Chapter Eight: The Boggart and the Wisp

The hand fumbled along the side of the canoe, making its way toward Ginny, then grabbed hold of her paddle. Ginny yanked it away and raised it.

"Oi! No need fer that."

A slippery creature with matted fur pulled itself up so its head was just above water. Two beady eyes stared at Ginny, who still had her paddle poised to kill.

"Wish you'd put that down. So where you bin, then?" the creature asked in a gurgling voice. "I bin waitin' for hours. Freezin' in here. How'dj'ou like it? Stuck in a ditch. Just waitin'."

Ginny managed a squeak.

"What is it, Ginny?" asked Ron, who sat behind Slave to ensure he didn't do anything stupid, so couldn't see the creature.

"Th - this..." Ginny pointed to the creature, who made an offended face.

"What you mean 'this'?" he asked. "You mean me? You mean Boggart?"

"No. I didn't say that," muttered Ginny.

"Well I did. Boggart. That's me. I'm Boggart. Boggart, the Boggart. Good name, innit?"

"Lovely," said Ginny politely.

"What's going on?" asked Arthur, paddling up. "Do I hear a boggart?"

"Yeah," said the boggart.

"Hagrid's boggart?"

"Yeah," said the boggart.

"You're kidding. He has such a way with creatures!" said Arthur. "You are the only boggart I've known who stays in open spaces so long, rather than locked up in a trunk or cabinet somewhere. And swimming!"

The boggart dove under the canoe to pop up on its other side. He stared at Minerva's hat buckle, likely never having seen such a shiny thing in the marsh.

"I see you prefer taking the shape of an otter of some sort." Arthur shook his head. "That Hagrid. Incredible. Tames boggarts like it's nothing, after being expelled from Hogwarts."

"Goes to show how unimportant school is," said Ron.

"Has he sent you to find us?"

"Yeah," said the boggart.

"Good," said Arthur. "We'll follow you, then."

"Yeah," said the boggart, and swam off, taking the next turning.

The next turning tapered narrower while winding them through the marshes. Snow persisted as scutterings of animals ceased. Only gurgles and splashes of the boggart as he swam in front of them could be heard. Every now and then he stuck his head out of the dark water and called: "You followin'?"

"I don't know what else he thinks we can do," Ginny said to Ron as they paddled.

The boggart took his duties seriously, and kept going with the same question, until they reached a pool with overgrown channels leading off it. "Best wait for the others," said the boggart. "Don't want 'em gettin' lost, or followin' any wil-o-the-wisps."

Minerva and Arthur lagged behind, as Arthur was the only one paddling. Minerva had both hands clamped over her head. Arthur propelled their canoe into the pool and ceased paddling.

"Does anyone else hear a rustling from the trees?" he asked.

A snarling werewolf jumped from the banks, into the water, on top of the boggart.

"Boggart!" cried Ginny and Ron.

The werewolf's thrashing upset the water as it snapped and came up with weeds in its jaws, rattling both canoes. The boggart had disappeared. The flailing wolf yipped and splashed through the water, till climbing onto the shore again, having lost its prey. It howled, and slunk back into the trees.

"Boggart? Where are you, Mr. Boggart?" called Ginny.

"We've lost him," sighed Arthur. He scanned the horizon, but no boggart was visible.

"There, I can see a light!" cried Ginny. All eyes followed her pointing finger to a flickering glow jumping over the marshes from tussock to tussock.

"Look, it's going away," said Ron.

"Perhaps we ought to follow it," said Arthur.

Minerva arched her eyebrows. "You're enchanted."

"It wants us to," insisted Arthur.

"It is a wisp, like that very intelligent boggart said," said Minerva.

"Minerva… Someone's carrying a light. They're trying to help us. We best meet them."

"They say fools see what they want to," said Minerva tartly, "and you've just proved that saying true, Arthur."

Arthur made to get out of the canoe, but Minerva grabbed his cloak. "Sit!" she said as though talking to a dog. Arthur pulled away, longing in his focused eyes.

"Dad!" yelled Ginny. "Can we walk across the water?"

"No, you may not," said Minerva firmly. "Your father is being a silly old fool. If you step onto the water, you will sink and drown."

Just then, Arthur tipped their canoe so they splashed headlong into the bog.

"Oh no!" cried Ginny and Ron as strands of devil's snare reached from the muddy water, seizing both adults' necks.

"Aaaagh! What are- Aaaaaagh!" Ron panicked as Ginny and Slave held their breath.

Arthur and Minerva pulled at the weeds, but the more they struggled, the tighter the plant wrapped around their necks. They were dragged under muddy water till it covered them up to their eyes.

"We'll help you!" yelled Ginny, putting a leg out of the canoe.

"No!" gasped Minerva. "It will drag you down, too!"

A squat shape heaved out of the water, scrambled up the bank and leapt expertly from tussock to tussock toward Arthur. "What you doin' in the bog, sir?" asked the boggart crossly.

"Oh help!" managed Arthur, who had cuts on his neck from digging thorns.

"Get my wand," gasped Minerva. "It floated out from my pockets. Retrieve it, Boggart."

The boggart dove underneath the water, out of sight for some moments.

Then Minerva issued a green blast. She and Arthur rose into the air and landed on top of their overturned canoe.

"Try to right-side it, will you," Minerva ordered as they struggled to fix it and climb back inside.

"I told you not to be followin' any wil-o-the-wisp, didunt I?" scolded the boggart.

Arthur trembled as Minerva dried them off with her wand.

"Yer all right now, sir," the boggart told Arthur. "But it were close. I don't mind tellin' you that. When I was still a brownie, those weeds overtook the cottage."

"Oh. Ah. Quite. Thank you, Boggart. Thank you very much," mumbled Arthur, with his head bowed, holding something. Then shakily, he lifted his right hand into view. It was missing two fingers; blood poured down his wrist and arm.

"Arthur!" gasped Minerva, stopping the bleeding with a tap from her wand, then using it to vanish spilt blood. She took off her cloak for him to wrap around his injury.

"Didun't you know Devil's Snare eats flesh?" The boggart slipped back into the water. "I'll take you the rest of the way. But keep wild animals out me way," he said. "Nasty growlin'. I is covered in lumps now." The boggart swam toward a small channel no one had noticed before. "Now, you followin'?" he asked.