“Welcome to Defense Against the Dark Arts.”

“You think he’s going to be better than Lockhart?” asked Mika softly, leaning back in his chair to look upside down at Niamh.

The dark-haired girl frowned at him for a moment before replying.  The looks the white-haired boy sent Harry when he thought no one else was looking had set her to be suspicious of him.

“Anyone would be better than Lockhart.”

“What about Quirrell?”

Niamh looked at Harry, who was half-listening to the role call and whispering in Parseltongue to Hedwig.

“Nevermind Quirrell.”

“ Niamh O’Feir?”

“Here, sir!”

Mika arched an eyebrow and Niamh gave him a shove forward.  Harry arched an eyebrow at the two of them then looked towards the front of the room when his name was called.

“Harry Potter?”

Lupin’s voice was hushed and surprised.  Harry called out, “’Ere, sir,” and the gray eyes widened in surprise.

This was Harry Potter?  This long-haired, gangly boy who spoke Parseltongue and was known as Lord Hex by many of the students was his best friends son?  These were Remus Lupin’s thoughts as he stared at Harry.

“Why’s he looking at you like that, mate?” whispered Niamh in his ear, her breath tickling.

Harry shrugged, knowing the answer already.  Lupin had been James Potter’s friend in school.  And Harry knew well enough that he didn’t look anything like James Potter, who wasn’t his real father.  Small wonder Lupin was staring at him.

Lupin seemed to catch himself and gave a little shake, finishing off the role.  He then said, “Follow me.”

The third year Slytherins looked at each other before rising and following him out.

/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/*/

Lupin lead them along the corridors until they came to the staff room.  Inside, sat none other than the Slytherin Head of House.  Snape sneered at Lupin as he entered before nodding casually at the third years.  A few returned it with smiles, Niamh being one of them.  Harry nodded in return, eyeing Mika as the boy gave his father a calculating look before turning it to him.  Green eyes met dark brown in a flurry of cold gazes and brown turned away quickly.

“Good morning, Severus.  Come to watch?”

Snape rose from his chair and replied in a scathing voice, “I am afraid not, Lupin.  I fear you shall be too embarrassed to face me after this class.”

Several Slytherins snickered, Malfoy and his cronies among them, but Lupin didn’t waver an inch.  He simply looked at Snape with calm gray eyes and said, “I look to change your impression on that.”

Snape sneered once more then turned in a flurry of dark robes and stalked out, jet eyes flicking once to Harry before he was gone.

“Well, then,” said Lupin, clasping his hand together.  “Let us begin.  Who knows what a boggart is?”

Hands raised and Lupin called out, “Mr. Malfoy?”

Draco smirked and said, “A boggart is a shape-shifter.  It takes the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us the most.”

“Very good, Mr. Malfoy.  Five points to Slytherin.  Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces.  Wardrobes, underneath your bed, the cupboard under the sink – even a grandfather clock.  The one in the wardrobe here moved in yesterday and I asked Professor Dumbledore to leave it for my first years.”

All eyes turned to the wardrobe, which gave an almighty shake, thumping on the wall.

“So, our boggart just sits there in the dark, waiting for us.  He doesn’t know what form will frighten us yet.  Nobody knows what a boggart truly looks like but when I let him out he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears.  This means we have a huge advantage over him before we begin.  Miss O’Feir, have you spotted it?”

Niamh blinked then said, “Because there are so many of us, it won’t know what to turn into to?”

“Excellent.  Five points.  It’s always a good idea to have company when dealing with a boggart.  He doesn’t know whether to turn into a banshee or a flesh-eating slug.  I once saw a boggart who turned himself into a half slug.  Not very scary.”

“Now, the charm that repels a boggart is simple, but it requires force of mind.  The real thing that finishes a boggart is laughter.  You simply need to force it to assume a shape that you find amusing.  Let’s practice the charm without wands first.  After me….riddikulus!”

“Riddikulus,” said the Slytherins back half-heartedly with the exception of Harry, Niamh, Mika, and a scrawny looking girl with scraggly blond hair and bright blue eyes.

“Very good,” said Lupin.  “Miss…Brethel.  If you would assist me.”

The scrawny looking girl blinked and stepped forward, slipping her wand out of her sleeve.

“Now, Miss Brethel, what frightens you the most?”

Brethel frowned then murmured something softly.

“I’m sorry?”

“Werewolves,” repeated the girl in a feeble voice.  Harry glanced at Lupin, who nodded solemnly before asking another question.

“Do you have a dog, Miss Brethel?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Ah.  And what does this dog look like?”

“He’s…a Labrador.  Kind of skinny with big brown eyes.  My brother says he’s dumb but I don’t think so.”  The girl ducked her head and Lupin placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Is he playful?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Alright then.  When the boggart comes out of the wardrobe, it will assume the form of a werewolf (Brethel shivered).  Now, you raise your wand and cry ‘Riddikulus’, concentrating hard on your dog.  If all goes well, your werewolf will become as docile and playful as your Lab.”

Lupin then turned to the rest of the class and said, “If Miss Brethel is successful, the boggart will likely turn its attention to the rest of us.  I want all of you to think of what makes you most frightened and how you might make it comical.”

Harry frowned.  What was he afraid of?

Voldemort?  No, not really.  Not as the parasitic shadow the Dark Lord was now.  But a Voldemort with a body and all powers returned….  A Voldemort that might take his newly found father away from him and leave him with only the Dursley’s as kin once more….  That scared him straight down to the marrow in his bones.

But just as he had conjured the image of a towering Voldemort being forced into a hideous outfit he had seen once in a London shop window another image entered his mind.

Gray, skeletal hands reaching out of a black robe…harsh breath coming from an unseen mouth…swirling white mist and the screams of a woman…then the fierce cold that made him shiver even now in the warmth of the teachers staff room in its memory.

To his left he heard Mika muttering, “Not the light, not the light,” and Niamh’s more fierce hissing of, “Not again.”

“Everyone ready?”

Harry froze.  How the hell was he supposed to make a dementor comical?

“Alright, Amanda, we’re going to all back away and give you a clear field.  I’ll call the next person forward…  Everyone back, now.  Give her room.”

Amanda Brethel shivered violently but held her wand at ready, pushing her sleeves up to her elbows.

“On the count of three.  One – two – three!”

A jet of sparks shot out of Lupin’s wand, striking the doorknob.  The wardrobe burst open and a werewolf leapt out with a savage snarl, beady red eyes turning to bear on Amanda, who stood frozen in terror.  The werewolf moved forward with another snarl, shaggy gray fur prickling on end.  Amanda seemed to snap out of her daze and cried, “Riddikulus!”

A sound like a whip crack went through the air and the werewolf stumbled, coming up with a whimper and moving forward to nuzzle at Amanda’s hand.  The girl smiled and patted it head with a nervous motion.  Lupin smiled then called, “Pansy!”

Pansy stepped forward and the boggart turned towards her, shifting into a rather large spider with another crack.

“R - riddikulus!”

The spider fell to the floor, legless, slavering fangs clicking loudly.

“Gregory!”

Goyle lumbered forward and - crack! – the spider became a ghastly, bloody head.

“Riddikulus!”

The head was surrounded by a box.

“Draco!”

The boxed head turned into a huge, towering black horse with a twisted horn spiraling out of its forehead.  A jet colored mane blew in a wind none of them felt and eyes of the same jet glared balefully at the blond boy.

Harry smirked.  Malfoy was scared of a Darcorn!  And going with the gasps around him, so were a few others.

“Riddikulus!”

The Darcorn was saddled and bridled suddenly and Harry felt a surge of anger.  The creature was only a boggart in the guise of the dark unicorn but it still made him angry to see a creature such as the one that had saved his life twice in such a state.

“Mika!” roared Lupin.

Crack!  The room was flooded in bright green light.  Harry shielded his eyes as several cried out in shock.  That light…  He knew that light…

“Riddikulus!”

The light was suddenly contained in a jar.

“Niamh!”

Crack!

“Stupid girl…”

Niamh flinched violently away from the angry man that had appeared.  Harry recognized him as her father and frowned.

Lupin, seeing Niamh’s distress, suddenly cried, “Here!”  Niamh’s father vanished, replaced by a floating silver orb.  He lazily said, “Riddikulus,” and the boggart landed on the floor as a cockroach.  Lupin gave a short “Ha!” of laughter and it vanished in a puff of smoke.

“Five points to everyone who faced the boggart.  Read the chapter on boggarts for homework and summarize it for me to be handed in on Monday.  That will be all.”

The Slytherin made to leave and just before the last of them had cleared the door, Lupin called, “Miss O’Feir, may I speak with you?”

Niamh froze and turned to look back at the professor.  Harry touched her shoulder gently and said, “I’ll get yer stuff.”

Niamh nodded numbly and Harry left, looking back at her once before Lupin closed the door of the staffroom.  As he walked back to the Defense classroom, he wondered why Niamh’s greatest fear was her father.