SuperPotterLock- The Prisoner of Azkaban

The Boggart in the Wardrobe

The following Thursday, after a particularly infuriating Potions lesson, the Gryffindors were hurrying across the castle to their first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson of the year. Professor Lupin was not there when they arrived, so they sat at their desks, pulled out their books and waited. Finally, he arrived, looking a lot healthier than he had on the train.

'Good afternoon,' he said, smiling vaguely. 'Would you all please put your books back in your bags? Today's will be a practical lesson, so you will only need your wands.'

A few curious looks were exchanged as the class put away their books. They had never had a practical lesson before, except when Lockhart had released a cageful of pixies into the classroom the year before.

'Right then,' said Professor Lupin. 'If you'd all follow me.'

The class got to their feet and buzzed with excitement and interest as they followed him out and through the corridors. They encountered Peeves along the way, stuffing a wad of chewing gum into the keyhole of a broom cupboard. When he refused to remove it at Lupin's request, Lupin cast a spell that caused the gum to shoot out of the keyhole and up Peeves' nose. They set off again and Lupin led them to the staff room.

'Inside, please,' he said, opening the door.

They entered and saw a group of Ravenclaws standing at one end of the room, and Professor Snape sitting in one of the chairs. John was delighted to see Sherlock, leaning against the back wall, and Castiel standing beside him beside him. He went up to them as Lupin thanked Snape for keeping an eye on the Ravenclaws for him.

'What are you lot doing here?' John asked, grinning.

'Lupin switched a lesson with McGonagall,' Sherlock told him. 'We have Transfiguration instead of our next Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson.'

'Oh, right. Any idea why?'

'I think it's to do with whatever's in that wardrobe,' said Castiel.

Lupin walked over to wardrobe on the other side of the room as he said this, and it started banging off the walls.

'Nothing to worry about,' he said calmly. 'There's a Boggart.'

It was now rattling the doorknob.

'Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces,' Professor Lupin continued. 'Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks. I once met one that lodged itself inside 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.

'So, the first question we must ask ourselves: what is a Boggart?'

Hermione, as always, was the first to put her hand up.

'It's a shape-shifter,' she said. 'It can take the shape of whatever it thinks will frighten us the most.'

'Couldn't have put it better myself,' said Professor Lupin, and Hermione 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 fears. This means that we have a huge advantage over the Boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it yet, Harry?'

'Er- because there are so many of us, it won't know what shape it should be?'

'Precisely,' said Professor Lupin. 'It's always best to have company when 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 itself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening.