It had been a month of classes and things had been going surprisingly well. Harry wasn’t attacked, Neville and Ron complained about how hard their homework was, Harry read some more books at the library. Overall a relaxing time.
Harry had gone back down the sanctum in the Chamber to read some more of the specialized books that Salazar had stored in there. He still couldn’t understand most of it, but occasionally he would find something that he found familiar. He occasionally would talk with Salazar on what books it would best for him to read next.
In care for magical creatures, Harry still had to sit back and observe the creatures from a distance. Everyone seemed to enjoy the selection of animals so far. They went through about four different creatures over the last month in class. Hagrid wasn’t the best at lecturing, but he would simply pick up the creature and demonstrate what he was saying, so it wasn’t too bad. Some of the Slytherins didn’t respect him and tried to hurt one of the stick figure-like bowtruckles they were caring for.
They tried to complain when Hagrid punished them with detention after the bowtruckle scratched them with its claws, but after Headmistress McGonagall heard of the incident she came down on the three who were involved and they got even longer detentions than before as a result. All the Slytherins kept their heads down after that.
His other classes he learned more spells and practiced his wand movements in class or did more complicated variations as they went along. He did very well on the tests obviously given his memory.
Harry looked around curiously as he walked into the defense against the dark arts classroom. All the desks were pushed to the side and at the far end of the room was a large cabinet that occasionally shook in place. Professor Lupin stood there waiting as the Gryffindors and Slytherins filed inside.
“No need for your books today, you can put your bags to the side for now,” he said loudly, “We will be having a practical exercise today. There was a boggart that had taken up residence in the cupboards in the staff room. Rather than have it removed, I thought that I would use it for our class today. Now, can anyone tell me what a boggart looks like?”
Hermione’s hand shot up and Lupin nodded at her, “Yes, Ms. Granger?”
“No one knows, sir,” she said, “The boggart takes the form of a person’s greatest fear as soon as one observes it.”
“Excellent answer, Ms. Granger. Five points for Gryffindor,” Lupin said, “Boggarts are beings that feed on your fear, so they take the form of the thing they determine will be most likely to scare the victim. Now there are two major ways to fend off a boggart besides permanently banishing it. Much like a ghost, permanently destroying a boggart is the work of a specialist. Luckily as you can see from our cabinet here, they are very easy to trick into containers for transport so they are often viewed as a nuisance rather than a serious threat among the wizarding community. They are also not fatal although they can be quite traumatizing if you fail to fight it off. Now, can anyone tell me one of the ways one could defend themselves from a boggart?”
One of the more studious Slytherin boys raised his hand and Lupin pointed at him.
“Ah, bring a group sir? Then the boggart will become confused and not know which form it should turn into,” the boy said.
“Yes, indeed. Five points to Slytherin,” Lupin said, “The more people you bring the more confused the boggart will be and the less frightening its form will be for any individual.”
“Now, the second way is through a transfiguration spell especially effective on spirits and other intangible beings with this wand movement,” Lupin continued and started making a very slow wand movement in demonstration, “Now, say the incantation after me. Riddikulus!”
“Riddikulus!” the group of students replied as one.
“Good,” Lupin said, “The boggart is defeated by laughter. When you cast the spell imagine the boggart changing to something amusing to you. The smaller the change the better, so best to focus on one aspect. We’ll spend half of the class practicing, then we’ll move on to the boggart itself. Begin!”
— — —
It was time to confront the boggart. They all formed a line with the leader stepping far forward so the boggart would only focus on them. Somehow Ron had managed to be in the front as he happened to be standing the closest when their spell practice had ended. He looked rather nervous and was sweating heavily as he stood there.
“Now, Mr. Weasley. What’s your greatest fear?” Lupin asked.
Ron mumbled something.
“What was that?” Lupin asked him, leaning in to hear.
“Spiders! I’m afraid of spiders,” Ron said louder.
“Very good. Now, what do you plan to change when the boggart turns into a spider?” Lupin asked thoughtfully.
“I… I don’t know? Turn it pink?” Ron replied nervously.
“Hmm. That may be even more frightening, I’d say. Here, I will give you a suggestion.”
Lupin leaned down and whispered something to Ron, who nodded and relaxed a little.
“Now, let us begin, everyone please be quiet,” Lupin said walking off to the side so Ron was alone in front of the cabinet, “I will release the boggart now. 3… 2… 1…”
He flicked his wand and the door on the cabinet opened. Inside was a massive black spider almost the size of Ron. He trembled as it scuttled forward slowly, saliva dripping from its mandibles. Ron pointed his wand at it.
“Ri-Riddikulus!” He said loudly and bright red roller skating shoes appeared on the end of each of the spider's legs. It stumbled and fell down as its legs fell from under it. It tried to stand again but kept slipping as the wheels spun under the shoes. Harry saw Ron smile a bit and the rest of the class burst into laughter at the ridiculous sight. The spider froze and started melting a little like hot wax. It scrambled away and back into the cabinet and the door slammed shut behind it.
Lupin waited for the laughter to stop before speaking again,. “Very well done, Mr. Weasley! Next in line, take his place.”
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Parvati Patil, a Gryffindor girl in Harry’s year, who was apparently afraid of mummies. She made its bandages unravel and trip it as it slowly stumbled towards her with its arms outstretched. More students kept going, all afraid of various magical creatures. Then it was Hermione’s turn, and she stepped forward leaving Harry next in line with Neville behind him.
Harry watched her carefully as he considered what his own fear would be. He honestly didn’t know what it would be. He didn’t think it would be nearly as simple as Ron’s fear of spiders.
Harry looked to the side and saw Lupin nervously glancing at Harry as he stood there.
The cabinet opened in front of Hermione and the boggart emerged. It was Ron. He was holding a piece of paper so Hermione could see. Harry couldn’t see what was written on it from this distance or angle, but what was obvious to everyone was Ron’s uncharacteristic sneer and superior look as he looked down his nose at Hermione. He almost looked like some of the puffed up Slytherins Harry had seen. He slowly stalked towards Hermione as she stood there frozen.
“Ri-Ri- I-” Hermione stuttered as Ron approached closer and closer to her, pointing over and over to what was on the paper, holding it so only Hermione could see.
Lupin stepped forward and Ron turned and instantly shifted form into a glowing silver orb with what appeared to be mist floating around it.
“Riddikulus,” Lupin said seriously and the orb deflated and flew around the room like a deflating silver balloon. The room chuckled a little, but it wasn’t enough to chase the boggart back to the cabinet. Lupin cast another spell and the boggart was launched into the cabinet like it was slapped by a massive hand as the door slammed shut behind it.
Everyone watched Hermione as she slowly walked back after speaking softly with Lupin for a few moments. Harry twisted to see Ron in the back, his face twisted in confusion and hurt. Harry thought it was confusing too. Hermione’s greatest fear was Ron being a jerk? Somehow Harry felt like there was more to it than that.
But after the hubbub died down and Hermione sat silently in the back by herself, it was Harry’s turn. He stepped forward and Lupin approached him.
“Harry, given what has happened to you you can skip this,” Lupin said softly, “I will step in if it is your Aunt or Uncle that emerges.”
Harry shook his head, “I’m not afraid of the Dursleys, Professor. I’m sure of that at least. I don’t know what my fear is. I want to know.”
Lupin met Harry’s eyes for a moment, before taking a step back still looking unsatisfied.
“Very well,” Lupin said, “But if you feel it is too much for you then just gesture towards me with your free hand and I’ll take care of it.”
“Thank you Professor, I might do that,” Harry said despite having no intention in doing so. None of the others had done so, even Hermione when she had failed.
Harry readied his wand as Lupin took his position to the side. Lupin cast a spell and the cabinet opened and the boggart emerged.
Harry saw that it was him. In his other form with grayish skin and wide jaw opened with rows of razor sharp teeth. It towered over him as it looked down from above at Harry. But it didn’t stalk forward and attack him as Harry expected. Instead it simply stared at him silently.
He raised his wand, ‘Ri-’
Harry froze as something in his mind clicked. He had unconsciously spoken to the boggart in its language instead of speaking in a human language.
The boggart froze alongside Harry for a full second before something emerged, growing and budding from its palm. Three glowing orbs with human faces on them. Harry started trembling as he saw the faces of his friends were on them. It was Harry's friends’ souls. They were silently shouting and screaming something as the boggart brought one up to its mouth. It threw back Ron's soul into its throat in one motion and swallowed him in a single gulp.
‘It is what you are,’ the Boggart said,
‘A soul-eater,’ it continued as it swallowed Neville next as Harry remained frozen in place, wand extended in front of him.
‘Why are they any different from that squirrel consumed alive?' the boggart continued, 'That you knew them first? That they are smarter? 104 and 235 were right, your friends souls would be delicious. Why do you resist? Do you think they would even still be your friends if they knew what you were? Look at them now.’
Harry unconsciously glanced behind him and saw the classes horrified gazes as they looked at the boggart's towering form. Ron and Neville were pale and fearful, while even Hermione looked terrified. Harry glanced back and saw that the boggart had fully extended its unhinged jaw and was holding Hermione’s silently screaming soul above its head.
‘You see them. They will never accept you. You are a beast, you should act like it. That's all they will ever think of you as when they discover you. A rabid animal to be hunted down. Whether you feast... or not.’
It let Hermione’s soul drop from its hands towards its open mouth.
‘No!’ Harry shouted, “Never!”
“Incendio Diabolica!” he shouted, launching a massive burst of black flames into the imposter. He would burn it to ashes, make it suffer, it…
What was he doing? Why was he casting a new spell to attack? But it just felt right at the moment…
People behind him were screaming and he heard the clatter of people quickly rushing out of the room.
But despite everyone’s panic, Harry’s spell hadn’t done anything to the boggart and it simply stood there with Hermione’s soul carefully held between its mostly closed jaws. Harry’s spell just disappeared as soon as it hit the boggart. Even as Harry watched the Boggart let the glowing ball roll back and it swallowed in one gulp, consuming her. No…
Suddenly the boggart started melting like wax and was compressed into a ball of roiling fluid a little bigger than Harry’s head. He blinked as it floated over where Lupin stood, muttering something and casting spells while looking at the Boggart with intense focus. He took out a large cloth bag from his jacket and held it in front of him and floated the Boggart inside and closed the bag's mouth.
Lupin let out a breath of relief as the bag began twitching from side to side and the professor looked directly at Harry. The room was empty, everyone else having fled after Harry's spell.
“I would suggest you put your wand down, Harry,” he said. Harry looked at his hand in surprise. Oh, he had been just holding it in front of him in the air. He put it down and then his eyes widened as he saw the destruction in front of him. Black flames danced across that half of the room. The cabinet the boggart had been held in was ashes as the black flames began spreading to the desks by the side.
“Aguamenti Purifica,” Lupin said calmly and a spray of glowing blue water shot out of his wand and sprayed over the black flames. He frowned slightly as it took a second or two for him to douse each part of the black flames that were still spreading. But after a few minutes he had removed the last pitch black ember, leaving ash and charred desks on that half of the room.
“Oops,” Harry said after taking in the damage.
Lupin looked at Harry expectantly, but Harry didn’t say anything else. That had been very stupid of him. Why had he used an unknown spell in the heat of the moment? If he had been thinking clearly he would have remembered that physical spells would just sail right through the boggart anyway.
Harry was still breathing heavily, staring into nothing as he suddenly realized that Lupin had a hand on his shoulder. The man had been saying something.
“Come with me, Harry,” Lupin said, “We’re going to the headmistress. You just cast very dark magic just now.”
“I did?” Harry asked in confusion. That spell had been in one of Salazar’s books and the author had specifically said it wasn’t dark magic so… ohhhhhhh. Bad Harry. He really was in for it now. Apparently they had a much looser definition of dark magic a thousand years ago. He was in big trouble, and his heart was still racing. How could he let the stupid Boggart rile him up like this? He was supposed to be the calm one! The boggart was wrong, Harry would never do anything like that… It was wrong.
He wouldn't.
Ever.