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FA N C H O N
M A R I E
C O H E N
Professor of DADA │ Muggleborn │ Haitian

Fanchon stood in the back of the classroom, beside a large wardrobe, which was rattling rather ominously. She motion for the students sitting down to turn around to face her, before beginning her lecture. "A boggart," she said calmly, "Is what is currently banging around in this wardrobe. Boggarts are amortal non-beings, which means that they were never alive, and thus can never die. They are shapeshifters who survive off of fear, which means that as soon as I release this boggart, it will focus on whoever is nearest and assume the form of their worst fear, whatever that may be. However, our strength lies in numbers. The more people present, the more confused and indecisive the boggart will become, trying to decide which fear to take the shape of. No one has ever seen what a boggart looks like when it is alone, for obvious reasons."

She rapped on the wardrobe lightly, which shook in response. "Boggarts like enclosed, dark spaces, such as wardrobes, closets, under beds, but they can also lurk in dark corners or forests. Much like poltergeists and Dementors, boggarts exist because of the combination of our magic and our very human emotions. As long as there is fear in the world, there will be boggarts. Muggles do not typically see or encounter boggarts, and when they do, usually write them off as hallucinations. Now, I don't want this lesson to teach you to be ashamed of your fears. Every human fears something. Fear is important. It's what keeps us alive. The purpose of defeating a boggart, however, is to learn how to triumph over your fear."

Fanchon abruptly pulled open the door, and a dark shape slithered out, before springing up in the air like an ashen, whirling cloud, transforming into suffocating dirt, which surrounded the woman. There was silence for a moment, then "Ri-di-KULL-lis!", a whip-like crack, and the dirt turned into harmless confetti, drifting to the floor while the Haitian chuckled, before retreating back into the wardrobe. She slammed the door shut quickly. "I have feared being buried alive ever since I was a little girl, when an earthquake killed my parents," she informed the class mildly. "However, you just saw me face my fear and force the boggart back into its hiding space. I cast the Boggart-Banishing Spell, Riddikulus. It forces the boggart to take the shape of something humorous. But the spell alone didn't defeat the boggart. My laughter did. You have to be able to genuinely laugh to fend off a boggart."

"If you cannot acknowledge your fears, you stand no chance of fighting the boggart. You have to take them as they are, and visualize them as something not frightening, but humorous, in your minds. The movement is this:,"



She looked over the class once more. "I think it's important that all you have a go at it. Obviously, I cannot force you, and I understand that some fears are much more... realistic... than others. I can't speak to what any of you may have gone through in your lives. But I do think it's crucial that we acknowledge those things, rather than letting them fester. If anyone is not comfortable with their classmates seeing their fears, speak to me after class, and we'll make arrangements." Fanchon glanced over at the wardrobe. "Alright. Who's first?"

Despite her tiredness, Sonora was immediately at attention when Professor Cohen revealed what was lurking in the shuddering wardrobe. In pre-reading--or the bit of it she still managed to squeeze in with all the other classes--she’d noticed boggarts liked dark places...so surely places of curses and adventure would involve plenty of potential encounters with boggarts right? She figured hers would be some dark cave, like the stories of the cave she'd supposedly gotten trapped in when she was little...but hadn’t the last three years of Herbology been perfect evidence that she was just overthinking the whole thing?

Seeing Professor Cohen’s boggart gave her a little shudder, knowing now how the boggart might not just be a creature but actually surround her. Sona steeled her nerves with a steadying breath as she joined the line. There would be no better time to face her fears than there in the safety of the classroom anyways. She slipped in line after Jonah, noticing the dark circles under his eyes. There was a thermos of coffee for him and Ves in her bag but he’d gotten there a little late for her to offer it before class. It’ll be okay, she assured herself as he stepped up to face the boggart.

The first man she didn’t recognize, but the moment the boggart shifted forms, Sona knew what was going on. And something was wrong. Sonora took a tentative step forward, reaching for her friend as Jonah cast the spell again and again at the boggart. But instead of bursting into confetti or something silly, the boggart just kept changing the face of the person in pain. She flinched when it showed them Rhea and had to look back at Vinny and Ves for confirmation that they were right there and okay. Something was terribly wrong. Why wasn’t it working?

“Jonah? Jonah, it’s just a boggart, they’re all okay,” she said softly, not wanting to distract him but also recognizing something was going terribly wrong with every spell cast.

He’d stopped, frozen. She looked back, startled it was her own body there. No, it didn’t matter. “Jonah, we’re okay,” she said, tugging his sleeve urgently now. “It’s okay, We’re okay, it’s not real--”

When he shut his eyes, she moved in front of him, trying to get him to focus on anything--anything besides that sadistic creature, maybe even get it to take on someone else’s fear--and then he screamed in frustration, throwing his wand across the room.

Sonora grabbed the wand as it clattered to the ground and ran after him without a glance at the rest of the class. Outside, she sank down next to him and threw her arms around her best friend. Right now, nothing else mattered.

▬▬"An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day." ▬▬

Vespera walked into class and stayed toward the back like usual. When it was time to face the boggart, she shrugged. It had to happen. She watched as Jonah, Sona, and Viny all ran outside the class, she took a deep breath, hopefully she wouldn't have to join them. As the boggart faced her, it turned into herself, holding a note. It was obviously Jonah's handwriting, it read: "Leave us Alone. You don't need friends. You're too rude. -Jonah ~Sona"

Vespera was in shock, she had always feared being left alone by everyone, but never thought she would lose her best friends. She hadn't 'thoroughly recognized that the way she treated them would push them away, but, maybe somewhere deep inside she did know, she had to didn't she? To create this fear?

She pulled out her wand and pointed it to the boggart, "Riddiculous!" She thought of her funniest memories, those with Jonah and Sona, the igloo, the egg, the hot chocolate. She thought of Jonah and Sona, always by her side, and thought of all three of them posing for some silly picture and smiled, the boggart was changed to her being hugged by her friends (but boy did they all look silly, feather boas and neon colors galore). She stepped back and went back to her spot in the back of the class room. She went into thought, while the lesson finished and made a vow to herself, she would treat her friends nicer, she would make a way to have their friendship as her top priority, to stop thinking of them as her minions who were around to help her with her work, and to keep her company.

She would be better to them, so one day, she would never have to fear being left alone again.

“You’re not losing anyone,” Sonora whispered softly, her voice surprisingly even as she tried to comfort Jonah. She was surprised it was her that he was worried about in all of that. “I’m okay. It’s okay.”

Sona kept her hand tightly in his, greeting Vinny with a brief smile and quiet "He's right. Thanks Vinny."

▬▬ Make your life a masterpiece; ▬▬

Aldrick sat down in DADA and waited for class to begin. It was the first class of the week, and that in itself was dissatisfying. At least it was an interesting class, it wasn't all lecture. When Proessor Fanchon asked them to disarm her Aldrick sighed and stood, he figured that nothing would happen, Cohen could easily cast a shielf charm, and all would be well, her cat would probably still be asleep when he sat down, "Expelliarmus" He waved his wand, and sat back down after casting the spell.