Harry Potter: Dudley From LOTM - 356

Chapter 356: The Stolen Ritual

As Harry stepped forward, the Boggart that had become Aragog abruptly stopped moving and scrutinised him, as if digging for the deepest fear in his heart.

In the next instant, its body twisted and reshaped, turning into a terrifying black-robed figure.

"Oh!"

More than a few people cried out.

Lupin, taut with nerves at the side, immediately raised his wand. But the moment he made out what the dark silhouette truly was, he let out a quiet breath and did not intervene.

Dudley saw it too, and it was not what he had expected.

"A Dementor," he murmured.

He had not realised the Dementor’s impact on Harry ran so deep, deep enough that the fear it inspired even surpassed Voldemort.

Harry’s face went deathly pale.

His eyes unfocused, and his body began to tremble.

"Riddikulus!"

He forced the spell out with everything he had.

The Dementor that had been floating in the air suddenly dropped to the floor and began to wave its arms, dancing a clumsy little ballet.

Laughter burst out at once.

The oppressive atmosphere vanished in an instant.

It had to be said, the Dementor the Boggart created was not only identical in appearance, it even carried a trace of that same cold, hollow aura, just far weaker than the real thing.

"Very good, Harry. Excellent," Lupin said, relief flooding his voice.

For a split second, he had been afraid the Boggart would turn into Voldemort. That would have terrified half the room. Thankfully, what Harry feared most was a Dementor.

"Next. Dudley."

Lupin’s gaze shifted to Dudley behind Harry, and everyone’s eyes followed.

"I really want to know what Dudley’s afraid of," Ron whispered excitedly.

Since meeting Dudley, it was hard to recall him ever truly showing fear. When he faced things that made everyone else shake, he stayed calm, at most turning grim.

Fear simply did not seem to exist in him.

Harry looked at his cousin.

"What could Dudley possibly be afraid of?"

Dudley glanced at the ballet-dancing Dementor and walked forward.

To everyone’s surprise, as he approached what should have been the embodiment of his greatest fear, he did not look afraid at all. He actually smiled.

"Do not disappoint me," he said softly, almost amused.

Lupin’s heart tightened.

A wizard who could smile at the edge of fear always gave him a faintly unhinged feeling.

The Boggart stopped moving and studied Dudley, as if struggling to decide what shape could possibly frighten a boy who looked as though he feared nothing at all.

In a blur, the Dementor vanished and condensed into a human form.

But its transformation was slower than with the others, and its features would not come into focus.

"Dudley’s afraid of a person?" people whispered in disbelief.

They stared hard, trying to make out who the shadowy figure was.

Gradually, the change accelerated. It looked like a man, and his clothes were not those of a wizard, but closer to a medieval Muggle gentleman.

"Dudley, long time no see."

He wore a black, old-fashioned coat and a matching soft, pointed hat. Black curls, black eyes, a broad forehead, a lean face.

Looking at Dudley, he drew a monocle from his pocket and calmly set it over his right eye.

Dudley’s face drained of colour.

His gaze locked onto the man as though he could not look away.

Around them, everyone stared, stunned.

The man looked ordinary, almost unremarkable, even like a Muggle. He did not look like a wizard at all.

Yet Dudley was visibly frightened. Why would Dudley fear someone like that?

"It seems you are doing well," the man said, surveying the room. His eyes swept over the students, and a gentle smile rested at the corner of his mouth.

"Dudley!" Lupin warned sharply.

"Amon," Dudley said under his breath.

"What is wrong? Are you afraid of me?" Amon asked with a smile. "Afraid I will steal your ritual?"

"No. You can’t anymore," Dudley said, shaking his head.

"Is that so?" Amon’s smile deepened. "Nothing is ever absolute."

"Dudley, we’ll meet again one day."

He pinched the rim of his monocle, and the smile that followed was strange, wrong.

"Riddikulus!"

Dudley snapped his wand up.

The Amon-shaped Boggart warped instantly, but unlike everyone else’s, the elegant man did not twist into something ridiculous. Instead, he gave Dudley one last eerie smile and vanished.

Boom!

A violent explosion shook the room.

The Boggart shattered as if it had been hit by a Blasting Curse, blown into nothing, not even scraps left behind.

For a moment, the staffroom was silent.

Everyone stared at Dudley, wide-eyed, unable to understand what they had just seen.

After a long pause, Dudley drew a slow breath. "Sorry. The Boggart is dead."

"It is fine," Lupin said, not seeming to mind. "But Dudley, your face..."

He had noticed Dudley was still pale.

"I am fine," Dudley said, shaking his head.

He turned and walked back.

Lupin frowned, watching him for a few seconds before continuing the lesson.

But with the Boggart destroyed, he could only describe the remaining points based on what they had already witnessed, explaining what to watch out for when facing one.

"Dudley, you look awful," Hermione said worriedly.

"It will pass," Dudley replied. "Give it a bit."

"Dudley, who was that man? Why were you afraid of him?" Ron pressed.

Harry saw Dudley did not answer and immediately said, "Whoever he is, we will help you deal with him."

"Yeah. We are always on your side," Ron hurried to add.

"Thanks, but you cannot help with this," Dudley said quietly. "That might have just been my nightmare, nothing more. He will never appear again."

The three of them exchanged uneasy looks.

They could all feel Dudley’s mood was off, but none of them understood why.

Ron and Hermione looked to Harry, silently asking: Who was that man?

Harry could only look back blankly. He had never seen him before.

And their minds kept circling the strange exchange from earlier.

Steal a ritual?

What ritual was Amon trying to steal?