The first in what I hope will be a long series of Patronus-related ficlets. If there's a certain character you're interested in me writing about, let me know in your review. Thanks!
"Come on, Hermione," Harry urged. "I'm positive you can do this one, I can, and you're better at me with wands."
At least he was modest – sort of. But I was getting more frustrated by the second. It was just a simple spell, I mastered them daily, but here I was, embarrassing myself in front of the entire D.A.
"You're the best one here," Ron muttered from next to me, flicking his wand unnecessarily. "At least you've got something."
True, a couple of wisps of silver smoke were emanating from the tip of my wand, but that wasn't awfully reassuring. If dementors ever attacked me, a bit of steam wasn't really going to protect me. And, according to what Harry had been saying, it sounded as if dementors were on every street corner.
"Perhaps, but it's not a particularly useful something," I muttered, though Ron probably didn't hear over his yelled, "Expecto Patronum!" Nothing happened. Feeling no more encouraged, I attempted the spell again myself, imagining the Burrow again – "Expecto Patronum!" – with the same misty effect.
"At least there aren't any dementors right now," Ron said with a sigh.
"Maybe that's the problem?" I suggested. "Maybe if there actually were dementors, we'd be more motivated." I'd read somewhere that often spells didn't work right unless there was a real reason behind them.
"Like you need any motivation," Ron laughed. "Nah, it's just a tough spell. Harry even said so."
The fact that Harry could cast a Patronus, and I could not, wasn't particularly comforting.
"If you're having trouble, try narrowing your happy thought," Harry called from the front of the room. "Like, don't just think about a place, think about a specific day, or a specific person, or something. Anything that makes you laugh is a good choice. Don't give up, you guys are doing really well."
I listened to what he was saying carefully. A specific day – I had only been thinking about the Burrow, in general, the delicious smells and the big table where everyone always sat and exchanged stories. But there were no events or people in that. I thought harder – when had I been truly happy? I considered various test results, but they didn't mean much now, just numbers on a paper.
And then I remembered.
"Expecto Patronum!" I yelled, my wand extended – more silvery smoke emitted from the tip, swirling happily around me. This stuff could actually protect me against a dementor…
I felt Harry's eyes on me. Ron had dropped everything – literally – to watch me. I focused, felt my wand firmly in my hand, and directed every thought to one day.
"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"
A silver otter twisted its way out of my wand, first instantly alert, then swimming in circles around me as if the air was water. I couldn't help laughing – the silver creature made me feel so light, so happy, as if I were indestructible. The otter twisted around the room at full speed, gliding freely along the wall before fading and vanishing into formless smoke.
As soon as the otter was gone, the Room of Requirement erupted into cheers and clapping. "Fantastic!" yelled Harry from the front. I felt prouder than any test score – this moment was probably something I could use to conjure a Patronus in the future. I smiled at Ron, and he grinned back at me.
"What were you thinking about?" he asked.
I blushed. "Hogsmeade, actually, in our third year, remember that day? When Harry was invisible – I don't even remember why, now – and it was snowing, and it all just seemed so peaceful and magical. And I was with you." I glared at my feet – why had I just told him all that? But it was true – he made me happy.
"All right," called Harry, "we've got to leave now, there's a Ravenclaw Quidditch practice tonight. Don't be discouraged, guys, you're all doing well – I expect we'll all be able to get it next time."
As people started filtering out of the room, I gave Harry one last grin before reaching for Ron's hand.