Harry was afraid, he was about to face a boggart after all, in front of his classmates to boot. Many things came to mind when he thought of his fears, he was curious to see what the boggart would choose.
As he stepped up to the roller-skating spider, thanks Ron, he steeled his nerves and readied his wand. The spider swirled around and grew into an impressive mountain troll.
“Really?” Harry asked, incredulous. “Out of all the things in my head you chose the troll?” The troll looked at him and roared. Harry smirked as he casually wiped a dollop of spit from his cheek. “I’ll give you a seven for realism, but you’ll have to do better than that.” The troll roared and raised its club before it started to swirl again.
Harry actually smiled and opened his arms. The class looked at him like he was crazy. “Charlotte,” he exclaimed “have you lost some weight? You look smaller.” Indeed, the horned basilisk from the Chamber of Secrets, ‘Charlotte’, was slightly smaller to better fit in the room. “I would avoid looking in its eyes, it probably won’t kill you, but it certainly wouldn’t be pleasant.” He addressed his class, without turning around, and took a moment to survey the great snake. “I’ll give you an 8 for both size and detail. You don’t get a 9 since I’m a parselmouth and whatever ability your eyes do have won’t work because of that.” Everyone who wasn’t a close friend was stunned at how lightly he was treating a basilisk. The basilisk hissed showing rows of fangs, each dripping with venom until it started to swirl again.
[2:28 AM] “Now there is something truly frightening.” He said but he still sounded mocking. “‘Nothing to fear but fear itself’ someone once said.” Harry for a change appeared cautious. “Congrats, I’ll give you a 10. I better let someone else go now shouldn’t I, oh well, ridic…” As Harry started his spell, the boggart started to swirl yet again.
“Bad move, I haven’t been afraid of that man for years.” He nearly growled out as he looked at the large visage of Vernon Dursley. Small sparks danced from the tip of his wand as it glowed dangerously. Whispers broke out among the crowd, as the students wondered who this man was. Again, he started the incantation, “RIDICU…”, and yet again the boggart changed.
This time there was only silence. Harry stared on in shock and fear, as a younger malnourished version of himself, bruised and bloodied fell to the floor, curling into the fetal position. “Please . . . stop.” Harry almost missed it with as quiet and strained as the sound was, but he was all too familiar with the sound. Harry was afraid of how his classmates would react, afraid that he hadn’t grown all that strong after all, afraid that something like this could happen again. Harry was afraid.