Chapter Sixteen

Patron Protector

It was one of those days that seemed like it would never come to an end. The morning classes had dragged by, and by the end of lunch Bella had got the idea that time had stopped in its tracks and started moving backwards. But lunch was over now, and the class she'd been waiting for was rolling around. She'd never thought to look forward to Defence Against the Dark Arts, but today was an exception. Today they would see if Professor Carmichael thought they were advanced enough to move on to practical magic.

Walking into the classroom, she caught sight of Draco and, smiling broadly, went up to their desk to meet him.

Since their first kiss, just yesterday, they'd barley been apart. She felt better about life just now than she had in ages. It was relief not to have so many things weighing on her mind, with his father out of Azkaban. It had hung over her head like the sword of Damocles for so long that she still smiled when she remembered he was safe in hiding somewhere. And now she had Draco, and not just as a friend anymore. She wondered a little how long it had been in the making, how long he had been looking at her in the same way as she'd been looking at him. She felt happy and ordinary, and a little bit strange. It was good to feel sixteen for once.

The room settled into an expectant silence immediately as Professor Carmichael came through the door. Draco squeezed her hand under the table and she smiled back at him, feeling just a little giddy.

"Good afternoon, everyone," said Professor Carmichael. "I spent the weekend looking over your homework, and I think you'll be glad to know that I've decided you're ready for a practical lesson. I've gotten special permission from Professor Dumbledore to teach this to a sixth year class, but I can see you understand the theory very well, and I believe this class is ready to step up and attempt the Patronus Charm."

There were excited little sounds from all around the room, and Bella noticed some of the Gryffindors nudge and whisper to one another.

"The reason I had to obtain special permission is because of a standard rule that, as your instructor, I must teach you age-appropriate material. Of course, the rule is there in the interest of safety, to protect you from anything so advanced it might be dangerous. Of course, I don't plan to bring in a real dementor to practise on, you can make your minds easy about that. The reason the rule applies to the Patronus Charm is not so much danger as difficulty. I can tell you, most of you will not get much result without a great deal of practice, but trying your hand at it won't hurt you. Before we begin, I'd like to make a quick review..."

Bella nudged Draco and whispered, "Exciting?" He was watching Professor Carmichael demonstrating, paying him close attention for the first time in a while. Bella, who felt she had a high stake in learning the Patronus, had done all of the reading and then some, and knew the technique backwards and forwards and sideways. She didn't really need a review.

After that, they paired off with their desk partners, and discussed how to maintain the memory they were conjuring from. And finally, they began practising the charm.

Some of the Gryffindors had excellent results, and seemed to have practised it before. The results were so impressive she gave a polite nod to Neville Longbottom, who turned pink, and looked away quickly. She turned to Draco, and said, "Can't let them outdo us, can we?" She grinned. But he still looked nervous, and she offered to go first.

She thought hard about the first time she'd met Mr. Malfoy, about realising they were taking her in. She held it until she could remember what it was like to wear robes for the first time.

"Expecto Patronum!" she cried, and a jet of silver vapour shot from the tip of her wand. It lingered for a moment, but it was too indistinct to resemble anything but a cloud of steam.

"You try," she said to Draco.

Draco did as she had done, closing his eyes and thinking hard. Then he opened his eyes and looked at her with a smile. "Expecto Patromun!"

His Patronus was much like her own, and like those of most of the others. But it was there. She smiled at him. "Fantastic," she said quietly.

They had been told to practise until just before the end of class, and then try it out one by one for the rest of the class to observe.

By the end of the hour, most of them hadn't made astonishing progress, but the results were still encouraging. Draco and Bella had got it down well enough that they could do the charm at a moments notice, without having to fish for memories. Draco's Patronus was still indistinct, but at least seemed to have legs and a body.

"I think it's a dragon," she said approvingly. He'd seemed happy about it. He liked dragons.

Bella's, on the other hand, was still strangely without detail. It seemed like an almost corporeal jet of light, no longer very fuzzy, but just enough so that she couldn't make it out, like something seen through someone else's glasses.

And now she was watching it twist and turn in midair, seeming to fold into itself and reform. She concentrated harder and it seemed to come a little clearer. She thought she had almost seen a head. What was it?

Just then, Professor Carmichael called out for them to stop and take their seats again. Bella frowned, annoyed at the interruption.

One by one, they went down to the front of the class and performed the charm. There were a few whose Patronuses were recognisable animals, and they received thunderous applause from their classmates.

When it came to Draco's turn, Bella clasped her hands I her lap, silently watching him and smiling encouragingly. Their eyes met briefly and she winked at him.

Loud clapping burst from the Slytherins as his almost-dragon soared over the class. He came back to his seat looking pleased.

And then it was Bella's turn, and she walked up to the front of the class, smiling nervously. She'd never been onstage before, but guessed that this was what stage fright was like. Definitely not the time for it, though. Best to get it done, she thought, before I have a chance to mess it up.

She held out her wand. She looked at Professor Carmichael and saw he was watching her expectantly. She felt her dislike for the man rising in her like steam in a teakettle. Bella pictured Mr. Malfoy free, and when she could see the Daily Prophet's headline like it was floating in front of her, she opened her eyes.

"Expecto Patronum!" She saw the Patronus erupt from the end of her wand and soar straight over the heads of the class. Everyone gasped and one girl near the front gave a little scream.

A serpent of silver light coiled and writhed and arched in the air, baring its fangs and flicking its tongue. It rose protectively in front of her, large and solid. Bella's eyes were so wide she thought they would fall right out of her head. For a moment she held her breath before she remembered where she was and what she was doing. When she lowered her wand and let the Patronus dissipate, she looked around the classroom and saw every pair of eyes stuck to her like glue. It was silent as the grave. Even Carmichael looked a bit put off, staring at her with a look that was half startled and half impressed. He recovered quickly.

"Very well done, Miss Thorne. Twenty points to Slytherin for outstanding progress," he said slowly, with the ghost of an approving smile.

The Slytherins erupted with applause again, and Bella felt herself blushing despite her discomfiture. "Thank you, sir," she said, sounding calculatedly modest and surprised. She walked back to her seat through the congratulations of her classmates and sat down next to Draco, who was staring at her looking extremely surprised.

"How did you do that?" he whispered to her, as soon as Carmichael's back was turned.

She threw up her hands. "I really don't know! It was almost solid when he interrupted us, you saw. But then when I did it up there, I don't know, it just...solidified. I was nervous, you know, and I did it really fast. I thought of my memory, but I did the charm really fast, and I didn't even think of the memory when I did it, I just felt it. I guess that's what you're supposed to do..."

"Damn good though...even he gave you points." Draco cocked an eyebrow, but she could see that he was pleased.

But as Bella looked at the rest of the class, she saw more than one of them quickly avert their eyes. There was one exception, though. Harry Potter was staring straight back at her with his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Suspicion of what, though?

But even as she wondered, she was getting an idea. She wished more than anything just then that she knew what made the Patronus take its shape. Nothing really seemed to explain it. What did he know? This time it was Bella who looked away.