•This story takes scenes from the Harry Potter series. I want to make it clear that I don't own those scenes. That's owned by
J.K. Rowling. Thank you•

~Claire~

I sat on my desk in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, my legs crossed as I flipped through the Daily Prophet.

"Anything new?" Remus questioned from where he sat in the chair for his desk, rather than on the desk.
"They think they've spotted Sirius," I mumbled, absentmindedly playing with the rings hanging on the chain around my neck.

Remus walked over and noticed the rings.

"What's that?" He questioned.
"Hm? Oh. Well, Albus said I couldn't where the rings on my hand, so I've put them on this chain. There's also the dog paw, of course," I explained, glancing down at the necklace that once just held the dog paw. But now it held the rings that should be on my left hand.

Remus frowned at me sympathetically.

He went to say something, but we were cut off as the door was pushed open, and a bunch of fifth years walked in.

There were a handful of Slytherin girls chatting with scowls on their faces. Slytherin boys drooled over them as they stared admiringly.

Then the Gryffindors' started gathering. First a few unfamiliar faces – although most were unfamiliar – and then some familiar. Angelina walked in first, followed by Alicia and Scarlett. Then Lee, Fred, and George walked in.

"Good afternoon!" I exclaimed, smiling at the teenagers.
There were a few hellos from the Gryffindors' and a few grunts from the Slytherins', but then there were the, er, energetic Gryffindors'.

"Good afternoon Professor Bennet!" Lee exclaimed.
"Hi Lee," I chuckled.

Lee gasped dramatically.

"Are we doing first names now, Clairesse?" Lee questioned.
"No, Mr. Jordan," Remus corrected with a glance at me.
"Oh don't look at me like that Remus," I scoffed playfully.
"What about us?" Fred and George questioned.
"No," I laughed.
"What about me, Mum?" Scarlett snorted.

A few confused murmurs sounded around the room and Scarlett smiled sheepishly at me.

"No, Ms. Bennet," I stated, and Scarlett frowned at me.
"That's rude, Mum," Scarlett mumbled.
"That's Professor Bennet to you," I corrected.

Scarlett leaned back in her chair and folded her arms over her chest.

"Right then," said Remus, "If you'd follow me."

Everyone got up and followed Remus and I down the deserted corridor. Finally we stopped outside the staffroom door.

"Inside, please," I said, opening the door so that everyone could enter.

The staffroom a long, paneled room full of old, mismatched chairs, was empty. Other than the old wardrobe where teachers kept their spare robes.

It wobbled as Remus walked over to it, causing all of the students to jump.
"Nothing to worry about," I grinned.
"What was that?!" A panicked Slytherin girl demanded.
"A boggart," I replied simply.
"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," Remus explained.
"Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks – I once met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in yesterday afternoon, and Professor Bennet and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give our students some practice," Remus said.

The students all jumped again as the boggart pounded on the wardrobe.

"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?" I questioned.

A few hands shot up, and a few others hesitantly raised their hands.

"Ms. Johnson," I smiled at Angelina.
"It's a shapeshifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."
"Couldn't have put it better myself," Remus grinned. Angelina beamed at him.
"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," Remus explained.
"This means, that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Has anyone spotted it?" I questioned.

Scarlett's hand shot up.

"Yes Ms. Bennet?" I asked.
"Because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be!" Scarlett said excitedly.
"Precisely," I grinned. "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 a half slug. Not remotely frightening."

The Gryffindors' laughed at my story, the Slytherins' struggling to stifle theirs.

"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," Remus stated. "We will practice the charm without Wands first. After me, please...Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!"The class said together.
"Good," said Remus. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. Can I ask you to join me, Ms. Spinnet?"

Alicia's eyes widened slightly, but then she hesitantly walked forward. She gripped her wand in her left hand, her eyes looking from the shaking wardrobe to Remus.

"Good. Now, what is your biggest fear?" Remus asked.
"Uh, um-" Alicia looked back at her group of friends.

I watched with a grin as her friends supported her. Scarlett and Angelina gave encouraging nods. Fred and George gave her a big thumbs up. But then Lee smiled lightly at her.

Alicia gulped before turning back to Remus.

"Uh, s-spiders," Alicia whispered almost inaudibly.
"Spiders," Remus repeated with a nod. "Now I want you to imagine a way you could make that spider funny. And then simply repeat the incantation."

Alicia thought for a second before nodding with a slight grin.

With a flick of my wand, the wardrobe was unlocked, and the door was slowly being pushed open.

A huge, black spider slowly stepped out. It's eight legs wobbled slightly, but straightened up after fully exiting the wardrobe.

Alicia gulped, but raised her wand in front of her. She was trembling as the spider stepped closer to her.

"R-Rid-Riddikulus!"

Slowly, the spiders legs disappeared with a pop, one at a time, before it was balancing on only one.
The spider hopped to keep its balance, but the last leg disappeared and it was left rolling on the ground.

The class roared with laughter.

"Who's next?" Remus laughed.

They eagerly pushed their way forward, fighting to get to the front of the line.

I noticed Fred, George, Lee, and Scarlett step back. The four of them avoiding the front.

A few students went, but I was focused on the four who hadn't gone.

"Mr. Jordan? Ms. Bennet? Er, both Mr. Weasleys'?" Remus questioned after everyone else had gone.

The four looked up wide eyed.

"Mr. Jordan. You next," I smiled encouragingly.

Lee shook his head rapidly.

"I-I can't," Lee mumbled.
"You have to. You'll be graded for participation," I stated.

Lee glanced around the class, stopping at Alicia, who was giving him the same smile he had given her.

Lee gulped before walking forward.

The boggart gave a loud pop before Alicia appeared before him.

The class went dead silent as boggart Alicia stepped towards Lee.

"You think I'd ever like someone like you?" The boggart snarled.

Lee stood frozen in place.

"You think I'd ever love you?" She laughed manically.

Lee was as pales as a ghost, he was trembling, and tears were filling his eyes.

I hadn't even noticed Remus dismiss everyone who had gone besides Alicia, as my eyes were fixated on the frozen Lee.

My gut told me to help him, but my brain reminded me of what would happen if I got to close to the boggart.

Finally, Lee raised his wand and repeated the incantation. Boggart Alicia was now on a pogo stick, whilst juggling.

Lee was brought out of his trance as Alicia threw her arms around Lee.

Lee, now aware of his surroundings, returned the hug. Though he looked awfully confused as to why she was hugging him.

"You're not mad at me?" Lee questioned.
"Why would I be mad?" Alicia asked confusedly.
"The whole of Hogwarts is going to know I like you. Do you realize how much drama you're going to be in? You don't like me anyway," Lee mumbled.
"Don't like you? I've been crushing on you since first year! And I couldn't care less about drama!" Alicia exclaimed.

Remus, being the only polite one, continued with the lesson as to give the two some privacy.

George went next, his Boggart turning into Fred, although lifeless on the ground.

Fred had stared at his lifeless body with a frown, and George was brought to tears.

I thought Scarlett would have been effected by this, but she was to busy staring at Lee and Alicia.

George finally flicked his wand at the boggart, and Fred was now belly laughing on the ground.

"Scarlett. You're up," I stated.

Fear took over Scarlett as she stared at me.

"Mum I really can't," Scarlett whimpered.
"You have to, Scar," I frowned.

After a moment of Scarlett trying to get out of going, she finally gave up and walked up.

The Boggart gave a loud pop, before a red headed boy appeared on the ground.

It was quite obvious it was either Fred or George. But only someone who knew Scarlett would be able to tell that it was Fred she was afraid of being dead.

Scarlett had tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at the body.

My mind giving up, I ran over to her. I slid in front of her, my wand ready to stop what I knew the boggart would turn into.

After a loud pop, Sirius Black stood in front of me.

But it wasn't the Sirius Black I loved so dearly.
It was the Sirius Black that had been effected after twelve years spent in Azkaban.

His matted hair, his lifeless eyes, his dirty robes. It terrified me.

"Riddikulus!" I exclaimed after having enough of it.

Scarlett looked worse than Lee did.

She looked petrified.

"Scarlett?" I questioned after a second.

Scarlett glanced up at me, her chin quivering, before bolting out the door.

"I'll go get her," Alicia stated, following her out the door.

Remus walked over to me and patted my shoulder.

"You okay?" He questioned.
"Yeah," I nodded.

The boggart was now a big black dog, running around the room.

"You're up, Fred," I stated.

I looked up at Fred, who looked a little mad, and also a little sad.

He walked up, determination glowing in his eyes.

The pop sounded, and George and Scarlett were dead on the ground.

The determination disappeared with a blink of an eye, and sadness replaced it.

"Riddikulus!" Fred exclaimed.

The boggart was now George and Scarlett rolling on the ground in laughter.

George was frowning as Fred was when the same thing happened to him.
Remus and Lee didn't know what to say.
And I was speechless after seeing my daughter lifeless.

"Fre-" George started, but Fred cut him off.
"Don't talk to me," Fred spat, walking out the door.

George and Lee glanced at Remus and I, before running out the door after him.

~George~

Lee and I finally caught up to Fred, who was going in the opposite direction of the common room.

"Fred! What just happened?!" Lee questioned.
"What just happened?! Did you not see Scarlett's boggart?!" Fred spat.

Lee and I exchanged a confused look.

"What do you mean?" I asked after awhile.
"It was you! She obviously likes you!" Fred scowled.
"Me?! No! No! No! That was you, Fred!" I stated.
"And why the bloody hell would it be me?!" Fred scoffed.
"I don't know! But that wasn't me," I said.

Fred continued to glare at me, but turned around and continued walking.

"He's in deep," Lee stated after Fred had disappeared from sight.
"What?" I questioned.
"Fred. He's fallen hard for Scarlett," Lee reworded.
"And what about you and Alicia? I'd say you've fallen hard too," I chuckled.
"Don't bully me," Lee cried dramatically.
"That's not bullying, mate. That's truth."
"No that's just bullying."
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Look! An update! How rare!

Yes I know. I'm horrible. But I'm trying! I really am! I haven't made a schedule yet, but I had ran into a problem with this chapter.
Originally Scarlett's boggart was supposed to be Sirius, but she doesn't know enough about him for him to be her worst fear.

But I think this chapter was way more dramatic than that would've been, so I think it was okay!

I don't have anything else to say, so I hope you all have a nice day! I love you all!
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