Riddikulus
By: Maria Reylan M. Garcia
The professor's velvet cape wandered aimlessly back and forth, brushing the dust off the wooden floor of his classroom. His wolf-like eyes traveled leaving a hint of terror to each student present. He moved briskly towards a large antique wardrobe, it shuddered as it felt his presence drawing near. The students trembled in reply, they were third years clad in black robes and at that moment were attending Defense Against the Dark Arts under Professor Remus Lupin. Professor Lupin withdrew his wand and positioned himself in front of the furniture. The knob twisted open and out came a fickle being which in a split second transformed into a silver full moon. This shape-shifter is known as a boggart, which takes the form of whatever a person fears most. Professor Lupin, being a werewolf, shivers in the very sight of a full moon. Arachnophobic Ronald Weasley got the boggart to change into a gigantic spider. Parvati Patil frizzed when the boggart wrapped itself in plasters imitating a mummy. The famous Harry Potter couldn't stop sweating when the boggart turned into a dementor in front of his round spectacles.
This is how multibillionaire author Joanne Kathleen Rowling defined fear. She not only proved herself more worth than the Queen of England, but also perfectly described fear's subjectivity. Fear is present in each of us; we all have our own reasons of hiding under our blankets. Each one of us will somehow reach the point of feeling nauseated or acquiring a strong urge to urinate right after being a few inches away from your most dreaded fear. Yet, Fear takes various forms; the concrete symbol of relentless panic, horrifying tremor and unmanageable anxiety is relative. What may weaken and wobble your knees might cause no sign of pallor to another.
Psychiatrists say, when a fear becomes intense and persistent, it becomes a phobia. Five to 10 people out of a hundred are diagnosed with phobias, among the most common are hydrohphobia (fear of water), ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) and claustrophobia (fear of closed spaces). But, the way I look at it, there is a much deeper fear than snakes, water or closed spaces in particular. I once had cynophobia; I feared dogs. Every time a panting four-legged furry creature would pass by my side, you'll see me perspiring heavily and looking for the nearest chair to stand on top. Never did I consider them as my best friends. But soon, I have come to realized that what I feared wasn't exactly those playful sniffing pros, as they were actually quite cute and adorable. What I feared was the possibility of getting bitten by their deceiving grinders or getting infected with rabies. It is then possible that some of us don't really fear what we fear. You're not afraid of the water, you're just afraid of getting drowned into its depths. You're not afraid of snakes, you're just afraid of getting bitten by its fangs and being poisoned by its venom. You're not afraid of closed spaces, you're just afraid of being squished flat and thus not being able to breathe.
Fear is certainly a mysterious feeling, a debatable fact, and irony in itself. I see fear as subjective and not as what it seems. Though it may appear as something we all dread about, though it may seem as something we all wish to never have existed; fear remains an integral ingredient to spice up and preserve the savor of life. When we have fear, it reminds us of the fact that we have something to protect, to shelter from harm, to defend. Fear makes us realize that we are human and we are not invisible. Fear lets us remember to have faith either to a religion or to certain people, whom our strength comes from. I would not be truly glad if fear ceased to frighten and scare. Somehow I still enjoy cuddling myself beside my parents at night when thunder strikes. In one way or another, I still love crouching under my warm blanket when darkness seems to gulp me whole. By some means, I still take delight in feeling helpless and soon finding out my faith is still in a good working condition.
Professor Lupin raised his wand and shouted, "Riddikulus", and in a split second the silver full moon deflated into a whooshing balloon. The room was filled with laughter; the professor couldn't help but let out a smile as well. Ron whispered Riddikulus, and the huge spider was equipped with silly looking roller skates. Parvati muttered the same spell and whisked the mummy into entangling itself rolling his head off. Harry didn't get it on the first try, but soon was able to produce an advance magic of a Patronus Charm.
Lupin and his class made the boggart look ridiculous to conquer its fright. They made fear hilarious, temporarily restraining its terror. I tried my own style of Riddikulus and as of now I have four cute looking dogs welcoming me home from school everyday.
What's your Boggart like?
Belated Happy Halloween.
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