Harry sighed as he and his class waited in front of a chained, shaking wardrobe. The box itself was old and worn, the paint on it faded and chipped, while some parts were cracked and showing their age. Whenever the thing inside the box rattled it's container, the chains would rattle violently, with the box losing a bit more paint.
They were currently waiting for Professor Lupin, in order for them to start the class. Harry hummed softly while tapping his hand to his leg. Occasionally, he would change his senses to that of his beast, making it so that he can notice what others couldn't.
He noticed the smell of wolfsbane, though it was faint, in the room around him. He could still smell Lockheart's gods-awful cologne. He can smell the disgusting grease that Draco Malfoy had, while he was on the other side of the room.
He could hear the heartbeats of every student jump a bit whenever the wardrobe shuddered. He heard the soft, mindless mutters on the inside of the wardrobe, talking about fear. He could hear the footsteps of the approaching professor.
He saw so many different, little things. Like, all the tattered clothing and items around the room, like an animal had gotten to them. Made sense, as Lupin was a halfer, from what he gathered on the train. The wolfsbane, like Scales was so helpful in telling him about his first year, also helped solidify what she was. Werewolf.
His head turned, as well as the heads of every other student in the room, to the door opening. As he did this, he changed his senses to human. It revealed the beautiful, in a dangerous way, professor, who had a big, beaming smile on her scarred face. It reached her eyes with so much force that Harry would think that her eyes would light up a pitch black room.
"Good morning, class!" exclaimed the werewolf. She was greeted back with a half-hearted morning from most of the students, while others, who were clearly excited, exclaimed back at her with the same energy.
"Today, we're not doing any textbooks. I believe in hands-on learning" she said with a grin, while some guys blushed a bit at the thought of private tutory. Harry rolled his eyes, as did Lupin, when they could hear the heartbeats speed up(1) "Everyone, get your wands ready"
As everyone did, Lupin spoke. "Would anyone like take a guess at what's in the wardrobe?" She asked, looking around the room. She saw Hermione raise her hand and she nodded. "Miss Granger?"
"Isn't a Boggart, Professor?" She asked softly.
"Correct! Five points to Gryffindor for getting it right on the first try!" She said loudly with a smile. She then turned to face the wardrobe. "Yes, the creature in this wardrobe is a Boggart. It's a shapeshifting creature that likes to hide in dark, cramped places, such as drawing desks, chests, wardrobes, or sometimes, though rarely, lockets. They feed off of fear, and they use their shapeshifting ability, along with their limited psychic abilities, to see the deepest fears of their victims" she said, before turning around to the class.
"Now, how do you fight something that lives off fear?" She asked to a class that had grown silent. "Anyone?" silence. "Come on, you guys do this whenever you're at lunch! Or when someone trips in the halls or something" again, silence. She sighed. "I believe the Marauders helped spread this through their pranks, and now the Weasley twins are following in their footsteps" she said. Some got it, but others were just confused on who the hell the Marauders were.
Harry, however, raised his hand. When called on, to which he saw Lupin happy that he knew who the Marauders were, he replied with; "laughter"
"Exactly! Laughter! Laughter can get rid of any fear!" She exclaimed as she spun around eccentrically. Everyone laughed at her antics, even the Slytherins, who were trying to keep stoic. "And we have a spell to use" she said. At this, she taught them the Redikulos charm.
And then, it was a great show, the Boggart coming out to each student, one at a time, as their greatest fear, only to become something ridiculous, ranging from Scales with grandmother clothing, or a giant spider with roller-skates on each leg.
Harry went last, as Lupin wasn't sure what he would experience. There were possibilities, such as Voldemort, Vernon Dursley - though only Harry knew of what he did - or even something simple, such as a mouse or something.
So, when Harry come to the wardrobe, everyone was confused as to why Professor Quirrel came out, his turban off. Hermione tensed a bit, though Harry didn't even flinch. Not even when Quirrel's head slowly turned around with sickening cracks, showing the parasitic face of Lord Voldemort. Harry simply used the spell, turning the beast into a Russian Nesting Doll. Everyone laughed.
They thought that was it. Harry was about to turn to leave, until the wardrobe burst open, and the smell of… fresh rainwater assaulted his senses, as well as seaweed being burned. The sound of a softly bubbling brook was heard. The feeling of summer came in full force. It made his beast recoil in shock and fear.
This scared Harry himself, because, if his beast was terrified, one that caused so much fear, then what was the thing that the Boggart became?
Out of the wardrobe came a scene, which hung in the air like a public pensive, of a large lake, which was clearly freshwater. Even though the bright sun shown down, flooding the room in warmth, it rained a bit on the lake. On the shore of which the scene was taken, was a pile of seaweed being burned, turning it into kelp.
Then, out of the water, rose a tall, nude woman with long black hair. She seemed to be made of living water, her skin and muscles flowing as she stood, her eyes made of lapis. Lupin's jaw dropped while Harry paled. This was the Mither o' the Sea.
Harry tensed up as Lupin tried to get him to attack. He couldn't. This was the thing that the Nuckelavee feared. All the things in one vision. When Harry was about to bolt, he saw Lupin step in front of him, her wand outstretched to the Boggart.
It was then changed to a full moon, the large circle of fire burning against a black backdrop with off white clouds slowly moving over it. She tensed a bit, before she exclaimed the chant, it turning to a white balloon that flew around the room, before landing in the wardrobe. She then turned to the class.
"Class dismissed"