The Bard of Hogwarts

Chapter 180 Ino's Fear

Fourth floor of the castle, Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

As soon as Lupin finished asking his question, several people raised their hands, and the question was first asked by a Ravenclaw boy.

"Boggarts are magical creatures in the magical world, shapeshifting beings that can see into your heart and transform into what you fear most. It is this fearsome purpose of Boggarts that makes them considered dark magic creatures."

Although it was a fairly standard answer, it clearly described Boggart's characteristics.

Even with such a simple explanation, the young wizards at the front of the line were uneasy. They could tell that the new professor intended to make them confront their fears.

"A perfect answer, Ravenclaw gets five points!" Lupin clapped his hands lightly, then looked around:

"Don't worry, I won't leave you unprepared to face your fears. Before that, I'll teach you a spell to deal with Boggarts. Now, repeat after me: 'Hilarious Hilarious!'"

"Hilarious!" everyone chanted in unison.

"Very good! Excellent!" Lupin looked at everyone with satisfaction. "But the spell alone is not enough. You need to recite it when you are facing fear for it to be effective. I have seen too many people who know the spell, but when faced with fear, they are always too scared to speak."

"So, who wants to try first?"

Seemingly sensing the young wizard's concerns, Lupin did not force the order of the teams, but instead chose the first person to try in a more reasonable way.

Just as everyone was wasting time, a voice rang out.

"I'll do it!"

Ino slowly walked out of the crowd and came to the cabinet.

Lupin recognized the student before him. The Daily Prophet's recent publications had given him a more comprehensive understanding of the situation, but as a professor, he still offered some words of advice:

"After seeing the fear, aim your wand at the Boggart and recite the spell precisely."

"Thank you, I understand!" Ino nodded slightly, also adjusting her thoughts, and following Lina's advice, she thought about facing her fear head-on.

Meanwhile, everyone, whether Slytherin or Ravenclaw, wore curious expressions, eager to see what Ino's fears were.

"Remember, don't panic! I'll open it on three." Lupin said, walking to the cabinet. "One, two, three, begin!"

Lupin's wand shot out a beam of red light, instantly striking the spherical doorknob on the cabinet.

The wardrobe was opened.

In an instant, many young wizards closed their eyes tightly, and some even clutched their robes with their fingers. After all, whether it was Ravenclaw or Slytherin, only a minority were foolish.

What Ino fears, they will probably fear as well, at least logically.

However, after waiting for a while and finding that there were no strange noises in the classroom, many people quietly opened their eyes.

……

"I never expected it to be you!" Ino looked at the figure in front of her with a complicated expression.

This is a middle-aged man who looks to be in his forties and is dressed strangely.

His face looked somewhat weathered, with wrinkles on his forehead and thick eyebrows that seemed to tell the story of the years gone by. Although his appearance was quite ordinary, his clear, bright eyes, coupled with a touch of melancholy, always made him unforgettable.

The middle-aged man wore a loose, plain-colored robe, with a wing-shaped harp about a foot long tied around his waist, and nothing else.

As Ino finished speaking, the middle-aged man slowly began to speak:

"I didn't expect this either. Looking back, it seems I haven't done anything else."

The middle-aged man's voice echoed in the classroom like a babbling brook or a gentle breeze, which made many people look relaxed.

Although she heard the familiar voice again, Ino's expression remained unmoved.

"I'm curious, is this Boggart, or is it yourself at this moment? Professor Hans!"

Yes, the middle-aged man before us is the bard Hans.

"What's so curious about that? If you think it is, then it is; if you think it isn't, then it isn't. In fact, the answer to many things is already in your heart. You just need someone to give you an excuse at the right time."

The middle-aged man smiled as he spoke, then paused briefly before adding, "There's nothing to be afraid of. If I'm really bothering you, just find a chance to throw those two dice away."

His voice remained as gentle and calm as ever.

This time, Ino didn't answer. Instead, she gave a slight bow, then rose and waved her wand: "Hilarious! Hilarious!"

The middle-aged man's figure didn't become comical, but it gradually disappeared with a smile.

……

Defense Against the Dark Arts class continues.

After the first example, the remaining young wizards gradually gained courage and took turns facing their fears.

At the back of the crowd, Ino sat quietly on a bench placed against the wall.

Boggart's change caught him off guard, but he also had his own answer: fear stemmed from the unknown. Perhaps Hans was too mysterious to him, which caused a subconscious fear.

After much thought, this is the only answer.

If the other party really wanted to do something, they would have done it already. Besides, he didn't think he had anything worth remembering, but the only thing that surprised him was Boggart.

These overlooked magical creatures seem to be able to do something that many psychology masters cannot—to communicate with the subconscious.

Ino knew one thing very well: Professor Hans would never say anything ambiguous. And what he said in the conversation just now, what was yes and what wasn't, was entirely his subconscious understanding of transfiguration and magic, only that Boggart had read it.

"It's time to catch a Boggart."

At this moment, he already had a plan. While his fears remained unchanged, it was the perfect opportunity to engage in dialogue with his subconscious.

Wizards value the power of the mind, and 90% of the human mind resides in the subconscious. If one could truly communicate with the subconscious, perhaps one could reach a new level of mastery over any form of magic, whether it be transfiguration or something else entirely.

Thinking of this, Ino felt genuinely fortunate that it was Hans who was afraid; if he had been afraid of mummies or dragons like the others, he would have been doomed.

Xiao Di's sharing today: Boggart

Appearance: Boggarts are magical creatures in the magical world that can shapeshift, and no one knows their true form.

Habits: Boggarts live in dark, cramped places and can transform into the very thing that anyone who encounters them fears most. The spell to defeat a Boggart is the Boggart Banishment Charm (Humiliation), which transforms the Boggart into whatever the caster deems most comical. The more people around, the easier it is to deal with, as it doesn't know what to become. What truly kills a Boggart is laughter; once a loud laugh is emitted, the Boggart explodes into wisps of smoke and vanishes.

Abilities and Functions: Boggarts can see into a person's heart and become what that person fears most.

(End of this chapter)