Chapter 31 The Patronus Charm

Hermione was making more of an effort to be with me, but Harry and Ron were both angry about her telling McGonagall about Harry's new broom.

I saw Wood and Harry talking the day classes started back up. And I walked up to them.

"I know," Harry was saying. "But McGonagall still wants to strip it down -"

Wood went pale. Harry must have told Wood about his Firebolt.

"You can borrow my broom until you get yours back." I offered.

Harry jumped a little. He didn't realize I had stepped beside him.

"I'm just a reserve, and if I absolutely need to play, I can just use one of the school brooms. Our Seeker needs to maintain his catch rate." I nudged Harry before walking off.

Hermione and I had a system down. When she needed to go somewhere to go to another class, I would walk her into the room and when I walked out she would be huffing outside the room. We were leaving Defense Against the Dark Arts when Lupin called me to him.

"Go on ahead," I nudged Hermione forward.

Harry walked by me and gave me a small smile. I took that as a victory and nodded back to him.

"How are you doing?" Lupin asked.

"I'm doing alright." I answered, a little cautious.

"I heard you went to the Malfoy's for Christmas." Lupin had a weird tone in his voice.

"I did. It was pleasant, but I hated how I felt like I was walking on my toes the whole time." I told him.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

I couldn't read Lupin's face.

"It's alright." I shrugged.

"I actually wanted to ask you, would you like to join Harry and I for his anti-dementor lessons?" Lupin cleared his throat before asking me.

"Is Harry alright with that?" I asked.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Lupin asked in confusion.

"We're… we're having a bit of a fight right now." I answered honestly.

"Are you? Why?" Lupin asked.

"Um… He found out that Sirius is his Godfather, and the reason he's an orphan." I answered, making my voice quiet.

Lupin dropped the book he was holding.

"What? How?!" Lupin asked.

"I don't know. I didn't even know about that, but he's angry at me for something I had no control over." I sighed.

Lupin looked at me, and I couldn't read his face. But he looked sad.

"I think you should take the lessons. We'll be in the History of Magic room at eight o'clock on Thursday." Lupin finally said.

"Okay, I'll be there." I smiled to him.

He nodded to me and I turned to leave the classroom.

"And what are you tutting at us for?" Ron was asking Hermione in an irritated voice.

"Nothing," Hermione said in a lofty voice, heaving her bag over her shoulder.

"Yes, you were," Ron said, "I said I wonder what's wrong with Lupin, and you -"

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Hermione suddenly had a look of superiority that even made me mad.

"No, Hermione, it isn't." I said, coming to the boys defense.

"If you don't want to tell us, don't." Ron snapped.

"Fine." Hermione said haughty and marched off.

"You were rude." I said as I went after her.

"It's obvious what's wrong with Professor Lupin." Hermione snapped at me.

"No it isn't." I rolled my eyes.

Hermione pulled me suddenly into an empty classroom.

"Cassie! Lupin's a werewolf!"

I had taken the next couple of days to just think and realize what Hermione had said to me. She had let me read her essay she had done when Snape assigned us the werewolf assignment, and everything made sense. Even the potion Snape was making for him.

Thursday morning I was eating breakfast with Hermione.

"Why did you tell me?" I finally asked her.

She paused, her fork just about to go into her mouth.

"I couldn't keep it to myself," she finally admitted.

I couldn't find any words to explain the feeling I had swelling inside my chest.

I was angry at Snape for giving us that assignment, it was not his place to teach us about werewolves.

I was sad for Lupin, it made sense why he was struggling.

I was disappointed with Hermione for 'needing' to tell someone.

I was frustrated at myself for not seeing it sooner.

"It was not your secret to tell." I finally said to Hermione.

She paused in her eating and then I saw the flash of guilt.

"Snape was one thing, there's clearly animosity between him and Lupin. But you? I'm disappointed with you." I said calmly, finishing my food.

Hermione didn't move for a few seconds, but she didn't try to talk to me the rest of the day.

We weren't talking about Lupin, but Hermione and I were talking about school courses. She had started to pile up her class books and homework in the common room, crowding one of the corners. I did make more of an effort to draw up baths for her so that she could relax at some point during her studying.

On Thursday, I left her in the common room and followed behind Harry to the History of Magic classroom. I must have gave him a bit of a fright because when he opened the door, he turned around and jumped when he saw me.

"What are you doing here?" He asked, walking in first.

"Lupin invited me for a lesson." I answered, sitting on top of a desk.

"Why?" Harry asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"He thought I could use a lesson too." I replied, falling back on the desks and relaxing.

There was a moment of silence.

"Why are you still mad at me?" I asked.

I didn't see Harry's reaction, but I gave him time.

"I don't know." He finally answered.

Before I could ask another, the door open.

I sat up and Lupin came in, carrying a large suitcase.

"What's that?" Harry asked as Lupin carried it to Binn's desk.

"Another boggart," Lupin stripped off his cloak.

"But it won't turn into a dementor for me?" I stated, Harry and I shared a look.

"No it won't, but I believe you should learn how to perform this charm as well." Lupin said, giving a satisfied pat to his chest before turning to us.

"Where did you find another boggart?" Harry asked.

"I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real dementor. The boggart will turn into a dementor when he sees Harry, so you'll be able to practice on him." Lupin explained.

"I still don't understand why I'm here?" I questioned, getting off the desk and walking towards Lupin so that the boggart wouldn't see me.

"You need to learn this incantation." Lupin said firmly, his tone indicating I wasn't to ask again.

I raised my hands and Harry gave a chuckle.

"So…" Lupin took out his wand and indicated that Harry and I should do the same. "The spell I'm going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."

"How does it work?" Harry asked, starting to look a little nervous.

"Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus," Lupin explained. "Which is kind of anti-dementor - a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor."

I nodded to Lupin when he looked at me. He was making sure I was paying attention.

"The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the dementor feeds upon - hope, happiness, the desire to survive - but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the dementors can't hurt it. But I must warn you two, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it."

"What does a Patronus look like?" I asked.

"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it." Lupin answered.

"And how do you conjure it?" Harry asked.

"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."

I bit my lip when I searched my mind for a happy memory. Thoughts of George crossed my mind, but I didn't know if it counted. So I settled for a memory of when Harry, Ron, Hermione and I were joking around by the fireplace.

"Got one." I said.

"Yeah, right." Harry sounded like he was rushed.

"The incantation is this - " Lupin cleared his throat. "Expecto Patronum!"

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry and I both said at the same time.

Harry said it a few more times while I focused on my memory of Hermione throwing her head back at a joke I had just told.

"Expecto Patronum!" I said, and I saw a small white foggy cloud come out of my wand.

"Very good, Cassie!" Lupin praised me.

I threw a smile at Harry who just kept repeating the incantation but nothing came out of his wand.

"Concentrating on hard on your happy memory?" Lupin asked, turning his head to see what I was looking at.

"Oh - yeah -" Harry nodded.

I gave a snort.

"Expecto patrono - no, patronum - sorry expecto patronum, expecto patronum -"

The same silver fog that came out of my wand also came out of his.

"Did you see that?" Harry asked in excitement, "something happened!"

"Very good," Lupin nodded, smiling at him. "Right, then - ready to try it on a dementor?"

"Yes." Harry nodded.

"Cassie, stay over there. We don't want it to change suddenly." Lupin gestured for me to stand behind the case.

"Okay." I nodded.

I headed that way and when I looked towards Harry, he looked nervous and he was biting his lip when Lupin wasn't looking.

Lupin suddenly opened the case and a dementor came out.

The lamps flickered in and out. Harry was getting the spell out, but something was happening to him.

He collapsed and Lupin stepped in front of the boggart, getting it to change into the full moon, and getting it into the case.

"Harry!" I was next to him a second later.

He jerked awake.

"Sorry," he muttered, sitting up.

"Are you alright?" Lupin asked.

"Yes…" Harry said, pulling himself up on a chair I had pulled towards us.

"Here -" Lupin handed Harry a Chocolate Frog and then handed me one.

"It's getting worse," Harry muttered, eating the Frog's head. "I could hear her louder that time - and him - Voldemort -"

I placed a hand on his arm.

"Harry," Lupin was paler than usual. "If you don't want to continue, I will more than understand -"

"I do!" Harry said fiercely, stuffing the Chocolate Frog in his mouth. "I've got to! What if the dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!"

"All right then…" Lupin said slowly. "You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on… That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough…"

Harry gave a nod and stood up. I walked back around behind the case again.

"Ready?" Lupin asked, getting ready to open the case.

"Ready," Harry nodded.

"Go!" Lupin opened the case, and Harry's boggart came out.

I started to chew on my lip as I watch Harry try to take on his boggart again. He didn't even get the spell out when he fainted again.

Lupin held a hand out to me and got the boggart back in the case.

"Harry!" I fell to my knees and started to tap his cheeks.

"Harry." Lupin got down on his other side.

Harry blinked his eyes open, but it took him a minute to be able to say anything.

"I heard my dad," Harry mumbled. "That's the first time I've ever heard him - he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it…"

I wiped away the tears from his face. He sat up and bent his face down and wiped his face.

"You heard James?" Lupin's voice sounded strange.

"Yeah…" Harry looked up at him, his face was dry. "Why - you didn't know my dad, did you?"

"I - I did, as a matter of fact." Lupin nodded. "We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry - perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced… I shouldn't have suggested putting you through this…"

"No!" Harry stood up. "I'll have one more go! I'm not thinking of happy enough things, that's what it is… Hang on…"

"Do you want to know what I think of?" I asked, standing up.

"What?" Harry asked, turning to me.

"I think of you, and Hermione and Ron." I said staring him in the eyes.

Harry blinked at that, his face growing a sheepish look.

"Having friends is my happy memory. So why don't you think of the memory of when you realized you weren't going back?" I suggested.

Harry blinked, and I saw a flash in his eyes and he nodded.

He nodded and he started to concentrate.

"Give him another go." I said to Lupin, walking back to the case to be behind it.

Lupin reluctantly followed, and he looked like he was regretting this.

"Ready?" He asked. "Concentrating hard? All right - go!"

Lupin pulled off the case and the room got cold again.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" Harry bellowed.

I watched him start to shake in his place, but after the third incantation, something silver shot out of his wand and got in between him and his dementor. I clapped my hands in excitement.

"Riddikulus!" Lupin suddenly roared.

Harry was able to sink into a chair, rather than falling to the ground. Lupin was getting his silver orb into the case. And I saw it what it really was, the full moon.

"Good job!" I said, rushing over to Harry for a third time that night.

"Excellent!" Lupin walked over to us. "Excellent Harry! That was definitely a start!"

"Can we have another go? Just one more time?" Harry asked.

"I think you should get some rest." I said.

"Not now," Lupin agreed firmly. "You've had enough for one night. Here -"

Lupin handed Harry the larger portion of a Honeydukes' chocolate bar, but he made sure I got some too.

"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?" Lupin asked.

"Okay." Harry nodded, taking a bite of the chocolate.

"Professor Lupin, if you knew my dad, you must've known Sirius Black as well?" Harry asked.

I paused in taking a bit of chocolate. Lupin turned quickly towards us.

"What gives you that idea?" Lupin asked sharply.

"Nothing - I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too…" Harry shrugged.

Lupin's face relaxed.

"Yes, I knew him." Lupin nodded. "Or I thought I did. You'd better be off, Harry, Cassie, it's getting late."

Harry and I left the classroom together. I kept my distance as we walked back to the common room.

"Why is your happy memory us?" Harry suddenly asked, pulling me behind a suit of armor.

"I'm sorry?" I asked, confused from the sudden change.

"Your happy memory. Why is it us?" Harry asked again.

"Oh." I sat down next to him on the plinth. "Even though we're fighting, you guys have always been there for me since our first day. We always sit by the fire and we do our homework, or we play wizard's chest. We make memories together and they make me happy." I explained.

We sat in silence for a bit longer.

"I hear my parents when I'm going against dementors." Harry finally opened up.

"How does that make you feel?" I asked.

"I don't know. I've never heard their voices before and now I have the chance. But it's only their last moments I hear." Harry sighed.

"That's terrible." I said.

Harry nodded, "a part of me wants to hear them, but another part of me doesn't."

"Harry." I stood up. "If you don't shut them out, you'll never be able to produce a proper Patronus." I put my hands on my hips.

Harry blinked a few times at that revelation.

"They're dead." He agreed, his voice stern. "They're dead and listening to echoes of them won't bring them back. I'd better get a grip if I want that Quidditch Cup!"

"That's the spirit!" I smiled at him.

He smiled back at me when he stood up.

We walked back to the common room, with his arm over my shoulders.

Finally! Harry's gotten over his anger for something Cassie can't control!

Shout out to Awritingbookworm for leaving a review!

Awritingbookworm: I did not write a chapter of what happened after. Sorry!

Y'all.

So I was writing to my heart's content, and I was trying to change something in the document. And I loST EVERYTHING. The rest of book 3, and the first 7 chapters of the fourth book. Don't worry though! I managed to get back the rest of book 3! It's safe! I've copied it! I'm keeping it! I gotta remember how to keep my cool. But... I only have the first 5 chapters of the fourth book. So I took a break and shot some psychos (played Borderlands 3). I'm working and recovering what I can from my memory.

This is the only reason why you're getting an update today. You'll still get the scheduled update on Saturday, I just had to be weepy for a second.