I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANYTHING AFFILIATED WITH IT. I ONLY OWN DEVYN AND HER PARENTS.

Chapter 22

A couple weeks had passed since Harry (and Devyn, although he didn't know that) found out that Sirius Black was Harry's godfather and that he supposedly sold James and Lily to Voldemort. Christmas break was now behind them and it was just a few days after the New Year.

Hermione, Ron, and Neville had all been utterly gob-smacked when Harry told them, and Devyn tried her hardest to look surprised. She didn't think Harry needed to know she had been eavesdropping on McGonagall, the Minister, and Madam Rosmerta as well – and he had wanted to tell them what he had heard, and he had every right to.

All in all, Devyn thought he was taking it all very well. He had been a little broodier as of late, and his resolve to learn the Patronus Charm increased about tenfold, but other than that, he was behaving pretty normally. It was more than Devyn could have hoped for. She was still struggling with in the internal fight of whether she was doing the right thing, concealing the fact that she had seen Black on the grounds that night.

This is ridiculous, she told herself, after she had weighed the pros and cons of keeping it to herself once again. I'm doing what I think is best. If Harry knows that Black's wandering around the grounds somewhere, he might try and go looking for him. That's the last thing that he needs right now.

After that, Devyn resolved that she was doing the right thing and she wasn't going to think about it anymore. Luckily, both she and Harry found a suitable distraction from their thoughts when Moony informed the two of them after class one day that they would be meeting that night for their first Patronus lesson, if they were still interested, that was.

"Of course we're still interested, Professor!" Harry said, his eyes full to bursting with furious determination. Moony had smiled gently and nodded his head.

"Just making sure, Harry," Moony said softly. Harry bowed his head and muttered an apology. "It's quite alright, Harry. Both your father and your mother used to get the same way when they were determined to do something."

Moony cast a searching gaze over Harry for a moment; he was probably dealing with the emotions that the thought of James and Lily evoked. He nodded decisively within seconds and said, "Very well. Meet me in the Astronomy classroom at, let's say…6 o'clock."

Devyn and Harry nodded and left the DADA classroom, and caught up with Ron, Hermione, and Neville.

That night, Harry and Devyn left Gryffindor Tower and headed for the Astronomy classroom. Once they finally finished the lengthy trek up to the tower that they frequented so often for their Astronomy classes and entered the spacious classroom, they saw Moony standing on a stair landing a little way above them.

"Harry…Devyn…there you are. You came," Moony said. Devyn resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the surprised tone in her godfather's voice and Harry just nodded shortly.

"Now are you sure about this?" Moony asked. Devyn nodded right away, as did Harry, but Moony continued making sure. "You know this is very advanced magic, well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level."

"I'm sure we can handle it, Moony."

Moony smirked and quirked an eyebrow at her. Devyn really did roll her eyes this time but decided to humor him; she knew what this was about. Moony had told her, what seemed like forever ago now, that she was only to call him by his nickname if it was just the two of them.

"Fine, fine. I'm sure we can handle it, Professor. Happy?" Devyn grumbled. Moony smiled and said, "Yes, thank you."

Devyn looked at Harry with a deadpan expression, as if to say 'do you see what I have to deal with?', although all three of them knew that she was only joking; she loved her godfather beyond all measure.

"I'm sure," Harry confirmed. Moony nodded and said, as he started walking down the stairs to the level they were on, "Well, the spell I'm going to try to teach you is called the Patronus Charm. Did you ever hear of it?"

Harry shook his head, but Devyn felt it would have been pointless for her to nod. Moony already knew that she knew about it. This was purely for Harry's benefit.

"No? Well," Moony said. "A Patronus is a kind of positive force, and for the wizard who can conjure one, it works something like a shield, with the Dementor feeding on it rather than him." Moony moved over to the chest on the table, and leant up against it. "But in order for it to work, you have to think of a memory. And not just any memory; a very happy memory, a very powerful memory."

While Moony explained this to Harry, Devyn had been looking around at the candles that surrounded them. They were kind of weird, but really quite cool. They were in the shape of the human vertebrae, and seemed to have small black Roman numerals written on them.

The only reason she wasn't keeping her eyes on Moony was because she already knew the theory of the Patronus and had already thought of a memory. She had gone through her memories until she found one that made her feel happy and safe and warm inside whenever she thought of it; when she had been reunited with Moony for the first time in the orphanage.

She had thought he was only a figment of her imagination for so long, and to finally see him before her very eyes, a real, live person…well, that had made her happier than words could describe. The way he had held her, and called her 'my Devyn' still brought tears to her eyes even now.

If that didn't count as a happy memory, she didn't know what did.

However, when she heard Moony ask Harry if he thought he could think of a happy memory, she pulled her attention away from the spinal candles and focused on Moony.

"Both of you…close your eyes…" Moony said, his voice taking on a calming effect. His voice always had that effect on her, but now he meant for it to happen. She closed her eyes and listened to Moony as he walked around her and Harry.

"Concentrate…explore your past…" he said, walking slowly around Harry. "Do you have your memory? Allow it to fill you up…"

As she thought of how Moony smiled at her and held her close that day, she felt that happiness and emotion burst out of her heart. She couldn't wait to try the Patronus Charm…

"Lose yourself within it…" Moony said, now moving towards where Devyn stood. "Then speak the incantation: Expecto Patronum."

"Expecto Patronum…" Devyn and Harry said quietly.

"Very good," Moony whispered. The two of them opened their eyes and saw that Moony had walked back over to the chest and was now bent over it, poised to open it. "Shall we? Harry, you'll go first. Devyn, you come stand near me."

Devyn nodded and moved towards Moony. He was still watching Harry and said, "Wand at the ready."

Harry raised his wand and Moony waved his hand in front of the locks on the chest, performing a bit of wandless magic to unlock them. He looked up at Harry, and nodded minutely when he saw that Harry was ready. He lifted the cover of the chest and the Dementor burst out of it, in all its terrifying putrescence.

Moony and Devyn backed away slightly and they watched as Harry tried to fight the Dementor, which managed to blow out the candles as it advanced on him. Unfortunately, the dark creature proved too much for Harry, and he fainted dead away.

Moony forced the Dementor back into the chest as Devyn rushed to Harry's side. She tried waking him up and Moony joined her in her efforts when the Dementor was safely back in its container. After about fifteen seconds, Harry showed signs of coming around and Moony said, "Here we go. Come on, sit up…"

Harry blinked his eyes and sat up fully. He looked a little ashamed of himself for fainting, but he had absolutely nothing to be ashamed about.

"Deep breaths…" Moony said, as Harry looked up at him, slightly disoriented. "It'll be alright. I didn't expect you to do it the first time. That would have been remarkable." He reached into his sweater pocket and pulled out a bar of chocolate and broke off a piece and handed it to Harry. "Here. Eat this, you'll feel better."

Moony stood up as Harry bit into the chocolate and said, "That's one nasty Dementor."

"Oh, no, no, no," Moony said at once. "That was a Boggart, Harry. A Boggart…" He moved over to the candles and started relighting them. "The real thing would have been worse, much worse. As a matter of interest, what were you thinking?"

"The first time I rode a broom…" Harry answered. Moony turned around and looked at him.

"Well, that's not good enough, not nearly good enough…"

Devyn knew what Moony was trying to say, but the way he said could have been different. Harry looked away, both embarrassed and slightly annoyed. He walked towards one of the candles and started poking the small flame.

"There's another…it's not happy exactly…well, it is…it's the happiest I've ever felt. But it's complicated," Harry said.

"Is it strong?" Moony asked. Harry turned around to face them and nodded. "Then let's give it a try, after Devyn's turn. Now, you eat your chocolate and…Devyn, are you ready?"

Harry nodded as Moony turned to Devyn. However, a thought had occurred to her. "Er, Moony…because it's a Boggart…won't it…you know, take the shape of a Basilisk?"

"Hmm…I suppose it might, but do you fear the Dementors as well?"

"Yes. Every time they get close…I hear…I see…"

"It's alright. You don't have to tell me. I know whatever you see and hear are your worst memories. You don't need to tell me…"

Devyn fell silent and nodded. "I fear the Dementors because of what I see when they get close…"

"Focus on that…it may help the Boggart to take the shape of a Dementor…"

Devyn nodded and Harry stood up on shaky legs before moving off to the side. Devyn raised her wand and focused both on her happiest memory and her fear of Dementors as Moony opened the chest again.

Miraculously, instead of a Basilisk, a Dementor arose from the chest and Devyn felt a cold wave of fear rush through her, chilling her to the bone. But then she focused on the memory of reuniting with Moony, and it was like a white-hot flame had been lit in her. She could feel it giving her strength and she said loudly, "Expecto Patronum!"

Nothing happened, but she hadn't fainted yet. She refused to. The Dementor glided closer and closer to her with every passing second.

"Expecto Patronum!"

This time a small wisp of silvery gas escaped her wand tip. She felt another surge of strength run through her and she knew it was Snow, trying to help. With the strength of her memory and the spirit of the wolf running through her veins, she felt something powerful be birthed within her. And it howled.

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!" she bellowed. At last, a blindingly white light erupted from her wand and from that light, an enormous wolf walked forward and charged into the Dementor, forcing it back into the chest.

Seconds after, the Patronus vanished and Devyn felt the adrenaline leave her system, leaving her shaking like a leaf and her legs suddenly unable to support her weight. She sank to her knees, staring at her godfather, whose astonished expression she would have laughed at, if she weren't so astonished herself.

"Well done, Devyn! That was…that was…"

"Remarkable, I think you said it would have been, Professor," Harry chimed in, looking both envious that Devyn had successfully cast the Patronus and impressed that she had done so.

"Yes, quite. That must have been quite the memory you were thinking of…"

"It was," Devyn confirmed as Moony knelt down and gave her some chocolate. She looked up at him and said, "I thought of you. When we were, y'know, reunited…in the orphanage. I thought of the way you smiled at me, and hugged me…I have never been happier than that moment. Knowing I had family…that I wasn't alone anymore."

Moony smiled widely and hugged her tightly. Words seemed to escape him at the moment. After a few seconds, he released her and turned to Harry, who looked more determined than ever to succeed at this.

"Do you feel ready?" Moony asked Harry, who was now taking his place where Devyn had stood mere moments ago. Devyn stood up shakily and walked over to her original spot near Moony, nibbling on the chocolate, feeling her strength come back to her.

She might have cast the Patronus successfully (and achieved a corporeal Patronus) but she needed to be able to hold it like that for more than a few seconds.

"Just do it," Harry said, looking stonily at the chest, his wand pointed forward.

Moony once again released the Boggart-Dementor and it advanced on Harry, who was suddenly screaming the incantation, determined not to pass out again.

And then finally –

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A bright white light, however shapeless, exploded from Harry's wand, creating a funnel around the Dementor that it could not break. Moony looked up at the Dementor, which Harry was forcing back into the chest, a giant smile on his face, laughing, perhaps out of sheer amazement.

Finally, the Dementor was forced completely back into the chest and Moony slammed the lid shut.

"Yes!" Moony cheered. "Well done, Harry! Well done!"

"I think I've had enough…for today," Harry said, looking paler than ever before.

"Yes," Moony agreed. "Sit down." He handed Harry more chocolate and said, "Eat this, it helps, it really helps."

The three of them sat down on a short set of stairs a bit of ways away from the chest, which Moony cast a look over his shoulder at. "Just so you know, Harry, I think you would have given your father a run for his money. And that is saying something."

"I was thinking of him," Harry said, a small smile playing on his features. "And Mum. Seeing their faces. They were talking to me. Just talking. That's the memory I chose. I don't even know if it's real…but it's the best I have."

They all sat there for some time, discussing the Patronus. Devyn ended up having one more go, and although her Patronus was stronger and clearer this time, it still only lasted a few seconds. Moony told her that that was to be expected, and the fact that she had managed to produce a corporeal Patronus on her first try was incredible in and of itself, so she shouldn't be disappointed at all.

And she wasn't. She just wished that her Patronus lasted a little longer. But that's what practice was for. And she planned to practice at this harder than she had ever practiced at anything else.

Okay, I know that it's a little unreasonable that Devyn produces a corporeal Patronus her first time around, but that's just how I wrote it. I hope you guys don't have too much of a problem with it…

Well, as usual, leave a review and keep your eyes open for the next chapter. Thanks!