Tom leaned back on his chair. Class was boring, no surprise there, but this was different. Tom was dreading this lesson: Defense Against the Dark Arts. The teacher for this lesson, the head of Slytherin house, Professor Huntail was probably the most boring person alive. Luckily the lesson hadn't started yet but still, here Tom was, sitting in his seat waiting for it to. Sat next to him was Alannah who was dreading the lesson about as much as Tom was. It'd been a few weeks now since they had become 'friends' and things were going about the same as when they had first met. The only thing that really made them 'friends' was that Alannah called Tom her 'friend'. Tom barely responded to her and acted around her like he acted around everyone else: very quiet with a blank frown on his face. Alannah looked over to her side and thought that she'd better start a conversation. They didn't have to be silent just yet and they might as well make the most of the freedom that they had.
"I'm so not looking forward to this lesson," Alannah groaned. Tom nodded.
"Same," he replied boredly. Alannah waited for him to continue or try and keep the conversation going. He didn't.
"I mean Professor Huntail is just the worst. So boring and old! How old do you think he is?" Alannah turned to Tom and gave him a look that was trying to say 'Don't kill the conversation'. Tom missed the signal.
"I don't know," he murmured.
Alannah sighed, "I'm trying to make conversation here. Y'know... like friends do!"
"Sorry, I'm just not used to talking this long," murmured Tom again.
"Seriously? What do you mean 'this long', you said..." Alannah counted on her fingers, "3 words!"
"I usually say nothing," Tom was getting bored of the 'conversation' and had begun staring lifelessly at the ceiling for entertainment.
"Yeah, like I didn't know that!" groaned Alannah, thinking back to all the other lessons she had sat next to Tom, "You basically don't talk in every class! Y'know if you actually tried you'd be pretty good."
Tom didn't take his eyes away from the ceiling, "Maybe. Don't care."
"Eugh!" Alannah leaned forward because of how bored she was, "You know real friends have each other's backs."
"Yeah like you had my back when you called me a freak when those 2 guys showed up," responded Tom.
"You still mad about that?"
"Not really," sighed Tom, still looking at the sky.
"Look, okay, won't do that from now on, message received. But you also have to start speaking more-"
The door to the classroom flung open and everyone's heads turned. Apart from Tom who kept looking at the sky. The person standing in the doorway was certainly not the person the class was expecting.
"Good morning third-years!"
Tom finally looked down. He recognised that voice but he just couldn't quite pinpoint where from.
"I am your stand-in teacher for this lesson," there were a few thankful cheers and sighs of relief, "Professor Granger."
Tom snapped his fingers, "That's it, I remember now," he murmured, mostly to himself. Alannah turned to him and gave him a withering look.
"Yeah like you forgot who Professor Granger was," she said, rolling her eyes. Tom paid her no mind.
"Now for this lesson we are going to be doing something special," announced Professor Granger, looking over the whole class, "And you are going to have to come with me to a different classroom."
Some of the class cheered again. First no Professor Hunatil and second no awful classroom! This was going to be awesome!
The class piled down the hallway and into Professor Granger's classroom. It was a lot more spread out than Professor Huntail's. In fact, there were no chairs or tables at all. The room was completely empty apart from a large wardrobe that stood proudly in the middle. Confused, the third-years entered the classroom. As they were doing so, the wardrobe shook wildly causing some of the students to jump.
"It's fine, it's fine!" Professor Granger calmed the class to the best of her ability, "Everyone just get in a line!"
The third-years did so and kept their eyes on the wardrobe cautiously. Tom went to the very back of the queue. He hadn't reacted at all to the wardrobe because, in all honesty, he didn't much care. Alannah stood directly in front of him in the queue and they waited for instructions from the teacher.
"So," Professor Granger spoke to the class, "What do you think is in this wardrobe?"
It shook again causing those at the front of the line to jump back in fear. There was no response to Professor Granger's questions. Internally Hermione sighed in disappointment.
'Well I would've known,' she thought to herself before addressing the class once again, "Do any of you know? Any of you?"
Professor Granger looked around the class. Everybody who she met eye contact with immediately broke it. At the back of the line, Tom internally groaned. This little exercise was getting boring. Couldn't they just get it over and done with?
"Alright, I'll tell you," conceded Professor Granger, "It's a boggart."
There was a sudden buzz around the classroom. Now a few more people were beginning to understand. Tom was not one of those people.
"A what?" Tom murmured under his breath. Alannah turned around.
"You don't know?" Tom gave her a withering look, "Oh... I guess... you're not from a wizarding family then?" Tom shook his head, "Well she'll explain it," Alannah turned back around, slightly embarrassed (but not showing it) after forgetting that he didn't come from wizarding parents.
"Now I'm sure a few of you may be aware of what a Boggart is but for those who aren't..." Professor Granger walked up to the wardrobe and tapped it. It shook again wildly, "They are the scariest creatures known to mankind," you could have heard a penny drop in the classroom. Professor Granger continued, "Nobody knows a Boggart's true appearance because whenever they are viewed they take on the appearance of that which the person viewing them fears most."
"Huh?" Tom murmured again.
"It looks like what you're scared of," Alannah explained matter-of-factly without even turning around. Tom grunted quietly in understanding. He still didn't really care much.
"But it was important that we learn how to combat such creatures in a non-violent way," Tom internally groaned again. She was still going? "Because you may not believe this but Boggarts are actually just as afraid of you as you are of them."
"So how do we stop a boggart?" asked a voice from the middle of the line.
"I'm glad you asked!" Professor Granger was happy someone was finally getting engaged with the lesson. When Professor Huntail had fallen suddenly ill, she'd been tasked with supplying a lesson for his third-years. Unfortunately she had no plan so she just found a Boggart lying around and decided to roll with it, "Boggarts have one large, exploitable weakness: Laughter. Being in large groups when dealing with them helps too but laughter is a sure fire way to get rid of a Boggart," she tapped the wardrobe again, "So here we have a Boggart and you are all going to get rid of it, one by one."
"H-how?" asked a fearful Hufflepuff who was now dearly regretting her choice to be at the front of the line.
"A simple spell by the name of Riddikulus!" some of the class laughed at the name. Tom didn't really get it so he stayed quiet. It wasn't like he was going to laugh if he did get it anyway.
Professor Granger elaborated, "So the Boggart will come out all mean and scary. And what you will have to do is think of a way for that to not be scary anymore. Then you point your wand at it and say 'Riddikulus'. Simple!"
The class seemed more confused than anything else. Hermione really wanted to groan. 'Were we this dumb when we were third-years?'
"Come on everyone, repeat after me, 'Riddikulus!'"
"Riddikulus," repeated the class in a monotone voice.
"Good. Well I think we're ready so-" Professor Granger flicked her wand and the lock to the door of the wardrobe snapped off. Instinctively those at the front of the line stepped back. Professor Granger walked behind the wardrobe and waited to see if anyone in the class needed any help. She preferred this hands-off approach.
The door to the wardrobe creaked open. The Hufflepuff girl at the front of the line desperately tried to go back a few spaces only to be pushed back to the front. With a terrified look on her face she stared down the wardrobe as a large spider crawled out of it. She squeaked in terror.
"Remember," called out Professor Granger from behind the wardrobe, "Think of something funny and say 'Riddikulus'."
The Hufflepuff girl gulped but still persevered and pointed her wand up at the spider that was still scuttling towards her.
"Riddikulus!" she half-yelled and shut her eyes. The 'real' spider in front of her disappeared and in its place spun a funny-looking toy spider. The whole class burst into laughter. The Hufflepuff girl opened her eyes.
"Ok, ok, keep it moving, go to the back of the line now!"
The Hufflepuff girl was thankful to leave the front of the line and was replaced by a Ravenclaw boy. The toy spider disappeared and now looked to be a large troll. The Ravenclaw boy lifted his wand like the Hufflepuff girl had.
"Riddikulus!"
The troll kept all its features but was now all dressed up in a pretty pink skirt. The class burst out laughing again. The Ravenclaw boy smiled and took himself to the back of the line. Behind him, Charlie the short Gryffindor boy stepped forward. The 'troll' looked him in the eye and then changed its appearance again. Now standing directly in front of Charlie, one of the Gryffindor 'entourage' was Aubyn Young wearing a scowl on his face. A large portion of the class laughed harder than they did before. The real Aubyn who was standing behind Charlie gave Charlie a weird look.
"Me?" The classes' laughter doubled. Even Professor Granger had to hold back her laughter. How could anyone be afraid of Aubyn? Charlie, himself was a deathly pale but he still turned to the Boggart and raised his wand.
"R-riddikulus!"
The Boggart Aubyn's nose immediately began to swell. His legs began to grow as well and got tied around each other. He fell to the floor. As soon as it was dealt with, Charlie frantically walked to the back of the line.
Next in line, Aubyn Young stepped forward and waited for the Boggart to change form. The funny-looking version of Aubyn disappeared and its place stood an absolute behemoth of a man. Many of the people standing behind Aubyn repulsed. It looked more disgusting than scary. Its face was sunken and its hair was shaggy and black. It's face was tired, gaunt and thin. It looked like he was worked to the bone and yet he was still gargantuan in size. He was at least 7ft tall and was wide. In a way he kind of looked like Hagrid but certainly much younger and was more muscular. Tom, who had stepped to the side to see what Aubyn's Boggart would look like, felt that there was something familiar about it.
"Riddikulus!" Aubyn said loudly and the man was replaced by something much smaller: a young boy who in many ways looked similar to how the man did. His arms were boney and his stomach was incredibly thin. His face was sunken and pale and dark lines were already etched underneath his relatively large eyes. A scruffy jot of black hair lay on his head, clearly uncombed and his posture was slightly crooked. Aubyn laughed heartily at the sudden change as well as the rest of the class and walked to the back of the line, brushing past Tom as he did so.
The front of the line got closer and closer to Tom as people had their turns with the Boggart. He didn't really care though, he had nothing to be nervous about. In all honesty, Tom was slightly excited (although he didn't look it). He kind of wanted to figure out what his greatest fear was. Perhaps it was the matron? Maybe...
It was now Allanah's turn with the Boggart. She stepped forward uneasily and raised her wand pre-emptively. The Boggart changed its appearance in front of her and now appeared as a large collective of people. They were all looking at Alannah and pointing and laughing at her. Instinctively, Alannah stepped back. This really was awful. Gathering all her confidence, she stepped forward again and pointed up her wand.
"Riddikulus!" instantly the laughter stopped and the group of people that had been previously pointing at Alannah were now trying to pull off tape that had been stuck over their mouths. Alannah smirked and laughed heartily at them before taking her leave and walking to the back of the line. Now it was Tom's turn. He was the last one, behind him stood the Hufflepuff girl who had originally been at the front. He stepped forward. Alannah's Boggart instantly disappeared. Instead, something else took its place. Tom had to look down to see it.
In front of him there was a small chair. And in that chair sat a small boy. He had a very small frame with a thin face and large black eyes with equally black hair. He was shuddering slightly and his eyes were locked forward. Tom instantly recognised what it was. His body loosened as he stared at it. It was him. A younger version of himself.
When Tom looked at it he didn't seem scared or mortified or really anything besides his regular expression. But still he didn't move. He didn't even reach for his wand. He just kept staring at it.
Professor Granger could sense something was wrong. He still hadn't raised his wand. Maybe he needed help... Professor Granger went to step in. But before she could do so there was a loud ringing. The end of period bell had been rung. Professor Granger knew they were out of time so she rushed forward and used a spell to propel the Boggart back into the wardrobe away from Tom.
"Well that's it for this lesson. I hope you all know how to deal with a Boggart from now on. Now... off you go!"
The class began leaving the class loudly, all chattering to each other. Apart from Tom. Tom stayed transfixed where he stood, still looking at where the Boggart had been in front of him. He exhaled slowly.
"Are you alright?"
Tom almost jumped when Alannah put a hand on his shoulder. In the corner of the classroom, Professor Granger was packing her things but she couldn't help but listen in to the two students who were still in her class.
"What was that?" asked Alannah has Tom finally looked away from the spot.
"What was yours?" rebutted Tom.
"I hate people laughing at me. It's why I'm so hesitant to make friends," she explained, "Now you."
Tom exhaled again through his nose, "There's a room... in the orphanage. There's a room. A waiting room,"
"I didn't know you lived in an orphanage," Tom nodded slightly at Alannah but never turned to directly look at her.
He continued, "It's a room where you wait for people to come in and see you. I've spent hours in that room. Doing nothing. Just waiting. And I guess... I'm scared that I'm never gonna come out. I'm gonna be waiting forever."
Professor Granger realised she probably shouldn't still be here. She picked up all her belongings and turned around to the two students.
"I'm going now!" she called out awkwardly, "Goodbye."
"Bye," said Alannah, friendly waving back to the teacher. Tom did not respond. He just kept looking at the wardrobe.