The boggart gave a final shudder as Snape's figure, now draped in Neville's grandmother's clothes, stumbled backward to the sound of laughter. It wavered, its shape rippling as if unsure what to become next.
Professor Lupin's eyes moved quickly to the line of students and settled at once on Cela.
"Please step forward, Miss Slughorn," he said with calm encouragement.
Cela's stomach fluttered. She rose from her place, her legs carrying her toward the front before she had fully decided she was ready. A tangle of nerves and curiosity rushed through her; part of her dreaded what the boggart might reveal, yet another part burned with excitement to finally see the shape of her own fear.
The boggart seemed to sense her approach. It recoiled from Neville's laughter, then twisted sharply, its gaze snapping onto Cela as though it could smell her unease.
Cela's legs felt stiff, but she moved toward the center, her wand clutching in her grip. The boggart began to shiver violently. Then with a loud crack, it shifted into a bubbling cauldron brimming with a strange, golden potion.
Her eyes widened. The cauldron suddenly began to froth and shake. With a loud pop, it spewed potion over the floor. Steam rose in choking waves, and out of the smoke stood a reflection of Cela herself, sobbing with messy ink stains on her face.
"It is my thousandth attempt," the doppelganger wailed. "I cannot brew the Felix Felicis potion. I will never succeed!"
The sight was so ridiculous that a few students laughed already, but Cela felt her face heat up. She lifted her wand quickly. "Riddikulus!"
The cauldron burst like a balloon, spilling out glitter and soap bubbles that floated through the air. The crying version of herself was suddenly wearing clown shoes and a tall hat that blew confetti every time she sniffled.
The class exploded with laughter, Ron clutching his sides. Lavender clapped her hands, tears running down her cheeks.
Cela blushed furiously but hurried back to her seat. Hermione leaned over with an incredulous smile.
"I thought your greatest fear would be not being allowed to come to Hogwarts," Hermione whispered. "But it seems you are still obsessed with potions. Even your fear is failing to brew Felix Felicis potion."
Cela rolled her eyes but smiled. "Well, I have many fears. I did not know this one was the loudest."
The next student to step forward was Lavender Brown. The boggart crackled and spun, shrinking into a small white rabbit lying still on the floor. Lavender gasped. "Binky!" she cried, clasping her hands to her mouth. The little rabbit twitched as though lifeless.
"Do not panic," Lupin said calmly.
Lavender raised her wand with tears welling in her eyes. "Riddikulus!"
Instantly, the rabbit sprang up, wearing a tiny top hat and wiggling its nose. It bounced onto its hind legs and performed a silly little dance, waving a carrot like a wand. The class clapped and howled with laughter. Lavender sighed in relief and backed away, cheeks pink.
Then came Seamus Finnigan. The boggart shifted into a banshee with wild hair and glowing eyes, shrieking at the top of its lungs. Seamus yelped, but quickly managed, "Riddikulus!"
The banshee's hair turned into rollers, its scream transforming into an opera singer's exaggerated trill, complete with dramatic bow. The class howled.
Dean Thomas followed. His boggart snapped into a hand that leapt from a box, crawling like a spider. Dean shouted "Riddikulus!" and it turned into a football, bouncing across the floor. He kicked it, earning cheers.
Then it was Ron's turn.
The boggart twisted and stretched into a massive spider, its hairy legs clattering against the floor. Several students shrieked and scrambled back. Ron went pale as parchment.
"Come now, Mr Weasley," Lupin urged kindly.
"R-riddikulus!" Ron yelled, squeezing his eyes shut.
The spider wobbled. Skates appeared on its legs, and it flailed madly, slipping and crashing against the wall. The class screamed with laughter, pounding desks with their fists.
At last, it was Hermione's turn. She stepped forward confidently, but Cela noticed her hands tightening on her wand.
The boggart began to quake, then burst into the stern figure of Professor McGonagall.
"Miss Granger," McGonagall barked. "You are not a good student. You cannot achieve what you believe. Cela is my favorite pupil now. You are not nearly as clever as her."
Cela's jaw dropped in shock. "What?" she whispered to herself.
Hermione flushed crimson. Her wand flicked desperately. "Riddikulus!"
The figure of McGonagall stumbled as her hat turned into a giant buzzing bee, her robes into a patchwork quilt. The stern voice broke into silly squeaks. Hermione quickly retreated, her cheeks aflame.
Cela leaned close as she sat down. "Wow. I did not know your fear would be that kind of fear."
Hermione stammered, "It was nothing. I was only testing the boggart. That is not my real fear."
Cela shook her head gently and smiled.
Then came Harry's turn. The boggart quivered, twisting oddly. Suddenly it began to morph into a towering black figure, a cloaked Dementor, sucking the light from the room. Cold washed over the class, and Harry staggered backward.
"Riddikulus!" Lupin cried sharply, stepping in front. The boggart whirled into a silvery orb of moonlight, then vanished back into the wardrobe with a loud snap as Lupin slammed the door.
The room erupted with nervous chatter.
"That is enough for today," Lupin said briskly. "Class dismissed."
The students gathered their things, still laughing about spider skates and banshee opera. But Harry lingered, pale and quiet, clearly unsettled. Slytherins sneered as they passed.
"Potter could not even face his turn," Malfoy whispered loudly. "Some Chosen One."
Hermione shot him a glare, but Lupin's presence silenced further remarks.
As the class left, Cela walked beside Hermione. She still could not stop thinking about McGonagall's words from the boggart.
She smiled faintly to herself, wondering just how many fears were hidden beneath the surface of her classmates.