Boggarts, Riddikulus and laughter

[alshainofthenorth]

No: HPFGUIDX 80868

Whatever became of the idea that the force that really destroys a
Boggart is laughter? To quote Lupin from "The Boggart in the Wardrobe"
(PoA): "...the thing that really finishes a Boggart is laughter... the
 word alone is not enough." The spell in itself is said to be the easy
part, what clinches the matter is the amusing shape.   

It took JKR half a chapter of PoA (and Snape in drag) to establish
this, but she hasn't really used it since. There's one Boggart in the
maze during the third task in GoF and Harry chases it off with a
Patronus, while Lupin finishes off the Boggart in the writing desk at
12 Grimmauld Place just with the spell.

The point that humour can make our greatest fears disappear was a good
one, and I'm a bit sad to see it just drain away like that.

Or is Remus actually forcing his greatest fear (the full moon) into
the shape of a crystal ball (harmless prop for fortune-telling)?

Alshain