Chapter 5: Lesson 2: Patronus Charm

We rearranged the classroom for the younger students in the morning. I pushed all the desks aside, and sat with Mouse in the center of the circle inlaid in the floor. A scrolling star design shot through it, but it'd work all the same. Molly and Bob were out on an assignment for me. I needed to make sure that these kids could protect themselves when push comes to shove, and I was certain those two with Hagrids help could come up with a perfect substitute to a real dementor.

I couldn't believe they had those things at a school. Children by their nature were prone to wander, yet they were about to be punished for such an act.

One more unfairness in the mountain that was the world of magic.

Slowly the second years were filing into the classroom, looking around wide eyed for the most part. I was told that of all classes this room was the one that changed the most drastically from year to year. Plus it didn't help that the last professor accidentally blew herself up at the end of last year. For all I knew they could be looking for remnants.

"Please, sit around the circle, but don't cross it." I said with a smile.

I knew I had to be gentle, these were not the youngest class, but the next to youngest. I didn't want to scare them, though that would be a viable teaching method as I had learned.

Steadily they took their seats, notebooks in their laps, around me. The young boy with the blue hair sat in front of me, watching intently.

"Today we will start with wands. Next class we will try this spell without." I looked around before I continued. "Have you been told what has happened?"

"Yes," a small dark haired girl in a red robe answered, "a powerful werewolf has escaped and dementors are going to be surrounding the school to help keep us safe."

So, McGonagall did tell them over breakfast. I felt upset that I skipped it, my stomach wasn't happy either.

"Correct, now, do any of you know what dementors are?"

"They feed on fear." The blue haired boy said. "They feed on it until you have nothing left." His voice was soft and he spoke like he was repeated something he had been told long ago.

I nodded, keeping an eye on him. "Correct. Now, do any of you know how to defend against a dementor?"

Again the blue haired boy spoke. "It's called a Patronus Charm." He scratched at the back of his neck as the other students looked at him. "I've seen my godfather cast it a few times, but never tried it." He cast a glance over his shoulder at the word godfather, as if he was expecting someone to jump on him.

Blue hair, godfather who knew what to them was a powerful defensive spell, I was certain this little boy could be none other than Edward Lupin.

"Well, we're going to try to cast it today." I said softly. "It's rather simple once you get the first bit down, even my dog, Mouse, can cast a version of it."

At my words the moose of a dog stood up and I could feel him softly drawing power into himself. The tips of his fur started glowing a silvery blue, and little starlight glimmers fell down from his mane. With a huff he stopped and plopped back down next to me.

The kids stared at him wide eyed. "Of course not every dog you meet will be able to cast it." I dug my fingers into his thick fur with a proud scratch. "Mouse is a temple Fu dog, meaning he is smarter, stronger, and faster than your average hound and can control some amount of magic."

"How smart is he?" Another girl, this one in blue trimmed robes, asked.

I chuckled. "I'm not fairly certain but I some days I feel like he's smarter than me."

The students laughed at the joke. Good. Happiness was the key here.

"Now, a patronus comes in two forms. First is when you cast when there's no dementors around, or too many for a simple shield." I closed my eyes and focused on my shield bracelet and a happy memory as I had the night before. Under my breath I whispered "Expecto Patronum" and on my side opposite Mouse a ghostly wolf appeared.

The students on that side slid back. I didn't blame them. The wolf bore many of the same scars I had, including a mangled left front paw completely devoid of fur. I held the spell for a few minutes as I continued to teach.

"This is the primary form of the Patronus Charm. Each of you will have a different animal, usually one that has similar behavior patterns or otherwise has some meaning to you." I dropped my focus and willpower, allowing the wolf to fade away.

"The second form of of the charm is a simple shield that forms between yourself and the dementor. As we do not have one here I cannot show you." I could show them my normal shield, but I felt that could come out at a later time.

"Now, the key to this spell is happiness, you want your strongest happy memory. Whenever you're dealing with a monster that works on a particular emotion then you want to fill yourself with as much of the opposite emotion as you can. Opposite of fear would be happiness and hope."

I turned my head to look at them, lingering on young Lupin a moment longer than the rest. "I want each of you to close your eyes and do some thinking. I want each of you to think long and hard, to remember. Find that memory of when you were the happiest, that one moment, that one smile, that time when nothing else mattered in the world."

Each followed directions, some more readily than others. I gave them as long as I thought necessary, watching their faces slowly light up with soft, warm smiles.

"Now, take those emotions, that happiness, that hope, and focus it on your wand."

One by one students grabbed their wands and slowly lofted them into the air.

"Next, add your willpower. Will the spell into being, form it with your mind, direct the way the magic flows as you say the incantation of Expecto Patronum."

A small chorus of voices whispered the spell in a similar manner as I did. Wand tips glowed, but none produced a full patronus. Each looked at their wands in defeat, though I noted young Lupin did not look surprised, but his hair was a few shades darker than before.

Again I smiled warmly at them. "You all did great, everyone had a glowing wand. No one to my knowledge has produced this charm their first time at such a young age." I stood up and stepped out of the circle of children. "Now, you have the rest of the hour to practice. Remember, happiness and focus are the key here. The reason we're here isn't so I can just tell you about a spell and send you off into the world. No. I will make sure you can defend yourselves as quickly and as safely as possible. Use this time wisely, and if needed any free time throughout the day."

Quietly I sat behind my desk and paged through a disguised copy of The Prisoner of Azkaban to double check what I was teaching as I kept an eye on them.

By the time the hour bell rang a couple students were able to produce a sort of wisp from their wands. They gathered their items and looked at me for dismissal.

"Remember, in any fight being prepared will be your best friend. That cannot be possible without practice. Use your time wisely to make sure you're properly prepared in case you do happen across a dementor, but do NOT go out looking for one, even if you can cast a patronus. There are enough on campus to swarm you, and I am fairly certain none of you have the power to banish more than a couple at a given time."

They each nodded, affirming that they won't go out looking for trouble. "Then you are dismissed. Lupin, can we talk a moment?"

His hair nor his expression lightened up as he approached me while others left.

"Look," he started, "if you think I'm a werewolf like my father then you're going to be disappointed."

I waved my hand in the air. "No no, he only had a half Loup Garou curse which can't be transferred down the bloodline, at least not that I know of."

He looked at me confused, and I swear I saw a tinge of green enter his hair. "Professor?"

"Just, nevermind. That's not what I wanted to talk to you about, Lupin."

"Don't call me that." He groaned. "That was my dads' name."

"Then what should I call you? Can't go around calling you that boy now can I?"

He relaxed at the joke. "Everyone calls me Teddy, suppose you can too."

"Alright then, Teddy, what I wanted to talk to you about what the dangers to the school."

"You think that Greyback fella is going to target me?" His hair and eyes both gained a pale tint.

"It is possible. He had turned your father, and now with your godfather and his friend here we might have turned the school into a larger target."

"Why would he want me?"

I leaned across my desk. "If your father did have a version of the Loup Garou curse, then there's a chance that the curse is still in your bloodstream. That means that it might not appear until you come of age, as is the case with most, full, Loup Garou curses." I narrowed my eyes. "The other possibility is that because there might be that touch of a curse in you, that should any more of it be passed to you in any amount that you would be far more powerful than any other werewolf of that variety."

His hair suddenly turned red, eyebrows and irises to match the angry tones. "Are you telling me I have to avoid everyone and everything and stay in my bloody common room?"

I lifted my hands placatingly. "No, none of that. I just want to put a focus on you, out of class, to make sure you can defend yourself in case something happens. I also want to make sure you don't go running out after a friend that may be in trouble. We'll come up with something that students can use to alert us to trouble when it happens."

That seemed to calm him, his colors going to redder shades of purple. "Why not use spells, or keep watch yourselves?"

I leaned back in my chair. "It's not as easy as you think. Between the amount of space needed to be covered with wards, the amount of students and staff going here and there, and not to mention how many rainfalls and sunrises the wards will have to endure just within the first week or two, creating a boundary that would tell us when trouble arrives is almost impossible."

"But, Uncle Harry said that they were able to produce a strong shield spell during the Battle for Hogwarts."

"Yes, it lasted a single night, had at least twenty wizards sustaining it at key points throughout the grounds, and fell as dawn came across the sky. Quite a bit different from holding it over the course of multiple days."

He stood in silent thought for a while. "So, sunrise and rainfall effect spells?"

A smile crossed my face. "Yes, they do. I'll explain that in a future lesson. Right now, I need to make sure you are able to defend yourself against the threats that could show up. The biggest thing that will keep you safe is avoiding the fight, and being prepared for it when it does occur."

"I… I understand." He returned to his blue hair. "I'm sorry I got upset with you, Professor."

"No harm, no foul." I stood up, stretching. "You best get to your next class."

He nodded his agreement. "You're right. Thank you, Professor. When do you want to see me for our next lesson?"

"Tonight, after classes are done. Just come here, I'll wait for you."

He sighed, almost in a manner of defeat, before thanking me again and walking off. He didn't seem excited about extra classes. To be fair I didn't really want to teach extra, but he needed it, and as far as we could tell the only other students that could be targeted were the Weasley girls. I'd have to make sure they have extra training as well.

"Gosh is this what it's like to be a father?" I asked aloud, right as the door opened and Molly walked in.

The Grasshopper wasn't wearing anything like what I had her in yesterday, instead she was in her normal short but not nearly as skantily clad as she had been wearing clothing underneath the craziest robes she had found during a trip to Hogsmeade before class prep.

"Maybe one day you'll know, Boss, and I'm sure you'll be a great daddy." She smiled.

I laughed. "I am not father material, I'm barely holding it together here."

Molly laughed as well.

"Anyway, did you guys find one?"

Mister sauntered in, his eyes glowing with an orange tinge, and rubbed against Molly's leg before the orange cloud left and came before me.

"Yes Boss, though I don't know why you'd want such a despicable creature stuck in a box." Bob complained.

I just smiled. "Bob, take Mister back to your skull and rest. Molly, can you ask Professor Hagrid to bring it to my classroom after classes wrap up for the day?"

She gave me a quizzical look. "Why?"

"I guess I'm about to show just how bad of a parent I would be."