Interstellar || Draco Malfoy

10 || Boggarts

"Intriguing, yes?" Professor Lupin mused, his eyes scanning the class as we all watched the rattling wardrobe. "Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what's inside?"

"That's a boggart, that is." Seamus, a boy from Gryffindor, answered in a hushed voice. I tilted my head at the rattling wardrobe; Snape and I had gone over boggarts last year, but I had yet to encounter one.

"Very good, Mr. Finnigan. Can anyone tell us what a boggart looks like?" Professor Lupin asked, sending a smile to the uneasy boy.

"No one knows." Hermione Granger spoke, startling Ron and Harry. I'd been present when McGonagall gave Hermione her time-turner, so I knew how she was getting around quickly and without anyone seeing her. But, watching her scare her friends, I had doubts that they knew. "Boggarts are shapeshifters. They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears most. That's what makes it so-"

"Terrifying, yes." Lupin trailed off. "Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart. Let's practice it now, shall we? Without wands, please. Riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" We chorused.

"This class is ridiculous." Draco muttered, earning a swift jab in the ribs from me.

"Good. So much for the easy part." Lupin mused, his slight smirk dropping. "You see, the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a Boggart off is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing."

The class took in his every word, intrigued by their new Defense Professor. I watched him scan the faces of his students, stopping on a shy boy dressed in Gryffindor robes.

"Neville." Lupin chose, extending his hand out to the hesitant boy. "Come up here will you? What would you say is the thing that frightens you most?"

Neville muttered an answer, much too low for anyone to hear.

"Didn't catch that, Neville." Lupin said. "Sorry."

"Professor Snape." Neville spoke up, eliciting laughter from most Gryffindor students, and slight snickers from the Slytherin students.

"Hmmm, yes." Lupin hummed, letting out a slight laugh himself. "Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?"

"Yes, but I don't want the Boggart to turn into her, either." Neville rushed, looking even more petrified than before. Lupin let out a laugh and gripped Neville's shoulder in support.

"It won't." Lupin reassured the boy. "But, I want you to picture her clothes, very clearly in your mind. Can you do that?"

She carries a red handbag..." Neville started, his eyes fluttering shut. Lupin shushed him, walking around him while speaking.

"That's, fine. We don't need to hear it." Lupin spoke softly. "If you see it, we will. Now, when I open this wardrobe, Neville, here's what I want you to do."

Lupin leaned down to whisper instructions to the boy. As Lupin leaned up, Neville turned and gave the professor a slightly panicked look.

"You can do this, Neville." Lupin encouraged the boy as he placed his hand on the wardrobe door. "Right then, wand at the ready."

After a rather quick countdown, Lupin pulled open the wardrobe door. It was silent for a moment, and then Professor Snape stepped out of the wardrobe. He scowled at Neville and stalked forward, almost pleased as Neville shook. Lupin reminded Neville to think about his grandmother's clothes before the boggart took another step.

"R-r-riddikulus!" Neville shouted, pointing his wand at the boggart. A flash of light flew from Neville's shaking wand, and Professor Snape stood before the class, wearing a dress, a large hat, and a red handbag.

Most of the class laughed at the boggart, growing borderline hysteric as the boggart attempted to cover itself up. The boggart shrunk back into the wardrobe, and Lupin closed the door behind it.

"Very good, Neville!" Lupin laughed, dropping the needle onto an old gramophone. He turned toward Ron Weasley, gesturing for the boy to step forward and face his boggart. Out of the wardrobe, a large spider crawled out and hissed at the redheaded boy. Ron gasped, looking away from the arachnid. He took a breath and then casted riddikulus, laughing as roller skates appeared on each of the spider's eight legs.

Parvati Patill stepped forward next, shaking her head as the boggart took the form of a vampire. She shook slightly before raising her wand, turning the vampire into Carmen Miranda. She laughed out loud as Carmen Miranda shimmied around the classroom against its will.

Dean Thomas' boggart took the form of a large cobra, hissing at the boy as it slithered to a massive height. He raised his wand, transforming the boggart into a massive jack-in-the-box. The class laughed as the clown's face bobbed back and forth.

I stepped forward next, facing the jack-in-the-box with a steady hand. Facing a boggart for the first time, I racked my brain for what could be my biggest fear. I supposed it could be that woman that ran the orphanage back home, or a street thug trying to kill me, or even Lord Voldemort. However, the boggart simply retreated back into the wardrobe, leaving me standing in front of a very confused classroom.

"What?" Hermione asked, her eyes narrowing out of confusion.

"What are you afraid of?" Ron questioned, looking mildly freaked out.

"Nothing, apparently." I shrugged, turning toward Lupin for an explanation.

"Apparently." He mused. "I've never seen that before... fascinating."

He smiled widely, unleashing the boggart once more and calling Harry Potter to the front. I walked back over to Draco, watching as the boggart took the form of a dementor. Harry froze, unable to cast riddikulus. Lupin stepped between the Boggart and Harry, the Boggart now taking the form of a full moon. I studied his fear for a moment before the boggart became a balloon and was locked back into the wardrobe.

A full moon, interesting.

"Well done, everyone. I think that's enough excitement for today."