48 Boggart Final

Professor Lupin stared at Lucas, his expression a mixture of shock and concern. "Of you?" the professor repeated, trying to comprehend the implications of Lucas's words. "But why would it be afraid of you?"

Lucas kept silent, a smile playing on his lips. Once he retreated his magic from the wardrobe it rattled again. 

"Lucas, what's happening?" Lupin asked, his voice laced with concern. "Why is it acting like this now?"

The only answer he got was the closet's door abruptly opening and a woman fell out. The moment he layed his eyes on her his stomach churned. 

*caw*

She had fallen on her stomach with a wet *plop* sound, caused by her heavy bleeding and the blood that had been flooding out of the wardrobe with her. With one hand and the stump of her other she desperately tried to crawl towards Lucas.

Abhorrent lesions, deep lacerations and discoloured bruises littered her upper body, all while a flock of crows kept picking at them, making them worse. Her lower body resembled a sponge, because of the sheer number of holes, as well as rubber, because of the way her feet moved on the ground, hinting at a distinct lack of bones.

*caw* *caw*

She gasped and grunted with every movement, probably caused by a damaged throat. The two bloody eyesockets, devoid of eyes, didn't make the spectacle any better.

Professor Lupin's heart sank as he witnessed the horrific sight before him. He struggled to keep the content of his stomach back down, the shock and horror threatening to overwhelm him. He felt a surge of empathy for Lucas, his fear compared to this felt trivial.

*caw*

"Lucas..." Lupin began, his voice not much louder than a whisper as he turned back to face the young wizard, preferring to not look at the Boggart, but he stopped whatever he was about to say.

Lucas remained silent, his gaze fixed on the tortured apparition of his mother. Lupin could see the pain and anguish reflected only in his eyes, the rest of his face was indifferent. It was the first time his "facade", as Dumbledore put it, was down and the real Lucas stood before him.

"You know professor, it's quite amusing," Lucas interrupted, his voice calm and detached despite the horrific scene before them, his eyes already back to normal. "If this was reality then I wouldn't be sure how you would react."

Lupin listened, unsure of what exactly Lucas meant by this. He watched as his student approached the woman slowly, his expression unreadable.

As Lucas drew closer, the woman reached out her hand toward him, her fingers trembling with desperation. "Help me," she croaked, her voice barely audible over the sound of the crows cawing.

But instead of recoiling in fear or disgust, Lucas simply knelt beside her, his eyes fixed on her face. "Hi, Mum," he said quietly, his voice devoid of emotion.

The woman's eyes widened in recognition, a glimmer of hope flickering in their depths. "Lucas?" she whispered, her voice filled with disbelief. "Is it really you?"

Lucas nodded, his gaze never leaving her bloodied face. "Yes, it's me," he replied, his voice steady. "I'm here."

Bloody tears welled up in the woman's eyesockets as she reached out to touch his face, her fingers leaving streaks of blood on his skin. "I'm so sorry, Lucas," she sobbed, her voice choked with emotion. "I couldn't be there for you."

Lucas's expression softened slightly at his mother's words, a flicker of something akin to compassion crossing his features. "It's okay, Mum," he said gently, his voice carrying a hint of sadness. "I understand."

With that the body of his mother along with the crows and the blood transformed into a simple and plain ball. Lucas had changed his greatest fear into something easily put back inside the wardrobe.

"I think this is enough." he said as he closed the door and walked away.

Professor Lupin watched in stunned silence as Lucas left and the room fell into an eerie stillness, the only sound the faint echo of Lucas's footsteps fading into the distance.

Slowly, Lupin approached the wardrobe, his mind still reeling from the harrowing experience he had just witnessed. He reached out a trembling hand and sealed the door shut with a quick spell, the faint click of the latch echoing through the room like a final punctuation mark on the lesson.

Taking a deep breath, Lupin turned away from the wardrobe and made his way out of the room, his thoughts consumed by the enigma that was Lucas and the haunting vision of his mother.

As he emerged into the corridor, he found himself surrounded by a sea of concerned faces, their eyes filled with questions. They were the students staying behind to maybe get a clue to what Lucas' Boggart was. He was the talk of the castle after all.

Instead of satisfying their cusiousity, he simply nodded in acknowledgment and ignored them, before continuing down the hallway to Dumbledore's office. 'Lucas was right, they don't need to know.'

As he reached the familiar stone gargoyle guarding the entrance, Lupin couldn't help but feel a sense of nervousness. James had told him what had happened at the end of last year and now he was unsure how much he should tell the headmaster.

With a determined exhale and concentrating on his Occlumency, Lupin composed himself before stepping up and speaking the password to gain entrance to Dumbledore's office. As he ascended the winding staircase, he couldn't shake the feeling of unease that gnawed at him.

Upon entering, Lupin found the headmaster sitting behind his desk, his piercing blue eyes fixed intently on a stack of parchment before him.

"Ah, Remus," Dumbledore greeted, his voice warm but tinged with a hint of curiosity. "I trust your Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson went well?"

Lupin nodded, his mind racing with the events of the lesson and the haunting image of Lucas's mother. "Yes, it was... enlightening," he replied carefully, choosing his words with caution.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, his gaze sharp and penetrating. "Enlightening?" he repeated, his tone questioning. "Do elaborate, my dear friend."

Lupin hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal. He knew Dumbledore had his reasons for wanting to know about Lucas's Boggart, but there were certain details that he felt were best left unsaid.

"It's... difficult to explain," Lupin began slowly, carefully measuring his words. "The Boggart took the form of someone... close to Lucas," Lupin continued, his voice trailing off slightly as he struggled to find the right words. "It was... unsettling, to say the least."

Dumbledore regarded him with a knowing look, his expression unreadable. "I see," he said simply, his voice calm and composed. "And how did Lucas handle the situation?"

Lupin hesitated, unsure of how much to reveal about Lucas's reaction. "He... dealt with it," he replied vaguely, "in his own way."

Dumbledore nodded, his gaze thoughtful. "I see," he said again, his tone unreadable. "Thank you for informing me, Remus. I will take it from here."

----

Meanwhile Lucas walked through the corridors of Hogwarts on his way outside, his mind still occupied by the encounter with his Boggart. There was a nice secluded place on the shores of the black lake under a large tree that had become his usual spot, when he wanted to get away from all the noise.

He had been very close to loosing his cool this time, but he caught himself before his emotions could affect the professor. Thankfully the Boggart wasn't able to mimic someone's feelings, otherwise he would have been in significant trouble. Even though he already knew that the creature would take the form of his dying mother that didn't make it any less painful.

Nevertheless, it showed him once again why he was doing all this and why he would be leaving Britain after this year. He wouldn't stick around when that megalomaniac returns.

Lost in his thoughts, Lucas rounded a corner and automatically dodged to the side, before the person could run into him. He looked down to see Hermione staring at him with horror etched in her features. He knew she was there, but he didn't know why she was coming from this direction. If his memory served him right then she should, around now, be in a completely different part of the castle, learning about Arithmancy and not here.

Hermione's eyes widened as she took in Lucas's presence, her expression a mixture of surprise and concern. "Lucas, what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice tinged with apprehension.

Lucas regarded her with a cool detachment, his demeanor unreadable. "I could ask you the same thing, Hermione," he replied casually, his tone betraying nothing.

Hermione frowned, her brow furrowing in confusion. "I... I was just...," she began, her words faltering as she struggled to find an explanation. "I was on my way back from the library," she finally said, her voice trailing off uncertainly.

Lucas raised an eyebrow, his gaze unwavering. "At this hour? When classes are held?" he questioned, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

Hermione hesitated, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. "I... I needed to do some research," she replied evasively, her voice got quieter with every word she spoke.

Lucas studied her for a moment, his expression inscrutable. "I see," he said simply, his tone devoid of emotion. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. Good day, Hermione."

As he walked past her, she couldn't help but ask accusingly. "Did you read my mind?"

Lucas paused for a moment, turning to face Hermione with a faint smirk playing on his lips. "No, Hermione," he replied smoothly, his voice calm and composed. "I didn't need to read your mind to know that you're hiding something. I have known you for far too long for that. But we are no longer friends, so you are under no obligation to answer my questions."

It didn't matter that it has already been almost a year, it still hurt Hermione hearing those words. "What do you mean?" she asked, her voice tinged with unease.

Lucas regarded her with a knowing look, his gaze unwavering. "I mean that you're not being entirely truthful with me," he said cryptically, his tone laced with intrigue. "But that's alright. We all have our secrets, don't we?"

As Lucas walked away, he said. "Oh, I totally forgot to give you your presents on the train. I will give them to you tomorrow. Bye!"

Hermione stood frozen in place, her mind racing with a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. She watched his retreating figure until he disappeared around a corner, leaving her alone in the corridor with her thoughts.

----

Holly Potter had had a strange summer. Ever since she had stumbled upon her strange ability, she had been feeling a new sense of freedom, like she could accomplish anything she wanted, if she only set her mind to it.

It felt like magic itself wanted her to succeed, helping her when it so pleased. At least it had been so since last summer. Before that she had no way of discerning this phenomenon or consciously conjure it. Even now it didn't work most of the time.

But when it did, it was an absolutely exhilarating feeling.

It was a type of magic she had never heard of, neither had she read anywhere about it. Unfortunately her parents forbid her from exploring her new ability further while staying in Hogwarts, which she didn't understand why, but followed regardless. She had enough on her plate with her studies and her uncle breaking out of Azkaban anyway.

She might ask uncle Remus if he could teach her some additional spells as well, he had agreed to Harry's request, so he probably wouldn't deny her's.