The next day, Harry and his friends went down for breakfast in the Great Hall. He pointedly ignored Malfoy jeering at him, asking whether he cried for his mother when the big bad dementor came. Ron looked like he was about to forgo his wand and throw hands, but Harry stopped him, insisting that he was not worth it.

Harry slid in next to George, who glanced at the laughing Slytherin and his cronies. He softly said, "That little git. Wanker wasn't such a cocky bastard last night when the dementors came. Think he nearly wet himself."

Fred helpfully chimed in as he passed them their schedules, "Don't know about weeing himself, but he definitely shat himself. Could get the smell right from three compartments away."

Harry shrugged, "We probably would have been toast if Bianca hadn't stepped in."

The twins looked at him curiously, "Who's Bianca? I don't think we know any Bianca. We know a Belinda who's a Seventh Year Hufflepuff."

Harry clarified, "She's one of my lot. Daughter of Hades, he's the God of the Underworld. Turns out, Dementors were originally the guards of Tartarus, which is deep in the Underworld. That place is pretty much the most evil place on this planet. Azkaban is Disneyland compared to that place. It seems that several centuries ago, Lord Hades allowed Hecate to borrow the Dementors for something. However, he forgot to summon them back. Bianca has given them three weeks to catch Greyback. Then she's taking them back to the Underworld. Far as I'm aware, they won't harm her, or they'd piss off her dad."

George gave a low whistle, "Crumbs! I didn't know that! It's generally accepted that the Dementors' origins were unknown. No one knew where they came from, they just sort of existed. Anyway, forget about Malfoy, we're going to wipe that smirk off his face when we beat Slytherin at Quidditch. I'm also curious about this Capture the Flag thing."

Meanwhile, Hermione happily exclaimed that they were starting their new subjects that day itself. The only lessons she had in common with them was Care of Magical Creatures. Meanwhile, when he and Ron were at Divination, she would be attending Arithmancy.

Soon, Hagrid strolled in and stopped next to them. He beamed at them, "All right' You're in my first ever lesson! Right after lunch! Been up since five getting everything ready... Hope it's okay... Me, a teacher... honestly..."

After he ambled off, Ron shuddered slightly, "Wonder what he's got up his sleeve. Can't be worse than Aragog or that bloody drakon."

Fred tilted his head curiously, "What are you on about?"

Ron stammered, "In our First-Year, Hagrid somehow got hold of an egg. He thought it was a dragon egg, but when it hatched, Harry identified it as a drakon."

George leaned forward, "What's the difference?"

Harry explained, "Drakons are much older and they grow at a very rapid pace. Also, some species can spit poison and they can grow as large as a building. Heck, a full-grown drakon can easily coil around Hogwarts. Luckily, this one had just hatched, so I managed to get rid of it quickly."

Fred then asked, "So who's Aragog?"

Ron shuddered again, "He's an adult Acromantula. Hagrid asked us to talk to him about the whole Chamber of Secrets business. Was Hagrid's pet before he got released into the Forbidden Forest. There's a whole bloody colony. Damn nearly died there!"

Before long, they noticed that the Hall was slowly emptying itself, so they scarfed down their breakfast and rushed off to get ready. It took a while, because this was the first time they were visiting the North Tower where Divination was. Harry and Ron got lost twice, before finding themselves in front of a staircase spiralling upwards. Thanks to Harry's training, they were not so winded by the time they reached the top.

They climbed the last few steps and emerged onto a tiny landing, where most of the class was already assembled. There were no doors off this landing, but there was a circular trapdoor with a brass plaque situated on the ceiling.

The trapdoor suddenly opened and a silvery ladder extended downwards. One by one, the students climbed up, entering the strangest-looking classroom. It resembled a cross between someone's attic and an old-fashioned tea shop. The room had twenty small, circular tables crammed inside it, all surrounded by chintz armchairs and fat little poufs.

Everything was lit with a dim, crimson light; the curtains at the windows were all closed, and the many lamps were draped with dark red scarves. It was stiflingly warm, and the fire that was burning under the crowded mantelpiece was giving off a heavy, sickly sort of perfume as it heated a large copper kettle. The shelves running around the circular walls were crammed with dusty-looking feathers, stubs of candles, many packs of tattered playing cards, countless silvery crystal balls, and a huge array of teacups.

Then a voice came from the shadows, "Welcome, how nice to see you in the physical world at last. Sit, my children, sit. Welcome to Divination. My name is Professor Trelawney. You may not have seen me before. I find that descending too often into the hustle and bustle of the main school clouds my Inner Eye. So you have chosen to study Divination, the most difficult of all magical arts. I must warn you at the outset that if you do not have the Sight, there is very little I will be able to teach you. Books can take you only so far in this field."

She continued, "Many witches and wizards, talented though they are in the area of loud bangs and smells and sudden disappearances, are yet unable to penetrate the veiled mysteries of the future. It is a Gift granted to few. We will be covering the basic methods of Divination this year. The first term will be devoted to reading the tea leaves. Next term we shall progress to palmistry. In the second term, we shall progress to the crystal ball — if we have finished with fire omens, that is."

Suddenly, she turned to Lavender, "I wonder, dear, if you could pass me the largest silver teapot?"

Lavender, looking relieved, stood up, took an enormous teapot from the shelf, and put it down on the table in front of Professor Trelawney.

"Thank you, my dear. Incidentally, that thing you are dreading — it will happen on Friday the sixteenth of October."

The girl trembled a little, before Trelawney divided everyone into pairs. The woman spoke, "Collect a teacup from the shelf, come to me, and I will fill it. Then sit down and drink, drink until only the dregs remain. Swill these around the cup three times with the left hand, then turn the cup upside down on its saucer, wait for the last of the tea to drain away, then give your cup to your partner to read. You will interpret the patterns using pages five and six of Unfogging the Future. I shall move among you, helping and instructing."

Harry and Ron paired up as expected and followed her instructions. Of course, they were careful to not burn their tongues on the scalding tea. Harry then glanced at Ron's cup, "Right, you've got a crooked sort of cross. That means you're going to have 'trials and suffering' — sorry about that — but there's a thing that could be the sun… hang on... that means 'great happiness'… so you're going to suffer but be very happy..."

Ron snickered slightly, "You're rubbish at this sort of thing. Okay my turn. Umm… It looks odd. I can't make head or tail of it."

Trelawney was at their table in an instant, "Let me see that, my dear. Two falcons… my dear, you have some deadly enemies. The club, an attack. Oh goodness, this is not a happy cup. Wait! What's this?"

She swilled the cup one last time and gasped, "Oh! Dear child! The boulder! A great burden lies in your path! You must be strong in order to shoulder it!"

Harry was a little disturbed at her rants, but she eventually moved to another table. Not much happened in the next few minutes, as Harry ruminated the meaning of her words. Suddenly, there was a scream, and everyone's heads snapped towards where John Silvertongue and his friend Rowan Khanna were seated,

Trelawney wailed, "My dear boy... my poor, dear boy... no... it is kinder not to say... no... My dear, you have the Grim! The giant, spectral dog that haunts churchyards! My dear boy, it is an omen — the worst omen — of death! Beware! Beware the serpent! Beware!"

There was dead silence in the room, and nobody moved. No one could even look at the mortified John, in the eye. Trelawney slumped down onto a seat and breathed heavily. Regaining her composure, she looked up, "I think we will leave the lesson here for today. Yes... please pack away your things."

Surprisingly, only 45 minutes had passed during the lecture. So the Divination contingent managed to reach McGonagall's class just in time, as they struggled to navigate the castle again. Not a word passed between Harry and Ron. The same applied for Lavender, Parvati and Seamus, who were also in their class.

Harry sat right at the back of the room, but still felt like there was a spotlight on him. The Divination students kept shooting furtive glances at him and John in utter confusion and slight pity. Professor McGonagall was telling everyone about Animagi, and he smirked to himself, 'Been there, done that!'.

She transformed herself into her tabby cat form with spectacle markings around her eyes. Half of the class applauded, except for the Divination students, though Harry's was half-hearted.

McGonagall indignant huffed, "Really! What has got into some of you, today? Not that it matters, but that's the first time my transformation's gotten a lukewarm response from a class."

Parvati raised a hand, "Professor, W-we just came back from our Divination class."

The older witch nodded sagely, "Ah, of course. There is no need to say any more, Miss Patil. Tell me, which of you will be dying this year?"

Harry and John reluctantly raised their hands, though Harry said, "Well Professor… In my case, she was predicting some great burden I will be facing."

Her lips twitched, "That's a first, Mr. Potter. Mr. Silvertongue, do not fret, Sybil Trelawney has predicted the death of one student every year ever since she arrived at this school. None of them have died yet. Seeing death omens is her favourite way of greeting a new class."

She turned back to him and her lips twitched again, "Mr. Potter, maybe this 'Great Burden' will be your exams or the homework you shall receive this term."

That got everyone to laugh, though Harry's was forced. The rest of the lecture continued as normal. When they wrapped up and everyone was heading for lunch, Harry hung back and approached McGonagall. She looked up questioningly, "Yes, Mr. Potter? Don't pay much attention to Professor Trelawney. It could be far worse."

He shook his head, "Actually professor, it's about the Animagus lesson. During the summer vacation, I decided to become one. Sirius and Remus helped me brew the potion."

Her eyebrow raised and then she used her wand to push back the tables and chairs. She gestured to him, "Of course they did. Had he lived, your father would have done the same, probably much earlier. Please show me your Animagus form."

He concentrated and then shifted forms immediately, his clothes melting into his body. When he changed back, his clothes were back on his body, and McGonagall had a proud smile. She exclaimed, "Well done, Mr. Potter! I do believe that you are the youngest person to achieve an Animagus form, and a powerful one. It is a dire wolf, isn't it?"

He nodded and she replied, "Very well, follow me. We shall get you registered immediately."

Harry trotted after her as she made her way to the Headmaster's office. McGonagall gave the password, "M&Ms", and they headed upstairs. Dumbledore was in his office and smiled at them, "Hello Minerva… Mr. Potter…"

McGonagall politely said, "Albus, I hope you don't mind that we borrow your Floo for a while. Over the summer, Mr. Potter trained himself to become an Animagus and has succeeded. I'm just heading over to the Ministry to register him."

He beamed, his eyes twinkling happily, "Capital idea, Minerva! I hope you two don't take too long, I heard the House Elves were trying new recipes for today's lunch."

Together, they Flooed to the Ministry of Magic. From there, she deftly led him into the building, past a receptionist, and into an elevator that looked pretty ancient. She pressed a button that read, Level 2, and it groaned to a start and steadily lifted them up. When they stepped out, she smiled at a witch sitting at a cubicle.

McGonagall greeted, "Good afternoon, Mafalda. I hope you are not too busy today?"

The woman, named Mafalda Hopkirk, glanced up and smiled, "Hello Professor! How may I help you today?"

The Transfiguration professor gestured at Harry, "It seems that Mr. Potter has managed to successfully complete the Animagus transformation. Mr. Potter, this is Mafalda Hopkirk, she is an assistant in the Improper Use of Magic Office, and in change of the Animagus Registry."

Hopkirk looked at him with impressed eyebrows, "Incredible! You are, how old, Mr. Potter?"

"Thirteen, ma'am. Just turned in July."

Her smile widened, "Well! If my calculations are correct, you are the youngest Animagus. I registered Mr. Black recently, He mentioned that he, your father, and the prisoner, Peter Pettigrew, achieved it when they were 15, if I'm not mistaken."

She led him into a room, which was empty, save for a couple of chairs. McGonagall and Hopkirk both sat down and asked him to change. Once more, he focused and changed into his dire wolf form. Hopkirk looked absolutely startled for a second, before snapping into action. She took all sorts of measurements, jotted down a few notes and waved her wand a few times.

Then, she signalled to him to change back, and he obeyed. After some more note-taking, she said, "Excellent! I have noted everything. Now, just sign here to confirm that you are officially registered as an Animagus… Thank you, Mr. Potter. Now promise me that you will not abuse this gift? After all, yours is a rare creature, so I will know if you have been taking advantage of this new form. Good day, Mr. Potter."

With that, the two of them soon returned to the Castle and Harry joined his friends for lunch. He sat down next to Ron, who was having an argument with Hermione as usual. He told her, "Hermione, a Grim is a bad omen in the Wizarding World. It's — it's bad. My — my uncle Bilius saw one and — and he died twenty-four hours later!"

She dismissed him lackadaisically, "Oh it's just a coincidence. Silvertongue is not going to die."

Ron was slowly getting angry, "You don't know what you're talking about! Grims scare the living daylights out of most wizards!"

She primly answered, "There you are, then. They see the Grim and die of fright. The Grim's not an omen, it's the cause of death!"

Harry interrupted, "I have to disagree, Hermione. I think you're thinking of Hellhounds, which are a lot bigger."

Finally, they stepped out of the castle, where it was revealed that it had stopped raining. He and Neville walked side-by-side towards Hagrid's hut, where the class would be held. The two were acting as a buffer between Ron and Hermione, who were not speaking to each other. Looking ahead, he saw Lavender and Parvati in front, and a little ahead of them, he suppressed a groan when he spotted Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle.

At the door of his wooden hut, Hagrid waited for his class, wearing his moleskin overcoat. Fang the boarhound lay at his heels, looking impatient to start.

He called out, "C'mon, now, get a move on! Got a real treat for you today! Great lesson coming up! Everyone here? Right, follow me!"

For one nasty moment, Harry thought that Hagrid was going to lead them into the forest. But he breathed a sigh of relief when Hagrid strolled off around the edge of the trees, and five minutes later, they found themselves outside a kind of paddock. Hagrid called out, "Everyone gather around the fence here! That's it — make sure you can see — now, first thing you'll want to do is open your books —"

Malfoy drawled, "How? How do we open our books?"

Everyone fished out their books, which were all bound up. Harry gingerly reached for his own book. He seized it and tossed it up, just as it began to snap at him. In an instant, he grabbed his wand and yelled, "Stupefy!"

That did the trick, and the book was silenced. Understanding dawned on everyone and they too, stunned their books. Hagrid beamed, "That works too. But the trick is that you've got to stroke the spine of the book."

Malfoy sneered, "Oh, how silly we've all been! We should have stroked them! Why didn't we guess! Oh, tremendously funny! Really witty, giving us books that try and rip our hands off!"

Hagrid looked really crestfallen, so Harry tried some damage control. He said, "Hagrid… Maybe in hindsight, you should have left some instructions. I don't think any of us were expecting a book that could bite back, literally. Anyway… You've told us how to handle then, end of story. Now, what do you have for us?"

The large man snapped out of his funk and hopped to his feet, "Right then! Wait right here. I'll go and get them."

After he was gone, Malfoy loudly complained, "God, this place is going to the dogs. That oaf teaching classes, my father-"

Harry cut him off, "You mean the same father who is in Azkaban for using an Unforgivable?"

He snapped back, "Careful Potter, there's a Dementor behind you-"

This time, it was Lavender who cut him off, this time with a squeal. They all turned to see Hagrid leading a bunch of creatures that looked like a cross between a horse and an eagle. The front legs, wings and heads resembled an eagle, while the bodies, hind legs and tails reminded him of horses.

They came in different sizes and colours, and their beaks were steel-coloured and they had brilliantly orange eyes. Hagrid bellowed happily, "Hippogriffs! Beautiful, aren't they? Now the first thing you have to know about them is that they are very proud creatures. They are easily offended and insulting one, will be the last thing you want to do."

Everyone listened with rapt attention, except for Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle. The trio were talking in hushed whispers, and Harry's eyes narrowed. Hagrid continued obliviously, "You always wait for the hippogriff to make the first move. It's polite, see? You walk toward him, bow, and wait. If he bows back, you're allowed to touch him. If he doesn't bow, then get away from him sharpish, because those talons hurt. So… who wants to go first?"

Everyone looked hesitant, but Harry stepped up immediately. There was a gasp behind him, but he ignored them. Hagrid looked delighted, "Good man, Harry! Show everyone how it's done! Why don't you have a go at Buckbeak?"

He brought out a gray hippogriff, who dutifully trotted over to him. Hagrid quietly said, "Easy now, Harry. You've got eye contact, now try not to blink. Hippogriffs don't trust you if you blink too much."

Harry maintained eye contact for a few seconds before the creature's eyes widened and bowed before him. It cawed at him, "Child of the Hunt! I am honoured! Please let me be your mount"

Hagrid was smiling so brightly that Harry thought that it would break his face. The man grinned, "Well done! 10 points to Gryffindor! I reckon he might let you ride him."

Many of his classmates cheered, though Malfoy and his goons looked crestfallen. Harry placed his foot on top of Buckbeak's wing and boosted himself expertly on the hippogriff's back. Harry gently ran his fingers along Buckbeak's neck, as if he was asking him for a comfortable handhold. Buckbeak chirped after he hit a particular spot around his neck, "Right there! Hang on little Hunter!"

With that, the twelve-foot wings flapped open on either side of Harry; he held on firmly to the creature's neck, hard enough to keep himself steady and not hurt the majestic creature. In no time, he was soaring upward. Buckbeak flew him once around the paddock and then headed back to the ground.

Now that Harry had shown that the hippogriffs were harmless, the class relaxed. They all climbed into the paddock and chose a creature to practice on. Ron and Hermione practiced on a chestnut-coloured hippogriff, while Harry hung back. Just then, he spotted Malfoy and his goons with Buckbeak. Not liking the look on his face, Harry inched towards them slowly.

Malfoy drawled loudly, "This is very easy. I knew it must have been, if Potter could do it. I bet you're not dangerous at all, are you? Are you, you great ugly brute-"

Harry was already moving when Malfoy uttered the word 'ugly'. He body-checked the arrogant Slytherin boy out of the way, just in time too. A flash of steely talons raced over to when Malfoy used to be, only to be caught dead by Harry's own hands.

There was an audible gasp from everyone watching the scene. Ignoring the explosion of pain in his hands, Harry glared sharply at the Hippogriff, "Hey! Back! Back, I say! Easy boy, easy. Yes I know he insulted you. Yes he's an arrogant prick. No, it's not worth attacking him, even if he deserved it. That's it… Calm down… There you go, big boy. Who's a good boy? You are!"

Malfoy adopted a fake look of terror, "Did you see that! The ugly brutish monster tried to kill me! The beast should be put down!"

Buckbeak struggled and his talons dug deeper into Harry's hands, but the demigod didn't let go. Instead, he continued grappling with the hippogriff, not allowing him to go after his target. Once again, he ignored his bleeding hands and called out, "Somebody shut him up before he gets us all killed! I can only hold Buckbeak back for so long."

Ron brought out his curved wand, "With pleasure, Stupefy!"

The stunned Malfoy was dragged off and Harry was able to calm the Hippogriff down. Finally, he let go, and the Hippogriff gently nuzzled him, "I am sorry, Little Hunter. I hurt you. I have disgraced your mother."

Harry raised his hands placatingly, "It's okay, Buckbeak. It's his fault for not paying attention. I only interfered because if he got hurt, you would have paid the price."

In the meantime, Hagrid dismissed the class, grabbed Malfoy by his collar and grunted, "Someone get Harry to the Hospital Wing. As for you! 10 points from Slytherin for your stupidity and utter disregard for your classmates' safety. You're coming with me to the Headmaster. Can't say he will be lenient, after the stunt you pulled."

Harry walked back to his friends, when Hermione shrieked, "Harry! Your hands!"

Sure enough, his hands were caked in blood, but he shrugged, "I've had worse."

She snapped, "Still! What were you thinking, wrestling with the Hippogriff like that!?"

Ron growled, "Trust Malfoy to mess things up for Hagrid. Bloke wasn't paying attention. You should have let Buckbeak claw the shite out of him."

Tracey Davis came bustling over, "Potter! Hands out! Aguamenti!"

A steady stream of water poured out from her wand, washing the blood away. Then she pointed her wand at his hands again, "Episkey!"

The deep gouges healed slightly, but the scars were still there. At least the bleeding had stopped. The Gryffindors looked at her in confusion and slight mistrust. She rolled her eyes, "I've started training under Madam Pomfrey to be a MediWitch. Come on Potter, I've done what I can, so let's go to Madam Pomfrey."

As the four Gryffindors and one Slytherin walked back, Tracey spoke up, "By the way Weasley, if Buckbeak had clawed Malfoy, he would have used his influence to get Buckbeak executed. Additionally, Hagrid would be in a lot of trouble."

Hermione anxiously asked, "They wouldn't fire him, would they?"

She shrugged, "If it was Malfoy, then yes. Especially since Malfoy would cook up his own version and exaggerate. This time, he can't because he has no scars to corroborate his story. I highly doubt Potter would lie, and he would not give Malfoy any leg to stand on."

Finally, they reached the Matron, who clucked disapprovingly, "Good Heavens, Mr. Potter! It has not even been a day and you are back here in the Hospital Wing. Even your father was not that injury-prone. Ms Davis, excellent job of providing First Aid to Mr. Potter. 10 points to Slytherin. Now please go to that cupboard. Inside, is a plastic box labelled 'Emergency Supplies'. There is a brownie-like food inside it. Please feed a small spoonful to Mr. Potter. It is medicinal."

Tracey wordlessly obeyed, and then watched in fascination as the scars on his hand healed up even further. Pomfrey then wrapped up both his hands in gauze bandages and told him to stay off them for a week.

A few days later, Malfoy was still fuming, and whenever they had Potions class, Snape was not very pleased with him. His punishment was that he had to help Harry prepare his potion. It was probably the last day that Harry would still be bandaged up, but he was heading to Madam Pomfrey for his check-up after Potions. That day, they were brewing a Shrinking Solution. The blonde idiot sullenly chopped up Harry's daisy roots for him. He also had to skin Harry's shrivelfig and slice his caterpillars.

Malfoy scowled to himself, "This was not how it was supposed to go! I should have been the one injured, so that the oaf could get fired."

Harry whispered back, "Get used to disappointment. And for the record, I didn't save your arse for your sake. I did it for Buckbeak."

At the head of the class, Snape barked, "No talking in class! That's 10 points from Gryffindor, Potter."

"Sorry sir."

He then turned to his next victim, who happened to be poor Neville. Eventually, the torture ended and they all filed out. Harry went straight to Pomfrey, and to his delight, his hands had healed completely. So, he promptly rushed off to join Ron, Neville and Hermione for their DADA lecture.

Lupin had already gone through the theory aspect, and that day was a practical demonstration. When they reached the class, he was already waiting for them. He led them out of the classroom, through a deserted corridor and around a corner. The sight that greeted them was of Peeves the Poltergeist, floating upside-down in mid-air and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum.

Peeves spotted them and burst into an off-key song, "Loony, loopy Lupin! Loony loopy Lupin!"

Remus Lupin ignored the taunting and simply said, "I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves. Mr. Filch won't be able to get in to his brooms."

Peeves simply blew him a raspberry. In response, Lupin let out a small sigh and took out his wand. He pointed it at the poltergeist and chanted, "Waddiwasi!"

With the force of a bullet, the wad of chewing gum shot out of the keyhole and straight down Peeves' left nostril; he whirled upright and zoomed away, cursing.

After much laughter, he led them into a second corridor and finally into the staffroom. There was just Snape inside, who nodded stiffly and swept out. Lupin led the class to the back of the room, which housed an old wardrobe.

Professor Lupin stood next to it, and the wardrobe gave a sudden wobble, banging off the wall. The students jumped, but he calmly said, "Nothing to worry about. There's a boggart in there."

However, that did little to assuage everyone. Neville gave Professor Lupin a look of pure terror, and Seamus Finnigan eyed the now rattling doorknob apprehensively. Meanwhile, Harry slowly palmed his Celestial Bronze wand.

He explained, "Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces. Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks — I once met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock."

Diego Caplan raised his hand, "Professor, does that mean that the 'monster under the bed' that we're told about as kids, is a Boggart?"

Lupin smiled brightly, "Excellent observation! 10 points to Hufflepuff! You're right, where do you think the expression originated from? From Boggarts."

Then he clapped his hands once, "So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?"

Hermione put up her hand and recited, "It's a shape-shifter. It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

He nodded, "Rather verbatim, but I couldn't have put it better myself. 10 points to Gryffindor. So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet 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 immediately become whatever each of us most fears."

He suddenly raised a finger, "But… We have one huge advantage over this particular Boggart. Anyone?"

Hermione shot her hand up again, bouncing on the balls of her feet. However, Harry was quicker in responding, and got called up, "I'm assuming that since there are so many of us, it cannot simply pick a form, because no two people have the same fear?"

Lupin smiled warmly, "Take another 10 points for Gryffindor. It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a boggart make that very mistake — tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening."

He continued, "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 wands first. After me, please . . . Riddikulus!"

The class parroted, "Riddikulus!".

He clapped his hands again, "Okay, now all of you, come one-by-one and try your hand at battling the Boggart. Mr. Longbottom, why don't you step up first?"

Neville nervously stepped up and the wardrobe violently shook again. Lupin looked like he was going to ask a question, but thought better of it. Remus Lupin signalled to the class, "Okay everyone, back away and give Neville some space."

They all shifted back, with Lupin taking his place behind the group. He raised his wand towards the wardrobe, "On the count of three, Neville. One — two — three — now!"

A jet of sparks shot from the end of Professor Lupin's wand and hit the doorknob. The wardrobe burst open. Hook-nosed and menacing, Professor Snape stepped out, his eyes flashing at Neville.

Neville backed away, his wand up, mouthing wordlessly. Snape was bearing down upon him, reaching inside his robes.

"R-R-Riddikulus!" squeaked Neville."

"There was a noise like a whip crack. Snape stumbled; he was wearing a long, lace-trimmed dress and a towering hat topped with a moth-eaten vulture, and he was swinging a huge crimson handbag.

There was a roar of laughter; the boggart paused, confused, and Professor Lupin shouted, "Parvati! Forward!"

Parvati walked forward, her face set. Snape rounded on her. There was another crack, and where he had stood was a blood-stained, bandaged mummy; its sightless face was turned to Parvati and it began to walk toward her very slowly, dragging its feet, its stiff arms rising —

"Riddikulus!" cried Parvati.

A bandage unraveled at the mummy's feet; it became entangled, fell face forward, and its head rolled off.

"Seamus!" roared Professor Lupin.

Seamus darted past Parvati."

Crack! Where the mummy had been was a woman with floor-length black hair and a skeletal, green-tinged face — a banshee. She opened her mouth wide and an unearthly sound filled the room a long, wailing shriek that made the hair on Harry's head stand on end.

"Riddikulus!" shouted Seamus.

The banshee made a rasping noise and clutched her throat; her voice was gone.

Crack! The banshee turned into a rat, which chased its tail in a circle, then — crack! — became a rattlesnake, which slithered and writhed before — crack! — becoming a single, bloody eyeball.

"It's confused!" shouted Lupin. "We're getting there! Dean!"

Dean hurried forward.

Crack! The eyeball became a severed hand, which flipped over and began to creep along the floor like a crab.

"Riddikulus!" yelled Dean.

There was a snap, and the hand was trapped in a mousetrap.

"Excellent! Ron, you next!"

Ron leapt forward.

Crack!"

Quite a few people screamed. A giant spider, six feet tall and covered in hair, was advancing on Ron. Ron froze for a second before he bellowed, "Riddikulus!". Suddenly, multiple spears rained down and turned it into a screeching pin cushion.

It rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Harry's feet. Then, it rolled several feet away before turning into a craggy island, and Harry had a sinking feeling. A large familiar multi-snake-headed monster emerged on top of the rocks.

This time, everyone screamed at the sight of grotesque sea monster with six long necks equipped with grisly heads. Each head contained three rows of sharp teeth and four eyes. Her body consisted of twelve tentacle-like legs and a tail and with four to six dog-heads ringing her waist. Some students even fainted.

Harry paled and was frozen in fear, and then all six heads darted towards him, jaws agape. Snapping himself out of it, he roared, "Riddikulus!"

In an instant, the frightening sea monster was replaced by a cartoon-looking blue octopus. The snake-heads turned into tentacles, which wrapped him in a brief hug. When it let go, Lupin took over and the Boggart turned into a silvery-white orb. Finally, Neville stepped up and the Snape dressed in drag image, came back. This time, Harry was not paying attention, but had collapsed on the ground and was breathing heavily.

So he didn't realize that the Boggart had exploded into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke. Harry's breathing got faster and faster, and then a blurry figure crossed his field of vision. The voice was faint, but familiar. A pair of hands cupped his face and the voice continued, sounding a little frantic. Finally, he fainted, right into the arms of the person in front of him.