"You should get some rest. I'll bring food shortly," Lupin said, standing and brushing the dust from his robes.
Sirius clutched his aching stomach and slumped against the floor. "If we can't find an opening, let Argus handle it. Snape won't suspect a kid like him."
"These past few days, acolytes have been swarming Hogsmeade with the Aurors. I can't tell one from the other, so I've been lying low—no scavenging even."
"Give it a few more days. Snape knows about your Animagus form. With his temperament, soon enough, every black dog in Hogsmeade will be under scrutiny."
Lupin pushed open the door and slipped out, leaving Sirius alone in the crumbling shack. His gaze drifted blankly toward Hogwarts.
"Harry... James..."
"Peter..."
...
"Not bad at all—excellent progress! Next!"
Another week slipped by, and nearly half the students in Argus's Patronus Charm class could now summon a faint silver mist. It wasn't a full Patronus yet, but they beamed with pride.
Snape, absent for nearly seven days, slunk back to Hogwarts just before the weekend. After his Friday Potions lesson, Argus borrowed a Boggart from Lupin for hands-on practice in the Great Hall.
Boggarts weren't as potent as Dementors, but far safer. Even against dark creatures, first-years could fend one off with the Riddikulus spell Lupin had taught them—if the Patronus failed. Argus wasn't alone; Professor McGonagall supervised closely, wand at the ready.
"Ginny, ready?"
Argus stood by the wardrobe like Lupin in Defense Against the Dark Arts, poised to intervene.
"Ready!" Ginny gripped her wand, eyes steely.
With a thud, the doors burst open. The Boggart twisted into a massive basilisk, tongue flicking menacingly.
Ginny paled, frozen. Of all things, this? Aside from Harry, Ron, Argus, and the petrified victims, no one should know the beast beyond newspaper sketches. Its full form here screamed questions.
"Expecto Patronum!"
"Expecto Patronum!"
"Expecto Patronum!"
Panic surged; Ginny fired the spell repeatedly, but her grasp was shaky—a thin mist at best. Happy memories? Impossible in this haze of fear.
Argus clocked the basilisk and Ginny's reaction instantly. McGonagall moved quicker, herding students behind her.
"Reducto!"
Desperation won out. Ginny's curse slammed the Boggart—not a true basilisk, just a shape-shifter. It burst in a puff of smoke.
The class gaped. Ginny flushed, staring at her feet, words tumbling out. "I... I was just so scared... That's all..."
"It's fine," Argus cut in smoothly, piecing it together but letting it slide. "Class dismissed early today. I'll source a replacement Boggart for Professor Lupin."
No digging deeper—this could unravel to the diary, and Dumbledore's questions. McGonagall, bless her, fixated on injuries, not the fear's root. Why a basilisk? She didn't pry.
The mini-lesson wrapped without further mishaps. As students filed out, McGonagall lingered, approaching Argus with a warm smile.
"Mr. Grindelwald, this is the first time I've observed your teaching firsthand."
She and Flitwick had spied on his Defense class last year from the hall, but never intruded. No pressure on the young prodigy.
Argus dipped his head humbly. "I could learn volumes from you, Professor."
"About the Boggart—was it Professor Lupin's private purchase, or school-issued?"
"I'm afraid it's the former, though I'd love to ease your mind otherwise." McGonagall glanced at the doorway, where Ginny peeked anxiously. "Come in, Miss Weasley. Professor Lupin is kind—he won't trouble you over a Boggart. They're hardly endangered."
Hogwarts' Forbidden Forest teemed with them, but McGonagall would never send students there lightly. Percy or the twins could snag one without risk, anyway.
Hermione draped an arm around Ginny, murmuring reassurance. Ginny wasn't fretting compensation—the Weasleys scraped by, but Arthur's old ties lingered. No, it was the basilisk slip. Had they noticed? She exhaled, unseen.
"Mr. Grindelwald, reconsider my earlier offer."
"Your expertise and skill make you ideal for Defense Against the Dark Arts post-graduation. Then Severus's spot in Slytherin... or higher."
She left unsaid the headmaster role, sensing Dumbledore's wariness of Argus. Binding him to Hogwarts offered safeguards. Even Albus couldn't ignore the staff, Minerva, and students' sway.
Argus smiled courteously. "Thank you, Professor—but my path ties to more than dreams. Aunt Vinda, Uncle Abernathy, the acolytes... their lives rest on me. If I could forsake them, would you still champion me here?"
McGonagall sighed, conceding the point. She turned to Hermione and Ginny. "Miss Granger's blossomed lately. No more barbs from classmates—smoother waters now."
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