"Welcome students. I am Professor Remus Lupin. I'll be your Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor. Now, while I would want to spend this first class going over what is expected of you this year, as well as giving guidelines on what classes will look like, we've come across a rare opportunity to actually confront a 'dark creature' in person, in a controlled environment of course. As such, this lesson will be somewhat out of order, but I believe the chance to work with it in person is too valuable to pass up. Now, wands up if you can tell me what a Boggart is." Professor Lupin said, looking around the room. A decent number of wands went up, with only a few remaining down. "Good, now for the uninformed, a Boggart is a creature that is known for taking the form of whatever the target they've selected's greatest fear is. While encounters with Boggarts are not overly common, they have been known to occasionally inhabit houses, especially in dark cramped places like attics, or, in our case, empty wardrobes. Inside this wardrobe is a Boggart, which we will be practicing subduing. The danger level of Boggarts are relatively low, being far more frightening than threatening. This is not to say that they are not at all dangerous though. Aside from the various effects your fears can have on you, Boggarts can occasionally mimic the properties of the things they turn into. Say for example your fears were of skunks, then the Boggart could possibly mimic the smell of a skunk as well. The best way to deal with a Boggart, alongside the spell we will be touching on today, is to encounter it in a group. Since very few people will share the same worst fear, the Boggart can get confused and try to either swap between the fears wildly, or attempt to combine them. In my youth I encountered a Boggart aside two others. They were afraid of headless men, and flesh-eating slugs respectively, and when the Boggart attempted to combine their fears, it managed to turn itself into a headless slug, which diminished its ability to scare either of them. Taking away the fear a Boggart can bring into you is the solution to dealing with one in all cases, and thus is the primary focus of the spell we will be learning. The Boggart-Banishing charm, often called by its incantation 'Riddikulus' is a charm that requires a bit of an imagination to pull off successfully, and works by changing your Boggart into something humorous that you can laugh at. Going back to our earlier skunk example, a way you could make the skunk humorous is by dressing it into some funny clothes, like a tutu, or by reimagining it as just a black and white cat. By removing the fear associated with the Boggart, you remove its power over you, and can dispel it. Boggarts can never be truly killed, as they are not alive in the first place, but you can dispel them for a time. Now, we will practice the incantation in theory for a bit, and then everyone will come up, one at a time and attempt to banish the Boggart. This will be perfectly safe, and I will make sure to intervene if things go too far. Now, I believe we should begin."
The spellwork for the Riddikulus charm was rather simple, being a primarily intent based spell, needing only your imagination and willpower to allow it to come to fruition. Harry imagined it would be harder to accomplish once the Boggart was in front of him, but believed he could handle it. He'd faced down Mountain Trolls, Basilisks, and Voldemort himself, so he believed he was well versed in controlling his fear.
"I believe we will go in alphabetical order, so that will have Ms. Abbot come up first." Professor Lupin said, "Now remember dear, I'll be right here to help if something comes up, and it can only hurt you if you let it. I'll open the door on three."
Hannah nodded, before taking a deep breath and pointing her wand at the door. Professor Lupin gave a three count as a black mist flooded out of the wardrobe before coalescing into a shape. Emerging from the smoke was Susan, although her eyes were a deep red, and her wand was pointed at Hannah, a spell fired from Boggart Susan's wand and Hannah yelped and jumped out of the way.
"The incantation Ms. Abbott, say it!" Professor Lupin urged, and Hannah got up and looked at the imitation.
"Riddikulus!" Hannah incanted, the spell connection with the Susan doppelganger. Her robes began to twist and shift, before turning themselves into a very puffy high collared red dress, and a fruit bowl hat upon her head. The wand in the Boggart Susan's hand also turned into a maraca, and Susan laughed, sending the Boggart back into the wardrobe.
"Well done Ms. Abbot! Thank you for your time. Next would be Susan Bones!" Lupin said.
Susan made her way in front of the wardrobe and pointed her wand at it as Lupin opened the door, and from the inky smoke that poured out, a new figure appeared, one that made Harry's heart drop. In the smoke was a young man, likely still a teenager, with dark brown hair and a piercing gaze. His eyes were red, and he wore Slytherin robes. In one hand was a diary, and in the other was Susan's own wand. This was Tom Riddle, as he appeared in the Chamber of Secrets just a few months prior. Murmurs of confusion fill the room, as only Susan and Harry can truly comprehend who this person is. The Boggart riddle opens his mouth and snake sounds come out, and Susan begins to panic. She freezes, incapable of moving as the imitation Riddle advances on her, taking a step, then another, and another. Susan turns and bolts, and Harry steps in, casting the charm at the imitation Riddle. His diary turns into a bright pink version that wouldn't look out of place in a young girls room, and he folds into a piece of paper inside of it, before being banished back into the cabinet.
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T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
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