(Celia POV)
"Intriguing, isn't it?" Professor Lupin questions while the cabinet shakes. "Would anyone like to venture a guess... as to what is inside?" He asks us.
"That's a boggart, that is," Dean answers.
"Very good, Mr. Thomas. Now, can anybody tell me what a boggart looks like?" I rose my hand up, "Miss Malfoy?"
"No one knows." I heard someone else answer at the same time as me, so I look to see Hermione.
"When did she get here?" Ron asks.
"Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take the shape of whatever a person fears the most. That's what makes them so..." I continued my answer as I eyed Hermione.
"So terrifying, yes, yes, yes... Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart. Let's practice it now." We all got our wands out, but he shakes his head.
"Without wands, please," I put mine away and so did everyone else, "After me. Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!" We repeated.
"Very good. A little louder and very clear. Listen: Riddikulus!" I nod my head.
"Riddikulus!" We say loud and clear. As I moved to the back, I stood beside my brother in annoyance.
"This class is ridiculous," Draco mutters as I leaned on Vincent's arm.
"Very good," Lupin said to us. "So much for the easy part. You see, the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a boggart is laughter."
"Hmm..." I muttered, I glance to Jackson and he gave me the look of, 'I know.' We were mashed up again.
"You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain. Neville, would you join me, please?" As if. "Come on, don't be shy. Come on. Come on."
"He's such a nervous kid," I mumble to them.
"Mm, and he's dumb," Draco mutters.
"He's actually excelling in Herbology, Professor Sprout says he's at the top of his class. He's pretty smart, Draco," I defended Neville and Draco rolled his eyes at me.
"Professor Snape," Neville said whilst I snicker.
"Professor Snape. Yes, frightens all. You live with your grandmother." Lupin chuckles.
"Yes, but I don't want it to turn into her, either," I snorted before covering my mouth with my slender hand. A few people laugh at Neville's comment.
"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 describes.
"We don't need to hear. As long as you see it, we'll see it. Now, when I open that wardrobe... here's what I want you to do. Excuse me." He walked towards Neville and whispered something to him before standing back.
"Can you do that?" Neville nods, and he smiles, "Yes. Wand at the ready. One, two, three." The cabinet opens.
"Think, Neville, think," I stare as Snape walks out.
"Riddikulus!" Snape's clothes turned into an old lady's clothes. We all erupted into laughter. Snape dressed like that is something I won't be able to get out of my head now.
"Wonderful, Neville, wonderful! Incredible! Okay... to the back, Neville. Everyone, form a line! Form a line!" I walked to the back with Draco. He tapped my shoulders like a small drum.
"What do you think yours is going to be?" Draco asks me with a knowing look on his face.
"Probably you," I joked as he wrapped an arm around my neck and hugged me. I laughed before he let me go.
"I want everyone to picture the thing they fear the very most... and turn it into something funny. Next! Ron!"
"Oh, this should be good," I say to Draco.
"Why? What's weaselbees?" Draco asks.
"Spiders."
"Concentrate. Face your fear. Be brave! Wand at the ready, Ron." A huge spider appears, and I heard Ron's whimpers.
"Riddikulus!" The spider slips and falls from the sound of roller skates.
"Yes!"
"You see? Very good, very good!" I just smile as I slightly shake my head.
"Marvellous! Absolutely, very, very enjoyable! Parvati! Next!" She walks up, and the bogart turned into a huge snake.
"Show us what you see. Keep your nerve. Steady." She grips her wands before shakily pointing it at the hissing snake.
"Riddikulus!"
Oh hell no, it turned into a clown. "I found my fear," I squeaked to Draco, "that fucking thing," I point and he stared at it in horror.
"Oh god no," Draco replies, "I'd rather the snake."
"And next! Step up, step up! Wonderful, wonderful! Here!" Harry's was a dementor, Lupin stood in front of Harry, and it turns into a full moon.
"Riddikulus!" The moon turns into a balloon, and it zips around the classroom.
"Right. Sorry about that. That's enough for today. Collect your books from the back. That's the end of the lesson. Thank you! Sorry!" We all scrambled to grab our things.
"Harry?" He looks at me, and I smile, "are you okay?" I question.
"Yeah... fine," he responds before grabbing his stuff, "bye Celia."
"Later..."
—
"Remember, these visits to Hogsmeade village are a privilege. Should your behavior reflect poorly on the school... that privilege shall not be extended again. No permission form signed, no visiting the village. That's the rule, Potter."
"Ooh! Called out!" A few people laughed as we stood around outside in casual clothing.
"Those with permission, follow me. Those without, stay put." Filch said, I look at Draco.
"We're going yeah?" I asked him.
"Yeah, Father signed but I can't be bothered," I nod my head at him before smiling as I saw Fred and George.
"I'll be right back," I told him and then raced off to the Weasley twins.
"Hey!" George waves, I waved back as I took my scarf off and handed it to Fred. He smiles as he put it on.
"Now you're gonna get cold," George told me.
"I don't mind," I reply to him, "how are you two anyway?" I questioned.
"Oh, brilliant," they replied.
"Great, great..." I mutter as I look behind me, Draco was talking to his mates as they went with the group who followed Filch.
"What's up?" Fred asks me.
"I'm just tired," I reply, "I cant be bothered to go to hogsmeade."
"Yeah, understandable, we're going later," the three of us look at each other before smiling.
"Wanna go inside? It's lunch," George said and I nod in agreement.
"Let's go!"
—
"Honeyduke's Sweetshop is brilliant, but nothing beats Zonko's Joke Shop. We never got to go to the Shrieking Shack." Ron explains as we all walked together towards the Gryffindor Common room, the Weasley twins wanted to sneak me in, so I was wearing George's robe and tie.
"You heard it's the most..."
"...The most haunted building in Britain. I know." Harry replies before looking at me.
"Don't ask." He nods and cleared his throat.
"What's going on?" Hermione asks.
"Probably Neville forgot the password again," Ron said before snickering.
"Hey," Neville said beside him.
"Oh, you're there," Ron said before cringing at us.
"Let me through, please. Excuse me! I'm Head Boy!" Percy shouts.
"No shit." I muttered.
"Get back, all of you. No one is to enter this dormitory until it's been searched." Percy told us.
"The Fat Lady! She's gone!" Someone points out.
"Serves her right. She was a terrible singer." Ron said in a joking matter, I was sniggering into my hand.
"It's not funny, Ron," Hermione scolds.
"It's a lil funny," I muttered under my breath, and Fred snorts at me.
"Keep calm, everyone. Break into fours. Back to your common room." I heard someone say, but I kept my head down.
"Be quiet. Make way. The headmaster's here. Come on, move."
"You heard. Move!" Percy shouts.
"Mr. Filch? Round up the ghosts. Tell them to search every painting in the castle to find the Fat Lady." Dumbledore told him.
"There's no need for ghosts, professor. The Fat Lady's there." Filch points as she hides in another painting.
"Mind where you're going! Slow down!" Someone shouts as everyone raced up the stairs to see her.
"You listen! I'm Head Boy! Come back here!" Percy cries, I rolled my eyes at him, and so did George.
"Keep moving!"
"Dear lady, who did this to you?" Dumbledore asks her as she whimpers in fear.
"Eyes like the devil, he's got, and a soul as dark as his name. It's him, headmaster. The one they all talk about. He's here, somewhere in the castle!" She cries, "Sirius Black!"
"Secure the castle, Mr. Filch. The rest of you, to the Great Hall." Dumbledore told us, we all scrambled down the stairs to go to the Great Hall.
—
As we sat in the Great Hall, George and I were having a silent conversation.
'No,' I mouthed while he winks at me, I pursed my lips before keeping my head down as I tried not to laugh, we were being told about the situation at hand with Sirius Black.
'Why not?' George mouthed back.
'Cause you know I can't go to the Gryffindor Common Room, even if I wore your robes, they will know I'm not Gryffindor.'
'What?' He mouths back, I waved my hand in dismissal, and he grins at me.
—
We were all still in the great hall, the tables disappeared and instead were replaced with the students of Hogwarts, we slept on the floor. We were all annoyed or asleep, but I was one of those people who were annoyed.
When I was ten, I broke my back and ever since, the coldness of winter hurts me, so the floor is making me uncomfortable.
My arms crossed as Mr Filch, Snape and Dumbledore walked up and down to monitor all of us.
"I've searched the Astronomy Tower and the Owlery, sir. But there's nothing there," Filch told Dumbledore, I looked at them as Dumbledore saw me before raising an eyebrow at me.
"Ah, thank you," Dumbledore replies as his eyes were on me.
"The third floor's clear too, sir." Filch told him.
"Very good." I slowly sat up and groaned in pain.
"I've done the dungeons, headmaster. No sign of Black, nor anywhere else in the castle." Snape said before he too looks at me.
"Bloody hell," I grumble as I kept my hand on my back as well as my head.
"I didn't really expect him to linger," Dumbledore said.
"Remarkable feat, don't you think? To enter Hogwarts Castle on one's own... completely undetected?" Snape queries.
"Quite remarkable, yes." Dumbledore responds.
"Any theories on how he managed it?" Snape asks as I stood up and trailed over.
"If I may," I whispered to them, "I have one," I told them.
"Go on..." Snape said to me.
"Well, Sirius is a slick person, correct?" I asked them.
"Well, yes," Dumbledore replies.
"He's an animagus by rumour, so what if he used that to get into the castle by being a dog?" I question.
"You might be on to something," Snape told me before looking at my hand, "why is your hand on your back?"
"I broke my back when I was ten and when it's cold it hurts," I muttered as I rubbed it.
"Go back to your sleeping bag, Miss Malfoy," Dumbledore told me, I nod my head and slowly walked back to my bed. I got into my sleeping bag and rolled on to my side so I wouldn't hurt as badly.
"You may recall... prior to the start of term I expressed concerns... about your appointment of Professor..." Snape starts.
"—Not a single professor inside this castle would help Sirius Black enter it." Dumbledore responds to Snape, "I'm quite convinced the castle is safe... and I'm more than willing to send the students to their houses."
"What about Potter? Should he be warned?" Snape questions Dumbledore.
"Perhaps. But for now, let him sleep. For in dreams, we enter a world that's entirely our own. Let them swim in the deepest ocean or glide over the highest cloud." Dumbledore scares me sometimes.
"And what about Malfoy?" Snape asks, "Miss Malfoy has been in danger since she's been here," Snape mentions to Dumbledore. It was true, I have been.
"Let her sleep too, from what I've heard, she needs more sleep than anything," I shiver before sighing as I kept my eyes closed, I wasn't going to fall asleep any time soon.