The very first thing we see in the brand new Fantastic Beasts trailer is Dumbledore teaching Newt Scamander the very same lesson, dealing with a Boggart and the Riddikulus charm, that Remus Lupin teaches Harry Potter decades later.
While at first glance this appears to simply be a nod to the original Harry Potter series, I believe it represents a much deeper story that connects mentors and students across generations.
Namely, I believe Newt Scamander was the mentor who taught this lesson to a young Remus Lupin.
First, let's point out a few dates:
Newt Scamander attended Hogwarts between 1908 & 1913.
Albus Dumbledore became Hogwarts Headmaster sometime between 1965 & 1971
Remus Lupin attended Hogwarts between 1971 & 1978
Newt Scamander created the Werewolf Registrar in 1947
Albus Dumbledore visited & made special arrangements (Pottermore link) for Remus Lupin to attend Hogwarts shortly before 1971
Before I explain my thoughts I do want to point out that both Albus Dumbledore himself, and Remus' parents are equally plausible options who could have taught Remus the Riddikulus Charm and the overarching lesson about overcoming your fears. I simply favor the idea of Newt Scamander being this mentor for one primary reason - Newt has never met a "monster" he couldn't love.
This is what I think happened:
Circa 1912 Newt receives the famed Riddikulus lesson from Albus Dumbledore himself where the Boggart transforms into a office desk - and where he (hopefully) turns that fear into a Niffler - Newt internalizes this lesson and carries it with him for the rest of his life - even keeping a Niffler as one of his most favored pets hehe.
Over the years Newt Scamander made caring for magical creatures, and dejected souls, his life's work, eventually going on to create a registrar for Werewolves as a sub-department of the Ministry of Magic.
Later into his adult life Headmaster Albus Dumbledore sends Newt an owl asking him to help a young boy in desperate need of a mentor, a boy who would be rejected by most other Witches and Wizards because he is a so called "monster", a Werewolf.
Very few people knew about this boy's situation so naturally it was to remain a closely guarded secret, but Albus Dumbledore had decided to make special arrangements for this boy's education and transformations. But the Headmaster was also wise enough to know that he would need to make special arrangements for the boy's mind and emotional well-being. Who better to help this young boy adjust than Newt Scamander, a man who has himself always felt like an outsider and who is blessed with no prejudices and a deeply rooted compassion?
I imagine that Dumbledore would have prescribed at least one meeting between Newt Scamander and the boy, Remus Lupin, prior to the start of Remus' first term at Hogwarts. J.K. Rowling describes Remus as "a very lonely boy" who "was not allowed to play with other children" but was also "the underdog's friend", displaying considerable kindness. These are all qualities that would have impressed the like-hearted Newt Scamander.
Likely during their first meeting, Newt learned the story of how Remus' parents met - brought together by a Boggart and a Riddikulus Charm - this story would have easily reminded Newt of the lesson he had latched on to as a youth under Albus Dumbledore's instruction. Seeing the loving relationship Remus' parents had and how fondly the Boggart was remembered in the home, Newt decided use this already beloved creature to teach Remus to overcome his own fear and love himself.
Thus began the lesson that would give Remus the emotional strength to overcome some of his own fears, using the love of his family as well as the wise friendships of Albus Dumbledore and Newt Scamander to embrace his "quiet sense of humor" as a way of calming his own fears.
Now, since Remus' father Lyall was a specialist in Boggarts, I imagine that he would have helped during this lesson and would have taught his son about Boggarts themselves throughout the boy's childhood. However, I believe Newt was in a much better position to affect Remus' future with the Riddikulus lesson than anyone else.
When I look at the Albus/Newt Riddikulus scene and compare it to the Lupin/Neville Riddikulus scene I noticed that Professor Lupin mirrors much Dumbledore's mannerisms towards Newt in his own interactions with Neville Longbottom. Both professors stepped behind their student, psychologically coaxing a feeling of control and leadership out of them; and both professors spoke gently and encouragingly to their respective students specifically discussing the nature of the child's fear. While Lupin clearly seems to have added his own excellent personal flare to the lesson, I cannot but help to see Dumbledore's influence and Newt's characteristic gentle attentiveness showing through one of Remus Lupins' most famous moments as a professor at Hogwarts.
Personally, this version of events presents a beautiful poetry touching a person's legacy - that it is not necessarily how a person dies, or what great feats of courage are displayed on a battle field or what schemes are concocted in the shadows which leaves the most lasting impression on future generations. Instead, it is what we teach our children that is the most important legacies we can leave behind, especially when we teach with our whole hearts and our whole attention to their uniquely individual needs. When we catch a child's attention and show that we genuinely care about their futures, they will remember it and will in their turn pass it on. From Dumbledore to Scamander to Lupin to Longbottom and Potter to the Us in the Audience, the legacy of learning to love yourself and overcoming your fears is passed down.
P.S.
Total side-note here, but who else thinks Newt Scamander will turn his Boggart into a Niffler?!
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