The morning of a brand new term unfortunately didn't get off to a great start, to Gene's dismay. The almost stress-free and satisfying breakfast had quickly turned into an anxiety- inducing, stomach turning one, as she overheard Seamus Finnigan from further along the table.

"He's been sighted!" Seamus exclaimed.

Gene immediately presumed the worst, rising in her seat to find many Gryffindors huddled around Seamus and a copy of The Daily Prophet. She was right, as she skim-read the paper, reading 'Sirius Black' in large letters across the front cover, along with a picture of him in Azkaban. Her eyes passed over the article once, twice and a third time to be sure of what she was reading.

"Achintee? That's not far from here." she mumbled to herself.

"You don't think he'd come to Hogwarts, do you?" Neville asked nervously.

Gene shook her head at him, placing a hand on his arm in an attempt to comfort him. He did have a tendency to be quite nervous when things like this arose. Unfortunately for Neville, that happened to be more often than not.

Following an especially eventful Divination class with Professor Trelawney, who seemed sort of mad to Gene as she supposedly predicted Harry's death, they had a Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson, with the students of Gryffindor and she was ecstatic to finally learn a few things from a real teacher. Hogwarts' history of Defence teachers hadn't been so good. If anything, now was the time for a Defence class, given the circumstances.

There was a murmur of curiosity around the class as they entered the room to find a tall wardrobe, rattling violently. Most of the class opted to hang back, while Gene, Harry, Ron and Hermione stood at the front. At least, Gene thought Hermione was there. Harry and Ron stood on Genes left, as far from the wardrobe while trying to stay as close as possible to Gene, to her amusement.

"Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what's inside?" Professor Lupin asked aloud, glancing at the class.

"That's a boggart, that is." Seamus said.

"Very good, Mr. Finnigan. Can anyone tell us what a boggart looks like?" He asked the class.

"No one knows." Hermione suddenly spoke, causing Ron's head to whip around.

Gene and Harry followed his gaze, to find Hermione stood there like she had always been.

"When did she get here?" he whispered wide eyed, Gene shrugging in amazement. Hermione never ceased to surprise her.

"Boggarts are shape-shifters. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears most. That's what makes it so-" Hermione explained, before pausing.

"- Terrifying, yes. Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart. Let's practice it now, shall we? Without wands, please- Riddikulus!" Professor Lupin encouraged the class as they repeated the spell after him.

"This class is ridiculous." Gene heard Draco mutter under his breath to which Gene gave him a good smack on the arm at this, the sling on his arm going unnoticed.

Once everyone was thoroughly familiarised with the spell without a wand, they were ready to try it for real. Professor Lupin began to speak to Neville, who was already anxious enough as it was.

"Now, when I open this wardrobe, Neville, here's what I want you to do-" The Professor had asked Neville what he was most afraid of, his answer being Snape. Professor Lupin leaned in close to Neville and whispered something which made his eyes widen. "You can do this, Neville." He assured him and Neville nodded nervously, taking in a deep breath in preparation.

"One, two, three!"

Sparks flew from Lupin's wand, and hit the doorknob, causing the wardrobe to burst open. Slowly, Snape appeared as he pushes open the door and he stalked forward causing Neville to back away in fear. The sight even scared Gene a little.

"Think, Neville. Think!" Professor Lupin encouraged him.

"R-r-riddikulus!" Neville managed to stutter out.

There was a cracking sound along with a flash of light and Snape began to stumble around before disappearing, until he reappeared in a long lace dress, with a large hat upon his head and a bright red handbag.

The whole class roared with laughter at the sight, apart from many Slytherins in the class. Even so, Gene continued to laugh loudly at the  scene before her. He may have been her head of house and perfectly fine with her but he was terrible to her friends, which almost nearly cancelled it out.

The Professor continued to call out names in the long line of students, who all buzzed with excitement and anticipation. Next up was Ron and as he stepped forward, the boggart dissolved and spun madly before mutating into a giant spider.

Gene looked to Harry and Hermione worriedly, and they returned the glance. His fear of spiders had only grown since their trip to the Enchanted Forest with Harry last year and Gene had to say that Ron wasn't alone in it.

He steadied his hand before he spoke with courage, "Riddikulus!" The giant spider whirled before reappearing on roller-skates, it's legs wobbling across the floor. Ron instantly relaxed and the class, Gene included, laughed loudly at the sight, sharing a look with Ron.

It was now Gene's turn and while it seemed hilarious before, it wasn't as funny now that it was her turn. One reason for that being that Gene wasn't entirely sure of her greatest fear, and she had no idea what to expect.

"Up you come, Genevieve." The Professor ushered her closer in an encouraging way, though his face showed a different emotion. Whether it was nervousness or fear, she couldn't tell. Then, the large spider jumped and dissolved into the air, spinning wildly before settling into its final form.

Before Gene's eyes, laid the dead bodies of Aurelia and her grandmother, Harry, Ron and Hermione. Beside them, hovered a cloaked figure though its face was hidden in the shadows.

The laughter had died down, eventually silent as Gene's breath caught in her throat at the sight, her eyes glazing over. Her skin went pale as her fingers grew numb, the wand nearly dropping from her shaky hands. She could barely even form the words in her dry throat to stop whatever was happening. Gene couldn't get their paled faces out of her head, the lifelessness in their eyes. She felt as though her heart had just about sunk into the depths of her stomach.

The figure began to turn around in the mist surrounding it, and Gene caught a glimpse of its pale face. She knew who it was. She knew him well. The Professor stepped between the two, one arm protecting Gene while the other held his wand.

There was a loud crack and the scene whirled into a new one relating to the Professor. The mist remained but soon became clouds, which parted to show a glowing white and silvery round light, forming a full moon.

"Riddikulus!" he exclaimed and with a loud popping sound, the shining orb deflated like a punctured balloon and flew about the room,  before returning to its home in the wardrobe.

The class was now shaken out of the previous scene and cheered loudly, probably because the lesson was now over.

"Well done, everyone. I think that's enough excitement for today." Professor Lupin nodded, gesturing for the students to leave.

They couldn't have piled out of the room fast enough, chattering a little too loudly, Gene might have added, as she overheard her name more than once. She could feel the shocked stares on her, though she attempted to ignore them.

Gene still stood in her place in front of the wardrobe, stuck in a state of shock. She swallowed thickly, attempting to blink the tears away. Professor Lupin glanced at Gene with a look of reassurance, and she could see a kindness in his eyes, as well as a knowing look which happened to make her feel somewhat better.

As she gathered the courage to leave, she turned to find four people remained, staring at her worriedly. Draco had a more than concerned look on his face, which Gene had never seen before. He left swiftly after but Gene knew he would have questions for her later, just not in front of the others.

Gene's eyes finally settled on her three best friends, her eyes practically glazing over at the sight. She knew the Boggart wasn't real, but it was nice to see them standing there anyways. Gene gave a curt nod and a sincere smile and left the classroom, with the three following behind her silently.

After her eventful Defence Against the Dark Arts class, Gene noticed the staring from those in her year, but also from every other year group in the school. Some were sympathetic and others were just plain terrified. Word spread quickly in Hogwarts, despite how big it seemed. She wondered who had done the spreading.

"Brilliant. Now the whole school thinks I'm bloody insane." Gene muttered under her breath as she caught the eye of a first year in Hufflepuff, who immediately averted their gaze.

"You have to admit, it was a bit scary." Ron cautiously said, wincing as Gene shot him a glare.

"I know that. I just don't think all this staring is necessary. I'm not the only one whose got a fear." she slumped further into her seat, frowning as her chin rested on her forearms.

"Yes, but, you are the only one whose fear showed our dead bodies." Hermione pointed out and Gene's forehead hit the table as she groaned loudly.

"It was horrible, you know." Gene murmured and the three had to get really close to be able to hear her, "I don't ever want to have to see that again." she sniffled and they glanced at one another, realising she had begun to cry.

"You won't have to, Gene." Harry assured her,  placing his hand over hers.

"You'll have to try a lot harder than that to get rid of us." Ron mussed up Gene's hair lightly, and to their relief, they heard a muffled laugh, causing them to look up at each other and smile.

Gene lifted her head and sniffled some more before breaking into a smile as she looked at her best friends gratefully. After that, she didn't feel so alone.

"Did you hear about what happened in Care for Magical Creatures?" Ron raised an eyebrow at Gene, changing the subject.

"No, what happened?" her eyebrows furrowing in concern.

"Draco got attacked by a Hippogriff. Buckbeak." Gene's eyes widened, "He practically charged at him, called him a name and all, and Hippogriffs don't like that." Ron continued.

"He's an idiot sometimes. I reckon he gets it from his father." Gene had to whisper, causing them all to laugh.

"That's another thing." Hermione's face fell as she continued, "I hear his father isn't happy. He's gone straight to the Ministry apparently. You know the Malfoy's always get their way. He could have Hagrid fired!" Hermione pointed out and Gene frowned at this.

She glanced around the hall, her eyes eventually catching Draco's own, almost as though he had heard them. She hoped he hadn't. With a slight nod of his head, he stood up and gestured for Gene to follow him as he left the great hall. Gene sighed under her breath, having been anticipating this, and began to stand.

"I'll be back." she told the three, and they decided not to question it.

Gene walked the length of the hall, eventually passing through the huge doors and finding Draco leant against the wall, his arms crossed over his chest. Once he'd caught wind of Gene, he stood up straighter, a frown making its way to his face now.

"Are you alright?" was the first thing to leave his mouth and Gene was almost gobsmacked, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.

"I- um- Yeah." she stammered, growing nervous under his gaze. "About last period-"

"It doesn't matter." Draco interrupted, brushing it off. "Just wanted to see if you were alright." he shrugged. The hint of a smile tugged at Gene's lips at this, which he caught onto as he rolled his eyes, scoffing.

"Thanks, Draco." Gene nodded, her smile remaining.

Draco only gave a curt nod, looking both ways in the corridors before heading off to who knew where, and Gene watched as Professor Lupin approached now.

"Genevieve, mind if I have a word?" Professor Lupin asked.

"Of course, Professor." Gene nodded quickly, following as she was brought to his office. Upon entry, she noticed his office was rather messy, yet somehow organised at the same time. It seemed as though her eyes deceived her, but she chose to ignore it, taking a seat just in front of his desk.

"Now, I expect you know what I want to talk to you about." he said, taking a seat at his chair opposite Gene.

"You want to ask me about my boggart." Gene said with certainty.

His face displayed a sympathetic expression, which Gene was grateful for. "I'm sorry you had to see that, especially in front of your whole class." he apologised.

"It's not your fault, Professor." Gene shrugged, giving him a small smile as she played with her frayed jumper sleeve.

"I suspect you know who the cloaked figure was?" he continued warily.

"Voldemort." Gene nodded without hesitation. His head shot up to look at Gene, wondering how she said his name with such ease.

"I have a question, sir. I was wondering if you would be able to answer it." Gene asked hopeful.

"Ask away." he shook himself out of his daze and nodded at Gene.

"That day on the train, I heard a woman screaming, same as Harry. Do you know what that could mean?" she nervously asked, sweat clinging to her palms as she recalled the feeling. At this, Lupin had a hard face to decipher, and it wasn't clear what exactly he was thinking.

"You may want to consider speaking to Dumbledore about that. I'm sorry I couldn't be more useful." he explained, shaking his head.

Gene shook her head rapidly, "That's alright, sir. I do have another question though, but you don't have to answer." to which the Professor chuckled, shaking his head.

"Alright. What is it?" he asked with the smallest of smiles.

Gene gulped, staring nervously, "Your boggart. It was a full moon, wasn't it?" she slowly asked, waiting for him to kick her out.

"Yes, it was Genevieve." he replied, his voice remaining as kind as before but gave off something else. He looked almost disappointed at himself and Gene felt her heart sink.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, sir, I hope you know that." Gene knew what the wizarding world thought of werewolves, it made her furious at times. From what she knew of Professor Lupin already, he was strong and brave and she had come to admire him very much.

"Of course, Genevieve. Thank you." Professor Lupin replied, his voice sounding distant and Gene didn't really believe him.

"I won't tell a soul. You have my word, sir." Gene assured the Professor firmly. 

He smiled, "If you ever need to talk, Gene, please don't hesitate to visit me. I'll be in my office most of the time." Lupin stood up to escort Gene out, just in time to say her goodbyes as the rest of the school left for Hogsmeade.

Gene thought her grandma was a paranoid woman. She didn't allow her to go to the shops around the corner on her own until last year, even though it was just a five minute walk. Gene had defeated giants and a Basilisk, but evidently that wasn't enough for Cordelia Fiordalis.

But she didn't even come close to Aurelia. While she loved Gene like she was her own, it meant that she couldn't risk a thing when it came to her safety. Not even a trip to Hogsmeade, and her protectiveness only seemed to worsen after the news of Sirius Black's escape. It just so happened to work out well this time, as Harry wasn't allowed to go either, because of his dreadful family. So she didn't mind too much, as she went to wait for Harry in the Great Hall.

Apart from her, there were maybe a dozen other students also sat in the Great Hall, reading or talking amongst themselves quietly. Gene pulled out her leather bound journal, a gift from Professor Dumbledore, and she placed it onto the table, along with ink and her quill, both in terrible shape.

G. Fiordalis & H. Potter

She had written this out at the top of the parchment, as neat as she could manage. Her first thought was to write about the strange occurrences that had already happened less than a month into the school year, and that she did.

"What's that?" Harry's voice pulled Gene from her intensive writing session, and she smiled as he took a seat opposite her.

"Read for yourself." She turned the journal around and slid it across the table to Harry as she began to put her ink and quill away. Harry read through the items carefully and intently. "The screaming we keep hearing- who do you think it is?" Gene cautiously asked after a long pause, having a theory of her own.

"Honestly? I think it might be my mum." Harry came to the awful conclusion and Gene nodded a little, remorse filing her eyes.

"That's what I was thinking too. Do you think we should show the other two?" Gene asked, to which Harry agreed, and they awaited their return.

In no time, the students arrived back from Hogsmeade and sat in the Hall, now bustling with tales of Hogsmeade with colourful candies being passed out. Hermione bought Gene some sherbet lemons, those being her new favourites, and a box of Bertie's for Harry.

"We have something to show you guys." Gene told them as she dove into her worn out bag, pulling out the equally worn out journal.

Gene looked around cautiously, before sliding the journal across the table towards Ron and Hermione. As they read through, Gene noticed their eyes widen, which she figured was a suitable reaction. Gene also wanted to mention the tiny detail of Professor Lupin being a werewolf, but decided against it for now, at least.

Best friends or not, she made him a promise.

___________________________________

poor baby gene :(

but lets all appreciate gene and remus being besties period

see u in the next chapter... its gonna be a bumpy ride <3