Chapter 180: Nightmares and Boggarts

Lupin proved to be quite capable, as the entire Defense Against the Dark Arts class not only taught the young wizards a new spell but also made everyone face their inner fears.

Of course, the content of these fears was varied. For example, Draco's fear was an oil lamp, while Pansy was afraid of a letter...

But all these fears turned ridiculous under the spell, and with everyone showing expressions of satisfaction, the Defense Against the Dark Arts class ended.

As everyone began to leave, Ino chose once again to stay behind for a question, or rather, a request.

"Professor Lupin! Please wait."

Lupin turned around, somewhat surprised, and asked, "Is there something else, Mr. Swinburne?"

Ino then expressed his doubt:

"It's like this, I always believed that Boggarts feed on fear, but today's... you saw it yourself. So I wanted to borrow this Boggart to verify something. After all, the castle is huge, and it would take a while to find another one."

As Ino finished speaking, Lupin frowned slightly.

He wasn't worried about this student using the Boggart for pranks; rather, he was reflecting on what he had seen earlier. After all, a middle-aged man with a harp didn't seem like a figure that would induce fear.

"Indeed, that was strange. As a unique creature, a Boggart feeds on fear, and some even consider them a weaker version of Dementors..."

After pondering for a while, Lupin stopped explaining and looked at the single wardrobe, smiling lightly:

"No need to borrow it! I'll give you this Boggart. The castle actually hides quite a few, though they are hard to find. I used my authority as a professor to have the house-elves in the kitchen catch it for me."

"Could this phenomenon be related to Occlumency?" Ino asked, puzzled.

He suddenly remembered that he had two layers of defense; the legacy of ice magic seemed to have only opened the first layer of protection.

"Occlumency?" Lupin's expression was somewhat surprised.

This obscure and advanced magic, let alone learning it, was something many people never even heard of in their lifetime.

"Yes, Professor!" Ino nodded, "I can perform Occlumency, but I deliberately opened my mind and suggested to myself to face my fear."

Hearing this, Lupin didn't immediately respond.

Similarly, Ino didn't rush him, just stood quietly by.

After a while.

"I think that wasn't your inner fear, just what you believe to be fear, because you were too calm."

This time, Lupin's explanation was much more certain, unlike his earlier hesitation.

"You mean the Boggart was deceived?"

Ino thought of Snape in the original story, who deceived Voldemort's Legilimency by constructing a false memory in his mind.

"Yes! The Boggart was deceived!" Lupin's tone remained steady, but he was puzzled about how a third-year student had mastered Occlumency.

Meanwhile, Ino looked disappointedly at the single wardrobe beside him: "Then what's the use of having it..."

Thinking he had discovered a treasure, only to find a few copper coins inside, was truly disheartening.

"It doesn't mean it's useless. You could keep it for Halloween pranks, but remember to feed it some fear from time to time, or it will easily dissipate."

Lupin joked, feeling that for the first time, the boy in front of him acted like a normal student. His performance in class and their conversation earlier were too mature.

Especially in class, when he bowed slightly and waved his wand without hesitation... it was unusual.

Ino wasn't aware of Lupin's inner turmoil. He glanced at the wardrobe, then recalled that these creatures were scattered throughout the castle, and agreed.

"Alright then! Thank you for your generosity! I'll keep this Boggart for fun."

"No need to be so polite. These things are consumables. I was planning to catch a new one for the next class anyway."

Lupin said, waving his wand to restore the surrounding desks and chairs to their original positions.

Seeing this, Ino decided not to disturb him further, as all his questions had been answered.

Meanwhile, Lupin seemed to notice his intention to leave and quickly said:

"If you're not busy, you could come to my office. I have some information on Boggarts there. The authenticity is questionable, but some of the theories are interesting..."

Sending materials? Ino was surprised by this invitation. To be honest, since the beginning of their conversation, he felt Lupin was being unusually agreeable.

They hadn't talked much, and he had already given away a teaching aid. Now, he was extending a clear gesture of friendliness.

After a brief hesitation, Ino decided to take a look and nodded: "If it's not an inconvenience, I'd be happy to join you."

As they left, the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom returned to its usual tranquility.

However, just as the door closed, a flash of blue light occurred, and the single wardrobe in the middle disappeared.

...

On the way to the office.

Ino pondered Lupin's intentions. After all, in this world, nothing is done without reason. Everything has a cause.

But thoughts were thoughts, and they didn't delay his actions.

After a few minutes, crossing two moving staircases, they arrived at the destination—the Defense Against the Dark Arts office on the third floor.

"Please have a seat and wait a moment!" Lupin said, opening the door and pointing to the only wooden sofa in the office, then walking towards a storage rack in the corner.

Sitting quietly on the sofa, Ino also observed the office's layout.

To be honest, in three years, this was his first time in this legendary office.

Perhaps due to his werewolf status, the whole room was pitifully simple!

Apart from the basic furniture provided by the castle, the only personal item was an old box on the storage rack.

After a while, Lupin returned with a thick notebook.

"Sorry, these are all handwritten copies! So I can only give you a copy. But besides Boggarts, there are many other interesting contents inside. You'll see when you read it."

Without hesitation, Ino naturally accepted the notebook. Upon opening it, he understood Lupin's intention, as the first page prominently featured a large black dog.

But as he continued reading, the content became increasingly fascinating.

It recorded various dark creatures in depth, such as Red Caps, Banshees, Poltergeists, Vampires, and so on, along with corresponding spells and widely spread legends.

Soon, he found the section on Boggarts:

"A type of spirit-like creature without a physical form, feeding on fear..."

The first part was quite standard, but as he read the later sections, the contents became more bizarre.

There were only two or three pages on Boggarts.

After spending five or six minutes reading, Ino slowly closed the notebook.

"Professor, are Boggarts really related to Nightmares?"

It was hard for him to remain calm; the content was too startling.

In Muggle legends, Merlin, who was by King Arthur's side, was said to have half Nightmare blood.

Of course, this was only a Muggle legend, with no clear records in the magical world.

But anything associated with Merlin seemed to carry a legendary status.