My submission for alohamora080's 'True Colours' Competition. My color was orange, which symbolizes endurance, strength, and perseverance. Anyway, I hope you like this ! :)

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling is the queen.

'I can't do it!'

Harry Potter gave a weary sigh, as he clamped the box shut, and hurried around the table to put an arm around his fourteen-year-old godson's trembling shoulders.

'Teddy,' he said softly rubbing the younger boy's shoulders soothingly. 'You can do it. Come on, let's try again - '

'I am not going to try it again!' Teddy cried jerking away from his godfather. 'Besides, so what if I can't do a patronus?' Teddy demanded. 'It's not like I'll need it! You're the one that said that the Dementors don't even live in Azkaban anymore! I won't even need to use this spell - '

'Just because the dementors aren't in Azkaban anymore, doesn't mean they don't exist,' Harry said, eyeing Teddy gravely. 'In fact, Kingsley says they could be anywhere, now that they aren't at the prison.' Harry paused. 'Doesn't that make you wish you knew the spell, Ted?'

'I want to know it, but I just can't!' Teddy wailed, burying his head in Harry's shoulder. 'I can't! Every time - every time that . . . thing . . . gets too close to me, I feel awful - '

'It's only a boggart, Ted,' Harry shrugged, drumming his fingers on the large box. It shook violently.

'Yeah, but it looks like one of those things!' Teddy shuddered, glumly dropping his face to his palms. 'Come on, Harry. Just give up. I'm never going to be able to make a patronus.'

'Well, I'm not going to give up on you,' Harry said firmly, shaking his head. 'I know you can do it!'

Teddy was silent.

Harry scooted closer to the blue-haired boy, slinging an arm around his shoulders. 'Hey, Ted, you want to know a secret?'

Teddy raised his head slightly, peeking at Harry curiously from an aperture in his palm-based shield. 'Okay,' he said cautiously. 'What is it?'

'It was your dad who taught me how to conjure a patronus.'

Teddy froze. Then, very slowly, he drew himself to his full height, staring at Harry with an awed expression on his face. 'Really?' he breathed, eyes widening.

'Mmhmm.' Harry nodded. 'It was back in my third year - he was my Defense Against the Dark Arts professor - and well, he offered to teach me how to create one.' Harry paused briefly, his lips twitching upward at the amazed expression on his godson's face. The younger boy was hanging on to every single word. 'So, he gave me lessons. And, you know what? At first, I was terrible.'

'You were terrible?' Teddy inquired, incredulous.

'I was.' Harry laughed, smoothing Teddy's bright blue hair away from his heart-shaped face. 'But I kept trying, Teddy. And eventually, I got it. Your dad was very proud of me. He was glad that I kept trying . . . so . . .' Harry got to his feet, drawing his wand. 'So, I think you should keep persevering too. Don't you want your dad to be proud of you, Ted?'

'Yeah . . . yeah, of course,' Teddy said at once, climbing to his feet after Harry.

The box clicked open. Teddy drew his wand, beads of sweat already prickling his forehead. But this time, Teddy was prepared. The hooded creature barely got three feet out of the box before Teddy cried 'Expecto Patronum!' with every fiber of his being.

A wolf - large and silvery and magestic - erupted suddenly from the tip of Teddy's wand. It leaped upwards, charging at the boggart-dementor and shoving it back into the box. Slowly, it turned around to face Teddy, and Teddy could've sworn that the silver animal winked at him, before dissolving into the air.