Delicate | James Potter

2.03

~

"Put away your textbooks kids! Today we're doing a practical!"

The new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher was enthusiastic, to say the least. Their previous one quit under suspicious circumstances, but didn't they always? It was an unusual trend, one that had dated back to the fifties. Some said the job was cursed, others simply thought Dumbledore was fussy with his staff. A few years ago there had been a rumour that the real reason their headmaster was changing the DADA position so often was that he was having intimate relations with each and every single one of them, but had crippling commitment issues. Alice was ninety percent sure Gideon was the source of the rumour, for it was him who first told it to her, but in his defence there was nothing really to suggest he was even wrong.

Professor Landon was easily eccentric enough to be Dumbledore's type, Alice thought as she watched her teacher pace around the front of the classroom. He was quite young still, or at least had that childlike, fresh-out-of-school glow to him, and liked to wear various vibrant shades of crimson and gold. He had most definitely been a Gryffindor. His face was freshly shaven, but his thick dark hair reached to his chest. The front had been twisted up and out of his face and strung onto it were little beads.

"No Peter, I'm not kidding." Landon laughed loudly. Alice was so lost in thought she hadn't even noticed Peter talking, and the boy was sat right next to her. "Get out your wands!"

Alice followed the rest of the class in shuffling to her feet. She, just as everyone did, jumped slightly when Landon flicked his wand and all their desks flew to the back of the room leaving the floor completely free. The only desk that didn't move was one right at the front.

"Now, this is a bit of an O.W.L recap, but of course it's still relevant for your N.E.W.Ts." He clapped his hands together. "Can anyone guess what this is?"

Alice glanced around the room. It was filled with green and red, a Gryffindor/Slytherin divide. So many students chose to take DADA this year they had to create multiple class sets, but why they'd put the two houses with the biggest rivalry together, Alice didn't know. She thought it was a rather stupid decision.

"A desk?" James suggested. A few of the students snickered.

Professor Landon clicked his tongue. "Very funny James, but not quite. In here is a Boggart."

"But Sir," the voice of Severus Snape drawled from somewhere in the corner, sounding thoroughly unimpressed, "we covered Boggarts in our third year."

"Quite right Severus, but as I said, this is a recap. The majority of you will have encountered a Boggart already, however it is good practice to face one again, I assure you. You never know what will show up in your exam! You must always be prepared!"

Alice walked over to Lily as the members of the class formed a messy line. She, along with Mary and Marlene, had chosen to take Defence too. They'd all had this lesson in their third year already, all of them had faced a Boggart before, but it hadn't exactly been an enjoyable time.