It was Cael's first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the year, and he was walking beside Katie Bell through the dim corridor that led toward the third-floor classroom. Her ponytail bounced lightly with every step, and a teasing grin danced on her lips.
"So, Mr. Black," Katie said with mock curiosity, nudging him playfully with her shoulder, "do you have any more mysterious secrets… or was that the last of them?"
Cael glanced at her with a faint smirk. "Oh no, Mrs. Bell. I'm full of mysteries. You've barely scratched the surface."
Katie giggled, then leaned in close, her face just inches from his. "What if I try to uncover them myself?" she said, her voice low and flirtatious and seductive. Then, with a mischievous laugh, she dashed ahead toward the classroom.
Cael chuckled under his breath and followed her inside.
As they entered and found seats, Cael noticed immediately that this was a joint class—Gryffindor and Slytherin were both present, which made the air more charged than usual. Near the front of the room stood a large, rattling wardrobe, long and narrow, its doors trembling ominously as if something inside was desperate to escape.
Cael eyed it with knowing interest. Ah, he thought. Professor Lupin's teaching. That's got to be a boggart.
Katie leaned in, whispering, "What do you think is in that box? It's… moving."
Cael didn't look away from it. "Probably a magical creature. A boggart, most likely."
A calm voice interrupted. "Yes, Mr. Vale, you are correct."
Professor Lupin had stepped up to the podium near the wardrobe. His robes were patched but clean, and he wore a warm smile beneath tired eyes.
"Inside that wardrobe is a creature called a boggart," he announced. "Welcome to today's Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson. I am Professor Remus Lupin, and I will be teaching you this year. I've been asked by Professor Dumbledore himself to take over the subject—especially after what I understand was a rather… unusual past few years."
He scanned the class, gauging their attentiveness. "Now… who can tell me what a boggart is?"
Several hands shot up. Lupin paused, then pointed to a confident-looking Slytherin near the front.
"Very well. Miss Vole?"
Cassandra Vole stood gracefully, flipping her hair over her shoulder before speaking with clear, practiced diction.
"A boggart, Professor, is a magical creature that hides in dark, enclosed spaces—like wardrobes, closets, or under the bed. It's a shape-shifter, changing form into whatever scares you most the moment you face it. No one knows what it truly looks like, because it always mirrors your greatest fear."
"Well explained," Lupin said. "And how do we deal with one?"
"You use the Riddikulus charm," Cassandra replied, enunciating carefully: "rid-DIK-ulus." She gave a small flick of her wand for emphasis. "The trick is to focus on making the boggart's form ridiculous—turn your fear into something laughable. If it's a banshee, picture it with bunny slippers and lipstick. Cast the spell, and boom—fear becomes comedy. The boggart can't stand that. But… hesitate, and it might get to you first."
Lupin nodded with clear approval. "Excellent answer. And why does laughter affect it so strongly?"
Cassandra tapped her chin before responding. "Because a boggart feeds on fear, Professor. Laughter starves it. It's the opposite emotion—like flipping a coin. You replace terror with humor, and it weakens the creature instantly. Plus," she added with a sly grin, "it's rather satisfying to turn your worst nightmare into a joke."
"Indeed it is," Lupin said, smiling. "Five points to Slytherin. Now let's put theory into practice. Everyone up."
The students rose, murmuring with excitement and nerves.
"As Miss Vole explained," Lupin said, stepping aside, "you will each face the boggart and cast Riddikulus to transform it. Remember: the spell only works if you can imagine something funny. The key is to take control."
With a swish of his wand, the wardrobe clicked open—but stayed shut. "Now… who's first?"
A nervous Slytherin boy stepped up. Lupin gestured toward the wardrobe, and with a wave, it sprang open.
The boggart emerged instantly—morphing into a small, slithering snake. The boy stumbled backward, his face pale.
From the back, someone snorted. "A Slytherin afraid of snakes?" Katie whispered with a giggle. "How ironic."
The spell was eventually cast, turning the snake into a bouncing rubber toy, and the class laughed. One by one, students faced the boggart—some with success, others with mild embarrassment as their fears were revealed: giant spiders, angry parents, failing grades, and even a talking exam scroll.
When Cael stepped up, a hush fell.
The boggart paused before him, flickering between forms. Then, the classroom darkened.
All light seemed to vanish as the wardrobe split open wider than before. Out of the void stepped a figure cloaked in shadows. Its face was obscured, but its presence was suffocating. Then it spoke, voice deep and echoing.
"Why did you take my body? Why did you steal it? You don't belong here… You're a thief. This world isn't yours."
Cael's breath caught. No one else could understand that voice. But I could.
His grip on his wand tightened.
"Riddikulus!" he snapped.
The figure convulsed—and transformed. In its place stood a ridiculous-looking joker, face painted garishly, trousers two sizes too big, juggling flaming rubber chickens while honking a horn.
Laughter erupted. The joker bowed and wobbled back into the wardrobe.
Cael stepped back, shaken. So that's my fear, he thought as he took his seat. One day… that the real soul will return. And I'll lose everything.
Katie was up next. She walked forward cheerfully, wand in hand. The boggart twisted, reshaping itself into a towering figure with a warped face and terrible, shrieking laughter. Katie flinched—but raised her wand.
"Riddikulus!"
The horror twisted into a tiny, fluffy white bunny. It blinked adorably and began hopping in place.
"Awww!" several students cooed.
Katie returned to her seat, grinning.
"You're scared of scary faces?" Cael asked.
She rolled her eyes. "When I was little, Mum told me these old wizarding horror stories… scarred me for life. I don't like creepy faces."
Soon, Cassandra rose. She moved with grace, eyes focused.
When the boggart faced her, it shifted rapidly—then settled.
Into Cael.
Gasps echoed across the room.
The boggart version of him was cold, with a chilling glare and pale expression. The air tightened.
But Cassandra didn't hesitate. "Riddikulus!"
The image shimmered—turning into a sleek, black cat with gleaming blue eyes. The cat meowed, yawned, and curled into a lazy circle.
Before anyone could comment, Cassandra walked swiftly back to her seat, eyes fixed ahead.
Cael stared at her, stunned. Me? I was her fear? Why? What about me scared her so deeply? That expression on my face…
He had no answers. But he intended to find them.
As the final students took their turn, Lupin clapped his hands. "Excellent work today, everyone. Your homework is to write a thirty-inch parchment on boggarts—what they are, how they behave, and how the Riddikulus charm counters them. Due next week."
The bell rang.
The students began to gather their things. Cael made a move to approach Cassandra—but she was already gone.
"Well," Katie said, falling into step beside him as they left the classroom. "That was… revealing."
Cael nodded silently, still thinking about what he'd seen—what he'd been.
And the way Cassandra Vole had looked at him like she'd seen a ghost.