The soft ticking of ancient clocks filled the quiet of the Headmaster's office. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, glinting off the silver instruments that whirred and spun around the room.Professor Lupin stood before Albus Dumbledore's desk, still trying to process what he had seen in class that day.
"The Boggart," Lupin said slowly, "it didn't take a shape. It simply… shattered. I've never seen anything like that before."
Dumbledore chuckled softly, the sound light but thoughtful. "Yes, Roy Valvas does have a rather unique relationship with fear — or rather, the lack of it."
He leaned back in his chair, eyes twinkling behind half-moon spectacles."You know, Remus, he reminds me a little of his grandfather. Darius Valvas was much the same — calm, calculating, and impossibly brave. One of the few Muggles I've ever met whom even wizards treated with caution."
Lupin raised an eyebrow. "His grandfather? You knew him?"
"Old friends," Dumbledore said fondly. "A remarkable man — and his family still holds great influence in the Muggle world. Political power, wealth, but above all, a strong sense of duty. Roy seems to have inherited that in full measure."
A Memory from Last Year
Dumbledore's expression turned thoughtful."Do you remember Marcus Flint, from Slytherin?"
Lupin nodded. "The Chaser? Always in trouble."
"Quite so," Dumbledore murmured. "Last year, he used a rather unpleasant word against Miss Granger. Roy happened to pass by. What followed was… swift."
He smiled faintly. "By the time Professor Snape arrived, Flint was in the hospital wing with two broken limbs and a bruised ego."
Lupin's eyes widened slightly. "He attacked Flint?"
"Defended Hermione," Dumbledore corrected gently. "When I called him to my office later — Professors McGonagall and Snape were both present — I expected at least a hint of remorse."
He glanced up at one of the portraits — that of Phineas Nigellus Black, who stirred and smirked."I asked the boy if he regretted his actions," Dumbledore continued, "but it was Phineas who spoke first. 'Tell us, Mr. Valvas,' he said, 'do you regret breaking the rules for a friend?'"
Dumbledore's smile grew faintly wistful."Roy looked him straight in the eye and said, 'Never.' Then he quoted something his ancestor once told his descendants:
When you stand to protect someone — even if your enemy is stronger — you never back down. Show them what a Valvas can do… what a Valvas must do."
Lupin felt a chill. The words carried weight — conviction born from generations of unshakable will.
Phineas gave a deep, approving chuckle from his frame. "That one's interesting," the portrait said now. "A Muggle-born lad with the fire of an old house. Reminds me of the days when names meant something."
Dumbledore nodded, his eyes glinting. "Indeed. He has a rare balance of power and principle. And I suspect," he added with a knowing look toward Lupin, "that his story at Hogwarts is only beginning."
Lupin smiled faintly, still thinking of the boy who had made a Boggart explode into nothing.
A student with no fear, he mused. Or perhaps one whose fears lie far deeper than any creature could touch.