BOGGART
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"Being a wizard is more than just using magic." Professor Lupin started looking at us without any expression. "It takes a lot of bravery and self-control to practice magic and create it, just as you all are doing."
"Is he really going to explain to us what being a wizard is?" a voice from the Slytherin group mumbled with a mocking tone, gaining a bunch of bad looks from the Gryffindors.
"That's exactly today's topic. Bravery and self-control. And, can you think of a better way to find bravery and self-control than confronting your biggest fear?"
The entire room was deadly quiet.
Confronting it? Right here in front of all these... people? Not my cup of tea.
"C'mon, please. Follow me." Lupin said walking out of the room.
All the Gryffindors stood up quickly with a big smile on their faces. I looked at the rest of the people in my house and their not-wanting-to-live-anymore or I'm-too-good-to-be-here faces. Without waiting for any of them, I took my stuff and walked fast not to lose Lupin from my sight.
"Hey, Arambella." I heard one of the boys from Gryffindor calling me. "Is the bitch of your mother trying to escape from Azkaban as well? Or are the Snape genes too slow to make her even think?"
Here we go again. The Sirius Black situation. I looked at him with the biggest bitch face ever.
"Oh how fucking original. Maybe try not to repeat the same fucking joke your mates already told me twice."
As every single day since I arrived at Hogwarts, the Gryffindors decided to bother me.
"How does it feel to know you not only belong to the most hated house in all Hogwarts but you also are the niece of the most hated Professor of all time?"
I decided to ignore him when I saw Lupin was opening the staff-room door, mainly, because I didn't want to cause trouble during my favourite lesson. There wasn't anybody inside it, only an old table in front of huge windows and an old ugly grey wardrobe.
Oh shit, I knew what was coming.
A weird noise, like something punching the wardrobe's door, could be heard from the inside. The professor stood in front of it and looked at all of us with his usual kind smile. He must be one of the few Gryffindors I liked.
"Okay, does anyone know what could be inside of this?" he started, pointing at the piece of furniture.
Everyone stayed silent. We all obviously knew what was inside of it (we had to study Boggarts in the third year with the annoying professor Quirrell) but no one wanted to look like they cared that much or brag about being a know-it-all.
Lupin sighed.
"There's a Boggart in there. If I'm not wrong Professor Quirrell must have shown you what a Boggart is in what? Third Year perhaps?" we all agreed, even though everything about that year was almost unbelievable. "Okay, then you should know they like closed, dark spaces, they are shape shifters what more?... Oh yeah, they take the form of our independent biggest fear."
Some people held their breath at the last words. I don't think there is anyone in this world that would like to confront what scares them the most in front of a bunch of teenagers. Not a good idea.
My mind quickly pictured what was going to appear once my turn came and I hoped that we wouldn't have time for it since I was completely sure the Gryffindors would mock me for it for the rest of my academic life.
"If you could please form a line in front of here," Lupin said guiding one of the Gryffs. They were all so desperate to prove how brave they were...
I rathered stay aside from the action, so I sat in one of those old tables with the autumn sun hitting my back, watching and observing closely how they made the Riddikulus enchantment.
"What's going on, Arambella? Too coward for a little fun?" a voice talked a couple of steps by my side.
I turned my eyes to my right and there he was, Frederick Gideon Weasley; tall, athletic, ginger, arrogant smile and a fucking attitude.
"What do you want, Weasley?" I said with disdain.
He crossed his arms in front of his chest, making his shirt tighter and giving him a bigger and meaner look. Good luck to him if he thinks he's going to intimidate me.
"Nothing, just wondering how is little Snape going to pass DADA without Severus' help?"
There we go again, couldn't they go a whole day without mentioning who my uncle is?
"That's none of your business"
"Oh, careful, mate. You're picking your uncle's mood!"
Fucking Weasley, worse than a pain in the arse!
"Fuck off! Don't you have anything better to do?" I stood up approaching him. We were looking at each other straight in the eye, almost as if we were about to duel. One of us had a fucking annoying smile and the other one was about to break a ginger's face.
"I hope you are not this cowardly in the field. Quidditch can be really rough and I'm not going to hesitate to hit you with the bludger" he said calmly and with an innocent tone. "Your team should be worried nothing happens to you before the match... There are some pranksters out there who can hurt you, little Snape."
"Pack it up, Krum. You should be more worried to know how to throw the bludger before even thinking to hit me with it. And I'm not scared of pranksters."
He was about to say something else but a male's voice interrupted.
"Lilith?" Lupin said looking at me. It was my turn to be in front of the Boggart.
I sighed hardly and walked through a group of Gryffindors who had made a little circle around Weasley and me. Bloody show-offs, they only care about being the centre of the world.
"Okay, you already know the enchantment. Stay calm, don't hesitate and remember, whatever you see it's not real, clear?" the Professor said with a lower voice while he indicated to me where and how to stand. I ignored all the little mumbles in the room, people were too busy gossiping or talking about their boggarts to bother about me and it was better like that.
"Clear"
"Great, here we go." he opened the wardrobe's door and everything went silent. A cold air ran into my spine and chills covered my body from up to down. There she was, with that dark brown hair, black eyes, big nose, and that wrecked grey dress with her skin full of scars, dust and wounds. She looked exactly how I saw her the last time two years ago.
My mother. Circe Snape.
"Lili! My baby!" she said with a soft sharpened voice looking at me with that crazy look she had in Azkaban. Her eyes were very opened and her mouth was dry. Her skin looked very mistreated and the weight loss and the passing of time made her face more similar to her brother's.
I gave one step back.
Air, I need air...
"Remember, Lilith. Don't hesitate" Remus whispered.
"Lili, please" her voice cracked with her hand opened in my direction. "Come here, love. The Dark Lord needs us. Let me mark you" she showed her dark mark which was dirty, almost gone and looked infected because of some wound Merlin knows how she got, my stomach shrunk.
A big knot formed in my throat while I pointed at her with my wand, shaking horribly.
"Riddikulus."
"Come with me, daughter. Let me mark you."
"NO. RIDDIKULUS."
"HOW DARE YOU ABANDON ME?! YOU ARE JUST LIKE..."
"RIDDIKULUS!"
She started to choke before finishing her sentence, she took her hand to her neck, coughing and curving her body until she transformed into a big black crow.
"Well done, Lilith. 10 points for Slytherin" Lupin said giving me a comforting look. He seemed like he wanted to console me but was too afraid to even try.
If Severus had known how much I struggled to form the enchantment I would be in trouble...
"Yeah, thank you, Professor," I answered trying not to stutter or show any emotions.
I turned around and I found all eyes on me. Gryffindors looked scared, amused and some of them gave me pity looks. Slytherins were all just standing there, no emotion.
"A'ight, class is over!! Remember to practise this enchantment as much as you can! Everybody out to your next class!" Professor Lupin announced, clapping his hands to hurry us up.
I didn't look at anybody, just took my stuff and got out of there as quickly as possible hoping to catch some fresh air during my free time.
"Hey, Lilith! If Circe Snape was my mother I would be deadly scared too!" shouted an amused masculine voice. Of course, Fred Weasley.
"Shut up, Weasley or I'll curse you," I answered without looking at him and walking through his entire crew of clowns.
She didn't finish the sentence. But I knew exactly what she was about to say.
YOU ARE JUST LIKE YOUR FATHER.