Lesson One (Third Years)

Aireon gulped. This was it. Time for his secrets to be let loose. He bravely stepped to the front of the class. He asked the professor a question.

"Sir, can a boggart take the form of multiple things?"

Lacey wasn't fazed. She'd seen much worse.

Rolling her eyes at both Slytherins, she knew Karma's reason for her Bogart. And the other, well, duh. Of course it could take the shape of multiple things, otherwise it wouldn't be able to shape into your greatest fear. She already knew what hers was going to be. She'd dealt with a Bogart before. There was one locked in her dad's study desk. Not that she knew that until she opened it. Why it was there was beyond her, but she had the feeling she didn't want to know the reason.

Sliding down in her seat, she gave a small smile to Lucy who it was obvious didn't want this at all. Not that she did, either. She was just indifferent she supposed. It's not like she liked Bogarts or seeing her worst fear. Merlin, no one did.

Cobalt nodded to Aireon,

"I know this might be hard son but you have to face your fears." he paused, "Even if there are more than one of them."

He pulled the door open and the boggart rushed out.

Aireon sighed and nodded. The door opened and he immediately had to draw out his crystal sword. The clang of metal was deafening. He was face to face with one of them. The figure was dressed all in black, the steel battle gloves gripped the sword. The face was covered, giving the illusion if not having one. Behind him were three more like him. One removed his hood to reveal the face of his old mentor. He had striking gray eyes, a short gray stubble and a bald head.

"You failed us, Aireon. You should've sensed them before they made it in. Why didn't you fight harder?" he taunted. The wraith he was currently engaged with spoke in that same airy voice he heard that night.

"We did not all die that night. You failed to avenge them. The boy who never learned...the warrior who is a coward...the first to find out about our attack...the last of his order...and the last to die." The fight resumed. Soon, the other three joined in. Aireon ducked left, parried right, and flipped over every blow they tried. All the while tears stung his eyes. They soon had him surrounded. He jumped over them and landed on his feet. He parried a slice by his mentor and disarmed him. He sliced one of the wraiths across the chest. Quickly blocking, he spun from another blow and stabbed the second in the back. Aireon turned just in time to see a wraith charging toward him.

Aireon flipped over the final attacker and landed. He sheathed his sword and grabbed the wraith by the head. With one quick twist, he snapped his neck.

He turned to his old mentor

"There is nothing you can do to fix your error, and now, your secret is out. You'll go back to being a shadow. Destined to be alone," the fake mentor said.

Karma's eyes widened as the action took place in front of her. Aireon would, of course, have a boggart that had to do with fighting. He was good with his sword, she had known that before the battle had even taken place, but the sheer speed of his blows made it obvious he had been holding out on her when they'd sparred. Taking note of both her and Aireon's boggarts, her eyes went to every Slytherin in the room. Would they all have to fight their boggarts with a hidden weapon or... power? She refused to loook at the cause of this thought and faced front again. Aireon had defeated them all.

She wasn't surprised.

Lucy frowned, partly in pity for the boy, whose 'secret was now out' and partly because so far everyone's boggart had been something aggressive. Hers would stand out like a tree in the middle of a field. But hers would also look pathetic. No one knew her background, so no one would understand why her worst fear terrified her so much.

The only thing was, she still didn't know how the bogart would play out the fear.

Cobalt smiled a little,

"Ten points to Slytherin." he paused and frowned a little, "I'd say I was sorry for revealing secrets but your fears are your own. So the blame is partially your own."

He stepped in front of the downed figures the boggart had taken the shape of and paid them no mind. Behind him the boggart began to reform as he was now the unknowing target of it's attention. He waved Aireon back to his seat,

"Now... can anyone tell me why...?" he paused when he felt a shiver run down his spine. He turned to face the boggart and paled.

In front of the entire class the boggart had taken the form of a little boy, about the age of four, hanging from a noose on the ceiling. The boy was deathly pale but the sandy coloured hair and the pale skin showed that the boy was obviously related to Cobalt. Despite the complete absense of any wind, the boy began to sway lightly as if hit by a breeze. Cobalt simply stood there and looked at the boggart in complete silence, showing no signs of recognition other than a slight paling of his skin. Suddenly the boggart child opened it's eyes to stare at Cobalt with eyes his own shade of blue,

"Why didn't you come daddy?" the boy-boggart asked in a harsh and raspy voice. Cobalt flinched a little as the boy-boggart continued to fix him with his cold, dead, stare, "Why didn't you try and save me daddy? I cried and I screamed for you daddy..."

Cobalt closed his eyes,

"Enough..." he muttered softly. The boy-boggart blinked, a long and sluggish movement,

"You said you'd keep me safe daddy..." the boy-boggart continued, "You said no one would ever hurt me... but you weren't there daddy..."

Cobalt clenched his fists tightly,

"Enough." he stated firmly as he looked at the boggart. The boggart paused for a second before it continued,

"You said you'd never let anyone hurt me daddy... they only wanted the pebble you showed me..." he droned on, "Did I do wrong daddy? Was I not worth saving...?"

"ENOUGH!" Cobalt roared, the sheer volume and power behind the voice causing the boy-boggart to blink a few times in shock and the breeze to stop, "No, you weren't worth saving. Not at the loss of that. Now... get back in the god-damn cabinet."

The boggart's noose cut loose of the ceiling and the dead child slowly walked back into the cabinet, closing it as he walked in. Cobalt paused for a moment,

"Everyone but Aireon Thiren and Karma Black... get out..." he told the class firmly. When no one moved he turned round with a vicious snarl and slammed a fist into the nearest desk, shattering it, "I SAID GET OUT!"

Karma's eyes widened as she watched the boggart transform before her, before she looked down at the ground. This was not for her to see. She winced at the voice of a young child before trying to drown it out. But it wasn't working. She kept her eyes on the ground, even as Colbalt ordered everyone out of the room. This was not her place.

Lucy swallowed, but decided that the boggart was for her teacher t know about, not her. She grabbed her stuff and walked out of the room quickly, part of her wondering what made Karma and Aireon so special and the other part glad that she hadn't been asked to stay. Who knew if they would be forced to confront the boggart again.

Her situation was safe, at least for now.

Aireon nodded at the professor. When he got back to his seat, he saw the boggart shift. He realized that the professor had become it's target. When it shifted to the boy hanging from the noose, Aireon realized that this was a personal memory. He knew not to judge the professor. He was taught from birth that everyone messes up, so why should this be any different.

When it was all over, and the professor ordered everyone out except him and Karma, he began to mentally go through possible reasons why. Most seemed like he would be able to deal with them, so he relaxed. He only hoped the professor could see that what happened happened. That there was no way to change it. As the muggles say, "It's all water under the bridge."