Boggarts feed on fear, just like Dementors feed on happiness. In a way, they're similar—both thrive on human emotions.
To be honest, Dudley was pretty curious about what he feared. But he was even more intrigued by something else: was the thing a Boggart transformed into just a hollow imitation, or did it carry some of the actual power of the real thing?
Take someone afraid of Voldemort, for example. If a Boggart turned into Voldemort, would it have some of Voldemort's strength, or would it just look like him? If it had even a fraction of his power, that could be catastrophic. Imagine facing a hundred Voldemorts—talk about a Dark Lord delivery service.
Ron stepped up to the wardrobe.
With a puff of black smoke, no surprise, a massive spider crawled out. Eight legs, eight eyes, a body covered in fine hairs, and two enormous venomous fangs. But the real kicker was its head—not a normal spider's, but a grotesque mash-up of half-rat, half-human, with a pointy snout, sharp teeth, and a bloated, pimple-covered face.
Worst of all, this thing was scuttling on its eight legs with its backside raised, the half-rat, half-human face puckering its lips at Ron.
Ron's skin crawled, both physically and mentally. He wanted nothing more than to dive into the nearest crack in the floor.
"What has Ron been through?" — Harry
"I'm gonna be nicer to him from now on." — Draco
"Robin Hood's fears are seriously messed up." — The other students
"Wow." — Dudley
Lupin stared at the creature's face, feeling a strange sense of familiarity but unable to place it. It was just too bizarre.
"Incendio!" Ron raised his wand, pouring all his strength into the spell.
Red flames erupted from his wand, engulfing the giant spider. A normal spider would've been toast, but this one? It didn't even flinch—it looked like it was enjoying it.
"Stop, stop! Regular spells don't work on Boggarts!" Lupin called, halting Ron's fiery rampage.
Boggarts and Dementors were alike in that way—ordinary magic couldn't touch them.
"Everyone, the spell to deal with a Boggart is simple. Repeat after me!" Lupin said, pulling out his wand and standing beside Ron, ready to step in if the spell went wrong.
"Roshomon, say it with me—Riddikulus!"
Ron, momentarily forgetting his fear at being called the wrong name again, turned his frustration on the Boggart. He pointed his wand and shouted, "Riddikulus!"
With a pop, the Boggart transformed. No longer a giant spider, it was now… Snape dressed as Lockhart? And, somehow, he had a long tail trailing behind him.
When he spotted the other students, the tail suddenly fanned out—like a peacock strutting its stuff.
Ron: …
Lupin: …
Dudley: Wow.
Harry: Wow.
Neville: Wow.
Draco: Wow.
Other students: Wow wow wow.
"Ahem, well done," Lupin said, coughing to cover the awkwardness. With a quick wave of his wand, the peacocking Snape turned into a wobbly toy.
If Snape ever found out about this, Ron's next Potions class would be his last.
"Next!" Lupin said, swiftly changing the subject.
By some stroke of luck—or misfortune—Draco was up next.
As Draco stepped forward, the Boggart began to shift. To everyone's shock, it morphed into a platinum-blond, pale-faced man holding a distinctive cane.
Lucius.
The Boggart had turned into Lucius Malfoy.
Did this mean Draco was afraid of his own father?
Before anyone could process it, "Lucius" spoke, his voice sharp and commanding. "Draco, I'm the head of the Malfoy family. I decide what happens."
Draco didn't hesitate. He raised his wand and said, "I've been wanting to do this for ages."
Talk about a dutiful son.
"Riddikulus!"
With a scream of protest from "Lucius," there was a pop, and he vanished. In his place stood… Ron, wearing a blue bikini?
"Nice outfit. Suits you," Draco said, smirking at the real Ron.
Draco meant it as a prank, and most of the students burst out laughing. But a few of the girls in the class stared at Ron and Draco, their eyes gleaming with something unreadable, like they were plotting something.
Next up was Harry, who stepped forward confidently.
The Boggart shifted again, turning into… a baguette?
"Potter, you're scared of bread?" someone asked.
The other students, even Draco and Ron, were baffled. Only Dudley knew why. He spotted a distinct bite mark on the baguette.
It's not fear—it's guilt over not protecting his food back then.
"Riddikulus!" Harry cast the spell without explaining. He didn't need to—those who got it, got it.
With a pop, the Boggart changed again. This time, it was… Draco in a dress?
Draco's face turned scarlet—not from embarrassment, but from pure rage.
The class erupted in laughter again. The same group of girls from before now darted their eyes between Harry, Draco, and Ron, their gazes practically sparkling.
"Heh heh heh," one of them let out a weird, giddy laugh.
Next was Neville, who, true to form, didn't produce anything too wild. His Boggart turned into a simple ball.
"Well done, everyone! Who's next? Line up, give it a go!" Lupin said, clearly pleased.
The students' enthusiasm skyrocketed, and they formed a long queue, each taking a turn to face the Boggart.
"I heard about your bet with Snape. That's brave," Lupin said, sidling up to Dudley, the only one not in line. He was referring to the Potions improvement project.
"It's not a bet, Professor," Dudley corrected, emphasizing his point. "Just a student completing an assignment."
"Oh, my apologies. I didn't realize you saw it that way," Lupin said, surprised anyone would defend Snape.
The students cycled through, with Hermione having gone earlier. Her Boggart had turned into Dudley, telling her she'd failed every subject. She nearly tore the thing apart on the spot.
Finally, it was Dudley's turn.
The Boggart, currently a hand caught in a mousetrap, sat there. As Dudley approached, nothing happened. Minutes ticked by, and the Boggart stayed unchanged, as if Dudley didn't exist.
Dudley noticed this and was about to shrug it off when an idea struck him.
"This is the perfect chance for an experiment."