Forget-Me-Not → Regulus Black

Boggarts

The Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom had changed a lot since Professor Everhart was teaching. There were no longer countless portraits lined against the walls — rather there were mysterious creatures in tanks, their expressions sinister. Overall, the room looked darker almost; as if something bad was about to happen at any moment.

Professor Wisteria, from a distance, looked the complete opposite of evil. She was wearing an abundance of the colour red, which quite suited her wavy brown hair and matching red lipstick. The only think that seemed wrong was her sickly-sweet smile and her dark eyes, surveying the students in an almost terrifying manner.

"Welcome class." Her voice was grating and high-pitched. Still not wanting to judge too soon, Aurelia's gaze remained steadfast on the teacher. She gave her a thumbs up, mouthing the words 'you can do it'. 

She did not look as pleased as Aurelia had hoped.

"We will be learning about nonverbal spells, the cruciatus and imperius curse, boggarts and inferi." She made her way to the upper right side of the room where there was a small door. The professor turned. "Today you will have to face your biggest fear."

Aurelia's shoulders tensed. What were they, Gryffindors? 

"There is a boggart in this room," she indicated the small door that she was standing next to, "where you have to go alone. Whatever happens to be in there waiting for when you arrive, you must point your wand and say, 'Riddikulus'. Is that clear?"

Aurelia felt extremely tempted to leave the classroom and hide inside the library, but another side of her was curious to see what her biggest fear would be. 

"Regulus Black, if you please."

Regulus Black stood up right away, a confident expression on his face as he entered the room. The shaking of his arms and legs betrayed the sense of confidence he had as he closed the door. Aurelia could distinctly hear someone — or multiple people — speaking. There was a small cry before Regulus came out, beads of sweat on his face, whole body shaking with nerves.

Aurelia gave him the most comforting smile she could muster as he sat in the desk next to her — but he wasn't looking at her. His eyes remained on blank a piece of paper, hard and calculating.

There was a long list of students that were called, and once they would finish they would quietly go back to their desk, avoiding any form of eye contact with the students next to them.

Finally Aurelia was called.

She stood up and closed the door behind her; her rowan wand outstretched in her hand and her eagle eyes alert for any sign of movement.

There was a long pause, then—

"Aurelia, dear."

Aurelia whipped around, her hair sprawling in her face so that somehow she managed to trip with a loud thud.

Aurelia scowled, standing back up on her two feet, before she caught the sight before her.

A young lady — probably in her late 20s or early 30s — was standing before her. Her blonde hair was in a tangled mess, her clothes hung to her skeletal body loosely. There was sweat glistening on her forehead, dark bags hung below her green eyes; making it appear as if she hadn't slept in years.

"Sweet, sweet Aurelia."

Before she could react, the boggart changed in a whirlwind. On the ground there was a pool of dark, crimson blood. Aurelia's feet moved on their own accord so that she was following it, until—

There, on the ground, was Clement Livierre. His eyes were glassy and his mouth was open in an 'O' shape.

He was dead.

"Riddiku—"

The word hadn't quite escaped her mouth before the body of her dad changed into someone else.

James.

Heart pounding erratically in her chest, she moved toward him. He was standing before he fell like a marionette whose strings were cut. He was lying on the ground now, his glasses askew and his face expressionless. His wand was nowhere in sight.

"Lily!" Aurelia gasped. 

It looked like Lily had a fleeting moment of satisfied victory by her expression, before she too fell to the ground, a deathly green light spewing around the small room.

And then Aurelia fell, eyes wide as she looked at the figure before her.

Marlene.

She was screaming, screaming so, so loud that Aurelia had to cover both her ears. Tears poured down the sides of Marlene's face which was drenched in warm, liquid blood. 

"CRUCIO!"

"Aurelia," Marlene said, her breaths ragged and short, "Aurelia, I—"

And then she fell in a lifeless lump.