3 Chapter 18: Patronus Lessons
Hermione and Ron had ceased speaking to each other much to Alexis and Harry's dismay. It caused a great strain in the four Gryffindors' friendship and Alexis and Harry found themselves swapping between friends, Alexis with Ron while Harry was with Hermione or visversa. It was truly bothersome to the two best friends seeing as it cut into their time spent with each other. Luckily, their fellow students finally returned and classes started again as usual, leaving Hermione and Ron little time to avoid each other.
Quidditch practice had also picked up again. Alexis and Harry had both agreed not to tell Wood they received Firebolts on Christmas but had informed him that they had brooms coming in. During practice the two used the school's old brooms which were wobbly at best and never flew as straight as Alexis would like. Not to mention, the old brooms were snails compared to the Firebolts Alexis and Harry had hidden under their beds.
But neither Quidditch nor classes could compare to when Remus told the two best friends their anti-Dementor lesson would be beginning Thursday at eight-o-clock. Alexis was so giddy about this that she completely ignored the fact that her flobberworm had decided to attach itself to her shoe- or at least she did until the entire class's flobberworms clung to her as if she was their nurturing mother.
"At least that was entertaining," grumbled Ron as the class was dismissed. Hermione had run off already to make her next class. "Since the first lesson, Hagrid's class has been so bor-"
Harry politely hit Ron in the ribs with his elbow.
"I'll admit, flobberworms are pretty boring," said Alexis with a sigh as she finished getting the last of the flobberworm slime of her shoes. "But they're so adorable!"
Harry and Ron shared a look. Alexis didn't have to read their minds to know what they were thinking.
"I'm not crazy, you-"
"Detention, McPherson," snapped the slippery voice of Snape. He had finally ceased avoiding Alexis and now had started antagonizing her endlessly once again.
"Yes, professor," Alexis replied sarcastically. She wasn't even going to bother asking what the detention was for this time. She had a feeling it was to force her into helping him make another batch of Wolfsbane. "Can't waiting."
Snape scowled but continued down the hall in a wave of black.
"What crawled up his arse and died?" asked Ron.
Simultaneously, Alexis and Harry replied, "Flobberworms."
.
Just before eight, Alexis and Harry reached the History of Magic classroom. Remus had decided it would be the best place for them to practices seeing that it was the largest classroom. Remus was already inside, standing beside a large packing case.
"Hello!" said Remus cheerfully, despite still looking a little ill from his last transformation. "Had trouble finding the classroom, did you?"
"Sorry professor," apologized Harry but Alexis knew Remus was only jesting. She stuck her tongue out at him causing a humorous smile to slide across his face.
"Ready you two?" He asked. Both Alexis and Harry nodded. "Inside here is another Boggart. 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 you, Harry, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like."
"Wish I had a cupboard," Alexis mumbled, trying to lighten the mood. Her giddiness had subsided. She wasn't very comfortable with facing another Boggart at the moment especially after the trouble the last one had caused but she couldn't deny it was a better choice than a real Dementor.
"So..." said Remus, taking out his own wand. "The spell I am going to try and teach you two is highly advanced magic - well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."
"How does it work?" said Harry nervously.
"Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus," said Remus, "which is a kind of anti-Dementor - a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor.
"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, both of you, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it."
"What does it look like?" asked Alexis, curiously. "The Patronus, what does it look like?"
"Each is unique to the wizard casting it. Usually it is your familiar or Animagus form."
Alexis couldn't help but to picture a Chimera roaring at a Dementor and the watching the Dementor flee. It made a smile slip on her face.
'Focus, Hex,' reprimanded McPherson, half heartedly.
"The Patronus," continued Remus, "can only be conquered with an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."
"Okay," breathed Harry. He seemed to be just as nervous as Alexis.
"The incantation is this -" Remus cleared his throat. "Expecto patronum!"
"Expecto patronum," Alexis and Harry repeated, "expecto patronum."
"Concentrating hard on your happy memory?"
Alexis closed her eyes. Her happy memory was her and McPherson sitting in their living room. She could hear him reading her favorite story from The Tales of Beedle the Bard...
'There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight...'
"Expecto patronum!" cried Alexis and Harry together.
A wisp of silvery smoke left the end of Harry's wand as Alexis felt a strange tingling sensation travel down her arm. Her Chimera tattoo seemed to be the cause of the sensation as it raced towards her hand. Just as it reached the bottom of her wrist a similar wisp to Harry's appeared briefly in her hand before evaporating away.
"Wow," Alexis whispered.
"I did it," breathed Harry, his eyes on his wand and nothing else.
"Very good," said Remus, smiling. "Right, then - ready to try it on a Dementor?"
The two best friends looked at each other before nodding.
"Right then- Harry, you'll have to stand in front of Alexis so the Boggart takes the right form. Ready?"
Alexis nodded her head once more but couldn't help but to bite her lip. She didn't want to hear those voices in her head again. She didn't want to hear the voices like last time.
'I'm here for you,' whispered McPherson, easing Alexis nerves.
Remus began opening the packing case. Harry tightened his grip on his wand. Alexis took a deep breath.
'Focus on me, Hex.'
A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward the two Gryffindors, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward them, drawing a deep, rattling breath. The coldness in the air was undeniable...
"Expecto patronum!" Alexis and Harry yelled but nothing happened.
Alexis felt her feet wobble as the Dementor drew closer to them. Her mind was racing for her happy memory but she couldn't find it.
'Alexis!'
Tom McPherson's voice filled her ears and she closed her eyes, focusing on it solely.
"Alexis! Please!"
Alexis snapped open her eyes. The coldness was everywhere, even in her very bones, but Harry wasn't by her side. She wasn't even in the classroom anymore. She was standing in a field. A blackness was encircling her but slowly, as if it's attention was focused on something else. As her vision ceased to blur, she realized the blackness was a swarm of Dementors and their attention was in fact drawn to something else.
Cowering in a heap was a fragile red headed girl barely able to pull off being five or six years old. She was crying out for someone.
"Tom!"
"Alexis!"
Turning her attention to the new voice, Alexis caught sight of a boy who she could only bet was a teenaged McPherson from the photos Hagrid had given her at the end of her first year. He was running with his wand out but even Alexis knew he was too late. The Dementors moved closer towards the girl and coldness filled Alexis's very core. They moved for their hoods revealing...
"Alexis!"
Alexis blinked. She was back in the classroom, back in Hogwarts. Harry was sitting next to her slightly frazzled while Remus stood above both of them with chocolate.
"What happened?" Alexis asked, her voice hoarse for some reason. "Never mind, I think I know the answer to that."
"Yeah," said Harry. "Professor Lupin said we could try again, though."
Alexis merely took the chocolate from Remus and sat down again. She watched as Harry tried three more times to cast a Patronus but her mind was elsewhere.
She had fallen into one of McPherson's memories, that she knew for a fact.
'But you're dead,' she thought.
'I know,' was McPherson's reply. It was his only reply in fact, leaving Alexis to ponder what had happen on her own.
She joined Harry in the last attempt at casting a Patronus, Harry's far better then hers, before realizing just how horrible exhausted she was.
"Excellent!" praised Remus after returning the Boggart to the packing case. "Marvelous job the two of you."
"Harry was the one that did excellent," said Alexis. "I feel like my bones are frozen."
"Yes, well, James was always better at Patronuses," said Remus offhandedly.
Harry's head snapped up.
"You knew my dad?"
"I- I did yes," said Remus rubbing the back of his neck. "We were friends at Hogwarts."
"Oh," said Harry, softly.
There was a strange pause between the three of them before Remus gave the two third years two large bars of Honeydukes chocolate. He ordered they eat all of it or else Madame Pomfrey would have his head before saying goodnight and dismissing them.
"Do you," started Harry as they made their way back to the Gryffindor Tower. "Do you think he knew Black?"
Alexis leaned softly against her best friend. He pushed back playfully, breaking the seriousness that had grown with facing a Dementor.
"No more than anyone else at Hogwarts," she said of handedly but she wasn't convinced. She wasn't stupid. Alexis had figured out who the friend Remus never mentioned was and she knew it was Sirius Black. It was the only thing that made sense seeing that he never mentioned him by name.
"You can always ask him," suggested Alexis.
Harry hummed softly, "Maybe."
In comfortable silence, the two best friends made their way back to the Tower, their bellies full of chocolate and their minds racing to understand all that had happened.
Absolutely dreadful chapter but I really need to post and tell you people I'm not dead. Sorry I'm taking so long! I'm finishing college applications that have taken almost all my time but I'm nearly finished so bare with me! I will be posting more but December is when I'll probably have a constant flow of chapters coming in.
Anyway, onto more pressing (sorta) matters
First, I just want to say It literally killed me to type Patronuses instead of Patroni (#Latin student probs)
I also want to ask for all of you to tell me what you think Harry's Patronus should be. I really think the buck was to much of his father's thing and that he needs something of his own. Plus, he's Harry Potter, he needs something more Harry Potterish, don't you think? Opinions very welcomed!
And reviews:
RANDOM COOKIE NINJA: I'm glad you like Sirius caring for them both equally! Yeah, Alexis is in for a surprise when everything is revealed to her!
mwinter1: wish I could have updated faster, sorry lovely
phoenixfelicis07: The Black blood is in there most definitely! I'm glad you like Grim and the socks Dumbledore gets for Christmas. I promise you, Harry's relationship with Sirius will not be hindered now that he has to share the love with Hex; in fact, it might be even bigger seeing that I plan to have more Siriusness in this series than the original HP. And don't worry, things shall get very real soon
NeverBeyondRedemption: Sorry on the late update! Wood is gonna be having a field day when he finds out about the Firebolts which is exactly why I thought Hex and Harry should keep it a surprise for him. I'm glad you liked the Hufflepuff and Slytherin relationship too!
Luna the HP fan: the Sirius joke made me laugh and I'm glad to know you enjoyed the socks as much as I did. I really was disappointed that never happened in the real series. I'm also glad you like the Christmas gift! Thanks!
caring16: I was very distracted by the word cheese in your review but after my laughing subsided I couldn't agree with you anymore! Hope this meets your standard!
Kuroi-Akuma-no-Okami: Updated! (Dodges whatever item you throw at me for being a smartalec)
jessica02: This is as soon as I could, sorry!
Ingrid: I'm sorry! I hate it when I don't update weekly! So much dishonor! I apologize lovely!
Alia: thank you! I'm working hard to keep Hex unMary-Sueish but it's tough! As for a Hex/Draco that's a no, no matter how adorable their babies would look. Sorry, no cousin/cousin allowed. I'm glad you notice the friendship between Harry and Alexis because that's all Alexis sees there too (recommended that you read between lines on that) but both Alexis and Cedric are only in a brother/sister relationship much to Cho's dismay. As for the next book, I feel like it will be original and focus more on Alexis as an individual instead of as Harry's best friend but I'm not going to answer that on the account I want a few surprises. Thanks for the questions! Ask if you have anymore!
Guest: Updaaaaaate! Done...
Thanks again for the reviews guys and sorry I took so long! Bare with me and I'll make it worth it!
Please review and give me your opinion!
DCF