AN- No work to do today so you get another chapter. I've read all your reviews out to my best friend. She agrees that you guys are the best.
AGirlLostInTime: I don't like the age restriction on magic but Harry's a good boy and will try to listen. It's stupid how they test though. They mixed Dobbys magic up with Harrys. Its stupid. Anyway thanks for the review.
Thanks everyone for the reviews. Enjoy.
Chapter 33
"Hey Draco how are you?" Hermione asked as the blond came into the train compartment. "How was your holiday?" He had never been so late onto the train.
"My parents are getting their bond dissolved."
"What?" Ron asked; he was shocked.
"It's because of me."
Hermione asked. "What do you mean?"
"It's a divorce Hermione." Harry explained.
"Oh my! Draco why?"
The train began to move towards Hogwarts. "The snake. I was labelled a blood traitor by the heir of Slytherin himself. My father says I'm no longer allowed to be a Malfoy." He rubbed his face.
"That bastard." Hermione gasped.
"When I got home he demanded I stop being friends with you. All of you. I could only be friends with pure bloods. He said 'this Blood traitor nonsense has got to stop I don't think you know how bad it is on me'. I was petrified but he was worried about how bad it looked on him."
"That bastard." Hermione repeated.
"I argued that you were my friends and I weren't leaving you. He said if I don't he's disowning me. Then mother said if I'm not a Malfoy neither is she. They're separating the... the estate during the holiday. I have to move into Mothers family home. Father sold my broom."
"My dad was right to hate that man."
"So Draco… If you're not a Malfoy?"
"I guess I'll be a Black like mother." He shrugged; the weight of his parent's strife was heavy on his shoulders.
"That's not so bad." Harry insisted.
"But it proves they were right. Zabini and the others. I'm a blood traitor and my father doesn't want me anymore."
"Obviously your mother does." Hermione insisted. "She's willing to split with your father to keep you."
"That's better than having no parents at all." Harry agreed.
"I suppose your right."
Harry grinned. "Of course we are."
"We're always here for you Draco." Hermione hugged him. "Let your dad be a bastard all he likes; you have real friends. And your mother."
"I do have great friends." Draco made everyone smile. "So How was your Christmas? I really wanted to come."
"You'll come next year Dray. My Gran loved her present."
The train steamed through the country side. Oliver came in for a while, so did Luna, Ginny and Genevieve. Cedric came in for a moment to ask Harry if he was prepared to for the match next week. Harry smiled and assured him he was.
The room of requirement was full and buzzing with students from first year to seventh. All of them were looking up at Harry with eager faces as if the twelve-year-old was a real teacher.
Hermione reinvented the Galleons she used for the DA. Although they were not Galleons any more. They were a silver coin- a hole in the top turning it into a sort of charm. On the front was Wand and a Sword in front of a shield. On the back was a quill and dates. Initials sat on the back showed who was teaching the next class; they changed most days.
Harry made everyone sign a long piece of parchment for their coin. It was insurance. The names would glow if someone was unloyal or untrustworthy. That way Harry could keep an eye on everyone.
A good forty percent of the school had signed. The houses connected as the founders had wanted them to be.
"Okay everyone this is the hardest thing we have done yet. Pantrounusis? Patrounuses? Patrouni?" Harry thought hard what was the plural of Patronus. Eventually he gave up. "Today we will be beginning our lessons on the Patronus spell."
Harry smiled; his mind drifted to his first day at Hogwarts. Hermione, Ron and Draco all sitting around him. He let himself be absorbed in the feeling of homecoming as he cast the spell.
"Expecto Patronum." Sliver whips escaped from his wand pulling together to form a bird made out of silver white flames. Harry looked up confused as the bird soured around the room. The patronus is a physical representation of the soul… could it really change? His soul was no longer that of a stag; no longer a copy of his fathers. Harry supposed this new life had made him a new man; hence the phoenix rising from the ashes. The only real explanation.
Even Harry was amazed as the phoenix soared above the group and spread its wings in a sort of bow. Harry let the bird disappear and addressed the class.
There was an applause.
He nodded his thank you. "A full bodied patronus is a very difficult to produce; Many adults can't cast one. To even create the silver whips you saw at the beginning you need great concentration, patience and discipline."
"Merlin." Fred complained.
"To create a patronus you need a happy memory. The happiest you can find. You need it to fill every part of your body and magic. A Patronus is a physical representation of your soul. Just as an Animagus represents your personality. This is what makes both of them so difficult. You need this happy feeling to fill your very soul to create the spell."
He looked around at eager students. "Does anyone want to try first?"
Fred jumped up on stage; centre of attention as always.
"Okay Fred, Find your happy memory. You need to have been truly happy."
He nodded.
"Now push it into your magic." Harry took a breath of his own. "Now you need to keep concentration, really keep it Fred."
Fred nodded.
"When you're ready."
"Okay." A small smile filled his face; George's face was a mirror. Harry suspected their memory was a shared one. "Expecto Patronum." A small wisp of sliver came out and faded.
"Good going Fred."
"But I did-"
"This is too advanced to be taught before seventh year. Or so they say." Harry rolled his eyes. "It's a bloody difficult spell. You did fantastic…. Almost as well as I did."
"Damn you Potter." Fred frowned and jumped from the stage to nudge his brother.
"Okay now I want everyone to have a go. Keep practicing."
A week before the exams most of the students had at least silver wisps. Hermione had her otter, Ron his Jack Russell, Draco ironically had a ferret. The twins both had red (sliver wispy) panda's. Luna had a hare and both Quinnin Girls had song birds.
"Harry?" Cedric called the younger boy over. It was a few days into the patronus training. "I don't think this is right?"
"Show me."
"Expecto Patronum." Cedric cast the spell and out from his wand popped a wobbly little bumble bee. It began flying at a steady speed around the room trailing silver wisps behind it.
"No, that right."
"But you said it's to fight dementors; how can that tiny thing fight dementors?"
"Hufflepuffs." Harry rolled his eyes as he smiled. "Cedric that is your soul. That little bee. Dutiful, hardworking, loyal and determined. It seems pretty happy to be flying around like that. That's what patronus-" Harry stopped wondering what the plural was. "That's what it's for. It will work as well as anything else. Especially if your happy to see it."
Cedric didn't look impressed.
"Okay look, at Hermione and Luna. They love watching their animals play. It makes them happy. Dementors feed on negative emotion and the patronus gives them even more happiness to mask anything else. Gwen and Genevieve they both have their favourite animals. Do you understand?"
Cedric looked down at his wand and cast the spell again. The little bee came out and began bumbling around. "It's a little lame- but." He shrugged. "I guess it's not so bad."
"By the way; congratulations on making the team."
"Thanks Harry."
Harry tripped on a peacock as he walked over to a group of fourth year boys. "Owff."
"Sorry Harry." Percy ushered his patrouns away. Zana glared at the giant bird before chasing after one of the younger boy's mice. He was happy to use his patronus to play with the cat.
"Having trouble?"
"Kind of." The one guy admitted. "I don't know how everyone finds it so easy."
"Okay… did I mention that it doesn't have to be a real memory. It just needs to fill you with joy, happiness. You know."
"Umm alright."
Harry moved away as the boy pumped his fist. It wasn't a full patronus, not even close but he got a wisp and that was cause to celebrate.
AN- Tell me what you think. As always more coming as soon as I can. ~Tia.
