"All right, the last one." Osgilia's gaze fell on Tris as he stepped forward. "Our last student. Do you have any idea what your Boggart might turn into?"
"No." Tris calmly shook his head and walked up to the wardrobe, waiting for Osgilia to release the Boggart-he had just put the exhausted creature away.
"Hmm, let's find out, then." Osgilia did not mind. He tapped the wardrobe lightly with his wand.
The wardrobe door opened again.
But the Boggart did not come out.
Everyone was a little puzzled, but only a little. Perhaps whatever Tris feared was too large to get out right away? It would emerge if they waited.
But one second passed, then two, then three.
Ten seconds went by, and the Boggart still had not emerged from the wardrobe.
"Huh?" A trace of surprise appeared on Osgilia's face. First, he lightly tapped the wardrobe again, but the Boggart inside still gave no response. He turned to Tris, his gaze settling on Tris's eyes.
Their eyes met.
A moment later, the puzzlement on Osgilia's face became more pronounced.
"It isn't Occlumency?" Osgilia suddenly asked without any explanation. More than ninety percent of the students had no idea what he meant.
"No." Tris, however, understood the reason behind the question.
Before the practical exercise, Osgilia had mentioned that suppressing fear, or preventing a Boggart from sensing it, was another way to deal with one. The specific method was Occlumency.
However, Occlumency did have a few outward signs. For instance, the eyes would grow dim and dark, losing their normal sparkle.
A skilled Occlumency user could make it as natural and instinctive as breathing. Their eyes would resemble a pool of deep water, unfathomable in its depths.
Snape, for instance, was an expert in Occlumency. His eyes were black and