Title: Practice
Rating: T
Pairing(s)/Character(s): Hannah, Susan
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 537
Summary: Susan helps Hannah with her Patronus
Notes:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry: Major & Minor Arcana - Write a story about a Hufflepuff character displaying one of the following characteristics: Patience, Strong work-ethic, honesty

365 Days of Drabbles Challenge: Prompt Used - Power


Hannah felt despondent as she stared at the Black Lake. She knew she didn't have the power of Harry Potter, or even Susan, but she wished she was better at Defense than this. There was a war going on, and at this rate, she'd probably be one of the first ones dead.

Someone sat down next to her, and Hannah reluctantly turned her head. "Hi," Susan said, her normally bubbly personality diminished.

"Hey."

"Want to talk?" Susan encourage.

"I suck at Defense."

Susan rolled her eyes. "You do not suck. You just need to practice."

"I can't even do a Patronus."

"You're going by that? There are Aurors that can do a Patronus."

"Potter could do it when he was a third year," Hannah petulantly pointed out.

"Potter isn't normal. Come on. Let's go to the room."

On the way, they didn't come across Umbridge or any of her Slytherins thankfully and made it into the room undetected.

"Now," Susan started patiently. "Potter said you have to think of a happy memory, and use that to fuel your Patronus."

Hannah closed her eyes and thought about her last birthday. She held up her wand and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" Nothing more than wisp came out of her wand.

Susan frowned. "Maybe the memory isn't happy enough? Harry did mention that finding the right memory had been the hardest part for him. Try a different memory."

Hannah thought and thought. She blushed as an idea came to her. "Would the memory of my first kiss work?"

Susan laughed. "If it was happy. Some people don't have good first kisses."

Hannah shuffled her feet. "It was definitely good."

"Then try," Susan encouraged.

Hannah closed her eyes. She thought about the boy – his red robes and the smell of plants that always seemed to cling to him, his brown hair and brown eyes, his kind nature, his friendship and cuteness – and she thought about how the kiss had felt, so warm and safe, and then she held up her wand and shouted, "Expecto Patronum!"

What came out was more than a wisp. There was a vague shape but still not a full Patronus.

Even so, Susan happily clapped her hands. "That was better. Something's trying to form. The memory is the right one obviously. Now you need to add more power to get the shape."

"That's probably going to be the hard part. I'm not as magically powerful as you or many of the others."

Susan stepped closer and put her arms around Hannah. "You can't give up. It will happen. You just need to practice."

Hannah nodded. Susan was right. Hannah knew she could do it. It would just take a while. No matter what, Hannah would not give up.

With Hannah's work-ethic and determination to get it done, coupled with Susan's patience when it came to helping, along with Potter's teaching, it would happen. Already, she was closer to it than she had ever been, and that was just due to a little bit of practice. With more hours of working, who knew what Hannah could accomplish?

Before the year was over, she would be one of the lucky ones to have a full Patronus. That was a fact.