Boggart

# Boggart (Harry Potter)

A **Boggart** was an amortal shape-shifting ***non-being*** that took on the form of its observer's worst fear. Because of their shape-shifting ability, no one knew what a Boggart looked like when it was alone, as it changed shape instantly upon encountering someone.Template:Creature
When facing a Boggart, it was best to have someone else along, to try to confuse it, since facing more than one person at once made it indecisive towards determining what form it should take, usually resulting in a not frightening combination of the victims' fears.
Boggarts would, at least before the ***Battle of Hogwarts***, very commonly appear as Lord Voldemort, since he represented the worst fear of many wizards and witches.

## Description

### Physical appearance

Nobody knew what a Boggart looked like if nobody was there to see it, although it continued to exist, usually giving evidence of its presence by rattling, shaking or scratching the object in which it is hiding. Boggarts particularly liked confined spaces, but may also have been found lurking in woods and around shadowy corners.

### Hiding places

Boggarts were particularly fond of inhabiting dark, confined spaces, such as in wardrobes, the gap beneath beds, and the cupboards under sinks and desks. On at least one occasion, a boggart was found hiding in a grandfather clock. They also liked shadowy corners.

## Known encounters

### Unspecified

Although the precise details of this encounter are unknown, Lupin mentioned during his first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson in 1993 that he had once had an encounter with a Boggart in the company of at least two other people where the Boggart, attempting to frighten two people at once, turned itself into half a slug (One person was afraid of a ***Flesh-Eating Slug*** and the other was afraid of headless corpses).

## Known Boggart forms

> P-P-Professor McGonagall! Sh-she said I'd failed everything!
>
> Hermione Granger after having encountered her Boggart, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

The following individuals all had Voldemort as their Boggart form, and after performing the ***Boggart-Banishing Spell***, Lord Voldemort would turn into a baby and suck on a dummy:

* ***Alicia Spinnet***
* ***Amos Diggory***
* ***Angelina Johnson***
* Arthur Weasley
* ***Aurora Sinistra***
* ***Bartemius Crouch Junior***
* ***Bartemius Crouch Senior***
* ***Cedric Diggory***
* ***Cho Chang***
* Colin Creevey
* Cornelius Fudge
* Dobby
* ***Donaghan Tremlett***
* ***Doris Crockford***
* Draco Malfoy
* ***Dragon keeper***
* ***Ernest Prang***
* Filius Flitwick
* ***Fleur Delacour***
* Fred Weasley
* ***Gabrielle Delacour***
* George Weasley
* Gilderoy Lockhart
* Ginevra Weasley
* ***Gregory Goyle***
* ***Griphook***
* ***Hannah Abbott***
* ***Igor Karkaroff***
* ***Irma Pince***
* Justin Finch-Fletchley
* ***Katie Bell***
* Lee Jordan
* Lucius Malfoy
* ***Madam*** ***Malkin***
* ***Madam*** ***Rosmerta***
* ***Marcus Flint***
* ***Millicent Bulstrode***
* Minerva McGonagall
* ***Myron Wagtail***
* Garrick Ollivander
* ***Oliver Wood***
* ***Orsino Thruston***
* ***Penelope Clearwater***
* Percy Weasley
* Peter Pettigrew
* ***Pomona Sprout***
* Quirinus Quirrell
* ***Rita Skeeter***
* ***Rolanda Hooch***
* Rubeus Hagrid
* ***Septima Vector***
* Severus Snape
* Sirius Black
* ***Shifty wizard***
* ***Stanley Shunpike***
* Susan Bones
* ***Sybill Trelawney***
* ***Tom***
* Trolley witch
* ***Viktor Krum***
* ***Vincent Crabbe***
* ***Walden Macnair***

## Etymology

In Celtic mythology, a Template:Wplink (or bogart, bogan, bogle or boggle) is a household spirit, sometimes mischievous, sometimes helpful.

## Behind the scenes

 File:Boggart Snape (old edition).jpg
 File:Boggart Snape (new 2018 edition).jpg
 File:Boggart POP.jpg
* Lupin's Boggart, the full moon, indicated his dread of his transformations into a werewolf. However, the Boggart failed to frighten him because it is not the moon itself he feared, but its effect on him.
* In mythology, the Boggart actually lives in marshes or fields and has a short, grotesque, hairy appearance.
	+ The Boggarts in Harry Potter are more similar to the Bogeyman, being found in closets, under furniture, and cupboards and able to transform into one's worst fear.
* "Boggart" is the favourite word/line from the series of Actor ***David Thewlis*** (Remus Lupin).
* It is unknown if Boggarts can change into intangible fears like darkness, certain sounds or mental/physical illnesses. It is also unknown how they adapt to people who are only afraid of interacting with non-sentient concepts like drowning, loneliness or claustrophobia. Unless the Boggart is somehow able to engulf a person with these or similar fears it is likely they are powerless against them and might even be exposed in their actual form to these people.
	+ It is possible that the Boggart knows ways to symbolise these fears; for example, in the case of a person with Hydrophobia, showing the viewer their drowned corpse. This is supported in canon by Lord Voldemort (who feared death) seeing his own corpse, Remus Lupin (who feared his werewolf transformation) seeing the full moon, and Hermione (who feared failure) seeing Professor McGonagall telling her that she failed all of her exams. Mrs Weasley feared her loved ones dying, so the Boggart showed her loved one's corpses in succession, which supports this theory even further.
* It could be possible that if someone who has no fear attempts to engage a Boggart, it will not be able to decide what to turn into and will be forced to show its true form.
* In Template:POA, ***Remus Lupin*** mentions that no one knows what a Boggart looks like when it is alone. ***Alastor Moody***, in Template:OOTP, is able to determine through his "mad" eye that a creature hiding in ***12 Grimmauld Place*** is definitely a Boggart. It is assumed that Moody knew what a Boggart looked like in its true form as the Boggart had not seen him and shape-shifted.
* In Template:POA, ***Remus Lupin*** gives Harry ***private lessons*** on how to defeat Dementors, using a Boggart as a replacement. However, when Harry faced the Boggart the first and second time, when he failed to beat it, the Boggart/Dementor had managed to make Harry hear his mother's screams. This may imply that Boggarts can gain some abilities of the thing it morphs into. It also gained its weakness as it was easily defeated by Harry's Patronus.
* ***J. K. Rowling*** has stated that her Boggart would be the same as Molly Weasley's: her loved ones dead or alternatively herself buried alive. In an earlier interview, however, before the publication of Template:OOTP, she suggested Aragog as a possible Boggart for her, as she hates spiders.
* The Boggart may have been inspired by the "Clutterbumph" from ***Manxmouse***, of which ***Harry Potter series*** author J.K. Rowling is a known fan. The Clutterbumph is described as follows: "...something that is not there until one imagines it. And as it is always someone different who will be doing the imagining, no two Clutterbumphs are ever exactly alike. Whatever it is that frightens one the most and that is just about the worst thing one can think of, that is what a Clutterbumph looks like."
* The Boggart also bears a resemblance to the Template:W, a monster in Hispanic and Latino folklore. Like the Cucuy, the Boggart lives in dark areas such as beneath beds and inside closets, and has the ability to change its shape at will.
* Boggarts have been compared to the Template:W from the Template:W horror novel *Template:W*, an ancient evil entity that took on the appearance of its targets' worst fears, most commonly appearing as "Pennywise the Dancing Clown".
* In the film and video game adaptations of the series, changes were made to the following individual's Boggart form and Boggart-Banishing Spell outcome:

 Tom Riddle | Omitted

## Appearances

Template:Imagecat

* Template:POA Template:1st
* Template:GOF Template:Deleted-Scenes Template:Mention
* Template:OOTP Template:C
* Template:DH Template:Possible
* Template:DH Template:Possible
* Template:COG Template:Flashback
* Template:COG Template:Flashback
* Template:PM
* Template:WW
* Template:HPV
* Template:HPV
* Template:HM
* Template:WU
* Template:PAS
* Template:MA
* Template:HL

## Notes and references

Template:Reflist
Template:Regular Defence Against on-the Rare Dark Arts

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Template:POA
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Template:WW
3. ↑ J.K. Rowling Web Chat Transcript
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Template:POA
5. ↑ Template:GOF
6. ↑ Template:POA
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Template:LEGO
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Template:OOTP
9. ↑ "About the Books: transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com," Scholastic.com, 16 October 2000 at Accio Quote!
10. ↑ YouTube video
11. ↑ Harry Potter: Meet J. K. Rowling - October 16, 2000 interview
12. ↑ Accio Quote - The story behind the Potter legend
13. ↑ 25 Years of Pennywise the Clown