The air was heavy, a thin layer of dust still hung in the air, and Aurelian looked at the headmaster with a tired expression.
"From what I can see, your experiment worked," Dumbledore said amusedly.
"We're very close, professor, very close," he smiled, looking him straight in the eye. Dumbledore turned his head to look at poor Argus, who had not yet fully recovered.
"Argus... are you all right?" he asked.
"Headmaster... you saw it, didn't you?" he said in a trembling voice. "It worked, it really worked!" He began to laugh uncontrollably.
Dumbledore could only smile at him. Seeing Argus so happy was quite an event. Hopefully, that happiness would be reflected in his treatment of the students and other school staff.
"Well, I think it would be best to clean up this mess," he murmured before snapping his fingers. The crater disappeared, and everything returned to normal. "I remind you to be careful the next time you go to... test your ideas. Today it was a small crater, tomorrow we don't know."
Dumbledore smiled again, waving goodbye before disappearing.
"It's almost done, Mr. Filch. We just have to make sure to calibrate it so it can absorb the magic from the environment," he said, raising his arms ecstatically.
"Gaunt," Argus approached him, putting his hand on his shoulder. "Thank you. Without your help, this wouldn't have been possible."
Aurelian shook his head. "This is your job, sir," he smiled, winking at him. "I just added the finishing touch."
Argus could only start laughing. He had been dreaming of this moment his whole life. Finally, years of effort and dedication had paid off. Now that this long-awaited moment had arrived, he didn't know what to do. His subconscious was blocked, unable to process what had happened. So he could only laugh, laugh at the irony of life.
"Gaunt, thank you again. I have some ideas to improve its stability. I'm—" He couldn't finish because a very angry assistant principal was approaching, frowning.
"Again! Again!" she began to shout. "I told you to be careful. Last time you flooded the divination classroom." Her eyes darted from Aurelian to Argus and from Argus to Aurelian.
"Professor, we're close, very close," Aurelian smiled at her as he approached to show her two fingers about to touch. "This close."
Minerva McGonagall could only scratch the bridge of her nose. Who would have thought that the always calm Aurelian Gaunt would become her new headache? "Mr. Gaunt, we've already talked about this. I would try to make the experiments... less... visible."
Aurelian nodded. "I know, Professor. It was just a miscalculation," he said diplomatically.
"You've told me the same thing the last five times, Mr. Gaunt," she replied, raising an eyebrow before turning her attention to Argus. "And you, Mr. Filch," she began, walking toward poor Argus, who could only swallow hard. "You are an adult and, more importantly, a member of the staff at this school. You should be protecting the students, not bringing them into dangerous situations."
Argus lowered his head, somewhat embarrassed. "I know, Professor," he muttered.
McGonagall sighed. "I won't tell you to stop, but be more careful... that's all I ask." She turned around, ready to leave. "Mr. Gaunt is grounded," she said firmly.
Aurelian opened his eyes wide. "But Professor, no one was hurt, and I don't see any damage," he said, waving his hands and turning his head in all directions.
McGonagall raised a hand to silence him. "No excuses, Mr. Gaunt. I saw how Albus repaired everything," she thought for a few seconds before continuing. "For the next two weeks, you will have to help me review and grade the third- and fourth-year transformation exams."
"Of course, Professor. I'll be there," he replied quietly.
"Without further ado, I'll take my leave." Before leaving, she turned her gaze to Argus and Aurelian. "Keep up the good work... you're creating something that will surely help us all," she smiled at them before leaving.
Today was an interesting day. In the last class, Professor Lupin promised them that the next class would be practical, which meant that he would teach them about the boggart, a creature with the ability to change and take on the form of the greatest fear of whoever observes it. Aurelian was curious to know what the boggart would transform into when he saw it.
The walk to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom was quiet, with the occasional indiscreet glance but nothing more. Hestia and Flora were closer to him than usual.
"Girls, is it necessary to walk like this the whole way?" Aurelian asked with a tense smile.
"Of course, love," Hestia smiled, tightening her grip on his arm even more.
"We're just trying to make up for lost time," Flora whispered.
As they walked, Aurelian turned his head to look at the landscape. The Dementors had moved, so to speak, now focusing their search on the Forbidden Forest and the vicinity of Hogsmeade due to recent sightings of Black in those areas. Thanks to that, the castle could breathe easy. It was only a matter of time before the news about Sirius would alert everyone again, but for now, it was better to relax and wait for the show to begin.
When they opened the doors, the first thing they noticed was a dragon skeleton hanging from the ceiling, accompanied by an iron chandelier. that day the large windows were wide open, sunlight bouncing off the walls, giving the room a cozy feel. The classroom was completely free of tables; only a large cabinet at the back could be seen, moving from time to time. Clearly, the boggart was there.
"Good morning, students," Professor Lupin began in a deep voice to get everyone's attention. "As I promised, today will be a practical class... no books or scrolls," he smiled, walking over to the cupboard.
"Can anyone tell me what's in there?" he asked, looking around the class.
Angelina Johnson raised her hand to answer, and Lupin noticed her and gave her the floor. "Most likely there's a boggart in there, professor."
"Exactly, Miss Johnson, five points for Gryffindor," he said, walking around the room. "Can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like?"
A Slytherin raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Warrington," Lupin pointed.
"A boggart changes shape instantly to take on the appearance of a person's greatest fear, so its true form is unknown," Cassius replied calmly. Of all his housemates, Cassius was one of the most tolerable, only concerned with his own business, something Aurelian appreciated.
"Very good, Mr. Warrington, five points for Slytherin," he said before clapping loudly to get everyone's attention. "Now, boggarts are creatures that, as you said earlier, have the ability to change into the greatest fear of whoever is looking at them." He raised a finger, pointing at the wardrobe, which was becoming increasingly restless. "When facing a boggart, it is best to have someone else with us, in order to try to confuse it." With a wave of his wand, images appeared in the air. In one, you could see one person in front of the cupboard, and in another, two. "This is because facing more than one person at a time makes it indecisive when determining what form to take, which usually results in a non-terrifying combination of the fears of its potential victims."
"I imagine you all know the Riddikulus spell by now." Everyone nodded. "If so, who wants to go first?" he asked, raising his hands invitingly.
Seeing that no one was coming forward, he decided to call someone. His gaze fell on Hestia and Flora Carrow, both of whom were clinging to Aurelian Gaunt's arms.
"Misses Carrow," he said softly, "would either of you like to come forward?"
Hestia and Flora blinked "Could we go together, Professor?" they said quietly. Lupin smiled at them. "Of course... whatever makes you feel more comfortable." When they left Aurelian and headed for the cupboard, some students began to murmur, but a withering glance from Aurelian was enough to silence them.
"Calm down," Lupin reminded them gently. "Remember, with two of you, the boggart won't be able to choose which fear to transform into." Then, with a wave of his wand and a click of the lock, the closet doors opened.
A figure emerged from the darkness that made Hestia and Flora's hearts stop for a moment.
It was Aurelian.
Dressed entirely in black, his posture rigid, his gaze empty. His black eyes looked at them with disgust, hatred, and worse... with total indifference. As if they didn't exist. As if they were expendable. The girls' hands began to tremble. Their grip in their wands became uncertain, Hestia felt a knot in her chest, and Flora pressed her lips together so as not to make a sound.
Noticing the expressions on their faces, Lupin approached them and spoke in a low voice, "It's not real... it's just an illusion." Hestia and Flora looked at him and nodded in agreement as they closed their eyes.
They took a deep breath before opening their eyes and raising their wands with determination.
"Riddikulus!" they said in unison. Instantly, the Aurelian in front of them distorted, transforming into a teddy bear. Clumsy and harmless, it fell to the ground with a soft thud.
Lupin applauded them. "Excellent, excellent, Misses Carrow, you did very well."
But Hestia and Flora didn't hear him.
The twins quickly withdrew, hugging the real Aurelian tightly, burying their faces in his chest. They needed to check that he was still there, that he was real, that he wasn't looking at them with contempt.
Aurelian wrapped his arms around them without hesitation, gently stroking their hair.
"Don't worry," he murmured with a small smile. "I would never look at you that way."
The twins nodded, without separating from him.
"We know," they whispered against his chest. "But still... it hurts," they added without lifting their faces from his chest.
"Mr. Gaunt would like to be next," said Lupin, watching them with narrowed eyes.
"Sure, professor, no problem," he said, separating himself from the twins and walking to the front. All the students in that room, including Lupin, wanted to know what Lord Gaunt feared most.
"No pressure, kid," smiled the professor.
Aurelian stepped forward, equally eager to find out what his greatest fear was. When he was close enough to the teddy bear, it began to writhe, its form unstable, hesitating over what shape to take. Slowly, it took the form of a young man.
He didn't look to be more than eighteen years old. He was about six feet tall. He had brown hair and black eyes. He was dressed in 21st-century Muggle clothing.
Aurelian recognized him instantly.
It was his former self.
As he looked at him closely, he understood what the boggart was showing him: an exhausted, tired young man with slumped shoulders. Someone without ambition, without direction, without dreams or goals to pursue. Someone who lived just to live. A face that had accepted the world as it was, without fighting against it.
That was his fear.
It wasn't death. It wasn't pain. It wasn't defeat. It was going back to being who he was in the past, a nobody.
To go back to being a person the world didn't need, didn't fear or admire, wouldn't remember. Someone destined to disappear without a trace.
Aurelian clenched his fingers around his wand.
His greatest fear was not losing everything... but never achieving anything.
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