READING BOOKS LIKE Harry Potter, people have that moment of faith and wonder, what would it be like to be in that book. To imagine what house to be sorted into, what wand, your patronous, and Amorentia smell. But one thing Wendy didn't envy upon reading the books—Boggarts.
Professor Lupin was an incredible teacher, and would show to be also a great person too, but Wendy wasn't very fond of him during that lesson. Every student in line, scared but excited to see what their Boggarts would look like, but not Wendy.
She wanted to place herself after Harry, as she knew after his turn Professor Lupin would have dismissed the class. Unfortunately, her other classmates were already squishing her in between Ron and Parvati. She knew she didn't have a choice.
Ron was done, and his fear of spiders conquered by it loosing its legs. Not as ridiculous as what they showed in the movies but Wendy thought that maybe wizards didn't have roller skates in their world.
She was up next and with a deep breath she took a step forward. The previously leg-less spider spinned around as the Boggart studied Wendy's deepest and darkest fears. It took a while longer than the others, maybe it was confused by Wendy's complicated mind. Professor Lupin took a step forward, closer to Wendy, ready to intervene. He knew when people had something to hide, he was the king of it, and Wendy definitely was hiding something. He was just not sure what she was keeping secret.
After a few moments of dreadful waiting the Boggart decided to take its shape. Two people stood in front of her, one mirrored her completely. Her expressions and subtle movements, but she looked older. It was herself in her true age.
Wendy didn't understand why would she be afraid of herself at 29 years old until she looked at the other figure behind her. She was hand in hand with a child. He looked a lot like her father, but there was something different about him. His eyes, were like her mother's.
"Michael?" She whispered.
Her brother stepped out of the shadow and looked up at her. Her older brother. It didn't make sense, it wasn't possible. Until it came to her. By continuing this path, along with her new wizard friends, her life before would be gone. She couldn't come back to it, it would be ridiculous.
"Why did you leave me?" The little boy asked and continued to scold her, "I told you to not run off again."
Wendy shook her head. That was not real. For how tangible it could be and how real his voice was, it was just not real. She did her best to think of anything positive to change that horrible thought with and decidedly called out the spell, "r-riddikulus!"
The Boggart did not flinch, instead it took a step forward and the image of Cedric Diggory came. Wendy was quite confused, but she remembered that Cedric would come to be the very first death, and she would have to see it happen. The room was quiet and observant, everyone wondering why Wendy would be afraid of a Hufflepuff buy, when a flash of green came to Cedric's surprised face. Knowing the future, knowing the truth. And she had to do the hardest thing to do in face of it—do nothing. She shook her head, convinced that she will do her best to save the boy. A bit hesitantly she repeated the spell, "riddikulus."
But again the Boggart just came to be the face of Sirius Black. Unlike the mugshots in the journals of him those past few weeks, in this image of Sirius he looked at peace. Smiling, even. Wendy glanced at her professor, a part of her curious of how he would react and partly because she was getting a bit tiresome of the Boggart not becoming anything funny.
Lupin was incredulously looking at his old friend, he should have expected one of his students to be scared of the infamous traitor who escaped Azkaban; but he was not ready to see him in such a good form. Happy, even.
Wendy twisted her wand in her hand, and handled it better, believing it was because of her wand, the spell was not working the way she wanted it. This time, instead, she nearly screamed, "RIDDIKULUS."
Sirius transformed into a dog. But not a black dog like Padfood, but a grey bulldog, who looked a bit too familiar for Wendy, "Diego?"
The dog barked and twisted into a single Weasley Twin.
Ron, understandably confused, whispered a little, "what?"
But for Wendy it was quite clear. The twins were an amazing duo, and came to be two of her closest friend there in Hogwarts. The thought of Fred dying at the end always stayed in the back of her mind. Haunting her simple days, as she grew closer with the boy.
"Mischief—" Fred started to say the famous quote of the Marauders Map, but stopped himself at the middle, just before 'managed'. Just before he had a full life. His eyes grew, seeing something behind Wendy no one else could see.
Harry had enough of it and placed himself before her. The Boggart twisted again, to adjust to its new victim. Wendy immediately thought of the story and woke herself from her trance and got ready. The Boggart getting the form of the bone-chilling creature that has been wondering around the castle grounds. The cold sensation Wendy, until then, only read about.
"Expecto Patronum." Wendy said, not really thinking of it. It came as an instinct as all the times she read from the books and saw in the movies.
Obviously, it didn't work; but it was enough to wake up professor Lupin from his phantom of an old friend. Like a snap he put himself before Harry and the Dementor became a dim light of a beautiful full moon.
Professor Lupin took a deep breath and conjured all his might to bring his happy thoughts together, "RIDDIKULUS!"
Wendy was expecting the moon to fly away like a balloon but instead the moon fell down and turned into a cockroach. This place followed the book version, and Wendy wished, in that moment, that it didn't as the little cockroach crawled it's disgusting little feet back into the wardrobe.
"Sorry about that, uhm, that's all for today." Professor Lupin started to dismiss the class.
Harry in shock, and Wendy tried to console him from his fear. Wendy couldn't quite remember how he felt about it afterwards as she read the book a long time ago. But after seeing her multiple fears, she could only imagine it was just as bad as she felt.
"Uhm, miss Stone, before you go." Professor Lupin called his student just before she could exit the room.
Wendy turned around with her books in hand. She thought for magical beings they couldn't think of making a bag for their books.
"Yes, professor?"
"Would you mind a walk?" He offered.
Wendy shook her head, not sure of what was going on inside the man's head. They walked towards the gate of the castle and walked until the sorrounding fields. Wendy never ventured there, but she thought that having her Defense against the Dark Arts teacher with her, she should be safe.
It was all quiet until Wendy decided to finally talk first, "Why did my Boggart change into so many fears?"
"Well, sometimes, one has different fears, all equally terrifying." He tried to explain looking at the beautiful view of the mountains far away.
"I shouldn't be in Gryffindor—I'm a coward." She admitted.
"No, Wendy, bravery is not about not having any fear. But it is the ability to overcome them."
His words were wise. Wendy thought about them and remembered the Lion of Oz. He was scared, yet he overcame his fears and that's what made him truly brave, and not the magic of a fake Sorcerer.
"I asked you here, because I wanted to ask you about your fear, in fact." He admitted.
Wendy stiffened a bit, still walking side by side with her professor.
"Why those people?"
Wendy was quite sure he wanted to know about Serius in particular, and at that thought she chuckled a bit.
"I wouldn't know how to tell you, professor, but they are quite special people." She answered truthfully, trying to avoid any mentions of how she came to really know these people. "I'm guessing why I would be scared of Cedric Diggory and one of the Weasley twins?"
"Oh no, in real honesty, the twins can be quite scary with their pranks if they want to." He laughed followed with Wendy.
"I don't fear them for who they are, professor, but I fear for them." Wendy admitted with heaviness in her heart.
Remus nodded slightly, trying to understand her words. He knew that there was something she couldn't say, and he respected that, but he also wanted to help his student with the burden.
"Is there something you know that I don't?"
"I'm not entirely sure if you know the things I do, but if there happens to be something I'll need help with, I'll be sure to let you know, professor."
The two continued to walk, now back towards the castle. It was a quiet walk, but not dreadful at all. They both enjoyed the silence of their presence.
Before parting Wendy turned towards her new favourite professor, "you too, professor."
"Excuse me?" He asked.
"If there is anything you need, any help at all, I can help." She said.
Remus smiled at her kindly, accepting her words. But only when she was far away he realised how deeply her words tugged. Did she know?
notes:
because I stayed away for too long, here's another chapter to gain your forgiveness. It's a bit rushed, but really needed for the story to flow.✨