Questions on Boggarts

[nineve_laguna]

No: HPFGUIDX 72903

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "michaelkgidlow" 
<Veritas771 at h...> wrote:
what is the extent of a Boggart's power. If a boggart takes on the 
form of something, then to some extent it must take on its powers. 
When Harry fights the boggart dementor, it causes him to relive his 
worst memories just like a real dementor. But suppose the boggart 
dementor tried to kiss Harry-would it suck his soul out? Or what if 
it took the form of Voldemort and tried to kill Harry with the Avada 
Kedavra curse-would it kill Harry? Any thoughts?
> Michael Gidlow
*******************
The Boggart is a shapeshifter. I looked up my copy of "Fantastic 
Beasts and WtFT" and it is not there, unfortunatelly.
But as my knowledge of shapeshifters go, they cannot change into the 
thing itself, therefore they do not possess the power of the creature 
they are impersonating. 
Take a famous fiction shapeshifter, the T1000 in Terminator 2. John 
O'Connor asks the T100 (Arnie) why the new terminator doesn't change 
into a bomb or something and explodes the whole city. Arnie tells him 
that he can only takes on the form of objects/people, and that the 
doesn't have the chemical composition for it.
In the other hand, in the magical world, someone could argue that it 
would be possible, however, as it has been demonstrated in canon, the 
Boggart works with FEAR, and he can only hurt by giving jelly-legs, 
unabling the victim to react. Harry doesn't feel the same effect as 
the dementors, but a wave of fear of the dementors themselves, 
created by his own mind. Once he can get past that, he is able to 
defend himself. He doesn't need to use the Patronus, he can use the 
Ridicullus charm.
I think the question we must raise here is: Ron's Boggart. A giant 
spider with sharp pincers. Could that injure someone, or is the 
Boggart/spider just a wisp of smoke, non solid?
Nineve