Chapter 775: The Noseless One
Chapter 775: The Noseless One
As Albert spoke, people began to crowd together, forming a semicircular formation around him.
Many here lacked experience in facing Boggarts, and Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were notably absent from the group.
The trio shared a dormitory with Albert and had already practiced with Boggarts beforehand.
"This is quite an intriguing experience."
Angelina stood at the front of the line, wand in hand, her eyes nervously fixed on the violently shaking trunk.
After Albert opened the trunk, a letter floated in front of Angelina, its mouth moving to convey a message about her rejection from the Quidditch Club.
"Riddikulus!"
Angelina waved her wand, crumpling the letter into a ball, a satisfying action, but not very effective.
"Everyone, pay attention," Albert frowned and reminded them, "To defeat a Boggart, you must force it to transform into something comical in your imagination, thereby dispelling the fear it instills in you. Think about what you're afraid of and how you would deal with it."
"Next."
After Alicia stepped back, Alyssia moved forward to face the Boggart.
With a burst, the Boggart transformed into Alyssia wearing a wedding dress.
Alyssia's mouth twitched as she raised her wand and shouted at her alternate self, "Riddikulus!"
The wedding dress tripped Alyssia, causing her to fall awkwardly to the ground.
"Next," called out Albert.
Shan walked past Alyssia and, having seen the previous Boggart, was now a little afraid of what her Boggart would turn into.
This time, the Boggart transformed into the corpse of a middle-aged man lying on the cold ground.
"Riddikulus!"
Upon seeing the corpse, Shan's expression stiffened. She raised her wand, and the middle-aged man changed into a gentleman in a tuxedo, bowing slightly to everyone present.
"Next."
...
This session against the Boggarts was quite interesting. Everyone's fears were diverse, and it felt like a public execution.
Cedric's Boggart was Cho Chang, who declared that she didn't like him. To further embarrass Cedric, the Boggart as Cho Chang confessed that she liked Albert, much to everyone's amusement.
Katrina, on the other hand, was afraid of letting Albert know that she liked him.
The room immediately erupted in whistles.
"That's more like it," Fred and George said, each placing a hand on Albert's shoulder. "Always a charmer."
Katrina's face turned as red as an apple, much like Cedric before her.
Ron's Boggart was still a giant spider, but this time he had equipped the spider's legs with roller skates. The poor creature performed an impressive eight-legged split fall, much to everyone's amusement.
Hermione's Boggart was surprisingly Professor McGonagall, who held a piece of parchment and told Hermione that she had failed all her exams! This elicited another round of cheerful laughter.
"Next."
The next person to face the Boggart was Harry Potter, who had also dealt with Boggarts before.
Albert expected Harry's Boggart to transform into a Dementor, but something unexpected happened. The Boggart took the form of Lord Voldemort, causing the room, which had been filled with laughter, to fall silent. Everyone held their breath, fearing that the mere act of breathing would result in their deaths at the hands of the Dark Lord before them.
Just as Voldemort began to walk towards the crowd, and many were about to scream, an untimely voice rang out, "Is this the mysterious guy? He's so ugly."
Then, everyone heard a clicking sound as Albert, camera in hand, took photos of Voldemort from various angles.
The onlookers stared, dumbfounded, as Albert photographed Voldemort, their fear dissipating and transforming into a desire to mock the Dark Lord. They hoped that the genius wizard would show some respect to the villain.
To be honest, this was Albert's first time seeing Voldemort's appearance. Overall, it matched what he had seen in the movies.
Due to the multiple splits of his soul, Voldemort's facial features were extremely blurred, and he was hideously ugly—so ugly that it was an insult to the public. Describing him as "Noseless" was not an insult because Voldemort didn't have a nose at all; there were just two flat vents above his mouth.
"All right, Harry, it's your turn now. Don't be scared, it's just a Boggart," Albert encouraged.
"Riddikulus!"
Harry made Voldemort wear an Irish skirt and perform a tap dance in front of everyone, but no one could bring themselves to laugh, after all, this was Voldemort. Even knowing it was a Boggart, not many dared to laugh.
The incident with Voldemort cast a slight shadow over the rest of the session, and the atmosphere wasn't as lighthearted as before when facing the Boggarts.
Albert closed the trunk again and stood in front of the group to summarize, "Boggarts are shape-shifting creatures that take on the form of whatever each individual fears the most."
"When dealing with Boggarts, it's best to face them in pairs or groups, as this will confuse them. When confronted by multiple people at once, they must decide which person's fear to take the form of, and often end up becoming something absurd in an attempt to scare everyone simultaneously."
"However, during your exams, you'll have to face the Boggarts alone, so just think about what you're afraid of and try to overcome it here. It's not that difficult if you're prepared." Albert scanned the group and continued, "The real challenge is facing a Boggart without any mental preparation, as you might be fooled by its chosen form. As long as you recognize what it is, it shouldn't be too hard to deal with."
"Of course, don't underestimate them either. Boggarts can transform into magical creatures or objects and, to some extent, mimic their abilities. Although this mimicry is usually weak, you still need to be cautious. If a Boggart turns into a giant and hits you with a club, who knows if you might end up with a concussion."
"Well, that's it for today. Next time, we'll face the Boggarts again, and you'll need to think about how to overcome and defeat them beforehand. With preparation, I'm sure it won't be too difficult." Albert looked at the group and added, "If you can't even overcome this, then I wish you luck on your Dark Magic Defense exam."
"All right, please leave the chamber in an orderly manner." Albert continued, "If anyone was scared by the Boggart just now, you can come to me for a calming draught."
"You're well-prepared," Shana said with a smile.
"Sorry, I didn't expect..." Harry knew he had caused some trouble, and the appearance of Voldemort had clearly frightened many students.
"Do you want one? I can give you a photo, but you mustn't spread it around," Albert offered with a smile, waving the photo in his hand.
"Aren't you scared?" Harry asked curiously.
"No," Albert replied, turning to the girl beside him. "I don't think Shana is either, right?"
"No, I'm not. Even though I know what the mysterious wizard has done, I didn't grow up in the magical world, so I don't have the same fear of the name as others do," Shana admitted. "He's very ugly, though."
"Yes, and he doesn't have a nose," Fred added, holding up the photo and teasing, "His features seem to have melted; he's ugly to new heights."
"Hey, Harry, I heard the mysterious wizard was very handsome when he was young," Albert asked.
"Yes, he was," Harry confirmed.
"Compared to Albert? Who's better-looking?" George asked curiously.
"Albert is more handsome. That guy looks ugly and ferocious when he's angry," Harry whispered.
"Ahem, let's not discuss this here. Everyone, go back and rest," Albert coughed lightly, signaling for everyone to disperse.
"I didn't expect you to have the presence of mind to take photos. Can I have a copy?" Lee Jordan suddenly asked, curious about how the whole school would react to seeing Voldemort's appearance. That would surely be interesting.
"Don't be a fool. I don't want to be locked up by Professor McGonagall," Albert replied.
"I'm curious, though. How did the mysterious wizard become so hideous?" Shana asked, shocked, especially after hearing that Voldemort had been very handsome in his youth.
"It's probably due to his research into Dark Magic," Albert speculated. "Some Dark Magic is extremely evil, and the mysterious wizard must have experimented on himself, turning himself into that monstrous form."
"If I became like that, I would go crazy," Fred said, pointing at the photo. "Look at his nose, or what's left of it."
(End of Chapter)
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