Chapter 8
They arrived at Lupin's classroom, where desks were arranged in neat rows and the air smelled faintly of old parchment and something herbal—like tea.
Professor Lupin stood at the front, looking up as the students entered. His tired eyes flickered over them, scanning faces with a polite but weary curiosity.
Then he saw Cassidy.
For the briefest moment, his expression shifted.
It was only a fraction of a second, barely noticeable—his lips parting slightly, a flicker of something.. recognition? Surprise? in his gaze.
Then, just as quickly, his face smoothed into a calm, unreadable expression.
Cassidy didn't notice. She was too busy sliding into a seat next to Ron, muttering about the weird feeling in her chest.
Lupin took a slow breath and smiled at the class.
"Good afternoon," he said warmly.
"Good afternoon, Professor Lupin," the class chorused.
Lupin clasped his hands behind his back. "Shall we begin? Let's get these desks out of the way, we won't need them."
With a swish of his wand, he muttered an "Evanesco!" And made all the desks and chairs disappear. Luckily, the students had stood before he did so.
A large wardrobe stood before everyone, wobbling, as Lupin strode to stand behind the class.
"Intriguing, isn't it?" He called. Cassidy looked at the wardrobe with great interest, happy that something exciting was happening in her favorite subject for once.
"Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what is inside?" Lupin said, slowly walking to the front. His eyes lingered on Cassidy, though she didn't notice.
"A Boggart." She answered immediately, sharply.
"Blimey, Cass, you're fast." Ron whispered. Cassidy gave him a small smile.
"Very good, Miss Sweet." Lupin fought the urge to grin at Cassidy's quick answer. "Now, can anybody tell me what a Boggart looks like?"
Hermione appeared just then, ready to answer, but Cassidy beat her to it.
"Nobody knows." She said, eyes trained on the wardrobe.
"When did she get here?" Ron said, looking at Hermione with bewilderment. She ignored him, instead looking at how Lupin stared at Cassidy proudly. Cassidy didn't notice, but Hermione did. She glanced between Cassidy and Lupin, brow furrowed.
"Boggarts are shapeshifters," Hermione added. "They take the shape of whatever the particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so—"
"So terrifying, yes." Lupin completed for her, walking towards the wardrobe. "Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a Boggart." The wardrobe shook again. "Let's practice it now."
As Lupin spoke, Neville's eyes shifted towards Cassidy, who was very attentive to the lesson. Her features seemed to have sharpened, brow furrowed in thought.
His cheeks grew pink, and he shook the thoughts out of his head before returning his attention to class.
"...and without wands, please. After me. Riddikulus! "
"Riddikulus!" The class chorused, Cassidy's voice louder than the others. Draco rolled his eyes. The closet banged again, and the class stepped back in fear.
"Very good. A little louder, very clear. Take an example from Miss Sweet," Lupin said. "Listen. Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!" The class chorused again.
"This class is ridiculous." Malfoy muttered.
"Getting your arse handed to you by a hippogriff is ridiculous." Cassidy retorted, eyes still on the wardrobe. Crabbe snorted, stopping when Malfoy shot him a glare.
"Very good. Well, so much for the easy part," Lupin said. "See, the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a Boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain. Uh... Neville! Could you join me, please?"
Neville Longbottom had been busy sneaking glances at Cassidy and trying not to be seen, and he looked positively horrified to be called on. Cassidy avoided his eyes, still flustered from what had happened on their way to Care of Magical Creatures. Everybody stared at him.
"Come on, don't be shy, come on." Lupin beckoned. Slowly, Neville walked to the front of the class, and Cassidy now kept her eyes on him, curious.
"Neville. What frightens you most of all?" Lupin asked.
Neville muttered something.
"Sorry?"
"Professor Snape." Neville said, more clearly this time.
"Professor Snape." Lupin said, laughing with the rest of the class. "Frightens us all."
Cassidy was beginning to like Professor Lupin very much, even if he happened to know her middle name for no reason.
"Now, I believe you live with your grandmother." Lupin said.
"Yes," Neville said, his voice rising. "But I don't want that Boggart to turn into her, either!"
The class burst into laughter again, and Cassidy covered her mouth to stifle her own giggles.
"No." Lupin said, as the closet shook again. "It won't. Now, I want you to picture her clothes, only her clothes, very clearly, in your mind."
Neville hesitated before speaking. "S-she carries a red handbag—" Lupin shook his head.
"We don't need to hear. As long as you see it, we'll see it." Lupin strode to stand behind Neville. "Now, when I open that wardrobe, here's what I want you to do."
Lupin lowered himself to whisper something into Neville's ear, and though Cassidy tried to lean closer to hear, she couldn't catch any of it. Lupin stood up straight again.
"Can you do that?" He asked with a smile. Neville didn't have the chance to answer, as Lupin stepped away from him and pulled out his wand.
"Wand at the ready!" He shouted. "One, two, three."
And with a flick of his wand, the wardrobe opened.
Cassidy held her breath as Professor Snape emerged from the wardrobe, but raised an eyebrow when he seemed to have a red notebook in his hand. Small doodles of hearts and plants were all over it, and as he walked towards Neville, he raised it threateningly, as if to show it to the class.
Neville's face drained of color as Lupin lowered himself to whisper to him yet again.
"Think, Neville, think!" He said.
"Riddikulus!" Neville shouted, and Snape's clothes resembled that of a very old-fashioned lady. The red notebook with hearts all over it turned into a red handbag, and the classroom burst into laughter.
Snape looked very embarrassed, whirling around to look at the class.
"Ha-ha! Wonderful, Neville, wonderful!" Lupin said, clapping Neville on the back. "Everyone, form a line!"
The Slytherins and Gryffindors immediately formed a line, pushing and shoving each other, Cassidy was pushed particularly hard, right into Ron's arms. He caught her swiftly.
"Ah, sorry Ron." She muttered, ignoring the heat rising to her cheeks as she stood up straight. Unfortunately, it seemed she'd been pushed to stand behind Ron, and he happened to stand in front.
Cassidy wasn't very sure she wanted everyone to know her deepest, darkest fears yet.
"I want everyone to picture the thing they fear the very most, and turn it into something funny." Lupin said, turning on a gramophone to play a Muggle jazz song. Cassidy narrowed her eyes, finding herself to recognize that very song. It was her father's favorite. Before she could ponder this any further, Lupin's voice rang out again.
"Ron!" He called. Ron nervously stepped forward, locking eyes with the Boggart, who turned into a massive spider.
"Oh, fiddlesticks, " she muttered, watching Ron whimper as it crawled closer.
"Ron." Cassidy hissed.
"What?" He said, voice cracking.
"Your wand!" Cassidy tried to stifle a giggle. "Use your wand!"
"Wand at the ready, Ron!" Lupin added, silently observing how Cassidy looked at Ron.
Carefully, Ron pulled out his wand, yelling "Riddikulus!"
The spider immediately started sliding around in roller skates, and Cassidy doubled over, laughing with the rest of the class.
"Yes!" Lupin shouted, laughing. "See? Very good, very good." The spider fell over, and Ron gave Cassidy a high five as he walked to the back of the line. "Marvelous! Absolutely very, very good, now, Cassidy!" The jazz music mixed with student's laughs, and Cassidy grinned as she stepped forward, suddenly not too scared of the task ahead.
The Boggart locked eyes with her and turned.
All the laughter in the room immediately ceased.
Cassidy trembled as she looked downwards, and saw her father lying there, dead and unresponsive. Blood had pooled around his head, and his eyes stared off into nothing. Lupin's breath hitched and the jazz music kept playing, but it was out of place. She heard gasps and murmurs from around her, and saw Lupin approaching her quickly from the side.
"Cassidy—"
She whipped out her wand.
"Riddikulus!" She shouted, and her father's corpse immediately rose, alive and well, tap-dancing to the jazz music with a silly smile on his face. Cassidy's wand arm dropped to her side, and she turned, ignoring the murmurs, ignoring the stares, ignoring Ron, Hermione, Seamus, Dean and Harry as they tried to stop her.
She walked straight out of the Defense Against The Dark Arts class, banging the door shut behind her.
"Right," Professor Lupin finally said after a long moment, his usual warmth dimmed. "Let's... continue." But there was something in his expression—something distant, thoughtful, as though part of him was already reaching for the door.
"Dementors would've been more cheerful," Draco drawled, loud enough for the class to hear.
"Shut it, Malfoy." Ron snapped, and Hermione had to hold him back from punching him.