A Boggart?

[Kayla Sheridan]

Admin Approval I 11512065​

Kayla stared up at the ceiling from her bed. She was bored brainless. She had finished all her homework, she had even done some additional reading. Kayla wasn't an avid reader but since coming to Hogwarts she was growing more fond of the hobby. It upset her that she couldn't practice her music and acting as much as she liked. Before coming here that was all she did. She was constantly practising for show after show. She had singing,acting and dance classes, all aimed at bringing her to the standard of the likes of Broadway and the West End. It was all she had known. She had attended the local school here in New Zealand when she moved her for Hogwarts but her thoughts had been so preoccupied with magic and her loss of career path that she hadn't paid the proper attention. Since the age of eight she been irregularly home-schooled. As it was she had moved school two or three time because of bullying. So Kayla had never had the chance to fully invest in her schooling. It hadn't really affected her work here in Hogwarts but her maths skills along with a few other muggle subjects wasn't up to the usual standard. That's not to say she wasn't smart. She was a quick learner and did have the motivation to study when it was needed. But what Kayla missed most was her ability to perform. It had played such an integral part of her life that she almost felt lost with out it. She had never really thought of this before Hogwarts and in her first few weeks here. The novelty of magic and being close to her Dad had been too much but now it was wearing off. She soon realised that her only real hobby was her singing and acting. Since she could not do them freely here she found herself with not much to do. She wished she liked the water. It angered her that her severe phobia restricted her ability to live life. This was why she had spent the past hour and a half lying on her bed. Sighing she got up. She was restless and had to do something. She had heard there were many abandoned classrooms around the school. She figured if she found one of them she could do her own thing with out interrupting anyone else.

Kayla quickly gathered a few things including her wand and began her search. It wasn't long before she was lost but she recognised where she was. She had never been in the Dungeons before but it looked pretty much like any Dungeon she had heard of before. It was dark, dreary and cold. Kayla figured there had to be an empty room here and it was nice and quiet with not many people around. It was perfect really so Kayla walked further through the tunnels. But after many turns she had yet to find an empty and open room. Any she had passed so far were locked and Kayla shivered realised it was getting steadily colder. She also knew she was completely lost and it would take her a good while to find her way back. She figured that because she was already lost there was no harm in going further. In fact she could probably start singing at the top of her voice here and no one would hear her. This thought probably should have alarmed Kayla but she didn't think anything bad could happen to her down here, she wasn't scared or frightened, in fact she was growing increasingly frustrated she could find no room. Suddenly Kayla heard a loud and violent rattling . Her heart began to beat faster. She stood, silent for a moment, listening closer. There! She could hear it again. She began walking cautiously towards the noise. After a few turns she spotted a large trunk. She bit her lip, it probably wasn't a good idea to open this chest but she really, really wanted to know what was inside it. There was no way it could be life threatening. The Headmistress would hardly allow something that dangerous in Hogwarts.

Kayla slowly approached the chest. Once she was beside it the chest immediately went still. It was then Kayla got a terrible sense of foreboding. The chest flew open and she fell backwards. She managed to land on her hand, damaging it as well as dropping her wand. She looked down to retrieve it but then she heard a curious sound. She looked back and a scream immediately came to her throat. There in front of her was a massive wave. Kayla's brain struggled to grasp the reality of the situation. But it was pointless. All that came to her mind right now was flash backs of her father and how he had died. She knew at that moment she was going to die. She was going to be killed by her greatest adversary and fear. It was then she finally let go and started screaming , watching helplessly as the wave came towards her.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

The new school term was well under way, and, despite its pleasing lack of chaos, was proving by no means less exhausting than the last. Professor Pendleton found it quite bizarre to think that twelve whole months had passed since the commencement of his position at Hogwarts New Zealand. He was also staggered that quite so much had occurred in such a short period of time. In just over the year, the inventor had gained not only two very dear friends, but also an entire family. As clichéd as the notion was, it was impossible to repudiate the fact Hogwarts provided a home to all of its inhabitants, and whilst Monty was already beginning to feel the inevitable effects of juggling so many tasks simultaneously, he was incredibly happy to be back at the castle at last.

The Potions Professor paged inattentively through a book, though his countenance suggested he was finding the novel quite gripping. His desk was scattered with parchments and papers, not all of which were related to his work, and he had a mug of tea in one hand that he put down every so often when he thought it was probably about time to turn the page. There were plenty of more important matters heeding his attention at present, but he was content to ignore them for the time being in favour of sitting alone with his thoughts and pretending to read his book. His conscientious nature ensured it never took him very long to catch up with his duties; nor did he leave them for such extensive periods of time that doing so would be a terribly arduous job. If he'd calculated correctly, he easily had another hour to spare before necessity required him to return to his paperwork, and he would wait until the very last moment of it before he did. It wasn't that the sixty-something page form he had to fill in as part of his application to be a foster parent intimidated him as such, but with each new document he owled off, the day of his approval (or rejection) crawled agonizingly closer. Some days, Monty wasn't even certain of the result he wanted the most. He wanted Saveli to be happy, of course, but he couldn't help but fear that it was coming at the expensive of his comfort and security. Despite having attended a very enlightening preparation session, he was still far from ready to take on the responsibility of a teenage girl. Still, he kept Ava's words fondly in the forefront of his mind. Nothing could truly prepare him for the journey ahead, but his ill-understanding of being a parent would not hinder his potential to become one. After all, he had been blessed by unfortunate circumstance with kindness and patience, and these were surely the foundation upon which any good father was built.

A piercing scream jolted Monty violently from his thoughts. His heart sprang straight into his throat, and he flung his book down with little regard for where it might land. He shot to his door and pulled it open, plunging himself into the dimness of the dungeon corridor before he even had time to consider who or where the scream had come from. It didn't matter. Someone needed help. A movement to Monty's right snapped his head in that direction, and his pale eyes settled on a startling sight. On the floor a little way down the corridor, cowering from what could only be described as a hanging tidal wave, was a student no older than twelve at most. In the throes of adrenaline, it took the inventor no time at all to reach her, but also a moment longer to comprehend what on earth was going on. When he did, he lifted his wand to the colossal wave and said firmly, "Riddikulus." As he had hoped, the water began to shift and morph, vaporizing into a harmless, puffy white cloud. He directed the cloud back into the open chest, which closed itself upon the boggart's return, and then locked it with a silent charm. His attention was turned next to the student on the floor. He was still a little shaken by the ordeal, which he did his best to conceal for her sake. "It's all right," Monty told the girl gently, crouching at her side and placing a reassuring hand on the back of her shoulder. The chest had begun to rattle again. "It's just a boggart. Nasty little thing that takes on the form of our biggest fear. Take some deep breaths."

 

[Kayla Sheridan]

Kayla had made it her life's mission to avoid water. She had never once had a bath or gone to a swimming pool. She had no idea how to swim nor did she have any intention of learning. If she stayed away from water, then she would never have the need to know how to swim. If there was enough water in which someone could drown, she stayed well away. It was a combination of a fear of water and drowning. The sea was her greatest enemy. She almost hated it. It claimed so many lives, it destroyed so much. It annoyed her though how beautiful it could be. It was the home to so many wonderful creatures. She couldn't understand how something so beautiful could cause so much pain and suffering. She was usually one to face her fears but this was one was too much. It was another reason why she just avoided it. By avoiding it she didn't have to face the fact she was too weak to overcome this fear. It saddened her also that she didn't love the sea. It had been her father's whole life. He had grew up by the sea, he had swam nearly every day. He had been a lifeguard. He of all people should have been safe. It shouldn't have been able to take his life. But it had happened, the sea had snuffed her father's life out, like a candle. In turn it changed the whole course of her life. There wasn't a day that went by where she didn't think of him or missed him. She hated how his life had been cut short. She hated the sea for it. It was a toxic mix. On one hand, she was terrified. If her father could drown, with all his experience, then anyone could. Then on the other hand, she hated it. It was a dark hatred spurred on by thoughts of how much happier she would be if he was here and the injustice that such a loving and caring man as her father had been taken away from this world.

Kayla had never felt this kind of fear. This was the first time in her whole life she was being confronted by her fear and she wasn't ready. She was in the Dungeons of Hogwarts. She was in now way ready mentally. It was why the fear had taken over completely. She was frozen with terror, completely unable to move. She just started at the wave which seemed to have materialised out of no where, screaming and screaming. She didn't want to die like this. She had so much more to do in her life. She was too young. What about her mother? She would be utterly destroyed if she lost both her husband and only daughter to the sea. Then suddenly it was gone. The wave just turned into a puffy cloud. Her mind struggled to understand what was happening. A wave of emotions rose inside her. Shock, happiness that she wasn't about to die and gaining traction was anger. Anger at her total inability to stand up and protect herself. How could she call herself a Gryffindor? She felt completely humiliated. She desperately wanted to know what happened. Kayla's face started turning red. Someone obviously found out about her fear and decided to trick her. Her anger grew. How dare they? Did they think it was funny? Her thoughts were interrupted however when she heard a voice. Kayla, totally lost in fear had not heard the man, whom she presumed was a Professor approach. She was listening to what he was saying but she was not taking the words in. She also realised she was crying. This experience had reopened the wound of her father's death. She wanted to stop, she didn't want to cry in front of a Professor but she couldn't help it. "I'm s..orry"She hiccuped, wiping her eyes , attempting to stop crying. "Sor..ry, what did you just say?"She asked, still unaware that it was the Professor who had banished the wave.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Monty's words of comfort were lost beneath the reverberation of the girl's screams. He feared that only a person who had experienced something truly horrifying was capable of producing such a sound, and it continued to unsettle him long after the echoes dissipated down the dungeon corridor. It was only at that moment that the Professor realised he'd never seen his own boggart before. He'd seen several of other people's, and knew both from observation and studying how to banish one, but ultimately had been fortunate enough never to encounter one alone. Between retrieving the girl's fallen wand and handing it back to her, Monty gave the violently rattling chest a nervous glance, hoping that his locking charm would suffice to keep it inside for the time being. He didn't know what form his boggart would have taken on, but he wasn't eager to find out. There were many things the inventor feared, and he buried most of them beneath a smile to save the pain their revelation would cause him. The girl whose shoulder he comforted looked equally distressed at having seen her own, and it was all Monty could do to keep himself from welling up in empathy. For her sake, he managed it.

"No, no, don't be sorry," he said gently. It seemed a little futile explaining a boggart to someone who probably hadn't even learned to cast Lumos yet, so he gave a dismissive shake of his head. "Never mind." The Potions Professor glanced both ways down the corridor, hoping perhaps the girl had not ventured down into the dungeons by herself, but his eyes only found a stretching expanse of darkness. "What's your name?" he asked, turning his eyes back to her. "Were you looking for something down here, or are you lost?"

 

[Kayla Sheridan]

Kayla felt like a right mess. Her mind still didn't understand what had happened. What was now contained in the rattling chest? The earlier fear still clutched her heart. She was still almost hyperventilating, the tears flowing freely down her face. She had never been this frightened in her life. Just moments ago she believed she was going to die. All her common sense had flown out the window the minute she had seen that huge wave. All her brain registered was fear and paranoia. She wanted to know how on earth a wave had just been in the Dungeons. However scared of the water she was before, at this moment in time it was now a hundred times worse. She could barely look at the chest, even hearing it rattle , set her teeth on edge and she could feel the fear building up again. She took a few deep breaths, attempting to calm her racing heart and relax both her body and mind. She was also quite embarrassed. This poor Professor had seen her scream over a wave, a giant one but still a wave. But she was also thankful. She didn't even want to consider what would have happened if he hadn't arrived.

She wanted to smile in thanks, her brain finally understanding that it was the Professor who had put the wave in the chest. She wanted to ask him how he had done it, so she was never in this situation again. "Thank you"She whispered, sniffing. She knew her eyes were red and there were tears all over her face. She attempted to discreetly wipe them away but then after a few seconds, realised this was pointless. She used the sleeve of her jumper, trying to at least look presentable. "Kayla Sheridan"She answered quietly before looking up "I'm sorry but I'm not sure which Professor you are"She admitted looking down at her hands, embarrassed. At this moment in time, Kayla viewed this man as her saviour, although she'd never admit it. "No,well kind of. I was looking for a place to practise my singing and dancing.. since everywhere else I go, everyone complains that's I'm too loud so I was just looking for somewhere quiet and you know empty and..."Kayla broke off, realising she had been rambling . She cursed inwardly "I'm sorry, I'm still trying to take everything in" She said, taking in another deep breath. "It was you, who got rid of that thing?"She asked, the venom clear when she said thing.

 

[Monty Pendleton]

Professor Pendleton was familiar with the panic the young girl was experiencing, and he knew it to be a horribly unpleasant experience. He wouldn't have wished such fear and and terror upon his worst enemy. She presented him with her name, and he nodded. Kayla Sheridan. Somewhere on Monty's office desk lay a sheet of the names of all the first years enrolled in his class that semester, among which he was sure he had seen hers. "OK, Kayla," he said, thinking that given the nature of most of the students and Professors who frequented the dungeons, it was quite fortunate that he should be the one to have found her. "My name's Professor Pendleton - I'll be teaching you Potions." He nodded again, feeling quite sorry for the girl as she expressed her difficulty in finding somewhere to practise her hobbies that she wouldn't be reprimanded for them. It was rather understandable, however, that she should be finding herself overwhelmed; the castle was a frightfully intimidating place, even to the boldest of Wizards. "That's it, take deep breaths," encouraged Monty with a smile. "And you've nothing you ought to be apologising for, my dear," he added firmly. "It happens to the best of us." The Professor's eyes followed Kayla's to the rattling chest, which she remarked to with blatant contempt. "Yes, yes it was. It's called a boggart. It's an amortal non-being that likes to try and scare us by turning into what the person before it fears the most. You have nothing to be ashamed of. We all fear something."

Since he was beginning to get cramp from crouching for so long, the inventor looked around in thought. He didn't like to suggest Kayla leave the dungeons until she'd managed to compose herself, but he thought he best give her the option. "Would you like me to take you back up to the castle, or would you rather come and sit in my classroom for a little while?" he asked. They could only sit in the middle of a dungeon corridor for so long before someone passed them and naturally expressed their curiosity as to why she was crying.

 

[Kayla Sheridan]

Kayla inwardly cringed when he said he would be her potions teacher. Things just got more embarrassing. For the rest of the semester she would have to go to his classes and hide. She wouldn't be able to look him in the face. Firstly he knew her biggest fear and secondly he had seen just how useless she had been in combating it. It wasn't a side to her many people saw. She was usually the protector. The one who wasn't afraid of anything. She had buried her fear so deep down that she had almost believed herself that when she either confronted the water herself or she was confronted by it, she would stand strong and conquer it. Obviously that wouldn't have happened. The wound from her father's death was still to new. The realisation she was magical had reopened it and she had not healed fully. Still the Professor seemed kind and despite the fact she was embarrassed she was glad of the fact he had found her. At least she had someone to calm her down and explain to her what just happened. "Nice to meet you"She started before frowning "but not so much under these circumstances"She finished, her cheeks burning red. She was just destined to make a fool of herself in front of this Professor. She smiled slightly, appreciating his words. At least he wasn't making fun of her. She didn't know what she would do if some mean Slytherin had found her. She would never hear the end of it.

She listened intently as he explained what the thing in the chest was. However some of his words confused her "What do you mean by amortal non-being?"She asked curiously. Her gaze fell to the floor when he said everyone feared something. She was sure it was meant to be comforting but unfortunately in this instance Kayla was too proud and stubborn for the words to take effect. She appreciated them however. He was trying his best to help her and she was extremely grateful. "Thank you.."She whispered, she was unable to look him in the eyes as she said this. She was still too embarrassed. She quickly rubbed her eyes and took a few deep breaths. She knew she wasn't ready to face the rest of the castle yet "Would you mind if I came into your classroom for a while?"She asked shyly. She didn't want to impose and usually she would brush that sort of suggestion away but she needed another while to calm down and she had some questions about this boggart thing.​

 

[Monty Pendleton]

When Kayla said it was nice to meet him, Monty smiled as cheerfully as the situation allowed him to, understanding that to express the incorrect proportion of happiness in such a time would have invalidated Kayla's feelings, and he did not wish her to think her fears were unjustified. She must have, after all, encountered something quite horrific concerning water to evoke such a reaction upon seeing her boggart. He couldn't quite imagine what, save for almost drowning, and that was such a sad thought that he didn't dwell on it at any length. "Yes," he agreed quickly, observing the blush on her cheek and hoping to ease her embarrassment. Her next question stumped him, and he had to think for a moment to produce a reply that wouldn't frighten her. Not all non-beings were scary - poltergeists, for instance, were more of a nuisance than something to fear. Dementors and boggarts, on the other hand, which fed off human emotions, were not the most pleasant creatures to explain to a first year. In the end, he said: "Well, it's a bit complicated, really," and hoped she wouldn't press the matter.

Waving away Kayla's thanks, the Potions Professor nodded, rising to his feet and waiting for her to do the same. "Of course," he said firmly, walking to his classroom door and holding it open behind him for Kayla. "I'm terribly sorry about that boggart. I'd have locked the chest if I'd known it was in there." Letting the door swing closed, Monty went to his desk and gathered up a pile of parchment, sending one to each desk with a flick of his wand. "Would you like something to drink? Water? Tea?" he asked, beginning to pour a cup of the latter for himself anyway.

 

[Kayla Sheridan]

Well Kayla was just lucky Professor Monty Pendleton had been around. Her thoughts continued to try and drift towards what could have happened but she just shook her head and tried to focus on what the Professor was saying. She hoped something would be done about it. She still couldn't believe it had just been left there. Sure, it was quite far down into the dungeons but still. It was quite clearly, dangerous. As she had just so brilliantly demonstrated. She was tempted to just stand guard to make sure no other poor, unsuspecting person was caught off guard. Even if someone knew a solution to the boggart, one would still be caught unaware. "Oh okay"She finished, not pushing the matter. The word just sounded awkward and complicated and just bleh. That didn't mean she wouldn't research it. As soon as she left here she was running to the library to find all she could on boggarts. The word itself just intrigued her. She had forgot there was a dark side to magic. She had been so enamoured with the idea of magic she had forgot that like everything else there was two sides to everything. She had certainly got a rude awakening."Is there any books in the library about them?"She asked curiously. The blush on her cheeks had no disappeared and her heart rate had definitely slow down, thankfully.

"Thanks very much"She smiled, glad that she would have a few more moments to recover from her ordeal. She followed suit and shakily stood up. The adrenalin was still pumping around her body, making her limps shake. She held her hands together in an attempt to hid the shakiness, once more embarrassed. "It's ok"she countered, although it wasn't really but the Professor had not known of the chest's existence so she could hardly blame him. "Why is it here?"She asked, a slight edge to her voice. It wasn't directed at Professor Pendleton, but at the chest and at Hogwarts in general. She followed him into his classroom and sat down in front of his desk. " A cup of tea would be lovely, thank you".

 

[Monty Pendleton]

"Oh, there are books on everything," said Monty, who couldn't think on the spot which subject amortal non-beings would fall under. "I'm sure the librarian would be happy to point you in the right direction if you asked."

The Potions Professor poured a second cup of tea, placing it on the desk in front of Kayla and then sitting down himself. "Why?" he repeated, thinking for a moment. "Well, evidence suggests that amortal non-beings are formed from nearby human emotions. Our resident poltergeist, for instance, showed up at the end of a very chaotic year. I suspect that this boggart was created out of, er..." Monty hesitated, suddenly fearing he may have contributed toward the non-being's existence. "An accumulation of fear around the castle. They can spring up anywhere, really. Pesky little devils." The Professor took a quick sip of tea and picked up his quill, supposing he ought to get some of his application done now that he'd put his book down. He checked a couple of boxes, and then without looking up asked: "Do you like to read?" Attentive to what others said in passing, he'd picked up on Kayla's keenness to learn about non-beings, and wondered whether this interest spanned over a broader horizon. Monty had taught enough children of disinterested mind that he was quite pleased when one showed any subtle hint of enthusiasm for learning. Those were the pleasures to have in his classroom.