Disclaimer: I don't own HP, I only own Evan and Iris Potter. This chapter is VERY like the book, but *shrugs*.

Read, enjoy and review.

Chapter Six

The Boggart

The next day, they had double potions in the morning with the Slytherins, where the Gryffindors were delighted to see Malfoy lose ten points from Professor Slughorn for complaining about Hagrid instead of working on his Shrinking Solution. Then after lunch, it was time for the lesson Aludra had been looking forward to for months.

Defence Against the Dark Arts with Professor Lupin.

"Is he a good teacher, Aludra?" Lavender asked as the Gryffindors headed for the DADA classroom.

"He's brilliant," Aludra replied without hesitation. "He used to tutor Neville, Susan and I before Hogwarts and he made every lesson so much fun. And he's got a Masters in DADA."

"He's really good at breaking things down so they're really understandable, too," Neville added. "Honestly, I've missed his teaching over the last few years."

"Me too," Susan sighed. "I'm so glad to have him back. It's such a shame he'll only be here for a year, though. I hope the curse doesn't hurt him."

Aludra flinched at that, and Susan gave her an apologetic look.

"I'm sure it'll be fine," Evan said hastily. "Who knows, maybe Re-uh, Professor Lupin will be the one to beat it?"

"Maybe," Aludra sighed. "It would be wonderful if he did. Unc-Professor Lupin has always loved to teach. Teaching at Hogwarts is his dream job."

"Why did he never apply earlier?" Parvati asked curiously.

"Timing, really," Aludra said in response. "First there was the War, then Daddy needed his help with me and he was tutoring the three of us, and then in our first year he didn't think it would help me or Daddy adjust to me being gone if he was chosen for the job, and last year he was working on the Chamber case."

The others nodded in understanding as they continued to muse about what they would be learning. Evan chimed in that he hoped they had another Prank War to practice duelling, with devolved into the four of them (except Ron, who'd had to spend the summer working on extra credit projects to improve his grades and was scowling) told stories about different Prank Wars, making everyone laugh at the stories and wonder how you would enchant a room to lose its gravity and make everyone who entered float in the first place. (The answer: Runes).

Remus wasn't there when they arrived at their Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson. They all sat down, took out their books, quills, and parchment, and were still talking when he finally entered the room. Remus smiled warmly at them as he placed the shiny new briefcase gifted to him by Sirius' team on the teacher's desk before turning to them.

"Good afternoon," he said. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags. Today's will be a practical lesson. You will need only your wands."

They all exchanged eager but nervous looks as they put away their books. They had never had a practical DADA before, unless you counted the memorable class last year when Lockhart had brought a cageful of pixies to class and set them loose. That, combined with Aludra and her friends' tales of Remus' different lessons, had them all excited to find out what they'd be doing first.

"Right then," said Professor Lupin, when everyone was ready. "If you'd follow me."

Puzzled but interested, the class got to its feet and followed Professor Lupin out of the classroom. He led them along the deserted corridor and around a corner, where the first thing they saw was Peeves the Poltergeist, who was floating upside down in midair and stuffing the nearest keyhole with chewing gum.

Peeves didn't look up until Professor Lupin was two feet away; then he wiggled his curly-toed feet and broke into song.

"Loony, loopy Lupin," Peeves sang. "Loony, loopy Lupin, loony, loopy Lupin—"

"I'd take that gum out of the keyhole if I were you, Peeves," Remus cut in pleasantly. "Mr. Filch won't be able to get to his brooms."

Peeves paid no attention to Remus' words, except to blow a loud wet raspberry.

Remus sighed softly and took out his wand.

"This is a useful little spell," he told the class over his shoulder. "Please watch closely."

He raised the wand to shoulder height, said, "Waddiwasi!" and pointed it at Peeves.

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.

Aludra stifled a giggle, remembering the last time she'd seen him use that spell.

It had taken her father hours to get the gum out, even with magic.

"Cool, sir!" said Dean in amazement.

Remus gave a small smile of amusement, inclining his head politely. "Thank you, Dean," he replied calmly. "Now, here we are."

They were at the staff room.

"Inside, please," said Remus, opening it and standing back.

The staffroom, a long, panelled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty. At the far side was a tall, thin oak wardrobe.

"Down here, gather 'round please everyone," Remus urged. When he stood next to the wardrobe, it started shaking with banging noises coming from within. "No need to worry. Who can guess what's inside this?"

Aludra's hand went up along with Susan's and Neville's.

"Ah, Susan?"

"It's a Boggart, Professor," Susan replied calmly, folding her hands together.

"Exactly," Remus smiled at her. "Now, who can tell me what a Boggart actually is? Aludra?"

"A Boggart is a shapeshifter with mild Legilimency powers that lets it know and change into your worst fear," Aludra explained.

"A perfect answer," Remus confirmed. "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.

This means," said Professor Lupin, "that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Evan?"

Evan looked startled, but answered anyway, sounding tentative. "Uh, well there are so many of us, it won't know what to change into?"

"Precisely," said Remus. "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. 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!"

"Riddikulus!" said the class together.

"Good," said Remus. "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 wardrobe shook again as Neville walked forward, looking grimly determined.

"Right, Neville," said Remus. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

Neville shuddered as he replied, looking haunted, "Bellatrix Lestrange," he whispered, so softly Aludra had to strain her ears to hear him. Susan and she looked at him worriedly as several people mumbled to each other in confusion, wondering who Bellatrix was.

Remus sighed, resting a hand on Neville's shoulder in sympathy. "I understand that, Neville," he told him gently. "I really do. Bellatrix Lestrange was Voldemort's top lieutenant and one of the best duellists of the age. It took both Alastor Moody and Sirius Black combined to take her down, and even then, she blasted off Moody's leg. I'm sure you're not the only one who has her as a Boggart. Now, what we need is a way to make Bellatrix Lestrange less frightening and more funny. Any ideas, class?"

"I've got one," Aludra spoke up after a moment's thought. She hurried to Neville's side and whispered in his ear. A grin split his pale face and he nodded, turning to Remus.

"I'm ready, Professor," he declared, clutching his wand determinedly as Aludra returned to her friends' sides.

"What's your idea?" Susan whispered to her.

"You'll see," Aludra replied softly.

"Alright then," Remus nodded. "Neville, when the Boggart exits the wardrobe it will take the shape of Bellatrix Lestrange. You will raise your wand and say a sharp 'riddikulus!' It will then transform into the amusing image Aludra has suggested. Do you see it in your mind?"

Neville shut his eyes tightly for a moment before nodding firmly. "Yes Sir."

"Good," Remus replied. He turned to the rest of the class. "After Neville, the Boggart will likely begin to shift its' attention to the rest of us in turn. Please take a moment to figure out your worst fear, and a way to make it amusing."

Aludra already knew what her worst fear was. She'd faced it last June; Sirius dying. How could she make that amusing? Maybe if she pranked him somehow...

"Everyone stand back please!" Remus called, interrupting her furious thinking. They all stepped back and left Neville standing, shoulders squared, in front of the wardrobe. Remus cast a spell at the door of the wardrobe and out stepped Bellatrix Lestrange.

This was the Bellatrix Lestrange in the Daily Prophet photos of her after her arrest, not the family ones hidden in the attic of Black Manor. Her hair was tangled and straggly, her robes ragged and dirty with a wild, almost feral look on her gaunt face as she snarled, stalking towards Neville.

Neville visibly shuddered, but bravely raised his wand and called out a firm "riddikulus!"

Suddenly, Boggart Bellatrix was wearing a comically oversized witch hat with a stuffed vulture on top that slid down to cover half her face, holding a rubber chicken instead of a wand, and she was trying to speak in a squeaky, exaggerated voice. Everyone broke into laughter.

Bellatrix stumbled.

Remus shouted, "Parvati! Forward!"

Parvati walked forward, her face set. Lestrange rounded on her. There was another crack, and where she had stood was a bloodstained, 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 unravelled 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 Aludra'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! Ally, you next!"

Aludra hurried forward and watched the Boggart turn into Sirius, pale and gasping for breath.

"Riddikulus!" She cried, and suddenly her Boggart-father was completely healthy, hanging upside down by an ankle while his other leg waved madly in the air, his robes falling down to show his red and gold boxers.

"Aludra Scarlet Black!" He snapped, but it was drowned out by the laughter.

"Dean!" Remus called.

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, clicking its pincers menacingly. For a moment, Aludra thought Ron had frozen. Then— "Riddikulus!" bellowed Ron, and the spider's legs vanished; it rolled over and over; Lavender Brown squealed and ran out of its way and it came to a halt at Evan's feet. Evan raised his wand, ready, but—

"Here!" shouted Remus, hurrying forward.

Crack!

The legless spider had vanished. For a second, everyone looked wildly around to see where it was. Then they saw a silvery-white orb hanging in the air in front of Remus, making Aludra's eyes widen in alarm. This was getting dangerous. If anyone recognized the moon than Remus... Her uncle said, "Riddikulus!" almost lazily.

Crack!

"Forward, Neville, and finish him off!" said Lupin as the boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach. Crack! Lestrange was back. This time Neville charged forward looking determined.

"Riddikulus!" he shouted, and they had a split second's view of Lestrange squeaking as she struggled with her giant vulture hat (modelled off of Dowager Lady Longbottom's, it seemed) before Neville let out a great "Ha!" of laughter, and the boggart exploded, burst into a thousand tiny wisps of smoke, and was gone.

"Excellent!" cried Remus as the class broke into applause. "Excellent, Neville. Well done, everyone… Let me see… five points to Gryffindor for every person to tackle the boggart—ten for Neville because he did it twice… and five each to Aludra, Susan and Evan."

"But I didn't do anything," Evan protested.

"You and the girls answered my questions correctly at the start of the class, Evan," Lupin said lightly. "Very well, everyone, an excellent lesson. Homework, kindly read the chapter on boggarts and summarize it for me… to be handed in on Monday. That will be all."

They left the class in groups, but Aludra hung back to beam at her uncle and hug him. "Oh, Moony, that was brilliant!" She declared.

"Yes, I do think it went well," he agreed with a smile.

"It was the best DADA class we've ever had!" Aludra declared. "You'll see, yours'll be the favourite class in the school by the end of the month!"

"We'll see," Remus smiled. "Now, you had best hurry and catch up with your friends so you won't be late for your next class."

Aludra nodded and hurried to meet her friends. Evan was sulking while the others gushed about the class.

"Best DADA teacher we've ever had!" Ron declared. "Did you see me with the spider? It was brilliant!"

Aludra cast Evan a worried look. She understood why Remus wouldn't let him tackle the Boggart. There was two options Aludra (and Remus no doubt) could think of for what would be her friend's Boggart: Voldemort or a dead Aimee. No one wanted even a fake Voldemort in the staffroom (or anywhere else on the castle grounds), and Evan seeing Aimee would just be too cruel. But Evan always felt the need to prove himself, and no doubt he was interpreting Remus' intervention as Remus seeing Evan as too weak to fight it.

"I wish I'd had the chance to fight it," Susan said with a sigh.

"Tell you what," Aludra said wryly. "Next time we find a Boggart in that old grandfather clock in the foyer at home, I'll tell Daddy to let you deal with it."