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Chapter 39

Harry blinked his eyes open, and found himself staring at a dirty ceiling. He groaned, sitting upright and rubbing his eyes, wondering how he had ended up on a floor in a poorly lit room. He glanced around and saw Professor Lupin kneeling next to him, holding out a chocolate bar. Harry suddenly remembered what he was doing in this classroom, and why he was on the ground. He groaned again, taking the chocolate bar with a trembling hand.

It was the inaugural night of Harry's Patronus lessons with Professor Lupin, and he had just fainted at the sight of his Boggart – a dementor – for the second time in a row.

"What did you pick that time?"

"Does it matter?"

"I'm just curious. You don't have to tell me."

"It was at the end of our first year." Harry sighed, leaning his back against the wall of the History of Magic classroom and taking a bite out of a chocolate bar. "When it was announced that Hermione and I – well, mostly Hermione – had won Gryffindor the House Cup. The Great Hall just exploded with cheers."

"Seems a bit better than the first time you rode a broom. Is it truly a happy memory, Harry?" Professor Lupin slid down next to him, twirling his wand with his fingers. His genuine interest took Harry by surprise for a moment.

"Er…yeah. I was thrilled." Harry nodded. "There was this whole business with this thing called the Sorcerer's Stone. Hermione and I were convinced Snape was going to steal it and give it to Voldemort, so we went after it ourselves. We ended up winning a bunch of points and stopping Voldemort, even though Snape wasn't behind it all."

"You really stopped Voldemort? As first years?" Lupin had a proud smile on his face as he popped a square of chocolate into his mouth.

"Yeah." Harry cracked a smile for the first time all night. "I couldn't have done it without Hermione, though. She was brilliant."

"Hermione Granger? Brilliant? Imagine my surprise." Lupin mused, and they shared a small chuckle. "Any other memories coming to mind?" He asked, handing Harry another chocolate bar as the boy wizard finished off the one he'd been eating. "I know it's a long-shot, but do you have any memories of your parents?"

"No offense, Professor, but how much do you remember from your infant years?"

"Fair enough." Lupin threw up his hands in mock surrender. "I thought it was worth a try." He paused, before turning to Harry. "Perhaps we should end it here for the night, and meet again – "

"Professor, please." Harry cut in, sitting up even straighter. "Let me have another go. I…I need to do this. If any more dementors come to the Quidditch pitch, it could jeopardize the entire season. And I can't keep living like this. I don't like feeling weak around them."

"You're not weak, Harry." The professor insisted.

"Says the guy who hasn't passed out twice in the last twenty minutes."

"Harry, you only suffer so because you have such horrific memories in your past. Memories that I cannot even – "

"Professor." Harry's voice deepened with resolve. "Please."

Lupin inhaled sharply, pursing his lips in thought. "One more try." He said firmly, and Harry nodded. They got to their feet, and Harry dusted himself off, readying his wand once again.

"What memory are you planning on trying this time?" Lupin asked, nearing the chest in which the Boggart was hidden. "If you don't mind my asking."

Harry thought hard for a moment, shutting his eyes and trying to recall a moment of total euphoria in his life. An image of running, crashing, hugging, and smiling flew through his head. An image of pure happiness. He felt his lips curl into a smile as he opened his eyes.

"This one's in the Great Hall too." Harry exhaled after a pause. "At the end of last year. Hermione had been petrified during the Chamber of Secrets incident, and it was the first time I'd seen her outside of the Hospital Wing since she'd been attacked."

"Interesting." Lupin smirked, waving his wand over the chest. The bolt slid out of place and the lid flipped open. "Remember to concentrate, Harry!" He urged before an all-too-familiar hooded figure emerged, replacing the warmth of the classroom with a frigidness that turned the perspiration on Harry's forehead to ice.

Instantly, Harry heard screaming. His mother screaming, begging for his life. He heard the sadistic high-pitched laughter of Voldemort as he raised his wand, preparing to extinguish the life from her as if he was snuffing a candle. He shut his eyes, hoping to block it out, but it only made things worse. He snapped his eyes open and saw the dementor bearing down on him, a scabby hand protruding from the darkness of its cloak and reaching towards him.

"Think, Harry!" He heard Lupin call out from what must have been miles away. His voice was faint, a far cry from the shrieks that echoed in his ear at two hundred decibels. "Think about Hermione!"

Hermione.

Harry blinked, and his mind roared to life, no longer in the near-comatose state of fear it always was when in the presence of a dementor. He saw himself sprinting down the aisle adjacent to the Gryffindor table. He watched himself crash into a blur of Hogwarts robes and bushy brown hair, wrapping his arms around it as hard as he could. He felt a pair of arms squeezing the life out of him. He felt a tickle on his cheek as a few strands of hair brushed his skin. He felt relieved, he felt grateful, he felt…

He felt happy.

He blinked again, and he returned to the real world, where the dementor began to draw a horrid, rattling breath that shook Harry to his core. Even if it wasn't able to suck his soul away, it still sent shivers down his spine. Bracing himself, he recalled standing in the Great Hall with his arms around Hermione.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry cried out, brandishing his wand at the dementor, which was now too close for comfort. A flicker of light appeared at the end of his wand before quickly dissipating. "Expecto Patronum!" He repeated, his voice wavering less than the first time. A small strand of silver light shot out towards the dementor, but nothing more.

"Concentrate, Harry!" Lupin's voice was louder, not nearly as muddled and inaudible as it had been a few moments prior.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" He bellowed at the top of his lungs, white-knuckling his wand. The dementor stopped advancing on him, as if it had hit a wall. Then, a huge silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry's wand, hovering between him and the wraith, providing an almost-solid barrier between the two. He was faintly aware of Lupin whooping with delight, but it was hard to focus on anything. The silver shield he had managed to conjure was requiring every bit of his energy, and his legs slowly started to wobble. He grimaced as his entire body followed suit, and the cloudy barrier trembled.

"Riddikulus!" Professor Lupin roared, sending the Boggart flying back into the chest in the blink of an eye. He quickly threw the trunk shut, fastening the lock and turning to Harry. "Well done, Harry! Excellent. Truly, truly excellent for anyone's first night, much less a third-year."

"Th-thanks." Harry managed before he was staggering back towards the wall, sliding down once again.

"Don't even think about asking me to try again, Harry. You've had more than enough attempts." The professor chuckled, producing another chocolate bar and walking towards Harry. "Up you go. There." He grinned as Harry got his legs under him.

Harry gave his professor a grateful smile as he began eating the chocolate. "Same time next week, Professor?"

"Assuming Mister Wood doesn't have his way, yes." Lupin gave a wry smile before bidding him goodnight.

Harry returned to Gryffindor Tower, to the usual nighttime bustle of the common room. As relaxing as it had been for him, Hermione, and Ron to have the place to themselves over the holidays, it was nice to see and hear his chattering housemates back at Hogwarts.

"Hey, Harry!" Dean called out from his armchair, where he was jotting some notes down from his Divination textbook. "How'd she like it?"

"Hmm?" Harry was jarred from his thoughts as he walked past Dean. "Sorry?"

"How'd Hermione like her Christmas gift?" His classmate grinned.

"Oh!" Harry cracked a smile of his own. "She loved it. Thanks again, mate. You're really something else with a quill."

"You're not so bad yourself." Dean shrugged casually before returning to his notes. "Hey, you know the worst thing about you and Hermione dropping Divination?" He sighed, crossing out something he'd just written.

"Is it that we can't help you with your homework?"

"Precisely." Dean winked. Harry gave a laugh before continuing his stroll towards his usual couch, where Hermione was hunched over a pile of books resembling a fortress.

"Miss me?" Harry collapsed onto the couch in a heap. Hermione whipped her head up from her many materials and beamed at him.

"How was it?" She asked, happily closing her copy of Numerology and Grammatica.

"I only got three tries." Harry mumbled, the weariness of exerting every ounce of energy he had suddenly catching up to him. "And I fainted the first two times."

"And the third?" She leaned closer, her eyes sparkling with intrigue.

"I managed this sort-of shadow." He explained. Hermione hitched her breath in excitement but she let him continue. "I reckon it was the start of a Patronus. But it was exhausting."

"How did you do it? Is it just like any other spell?"

"Not really, no. I had to focus on a memory. A really happy memory, to counter the despair of the dementors." He shifted in his seat so he was facing Hermione, who watched him with rapt attention.

"Fascinating." She scooted closer to him. "What memory did you use? If you're willing to tell me, of course."

"Erm…" He blushed. "Well, I tried using the first time I rode a broom, but I passed out pretty quick. After that I used the one at the end of our first year, when we won the House Cup."

"When all of Gryffindor dog-piled on us?" She smirked, and Harry shrugged.

"Hey, it was a good night."

"Oh, I agree." She laughed again, resting her head on his shoulder. "I really enjoyed being Gryffindor's hero for a bit."

"You still are." Harry insisted, gently wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I think you claimed that title when you killed a fifty-foot basilisk with a sword." She looked up at him, eyebrows raised. "So that's the one that worked, then?"

"No, actually. I was out cold even longer after that one." Harry sighed, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Do you remember at the end of last year, after you got out of the Hospital Wing? And, you know, you and I had that hug? In the Great Hall?"

Hermione perked up instantly, and gave him the most dazzling smile he'd ever seen on her. "Of course I remember that, Harry." She blushed. "I don't think I'll ever forget it."

"Me neither." Harry half-whispered. Hermione's smile widened, and she resumed leaning on his shoulder, her hand dragging down his arm until it found his hand.

"So…I'm your happiest memory?" She finally whispered after a long pause. Harry chuckled to himself before squeezing her hand.

"Don't let it go to your head." He teased as she lifted her head and gazed at him. He felt himself blush the longer she stared at him, and he began observing her eyes as they glimmered in the firelight. The gorgeous shade of brown he frequently found himself transfixed by was absorbing the warm yellow glow of the fireplace, creating an enchanting hue that made his heart flutter.

Hermione blinked suddenly, ripping him away from his thoughts. She gave him a shy smile as she resumed staring at him, and Harry returned it.

"I think you're my happiest memory too." She said after a while.

"Which one?"

"All of them." She answered automatically, and they both blushed.

"Harry!" A voice suddenly boomed from behind the couch. The boy in question groaned and tried to hide behind the cushions, but he heard heavy footsteps approaching and knew it would be in vain. Any and all traces of a good mood vanished into thin air.

"Hello, Wood." He sighed. "Look, if you're going to ask about – "

"Do you know when McGonagall's going to give you back the Firebolt?" He interrupted, bouncing up and down in anticipation at the thought of his star Seeker on the best broom in the world.

"She said I'll get it back just in time for final exams." Harry muttered, and Wood paled.

"What?"

"One of these days you're going to learn what sarcasm is, Wood, and the world will be a much better place." Harry mumbled, running his hands through his hair. "She says I'll get it back when it's ready. I don't know, give it a couple of weeks."

"Oh…alright." The captain mumbled before lumbering away. "Practice on Saturday evening!" He called out over his shoulder. Harry groaned again, and Hermione gave him an apologetic smile, planting a kiss on his temple.

"You did the right thing, Harry. I was impressed. I thought you were going to start flying around it in the common room right away." She said softly, cupping his cheek with her hand.

"Me too." He kept his eyes on the fireplace, dejection washing over him like the world's most depressing tidal wave. "Still…I miss flying a real broom." He sighed. "I know it's pathetic to say that, with everything going on, but I – "

"Harry Potter, nothing about you is pathetic. Except maybe your note-taking in History of Magic, but I can excuse that." She giggled to herself. "Flying is something you're passionate about. You shouldn't ever feel bad about that. You've never let me feel bad about my passions, right?" She gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Thanks." He whispered, feeling his dour mood evaporate. He turned to face her, and instinctively broke into a smile, one that she happily reciprocated. He found himself looking back into those eyes, almost drowning in them as they refused to let him look away.

"Have you finished the Ancient Runes assignment?" She asked. Harry blinked, returning to the real world.

"Oh…yeah, actually, I did." He said proudly.

"Did you really?" Hermione couldn't hide her surprise.

"Yeah, I found myself kind of getting lost in class today, and I knew you had to get to Muggle Studies, so instead of bothering you I stayed after class to go over it with Professor Babbling. She was actually really helpful. She walked me through what we did in class and after that the homework was rather easy." He grinned in satisfaction. "Plus, I didn't know how long the lessons with Lupin were going to take so I got it all finished while you were in Muggle Studies." Hermione just stared at him, biting her bottom lip.

"You…stayed behind to talk to a professor? On your own accord?" She asked, her eyebrows creeping up towards the ceiling. "About schoolwork?" Harry nodded uneasily, and Hermione gave him a mischievous-looking smile. "And you got all your homework done on your own?"

"Erm…yes?" Harry said awkwardly. "Why? Is that – whoa!" He cried out as Hermione launched herself at him, sending him onto his back as she bombarded his face with kiss after kiss.

"Harry." Lips. "Potter." Left cheek. "You." Right cheek. "Are." Nose. "So." Forehead. "Amazing." Lips again. "You." Crown of his head. "Brilliant." Forehead again. "Handsome." Nose again. "Prat." She pressed her lips against his once more, lingering much longer than the first two times. Harry was certain that as he closed his eyes he was entering a completely different dimension, his lips curling into a blissful smile as Hermione pulled away.

As he opened his eyes and saw a familiar face hovering over his, he was suddenly very grateful that he hadn't actually left this dimension. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the pleasure of seeing Hermione beaming at him, of feeling her quickened breaths heating up his chin.

"That was nice." He finally broke the silence, feeling rather dazed.

"Sorry." Hermione blushed, pushing herself into a sitting position so she wasn't lying on top of him. "I don't know what came over me."

"Whatever it is," Harry grinned as he sat upright, "you should do it more." He gave Hermione a quick kiss on the cheek before leaning into the couch cushions.

"Duly noted." She purred as she rested her head on his shoulder. Harry felt a swooping sensation of giddiness run through his body as he closed his eyes, feeling perfectly content.

A/N: Short and sweet, right? Anyway, I want to start this note by lamenting how I completely forgot to mention in the last chapter that the Cannons Keeper, Perseus Fitzwallace, is based on one of my favorite West Wing characters Percy Fitzwallace. The man just exudes coolness and authority. On to this chapter, I hope you guys enjoyed it. I had a relatively busy couple of days, since I started registering for college classes and a bunch of other stuff, so this is fairly short because time constraints and I am only human. Hear that, Val? I'm a human.

Anyway, to the unbelievable thoughtful and incredible individuals who leave reviews, who follow, who favorite, you guys are my world right now. So much has just completely utterly sucked for me the past few months, so it's amazing to see so many people truly enjoy what I have to write. Thank you all, and stay safe!