled at the young woman and Digimon and nodded. "No apologies necessary, Daisuke. We've not started the lesson yet. Please leave your bookbag off to the side. You'll need only your wand for this lesson," he told her.

She nodded, slung her bookbag off her shoulder, and sat it beside the others. She noticed Lancelot standing against the tables on the side of the room, who nodded at her. Daisuke smiled back before hurrying to the front of the class, where she found Ron and Harry, but oddly, there was no sign of Hermione.

In front of the class was a wardrobe that seemed harmless enough, but suddenly, it shuddered and rocked about. "Intriguing, isn't it? Would anyone like to guess as to what lies inside?" Professor Lupin asked them.

"That's a Boggart," Dean Thomas said.

"Very good, Dean. Would anyone like to tell me what a Boggart looks like?"

"No one knows," Ron, Daisuke, and Harry looked to their right and saw Hermione standing there, seemingly having appeared out of nowhere.

"Where'd she come from?" Ron asked.

Ignoring his question, Hermione continued. "Boggarts are shapeshifters. They take the form of whatever a person fears most. That's what makes them so…"

"So terrifying, yes." Professor Lupin replied. "However, the Boggart is waiting inside that wardrobe. It doesn't yet know what it will need to transform into to frighten us, which gives us the advantage. Harry, could you tell me why?"

Harry blinked, surprised at being called out to answer a question. He shuffled awkwardly for a moment before answering. "Um, because there are more of us, it won't know what to turn into?" he replied.

"Correct. I once heard of a Boggart who tried to turn into a headless corpse and a venomous slug simultaneously to frighten two people. It only turned into half a slug, not nearly frightening at all." Professor Lupin said with a smile. "Now there is a way to defeat a Boggart. The power of laughter. And it just so happens that a rather simple charm can help with that. We're going to try it now, without wands, please." He instructed with a smile. "Repeat after me. Riddikulus."

"Riddikulus." Most of the class repeated.

"Very good. Now, louder and with feeling."

"Riddikulus!"

"This whole class is ridiculous," Malfoy muttered to Crabbe and Goyle. They and most of the Slytherin students in the class were standing at the back, looking at Professor Lupin in disdain.

"Now then, Neville, why don't you go first," Professor Lupin said, gesturing for the young man to step forward. "First, can you tell me what you fear the most?" he asked softly, and Neville blushed and gulped.

"Professor Snape," he muttered, barely audible, not wanting anyone to hear him.

"I'm sorry?"

"Professor Snape," Neville repeated a bit louder, and most of the class laughed.

"Professor Snape. Yes, well, he can be a bit terrifying." Professor Lupin said. "Now, can you tell me about your grandmother? I hear you live with her."

"Yes. But I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either." Neville squeaked.

"You misunderstand me, Neville. What clothes does your grandmother wear? Could you tell me?"

"Um, a stuffed vulture on a hat, a green dress, a red handbag, I guess," Neville answered.

"Perfect, now when the Boggart comes out of the wardrobe, it will assume the form of Professor Snape when it does. You will think of your grandmother's clothes and cast Riddikulus, and with luck, the Boggart Professor Snape will end up dressed in the clothes." Professor Lupin said.

He then looked at the rest of the class. "And I want each of you to think of what you fear the most and then think of something to turn it into something funny." He told them.

"What we fear most?" Daisuke muttered before looking over at Harry. She saw him looking worried and squeezed his hand. "Hey, don't worry. You're strong, Harry. You can handle a Boggart."

He gulped and nodded with a smile. "Right," he replied as Herissmon hugged his partner's leg.

"Alright, is everyone ready?" Professor Lupin asked the class, who nodded. "Excellent. Ready, Neville?" he asked, and the nervous boy nodded.

He stepped closer to the wardrobe as it shook and rattled, the doorknob shaking violently as the Boggart tried to escape. Professor Lupin flicked his wand, and the door swung open; there was a moment of silence before the Boggart transformed, and Professor Snape stepped out, sneering at Neville, who squeaked and whimpered in fright.

"Courage now, Neville, be brave." Professor Lupin called out.

Neville drew his wand and gulped. "R-R-Riddikulus!" he shouted, pointing his wand at the Boggart. The Boggart Professor Snape spun around; its clothes became what Neville had described his grandmother wearing.

Nearly the entire class burst into laughter as the Boggart looked around, confused. "Excellent, Neville, excellent. Now, the rest of you form a line, no pushing." Professor Lupin told the rest of the class, who began getting into a line before Crabbe and Goyle pushed the line forward, making the other students bump into each other.

Lancelot saw this and frowned. He approached both and grabbed them by the earlobes. "Just for that, you both can miss out on this." He said, pushing the two out of the line. Both growled, trying to intimidate him, but he didn't budge. "Oh yes, very terrifying. I've seen slugs scarier than you two." He then saw Malfoy glaring at him, and he raised an eyebrow. "Care to join them, Mr Malfoy?"

Malfoy wisely kept his mouth shut as Professor Lupin turned on the record player he had in the room, and upbeat music started to play.

"Next!" he said with a smile as Parvati stepped forward and Professor Snape transformed into a mummy covered in blood.

"Riddikulus!" she shouted, pointing her wand and the mummy's bandages began to unravel, and it tripped over them, landing in a heap. The class laughed again as Parvati moved to the back of the line.

Ron stepped forward, the mummy spinning as it transformed into a giant spider, and Ron let out a whimper.

"You got this, Ron!" Daisuke shouted.

"Yeah, kick that spider's butt!" Veemon shouted.

Ron gulped before he aimed his wand at the spider. "Riddikulus!" he shouted, and the rollerskates appeared on the spider's legs, and it began slipping and falling over.

"Excellent, Ron!" Professor Lupin said as the boy walked to the back, high-fiving Harry and Daisuke as he passed them.

Seamus stepped forward next, and the spider transformed into a Banshee. It let out a horrifying screech as Seamus held his wand out. "Riddikulus!" he shouted.

A roll of tape covered the Banshee's mouth, silencing its screams. Daisuke grinned as she stepped forward, closing her eyes while thinking what terrified her most. She had faced a lot of scary things in her life before her thoughts drifted to when she was seven years old.

She heard Lavender Brown let out a terrified scream. She looked up to see that the Banshee had transformed into Myotismon. Lancelot's eyes widened, having heard the stories from Daisuke about the vampire.

Daisuke gulped as the Digimon looked down at her with an impassive face before it smirked evilly and raised its hand.

Daisuke aimed her wand and readied herself. "Riddikulus!" she shouted, and there was a loud crack as Myotismon dropped to the ground, having been transformed into a stuffed doll.

She took a deep breath and sighed in relief before she felt Harry grab her hand and squeeze it. "Are you ok?" he asked her.

She nodded, not trusting herself to speak before she walked to the back of the line, not noticing Draco looking at her with concern.

Harry stepped up next, and the doll shuddered before shifting into the form of a Dementor. It let out a raspy moan, and everyone in the room felt a chill run through them. Daisuke spun around and saw Harry take a step back. She rushed to help, but Professor Lupin jumped in front of Harry before she could reach him.

The Dementor paused before it shifted into a full moon, slowly emerging from behind the clouds. "Riddikulus!" he shouted, and the moon turned into a balloon. The air started blowing out of it, sending it rocketing around the classroom before it flew back into the wardrobe, the door slamming shut.

Daisuke and Hermione shared a look as Professor Lupin turned to the class. "Right, I think that's enough excitement today. Gather your things and head off, and five points to every student who faced the Boggart today. And five points to Hermione and Harry for answering my questions correctly at the start of the lesson."

Harry remained where he was, staring at the wardrobe, which rattled about, the Boggart inside still trying to escape. "Harry, come on," Herissmon said, holding his hand, and he nodded.

"Yeah…" he muttered, following his partner and friends out of the classroom, glancing back at the wardrobe once more as it rattled about again.

The end of the chapter

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