For the Want of the Moon, the Marauders are Lost
Chapter Four:
One night, two weeks into the first term, Torri's quiet knitting session was interrupted by the appearance of a bizarre creature in her office. It was a small catlike thing with black fur speckled with silver, outsized ears and a tail like a loin. Without warning, it jumped onto Torri's lap and began to purr loudly. Torri recognized it immediately. "Miniver! Where did you come from?" Torri asked her beloved Kneazle.
"Hello, Plimpy," a slightly hoarse voice said from her office door.
Torri's heart leapt. It had been nearly seventeen years since she had last heard that voice. She looked up at the owner and said, "Hello, Moony."
For a moment, the two long-time friends stared at each other. Remus looked exactly as Torri though he would. He wore an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted and though only a year Torri's elder, his light brown hair was flecked with grey.
When both had regained their senses, Torri stood and they crossed the small distance and hugged each other tightly. Still holding Torri, Remus said, "It's been far too long, Tor..." He held her out at arm's length. "And I think you've quite outgrown 'Plimpy'."
She looked scandalized. "Remus, I've had that nickname for twenty-two years! You can't be asking that we change it now; I'll never get used to a new one!"
"Well, you can't expect me to walk around calling a grown witch by a childish nickname," he said. "We only called you Plimpy because you reminded us of one when we met."
Torri blushed and turned away from him. "Snape had cursed me and stuck me in that tree. It wasn't my fault," she crossed her arms and pouted a little.
Remus sighed. "Then I suppose I'll have to continue calling you 'Plimpy' since you intend to keep it."
She smiled at him. "You better believe it."
The next day, Professor Love was late to N.E.W.T. Defense Against the Dark Arts by five minutes. "Excuse me," she said, quickly descending the stairs from her office. "I had an unavoidable affair of state. You three--" she pointed to Harry, Ron and Hermione "—I need you to stay after class for a few minutes. Now them, we're going to jump to a different lesson than planned. Harry, tell me what a Patronus is and what it does."
Harry looked slightly caught off guard. "Er... A Patronus is a guardian that acts as a shield between you and a Dementor."
Love smiled. "Exactly. Who here beside Harry already knows how to conjure one and has done so successfully?" She quickly counted the hands. "A fair few. Well, that's a small comfort. The incantation is—"
"What does a Patronus look like?" Malfoy interrupted.
"Whatever it wants to look like," Love answered, unmoved. "Yours will be different from mine, which, in turn, will be different from Harry's. But it will be the same every time you conjure it. Am I clear?" Malfoy nodded. "Good. The incantation is Expecto Patronum and will only work properly if you are thinking of an extremely happy memory... Right. Now get out your wands and give it a try."
The students practiced conjuring their Patronuses for a bit before Hermione, as her silver otter faded from view, asked, "Professor, will you show us yours?"
Love nodded, raised her wand, and, focusing on her happy memory, uttered the incantation. A silver Jabberknoll—a tiny bird—erupted from her wand tip and fluttered around the room.
"What's your happy memory?"
Love blushed a little and said, "My sixteenth birthday..."
Chapter Four:
One night, two weeks into the first term, Torri's quiet knitting session was interrupted by the appearance of a bizarre creature in her office. It was a small catlike thing with black fur speckled with silver, outsized ears and a tail like a loin. Without warning, it jumped onto Torri's lap and began to purr loudly. Torri recognized it immediately. "Miniver! Where did you come from?" Torri asked her beloved Kneazle.
"Hello, Plimpy," a slightly hoarse voice said from her office door.
Torri's heart leapt. It had been nearly seventeen years since she had last heard that voice. She looked up at the owner and said, "Hello, Moony."
For a moment, the two long-time friends stared at each other. Remus looked exactly as Torri though he would. He wore an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes that had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted and though only a year Torri's elder, his light brown hair was flecked with grey.
When both had regained their senses, Torri stood and they crossed the small distance and hugged each other tightly. Still holding Torri, Remus said, "It's been far too long, Tor..." He held her out at arm's length. "And I think you've quite outgrown 'Plimpy'."
She looked scandalized. "Remus, I've had that nickname for twenty-two years! You can't be asking that we change it now; I'll never get used to a new one!"
"Well, you can't expect me to walk around calling a grown witch by a childish nickname," he said. "We only called you Plimpy because you reminded us of one when we met."
Torri blushed and turned away from him. "Snape had cursed me and stuck me in that tree. It wasn't my fault," she crossed her arms and pouted a little.
Remus sighed. "Then I suppose I'll have to continue calling you 'Plimpy' since you intend to keep it."
She smiled at him. "You better believe it."
The next day, Professor Love was late to N.E.W.T. Defense Against the Dark Arts by five minutes. "Excuse me," she said, quickly descending the stairs from her office. "I had an unavoidable affair of state. You three--" she pointed to Harry, Ron and Hermione "—I need you to stay after class for a few minutes. Now them, we're going to jump to a different lesson than planned. Harry, tell me what a Patronus is and what it does."
Harry looked slightly caught off guard. "Er... A Patronus is a guardian that acts as a shield between you and a Dementor."
Love smiled. "Exactly. Who here beside Harry already knows how to conjure one and has done so successfully?" She quickly counted the hands. "A fair few. Well, that's a small comfort. The incantation is—"
"What does a Patronus look like?" Malfoy interrupted.
"Whatever it wants to look like," Love answered, unmoved. "Yours will be different from mine, which, in turn, will be different from Harry's. But it will be the same every time you conjure it. Am I clear?" Malfoy nodded. "Good. The incantation is Expecto Patronum and will only work properly if you are thinking of an extremely happy memory... Right. Now get out your wands and give it a try."
The students practiced conjuring their Patronuses for a bit before Hermione, as her silver otter faded from view, asked, "Professor, will you show us yours?"
Love nodded, raised her wand, and, focusing on her happy memory, uttered the incantation. A silver Jabberknoll—a tiny bird—erupted from her wand tip and fluttered around the room.
"What's your happy memory?"
Love blushed a little and said, "My sixteenth birthday..."