“Boggarts. Bloody hell we have to face boggarts with the slimy snakes no less.” Ron mutters to him as he gets into the line and Harry has to agree.
“Don’t be silly Ron, this’ll be fun.” Hermione tries to comfort them but she can’t stop her own voice from trembling.
A boggart. The one creature that can ruin the image Harry has made for himself. He doesn’t know what his boggart will turn into, he doesn’t know what his biggest fear is. He’s lived with fear his whole life that he can’t remember not feeling fear. And that scares him. Maybe his fear will be fear itself.
He chuckles to himself and Ron looks over at him increduloused, “It’s not funny mate. Spiders, I can’t face spiders.” He trails off in a whisper and Harry sees how he pales and his skin turns clamy.
Thats another thing, his fears won’t be the same trivial things his friends will be. Its hard to be scared to spiders when you’ve lived with them for years. A snake won’t work because the basilisk was 100 times more scary. Not even Hermiones fear of failure would work because well, hes been a failure his whole life. Maybe a dementor, that was pretty scary.
One by one they move up in the line and Harry almost feels sick. With each boggart another fear was revealed and transformed with ‘riddikulus’ and with each boggart Harry feels himself panic more.
Sure he knew that not everyone went through what he did but he was hoping that someone would have a more serious fear. With each spider, clown, werewolf, mummy, Harry grew more nervous. Not even the slytherins had fears that might match Harrys, whatever it was.
A few came close to what he imagined his frar to be. Malfoys showed his aunt Bellatrix before he vanished it with a smirk. Nott’s showed an older man, probably related from all the similarities but that was all Harry could see before it to was vanished.
All too soon it was Harry’s turn. Stepping up to the cupboard he breathed in and he could feel the stares of everyone on his back. He isn’t stupid he knows that they want to know what his fear is, after all what could scare the precious boy-who-lived.
Proffessor Lupin spoke, “Whenever you’re ready Harry.” With a final breath he reached for his wand and nodded his head, signaling the doors to be opened.
When the doors open nothing happens at first but Harry doesn’t relax he’s too on edge.
“Aww whats this does Potter have so many fears that even a boggart is confused.” He hears malfoy say but it flows over Harrys head because at that point something steps out of the cupboard.
“Tom?” Harry questions, relaxing minutely because out of everything why him? Why this form? Around him he hears everyone else start whispering amongst each other.
Out steps 16 year old Tom Riddle in his perfect slytherin robes with his prefects badge. Just like he was in the chamber. In his hand holds his wand, the wand that Harry has seen too many times for comfort.
“Harry Potter.” Tom smirks, “I knew we’d meet again.”
“Tom, why you? I’m not scared of you.” Harry asks because its true. He isn’t scared of Tom, least of all this form of Tom. Voldemort sure but not Tom.
“You already know the answer Harry.” Tom smiles, something that doesn’t belong on his face. “We’re so alike we are, orphans, raised by muggles, destined for Slytherin.”
Harry inhales sharply and steps back at that because he understands, he knows and from the look on Toms face he knows too. “Why… you haven’t told them have you? You haven’t told them anything.” And he laughs. Its a lilting sound so different to the grating sound he pictures Voldemort to have.
“Why they don’t kow that their Chosen one is a mask. They don’t know what you cover up and hide how your meant to be a Slytherin, how you claimed your heirship. How your meant to be mine.”
Harry faintly hears his class telling him to banish the boggart already, because that is what this is a boggart. It isn’t real. He raises his wand but Tom raises his too.
“Do it Harry. But know that you’ll never get rid of me. I am everything you can and will be. One wrong move and you’ll be cast aside the next Dark Lord.” Tom scowls and he can hear his class gasp, no doubt connecting a few dots.
“Rid-rid-ikulus.” Harry raises his wand but it shakes, trying to calm rhe shaking he mutters but it doesn’t do anything. Funny, think of something funny, Tom in Gryffindor robes, Tom covered in butterbeer. Tom being eaten by his snake.
With a new wave of confidence harry casts the spell again for it to work. The cupboard opens again and out comes the basilisk in all its glory. Its mouth opens wide each of its teeth coated in its venom and it eats Tom. But not before Tom gives his parting words.
“You and I are one in the same Harry. No matter what you do, people will be reminded of me. There can never be a Harry Potter without a Lord Voldemort. You are not their Golden boy, you are broken, you are cursed, you are dark.”
The class shrieks at that. Those that didn’t understand suddenly did and Harry can’t stop the shaking in his arm or the sudden spike of his breathing. He hates it because it is true. What Tom said is true.
He imagines hurting the Dursleys, hurting snape, hurting all the people who’ve hurt him. He starts laughing, he’s going crazy he knows this. Falling to his knees Harry feels his world crumble around him because no matter what. Tom will always be there.