Disclaimer: I do not own anything classic of this story. Harry Potter and all of the notable characters belong to J.K. Rowling, aka, God. All original characters are copyright of me, however

Magnolia Crescent

Chapter Ten

Magic In The Air

"Are you sure about this, Harry? This is very powerful magic, very advanced magic," Lupin warned as he looked down at Harry.

"Yes, Professor," Harry replied, nodding with a stony look in his eyes. Lupin frowned at bit, noticing that Harry seemed a little tired.

"You okay, Harry?" he asked, looking over the young teen. Harry nodded again, wanting to get to work. "Harry, if you're feeling tired, we can always work on this some other time," Lupin offered.

"I would rather get started as soon as possible, Professor. I've been a bit busy working on some new spells," Harry explained. Lupin nodded, looking like he wanted to press him on the extra work but didn't.

"Now then, the spell you are going to learn is called the Patronus Charm," Lupin explained. Harry nodded but didn't interrupt. "The Patronus is a kind of anti-dementor – a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor." Harry nodded again as Lupin paused for a moment. "Harry, are you paying attention?"

"It's a spell that acts a shield between me and the dementor. So, does it look like a giant with a club or something?" asked Harry. Lupin blinked, a little surprised that Harry was indeed paying attention.

"Seems you have more of your mother in you than I thought," Lupin said, smirking. Harry smirked back, but didn't respond. "Anyway, the Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the dementor feeds on. The trick is this – the Patronus can't feel despair and so, the dementor can't hurt it. I must warn you, however, Harry. Most qualified wizards have difficulty with this spell. And back to your earlier comment; no, each Patronus is different for each wizard," Lupin explained. "Now then, the incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating with all your might on a single, very happy memory."

Harry closed his eyes, thinking over his memories, skipping over his time with the Dursleys, his mind went to his time on a broom. Then another memory popped up, a very recent one.

"The incantation is this," Lupin paused to clear his throat. "Expecto Patronum." Harry kept his eyes closed as he repeated the spell under his breath.

"Expecto Patronum," Harry repeated in a full voice, wand at the ready. He gripped his want tightly. "Expecto Patronum," he shouted and a silver wisp appeared at the end of his wand.

"Very good, would you like to try it on a boggart?" asked the professor.

"Yes," Harry nodded, keeping his mind on the memory as he held his wand tightly. He watched as Lupin unlatched the trunk. He heard the last latch come undone as his mind went back to the train and his mother but his mind snapped back to the memory as the hooded head of a dementor rose from the depths. "Expecto Patronum," Harry shouted. Nothing happened. Harry shouted a second time; he could feel the happiness being sucked out of him. "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted when suddenly, a vortex of silver shot out from his wand, entrapping the dementor and pushing it back. The creature attempted to feed off of the shield as Lupin started laughing. The creature was forced back into the trunk and Lupin slammed the lid back on. Harry let his arms drop to his side as Lupin sat down on the trunk, locking it up nice and tight.

Harry caught his breath, noticed that Lupin was now staring at him. "Something wrong, Professor?" he asked. Lupin shook his head.

"I am just blown away. It's only a shield Patronus, but I have never seen anyone do that on their first try. Amazing Harry, I never would have imagined." Lupin clapped, unable to contain his pride. "Come, sit," he offered as he pulled out some chocolate.

"Thanks," Harry smiled, biting into the chocolate; it was a little bitter but it still tasted amazing.

"So, what was your memory, out of curiosity?" asked Lupin, glancing over at Harry. Harry finished off his treat.

"Well, um, at first it was my first time flying. But then I remembered the other day. I was sitting down and I got some papers my mom and dad wrote when they first came to Hogwarts. The whole was just filled with people telling me about my parents. I was just so…." Harry really didn't know how to explain it. Lupin nodded but didn't say anything as he patted him on the back.

"Really?" Lupin blinked. Harry nodded. "You know, I knew your father when we were growing up," Lupin said, a fond smile on his face. "But to be honest, you remind me more and more of your mother."

"If you were friends with my father, then you would know of Sirius Black," Harry stated.

"I, yes, I did. Well, at least I thought I did," he sighed, frowning. Lupin didn't look like he wanted to continue. Harry nodded, but despite his desires, he decided it best not to talk to Lupin about Black and his version of the story.

"Professor, last year, we had dueling club. Is it still around?" Harry asked. To be honest, he was looking to turn the conversation away from the man's memories.

"Really?" Lupin said, seeming a little surprised. "That wouldn't be a bad idea." Harry released a breath; Lupin was thinking about something else. "Haha," Lupin laughed out loud. Harry jumped, a little confused at the sudden outburst.

"What?" asked Harry, not really understanding Lupin's sudden burst of cheerfulness.

"Harry, your job is not to look after me. My job is to take care of you," Lupin smirked as Harry noticed the man had a faraway look in his eye. "I remember Dumbledore saying the exact same thing to Lily," Lupin chuckled. Harry gave him a confused look. "After another of your father's shenanigan, Peter, Sirius, your father and I all got caught by your mother. Our headmaster was suffering from a cold and Lily started offering him chicken noodle soup."

"Haha," Harry chuckled at the idea of Dumbledore, one of the most powerful wizards in the world, coming down with a cold. "Well, if that's everything for today, I have a few other things I need to take care of." Harry turned to leave.

"Harry, if you ever get stuck on something, or need some help with a spell, you can always come and talk to me," Lupin reminded. Harry nodded with a small smile on his face as he left the room.

Harry moved through the halls of the school, tapping a piece of paper with his wand. "Aparecium," he commanded as the notes he had written down vanished. "Aparecium." The letters vanished again; so far, this spell was the easiest to learn. Hermione would have been taking care of the spells herself, however, she had taken to the library for another reason. With Malfoy hamming it up, they had found out that Buckbeak was going to court. While Harry had wanted to help out, Hermione was so quick at it, he found himself slowing her down more than helping. So, he started working on something less pressing, but equally important – spells for the Pensieve. Harry later found out that Legilimens was not a legal spell to know and that it was a skill that needed much more than a simple incantation, which was why the professor so willingly handed out the information. Apparently, there were simpler ways to create a Pensieve. The only problem was that it wasn't cheap and he wouldn't be able to get it into the school without drawing attention.

He moved towards the old girls bathroom and surprisingly found Hermione in there waiting for him and Ron. Harry blinked but realized she was reading a novel and hadn't noticed him come in. "Hermione?" Harry spoke up; she turned suddenly, surprised to see him.

"Harry, you're back early. I didn't think you would be done with Lupin's lesson s soon," she admitted. Harry smiled as he sat down on the tile floor next to her.

"I got the basic shield down already," Harry admitted with a shrug. Hermione blinked.

"Harry, now is not the time to joke," she said with a frown, giving him a disapproving glance. Harry smirked as he pulled out his wand.

"Expecto Patronum," Harry announced as the silver wisp appeared, creating a vortex before him as Hermione dropped her book in shock.

"Incredible," she muttered as she turned to face Harry. "I never would have believed it. Harry, you learned a spell in a matter of hours, one that most full grown wizard can't use," she said, clearly blown away by the display. Harry turned back to the spell, only to jump; he had come face to face with a dog. The spell cut out for a moment as Hermione's and Harry's eyes slowly met.

The door clanged open as Ron rushed into the room. "Hey guys," he smiled as the two broke their stare. "You two okay? You look like you've seen a bloody ghost." He glanced around for a second. "Then again, that seems pretty likely considering," Ron added as he realized where they were.

"Are you talking about me?" shouted a voice belonging to the reason for the bathroom being empty. Moaning Myrtle appeared before Ron, glaring at him.

"Not at all," Ron apologized hastily as he backed away. "Hogwarts if filled with ghosts is all," he admitted nervously.

"Well," she humphed, clearly satisfied. "Have fun with whatever it is you three are up to." Smiling, she looked at Harry, who suppressed the urge to shudder. "I hope you three aren't up to anymore illegal activities," she chirped.

"Nothing in the potions department yet," Hermione explained, mumbling the last part under her breath. "However, legality is definitely getting skewed this time around." The ghost girl flew off, splashing into a toilet at Ron gave her a confused look.

"What does she mean by that?" asked Ron as he looked over at Harry. He smirked.

"We are, as of now, working on a spell, which is considered illegal. All while trying to help a man on the run from the law to prove his innocence. Not to mention, our best friends is helping Hagrid fight the legal system the right way. By all accounts, Ron, one cannot twist the rules like us. I swear, how we won the house cup the last two years is beyond me," Harry snorted as the three went out to meet Sirius for some more Animagus lessons, which were also not legal.

Sirius fidgeted uncomfortabley, sneaking around in the area was frustrating. Breaking in to get Peter would be anti-productive at this point. If any of them heard he broke in, he would have a long explanation and probably ruin what fragile relationship he had built. He suddenly heard the sound of footsteps and he shifted into a dog, hunkering down in some bushes. Harry appeared first, followed by his two classmates. Sirius shook his head, having seen James for a second as he appeared in the clearing. Sirius smiled like only a dog can as he walked up next to Harry, smelling the area to make sure no one had followed them.

He shifted back into his human form as he was greeted by a half-smile all around. "Ready to get started?" asked Sirius, clapping his hands together. Hermione went over and rested against a tree to read something while Ron rested on a stump. "Still no sign of Peter," Sirius thought, sighing to himself.

"Sirius, we came across a hitch in the Pensieve," Harry explained. Sirius blinked, nodding for Harry to continue. "It requires the spell Legilimens," Harry frowned as if expecting the man to explode. Sirius shrugged.

"So, you need someone to practice on?" he nodded in understanding. "Okay, I think we can take some time out of our practice and work on that spell."

"Are you sure?" Hermione frowned. "I hear it can be very painful and with Harry's lack of experience, it could cripple your mind and memory," she warned. Sirius simply chuckled.

"Well, it's either that, or we practice on one of you two." Ron seized up at this. "I would think my life is a little less important than yours," Sirius smiled. Harry took a deep breath, pulling out his wand. Ron and Hermione readied themselves in case something bad happened.

"Legilimens," Harry cast, suddenly feeling a pull. The next thing he knew, he was running through the wood alongside a stag, rat and werewolf. Harry felt his head shift, that rat looked familiar. Everything suddenly shifted again. He found himself in a bedroom. He couldn't hear anything but he could see himself arguing with a rather large woman before he was storming out of the room. Then, as quickly as it came, he was back in his own body.

"What happened? Did it work?" asked Ron as harry staggered back. Hermione helped Harry steady himself as he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

"It works, Ron, but I really don't know what I saw," Harry answered. He looked at Sirius, who seemed shaken up but not because of the spell.

"That would be my two most influential memories," Sirius explained. "The first was one of the nights my friends and I would take running in the forest. The other was when I ran away from home," Sirius explained. Harry nodded.

"I don't think we will have to worry about the spells; all we need is the potion brewed," Harry explained as he glanced over at Hermione.

"You are going to have to help, Harry. I can't handle research and potions at the same time," Hermione reminded. Harry nodded; he didn't want her doing everything like last year. "It will take a month or so. It would be best for us all to get some rest and catch up on our homework," she prompted. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Actually, I've already got a head start on it. With all the extra work I took on, I finished my homework early," Harry admitted, fidgeting a bit.

"Not you too," Ron groaned as Hermione did a silent fist pump. She grinned over at Ron. "You're not going to convert me, Hermione," he huffed as Sirius chuckled at their banter.

"Now then," Sirius announced, drawing the attention back to himself. "Let's concentrate on the animal." Harry suddenly felt his mind go back to the memory he had seen; he knew what it felt like. He closed his eyes and suddenly, he no longer felt like himself. Blinking, he saw a furry snout before his eyes and was now on all fours.

"That was a lot less painful than I thought it would be," Harry barked out as he soon realized that, for the second time today, he had made Hermione speechless.

This chapter was written by starwarsdude8221991. Not much to say, expect to R&R as always! 3 LE.

*P.S. If you guys do leave a review, could you please leave more than a "good job" and such. I'm really looking a critical review, including things that can be worked on and things that you guys really liked. Thanks! ~LE