The boggart began to approach with slow steps. Everyone in the room was incredulous; no one understood why a simple man would be Gaunt's greatest fear. Some watched with amusement, others squinting their eyes as if searching for some hidden meaning.
"Hey Fred," George whispered curiously into his brother's ear, "What do you think Aurelian is afraid of?"
Fred's gaze remained fixed on the front. "I don't know... but the interesting thing is to find out why he turned into that," he said, scratching his chin.
"I'm sure it's something really dark," joked George, trying to see the funny side.
"Yeah, I'm sure it is," muttered Fred with a slight smile.
Hestia and Flora's brains were spinning and thinking at full speed, trying to decipher the scene unfolding before them. They believed that Aurelian would not be afraid at all; to them, their love was the bravest and most capable person of all.
"Hestia... who do you think that guy is?" she asked quietly, squeezing Hestia's hand. Flora was speechless, unable to find the right words to express herself. All she could do was watch and wait. Seeing Aurelian's unperturbed expression, she didn't know whether to be calm or worried.
Aurelian looked seriously at the Doppelganger from his past life. He thought about his life, about everything that had happened to bring him to that moment, and smiled as he approached the creature.
"So you're my fear," he looked him straight in the eye. "Look what we've achieved, you can rest easy. We'll be happy," he whispered to himself with a smile.
"Riddikulus!" he said with conviction, pointing his finger at him. The boggart smiled weakly at him before shooting back into the closet.
Aurelian returned to the others, ignoring the intense stares they gave him. He had barely approached when the twins hugged him tightly, wanting to let him know they were there for him. Aurelian smiled at them, hugging them back. He looked up, still smiling, and his eyes met those of George and Fred Weasley, who smiled mischievously at him and gave him a thumbs up. Aurelian just rolled his eyes.
The class continued without any major incidents, just the occasional laugh at the form the boggart took when someone faced their fear.
As the class came to an end, Lupin approached him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "If you ever need to talk... I'm here for you." He turned his attention back to the group. "Well, students, I think we'll leave it there for today. Class is over." Everyone murmured. "Don't worry, those who didn't finish will be able to do so in the next class."
"Lord Gaunt," said Fred, putting his arm around his shoulders. "How did it feel to defeat your fear?"
"Yeah," laughed George. "What does that mean...?" he asked with an amused expression.
Hestia and Flora frowned and pushed them away. "Don't touch it," they said in unison. "Only we can do that." They hugged it possessively, glaring at them.
"Oh, really?" Fred raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"
George started laughing, putting a hand on his twin's shoulder. "Well, we and everyone else at Hogwarts believe and saw that there was another girl..." He couldn't finish because Hestia cast a spell at him that George barely managed to dodge.
"Lies... they're just lies," Flora said venomously, squeezing Aurelian. "They don't know what they're talking about."
Fred and George looked at each other and then smiled. "Sure, whatever you say," they said and bowed. "You're the ones who know best," they finished before running off.
Aurelian had to stop them from going out to curse them. "Girls... don't get carried away," he murmured, kissing each of them on the cheek. "Everything's fine, don't listen to them, you know how they are."
They nodded, blushing.
"How about we go eat?" he said, hugging them. "I think we could use it."
"That would be nice, Aurelian." They smiled, pulling him toward the large dining room.
While all this was happening, in the village of Hogsmeade, a black dog was wandering through the streets, observing everything and everyone cautiously. Since the arrival of the Dementors in the area, the village had lost much of its vitality, its inhabitants had become paranoid, and visits to its shops had rapidly declined. Now, it was sustained almost entirely by the students who visited the village when they were allowed to.
The dog quickened his pace, his nose twitching as he caught a scent coming from the Three Broomsticks Inn. When he arrived, he saw Madam Rosmerta cleaning up a mess left by her customers at the entrance to her tavern.
"Those damn kids," she muttered as she picked up the food from the floor. "They're always the same... they just waste and ruin my business."
Rosmerta looked up to see the black dog staring at the food on the floor as he panted. "Hello," she murmured. "Do you want to eat it?"
The dog howled in confirmation. Rosmerta smiled at him. "Okay, boy, give me a second." She stood up and with a wave of her wand, the food was arranged on a plate. "Eat it all," she said, looking up at the sky for a second. "When will the sun shine again?" she said to herself as she entered her tavern.
Sirius began to eat eagerly. It had been days since he had eaten anything decent. Since escaping from Azkaban, all he had been able to eat was the garbage that Muggles threw away and... rats. In his mind, he imagined that every rat he devoured was Peter. When he finally got his hands on that traitor... HEHEHE
The people entering the tavern watched for a moment as the dog seemed to laugh while eating.
"Hey, is it just me, or did that dog just laugh?" whispered a wizard as he entered.
"It's not just you, my friend," replied another, closing the door.
When he finished eating, he ran back into the forest. It wasn't time to go after the traitor yet... the Dementors were getting closer and closer, and he had to be careful.
When he reached his refuge, a cave hidden in the most inaccessible part of the forest, he returned to his human form. Sirius was completely emaciated, his cheeks and eyes sunken, almost lifeless, his fingernails black from lack of nutrients, his whole body pale from lack of sunlight, and he had almost no muscle or body fat.
"Ahhh, what good food," he murmured, leaning back against a rock and pulling a piece of paper from his rags. "Thank goodness I followed that Gryffindor boy," he squeezed the paper. "With this, I'll finally be able to catch that traitor," he said with hatred in his voice, his expression hardening into a broad smile that revealed yellowed, loose teeth.
Harry Potter felt strange. Ever since the day the Dementors got on the train, he began to have visions, or so he thought, when he slept... Sometimes he found himself floating in the darkness, other times it was like being trapped without the ability to move. He believed they were visions because everything felt so real. When it happened, he would wake up agitated and completely drenched in sweat.
He was scared. He didn't know what was happening. Everything seemed so confusing. When he sought out Professor Dumbledore to ask him what was wrong, Dumbledore just smiled and told him he was very busy.
He didn't know why Dumbledore never had time for him. He should help him... he was his headmaster, wasn't he? Harry had never been one to attract much attention... well, until he found out he was some kind of hero in the wizarding world, but the important thing was that he was good at observing people and studying their behavior. He realized that Professor Dumbledore seemed to have a soft spot for Gaunt. If Gaunt needed him, he would surely help him, so why not him?
Harry blinked when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey, buddy... are you okay? You've been really distracted lately," Ron asked him.
"Oh, yeah, Ron... I was just thinking, I got carried away for a moment," he replied, coming back to reality.
"Are you sure, Harry?" Hermione said, pretending to read a book.
Ron turned his head in surprise. "When did you get here?" He blinked, scratching his head. "I'm sure you weren't there before."
Hermione replied without looking up from her book, "I've always been here, Ronald." Her eyes fell on Harry. "If something's wrong, you can tell us, Harry. We're your friends, after all."
"Thanks, Hermione, but it's nothing," he smiled. Although his posture and expression said otherwise.
Hermione narrowed her eyes for a second before nodding. "Well, if you say so," she said, returning to her book.
Ron, meanwhile, continued to mutter about how Hermione was there when she clearly hadn't been before. "Harry, you saw her. Tell me I'm not crazy."
Harry was about to respond when Hagrid arrived, crying. "Guys, I have to tell you something."
The three of them stood up in unison, looking at the half-giant. "What's going on, Hagrid?" Harry asked.
"It's... It's Buckbeak... the Ministry wants to kill him," he said, blowing his nose. "I tried and begged them not to, but they've already made their decision... they're coming to sacrifice him in two weeks."
"It's all Malfoy's fault," Ron muttered, clenching his fists. "I'm sure his father pulled some strings."
"We should ask Professor Dumbledore for help. I'm sure he'll know what to do," Hermione added, gathering her things.
"NO" Harry replied, his gaze hardening. "We can solve this without Professor Dumbledore's help."
"That's not why I came, guys," Hagrid muttered, his head bowed. "I just want you to come see Buckbeak, so he won't be alone in his last days. I'll wait for you at my cabin," he finished before leaving.
"For now, let's go with Hagrid. He needs all the support he can get," Hermione whispered, watching Hagrid. The other two nodded.
As they made their way to the hut, they turned a corner and bumped into the Carrow twins. Hestia frowned when she saw who it was, not bothering to hide her revulsion for Harry. Flora clicked her tongue and bent down to pick up the book she had dropped in the collision.
"Watch where you're going, Potter," Flora reproached, her voice as cold and sharp as a dagger. "Or can't you even do that right?"
Harry looked down, uncomfortable.
"Sorry... I wasn't looking," he muttered, unable to hold either of their gazes.
Hestia tilted her head, a cruel smile appearing on her lips.
"Not looking, he says..." she repeated mockingly. "You're nothing but a fourth-rate wizard, Potter." Her eyes slowly shifted to Ron and Hermione, who instantly tensed at her cold stare. It was as if a primitive instinct warned them not to draw the attention of these two witches.
Flora took a step toward them.
"And you two," she said in a soft tone, too soft to be sincere, "you'd better stop following Potter around. You never know when an 'accident' might happen to you."
Ron immediately turned pale.
"A-accident?" he stammered.
Hestia smiled as if she had told him a charming joke. Hermione's eyes widened in alarm.
"Are they... threatening us?" she asked tensely.
Flora tilted her head.
"Threat? No, of course not..." She flashed a sweet smile that didn't match the gleam in her eyes at all. "It's just advice."
Hestia added, without taking her eyes off Harry.
"Be more careful... remember that, Potter."
And without saying another word, the two continued on their way with the elegance of those who are accustomed to the world parting when they pass.
Ron and Hermione watched them until they disappeared at the end of the hallway, only then letting out the breath they had been holding.
"Those girls are completely crazy," Ron whispered, somewhat frightened.
"Let's not think about that now," said Harry, shaking off his uneasiness as he resumed walking. "We have to help Hagrid."
The three continued on their way, although none of them could help looking back, just to make sure the twins weren't following them.
-------------------
I have a Patreon account. If you would like to support me, I would greatly appreciate it. You will be able to read up to 15 more chapters, listen to all chapters as audiobooks, and view images of the characters in the story for free. Thank you very much for reading my story :D
patreon.com/Daoistrg