Boggart and Dementor

Early that morning, after breakfast with Hermione, Loren did not linger in the Great Hall waiting for the second Teaching Class like the other students. He and Professor McGonagall had arranged it the previous week.

Hermione went upstairs to find Professor Bubage and revise her article for publication. Loren wandered up to the Eighth Floor instead, spent several minutes watching Silly Barnaby teach a troll to dance ballet, then walked back and forth three times before the wall opposite the tapestry. Thinking of a room similar to the Potions classroom, he waited for a smooth wooden door to appear in the wall before pushing it open and entering the Room of Requirement.

A chandelier hung from the ceiling, its softly burning candles illuminating the entire room. Neatly arranged worktables stood in the center of the classroom, while display shelves along the walls held specimens of all kinds. Several old storage cabinets stood at the front and back, stocked with common potion ingredients.

Loren ignored those materials. He had not come here today to brew any potions, but to conduct an interesting experiment.

He went straight to the worktable normally used by professors and brushed a finger over his pendant, taking out two items. One was a wooden box covered in black cloth, while the other was a smooth black stone.

As though it had sensed the change in its surroundings, the cloth-covered box trembled slightly on the tabletop. Dull yet distinct knocking sounded from within, like bony fingers rapping against a wooden door, carrying a faintly sinister and ominous air.

If Loren had not known there was a Boggart inside the box, he might have thought some living creature was hiding within.

Several years ago, Loren had asked Professor Lupin to purchase a batch of Boggarts for research. He had