Patronus Lessons
After Christmas had past, everything went back to normal again. Harry was asked to stay back after the first potions class of the semester. During this time Professor Snape thanked him for the present and asked him how he found it. Harry told him it was just lying around his vault, with a preservation spell, probably for ages. The Professor then asked him how long it took the boy to decipher it. Harry replied, saying it was nothing. The potions master dismissed the child, but Harry realized that he wasn't given any homework to do. In fact, he was subtly dismissed Harry from homework for a whole week.
"I cannot believe Professor Snape is playing favorites again! Not giving a student homework is just preposterous! It was bad enough we could always tell he favored Draco, but now he isn't giving you of all people homework. How are you ever going to learn?" Hermione ranted. This had been going on for about twenty minutes and, needless to say, Draco and Harry were getting tired of it.
"Why wouldn't my godfather favor me? Plus, I deserved it! I am talented in potions." Draco defended.
"Shut up, no teacher should ever favor their students. If it were right, then perhaps Professor Lupin should be giving points willy-nilly to Harry just because he breathes. Perhaps McGonagall should let Harry off from class early. I mean, he did defeat Lord Voldermort three times already. Professor Snape is not a just teacher!" Hermione continued.
"Hey! Professor Snape is a brilliantteacher!" Harry fortified.
"I never said he wasn't brilliant, I said he wasn't moral." Hermione clarified. Harry rolled his eyes.
"Anyway, I have to go meet Remus and pretend I have no clue how to produce a Patronus. See you." Harry responded. Dragon got up from where he was laying and started to follow his godson. "Where do you think you're going?" Harry stopped the dog from following him, "Uh uh, no, you are going to stay here. This is between Remus and me. You can stay here and chase Severys around the dorm again." Draco looked affronted.
"Hey!" he shouted, holding the snake wrapped around his arm close to his face, "I'm sure he doesn't mean it Sevy, just ignore the mean ol' Harry." Draco booped the snake on his nose.
"We have got to get him a girlfriend! 'Mione?" Harry mentioned slyly.
"What?" she asked. Harry rolled his eyes and told Dragon to stay one last time. He then walked down the corridors until he reached his destination, Remus' office. Harry knocked on the door before standing back and waiting to be let in. Remus suddenly came up behind him carrying a large packing case, wand being carried by his mouth, and motioning for Harry to open the door. He walked in and dropped the large case on the floor.
Remus then turned towards Harry. "Hello, are you ready?" Remus enquired.
"Yes, yes, I am." Harry replied, and then thought back to last time. Last time I had no idea what we were doing, better seem ignorant then. "What's that?" Harry motioned to the case.
"Another boggart," Remus answered. "I have been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real dementor. The boggart will, more likely than not, turn in to a dementor when he sees you, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him here when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like." Remus explained.
"Okay." Harry replied, thinking it was great his boggart was dementor since he was in no mood to fight a real dementor at the moment.
"So…" Remus started, taking his own wand from where he had set it on the table, indicating that Harry should take out his wand as well. "The spell I am going to try to teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry- well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."
"How does it work?" Harry asked, wanting to answer himself.
"Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus." Continued the lycanthrope, "Which is kind of an anti-dementor—a guardian that acts as a shield between you and a dementor. The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that dementors feed upon—hope, happiness, the desire to survive—but it cannot feel despair, as real human can, so dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards and witches have difficulty to produce a charm such as this." Remus finished.
"What does a Patronus look like?" Harry asked, feeling like he was mocking the man.
"It is unique for each individual."
"And how do you conjure it?"
"With an incantation, which will only work if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."
Harry thought for a moment. I wonder if I have a happier memory this time? I can still think about that picnic with my parents, but I don't want to form a full Patronus yet, in fact maybe I shouldn't even try with a wisp. So, Halloween second year it is then!
"Right," Harry replied.
"The incantation is—Expecto Patronum" Remus told him.
"Expecto Patronum," Harry repeated.
"Now concentrate hard on your happy memory," Remus then went and prepared to open up the trunk.
"Are you ready for a dementor?" Remus queried.
"Always." Harry muttered. The boggart came out in the form of a dementor, as expected. The black, death like creature was floating in the air as a ghost would. Harry paused for a moment and raised his wand to the beast, thinking about his friends and how amazing it was hearing stories about his parents.
"Expecto Patronum…. Expecto Patronum… EXPECTO PATRONUM!" he tried but nothing happened. Just as planned. He thought as he started to feel faint. Remus saw this and promptly stood in front of the boy. He saw the Boggart take shape of the full moon as Remus put it back in its 'cage.'
"Harry! Are you alright? I knew this was a bad idea. Don't feel guilty, it's an almost impossible spell for a fully grown wizard, let alone a thirteen-year-old one." Remus hurried over to check on the boy. "Here eat this, you'll feel better." He handed a piece of chocolate to Harry.
Harry graciously took the chocolate and started nibbling on it. He contemplated while eating. This would be the perfect time to get him to tell me he's a werewolf.
"Remus, why is your boggart a moon?" Remus tensed up. Think quickly, he may be James' son but that doesn't mean he'll buy just any lie. Remus sat still for a few more minutes before getting up and walking toward his desk.
"Well, the moon is in space. My friends always liked to joke about sending someone to space without a space suit and I think that terrified me as a child." Remus lied. Harry shook his head and sighed.
"That is probably the worst lie I have ever heard. But I guess I understand. It's your business not mine. I just hope one day you'll feel comfortable telling me the truth." Harry criticized. Remus looked down at his desk away from Harry.
"Thank you for not pushing further. And I am sorry, I just don't feel comfortable with you knowing everything about me, at least not yet Prongslet. I understand if you wish to be done for the night." Remus assumed.
"No! I wanna be able to demolish a dementor if I ever come across one. I'm not giving up just because you're keeping something from me. I mean if I gave up on something every time someone lied to me, I'd be a bum, living on the streets, never being able to practice magic cause I didn't know how." Harry contradicted.
"So, you still want to work with me?" Remus asked uncertainly.
"Heck yeah! Did you not just hear what I said?" Harry enquired.
Remus laughed, "Yes I did but I didn't hear much after 'I wanna be able to demolish a dementor if I ever come across one' because I am almost positive those are the exact words your father said when he decided to learn how to conjure a Patronus. Without the unnecessary expletives, of course." Remus recalled "You do realize there isn't necessarily a way to 'demolish' dementors, right? The best you can do is defend yourself from them." He added.
"Yeah, well, if I can defeat Voldemort at the bright age of one year's old, then I think my Patronus can demolish a dementor." Harry jested. Remus smiled.
"Anyway, what memory were you thinking of, by chance. Maybe it wasn't strong enough." Remus inquired.
"The first time I rode a broom." Harry lied.
"My goodness, that's not strong enough. Not nearly strong enough. Is there any other happy memory you have that might be stronger? Think about the memory that not only is happy, but makes you feel your happiest, and lightest. For example, I normally use the memory of your dad and our friends finally excepting me as their friend. I grew up with no friends at all; that's why it made me so happy. I always ended up having to leave them, or they would leave me. Try something like that."
"Alright," Harry responded, "I can do that." Harry thought of a happier moment, with Draco and Hermione laughing their heads off. Remus then let the Boggart out again. This time when Harry said Expecto Patronum a white wisp came out he end of his wand. Just as I intended he thought.
"Brilliant Harry! Just Brilliant! I knew you could do it!" Remus congratulated.
"Thanks." Harry said.
"Well, it's getting late and you have had a long, tiring night. Here, take some chocolate and get off to bed. Goodnight." Remus replied as he ushered harry out the door with a bar of chocolate.
"Goodnight, Remus." Harr bid as the door closed to Remus' office.