The following Wednesday, I had my first class with Professor Moody. something I'd been very much looking forward to. It was going to be interesting to see if everyone had been overexaggerating him or not. We entered and saw that there was a cabinet at the front of the room that was rocking from side to side. Moody was standing in front of it, his magical eye gazing at each of us individually as we took our seats, and starting to get out our copies of The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts. I felt very uneasy as his eye bore into me, what if he was looking at my... well, you know. But as soon as that thought entered my head, he looked away, instead turning onto Demelza as she sat down next to me.

"Creepy isn't he?" she whispered.

I bit my lip and nodded.

"You can all put those books away" Moody said suddenly. "Just like last lesson, this one will be purely practical. I trust you all did the assigned reading?"

I didn't know about this, having been in hospital, but I just went along with everyone else, who were nodding or murmuring "yes Professor"

"Good. So, Weasley, what can you tell me about Boggarts?"

I relaxed. I didn't need to do any reading for this lesson. I'd known what Boggarts were for years.

"Boggarts are creatures that take the shape of your worst fear, sir"

"Precisely. 5 Points for Gryffindor. You see here boys and girls, this is the example you should take. Weasley here has not done any of the pre-reading, yet she knew what Boggarts were anyway"

I was stunned

"How did you-" I began, but Moody continued, talking over me.

"She knew this years ago, because she is someone who has always shown CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

More like Dad just told me what they were, I thought.

Several people jumped, including Demelza and Amy beside me.

"I doubt I'll ever get used to that" muttered Amy

"Do you know what the spell is to banish one, Miss Weasley?"

I bit my lip, racking my brains to try and remember.

"Uhh, Riddikulus, I think?"

"Indeed, take another 5 points. Now that's been said, everyone on your feet, form a line! The way to defeat Boggarts, is to think of something funny when saying the incantation. Something that also helps is to have lots of people fighting it at once, so that it is confused as to what to transform into, which is why we're all going to have a go at it!"

Moody waved his wand and the tables and chairs slid into a neat line along the walls. We all lined up in the middle, Magda, Amy, Demelza and I at the very back.

"I'm going to tap on this cabinet door, and then it will emerge. Mr Creevey, if you could step forward please!"

Colin did so.

"Surprised he's going first, didn't think he was brave enough" I said to Demelza

"Yeah, fair play to him" she replied

Moody tapped the door, and Harry walked out of the cabinet. At first I was confused. Colin loved Harry, what was this about? But then it all made sense, as Harry approached Colin and said "I don't like you Creevey, you're an irritiating, talentless little pipsqueak, I wish you would be expelled, you're a stain on my life-"

"Riddkulus!" called Colin, and suddenly a pair of roller skates appeared on Harry's feet and he fell over.

"Excellent Creevey!" said Moody "Right, who's next?"

The class progressed, and it was very intriguing to see everyone's fears and responses. Some highlights included a tiger, who's tail and stripes were vanished and teeth and claws made rubber, a Muggle dentist, who's instruments were turned into soft toys and was made to wet himself, and someone drowning, who was saved and instead made to sunbathe while floating on a pool of thick cream.

Then it was down to the final four, Magda, Amy, Demelza and myself. By this point the Boggart was starting to lose some of it's power, though it was still able to maintain the fears for at least a few seconds. I gnawed on my lip and closed my eyes, trying to think of what I'd do to Tom Riddle. This was interrupted however, by a Swedish Short Snout Dragon appearing, which had everyone running for cover!

"Everybody stay calm, I'll deal with this one!" Moody shouted, and luckily, before it could breath any fire, he had it banished. We didn't see what Moody's fear was, as we were all too busy hiding under the desks. Once we were lined back up, Moody said.

"Miss Sivarsson, stay behind after class. We will do your attempt again alone, and this time please try to think of something other than a dragon!"

"You did say our worst fears" Magda muttered, as she passed me to go to the back of the line.

Amy stepped forward, and Ludo appeared in front of us, tied to a chair in front of a judge.

"Mr. Bagman, you have disgraced the whole wizarding world with your scams, and your freedom shall therefore be shortened. I sentence you to 5 years in Azkaban!" said the judge.

"R-Riddikulus!" Amy gasped, and she ran to the back of the line before the scene finished shifting.

Then it was Demelza's turn, and her parents appeared on the floor, dead. Demelza however didn't even break a sweat, and calmly dispatched, which meant it was finally my turn.

Tom Riddle stepped out of the cabinet, and bore down on me. I bit my lip as he approached, with his evil smile, and suddenly I was having flashbacks to first year, and all the horrors that I'd suffered.

"Ginny, get a grip on yourself, it's just a boggart!" I thought aggressively, and without wasting any further time, I shouted "Riddikulus!", and suddenly, Tom was naked, looking extremely embarrassed and startled. The classes laughter disturbed it, and it began shifting into various shapes.

"It's confused!" Moody said "let's move in for the kill, back to our original order everyone!"

Colin came forward and there was Harry again, and after falling over it turned into a combination of the dentist and the tiger, then it began malforming into various mutated forms, until everyone had been around a second time, and finally, after my second "Riddikulus!" it blew apart into smoke and dust!"

"Constant excellent vigilance shown there from all of you!" barked Moody, "well, apart from Ms Sivarsson. 10 points to Gryffindor for everyone aside from her, and she can have them if she passes the test in front of me alone! Homework, a roll of parchment on the history of boggarts, to be handed in next lesson! Dismissed!"

"Well that was interesting wasn't it?" said Demelza as we made our way down to dinner.

"Yeah, Colin's boggart especially" Amy said "is there really nothing he's more afraid of than Harry shaming him?"

"It doesn't surprise me" I said "we all know how obsessed he is with Harry"

We sat down next to Hermione at the Gryffindor table. I noticed that she was looking towards the Ravenclaw table, staring intently at Matilda Wormwood, who was chatting happily with a boy sitting next to her.

"Uhh, you alright mate?" I asked, but Hermione didn't reply.

"Mate!" I said more loudly, and shook her. Still nothing.

"Come on Hermione, what's going on!" I shouted, waving my hand in front of her face.

"Oh sorry, Ginny" she said. "It's just, you know, Matilda"

"What about her?"

"Haven't you noticed too, there's just something... I dunno, different about her"

"What?"

Hermione chewed her lip and did not elaborate.