Lupin came back some forty minutes later. Apparently someone had let off a few Dung bombs, then a fight took place between a Slytherin sixth year and a Ravenclaw fourth year. The Ravenclaw student was still out cold when Lupin left.

"Nothing too hard to handle." He said, sporting a bleeding lip.

"Remus, was that your Patronus? The dog?" Harry asked.

"Yes Harry. Sirius was usually always the one who stuck with me the most. James and Peter sometimes but Sirius was almost always there for me. I was dependent on him and a Patronus takes the shape of something you cared about a lot. As Sirius transformed into a dog, that's the shape my Patronus took."

"And my father, he was a stag."

"And your Patronus is a stag because you wish more than anything to see your parents again. As Patronus' cannot take the shape of any human, it was your fathers transformation into a stag that your Patronus took the shape of."

"Hermione's was an otter, why would that be?"

"Hermione happens to live quite close to where I used to live. Near there is a pond, a family of otters took up living there and Hermione tells me she goes to see them nearly every day of the holiday."

"Remus?" Kai asked, sitting, somewhat comfortably, on the rack above his bed.

"Yes?"

"What happens if a Patronus goes wrong?"

"Wrong? Well, usually either it works or it doesn't." Looking at the expression of interest on Ron, Harry and Kai's faces, he continued, "But there was one incident that sticks out clearly in my memory."

And so Remus began telling them the story of the Patronus gone wrong. As it happened it was Peter Pettigrew's Patronus. It chased him around the school for hours until finally dying away into wispy silver smoke.

Peter, also known as Wormtail, was a small unintelligent boy, reminding Harry strongly of fellow sixth year Neville, who hung around with Sirius, James and Remus when they were at Hogwarts themselves. James and Sirius, two bright lads, who knew the counter-spell to stop the Patronus, decided it would be fun to watch poor Peter suffer instead of help. As they weren't good friends at the time it took a great deal of effort from Remus to finally persuade them to stop it. Harry and Ron laughed at the little details. Kai said or did nothing until the tale was over.

"So that Patronus was faulty?"

"Not faulty as such, more..."

"Insolent?" Harry offered.

"I suppose yes."

"But why?" Kai asked.

"Wormtail wasn't the strongest of characters, a Patronus can sense fear, so instead of attacking the Bogart we were practicing on, it went after him."

Hermione entered the carriage at that precise point in time. An angry look exploded on her face and she began yelling at the top of her voice.

"Absolutely NO shame! The cheek! That little git will soon get what's coming to him, whether it's from me or not, he'll get it BIG TIME!"

"Hermione-" Lupin began.

"Stupid little-WITH FIRST YEARS SURROUNDING THEM! He has NO SHAME! AND SHE WAS GOING ALONG WITH IT!"

"Hermione please-" Lupin stuttered, trying to get a word in edgeways.

"I mean, some people have no dignity, and after Harry said NO MIXING!"

Harry felt as though he had been plunged into a bath of iced water. He understood that second what Hermione was raving about. By the look on Ron's face, he had too.

"He didn't..." Harry croaked.

"HE DID! WHAT DO YOU THINK I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU!?!"

"Hermione! That's enough!"

Everyone was staring at Lupin.

"Kindly explain, without raising your voice, what happened."

"Malfoy's-been-taking-advantage-of-Ginny-in-front-of-first-years." Hermione said in one breath.

"That little git!" Ron shouted.

Getting up so quickly, it took everyone in the carriage by surprise, nobody stopped Ron storming out of the compartment to find Malfoy.

"I THOUGHT YOU'D GET THE MESSAGE YOU INSOLENT LITTLE SLIME-BALL!" Ron could be heard crystal clear from the girls half of the train.

"Do you think we should stop him?" Hermione whispered, biting her nails.

"Nah, let him vent the anger first." Kai said.

Hermione jumped with surprise, not realizing Kai was sitting in the rack.

"If he's that angry about it, he'll end up doing something he might regret." Hermione whimpered.

Sure enough a dull thud was heard accompanied by a clatter.

"What's he done."

"Knowing Ron, thumped Malfoy and been knocked out himself by Crabbe and Goyle." Harry said wisely.

Obviously wrapped in guilt and worry, Hermione literally flew out of the compartment and along the corridor. Lupin watched in amazement as she disappeared around a bend.

"And she's usually like this?" Kai asked Harry.

"Most of the time, yeah."

Harry stood up and left the compartment. He hurtled down the corridor and skidded into the compartment where Malfoy and Ron were lying unconscious on the floor. Hermione was in a headlock, whimpering in pain.

"Leave her alone!" He shouted at Crabbe.

"Make me, Potty." It was the first time Harry had heard Goyle speak, except if you counted the time when Harry and Ron had taken the Polyjuice Potion.

"Rictusempra!" Harry shouted.

Crabbe doubled up wheezing. Hermione looked gratefully at Harry as he shot the same spell at Goyle, who had Hermione's head tucked most uncomfortably under his arm. He let her go and sank to the floor laughing.

"The Tickling Charm." Hermione beamed. "Nice choice."

"Thanks."

"Malfoy hit Ron with a spell, I'm not quite sure what it was."

"Finite Incantatem!" Harry said pointing his wand at Ron.

Ron opened his eyes and looked dazed. Hermione helped him to his feet and they left Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle on the floor of the compartment.

"You should have came strait back here, there was no need to use spells." Lupin scolded them.

"Hermione was in a headlock and Ron was out cold on the floor, what else was I supposed to do?" Harry retorted.

"You should've come and got me, as I am older, I would have had the upper hand on the situation. You don't think Harry."

"And let Crabbe pummel Hermione's guts out? Please!"

"Remus, Harry did what he thought was right, it was a spur of the moment thing, and personally I agree with Harry, he wouldn't have had enough time to come and get you." Hermione said, rubbing her neck gingerly.

"Maybe so, but I still think you acted a bit harshly."

"Crouch wouldn't have thought so, he turned Malfoy into a ferret when he was teaching us."

"Yes well, Crouch would've done that to you and kept you as a pet if you did something wrong. Probably ending up giving you to Voldemort as a present."

Ron could've wet himself with the memory of Malfoy, as a ferret, bouncing up and down in the entrance hall, fresh in his memory.