At six o'clock that evening, after walking into an empty corridor, Harry and Magic teleported into the room on the seventh floor, though before doing so, Harry sent his magic ahead of him to determine what was there. The room was a plain room with two chairs, one wide enough for he and Magic, the other wide enough for Rose. Because he could, and it would be more comfortable, Harry made he and Magic appear sitting in the chair. Rose, who was looking at it, wasn't startled.
"You're sad." Magic said.
"Yes." Rose replied softly. "I can't get what happened off my mind."
"Well, it happened and it can't be changed. Sally's body is back to being what it was before, so there's... Well, for me, there isn't anything to worry about. That might be the phoenix magic in me, changing me, though. Or Magic's influence. I don't know which yet." Harry said.
Rose sighed deeply, sadly.
"Sally's dead. Really dead, completely. Her parents had her body killed." Rose said quietly. "And I'm sorry for bringing you there, Harry. I shouldn't have even made you do that."
"Next time, I won't do what I did if I encounter a similar situation." Harry said. "The only life there was a body with a beating heart, breathing lungs, and actions that it performed based on nothing more than an illusion. The person, the being that Sally was, was still dead."
"Even knowing that, you're not even sad?" Rose asked.
"No." Harry responded. "Why? Her family learned what I tried to tell them, and Sally was dead long before I even got there. The past can't be changed, so that's it. Right?"
"You really are different." Rose muttered. "I couldn't just set things aside like that."
"So." Harry said after a few seconds of silence passed. "I take it you're here to teach me more, or delve into my mysteries of magic."
"No." Rose stated. "I can't do this anymore, Harry. I dragged you into a situation that neither of us were ready for... I'm certainly not. And I just can't bring you into tough situations like that again. I'm here to say goodbye, Harry."
"Rose, I'd like to learn about things that you can teach me." Harry said. "I'm not the one who's bothered by this thing with Sally's body yesterday. You are. If you don't want to teach me, you'll only be doing that because of how you see what I do, and your own grief."
"Do you even realize how cold you sound?" Rose asked coolly. "Do you even realize how effected I am by all of this?"
Harry realized he'd spoken what he'd thought without thinking about how it would effect her, blushing and feeling a bit guilty.
"I'm sorry." Harry said. "I... I feel calmer than I used to, not quite as emotional, so I didn't think before I spoke. I'll try and work on that."
"Oh." Rose stated, though sounded as if she didn't much care. After a moment, Harry stood up, walked over to Rose, then carefully sat in her lap and put his arms around her.
"I'm here if you want to talk." He said gently, but Rose didn't want to talk, only to cry. Harry found he was fine with that, and hoped she would grieve soon, and wouldn't leave just because of her emotions.
Rose left an hour later after having cried for a while, telling Harry she'd be back to see him in a week, that she needed time to sort things out and think. While Harry didn't need as much time to do that with emotions as he used to, he understood why she'd need to, and told her so, wishing her well. Harry returned to Gryffindor tower, patiently answered Hermione's questions as to whether he'd learned anything she could use yet, then went over to where Daphne was studying and sat next to her, reading some of his own books. Daphne didn't say anything to him for a few minutes, but Harry was fine with that.
"Harry?" She asked.
Having been reading for a while, Harry stilled his fingers from moving across the page, turned toward Daphne, then asked, "Yes?"
"The Hogsmeade weekends will be coming up soon." Daphne replied. "Do you think you'll go?"
"Since Sharen signed my form, probably." Harry said.
"Will you just go with Magic, or someone else?" Daphne asked.
"I'm not sure yet." Harry replied. "I'd like to go with someone, though, who would know about where some of the best places would be to visit."
"I'm sure Hermione knows all the good places." Daphne responded.
"Yeah, but..." Harry leaned a bit closer to her. "Sometimes, she talks a bit too much. I'd just want a quiet, calm conversation with someone if anything at all."
"I'd be willing to fill that roll if you want." Daphne said. "I know about some good places, and others that I've not heard about, we can always explore together."
"Okay, then." Harry responded. "Sure. I'll go with you whenever that comes up."
"Great." Daphne said. Harry noticed her voice had a slight tremble in it, but he recognized it as one of joy. He wondered if she felt good about him being with her, like he felt good about being with either Tracey or Magic. If she did, he didn't mind that, as long as she didn't tell everyone about it.
Sunday passed normally, with Harry reading material that, undoubtedly, he'd be studying in the weeks to come. He also took the time to finish some homework assignments that some of his teachers had given him already. By the time Monday came around, a new potions professor still hadn't yet been found, and the Slytherins were saying rather scathing things to Harry, that he was a coward for firing a perfectly good professor, or that he was always using his blindness to get his way. Harry simply went on eating, and those who tried to put spells on him had their magic reflected back at them by his shield.
By Tuesday, the new professor had been found by Hermione as she ate at the staff table, and by Thursday, they were in the dungeons waiting for the introduction to her class. She hadn't yet entered, and not certain if she wanted him to have Magic there, Harry had partnered with Daphne. Hopefully, the new potions teacher wouldn't demand he try and work alone, though from what he'd already heard, Professor Lara was rather nice.
The door opened, and Harry heard a woman's voice say in a pleasant tone, "Come in, Magic, over to Mr. Potter."
Harry heard Magic's steady footsteps, and the steps of Professor Lara, who walked to the front of the class. Magic stopped next to Harry, who grinned. Calmly, but in a pleasant tone of voice, Professor Lara took roll, and after determining everyone was there, he heard her place parchment on what he assumed was her desk.
"Good morning, and welcome to your first double potions class with me." She said. "My name is Professor Daisy Lara. You're all free to call me Daisy or Professor Lara, which ever you're most comfortable with. I understand that, for the past couple years of classes, you've been working with Professor Severus Snape, who's not given much instruction in the area of potion brewing, nothing more advanced than a basic overview of how to prepare specific ingredients, and has expected you to work from your books the majority of the time."
Harry heard some of the Gryffindors mutter in agreement, then heard Malfoy's voice as he stated, "I don't see how a woman's going to teach us potions. At least Professor Snape knew how."
"That'll be forty points from Slytherin and a detention with me tonight, Mr. Malfoy." Professor Lara said calmly, as if delivering a report. Harry quietly chuckled. "Did you have something you wished to say, Mr. Potter?"
"No, Professor." Harry replied, doing his best to wipe the grin off his face.
"Very well." Professor Lara said. "In my class, I won't be tolerating any bullies, or remarks such as those made my Mr. Malfoy. Everyone will be treated equally and fairly. My being the head of house of Slytherin will not entitle any Slytherins to favorites in my classes."
Silence fell on the class, but Harry found he was glad about what Professor Lara had announced. Before his third year, while Professor Snape hadn't been particularly cruel to him as he'd been lately, he'd always treated the Slytherins noticeably better than the Gryffindors. So far, from the sound of things, this was going to be a lot more practical than Professor Snape's classes had ever been.
"Until I work out my own lesson plans, I'm going to be following the syllabus that Professor Snape prepared during his tenure here." Professor Lara said. "Mr. Potter, I'll ask that you please not partner with Miss McGonagall, and as I understand you're quite independent, I'll ask that Magic not assist you in any way except that of telling you when you must proceed to the next step in your potion brewing, as I understand you're quite independent and like to learn things for yourself. If you have a question or aren't sure about something, then you may ask Magic for help, but I expect you to learn, for yourself as much as possible, what to do and how to do it when brewing potions. Any questions?"
"No, Professor, not at all." Harry said, and moved his items a little away from Daphne so he wasn't close enough to be working with her at the same cauldron.
"Now, as you're all preparing your ingredients for this potion, which is on page forty-two of your books, we're going to be discussing why the ingredients are prepared the way they are, and what the difference might be if the ingredients were prepared another way. Now, can anyone tell me why, in this potion, the daisy roots are to be cut evenly and not shredded, or cut unevenly?" Professor Lara asked.
'Yes, Miss Granger?' Harry thought to himself and to Magic, predicting Professor Lara would be calling on her.
"Yes, Miss Granger?" Professor Lara said as Harry, and the others in the class, began getting out their ingredients and the tools to prepare them properly. Harry grinned a little.
'You predicted correctly.' Magic stated within his mind.
"If the roots are cut unevenly, the reaction in the potion will be more diluted, and if the roots are shredded, the reaction would be more pure, and all potions require a balance between their ingredients so each of them will interact properly with the other. For instance, if the roots were cut unevenly, the potion might not work as well as it's supposed to, or could become a poison depending on how well the other ingredients were prepared. And if all the ingredients were prepared to be as potent within the potion as possible like shredding the roots or grinding up the caterpillars, you could have a different potion all together." Hermione responded smartly.
"Very good. Fifteen points to Gryffindor for that concise and accurate explanation." Professor Lara responded. "Let's touch, then, on reactions to specific ingredients in this potion. Can anyone tell me what the daisy roots are for, and how they react with the other ingredients within the potion?"
By the end of class, not only did Neville Longbottom, who usually had one potions accident or another in class, have a potion that was passable as he wasn't working under terror, but Harry and the other Gryffindors had learned more in that single class than they ever had before. Harry had managed to make an almost perfect potion with Magic telling him, mentally, when to move on to the next step in the brewing process. While it took him a bit longer to prepare it than others, mainly because of requiring the ingredients be properly prepared, he still managed to do very well. The Gryffindors were talking among themselves about how great the class was as they left the dungeon, all of them including Harry, quite happy about the new professor.
"That was great!" Ron said. "Better than Professor Snape, wasn't it?"
"You got that right." Harry replied. "I actually learned things I hadn't learned before."
Harry felt a flash of time manipulating magic, and Hermione's presence was gone.
"What'd you think, Hermione?" Ron asked, then said in confusion, "She was just with us, where'd she go?"
Harry heard her hurrying up the stairs toward them, then Daphne said, "You remember what we talked about before, with Hermione's..."
"Oh. Yeah." Ron interrupted.
"Sorry, guys." Hermione said.
"Ron wanted to know what you thought of potions." Harry said.
"It was great." Hermione responded. "It was more than, sit down, begin, and just do what the books say. She actually explained things to us."
"She even took points from Malfoy, and assigned him to detention after his insult to her." Daphne said calmly. "Malfoy should have known better than to try something like that."
"You did great on your potion today, Harry." Hermione said. "But if Magic could have helped you more, I bet you'd have done it perfectly."
"I'm glad Professor Lara's letting me do things with minimal help, anyway." Harry said. "Besides, most of the year last year, I didn't have Magic with me."
Harry felt Magic's arms wrap around him from behind, then she said sedately, "That will never happen again."
"I do hope not." Harry said, grinning widely and feeling like his heart was going to leap out of his chest.
After lunch, they went to the Defense Against the Dark Art's classroom, where Professor Lupin wasn't yet present. Everyone sat down, Magic on Harry's left, and with the exception of her, got out their books and parchment to take notes. Harry had his braille writer on his desk in front of him, hands on the keys, and his book in his lap. He had a bit of a head start on knowing what would be taught in the class, due to Professor Lupin speaking with him about his Boggart encounter, though guessed they'd be first taking notes. About a minute or two later, Professor Lupin walked into the classroom, and Harry heard him put something down on his desk.
"Good afternoon." He greeted calmly. "Would you please put all your books back in your bags? Today's lesson will be practical, so you'll need only your wands."
Harry heard everyone around he and Magic murmuring to themselves as he packed his items back in his bag, and as he had no wand, simply sat, empty handed, and briefly remembered how Magic hadn't wanted to test wands, and how he'd honored her wish. He felt warmth at that, and also found himself realizing just how limiting a wand was, with specific wand movements and incantations for particular spells to work correctly. He needed to only think what he wanted, and could then perform what he wished. Though, he did admit that, when he discovered a piece of magic coming from a wand to duplicate, it was generally more efficient than what he initially came up with, which he wasn't surprised about, as everyone elses magic was far less powerful than his own.
Harry heard someone gasp as he heard a thumping and rattling sound from the item on the desk. From within it, he could feel the shifting magic of the Boggart inside whatever was keeping it caged.
"Nothing to worry about." Professor Lupin said calmly. "There's only a Boggart in the case."
Harry heard silence fall, but it felt like a tense sort of silence. Given that a Boggart changed into your worst fear, he could understand their fear of the thing. Harry wasn't afraid, though, since he knew how to deal with them now, whether he used the conventional way, or his more unconventional means of dismantling its magic. Since its intelligence didn't really exist, Harry felt no guilt about shifting the form of a Boggart to become something different, since it preyed on fears. And, it was a shape shifter, after all.
"Boggarts like dark, enclosed spaces." Professor Lupin continued. "Wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, the cupboards under sinks. I've even met one that had lodged itself in a grandfather clock. This one moved in about a week ago, and I asked the headmaster if I could take it to give my third years some practice.
"So, the first question we must ask ourselves is, what is a boggart?"
Harry rose his hand.
"Harry?" Professor Lupin called. He was surprised, as he'd thought Hermione also rose her hand, and perhaps she would be called on.
"It's a shape shifter that becomes what we fear most." Harry responded.
"Very good explanation, Harry." Professor Lupin replied. ""So the boggart sitting in the darkness within has not yet assumed a form. He does not yet know what will frighten the person outside of the case it's in. 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 most fears."
Neville let out a little whimper of terrified fear. Professor Lupin continued, seemingly choosing to ignore that.
"This means that we have a huge advantage over the boggart before we begin. Have you spotted it, Magic?"
Harry was surprised. With the exception of Professor Lockhart's little quiz the previous year, and Madam Hooch with the flying class, no one had called Magic to participate in classes before. For a strange reason, Harry felt rather happy about that, and hoped Magic could participate more, even though she'd very likely outstrip him in both understanding and test scores. He felt a sense of Magic's thoughts again, and realized that she would do that if he wanted it of her, but she would always do what he wanted, and would calculate the best solution for anything he desired, including remaining with him throughout his schooling without receiving an education herself. Harry found himself preferring that she always stay with him in any class, just as she always had, though he found he wanted her perspective on more things. He felt Magic, as always, would comply.
"The Boggart may attempt to transform itself into the fears of multiple people, as it may see us all." Magic stated.
"Precisely." Professor Lupin responded. "It's always best to have company when you're 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 himself into half a slug. Not remotely frightening.
"The charm that repels a boggart is simple, yet it requires force of mind. You see, the thing that really finishes a boggart is laughter. What you need to do is force it to assume a shape that you find amusing.
"We will practice the charm without wands first. After me, please ... riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!" The class repeated. Harry noted down the incantation for the exams, though he didn't say it with them, nor did Magic.
'Crude.' Magic stated in his mind.
'Yep.' Harry replied. 'And as you said so long ago, a limiting focus are those wands and spells.'
Professor Lupin was continuing to talk, and Harry listened, putting his conversation with Magic on hold for the moment.
"Very good. That was the easy part, I'm afraid. You see, the word alone is not enough. And this, Neville, is where I'd like you to help me with the lesson. Will you come up to the front, please?"
Harry heard Neville letting out little squeaks of terror, but also heard him walking forward. The case on the desk rattled and shook again.
"Right, Neville." Professor Lupin said. "First things first: what would you say is the thing that frightens you most in the world?"
Harry heard silence, then Professor Lupin said in a cheerful voice, "Didn't catch that, Neville, sorry."
After a moment, Harry heard Neville whisper quietly, "Professor Snape."
Almost everyone laughed, though Harry and Magic didn't. Of course, Magic never laughed, Harry thought.
"Professor Snape. Hmm. Neville, I believe you live with your grandmother?" Professor Lupin asked.
"Er, yes... But I don't want the Boggart to turn into her either." Neville said, sounding nervous.
"No, no, you misunderstand me." Professor Lupin said. "Could you tell us what clothes your grandmother usually wears?"
"Well... always the same hat. A tall one with a stuffed vulture on top. And a long dress ... green, normally ... and sometimes a fox-fur scarf." Neville said.
"And a handbag?" Professor Lupin asked.
"A big red one." Neville replied.
"Right then. Can you picture those clothes very clearly, Neville? Can you see them in your minds eye?"
"Yes." Neville responded, his voice uncertain.
"When the boggart bursts out of this wardrobe, Neville, and sees you, it will assume the form of Professor Snape." Professor Lupin said. "And you will raise your wand, thus, and cry 'Riddikulus' and concentrate hard on your grandmother's clothes. If all goes well, Professor Boggart Snape will be forced into that vulture-topped hat, and that green dress, with that big red handbag."
Everyone in the class laughed hard. Harry chuckled a little, though didn't find it quite as funny as everyone else did.
"If Neville is successful, the boggart is likely to shift his attention to each of us in turn. I would like all of you to form a line and take a moment now to think of the thing that scares you most, and imagine how you might force it to look comical. ..." Professor Lupin said.
Everyone stood up, and Magic asked, "Professor Lupin. I fear nothing. How will the Boggart effect me?"
"Everyone has a fear, even if you may not realize what it is." Professor Lupin responded. "Why don't you go after Neville, then, Magic, and while I'm aware that you can easily deal with the Boggart, allow it to see you and shift on its own, and think, now, with the rest of the class what your greatest fear might be."
Magic stepped behind Neville in the line, and Harry was behind Daphne, who Magic was in front of. The next few minutes was spent in silence. Harry, who already knew what his own worst fear was, found himself thinking of what Magic's fear might be, sensing her thoughts as she attempted to calculate what she was afraid of. Would it be her apart from him, he wondered, or would it be her seeing him dead and living a life alone without him? Magic didn't feel fear, he knew, except the time when she'd separated part of his magic as her solution to her performing magic even if his own was bound. That was the closest he'd ever known her to feel fear, but the Boggart couldn't actually do something like that, could it? Harry found himself curious, and felt Magic's thoughts as she remembered memory after memory, read his thoughts and associated her possible fear with what she'd ever reacted to, and narrowed to a single thought. Her possible greatest fear was, to his great surprise, becoming an individual being apart from him, who had her own wishes and desires and wants, and who could possibly abandon him for her own life.
'I always wish to do as you wish. Keep me.' Magic stated.
'Always.' Harry responded. 'I wouldn't ever want you to leave me. Are you ready?'
'Yes.' Magic responded. 'But the prospect now can't be my fear, because I know you'll keep me, so I won't be an individual apart from you now. I must recalculate my fear.' He felt Magic's thoughts as she attempted to conclude something else, but it was an unknown factor now.
"Everyone ready?" Professor Lupin asked.
Harry heard movement from behind and in front of him.
"All right. Neville, we're going to back away, let you have a clear field. All right? And when Neville's done, the next person in the line comes forward. Everyone back, now, so Neville can get a clear shot."
Everyone moved back against the walls. Harry found himself with Daphne on his left and someone he didn't recognize on his right. He felt the magic of the Boggart, eager to feel how Neville dealt with it.
"On the count of three, Neville." Professor Lupin said. "One, two, three, now!"
Harry heard a click, then a thud. He felt the Boggart seeking out Neville's fear, its magic seeming to flash into his mind for an instant before it shifted, taking a form. He heard the steps of Professor Snape, calculating as the Boggart approached Neville. He could feel the Boggart's pleasure, how it gained from Neville's fear, how its energy grew, and realized that it wasn't intelligence that drove it at all. It was nothing but pure instinct, a need that was all that it knew. Neville was gasping a little in fear, and Harry silently chanted in his mind, 'You can do it Neville, come on.'
"It... R-R-Riddikulus!" Neville shouted.
Harry felt the magic from Neville's wand as it hit the Boggart. Its shifting into another form was far more crude than what he'd done. Where his magic was more efficient and smooth at shifting the Boggart, as he reached inside it, Neville's magic was like a blunt slam into the surface of the Boggart's magic, yanking it into another form. The Boggart felt no pain, even though Harry heard a loud crack, jumping a bit, having not expected that. He heard the class laughing.
"Magic, forward!" Professor Lupin called.
Magic stepped swiftly forward as Neville moved back. Harry felt the Boggart shift forms again, very quickly and not smooth at all, as if it was the Professor Snape form one moment, and another the next. He didn't expect what it became.
Magic gazed at the Boggart, which had shifted forms. She stared down at Harry, who was laying on the ground, mouth open, though he breathed. The feel of Harry's magic within the Boggart was nothing but a simulation, and as Magic knelt down, she realized what the Boggart was attempting to represent, Harry Potter with no soul, and thus, keeping her alive, but with no wishes for her to complete. Magic felt no fear, as she knew the Boggart wasn't real, and as she thought about what it might feel like for Harry to actually have no soul, she realized that her first priority would be to protect Harry's soul at all costs. It was what Harry also wished, and in doing so, she still did as Harry wished. After Magic touched the Boggart and felt the pulse on the neck of Harry's body that the Boggart's form was, confirming that it was attempting to represent a soulless Harry, she stood.
"The physical form is accurate, a potential soulless Harry." Magic stated. "The feel of magic remains the Boggart."
"Do you want to deal with it, or let Daphne take her turn?" Professor Lupin asked.
"I shall change it." Magic stated.
Harry felt Magic reach out with their flame of magic and manipulate the Boggart's form. It didn't crack. Instead, Harry heard himself leap up and away from Magic, who determined this would provide Daphne with the most room to deal with the Boggart.
"Daphne, forward." Professor Lupin said.
Harry heard Daphne move swiftly forward, and from the sound of her footsteps, she was determined. Magic was moving back, and Harry felt her take her place at his side as she stared on. With the sound of a crack and the very fast shifting, the Boggart took yet another form.
"First, I will destroy Harry." Daphne's voice came from the Boggart, sounding ice cold and almost wild, as if the Boggart had become nothing but a cold killer twin of Daphne.
Curious, Harry opened his link of knowledge with Magic, and saw through her statistical data that that's what it was, a Daphne who's face was a wild snarl of pure rage, eyes flashing with a dark, cold fury. Daphne was looking pale and stumbling as the Boggart was moving forward, reaching out her hands, which contained long, lethal looking nails.
"And when I'm done with him, you will be next." The Boggart Daphne said in a cold growl, hands almost at Daphne's face.
Harry saw, through Magic, Daphne raising her wand, her face set in determination.
"Riddikulus!" She roared.
With a crack, the Boggart once again shifted form. The wild Daphne's legs were caught in material that wrapped around and around them, and her wrists were yanked up by pieces of material wrapped tightly around them. Something invisible was dragging her back across the floor, but Harry knew, from the feel of the Boggart's magic, that it was it's magic which she'd shifted. The Boggart Daphne had no expression on her face now, as if it was nothing more than a puppet with strings, though since Daphne probably didn't know exactly what such a thing looked like, she likely chose the next best thing. Harry noticed Daphne's look of relief through Magic's knowledge which he was still accessing.
"Parvati! Forward!" Professor Lupin called.
The girl on Harry's right moved forward as Daphne headed back toward he and Magic. When she got close, Harry hugged her and said, "You could never destroy me."
"Thanks, Harry." Daphne said quietly, kissing him quickly on the cheek.
Harry let her go, but felt that he'd hug her again just to get her to kiss him on the cheek, and found himself wondering what that might feel like with Tracey, his mind imagining her arms around him and her kissing his cheek rather than Daphne. He felt Magic lean close as he heard the Boggart crack and felt its magic shifting it, and as Harry cut off his link of knowledge with her, she whispered into his ear sending shivers down his back.
"The Boggart can be any woman you desire, doing anything you desire, because you or I can shift it to be so."
Harry blushed deep red, and frantically, made his magic make him look like he wasn't blushing, as he didn't want the class to know what he was so embarrassed about. He moved a little away from Magic as he felt the illusion magic settle over him until he calmed, listening to each person facing their fears, even Hermione, who's fear was that of Professor McGonagall telling her that she'd failed all of her classes, and would never again be allowed to do anything. She almost ran from the classroom before Professor Lupin reminded her that she was only facing a Boggart, and urged her to make it look humorous. Hermione's first attempt was less than successful, as an unfamiliar man then began to tell her that she could never do anything right, that she was always a failure and always had been, making Harry wonder if Hermione's real fear was of failing. Her second attempt, however, was far more determined, as if Hermione knew that the Boggart couldn't possibly be telling her the truth. Professor Lupin called Neville up to finish off the Boggart, and Harry felt it burst into nothing when Neville laughed at it along with the rest of the class. As it did, Harry wondered if he could change a Boggart to such a degree that it gained its strength from something else other than fear. Its form could change because of its magical properties, and he found himself wondering if its magic could also change. He didn't imagine he'd get the question answered, though, and Professor Lupin sent the chatting class from the room with an assignment on reading the chapter about Boggarts and summarizing it for Monday. Everyone sounded quite excited about the class, despite having faced their worst fears. They all weren't Gryffindors for nothing, Harry mused with a grin.
"Magic, I didn't expect your fear to be Harry without a soul. Why was that?" Daphne asked curiously as they headed toward Gryffindor tower to put their bags away before dinner.
"Harry's death may be mine, as I'm his magic." Magic responded. "My death would be difficult for Harry, and potentially take his magic from him permanently, but could also kill him. Without a soul, I still live with nothing to do, no wishes of Harry's to complete, and I do as Harry wishes. The Boggart attempted to frighten me and failed, as I know what it represents, and would prevent anything from removing Harry's soul, as that's what Harry wishes."
"Why you, Daphne?" Harry asked. "Like you were feral, wild. Why would the Boggart ever become something like that?"
"I've always had a fascination for darkness." Daphne said. "Dark magic, the Dark Arts, things like that. But I vowed never, ever, to do anything like that, ever. But if I fell into darkness, I'd be afraid of becoming nothing but a murderer who gets delight out of killing."
"Well, I don't think you'll ever become anything like that." Harry said. "You're one of the nicest people I know. And even if you've got a fascination for darkness, so what? As long as you don't actually do anything with it, you'll be fine, right? And given how calm you are and everything, that was actually the last thing I expected from you."
"Good." Daphne said. "And thanks for that, Harry, I'm glad to have you as a friend to confirm these things for me. I don't want that generally known that I like thinking about dark things. Don't tell anyone, okay? And if you ever see me going too far with anything like that, tell me, stop me. Okay?"
"Sure." Harry said. "No problem. Friends help friends, after all."
"Thanks." Daphne said in a relieved tone. "You know, I feel better now that I told someone about that."
"I've felt better when I've spoken with Magic about things on my mind, rather than just thought what I wanted from her, though she knows already." Harry said. "Sometimes, it can help to talk to someone who just listens."
"I'll remember you said that." Daphne said, and Harry felt glad to have helped her, found himself wondering just what their Hogsmeade weekend would be like, and how soon it was going to be. That soon left his mind, though, as he entered the Great Hall for dinner and enjoyed yet another excellent meal.