Third Years, Lesson Three

Noel had something else in the classroom today. Instead of his desk in the middle at the front in the classroom now stood a large wardrobe that rattled and rumbled at the sound of their voices. He stood beside it and welcomed the third years with an friendly smile. Some seemed curious to the wardrobe, but some also kept their distance. Most of them must be wondering why this wardrobe was in the room. They would not fit any clothes today for sure. He gestured the students to come standing with him and as the last student entered he closed the door with an wave of his wand.

He ignored the rattling and rumbling that came from within the wardrobe and had made sure that the desks and chairs were to the side of the room, so he had the space. As he walked towards the front of the group again he turned around to them, looking over with his friendly brown eyes and smirked. '' Can anyone guess what might be inside of this.'' He than pointed at the wardrobe with his wand. And wondered who might be well prepared. He hadn't asked them to read about this before, so it was just fun to see who were showing motivation. Noel than saw an student raise their hand and smiled, giving them a chance to guess. ''Very good! Now, can anybody tell me what a boggart looks like?'' Another student raised their hand so Noel called on them next. He smiled at the answer and nodded approvingly '' Good, good.'' He than replied back excitingly.

He than moved around and looked at the group of student. ''You'll get to see one in action today, but don't worry, you'll also learn how to defeat them.'' It was kind of personal to show his students his biggest fear, but he would see the ones from them too so it was fair enough. ''Stand back, please. I still need this boggart and it might get confused if too many people are around.'' He waited for the group to take a few steps back and went standing in front of them, making sure they were all set. He than turned his back to the group and looked at the wardrobe from an bit of distance. '' Pay attention, everyone.'' Taking an deep breath he unlocked the wardrobe from where he stood, and hold his wand in front of him. The doors opened slowly and the classroom darkened. Two persons stepped outside the wardrobe, his parents and they reached for him, looking desperate. But they were not themselves, they were ghosts. Noel sighted and tried his best to concentrate on what he needed to do next. But it was horrible seeing this, his parents death in front of him. He raised his wand a moment later and said, ''Riddikulus!'' Almost immediately, his parents started to get more colour again, more alively and started dancing crazy with eachother and laughing. An smile appeared on Noel's face and with a flick of his wand pushed the boggart back into the dark wardrobe and locked the door.

He rolled up his sleeve, before he turned his attention back to the students again, facing them. Continueing like nothing had happend. ''A boggart is a shape-shifting creature that will take on the form of whatever frightens the person who encounters it the most. You could see that, what frightens me the most is losing two people I really love.'' He than explained. And was open about himself in this. '' But since you and I are entirely different people, it would likely take on a different form for you. You might not even know what your deepest fear is until you encounter this particular creature.'' He paused. Seeing some scared faces. But he would make sure they were safe here. '' Thankfully, there is a very simple yet tricky charm to repel a boggart. It is the Boggart-Banishing Spell and the incantation is Riddikulus - ri-du-kull-lis.'' He than repeated more slowly.'' The thing that banishes a boggart is laughter, so what you need to do is force the creature to take a shape of something that you find amusing. Something that makes you laugh.'' The crazy dancing of his parents was funny to him. '' You will be given the opportunity to practice with the boggart in the upcoming lesson, as it will also be featured on your exam. These creatures can be found anywhere so it is important to know how to deal with them. They love to hide in dark and confined spaces like wardrobes, underneath beds or couches, in cupboards and so on.''

Noel knew that not every student was waiting for the opportunity to come face-to-face with what essentially would show them their greatest fear. He figured it was difficult for some, who perhaps knew what their biggest fear was, and didn't want others to see. So he would make sure it was an safe space. ''If you would rather prefer to interact with the boggart in a private setting then please come to me after class so that we can arrange a separate appointment.'' He then walked around the classroom to answer any questions the students might have on boggarts and the Boggart-Banishing Spell. He did not want to frighten any of them but couldn't help but think that some were not looking forward to this. He was sure that they'd be alright in the end, though. If they defeated their biggest fear, it would feel great.

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Roleplay your character's reaction to the lesson. The first two students to answer the professor's question will receive extra credit. Please one question for one student!

Feel free to tag @Professor Noel Waldgrave if you want me to interact with your character!

In Lessons Five and Six, your character will have the opportunity to practice with the Boggart. If you want your character to practice with the boggart privately or even with a smaller group, you may start a roleplay during week five in the forum Professor Noel Waldgraves office, which I will respond to. Please PM me if you have any questions.

 

[Apolline Fontaine]

Apolline was always pretty excited about the prospects of the celebrations. It had been enjoyable the last couple of times and she felt fairly certain that it would be enjoyable now. Apolline was getting herself ready for the day, gathering up books and notes and making sure that she had all the different things she would need for the day ahead. She made doubley sure that she had all of the necessary homework, not wanting to have the wrong pieces. Then she was ready and just headed out the door.

Apolline walked into the defense against the dark arts classroom and noted immediately that she couldn’t take her usual spot int he room as the desks and chairs were all pushed to one side. She glanced at the professor and in doing so noticed the rattling cupboard. She could figure what this was, “A boggart,” Apolline’s tone shook a little, worried she would have to face it. She stood back and then watched the professor show them the creature and then defeat it pretty easily showing how the negative thing became good again. The professor then gave a little more explanation about it and then made them repeat the incantation but they wouldn’t face the creature until a lesson later. She was quite glad about that. She had time to prepare, and then the professor dismissed them.

O+3

 

[Aroha Blenheim]

Aroha entered the classroom, a little dejected. She hadn't made the quidditch team again and she was feeling a bit blue about it. Not as blue as last year, but blue nonetheless. She noticed the boggart and kept her distance, knowing exactly what was in it. She'd been warned by her parents that boggarts would be in the third year syllabus so she knew exactly what to expect - while, kind of. Aroha had no idea what form hers would take. The professor began the lecture and Aroha paid attention. When asked what a boggart looked like, she raised her hand. "No one knows what it really looks like when its alone, but it changes shape into the person who is looking at it's biggest fear," Aroha said. She watched as the professor demonstrated dealing with a boggart and felt a tad bit nervous that she'd have to do the same. Now upon seeing that it was the death of his parents, Aroha had a sneaking suspicion she knew what it form it would take. But she knew she could face it. Once the lesson was over, Aroha went on her way.

O+3

 

[Kyousuke Kurosawa]

Kyousuke side-eyed the wardrobe as he entered the classroom, having a sneaking feeling he knew exactly what was inside. He kept his distance just in case. He was then thankful to hear they wouldn't be facing a boggart themselves that lesson. They had a bit of time to prepare for it. Kyousuke watched the professor deal with the boggart avidly, wanting to see exactly the best technique in practice. He had a strong feeling he knew what his boggart might be and was already thinking up ways to make it appear silly, though it was a bit of a challenge. Nothing Kyousuke couldn't face, of course. He wouldn't cower out either; he didn't care who saw what he was afraid of. With the lesson over, Kyousuke left the room, his head full of thoughts.

O

 

[Minerva Vetrova]

Minerva walked into Professor Waldgrave's classroom, immediately noticing the large wardrobe that rattled and rumbled. She exchanged curious glances with some of her classmates, wondering what was in store for today's lesson.

Professor Waldgrave greeted them with a friendly smile, gesturing towards the wardrobe. The class gathered around, and he posed a question about its contents, prompting a few students to guess correctly. He then asked about the appearance of a Boggart, and another student answered accurately.

He explained that they would be learning how to deal with Boggarts and instructed the students to stand back. The classroom darkened as the wardrobe doors opened, revealing the Boggart, which took the form of his ghostly parents. Minerva felt the tension rise in the room as he demonstrated the Boggart-Banishing Spell. The ghosts began to dance humorously, dispelling the fear, and he swiftly returned the Boggart to the wardrobe.

Professor Waldgrave detailed the nature of Boggarts and the spell to repel them, emphasizing the importance of laughter in banishing the creature. He explained the spell's incantation and its role in transforming the Boggart into something amusing.

He reassured the students that they would practice with the Boggart in the next lesson and mentioned its inclusion in their exams. He also highlighted the Boggart's tendency to hide in confined spaces, making it crucial for them to learn how to handle such creatures. When the lesson was over Minerva picked up her bag and made her way out of the classroom.


O

 

[Morrie Ayre]

Morrie sat in class thinking this whole boggart thing sounded like a load of rubbish meant to scare the third years. She crossed her arms, thoroughly unimpressed as he asked the class to guess what was inside. Of course the swats were quick to answer. The wardrobe rattled and rumbled and Morrie barely contained a snort when it opened and two ghosts stumbled out. As if!

After casting Riddikulus Morrie remained unconvinced. Professor Waldgrave went on about how a boggart takes the form of your greatest fear and how you could banish it with laughter. She found the whole thing more ridiculous than anything else and left the classroom at the end of the lesson thinking that the whole lesson had been a waste of time.

O

 

[Hazel Ashworth]

Hazel was looking forward to the Halloween feast at the end of the week; she had worked hard on her costume and couldn’t wait to show it off to everyone. She just had to sit through a few of her lessons first, which was frustrating. Today, however, was interesting, as there was a large wardrobe in the room. She wondered why it rattled and rumbled and stood behind a few of her classmates just in case. Apolline knew what the creature was, and Hazel gulped. A boggart was scary, everyone knew that.

She was glad the professor was the one that showed them how to do it and that they didn't have to face the boggart herself. She wondered about his fear, the two people seemed scary and ghostly. Were they people he knew? He showed them how to deal with the boggart, but if Hazel was honest, she still didn't really want to face this herself. She listened to the professor's explanation, shuddering at the thought of a boggart under her bed. Hazel would have to see if she could get any of her roommates to check for her tonight if there wasn't one under there. When the lesson was over, Hazel was one of the first to leave.

 

[Ever Delaney]

Ever had only enjoyed the previous lesson because she was able to speak her mind. Of course, her opinion had been the best out of everyone. She loved being able to prove herself, but she hoped this lesson would move in a different direction. She didn't have much hope since they were just learning about creatures this year. She certainly missed performing magic. There was never enough in the lessons in general. Ever entered the classroom, seeing that it was different right away. This caught her off guard, a look of surprising crossing her face for a moment before she could compose herself.

She joined her classmates, standing by the few that seemed interesting enough given the last lesson. She smiled softly at them, confident in her words. "You should chill with me outside class one day." she said. She waited for a response but the professor began the lesson. Ever muttered "later" before turning her attention to the professor and the shaking wardrobe. It was kind of interesting.

She listened to what was in it, a boggart. That wasn't good. A creature that could show everyone your darkest secret, fear. Same thing. Ever was pleased to use the information against others but she didn't want her fear known. Thankfully, they wouldn't be doing that today. The boggart did come out, as two ghosts. Odd. Ever knew there were worst fears out there. But the professor had this one. It said a lot of it.

Ever watched the demonstration, listening to the incantation and such. It was good information. Ever did not want to face the boggart in front of everyone, but she didn't want to be a coward either. She would have to figure it out by the next week. She had time to go over her options. The Slytherin girl did not glance back at the wardrobe as she left the classroom.