To change the future

Boggarts and Bad Ideas

As Jason, Micheal, Anthony, Sophie, and the other members of the third year Ravenclaw/Slytherin class enter the DADA classroom, they saw Professor Lupin standing there looking then as always, a wardrobe shaking violently in the front of the class near his desk, where the thin man looked up to see them all enter the classroom "Good evening, go ahead and leave your books in your bags, today is a practical lesson."

Remus frowns, Hogwarts was the first time in a decade he had been able to eat three square meals a day without having to sacrifice something

Mummers fill the class as the cabinet shakes violently, getting some concerned looks from the children in the room before Lupin reassured them that everything was fine 

 "Nothing to worry about," said Professor Lupin calmly because a few people had jumped backward in alarm.

"There's a boggart in there." Most people seemed to feel that this was something to worry about.

"Who names something Boggart?" Clint snorts

Jason eyed the cabinet with interest, catching Theo's eyes, the chest nut haired boy going pale at the news.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," said Professor Lupin. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks -- I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in a few days ago, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice.

"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?" Sophie put up her hand. "It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Isn't that a little extreme for a bunch of thirteen year olds?" Steve asks as Remus shakes his head "The Wizarding World is much more dangerous than the Muggle World, even some of the most tame Jobs can get you maimed or gravely injured. The Magical schools are supposed to prepare us for whatever dangers are out there, me it physical or mental."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," said Professor Lupin, and Sophie glowed. "So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person on the other side of the door. Nobody knows what a boggart looks like when he is alone, but when I let him out, he will immediately become whatever each of us most fears."

"This means," said Professor Lupin, "that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin."

"It's always best to have company when you're dealing with a boggart. He becomes confused. Which should he become, a headless corpse or a flesh-eating slug? I once saw a boggart make that very mistake -- tried to frighten two people at once and turned himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening."

"I remember that lesson." Sirius grins as he recalls the embarrassed teacher

"The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing. We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please ... Riddikulus!"

"Riddikulus!" said the class together. "Good," said Professor Lupin. "Very good. But that was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this is where you come in."

 The wardrobe shook again "Right, volunteers?" asked Professor Lupin, Micheal stepping forwards "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?" Micheal's lips twitched "Vampires. "Micheal looked around Professor Lupin, however, looked thoughtful. "Vampires... hmmm... Micheal, I believe you have an ancestor who was a famous vampire hunter?"