Boggart (Harry Potter)

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For the mythological creature, see boggart.

A boggart in the Harry Potter fictional books is a shape-shifter that takes on the form of its intended victim's worst fear. It generally likes to hide in dark, enclosed places, such as in cupboards, under beds, or in hollow trees. Due to its tendency to hide in relatively small spaces, it is likely that a boggart's natural form is fairly small, about the size of a large rat. However, no concrete reference has yet been made regarding its true appearance or size, in any of the Harry Potter novels or movies.

The term is derived from the boggart of British folklore; these creatures are annoying household spirts, but do not traditionally have shapeshifting abilities.^[1]

[edit] Appearances in the novels

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Professor Lupin teaches his students in Defence Against the Dark Arts to approach a boggart in groups of two or more, so that the boggart will have difficulty in choosing which one to frighten and also so that if one target is frightened, the others will be less so since they will likely have different fears. A common wizards' defence against a boggart is to use a spell to make it appear amusing, since boggarts are weakened by laughter. This is achieved by pointing a wand at the boggart and saying "Riddikulus"; this charm can apparently also be used to destroy an already weakened boggart. Lupin later uses a boggart to teach Harry to fight Dementors, as they are Harry's greatest fear.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, a boggart was among the creatures in the maze during the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. Initially surprised at finding a Dementor (his boggart's form) in the maze, Harry quickly realised what it actually was and dispatched it.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a boggart is hidden in a drawer in Number 12 Grimmauld Place. When Mrs Weasley tries to get rid of the boggart, Harry sees the boggart imitating the dead bodies of the Weasley family and Harry himself. Mrs Weasley, who dreads that her family will be killed, breaks down in grief upon seeing this, and is unable to dispatch the boggart, which is killed by Professor Lupin. Alastor Moody observed the boggart with his magical eye whilst it was still in hiding; he confirmed that it was a boggart, but did not comment on whether he saw his worst fear or the true form of the boggart.

[edit] Characters and their boggarts

Harry Potter - (Prisoner of Azkaban) A Dementor – which Remus Lupin suggested indicates that the thing Harry fears the most is fear itself.
Ron Weasley - An Acromantula
Hermione Granger - Professor McGonagall telling her she had "failed everything" (fear of failing in general)
Neville Longbottom - Professor Snape
Remus Lupin - The full moon. Because his boggart turned into a full moon, it signified that he fears turning into a werewolf.
Molly Weasley - Those whom she cares about most dead (Arthur Weasley, Bill Weasley, Charlie Weasley, Percy Weasley, Fred and George Weasley, Ron Weasley, Ginny Weasley, Harry Potter)
Parvati Patil - A mummy/Giant snake on the movie
Seamus Finnigan - A banshee, suggesting he fears death.
Dean Thomas - A hand walking on its own
Lord Voldemort - His own corpse (according to an interview with J. K. Rowling), suggesting that Voldemort fears death and darkness, as Rowling implies in Half-Blood Prince.

JK Rowling has purposely kept secret what Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape would see as their boggarts, implying that this information can only be revealed in book 7 as it is too crucial to the plot.

The author J.K. Rowling has stated that her boggart would be either a coffin closing around her (fear of being buried alive) or seeing those whom she loves dead.