From the Eyes of the Werewolf

(AN: Once again I have to use quite a bit of the original text written by JK Rowling. Please forgive me for "stealing" it.)

Chapter Six

Fun with the Boggart

The days were moving by quickly as class after class amused and amazed the new teacher. The first year Slytherins had decided to demonstrate their sneaky nature by rearranging the desks before Remus entered the room. They spent quite a while putting things back in their proper place, without magic, much to the dismay of the class. The Hufflepuff seventh years were so concerned with causing harm to a fellow student that the class on curse breaking hadn't been very successful. But it was the Ravenclaw sixth years that gave Remus the best run for his money. He had assigned them all a paper on the Unforgivable curses due next class period. That evening, he started receiving paper after early paper from the students, asking for advice or corrections to their nearly flawless work. One student had been so detailed in her descriptions and intricate in her wording that Remus, who considered himself very well educated, found himself looking up several of the words in the dictionary and even rereading a few paragraphs, trying to decipher what her point was.

On Wednesday evening, he had arranged to meet Professor Flitwick at the trick stairs to help remove the boggart who had been terrifying unsuspecting students. Grateful for an excuse to focus on something other than the Ravenclaw essays, Remus had arrived early only to find that the boggart was no longer hiding beneath the stairs.

"It's moved!" a voice said behind him. Turning, Remus found himself face-to-face with Professor Dumbledore.

"Moved? Where?" Remus asked.

"One of the older boys had been taught the Riddikulus charm by his parents years ago. The boggart came out to scare him and some friends and the boy frightened the boggart instead. Last I heard, it had lodged itself in the staff room wardrobe. It gave Madam Hooch quite a fright this afternoon! Professor Flitwick is trying, as we speak, to get rid of it."

This gave Remus an idea. He asked, "I wonder if there would be any opposition to leaving it in there for a day." Dumbledore, surprised by the request, questioned the need to leave it be. "I have the third year Gryffindors tomorrow. I think they might enjoy having a go at a boggart."

Chuckling amusedly at the idea, Dumbledore agreed to let the Boggart remain and Remus hurried off to stop Professor Flitwick from destroying it.

Thursday at lunch, Remus positioned himself in front of the wardrobe just in case anyone tried to open it and settled down to his meal while reading through some more essays. He was moving along quite nicely when he was interrupted by an unfamiliar staff member entering the room.

She was very thin, almost too thin to be alive, Remus thought. Her hair piled up on top of her head caused the focus to be drawn to two very wide eyes, hidden behind spectacles that made her look a bit like a bug. Draped in flowing robes and piles of beads and spangles, she looked to be something of a Gypsy.

"Hello," Remus said courteously.

In a hoarse voice that was almost a whisper she said, "The tea leaves alerted me that I would encounter a new teacher upon my arrival. Sybill Trelawney, Divination." She bowed her head slowly.

"Remus Lupin, Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"You will forgive me, Professor, for interrupting your reading, but an unforeseen chill has come over my classroom and I am in need of the shawl I left in the wardrobe."

Before she was able to open the door, Remus stopped her. "Professor Trelawney, there is a boggart in that wardrobe that I am saving for my next class." Trelawney looked shocked and surprised, whether by the boggart itself or at her lack of ability to foresee such a problem, Remus could not tell. "But I'm sure you already knew that." Her face lightened. "Perhaps you were waiting for me to volunteer to fetch your robe for you?"

Without missing a beat she said, "Indeed I was, Professor Lupin, if you would be so kind."

Remus got up and went to the wardrobe. As always, upon opening the door the boggart popped into the shape of the moon and hung eerily in space long enough for Remus to grab the shawl, pass it to Trelawney, and close the door again.

"How very interesting," she said. "You have a fear of crystal balls?"

"No," Remus said, gathering up his papers, realizing that he was late for his class.

Not hearing him, Trelawney continued, "Perhaps if you allow me to crystal gaze for you, it will alleviate you fear and make you more comfortable."

"Thank you Professor, but I'm running late for class." Not wanting to discuss his fears with an obvious fraud, he hurried out of the room and toward the second floor. He couldn't help but think about Sirius' mother and how she was a true Seer. Sirius would be appalled that a phony was teaching Divination, but Dumbledore must have his reasons.

He hurried down the hall to his classroom, excited by not only the scheduled lesson, but by the fact that he would have Harry in his class for the first time. He had seen Harry wandering around the halls with his friends, but had never had courage enough to stop him and talk to him. But it wasn't for lack of wanting to, as Remus couldn't wait for an opportunity to get to know Harry. He hadn't spent much time with James and Lily after Harry had been born - something he regretted now. Times had been very hard and James and Lily took great precautions to protect themselves. Unfortunately, that protection backfired, and Harry had been left alone. But now was his chance to get to know the son of some of his best friends, and Remus only hoped he wouldn't appear too anxious in meeting him.

Upon arrival in the classroom, Remus told the students to put away everything except their wands. They had all readied themselves to take notes, but as this was what Remus described as a practical lesson, he told them they would only need their wands. After watching the students exchange some puzzled glances, Remus led them from the room and down toward the staff room, hoping that by the time they arrived, Professor Trelawney would be gone.

As he led the students around the corner, he was greeted by Peeves the Poltergeist, who was busy sticking gum in the keyhole to the broom cupboard. He turned, and giving one look at Remus, broke out into the old teasing song that students had once tormented him with for missing so many classes.

"Loony, loopy, Lupin! Loony, loopy Lupin!"

Remus, ignoring the taunt, warned him about the gum and received a raspberry in return. Smiling to himself at the thought that he was now a teacher and an adult and no longer had to be subject to Peeves' rude behavior, Remus got the class's attention before saying, "Waddiwasi!" at the unsuspecting poltergeist. The gum shot out of the keyhole and lodged itself right up Peeves' nose.

"Cool, sir!" said Dean Thomas, obviously amazed.

"Thank you, Dean," Remus replied, keeping his cool, but wanting to cheer at his own behavior. How many times had he wanted to do that to Peeves when he was in school? It felt liberating knowing that he couldn't get detention anymore, but he also knew that he was setting an example for his students. So Peeves got off easy...this time.

He led them around the corner and opened up the door to the staff room, letting them enter an area that he knew would interest them. Unfortunately, they were not alone, as Remus had expected. Snape was sitting at the table working on something. Remus eyed him suspiciously as he was certain Snape had been told that the class would be in here at this time. Why is he in here? Whatever is he up to?

Remus began to close the door when Snape stood up and announced he would be leaving. Sighing a breath of relief, Remus left the door ajar for Snape to exit. But before he did, Snape turned to Remus and said, "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear."

So that was his plan was it? Embarrass an already timid student in front of yet another class. You always did enjoy this game, didn't you Severus? Well, you're not going to get away with it in MY class.

Remus had read about Neville in his student file and knew that he was struggling in some of his classes. Neville had gone red at Snape's torment and Remus didn't like that one bit. Hoping to undo some of the damage Remus said, "I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation, and I am sure he will perform it admirably."

Snape sneered at Remus, but Remus knew that he had won this little battle, for a moment later Snape had left without another word.

Remus waved the class toward the wardrobe at the far end of the room. He positioned himself next to it just as it gave a noisy wobble. Calmly he said, "Nothing to worry about. There's a boggart in there." Gasps and a totally horrified look from Neville told Remus that the class was now very much worried. Trying to soothe their nerves, he explained how he chanced to find this boggart and why it was still in the school. Now, on to business....

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

One of the girls Remus had met on the train held up her hand. Hermione was her name and from all he had read about her, she was certain to answer correctly. "It's a shape-shifter. It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Remus said, drawing a smile from Hermione. "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 fears most."

Neville let out a whimper of fright, but Remus continued. "This means that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

Harry answered the question quite correctly, saying that it wouldn't know which shape to take because there were so many people in the room. Remus had prepared himself ahead of time for how he would manage the boggart around Harry. He assumed that it would transform into Voldemort upon seeing Harry and decided that having even a fake Voldemort running around was not the way to start off a school year. Instead, Remus had opted to make sure the boggart wouldn't get a go at Harry by calling the students forward for their turns.

The class listened intensely as Remus expanded upon Harry's correct answer as to how to confuse a boggart. "The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see," Remus knew they would love this, "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!"

The class chimed back the word and then he turned his attention to Neville. He was shaking head to foot, even more so than the wardrobe. I wonder what he's afraid of? "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"

Neville muttered something but Remus had to ask him to repeat it audibly. Neville looked as though he didn't want to say it, but eventually a quite voice sounded with, "Professor Snape."

Oh, this is going to be fun! Let's see...what else did it say in his file? "Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Er - yes, but I don't want the boggart to turn into her either."

Wanting to laugh, Remus said, "No, no, you misunderstand me. I wonder, could you tell us what sort of clothes your grandmother usually wears?" Please let it be something vile and outrageous!

As Neville described a tall hat with a stuffed vulture, a long green dress, and a fox-fur scarf, Remus fought back laughter. Oh indeed this IS going to be a treat! He couldn't resist adding a handbag to the ensemble completing the outfit.

"When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape. And you will raise your wand - thus - and cry 'Riddikulus' - and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag."

A roar of laughter filled the staff room, causing the wardrobe to wobble violently. Remus was so pleased that he had picked Neville to start with. He couldn't have imagined a better way to begin with the boggart. Word of this was certain to reach Snape. As far as Remus had been able to observe, Snape had never managed to develop a sense of humor, but he would have to deal with that later. This was just too much fun!

He went on to instruct the class that once the boggart was done with Neville, it would move on to the next person. He asked each student to think of the thing that frightened him or her most, and then a way to make it comical. As the class fell quiet in thought, Remus glanced over at Harry. How could Harry make Voldemort funny? Shaking his head, Remus decided that he was right to keep the boggart away from Harry by not calling Harry's name. Yes, that seemed to be the best way to handle it.

After a few minutes of consideration, Remus told Neville that they would back away from the wardrobe, giving him a clear shot alone with the boggart. On the count of three, Remus magicked the lock to open and a terrified Neville stood face-to-face with Professor Snape.

"R - r - riddikulus!" Neville let out with a squeak.

The familiar cracking noise came. The Boggart Snape stumbled awkwardly and there, dressed head to foot in Neville's grandmother's outfit, complete with stuffed vulture hat and red handbag, stood a not quite so menacing Severus Snape. The class roared with laughter, and Remus found it hard not to laugh himself, but he called the next student forward.

Remus was very proud of the images the students conjured up. Parvati brought down a mummy by making him trip over his own unraveling bandages. Seamus took a banshee by removing her shrieking voice. Dean took a severed hand and clapped it in a mousetrap. Ron, who received the most gasps, took the legs off an Acromantula, causing it to roll onto the floor.

Unfortunately, it rolled right over to Harry's feet. Quick...do something! "Here!" Remus shouted, bringing the boggart over to himself. With a snap, a full moon hung in the air. Hopefully the class wouldn't understand exactly what it meant. Remus hadn't intended for them to see his fear of the moon, but then he reasoned it was better than getting a glimpse of Lord Voldemort.

Casually Remus said, "Riddikulus," and the moon fell to the floor as a cockroach. He called Neville forward to finish off the boggart. He couldn't deny the class one last peek at Snape dressed in that getup. With a loud, "HA!" from Neville, the boggart burst into smoke and vanished.

"Excellent!" Remus said over the applause of the class. He awarded five points to each student who took on the boggart, giving ten to Neville for taking it on twice. He also gave Harry and Hermione five points each.

A very puzzled Harry said, "But I didn't do anything."

"You and Hermione answered my questions correctly at the start of class, Harry," Remus explained. Surely Harry remembered doing that? Remus assigned the reading on boggarts with a summary, and the class left chatting about their conquests.

Remus caught Harry's eye as he left the room. He looked disappointed and cast his eyes down as he left. Remus furrowed his eyebrows at this. Did Harry want to face Lord Voldemort? Wasn't he glad he didn't have to see him again? Remus hoped that Harry wasn't really upset about this, but it did put a damper on the joy Remus felt from having the class go so well. I will simply have to talk to him about it later.

Closing the wardrobe, Remus left the staff room and headed back to his own room in the staff wing with a great smile on his face. Don't let this feeling go to your head. They saw the full moon...and that Hermione is a smart girl.