An Embarrassing Reveal

[Louis Vernier]

It had taken all of Louis's courage to approach the professor and ask her to face his boggart away from the rest of the class. He much preferred it this way however as he didn't want to embarrass himself in front of everyone. He knew he was a fearful person, and so anything at all could come out of the wardrobe that he didn't want anyone else seeing. He spent the whole week thinking over it and wondering what it could be. He thought perhaps it could be a giant spider or a dangerous snake, but even then, there were still so many more possibilities. He couldn't help but be nervous. He didn't like the class, but he still wanted to pass it and wanted it to go as smoothly as possible. As the boy made his way to the office door, he knocked on it lightly with a shaking hand and waited for the professor to answer. He just hoped the professor wasn't one to judge and that the encounter would be over soon enough.

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia stood at the window, watching a female bellbird preen herself on an adjacent sill. She was lost in thought when there was a knock at her door. It took her a moment to remember why she was standing there in the first place. She waved her wand at the door, which opened to reveal the student she’d been waiting for.

After his meltdown in her class last year, Lydia was surprised that Louis Vernier had returned for a third year of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Not that she minded. She had nothing but respect for students who pushed themselves out of their comfort zone. How else were they expected to grow?

“Mr. Vernier,” Lydia said, nodding her head in greeting. She glanced at the wardrobe, which she’d moved to the back corner of her office. The witch had long since tuned out the rattling complaints of the boggart within. “If you’d close the door behind you, please…” With an encouraging smile at the Hufflepuff boy, she turned to the wardrobe, her wand at her side. “I’m ready when you are.”

OOC: Just an FYI, I'm fine with godmods as needed!

 

[Louis Vernier]

Louis felt his chest tighten as the door in front of him opened to reveal the professor. She gestured for him to come inside, and he did so tentatively. What made him the most nervous was the uncertainty, and he was definitely starting to feel it as he closed the door behind him. As Louis looked towards the wardrobe, he took his wand out of his pocket with a shaking hand, not wanting whatever it was to jump scare him. He was prepared, and the last thing he wanted was to get hurt by this thing and then have to explain why.

The wardrobe shook before the door swung open, revealing his mother, followed by his father. They looked cross, and Louis wondered why. Behind them were the boys from brotherhood. Isaiah, Branson, Jordan, Weston, and even Francis. They were laughing at him whilst his parents began yelling, telling him that he was an embarrassment. Louis’s hand shook even more now as he pointed his wand at them, taking a few steps back. Their voices and laughter rang in his ears. He felt tears begin running down his face. “No, stop.” he said desperately, his heart beating strongly against his chest. He dropped his wand and sat down on the ground, bringing his knees up to his chest and covering his ears so that he could not hear them anymore. He couldn’t do it, he just couldn’t defeat it. His face wet with tears, he looked over at the professor. “I-I’m sorry.” he trembled, completely helpless. He didn’t know what to turn them into or how to get rid of them. There was no hope for him.

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia stood back, watching as the Hufflepuff boy confronted the boggart. His fear was a chaos of jeering, shouting, people. She was expecting the boy to come up with a solution to his problem, to at least attempt Riddikulus, but he crumbled to the floor instead. Knowing it was her time to intervene, Lydia stepped in front of Louis, the cacophony of voices dissolving and morphing into her old, familiar friend, the Hidebehind. After reducing the boggart to a shriveled thing of skin and bones, she wrestled it back into the armoire.

Then, Lydia turned back to Louis. “Don’t be sorry,” she said gently. The witch sat down on the floor next to him, crossing her legs. She knew he needed a breather, but sincerely hoped he would try again. “What would make them less scary?” she asked. “Your friends- your- parents?” It was a guess, at best, who the two adults were.

 

[Louis Vernier]

Louis couldn't help but be surprised when the professor sat down next to him on the floor. It felt comforting, and he was thankful that the professor wasn't judging him too much. He also hoped she wouldn't go tell anyone about it. The boy shrugged at the professor's question, wiping his face as he tried to think. He supposed it would be less scary if he could just make them happy. "I just want them to be happy." the boy told her truthfully. "Laughing, but not at me. I want them to be laughing because they're having fun." He tried to think of how he could do that. The people he surrounded himself meant a lot to him, and so it hurt seeing them turn against him like that. He always felt that his friends didn't appreciate him as much as he appreciated them, and perhaps it was this mindset that was making the situation seem the most scary. "What if I imagine something else for them to laugh at? Something that isn't directed at me and is actually funny?" he said, looking to the professor for some reassurance.

 

[Lydia Drage]

Lydia remained on the floor, her wand in her lap. She could almost see the gears turning in the Hufflepuff boy’s brain. “It would certainly be- unconventional,” she said, mulling over the idea. “But I think it’s worth a try.” More than anything, she wanted Louis to succeed at conquering the boggart, yet as a professor, she wanted to see if providing a humorous distraction would work.

 

[Louis Vernier]

Louis couldn't help but lose a little hope as the professor said it was unconventional, but he still knew that he had to try it, even if it didn't work. He felt a little more confident this time as he knew what to expect, and so he stood back up, keeping his wand out in front of him as he waited for the cupboard to open again. When it did, the same thing happened, and Louis's parents walked out followed by his friends who were laughing at him. Trembling as his parents' yells echoed in his ears, Louis tried his best to think of something he could do on the spot. People told him that imagining an audience in their underwear helped prevent stage fright, but he didn't want to see anyone in their underwear. Instead, he imagined something a little funnier. "Riddikulus." he said, pointing his wand at the people in front of him. Suddenly, each person started wearing googly glasses, and his parents started laughing along too. They were no longer paying any attention to him. Louis beamed, watching as the boggart disappeared as quickly as it appeared and headed back into the cupboard. "I think I did it." Louis said to the professor, relief on his face.