Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns all of the characters and the world of Harry Potter, and the only thing I'm earning from this is my own entertainment.
Patronus - A new defence for the Hogwarts student
"Why are we learning the bloody Patronus Charm anyway?" Sirius groaned, collapsing into his chair. "It's not even supposed to be on the Charms curriculum."
"Which may be why we're learning it in Defense Against the Dark Arts," Remus, who was re-reading a section of the book with a frown on his face, remarked distractedly. "Which should give you enough reason as to why."
Peter winced. "You mean… You-Know-Who?
"Merlin, not you using that stupid nickname as well, it's just his name!" James said exasperatedly, slamming his wand down with a sigh.
"Actually, I doubt that it is; what mother would name their son something like Voldemort?" Sirius snorted, leaning back in his chair.
There was an abrupt silence as the entire class turned and blinked at Sirius with expressions ranging from unease to abject horror. Cowards, the lot of them, Sirius thought disgustedly. Professor Fenwick cleared his throat.
"I believe we're working on Patronus Charms, boys?" he said dryly, waving at the others to get back to their work.
"Right," muttered Sirius gloomily as the chatter resumed. From around the room, shouts of 'expecto patronum' rang out, with the occasional white wisp or haze that he'd gotten so sick of casting.
"You're just not used to failure," James said in a sing-song voice. He'd managed to produce a big hazy shape a few moments before.
"No, you're just not concentrating enough."
Professor Fenwick had made his way through the haphazard mess of desks and was standing before them with his arms crossed.
"Come on, Mr Black. Happy thoughts. Concentrate."
Sirius closed his eyes for a second. Happy. With the Marauders, he had plenty of happy memories; planning and executing their absolutely brilliant pranks or just fooling around. Happy. Suddenly, he thought back to the holidays they'd just passed, and the terrible screaming match he'd had with dear old mother, Regulus looking on for once with uncertainty at the hate they hurled at each other.
"Sirius?"
James opened the door and blinked at him for a moment, taking in his best friend's burning expression and the trunk at his side. Then he grinned, the brief hesitation gone as if it'd never been there, and ushered Sirius in.
"Take the bedroom next to mine and hurry up; Mum's hollering for dinner already."
As Sirius stood there, wordless, Mrs Potter herself came in, wiping her hands on a tea towel.
"Sirius!" she beamed, coming over and embracing him. Though he'd never brought any luggage with him before, she seemed unperturbed by its implications. With a flick of her wand, his trunk flew up the stairs and into a bedroom. "Oh, it'll be good to have two boys around the house again."
Sirius felt his mouth twitch into a smile and he opened his eyes, glimpsing his friends and Professor Fenwick looking at him expectantly before he pointed his wand and yelled, "Expecto patronum!"
Out from his wand burst a big, silver dog, shockingly familiar. It bounded off the desks before dissipating as it snapped at a couple of shocked Slytherins.
"Excellent!" Professor Fenwick cried, his huge smile making him look years younger. Some of the students joined in his applause, and Sirius grinned when a few of the girls cheered loudly. After he awarded fifty points to Gryffindor and clapped Sirius on the shoulder, Fenwick moved away and began accentuating to the class that that was exactly what they were going for.
James laughed. "Padfoot indeed, huh?"
Remus pushed the heavy volume he was reading towards them, and jabbed a finger at a passage.
"It says it all here," he said in a lowered voice. "If the caster of the spell is an Animagus, their Patronus will most likely reflect their animal form."
"So that was Prongs in the making there?" James asked, referring to the indistinct shape he had managed to cast.
"Probably," Remus shrugged.
"So," Peter inquired, "does that mean your Patronus would be a wolf or something?"
"Actually," Remus said glumly, "it also says that you have to be pure to conjure a Patronus, so with my furry little problem, I doubt I'll ever be able to cast a corporeal one."
"Oh," Peter said quietly.
"Well, that makes me the purest of you lot," Sirius said, eager to disperse the dangerously subdued atmosphere. "For black is my name but pure is my soul."
"Oh, lovely, real poetic," James said, clapping sarcastically.
Hope you liked it!
This originally started out as a part of my other fic, Seven Sorrys, but it kept on growing more complicated to confine it to the plot, so I cut it out.
The information about being pure was found on the HP Wiki page for the Patronus Charm, which also said that, besides Severus Snape, Death Eaters could not conjure a Patronus because they were impure and worked with the Dementors anyway, but Umbridge could because she was pure in her evil... Interesting stuff, eh? It didn't say that Remus could not conjure a corporeal Patronus because he was a werewolf; I just thought that if you had to be pure, maybe that was why he couldn't cast a corporeal Patronus against the Dementors on the train. Either that or they affected him too much, but I find that less likely.
It'd be awesome if you could leave a review, or any thoughts you have about Patronuses :)