Thursday, 23 September 1976

"With the increasing tensions in our community, it is becoming increasingly important for people to defend themselves. The best defense against the Dark Arts is the Patronus charm," Professor Carina Craven boomed. "I will demonstrate."

Craven moved his hand clockwise in a circular motion. "Expecto Patronum!" A silver fox sprung from her wand and roamed around the room. The Gryffindor and Hufflepuff students looked at the patronus in awe.

Craven continued. "The only way to cast a Patronus is to think of your happiest memory. If that's not enough, imagine something that would create a happy memory. Keep in mind, though, whatever you imagine has to be possible for the spell to work. Now, everyone, please cast the charm."

The room was filled with a chorus of Expecto Patronum's. Nothing happened.

Ava raised her right pointer finger. "Hey Professor, I think something's wrong with the spell."

Everyone laughed, even Craven. "Casting a Patronus is very difficult to achieve. Many wizards and witches are unable to cast them. You need to dig deep within yourselves."

Lena closed her eyes and imagined 20 August 1976. It was her birthday and she just turned fifteen. She and her family had gone down to Brighton for the day and played games along the pier. She won a stuffed animal badger that she keeps in her dorm room with a Hufflepuff tie around it's fluffy neck. Her family ate absurd amounts of candy floss and fish and chips. She loved skipping stones across the water, even though hers never went more than two beats. The day only got better when she arrived home to find Ava and Maggie waiting in the backyard of the Pettigrew cottage. They had set up a large tent and bonfire and adorned the trees with paper lanterns. The trio of girls spent the night toasting marshmallows and laughed before curling up in the tent and going to bed.

Lena opened her eyes and cast the spell. Large silver wisps shot of her wand, but they took no form. Lena frowned. Lena found it a bit disheartening knowing that her happiest memory wasn't enough.

She also knew that it meant there were chances for her to be much happier in the future.

Once again, Lena closed her eyes and imagined the twentieth of August. However, instead of it being 1976, it was 1977 and she was turning sixteen. She was still at Brighton with her family. This time, though, Remus was with her; not only as her friend, but also as her boyfriend. She could see herself smiling as he won a stuffed lion for her and handed it to her as he blushed. She could imagine herself placing a Gryffindor tie around its neck and sitting it next to her stuffed badger. Instead of her stones sinking, Remus would teach her how to let them fly far beyond two beats. Lena would still spend the night around the bonfire with her friends, but Remus would join them. She blushed at the thought of him kissing her forehead as she grew more tired and her waking up beside him in the morning.

As unlikely as it was, it was possible that Remus could see Lena as more than a friend and that they could be together as a couple. What could make you happier than being loved by someone you love? Lena thought.

And once again, Lena opened her eyes and uttered Expecto Patronum. Silver wisps shot out of wand, weaving together to form a wolf. Lena laughed as the wolf nuzzled its snout against her legs and pranced amongst her fellow students.

Maggie rushed over and gave her an affectionate squeeze and plethora of compliments. Ava gave her a large grin and thumbs up before turning around to chase Lena's Patronus. Raj shouted his congratulations from across the room.

"Well done, Miss Pettigrew. You're the first student of the class to cast a corporeal Patronus. 10 points to Hufflepuff!" Professor exclaimed.

"You should name it," Maggie declared as they walked to the Great Hall for dinner.

"I am not naming my Patronus," Lena said firmly, an amused expression resting on her face.

"You totally have to, though!" Ava agreed with Maggie.

"I'm not doing that!"

"Not doing what, Lee?" James asked, appearing from behind. Sirius, Remus, and Peter flanked his sides.

"Nothing you need to worry about, James," Lena said.

"She doesn't want to name her Patronus," Maggie began.

"But we think she should," Ava finished.

"You casted a corporeal Patronus! Congratulations!" Peter exclaimed, before kissing her cheek.

"Thanks, Petey," Lena mumbled, turning red from the praise.

"That's wonderful, Lena! You should be very proud!" Remus complimented, and gave her a hug.

Lena didn't know that it was possible, but she turned even redder. Here was the person she had to think about to cast a Patronus, hugging and praising her. "Thank you, Remus," she whispered into his ear, as she hugged him back on her tippy toes.

James and Sirius offered their congratulations as well.

"And of the four people to cast Patronuses, Lee was the first to do it!" Ava said gleefully.

"The other three couldn't even compare to yours, Lee!" Maggie shouted.

"That's not true!" Lena disagreed.

"I'm not saying that Aaliyah's wasn't nice. I'm just saying that her butterfly was not as cool or badass as yours," Maggie explained, her palms facing up as she gestured.

"So what was your Patronus?" Sirius asked, throwing his arm around Lena's shoulders.

Remus glared at him from behind, hoping Sirius would feel it and remove his arm. Much to Remus' chagrin, Sirius did not.

"A wolf," Lena offered.

"No way," James smiled, "Moony's patronus is a wolf, too!"

Lena spun around and Sirius' arm fell to his side. She held out her fist and cried out, "Wolf buddies!"

Remus laughed nervously back and bumped her fist with his own. "Wolf buddies," he cried back.

"Alright, alright! You need to pick a name!" Ava insisted.

"Fine, I guess I'll go with…"

"Oh, Luna," Ava supplied.

"Or, Silver!" Maggie offered.

"What about Star," Peter proposed.

"Wait! You can be Midnight," Sirius added.

"No! No! Koda is better!" James put in his two cents.

"Stop! I've decided on Artemis!" Lena declared.

Remus smiled at Lena. "I like it."

Saturday, 25 September 1976

"I can't believe there's a secret passageway behind the fourth floor mirror that leads to Hogsmeade's lake," Lena said to Lily.

"I know! I really didn't expect for us to come out of the statue of the Peverell Brothers," Lily laughed.

"You know, Lils," James spoke, "I'm related to the Peverells."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Sure, Potter. And Dumbledore's my grandfather."

"I'm telling you the truth, Lils!"

"Oh, really? Where's the proof?"

"I'll show it to you when we're on our first date."

"So, never."

"C'mon Lily!"

Lena laughed and ran ahead and matched her brother's pace.

"Thanks for doing this, Peter!"

"You owe me one, Lee."

"Do I, though? I'm pretty sure we're even because I told you about the concert and I'm letting you and your friends come."

Peter playfully nudged her with his shoulder and she did the same.

"I feel a bit bad for your friend Raj, though." Peter nodded his head in Raj's direction.

Raj was currently trying to tell Jenny Blake about the time he had been chased by a Graphorn in the Alps after he accidentally disturbed it while hiking with his family. It was a great story in Lena's opinion, especially the part where Raj climbs up a tree and rubs flinterberries all over his body to mask his scent. Jenny, however, was staring in admiration of Sirius as he performed the Flobberworm for Remus. Why anyone would be in awe of Sirius doing the Flobberworm was a mystery to Lena. He looked like was convulsing on the ground after someone had hit with a laughing charm.

"He'll get over it," Lena said. "Cauldron Coven makes everything better."

Lena's face hurt from smiling too much. She felt sticky and gross, but she was happy. Cauldron Coven had already played "Firewhiskey for Fwopper," "She's my Felix Felicis," and "Twist, Witch!" The crowd was buzzing and she couldn't hear anything her friends were saying over the sea of witches and wizards chanting the words to "Slytherin with Me." Lily had her arms around Dorcas' neck as they bounced up and down to the beat. Alice and Frank were jumping and twisting to the music. Frank was captivated by Alice and turned beetroot red everytime Alice grabbed his hands to dance together. Sirius, Peter, and James were currently playing air guitar and pretending they were drumming along to the music. Maggie's back was against Alex's chest and his were around her waist as they swayed to the music. Ava seemed to be in another world as her eyes were closed and she swayed her head, moving her arms and body gracefully to music. Marlene McKinnon was staring at her as if Ava just invented dancing. Jenny was sitting on Raj's shoulder with her hands in his hair. Remus and Lena jumped up and down as they danced, pointing and singing the lyrics at each other.

Lena leaned in close to Remus, their noses only inches apart. "I'm going to get a drink! Wanna come?" She shouted.

"What?"

"I'm getting a drink!"

"What?"

She pointed to herself and then behind her. "I'm going to—" Lena then mimed drinking a beverage. "—get a drink!" Lena finished, and turned to get a drink from the concession stands.

Remus followed her and grabbed her hand. They both smiled and Lena leaned against his body as they walked. They were both sticky and sweat had plastered the hair and clothes to their bodies, but neither of them cared.

"Two butterbeers, please" Lena ordered from the man in the stand, handing him a few Sickles.

She passed on to Remus.

"Thank you, but you didn't need to give me one."

"I know. But, I wanted to."

"Fine, but I'm getting you a shirt!"

"You don't need to, though!"

Remus purchased her a dark grey shirt with a black cauldron on it. The words "Cauldron Coven" were plastered on the rim of the cauldron. The lyrics of their songs moved and swirled from the top of the cauldron.

"Really?" Remus raised an eyebrow, as he turned around to find Lena holding out a Cauldron Coven t-shirt for him. "I was trying to make us even!"

"I know! But you don't need to. And I want you to have one too!" Lena insisted. "I also got this awesome Minding Merlin one!"

Remus grinned, taking the t-shirt and thanking her. They sat down on a bench and sipped their butterbeers.

"That did not happen!" Lena laughed in disbelief.

"I'm completely serious! I knocked over the cleaning powder all over the floor and poured, and the kitchen was full of bubbles!" Remus insisted, relaying the time at age six when he wanted a bath but could not because his house only had a shower.

"What did your mum say?"

"'Remy, you can't just turn the kitchen into a bathtub!'"

"Aww, 'Remy!' That's so cute!'"

Remus and Lena blushed at her comment. The lyrics of "Raise One More for Dumbledore" began playing and Lena leapt to her feat. She grasped Remus' hand and shouted, "Let's go! I love this song!"