Personal Boggarts
Neville's boggart was Professor Snape. Ron's was a spider and Parvati's was a mummy. But other people tested the boggart too. So what was Draco's boggart? Or Luna's? Percy's? Colin's? Let's find out…
"I wonder," drawled Draco Malfoy, "why he dresses so shabbily. Surely, the teacher's pay isn't so bad that he can't afford actual clothes."
This statement was met by laughter from Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy. Professor Lupin turned around and for a second Draco feared he may have heard them, but it turned out they had simply reached their destination. As the Slytherins entered the staff room, they saw an aged wardrobe in the corner. Draco was just about to joke that it must be where Lupin kept his old robes, when the closet gave a tremendous shake. Pansy gave a shriek and Draco rubbed his ear. He would have to stand farther away from her if he did not wish to lose his hearing before twenty.
"What's in there?" asked Blaise. "Some sort of demon?"
"It's only a boggart," said Lupin, as if this would calm down the apprehensive Slytherin teenagers. "Can anyone explain what a boggart is to the rest of the class? Thank you, Kasper."
Kasper Deventry lowered his hand and explained, "A boggart is a creature that prefers dark, confined spaces. Whenever a boggart comes into the view of someone, it turns into whatever that person fears most in the world. You defeat it with laughter."
Lupin thanked him and looked impressed. The other Slytherins, however, knew how much interest Kasper put into dark and sinister creatures and objects. No one resented him for his smarts, though, seeing as he earned loads of points for their entire house. The class listened as Lupin explained the riddikulus spell and how they had to turn the boggart into something humorous.
"Now just imagine the thing that frightens you the most and some way to make it funny instead of scary."
Of course, none of the Slytherins wanted to appear weak and tried instead to think of the most dangerous things they could. What am I afraid of, wondered Draco. Not the Dark Lord, or demetors like Potter is. Not really any type of animal, except…hmm. Draco smiled to himself. After being attacked in the buffoon Hagrid's class, who could blame him for being afraid of hippogriffs? In fact, people would probably consider him brave for facing such a beast, even in boggart-form. However, unbeknownst to him, the boggart always knows what you really fear most. So while Draco imagined the hippogriff losing all its fur and feathers, the boggart was preparing to turn into something quite different.
"All right," said Lupin loudly. "Let's begin. Kasper, you may go first since you seem to know the ways of the boggart. On the count of three, I'll open the door. Make room, everyone!"
Kasper walked calmly up to the wardrobe and held out his wand steadily. Lupin counted and opened the door with his wand. A tall man with a gray beard and murderous eyes advanced at him holding a cross and what appeared to be a sharpened wooden peg. Kasper looked scared for only a brief moment before exclaiming, "Riddikulus!"
The man began to slip and slide, as though trying to walk on ice. Professor Lupin looked thoroughly amused and many of the students laughed cruelly at the unbalanced boggart. Lupin began to call out names more quickly.
"Gregory! Now!"
Goyle lumbered over and gasped at the headless horseman that appeared. He made the horseman drop the pumpkin he carried and look around blindly, causing more laughter. When Pansy was called, she let out a piercing squeal. The zombie that staggered towards her with outstretched arms was rather grotesque. Pansy squeaked, "Riddikulus!" and the zombie began to sing opera in a high, feminine voice. Draco guffawed. Not bad Pansy, he thought. Not bad at all.
"Draco!"
Draco strode forward confidently and readied himself for the hippogriff to appear. But it didn't come. Instead, Lucius Malfoy stood before him, glaring at his son with distaste and disgust.
"Wretch!" he said harshly, in a voice that was not his own. "You dare taint our name and blood? You dare call yourself a Malfoy? You aren't worth the grime on my shoes."
Draco eyes bulged and his pale complexion turned white as flour. Although he looked far from tears, there was something dreadfully childlike about the look on his face. He looked absolutely helpless and ashamed. Even Ron would have felt bad for him if he were there. The rest of the Slytherins just stared awkwardly. Lupin saw that Draco had frozen up and quickly ran forward to face the boggart. It turned into a full moon and he casually turned into an egg that broke upon hitting the ground. The rest of class went on normally as each student faced the creature.
As Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy left the staff room, Pansy began to ask, "Why are you afraid of-"
"I don't want to talk about it!" he yelled. This caught the attention of some first-years talking nonchalantly. They gawked at him and this made him even angrier.
"What are you staring at?!" he demanded before descending into the Slytherin common room, then the dormitory. He flopped down on his bed and pulled the curtains closed. Draco hated the fear that rose up inside him whenever he and his father actually talked. No matter how hard he strived, he always seemed to be just a little short of his father's standards. Unless they were with someone else. Draco relished these times when Lucius offered him endless praise. Sure, it was usually just to spite whomever they were talking to, but whatever. Draco considered telling his father about his boggart for about a millisecond. Then he decided that "Avada Kedavra" were definitely not the last words he wanted to hear from his father before dying.
Author's Note: Poor Draco :( So I'm gonna write these for Luna, Percy, Colin, and any requested characters…As long as I get nice reviews! Oh yeah, and if anyone would like me to write some stories about the life, background, and romance of Kasper Deventry(he is my own original character) I just might. :) R & R!!!
