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↯ chapter twenty five
➾ family of murderers
BACK IN THE GREAT HALL SAT Rosalyn Black, writing promptly in her dark notebook, writing every single thing that has happened so far at school, Andromeda Tonks had a brilliant idea for her niece, she knew how blunt Rosalyn was and so before her first year, the older wizard bought her a notebook. A notebook that Rosalyn would write down everything she wished to say instead of saying it aloud, which only allowed access for Rosalyn to see what she wrote.
"Listen to the idiot." Ron spoke, halting across the great hall to Draco Malfoy. Rosalyn gaze up from the notebook. "He's really laying it on thick, isn't he?"
"Yeah, but at least Hagrid didn't get fired." Harry mentioned from across the table, peering at the blonde. "Yeah, but I heard Draco's father's furious." Hermoine said, glancing back to her friends. "We haven't heard the end of this."
"He's been sighted! He's been sighted!" Seamus came running into the Great Hall, waving the Daily Propet around and slammed it down on the Gryffindor table. "Sirius Black!" Harry, Ron and Hermione stood up, wanting a closer look, though Rosalyn stayed seated.
"Dufftown!?" Hermoine scoffed at the location. "That's not far from here."
"Y-you don't think he'd come to Hogwarts, do you?" Neville asked nervously, Rosalyn scoffed, shaking her head. "With Dementors at every entrance." Bem mentioned.
"Dementors! He's already slipped past them once, hasn't he?" Seamus says briefly looking down the table at the dark haired girl. "Who is to say he won't do it again?"
"That's right." Bem nodded. "Black would be anywhere, it's like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands." Rosalyn slammed the notebook shut, and stood up, they turned their attention to her.
"I know what you're all thinking," Rosalyn said glaring at each of them, tilting her head. "That if I am related to that man, I must be helping him in a way, right? Go on, say it Finnigan, I know you want to."
Seamus reached back to his head, avoiding her dark gaze. "It's possible, I mean look at your family's history, they're all— murderers! You could be helping... him." Hermione sighs and shook her head, Rosalyn didn't utter a single word to his response.
"Ros—"
"No, it's okay, Hermoine." Rosalyn interrupted, glancing at the others, stopping between Harry and Ron, they felt remorseful for her. "Anyone got anything else to say? No?" She watched as they looked away, feeling like she unlocked the door to what they actually felt towards her. Rosalyn nodded snatching her bag off the table, making her way out the Great Wall.
"Rose, wait!" Hermione spoke, gathering her belongings quickly before running down the hall to Rosalyn. Harry couldn't help but noticed the slight change of her face when Seamus mentioned murderers.
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Rosalyn never cried and she wasn't going to start now, but she would admit to herself that it pain her to hear the words she would hear around the streets, her home. She didn't know her father— never meet him. "Rosalyn?"
Hermoine walked into the bathroom, Rosalyn walked out the stall. "Are you all right?" The muggle-born felt the scene was to familiar, remembering how Rosalyn comforted her.
"I'm fine, I'm not crying, don't worry." Rosalyn said picking her bag off the sink, she peered over at Hermione. "Shouldn't you be in class?"
"Well, yes but— I wanted to see if you were okay." Hermione was confused, Rosalyn didn't seem upset at all, and it didn't look like she was crying by what Seamus said. Or she was just really good at hiding her emotions.
Rosalyn walked around the girl heading to the door. "You should get to class, I'm already late for dark arts." Hermione furrowed watching her disappear from her view. "Oh, okay."
Rosalyn reached through her robes to her pocket watch whilst walking down the hall into the classroom. Professor Lupin looked away from the group of students when he noticed the girl. "Miss Black. Please, come in."
She placed down her bag down the door and shoved the watch back into her robes, walking around to the front where Harry and Ron stood. "Now, can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like?"
"No one knows." Hermione spoke, frightening a few people around. Ron turned. "When did she get here?"
"Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so—"
"So terrifying. Yes, yes, yes." Professor Lupin interrupted moving around to the thumping boggart. "Luckily, a very simple charm exists a repel a boggart. Let's practice it now. Uh, without wands, please. After me. Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus." They repeated back at him. Professor Lupin nodded. "Very good. A little louder and very clear, listen. Riddikulus."
"Riddikulus!"
Draco scoffed. "This class is ridiculous."
"Very good! Well, so much for the easy part. You see, the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a boggart is... laughter." Rosalyn completely lost focus and stared down at the ground, she couldn't help but remember what happened in the Great Hall and she hated how embarrassed she felt.
"You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain, uh, Neville." The Professor called out the third year. "Will you join me, please? Come on, don't be shy. Come on."
Neville peered around and slowly stepped to the front. "Neville, what frightens you most of all?" Professor Lupin asked him. Neville felt nervous to even admit it. "Professor Snape." He muttered beneath his breath.
"Sorry?"
"Professor Snape." Neville said much loudly, the class chuckled at his words. Rosalyn looked up at the teacher. Professor Lupin smiled gently, nodding. "Professor Snape. Yes, frightens all. And I believe you live with your grandmother."
"Yes, but I don't want that boggart to turn into her either." Neville quickly replied. The professor shook his head. "No. It won't, I want you to picture her clothes— only her clothes, very clearly, in your mind."
"She carries a red handbag." Neville mentioned.
"We don't need to hear." Professor Lupin exclaimed. "As long as you see it, we'll see it. Now, when I open that wardrobe, here's what I want you do to." He walked forward to the boy and whispered. "Imagine Professor Snape in your grandmother's clothes."
Neville looked up at him. The Professor stepped back. "Can you do that?" Neville nodded and the wardrobe shook. "Wand at the ready. One... two... three." Slowly the door opens with a creak. Professor Snape walked out. "Think, Neville, think."
Neville held out his wand. "Riddikulus!" Snape jumped back, his clothing changing into Neville's grandmother's dress and a handbag in hand, the room was filled with laughter all around. "Wonderful, Neville! Wonderful! To the back, Neville. Everyone, form a line!"
Hermoine reached for Rosalyn, dragging them to the middle of the line. "Form a line. I want everyone to picture the thing they fear the most and turn it into something... funny." Professor Lupin looked at the front. "Next. Ron!"
Ron stepped forward, reaching in for his wand, staring nervously at Professor Snape. "Concentrate, face your fear. Be brave." The boggart shifted into a black widow spider. Rosalyn peered out and smirked.
"Riddikulus!" Ron casted and the spider suddenly wore rolling skates. They laughed at the sight. "Very good! Very good. Marvelous! Very, very enjoyable. Parvati! Next."
The Gryffindor girl walked up, wand in hand. "Show us what you see?" The boggart spun around in the air, shifting into a giant snake, she stared up in fear. "Keep your nerve steady."
"Riddikulus!" It became a clown in a box, Rosalyn hummed with a muffled laugh. "And next!" Hermione gently shoved Rosalyn forward, making the girl realize she was next, the boggart twirled around in a tornado way and then her fear appeared.
It was a body of man, wearing a suit in pure dark black color, his hands were pale as ice and if she dared to touch him, she knew he would be dead cold, Rosalyn's breathe hitched, clutching tightly onto her wand. His face— no. He didn't have a face, it was all a blur.
Remus furrowed and took a look around the silence of the classroom, then back to Rosalyn, he knew about her father obviously being good companions with Sirius Black when he went to school. He also knew that Sirius took in Rosalyn when she was only a baby.
Rosalyn blinked out of her daze and pointed her wand at the boggart. "Riddikulus!" The man twirled around into a dancing clown, the students yelped in laughter, chuckling at the clown. Remus smile flattened watching Rosalyn walk to the back of the room. "Okay, all right, marvelous work! Next person, please!"
Harry walked up, smiling slowly leaving his face and the clown stared him down and quickly turned into a Dementor, just like one that attacked him on the train.
The Dementor wailed, floating downwards and Professor Lupin jumped in between Harry and the Dementor. "Here!" The boggart became a moon, dark clouds surrounding the moon.
"Riddikulus!" It inflated to a balloon, the class ducked down when it came around and Professor Lupin brought it back into the wardrobe.
"Right, well, sorry about that. Uh, that's enough of today. If you'd all like to collect your books from the back of the class, that's the end of the lesson." He announced and the class groaned in disappointment. Rosalyn wondered why it was a moon. "Thank you. Sorry, sorry, you can have too much of a good thing."
Rosalyn looked around the room and met Professor lupin's worried gaze.
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