The Boggart burst into a cloud of fine smoke, churning and boiling as though something terrifying were taking shape within it.
Zhang Xiao felt inexplicably nervous, every muscle in his body taut. He honestly had no idea what he feared.
There were plenty of things he feared, but adding "most" to any of them made the question far more complicated.
Besides, a Boggart could only turn into something tangible, not an entire scene.
Just then, Zhang Xiao felt the pendant around his neck grow hot.
Countless spikes of smoke erupted from the Boggart, making it resemble a sea urchin, even though it had yet to assume any concrete form.
Both the young wizards watching and Lupin could tell that the Boggart was in terrible pain.
With a bang, the Boggart shrank back into the wardrobe. Everyone watched the wardrobe begin to shake, as though something were cowering inside.
Strange cries unlike anything they had ever heard suddenly rang through the room, their soul-shaking fury filling the entire classroom.
The young wizards craning their necks to watch cried out in panic, clapping their hands over their ears and crouching as they searched for the source.
Zhang Xiao was speechless.
How did I forget about the pendant? A Boggart's transformation had to rely on something like Legilimency.
Hadn't it walked straight into the line of fire?
Fortunately, the Boggart's mind-reading ability was fairly weak. Otherwise, it would have manifested the Tiger and Dragon, just as Professor Snape had last time.
This poor Boggart would undoubtedly have died on the spot.
The dragon's roar and tiger's howl slowly faded. Only then did the young wizards rise in bewilderment. Seeing that there appeared to be no danger, they relaxed.
Their fear and worry immediately gave way to excited discussion.
"What were those sounds?"
"No