FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT ► harry potter ¹

005. Boggart

CHAPTER FIVE

   PROFESSOR LUPIN'S EYES swept the classroom, searching for two faces that haunted his memories. His gaze lingered on Harry Potter and then on Lyra Black, who, with her dark hair and striking grey eyes, was a mirror of her father. Lupin's mind drifted back to his own school days, his heart heavy with memories of friendship, betrayal, and loss. He took a deep breath, forcing himself back into the present. There were lessons to be taught, and perhaps, lessons to be learned.

As Lyra and Draco entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Lyra's attention was immediately drawn to a large wardrobe rattling violently against the wall. It thudded and shook as though something within was trying desperately to break free. A sense of intrigue sparked within her. She nudged Draco, who was too busy whispering maliciously about Professor Lupin's shabby clothes to notice.

"Intriguing, yes?" Professor Lupin's calm voice cut through the murmurs of the class. "Would anyone like to venture a guess as to what's inside?"

A low voice interrupted, laced with disdain. "Possibly no one's warned you, Lupin, but this class contains Neville Longbottom. I would advise you not to entrust him with anything difficult. Not unless Miss Granger is hissing instructions in his ear," Snape sneered from his chair in the corner, his dark eyes like slits of coal.

Lyra bristled at the insult. "Right foul git," she hissed under her breath, glaring at Snape. Lupin raised his eyebrows but chose to ignore Snape's comment.

"I was hoping that Neville would assist me with the first stage of the operation," Lupin continued, giving Neville a reassuring smile. "And I am sure he will perform it admirably."

Neville's face flushed a deep crimson, and he seemed to shrink under the weight of the class's attention. Lyra watched the wardrobe shake and rattle violently again, and her interest deepened. Her heart pounded with a mix of curiosity and trepidation.

"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces," Lupin explained. "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 yesterday afternoon, and I asked the headmaster if the staff would leave it to give my third years some practice."

Lyra's mind began to wander. What form would the Boggart take for her? She thought of Voldemort, the obvious answer, but something in her gut told her that wasn't it. Her greatest fear was far more personal, more intimate—more real.

"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a Boggart?" Lupin's voice broke through her thoughts.

Hermione's hand shot up immediately. "It's a shape-shifter," she said. "It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us most."

"Couldn't have put it better myself," Lupin praised. "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."

Lyra shivered. A chill ran down her spine as she considered her fears. The Boggart would undoubtedly exploit whatever vulnerability it could find. She glanced at Harry, who seemed to be deep in thought himself, perhaps imagining the shape his own Boggart might take.

"This means," Lupin continued, "that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Harry?"

"Er—because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?" Harry answered.