IX. BOGGARTS AND CLOSETS
CHAPTER NINE
↳ boggarts and closets
When in fear, the amygdala sends a signal that triggers your fight or flight senses. You get a surge of adrenaline, which happens when adrenal glands start pumping the hormone epinephrine into the bloodstream. There are three stages of flight or fight: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion. Elara was briefly friendly with this. She would be quite friendly with them today.
The entire class stood directly in front of a wardrobe, the rattling startling them ever so slightly. Elara curiously peered at the reflection of them that was on the front of the wardrobe. There stood bright faces all curiously peering at the rattling wardrobe with curiosity shinning in their eyes.
"Intriguing, isn't it?" Elara's father's voice rang out in the classroom, his voice luring them to an education. It was almost deceiving to find a lesson so fascinating. The whole class turned to meet his luring gaze. "Would anyone like to venture a guess... as to what is inside?"
"That's a boggart, that is." Dean Thomas replied, almost grinning to himself for knowing what he knew.
"Very good, Mr. Thomas." Remus praised, the boy now looking rather bashful at the kind words. "Now, can anybody tell me what a boggart looks like?"
"No one knows." Hermione said, suddenly. Elara herself jumped lightly, surprised the girl was in the room all of the sudden. "Boggarts are shape-shifters." The bushy haired girl started to explain. "They take the shape of whatever a particular person fears the most. That's what makes them so..." she drawled on.
Remus completed her sentence. "So terrifying, yes, yes, yes... Luckily, a very simple charm exists to repel a boggart. Let's practice it now." He offered a very kind smile. "Without wands, please." He assured the class, making sure no one had their hands ready to do a spell they were incapable of doing without a small amount of preparation. "After me. Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!" Said the class in unison. It sounded quite bizarre to think a simple spell could compel such a monster as a boggart. Elara knew all too much about Boggarts. They scared her, just like a regular person. A boggart could show you your greatest fears and use them against you. You'd be weakened by them and left defenceless as you cowered away in terror, your heart racing and your breathing quickening as the seconds grew into minutes and the minutes turned to hours. She knew she'd end up facing one and prayed others wouldn't think so little of her because she just wanted to be known and cared for, not hated or mocked.
"Very good. And a little louder and very clear. Listen: Riddikulus!"
"Riddikulus!"
"This class is ridiculous." Draco snarled, scoffing to this friends. He clearly hated the class, especially the teacher who Draco found mocking for his ragged appearance. This enraged Elara a lot. Not only because this was her papa they were mocking, but also because the mocking harmful to so many people who couldn't afford the most luxurious clothing ever. She was poverty stricken because that's how society was designed. He had no right to talk about these people in such despicable manner.
"So's your opinions, yet no one's rude enough to say it to you, shut up," Elara scolded, her voice low in the effort of her dad not over hearing her.
"Shut it Lupin," Draco scoffed looking at her robes. "Look at you, pathetic in your worn out robes and dirty shoes. Did dear ol' papa pick you up by a rubbish tip?" If it hadn't been for her father's presence, she would've slapped him hard across his face. He would've deserved it.
To be honest, Elara was quite fond of these robes she wore. They may have been old and second hand from a second hand Wizarding shop, but her papa had gained enough money to even buy them for her and it meant the world to her that he would work so hard it provide food at the table and clothes for the day. Sure, yet weren't the wealthiest, but they were the happiest.
"-So much for the easy part. You see, the incantation alone is not enough." Her father began. "What really finishes a boggart is laughter. You need to force it to assume a shape you find truly amusing. Let me explain. Uh... Neville, would you join me, please?" The shy Gryffindor looked around meekly, clearly disliking the attention the defence against the dark arts teacher was giving him. He didn't want to embarrass himself even more than what the class was used to. "Come on, don't be shy. Come on. Come on. Hello Neville, what frightens you most of all?"
Elara already knew what he'd. She knew nothing terrrified him more than-
"Professor Snape."
"Sorry?"
"Professor Snape." The boy spoke louder, receiving a large amount of laughter from his peers. Elara stayed silent, no one should be laughed at for what they fear. Fear is selective, she could never be able to understand the terror Neville felt by the man who would ridicule him for a simple mistake such as cutting herbs way too finely or misreading a paragraph and adding beetles instead of spiders.
"Professor Snape. Yes, frightens all." Remus joked lowly. He clearly seemed amused by the thought of what he was this boy would be doing to the Boggart by his request. "And I believe you live with your grandmother?"
The boy stuttered out, eyes wide and mouth agape. "Y-Yes but I don't want that boggart to turn into her, either." Everyone laughed even more. Elara stayed quiet.
"No... it won't. I want you to picture her clothes.Only her clothes, very clearly, in your mind."
"She carries a red handbag..." the boy began.
"We don't need to hear. As long as you see it, we'll see it. Now, when I open that wardrobe... here's what I want you to do." He whispered into Neville's ears something. Elara didn't hear what but she hoped it were some words of encouragement to the boy. He really did deserve someone believing in him that was in the position Remus was in. " Can you do that? Wand at the ready. One, two, three."
For a split second, Neville froze as Professor Snape, in all his slimy glory strutted out. His greasy hair glistening in the light and a menacing mask on his face. It was the fight or flight Instincts prompting him to freeze and cower with terror. Elara had a gut feeling that he would chose fight. "Think, Neville, think."
The Gryffindor spluttered out. "Riddikulus!" And suddenly the once dark and dreadful Professor was dressed head to toe in what Elara found to be the most dreadful and awful outfit to ever grace someone. Neville himself laughed out feeling brave like a true Gryffindor, for once having power over the man who abused his authority over him and for the first time in what seemed like ages, the class was not laughing at him, they were laughing with him.
"Wonderful, Neville, wonderful!" Neville's face was bright with a cheerful and bashful smile, being praised for the first time for doing something correctly. It must've felt great. Incredible! Okay... to the back, Neville.
Everyone, form a line! Form a line!" Elara got into the line, standing behind Ron who seemed quite nervous about being first in line. I want everyone to picture the thing they fear the very most... and turn it into something funny."
For a moment, Elara pictured scary creatures that she'd cry about as a child whenever she'd close her eyes. The monsters that she'd cry to her papa about and ask him to search under the bed for them to scare them away. But then she images something that she would be terrified of, if someone ever found out. She knew, deep down, she'd be forced to face it and she was not mentally ready. When it came to her turn, she knew that her papa was also very nervous. He turned and said her name, hands clammy and looked slightly uncomfortable. But Remus respected that he couldn't control whether she wants to do something.
No one really knew what to expect, in fact the curly haired Hufflepuff never actually spoke about her fears or anxieties. At least she never did openly. She was always quite reserved and listened rather than talked. Despite how outgoing she was to her friends, most classmates and people who saw her in general just saw a small fragment of who she was.
So when a closet appeared in front of them all, no one knew exactly what it was she feared the most. For what was terrifying about a closet?
But for Elara, what stood in front of her, in front of everyone, was terrifying. For a split moment, Elara froze. Her body suddenly was as still as a statue, her mind fuzzy and her hands clammy as she held her wand in her left hand. What was the spell? What was the spell? Her mind ran around the place, her bloodstream filling with epinephrine as her heartbeat quicker alongside her breathing. Fight or flight. She continued looking for where she misplaced the crucial spell she needed to perform. She continued to stare deeply at the closet, and if you were an observant person, you'd notice that the closet didn't look as typical as a regular one. Although Elara doubted anyone would be that observant. Everyone was just staring at the girl, who's right hand that remained by her side was shaking ever so slightly. Before Remus could interrupt, Elara's soft voice spoke out. "R-Riddikulus," and the closet's door suddenly opened revealing confetti, bubbles and balloons that had Elara laughing lightly. Her laughter was contagious and soon other people started laughing and she went to standing at the back of the line, offering her papa a smile when he told her how great that was. He didn't notice the tears that crystallised in her eyes as she hurried to the back of the line, standing by Ron who seemed to greet her politely and offered a small, understanding smile. He knew and he felt sympathy for her and gave she a strained smile and a pat on the back telling her she did well and that he was proud. She felt exhausted, her chest heavy and her mind in a world where the class was nothing more than an image with no words or sounds. She didn't hear the laughter of her classmates, nor the shocked gasps or clapping. All she heard was her heart thudding in her chest as she thought about what she, what everyone, had witnessed only moments ago.
That wasn't great. Was all she could think. The thoughts ran throughout her mind, spiralling her deeper and deeper down into anxiety. She didn't pay attention when everyone else went up. Only when he father yelled out the incantation to compel his boggart (a moon) into a balloon when Harry's boggart revealed to be a dementor was when she was pulled out of her haze.
When class had ended, everyone hurried out. Most chatted amongst each other about how that was the best defence against the dark arts class they had ever experienced. Some chatted about Neville's boggart and how ridiculous Professor Snape looked in that hat. A few didn't speak at all. Elara was apart of that few minority who remained quiet,
"Are you okay?" Hermione's calm voice rang out. She and Elara, along with Harry and Ron, were walking out of the lesson. "You seem dazed," Hermione's eyes were filled with nothing but concern for Elara who seemed uneasy about everything.
"Don't worry 'Mione, I'm peachy," Elara brushed it off as though she hadn't faced her boggart. She just wanted to forget everything and talk to Cedric about it. He always gave good advice.
Harry was still confused about one thing . "Elara, what was your boggart?" Harry's eyes were furrowed as he questioned the girl. Elara, for a brief moment, tensed up, looking at the boy with a look he wouldn't be able to explain. Then her shoulders dropped down and she offered a smile.
Elara let out a light laugh, her eyes widening ever so slightly. "I'm rather afraid of being trapped in places, you see the closet is a place I'd hate to be alone in,"
No one really though out Elara's boggart from that moment on. But it always did concern them, what was Elara Lily Lupin truly afraid of?
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OKAY SO LIKE IT MAKES ME SAD ABOUT HOW ELARA REACTED WITH THE BOGGART. She deserves the world 🥺🤧 also like Neville deserves the world so like bye. If there's any spelling errors, don't @ me because it's 1am in the UK rn and I'm shattered.
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