Forum: The Golden Snitch
Prompt of the Day: Bliss
WC: 505
Hermione stood in the Room of the Requirement with her fellow DA members. They were practicing the patronus charm, and the Gryffindor was having difficulty with it.
The Muggle-born knew she need to concentrate on one perfect memory full of bliss, but none of them seemed strong enough. And she'd gone through at least a dozen so far.
Initially, she'd started with her acceptance to Hogwarts. That had certainly been a blissful memory. Hermione had always known she was different from most other girls her age, and the acceptance letter offered proof that she wasn't weird, just special. It had given her hope of meeting other girls like her.
Then, she'd tried her memory of going to the Yule Ball with Viktor. That had been a blissful memory as well. She'd loved getting dressed up in her dress robes and doing her hair and makeup, causing everyone to talk about how beautiful she looked for once. She'd enjoyed dancing with Viktor (even if they'd chosen to remain just friends) and, if she were honest, making Ron jealous.
She'd even tried one of her earliest memories. That was the one of going to Disney World in America with her parents for her birthday when she was six. That was back when she still believed that all fairies were like Cinderella's fairy godmother and Tinkerbell.
But none of those memories, no matter how full of bliss they made her feel, were able to help Hermione conjure a corporeal patronus. She'd just about given up when she'd thought she'd try one more memory.
After concentrating for a few minutes, trying to find the right memory, it came to Hermione. Opening her eyes, she waved her wand and called out "Expecto Patronum!" To her amazement, an otter appeared from the end of her wand.
Hermione was so surprised that she lost her concentration. The spell broke and the otter immediately vanished. Still, she had done the spell. And now she knew what memory to use.
It was the memory of when Harry and Ron had first come to her rescue. It certainly wasn't the most obviously blissful memory, at first glance. After all, on that day Hermione had been crying in the girls' bathroom when she was attacked by a troll.
But for Hermione it was a memory of bliss. That was because it was the first time the witch felt as though she had friends at Hogwarts. And from that moment on, the three of the them had been inseparable.
Concentrating on the memory, Hermione called out "Expecto Patronum!" again. This time, when the otter appeared, she managed to keep it from disappearing for several minutes.
True, it would be much harder if Hermione ever had to face a dementor for real. Then, the creature would be trying to suck all the bliss out of her, which would make conjuring the patronus more difficult. But still, now that she had a blissful memory in her head, Hermione felt much more confident about her spell than she had before.