Setting aside Hermione's slight bristling for the moment, Neville, standing before the Boggart transformed into Glenn, had recovered from his initial panic and steeled his resolve.
He needed to end this farce quickly.
Without waiting for Professor Lupin's guidance, Neville immediately began waving his wand.
"Riddikulus!"
Neville shouted the incantation at the fastest speed of his entire life.
There followed a sharp crack like the snap of a whip—Neville's spell had clearly taken effect.
The shadowy humanoid figure before him seemed to trip over something invisible, and then its entire outfit began to twist and transform. An old-fashioned, enormously baggy dress with lace trim dragging on the floor now covered the creature, while atop its head sat a tall, oversized hat crowned with a moth-eaten stuffed vulture specimen. The cold, gleaming object in its hand had vanished, replaced by a massive crimson handbag.
All sense of oppression and terror evaporated instantly.
"Pfft... hehe... hahahahahaha!!!"
Hermione was the first to crack. Her pursed lips puffed out as she burst into delighted laughter. She'd tried to suppress it at first, but the longer she looked, the funnier it became, until the girl's laughter transformed into infectiously melodious peals of mirth.
The surrounding young witches and wizards all began laughing unrestrained. Professor Lupin also cracked a smile. The only three people in the entire room not laughing heartily were Glenn, Draco, and Neville at the very front.
Glenn was naturally stoic, and besides, he didn't find the idea of himself in such clothing particularly amusing. The only thing he was contemplating was how many times over he should increase Neville's training intensity.
Draco had already foreseen his own fate. Neville's display had brought forgotten memories flooding back, and he suspected that when his turn came to face the Boggart, it would transform into something identical to Neville's. He simply couldn't bring himself to laugh.
As for Neville—well, why do you think he wasn't laughing?
Faced with everyone's laughter, the Boggart's movements clearly stalled for a moment, seeming somewhat at a loss. Professor Lupin spoke up at this point.
"Excellent—absolutely perfect and fluid spellcasting. Now let's have another student come forward."
"Parvati, step up—your turn!"
To save time and ensure every young witch and wizard had a chance to practice, Professor Lupin decided to call on students randomly.
Parvati composed her expression, adjusted her mindset, and stepped forward. The humanoid creature in granny's clothing circled around her once, nearly breaking Parvati's carefully maintained composure. Suddenly there was another explosive crack—the humanoid creature collapsed inward toward its center, twisting and transforming into a bloodstained mummy wrapped in bandages.
Those hollow eye sockets slowly turned toward Parvati as it began dragging its feet, limping toward her. Slowly, slowly, its stiff arms began to rise—
—but halfway up, Parvati's sharp cry cut it short.
"Riddikulus!"
The bandages around the mummy's feet snapped loose, the scattered wrappings tangling around its legs and causing the mummy to stumble unsteadily, its center of gravity shifting as it began to sway. Finally it toppled face-first to the ground, its head rolling clean off.
"Well done! Next—Seamus!"
Professor Lupin called out, his usually clouded eyes noticeably brighter. He was genuinely surprised by the young witches' and wizards' outstanding performance.
These first two students had performed far beyond his expectations.
Their spellcasting was too smooth—especially considering this was a spell they'd only just learned.
While the spell itself was simple, this still demonstrated that these two young witches and wizards possessed exceptional natural ability.
The most crucial element in casting any spell smoothly was maintaining firm conviction and willpower. No matter who you were, if you wanted to cast spells, you absolutely had to prioritize this aspect.
Yet these two students, when facing a Boggart—a creature that could peer into the deepest fears of their hearts and drag them out to display nakedly before them—Neville and Parvati had still managed to withstand their inner terror and psychological pressure to cast this spell quickly. Truly remarkable.
All naturally gifted children.
Professor Lupin mused to himself.
However, even more astonishing developments lay ahead.
Professor Lupin discovered with incredulous delight that virtually every single young witch and wizard could maintain their resolve when facing their greatest fears, successfully casting the spell to forcibly transform the Boggart.
Were the young witches and wizards Hogwarts recruited nowadays really all so exceptionally talented?
The younger generation is truly formidable.
Draco, who had already cast another mild Memory Charm on himself, also finished his spellcasting. Just as he'd predicted, the Boggart facing him no longer displayed its original intended form. Though Draco wasn't clear what the Boggart should have originally transformed into, he believed he'd done something very important and correct.
After briefly praising Draco, Professor Lupin stood in place, thinking about which young witches and wizards hadn't yet come forward. After a moment's consideration, he realized that apparently only Harry remained.
"Harry... though you might not be entirely willing, please come forward and practice."
Professor Lupin said this.
The crowd's chatter ceased immediately, and the young witches and wizards slowly parted to either side, clearing a path that revealed Harry hiding at the very back.
With nowhere left to hide and no way to avoid it, Harry walked forward with a grim expression.
No point covering my face anymore—everyone's seen everything. What's left to conceal?
She encouraged herself with these thoughts.
Professor Lupin looked at Harry's face at this moment, his expression somewhat dazed, but he merely shook his head and said nothing more, quietly watching Harry's performance.
The Boggart, now transformed into a cockroach, crawled across the ground to Harry's front, probed the fears in Harry's deepest heart, then began to collapse inward and gradually grow larger.
"What will my fear be... the same acromantula as Ron's? Or those cold, evil Dementors?"
"Or perhaps..."
"...Voldemort?"
The Boggart's transformation was about to complete. What emerged from the chaos was...
Harry herself.
To be precise, it was Harry as she now existed—as a girl.
Harry: Bloody hell.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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