Sasha Liliana Jackson & The Secrets of Hogwarts

Chapter Four: Boggart Attacks

After Flying Class, Sasha and her friends all went towards the greenhouses with their magic gardening supplies with Professor Sprout. Sasha was limping slightly from the sourness she's feeling from her left leg, she figured she had accidentally placed her leg in a wrong direction or maybe there was something wrong with Madam Hooch's brooms.
They soon arrived to the greenhouses. They had only ever worked in greenhouse once before — greenhouse three has more interesting plants. Professor Sprout took a large key from her belt and unlocked the door. Sasha caught the scent of damp earth and fertilizer mingling with the heavy perfume of some giant, umbrella-sized flowers dangling from the ceiling. Each one was a large horizontal glass structure that was humid inside, filled with all kinds of strange plants. The class was run by Professor Sprout, an elderly woman who was round in figure with a kind-looking face and short curly gray hair. She wore a yellow robe and ragged brown cloak, dragon-hide gloves, and a short pointed hat that was also yellow strapped with brown. Apart from her, this particular greenhouse was filled with Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students.
"Sasha Jackson," Professor Sprout addressed, as Sasha took the empty spot next to Rowan along the table of potted plants the students were gathered around. "It's very nice to see you in Herbology class instead of searching for Cursed Vaults."
Sasha said softly, "Well, Herbology is quite an interesting class, Professor Sprout. How was your summer?"
"Such a thoughtful question!" Sprout beamed. "Just like your brother. Anyway, I spent my summer conducting experiments on the composition of Dragon Dung Fertilizer discovering that the quantity and quality of the Dragon dung has a tremendous impact on a plant's growth."
"That's...very unique," Sasha replied, trying to be polite. "Maybe you should message my Mum. She's been very interested with magic gardens apparently."
While some of the students giggled, Sprout smiled. "Of course I will! Students rarely show interest in Dragon dung in all the years I've taught here. Ten points to Ravenclaw!"
The Ravenclaw students cheered in response, while the Hufflepuff students clapped politely.
"For today's lesson, we will be learning how to grow Valerians," Sprout announced, indicating the potted plant beside her which consisted of bright green leaves long stems and white flowers. "The roots of this plant can be used in a number of potions. Now, who can tell me which potion uses Valerian Sprigs?"
Penny raised her hand. "The Forgetfulness Potion!"
After awarding ten points to Hufflepuff, Professor Sprout proceeded to show the correct way of potting a Valerian before having everyone gather the supplies needed to replicate this procedure. While everyone grabbed various items from the nearby shelves along the greenhouse, Sasha noticed that the pink-haired girl who seemed to be observing the supplies that were being dropped on the table rather than helping.
"There's one last thing we're missing," the pink-haired girl noted, looking past Sasha's shoulder. "I think it's in that pot over there. Mind taking a look?"
Reluctantly, Sasha went to get a small shovel that the pink-haired girl was talking about and placed it on the table.
Satisfied, Sprout continued, "As far as plants go, Valerians are fairly easygoing but you should identify its needs if you want a healthy plant."
So the students got to work on potting their individual Valerians and watering them.
"When you're done tending to the plant's needs, be sure to give it the right kind of fertilizer," Sprout advised.
"We should hurry, Sasha," Penny told Sasha who quickly shoveled some fertilizer from the bag they opened and placed it into the pot of her Valerian.
"Excellent work!" Sprout stated, and then she noticed something. "Though some of you didn't water your Valerians properly. Therefore, I shall demonstrate it for future reference. Miss Haywood, would you please fetch a pail for me?"
"Right away, Professor," Penny acknowledged.
While Penny walked around the table, the pink-haired girl turned to Sasha.
"By the way, which of these plants do you think will annoy a certain birdlike librarian?" The pink-haired girl asked with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.
Sasha gave the pink-haired girl a nervous look before she said, "I don't know if that's such a—"
That's when they heard Penny screaming, causing everyone to look at her.
On a nearby shelf containing empty pots, a gray werewolf stood, growling at Penny.
"How did a werewolf get in here?" Rowan wondered fearfully.
"Stand back, Miss Haywood!" Sprout ordered, taking her wand out.
So Penny backed away slowly carefully and warily, while the werewolf turned to face Sprout.
"Riddikulus!" Sprout shouted.
As Sprout waved her wand, the werewolf suddenly changed into a stuffed toy version of itself. This strangely made Sprout laugh at it, causing the toy to vanish completely.
"What was that?" Sasha asked nervously.
"A Boggart, Miss Jackson," Sprout answered. "They are nasty shape shifting creatures that take the form of a person's worst fear. The only way to defeat them is through laughter, so you cast Riddikulus to change it into something funny. Now to my knowledge, a Boggart has never been seen in the greenhouses before. I must report this to Professor Dumbledore immediately, so class is dismissed for today."
While everyone cleaned up their stations and put away the supplies, Penny ran out of the greenhouse before anyone could stop her.
"I wonder why Penny's worst fear would be werewolves?" the pink-haired girl commented curiously with a worried expression.
"Maybe she accidentally came across one," said Sasha with a worried frown. "I just hope she's okay."
"So do I," the pink-haired girl responded and held out her hand. "I'm not sure if you remember me, but I'm Nymphadora Tonks though I prefer being called Tonks."
"Oh, right," Sasha realized, shaking the pink-haired girl's hand. "You're the... shape shifter, right?"
"Metamorphmagus, actually," Tonks corrected. "It's a difficult name to remember, so I don't blame you for forgetting."
After they were done with their Herbology class, Sasha decided to head towards the Great Hall to complete her homework when she heard a heartbroken and frightened cry. Sasha ran into a corridor and that's when she saw a masked, dark-cloaked Death Eater standing a few feet away from a hyperventilating Talbot.
"You thought you could fool us easily, escape from us, you foolish child... You will die like your parents did... But not that easily, slowly and painfully." The Death Eater walked closer to Talbot as his legs gave out underneath him and his wand had rolled away from him on the floor.
"No, you won't!" Sasha came out of the shadows and stood in between the two with her wand in hand. "Not while I'm still breathing."
But to her surprise, the Death Eater shifted its shape into her worst fear. A cloaked figure that towered over her. Its face was completely hidden beneath its hood. Sasha felt her heart racing again as she saw the creature's glistening, grayish, slimy-looking, and scabbed, like a dead fish that had decayed on the shore of a river. She felt an intense chill swept over them and Sasha felt her own breath catch in her chest. It was a dementor.
"Sasha! Focus!" She was stunned to see Professor Snape, Mr. Filch, and Mrs Norris with a box, ready to lock up the boggart.
She racked through her memories. A really, really happy memory... one that Sasha could turn into a good, strong Patronus...
The moment when she'd first discovered her magic with Jacob! If that wasn't a happy memory, she didn't know what memory won't remind her of being bullied and her loneliness... Concentrating very hard on how she had felt when she'd realized she's no longer going to be alone anymore, Sasha pointed her wand towards the buggart and yelled, "Expecto Patronum!"
Out of the end of her wand burst a blinding and dazzling silver animal. She narrowed her eyes, trying to see what it was. It looked like a big cat. It was running silently away from her, running gracefully through the air. She watched it raised its head and charge at the floating boggart. The boggart was soon pushed away into a box with a lot of locks.
The Patronus turned around and walked back towards Sasha. It wasn't a cat. It wasn't a lioness, either. It was a tigress. It was shining brightly as the lit torches... It was coming back to her...
It stopped in front of her. Its paws made no marks on the ground as it stared at Sasha with its sharp, silvery eyes. Slowly, it bowed its huge head.
Sasha reached out a hand towards the tigress, feeling her heart lurched into her chest. The tigress soon disappeared as quickly as it came. Sasha smiled sadly and quickly shook away her exhaustion. But her joy was cut off short when she had heard a silent sob from Talbot.
Sasha turned to look at Talbot, who was still curled on the floor, sobbing. It broke Sasha's heart seeing him like this, she kneeled beside him.
"Talbot, it's alright," soothed Sasha, she wasn't used to seeing him so upset. "You are safe, the monster's gone." Sasha held her hands close to her, and showed him that she had put her wand away into her robes. "Talbot." Sasha tried her best to hide her own fear by keeping her voice soft and steady. "Tal?"
Talbot didn't open his eyes, but he flinched as Sasha placed a hand on his arm and whispered, "It's gone... Tal."
Suddenly, he threw himself on her and continued crying. Still feeling pale with shock and fear from the buggart, she hugged him firmly. Her other hand gently stroked through his dark brown hair. Sasha hugged firmly him as he cried new and stronger sobs racked his body.
"It's okay." Sasha waited patiently as Talbot calmed down. He still gave a slight tremble and his breaths were a little heavy. Talbot pulled back from the hug and looked at her with both shock and shame running through his eyes. "Talbot?"
"Sasha... Thank you for saving me," whispered Talbot. "I-I guess I should explain what happened with that boggart."
"You don't have to if you don't want to," Sasha suggested.
"No, I do want to." Talbot's expression was both desperate and earnest as he look at Sasha. "That boggart had showed one of the same exact Death Eaters that killed my parents. I was the only one in my family to escape." Talbot took a deep, unsettled breath. "When I saw your Patronus, it reminded me of my father's patronus that he used to show me with when I was younger. You had also called me Tal, my mother used to call me that."
"I'm sorry Talbot," said Sasha softly and the memory of her brother's disappearance was still fresh in her mind. "I know what it's like to loose somebody you love."
"There's no need to apologize Sasha," Talbot said.
Sasha and Talbot both gotten up, she was surprised to see that she was holding hands with him. Sasha looked around and was surprised to see that Professor Snape, Mr. Filch, and Mrs. Norris were gone from the hallway. She smiled gently at Talbot before she decided to lead him outside and towards Hagrid's cottage.