Magical Origins

Okay, I know the last chapter was a bit harsh, but you guys need to step back and think. This is a magical school where disputes are settled with magic. As you know, Quidditch is the magical sport in the magical world. To the students of Gryffindor and Slytherin, all they saw was Hermione sabotaging the game out of jealousy. For many of you who are die-hard sports fans, you know this is a stupid thing to do. It's like someone walking into a stadium or arena and starting nonsense. You know they're going to get their ass beat. Quidditch isn't something you can dismiss out of hand. Nor will you be forgiven. Hermione lives in a world of rules and no fun. She will learn to trust her friends more than the rules.

Year 3: The Patronus

Harry and Lily had something else to think about other than the return of their Firebolts. Professor Lupin was finally going to teach them how to fight Dementors.

To say they were both excited and nervous was an understatement. Lily was shocked when Harry told her about the sudden addition of lessons. She couldn't argue against his reasons. Both of them suffered greatly when a Dementor got to near them.

Harry and Lily both met Professor Lupin in his classroom on Thursday, just before eight o'clock. Two large chests could be seen shaking violently on the floor.

"Ah, good, you both have arrived." Professor Lupin said as he stood up from his desk, seemingly working on grading papers when they walked in.

"What is that?" Harry asks, looking at the two rattling chests.

"Boggarts." Professor Lupin answered. "One of the Boggarts during our first class lesson. The other I found the other day in Mr. Filch's broom closet. Dumbledore would never agree to have a Dementor inside the castle, and no Dementor would agree to be practiced on. This is the closest we're going to get to practice on a Dementor." Professor Lupin said as he sets down some chocolate.

"The spell I'm going to teach you both is way above N.E.W.T. standards. It's considered to be a Charm mastery spell. It is incredibly difficult to learn and even harder to master. It's called the Patronus Charm."

"What is that?" Lily asks.

"The spells conjure up a guardian. A Patronus to shield you from the Dementor. It can create a shield to protect you from the Dementor. An anti-Dementor if you will."

"What do they look like?" Harry asks eagerly.

"Each Patronus is different to the caster. Mine, for example," Lupin said as he waves his wand, and a silver animal appeared. "Is a wolf," Lupin said. Lupin turns to the two as his Patronus disappears. "A Patronus appears based on your strength of character and what type of animal you have," Lupin said softly.

"Do Animagus also have the same Patronus as their animagus form?" Harry asks.

"Not always. But most of the time, yes. Why?"

"Just thinking of Professor McGonagall." Harry lied though Harry wouldn't be lying if he was imaging a giant size, Hagrid wielding a large club standing in front of him.

"Now this spell is to have the Dementor focus on your Patronus and not on you. The Patronus guards you, and as you feed into it, it protects you from the Dementor. Now it's not easy, as you have to stay focus on the task at hand. The easy part is summoning the Patronus. The harder part is keeping the Patronus active."

"What do you mean, Professor?" Harry asks.

"You have learned in your first year when you cast spells, you have to understand the logic behind the spells," Lupin said.

"It's what you intend for the spell to be. It's a basis for keeping both spiritual and mental focus right." Lily said.

"That's an excellent way of putting it. Yes, as you intend for a spell to take effect, it comes from three things — Spirit, Mind, and Heart. Knowing the incantation alone isn't enough. Your mind has to be focused, you must also have the spirit to cast as well as the intent for its effect. For the Patronus charm, this is very true. You see, it won't just work if you say the incantation. You also have to focus on the spells' true power."

"What is that?" Lily asks.

"Your memory," Lupin said.

"Come again?" Harry said in confusion. Lily looked equally bewildered.

"You see, for you to properly channel into the Patronus, you must focus on your memory. Your happiest memory you can think of; the stronger the memory, the more powerful the Patronus. Unless you focus on that memory itself, the Patronus will fail."

"Okay," Harry said slowly.

"Now think of a memory, a memory that makes you happy beyond imagination," Lupin said.

Harry and Lily both closed their eyes. They were thinking of a memory that made them happy.

For Lily, she was focused on when she burned Malfoy. It brought a smile to her face.

For Harry, he was using the memory of when he taken to the air for the first time.

"You ready?" Lupin asks as he notices their smiles on their faces.

They nod their heads.

"Now the incantation is Expecto Patronum! Say it until it feels natural." Professor Lupin said.

They did so several times until they felt they could say it without stuttering.

"Good, now practice the spell. Focus hard on your memory and say the incantation."

Harry and Lily both raised wands and said the incantation. After nearly a minute of doing so, they were finally able to produce silver mist.

"Excellent," Lupin said, beaming at them. "Now face your respective chest and get ready to face your boggart. The effects won't exactly be the same, but you should be able to face your Dementor."

Harry and Lily took a deep breath before turning to face their chests.

"Ready," Lupin asks as he waves his hand over the chest.

The Dementors rose.

Harry and Lily shouted the spell twice before they collapse.

"Up you get," Lupin said as he helps the two get up.

"That didn't go so well," Lily said.

"No, it didn't. Truth is I wasn't expecting you two to do it your first try. I would have been astonished had either of you had succeeded." Lupin admitted.

Harry and Lily said nothing as they slowly ate their chocolate.

"Just out of curiosity, what memory were you two using?" Lupin asks.

"When I burned Malfoy," Lily said.

Lupin stares at her.

"I like burning him," Lily said with a shrugged shoulder.

"I don't think that's a good memory," Lupin said slowly. "What about you, Harry?"

"First time, I rode a broom."

"That's not good enough. Not nearly good enough." Lupin said. "Focus on another memory. A happier memory."

Harry took a deep breath as he focuses on when he bested Lily in a duel. He always felt smug and happy about that.

Lily remembers when Gryffindor won the House Cup, how happy she was when she crushed Slytherins recorded.

Both stood ready as Lupin looks on.

With a wave of his wand, the chest open, and the Dementors rose up.

"Expect Patronum!..." Harry shouted before he fell unconscious again, with Lily following him shortly after.

"This is very difficult. Perhaps you two aren't ready…" Lupin said once they were sitting down again, eating chocolate.

"We have to learn, Professor," Harry said in an instant.

"I understand that, but this charm is advanced. Perhaps we should…"

"Give us one more go," Lily said.

Harry racked his brains and knew perhaps his best memory was what he did with Artemis in his bed. If that memory wasn't good enough, he wasn't sure what memory every would be.

Lily knew her best memory was the day of her awakening. The feeling was astonishing for her. If that wasn't enough, then she didn't know what was.

"Ready?" Lupin asks.

Harry nods his head as did Lily.

Lupin slowly opens the chest as the Dementors rose.

"Expecto Patronum!" They shouted.

This time, a powerful silver mist formed, not an animal, but it was strong enough to produce vapor in both their wands, powerful enough to push the faux-Dementors back.

Lupin smiles and lets out a laugh as the Dementors were push back into their chests.

"That was wonderful," Lupin said as he closes the chest.

"Can we go again?" Lily asks.

"Afraid not, you've had enough for one night. Any more risk of exposure and Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood." Lupin said.

"We were able to repel the Dementors, but we couldn't produce an animal," Harry stated calmly.

"Even so, you two should be proud. Not many of your age can produce a Patronus Charm. We'll continue to have lessons, but you should practice on the charm on your own regardless."

They nod their heads as they took a bite of chocolate.

Harry and Lily said nothing as they left the classroom and walked in silence. Nothing was said when they parted ways, Lily heading to the seventh floor, while Harry headed towards the dungeons.

Harry and Lily had little time to practice the Patronus Charm. With the second Quidditch match underway, both Harry and Lily were forced to train with their teams. They also didn't have much time to talk to one another.

Slytherin would be taking on Ravenclaw while Gryffindor would be taking on Hufflepuff. For Gryffindor, it was a must-win situation, or they would be out of the InterHouse Quidditch Cup again. Hufflepuff for once was also looking strong as they hope to win the Cup for the first time in years. Their victory over Ravenclaw had put them in second place for the Cup. If Hufflepuff won, they would have a huge advantage in securing the cup.

Before Harry realized it, the match against Ravenclaw had arrived.

Harry puts on his robes and calms his breathing. He slips his wand into his holster. Even though it was illegal and he had an assurance that the Dementors wouldn't come on the grounds again, and Harry was feeling less than charitable when it came to believing in the schools' security considering past experiences.

Harry flew around the pitch on his Firebolt.

Ravenclaw, it seemed, was very worried as they knew first hand that a Firebolt was no joke on the Quidditch field. They may be riding Nimbus Two Thousand and Ones, but they might as well be riding junk brooms.

"Welcome to the second match of the season against the Brilliant Ravenclaw's and the cheating Slytherins!"

"Jordan!" Professor McGonagall shouted.

"Sorry, Professor," Jordan said, not sounding sorry at all.

Harry took his position and took notice of the Ravenclaw Seeker. The only girl on the team and she was incredibly cute. Asian descent, but she had great beauty to her.

Harry lines up and quickly settles his Firebolt down. He was itching to take off with it.

"Captain's shake hands." Madam Hooch said as she made her presence known.

Harry shook Roger Davies's hand and quickly let go. While Slytherin were well hated throughout the school, Harry wanted to be the start of the new Slytherins. Make the house be proud of what they did.

"Madam Hooch releases the Quaffle… and the game begins!"

Harry shot forward like a rocket, grabbing the Quaffle before the Ravenclaw chaser had a chance to grab it. By the time Ravenclaw had turned around, Harry had shot off at full speed towards the goal post.

Grant Page, the Ravenclaw Keeper, moves to intercept Harry, but Harry had released the Quaffle and scored.

"Potter scores, making it ten to nothing. Guess it does help to have a Firebolt. Okay, Ravenclaw back in position…"

But Harry was moving across the pitch at high speed as the Ravenclaw Chasers were having a hard time getting the Quaffle past the middle. Harry was proving to be a real demon on the pitch. Attacking their chasers who had the Quaffle, even stealing the Quaffle multiple times.

Within ten minutes into the game, Slytherin was leading 160 to nothing. Harry had scored almost all the goals.

At this point, the Slytherins were screaming themselves hoarse. It was already clear as day, Slytherin had won. Unless Ravenclaw had a trick up their sleeve allowing them to catch up, then it wouldn't matter even if they caught the snitch. Slytherin had too big of a lead.

Roger Davies called a timeout ignoring the chants made by the Slytherins. Many whom were acting as they had already won the InterHouse Quidditch Cup.

"Damn it, Harry, whoever gave you the Firebolt, you should thank them. They can't touch our Keeper." Blaise said as the team sits down in the pit.

"Hate to say it, but you're overpowering them. Perhaps you should rest, if you tire yourself out, then it could be problematic when you need to rest." Daphne said.

Harry turns to Tracy.

"Do you think you can catch the snitch soon?" Harry asks her.

"Chang is stopping me from getting near the Snitch. She keeps blocking my path. She's marking me." Tracy said.

"Then lead her through the game. Show her if you play with fire, then the fire will return the favor. Have our beaters take her out of the game. Or you could try to do a feint on her." Harry said.

"That might work," Tracy admitted.

"You think Ravenclaw is giving up?" Draco asks.

"Naw, they're going to change their strategy. Most likely spread out and keep the Quaffle moving instead of Davies keeping it like he normally does. He knows he doesn't stand a chance as long as I'm in the air." Harry stated calmly.

"It doesn't matter, at this point we're completely dominating the match. Unless they catch the snitch soon, we'll be in first place at the end of the day. No other team has a chance to keep up and win against us." Harry said as he drinks his bottle. He grabs his broom and takes off. The rest of the team drinks and takes to the air.

Ravenclaw was stuck in a hard place. Their only hope was to catch the snitch quickly. It was clear that Harry was too skilled and having the best broom was a problem Ravenclaw wasn't sure how they could respond. Roger Davies, normally Ravenclaw's star chaser, but even he couldn't outrun Harry.

"Keeper Grant Page passes to Captain Roger Davies. Davies ducks a bludger and moves up, Potter is moving back into position." Lee Jordan called out.

However, Roger Davies passed to Jeremy Stretton as the beaters, Jason Samuels and Duncan Inglebee, hit the bludgers at Harry; forcing Harry away from their Chasers.

"Stretton shoots, Stretton scores! A hundred and sixty to ten. It looks like Ravenclaw is not out of this game yet, come on Chang catch the snitch…"

Daphne passes to Harry, who takes off like a rocket and dodges the bludgers. By the time the Ravenclaw chasers realized what had just occurred, Harry was speeding ahead with them pushing their brooms to the max in hopes of catching up.

"Potter shoots… Potter Scores." Lee Jordan groans. "Okay, it's a hundred and seventy to ten. It's not over yet, just two more goals, and if Chang catches the snitch, Ravenclaw will win." Lee Jordan shouted. "Grant Page passes to Captain Roger Davies… oh no. Hit head-on by a bludger."

Roger Davies had dropped the Quaffle. His teammates were moving to recover the Quaffle, but Harry was faster. Harry grabs it, and Grant Page had a look of terror on his face the moment Harry closed it.

The gong sounds again signally that Harry once again scored.

"The score is now a hundred and eighty to ten." Lee Jordan said with a groan.

Ravenclaw was starting to push back.

They missed three shots, but their new tactics enabled them to score four more times. The Ravenclaw Beaters were doing all they could to keep Harry away from the Quaffle. However, this allowed Blaise and Draco to score four times from their inattention.

Suddenly some of the Ravenclaw players gasped out loud. Three Dementors had appeared, right at the bottom of the stands!

It was strange that they were nearby, yet he didn't feel anything. That didn't stop Harry as he whips out his wand and shouts, "Expecto Patronum." Something substantial, rushed at the Dementors. Harry didn't pay attention to it. His mind went back to the game.

"Has Davis…Yes, she's moving in on the snitch." Jordan called out as Roger Davies looks up in horror to realize that Cho was far behind.

Duncan Inglebee and Jason Samuels, the Ravenclaw Beaters, fired the Bludgers at Tracy. Tracy does a barrel roll in midair and pulls up from her dive. The snitch caught firmly in her hands.

Everyone in Slytherin was screaming itself hoarse.

It had to be a record. No Hogwarts team has ever pulled ahead by such a massive amount of points.

The game ended, Slytherin had won three hundred and seventy to fifty. It had to be Ravenclaw's worst defeat. It had to be any team's worst defeat.

Hufflepuff had to be sweating, realizing they had to play Slytherin next. Hufflepuff also knew they weren't as good as Ravenclaw, and Slytherin had flattened them.

The whole of Slytherin house had run down to the pitch and was lifting the Quidditch players on their shoulders.

All dignity had been lost as Slytherin knew for a fact they would win the InterHouse Quidditch Cup.

They had pulled in first place with over Six Hundred and Ten Points. That was near twice the amount Gryffindor currently had.

It was at that moment Professor Lupin walked up.

"The Dementors didn't affect me at all," Harry said in an excited tone of voice.

"That's because they weren't Dementors," Lupin said with a smile. "Come see," Lupin said as he leads Harry towards the edge of the pitch.

Ron Weasley, Seamus Finnigan, and a fourth-year who's named Harry did not know were all struggling to get out of black robes that were too big for them. Standing over them was Professor McGonagall.

"Detention all of you. I will speak to Professor Dumbledore about this make no mistake. Ah, and here he comes now." Professor McGonagall shouted.

Harry laughs at Ron, rather unsuccessful attempts to get out of his cloak.

Draco comes over and doubles over as he laughs at Ron Weasley.

"Party, Slytherin Common Room!" Draco shouted as the Slytherins all left the pitch in high spirits.

The party went on all night. Snape had to come in late to tell everyone off to bed.

Only for him to come back and have them march back up the Great Hall once again.

Sirius Black had attacked Gryffindor Tower.

Current Quidditch Standings

Gryffindor - 330 Pts Second Place

Hufflepuff - 220 Pts Third Place

Ravenclaw - 200 pts Fourth Place

Slytherin - 610 pts First Place

Match 3 still to come.