"Shove over, I'm starving,"
My best friend, Audrey Parker, looked up at me disapprovingly as I sat down besides her for breakfast.
"What?" I asked with pretend innocence.
"What took so you long?" she asked, rolling her dark brown eyes, "Do you realize we have only 10 minutes left before our first Defense against the Dark Arts class of the year starts and that we need about five minutes just to get there?"
"Uh, right, so I guess now would be a good time to speed-eat?" I said jokingly.
"Probably," Audrey said, smirking, "And from everything we've heard about this new Professor, I think we might need the energy."
"Oh yeh, he's the one whose third year kid had Snape for the boggart, isn't he?" I asked, grinning, "Well, this should make for an interesting class."
"And a hard one – if he puts his third years up against a boggart in their first class, what do you think he will do to a pack of seventh year NEWTS students?"
"Fair point," I said as I hurriedly chewed my way through breakfast. It really did not sound like the kind of class I would want to sit through on an empty stomach. My eyes wondered across the teachers table and spotted the new DADA professor chatting with Professor Flitwick. I had not really given him much thought before now. He didn't seem too old; he certainly couldn't be any older than Snape, though it was hard to tell from this distance.
"What was his name, again?" I asked, as the professor excused himself and left the hall, "Lu-something or the other?"
"Lupin," replied Audrey promptly, "Come on, Fay, let's go! He's left for class already."
"Someones eager," I commented, raising an eyebrow as she stood up hurried from her seat. She was playing with her shoulder length light brown hair, an act I have long learned to associate with excitement.
Audrey shrugged, "Well it's been a while since we've had a decent DADA teacher, hasn't it? What with that Lockhart disaster" – we both shivered at the mention of the name – "and that stuttering fool before him, don't you fancy a real DADA class for a change?"
"Point taken," I said, nodding in agreement, "But just give me thirty seconds to finish of my breakfast."
Audrey rolled her eyes in reply, but waited anyway.
"You still haven't said why you were so late for breakfast."
"Prefect duties," I muttered as I hurriedly devoured the last of my cereal, "Kept me up really late, slept in a bit this morning."
"Mmm, no wonder," said Audrey sympathetically, "I always said you were nuts for taking on prefect duties in seventh year. Way too much work."
It was my turn to role my eyes now, "For you, maybe, but not for the rest of us who don't feel compelled to have our nose in a book every free second of the day."
Audrey pretended to look hurt, but laughed anyway. It was true, we both knew it. The only other Gryffindors who studied more than Audrey were Percy Weasley and that third year girl, Hermione Granger. She is very intelligent too, and I suppose I am as well; I care about marks, but the main problem is that I can't be bothered actually studying hard. It is a shame, really, I used to be able to study five hours straight with only a few bathroom or snack breaks to interrupt, but now it seems an hour, maybe two hours at most is the most I can manage before needing an hour long break.
"Done?" she asked.
"Yep," I said, grabbing my bag as I got out of my seat, "Well, let's go see what horrors this Lupin fellow has in store for us, shall we?"
As we made our way out of the hall, I could not help but smile in anticipation of the class, something I have not done since starting new subjects in third year. Audrey was right; it had been a while since our last decent DADA class, which was a big problem, if truth be told, considering we are taking our NEWTS this year and are seriously under prepared.
Most students were already seated by the time we arrived, but the Professor was nowhere to be seen. Percy Weasley was seated in the front row, looking (or at least trying to look) very impressive, his chest puffed out so that no one could miss his Head Boy badge. His girlfriend Penelope Clearwater was seated besides him. It was only upon seeing her that I realised that we would be taking DADA with the Ravenclaws.
Experience had taught me never to sit near the pompous Percy, so I made my way to the back of the classroom, only to find Audrey grabbing my hand rather roughly and dragging me into the middle row.
"What?" I hissed, rubbing my arm where she had grabbed it.
Audrey did not reply, but indicated her head shiftily to something behind her. Taking the hint to be discreet, I took out a mirror, and while pretending to fix my hair, had a peak over my shoulder, and realised it was not something, but someone, that had caused Audrey to violently shove me in to the middle row, and not the last.
"Ah," I said in a knowing whisper, "Oliver. Say no more."
As much as experience had taught me to steer clear of Percy, experience has also been kind enough to inform Audrey that sitting next to Oliver in class was a one way ticket to distractionville. Audrey had a hopeless crush on Oliver, who, unfortunately, was not interested in anything that did not come with a broomstick attached to it. I could never really figure out what Audrey saw in him – they were just so opposite. Audrey was a bookworm, and the only thing Oliver was ever caught reading was Quidditch magazines, and even then, they were mostly pictures. But I guess that's what being a teenager is all about – having embarrassing crushes that you get over sooner or later and your best friends conveniently bring up sometime or another when they want to make you blush. Mmm, yes, I will definitely be making a mental note of this little crush for, ah, future 'reference'.
Audrey and I sat down next to a couple of friendly Ravenclaw girls, and just as we were finished taking out of books and wands, the professor entered the classroom, closing the door softly behind him.
"Good morning," he said pleasantly, smiling at the class, as he made his way to his desk. I watched him curiously. Up close, it was clear he couldn't be older than Snape, however he had a few grey hairs amongst a full head of light-brown that looked like they did not really belong there. His robes were in a rather poor state; he did not seem to be well off. His face was prematurely lined, though the twinkle of his light brown eyes clearly hinted that he was young.
He set down his briefcase on the desk and turned to face them.
"I am Professor Lupin, as I'm sure many of you will already know. Now, obviously, I will be taking you for your NEWTS in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and as far as the records show, you seem to be very poorly prepared for the subject," he said. With a slight frown, he continued, "Unfortunately, there aren't any detailed records of what work you covered last year, and given the state of the professor, I was not able to find much information. Most of the information I gathered was based on the examination the previous professor had set, and I'm sorry to say that the, ah, standard, shall we say, of the exam was far below that typical of sixth year, and even then, the course work appeared to be largely irrelevant."
I exchanged a smirk with Audrey, who had rolled her eyes. We all knew that 'largely irrelevant' was a major understatement.
"So," Professor Lupin continued, looking thoughtful, "I was wondering if someone could briefly go over what they had covered last year? Yes, Mr Weasely, is it?"
Percys hand had shoot up in to the air so fast that it was a miracle he hadn't dislocated his shoulder. He looked immensely pleased with himself when Professor Lupin had called on him – as though he had just been asked to take over the class himself.
"Thank you, Professor," he said; sitting up, if possible, straighter than he was before, "I regret that as a class, we learned very little useful information last year. Our classes were spent reading passages from the books the professor had authored himself, supposedly about himself, and his exploits in ridding villages of werewolves, or dealing with vampires. Perhaps in some cases, some insight was shed, most inadvertently, about some relevant information, such as the fact that a person becomes a werewolf by acquiring a bite, or that vampires dislike daylight, however it is mostly information I would expect a first year student to know."
His short speech was following by many nods from the rest of the class. Some, like me, were wearing dark looks at the reminder of the pathetic excuse of a teacher.
"Hmm," the professor cast a quick look over the murderous stares of the class, his lip twitching slightly in a way that suggested he wanted to smile but thought better of it, "Right then. It seems we will have much work to catch up on this year if you are to stand a decent chance at your NEWTs. It will, unfortunately, mean extra homework, and it is possible we might need to schedule extra classes, however we will see how it goes."
Great, just what we need – extra classes in our NEWTs year. I really wish Lockhart were here, I would just love to hexed the hell out of him. Maybe Audrey was right about the whole prefect thing, what with all the homework, revision, study, extra classes and prefect duties, I wonder if I will even had time to breath this year?
"Well, then, today, we will be learning how to conjure a Patronus. Can any one tell me what a patronus is?"
A few hands went up, including Audreys. I was relieved to see that most people did not seem to have a clue, because I certainly didn't. I suppose that was one of the down-side of being muggle born like myself.
"Yes, Audrey?" Professor Lupin said, smiling kindly.
Audrey smiled back nervously and said, "A patronus is a kind of positive force, I suppose, used mainly for protection against dementors."
"Excellent. Five points for Gryffindor."
Audrey beamed. I smiled, privately thinking that her explanation made no sense at all. However Professor Lupin spent the next five minutes explaining what a patronus is and does, and it became a little clearer.
"Right, so now we reach the interesting part of the lesson, conjuring a patronus," he said. He looked thoughtful as he continued, "A patronus is conjured in a rather unique way, saying the incantation alone will not help, rather it must be accompanied by a single, happy memory."
He took out his wand, paused for a moment, and then said, "Expectopatronum."
I gasped, as did most of the class, as a silvery something exploded soundlessly from the end of his wand. It shone very brightly, lighting up the room much more effectively than the torches did. It quickly took form, and I realised it was a wolf. It glimmered brightly as it walked around the Professor, circling him protective. There was something oddly beautiful about it.
"There you have it," said Professor Lupin, looking amused at the astonished expressions on his students faces, "That patronus. Now, if you will all stand up please, we will practise as a class."
The class stood, and with a flick of his wand, Professor Lupin moved the tables and chairs to the side of the class room. The class stood in large circle, all watching Professor Lupin eagerly, ready to try to produce a patronus themselves.
"Right, I'll just give everyone a moment to think of a happy moment, and then you will say with me, the incantation, expectopatronum."
There was silence for a moment as everyone thought. I thought carefully, thinking of a happy memory. The moment I found out I was a witch, that was certainly happy.
"Okay, everyone ready?" Professor Lupin asked, "Focusing on your memory? Right, on the count of three-"
I gripped my wand tightly, and focused on my memory.
"One… two… three!"
"Expecto patronum!" the class cried as one.
Nothing happened. There were a few nervous laughs, as the class looked up curiously at Professor Lupin. He looked amused, thought not surprised.
"I wasn't expecting anyone to get it on their first shot," he said, "In fact, I would have been astounded if anyone did. Thought perhaps by the end of the class… maybe. Surprise me."
They tried again a number of times, and still nothing happened. The atmosphere in the room was intense, it was a challenge, one we hadn't had from a DADA class in a long time, and we were all game. Indeed, Percy was focusing so hard on his memory that he looked almost constipated. It was not until the fourth attempt, that something silvery shock across the room, and to my delight, it had issued from my wand.
I gasped when I saw it, more from shock than anything else. It did not have a form, it was just a wisp of silvery gas, but at least it was something. Percy was looking extremely jealous.
I looked up at Professor Lupin, grinning happily, and he was smiling encouragingly back at me.
"Well done, Faylinn," he said, "That is a very good start. With some more practise it should take a form."
As he said that, I felt a slight twinge in my stomach that had little to do with the sense of achievement. That was unusual, I thought, but shrugged it off, ready to practise my patronus again. Half an hour later, everyone had managed to produce something, some more solid than others, though none had a definite form.
I decided that my memory must not be happy enough, and after a moments thought, settled on last years special feast, when Potter and Weasely had found the Chamber of Secrets and it had been announced that Lockhart was leaving. Smiling cheekily, I thought to myself, if that wasn't happy, I don't know what is.
Focusing hard on my memory, I said, "Expectopatronum!"
Something silvery white escaped from my wand again, but this time, it was not cloudy, it was solid, very solid. As it landed on the floor, I realised it was a swan. I watched it, transfixed, hardly noticing that the rest of the class had stopped to watch, as the swan practically glided towards me; its elegance and grace was captivating. I reached out to touch it; it felt amazing, like solidified liquid light, if that made any sense at all.
"Excellent! Well done, Faylinn, very impressive!" beamed Professor Lupin, as he came forward to pet my swan. His fingered gently stroked its elegant neck. The light of the patronus illuminated his features, making him look youthful. The silvery light flickered across his eyes and they glistened gently. They looked quite nice; there was something almost bewitching about them. I watched him keenly, wondering why I hadn't noticed that before.
"Twenty points for Gryffindor, I really wasn't expecting someone to produce a proper Patronus so soon," he said, as the patronus faded away.
The sound of his voice startled me back into reality, and I quickly realised that though the rest of the class had returned to trying to conjure a patronus, Professor Lupin was looking at me with a curious expression. At first, I was unsure why, and then it hit me. Oh dear. I was staring at his eyes. Dreamily. I was staring dreamily at a teachers eyes. A teacher. What was I thinking? It must have been the patronus… positive force, isn't that what he called it? Yes, that must have been it… I hope he didn't notice. Oh bloody hell… how embarrassing.
I smiled at him nervously and stuttered a thanks; he returned the smile and then moved on to help other students. It was the patronus, the patronus made you feel that way. But a tiny voice at the back of my head insisted on pointing out that a patronus is not meant to have that effect. Shut up voice, I thought to myself, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.
By the end of the class, I had successfully managed to produce a full patronus a number of times. Audrey and Percy both succussed shortly after my own success, as did a number of other students. Audrey's patronus was a fluffy little rabbit.
"Aww, that's so cute," I said, as I petted it, "But I don't see how this is going to protect you from them dementors, fluffy little thing, what is it going to do, wiggle its nose at them?" I added cheekily.
"Oh, and I suppose your swan just screams horror, doesn't it?" Audrey challenged as she bit back laughter.
"Ah, the swan had style, you can't deny that," I retorted. Before Audrey could reply, she was cut off by Professor Lupin.
"Excellent work everyone. For homework, please read the chapter on patronus' and summarise for me, to be handed in next class," he announced at the end of the class, "I will also be testing you on producing a patronus so do make sure you practise."
I quickly packed my stuff and headed out for morning break with Audrey.
"That was an excellent class, wasn't it?" she said excitedly, "Professor Lupin is great, he really knows what he is talking about!"
"Mmmm" I murmured vaguely in agreement, still thinking about the way Professor Lupins eyes looked in the light of my partonus.
"What, you didn't like it?" she asked, looking surprised.
"No, it was a good class, really interesting," I said hurriedly, "Those patronus things are really beautiful, aren't they?"
"Yeh, they are," Audrey nodded in agreement as they sat down in the courtyard, "In fact, I think I might practise that a little more right now…"
"It's morning break, Audrey," I said exasperated, "We've been practising that stuff for two hours, haven't you had enough?"
She shrugged in reply, "I like the bunny."
"Right," I said laughing, "You do that, I'll just recline back over here and think about nothing in particular."
Almost immediately, however, my thoughts turned back to Professor Lupin. Get a grip, Faylinn, so his eyes looked a little nice in the patronus light, big deal? Just make sure you don't stare at his eyes again or he's going to get the wrong idea…