Spiels 2

The Boy the Gods Struggle With - HP

"Intriguing, isn't it? Would anyone to venture to guess as to what is inside?" Remus spoke, the cabinet shaking with a rowdy occupant as the class watched it. The dark arts teacher circled the class.

"That's a boggart, that is." A classmate of Vanitas spoke. Vanitas was a quiet as always, not the type to speak up in class.

"Very good. Now can anybody tell me what a boggart looks like?" Remus asked, yet again a rhetorical question to prompt that class.

"No one knows." Hermione spoke and Vanitas heard mutters from Ron. "Boggarts are shapeshifters. They take shape of whatever a particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so-"

"So terrifying. Yes. Yes yes yes." The cabinet shook more as if to agree as well. The whole concept sent Vanitas into a small spiral. What was it that he feared the most? And if it was a concept, how would it play out?

If he feared abandonment, but from no one in particular, who would appear before him and what would they say? What if he feared something he'd never seen before? If he feared genuine endlessness, the kind only existing in concept because even space and ocean depths ended, what would appear? And how exactly did the boggart rank fears?

Any situation can make one fear spike higher than the others. In a moment of being robbed he may fear death higher than anything else, when he would otherwise not give it a second though. Those and dozens of other questions filled his brain.

"Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart." The cabinet shook harder this time, but went unacknowledged by Remus and the class. "Let's practice it now. Ah- without wands please."

The class left their wands put away, to avoid casting a spell that did not carry the needed intention or experience. Misfired spells were always the worst.

"After me, 'Riddikulus'."

A chorus of "Riddikulus" filled the classroom, sounding out the word for the first time. Vanitas was sure everyone had a bit of relief over the pronunciation being easy.

"Very good. A little louder, very clear. Listen, Riddikulus."

Another chant of the spell spilled from the class, as well as mutters of the class being ridiculous from a snarky voice Vanitas knew well.

"Very good. Well so much for the easy part. You see the incantation alone is not enough. What really finishes a boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain, uh Neville would you join me please?" Neville looked uneasy, eyes all turning to him which Vanitas guaranteed only made the boy's unsureness worse. "C'mon don't be shy."

With that and a bit more prompting, Neville walked forward, understandably uneasy. Vanitas could only be selfishly grateful it wasnt him.

"Neville. What frightens you most of all?" Remus questioned. As Neville let out a broken mumble, Vanitas filled in the gaps and roughly bit the inside of his cheek to stop an amused smile from crossing his face. Curse his good hearing and his spot standing at the front of the slytherins in the class.

"Sorry?" Remus likely understood, but prompted Neville to speak clearer nonetheless.

"Professor Snape." Neville spoke louder, and laughter broke out from several students of the class. Understandably so, snape had a small place of fear in all their hearts.

"And I believe you live with your grandmother" Remus prompted and Vanitas failed to see the correlation between the two.

"Ye-yes but I don't want the boggart to turn into her either" Neville sounded near pleading, more amused laughter filling the class.