Boggarts. They're a bad idea.
"Excellent job, Longbottom!" Lupin cheers as the Auntified Snape stumbles around in confusion.
"Oh, HELL YEAH!" Akane cheers, shoving her way through the group of students, her Gryffindor robes bouncing as much as her chest. "I wanna see what this thing does when it comes up against someone with- no... fears..."
Akane blinks as the boggart shifts. A child, no older than a year old, grasps at Akane's ankle, wailing and signing for food. An empty refrigerator stands at the other end of the room, a jar labelled 'FOR EMERGENCIES' lying its side, empty, on the top shelf. A strong smell of weed drifts from another room.
Akane blinks again, then grits her teeth, pointing her wand at the empty fridge. "Riddikulus!"
For a moment, a single, large bluetooth speaker lay on the floor.
It begins BLASTING the Monsters Inc Earrape theme. Three people screamed, the entire class throwing their hands over their ears in agony. Akane cackled wildly.
"SOMEONE JUST GET UP THERE AND CHANGE THE DAMN THING!" Malfoy howls, roughly shoving the nearest Gryffindor towards the speaker.
Lupin holds up a hand, trying to stop the activity, but Sonia Nevermind stumbles into the boggart's line of sight before he can stop them.
In a flash, the blasting earrape quiets as the speaker transforms into five men, all dressed in black, and an unmarked white van. One held a bag, the other rope, the other three closing on her from the sides.
"We aren't going to hurt you... yet," one of them mumbles, his hand reaching down for the blonde's hip. Sonia jerked away.
"I am the Princess of Novoselic." She barks, raising her wand, "AND I WILL NOT BE AFRAID OF LOWLIFES LIKE YOU! RIDDIKULUS!"
The five men transform into one, with bright pink hair and a blue jumpsuit, getting hit by a bus and flying across the room.
Sonia holds a hand up to her mouth, giggling wildly. Behind her, Kazuichi wails in embarrassment. "You really had to bring that up again- Why is that so funny?"
"Yes, Princess, vanquish your demons!" Gundham laughs, taking her hand as she returns to him.
Ron Weasley goes next- a giant spider materializes from Boggart-Kazuichi's body, still comically flying through the air. Lupin, watching this endeavor, looks from Sonia to Akane in worry. Ron steps back, letting the next person go.
Banchees - Normal.
Mummies - Normal.
A woman sobbing over a pile of bills and a dinner plate, blackened food laying untouched across from her - Not Normal.
Gundham opens his mouth as if to speak, then shuts it. "Riddikulus."
With a crack, the scene transforms. Now it's Sonia at the table, the bills gone and the plate vanished- just crying, unconsolable.
"Riddikulus!"
It transforms into a black cat running into a table as it scrambles for treats. Gundham barely cracks a smile.
Lupin- he needs to put a stop to this. He knew Harry was unfit for this activity but these fears were too deep-
A boy stumbles forward in front of the boggart, and all noise silences.
Except for the beeping of a heart monitor.
Nagito Komaeda sucks in a breath, staring at the beeping heart monitor, the sound far too slow, too weak, every beat too few and far between.
"Wait." He whispers.
The sharpest Slytherin Lupin had ever met, he knew this boy for his ever-present, unwavering grin. No matter how many projects blew up in his face, he laughed and tried a new strategy, did something different, pushed through.
That smile was gone.
"Hold on-" Lupin stepped forward, but a nurse appeared out of thin air, cutting him off and approaching Komaeda- the boggart continuing his fear.
"I'm sorry." The nurse said, their voice pitying and slow. "None of the calls were returned."
"What..." Komaeda takes a step back, then another. "No. I- I'm not- I'm not-"
"Our staff will be here with you, we promise. Do you have any family that we can contact?"
"No- I'm not dying alone! No- I- I-"
The heart monitor slows again as Komaeda's breathing speeds up, and Lupin finally snaps to his senses, pushing his way through the boggart's illusion.
It shifted- the full moon hung between them, and Lupin waved his wand. "Riddikulus!"
A balloon goes flying across the classroom as Lupin takes Komaeda in his arms. "Hey- It was just a boggart. It was only a boggart."
Two more Gryffindors- Kuzuryuu and Souda- if Lupin remembers correctly, take Komaeda from his grip.
"Come on, you idiot. You're fine, you've got us." Kuzuryuu mutters, looping one of Komaeda's arms over his shoulders.
"Yeah!" Kazuichi adds shakily. "You're a weirdo but your our weirdo, I guess."
Komaeda laughs, blinking back tears. "Worthless trash like me doesn't deserve people like you...... thank you."
"Not a problem." Kuzuryuu huffs. "Professor, can we-"
"Yes. Class dismissed. Though I think it would be... best, if Mr. Komaeda did not go to the hospital wing. And- Miss Owari, Miss Nevermind, Mr. Tanaka, if you could stay behind. I would like to talk to you about some knowledge I was not made aware of."
"Whatever you say, teach." Akane murmurs, watching Komaeda with a mixture of pity and concern in her eyes.
The class leaves in silence.