Chapter 270 The Enchantment Of The Patronus And The Wayward Path
An ambiance of ease, months of practice, and Sirius's detailed explanation of the Patronus Charm principles at the Dueling Club had led almost half of the young wizards at Hogwarts to conjure their own Patronuses.
Even Ginny and Luna, both second years, were able to cast it, not to mention the older students.
Alongside Evan's, Ginny's Patronus was a shimmering white horse, while Luna's was a very elegant and beautiful rabbit.
The stronger the Patronuses, the more intense the positive emotion, making the spell easier to use.
Moments later, even many first-year wizards successfully cast the Patronus Charm.
Due to their low magical levels, they couldn't sustain a corporeal Patronus.
Yet, the younger students were elated, knowing that the Patronus Charm was an exceedingly profound magic, and achieving success before their Ordinary Wizarding Levels exam was a significant accomplishment.
After Evan, Ron also managed to conjure his Patronus.
It was a Jack Russell terrier. Ron's smile didn't last long; his corporeal Patronus only persisted for a few seconds before turning back into a mist of light.
Ron strained, moving his wand, attempting several times to cast the spell.
He appeared anxious, perhaps because everyone around him had succeeded, and under pressure, he never managed it again.
Ron dropped his wand disheartened. He had been practicing the spell for a long time since the last incident, but still hadn't mastered it.
In his view, this was mainly due to his low magical aptitude.
He knew his magical talent was mediocre. He lacked the prowess of his siblings, and his flashy abilities were far inferior to Harry and Evan's.
Watching Ginny successfully conjure her Patronus, Ron took a deep breath.
He had pondered for a long time the previous night and ultimately decided that all his struggles wouldn't matter if he could obtain the legendary magical object passed down by Gryffindor, located in the colony of the centaurs to enhance his magic.
He would surpass Evan and gain an unimaginable reputation.
He would emerge as Harry's most important friend and become the most remarkable young wizard at Hogwarts.
The more Ron thought about it, the more he believed it was possible, thrilled about that bright future.
In doing so, he felt no remorse, even though both Harry and Hermione believed that if they managed to acquire the object, they should give it to Evan.
But in Ron's opinion, Evan was already strong enough. He was even studying dark magic when no one else knew. He didn't need the help of that magical object. Evan should be grateful to him for not exposing his research on dark magic.
Regardless, Ron felt that he was the one who truly needed the help of that magical object.
He was also a Gryffindor and naturally qualified to obtain it.
Moreover, Evan emphasized repeatedly that to acquire that object, they must pass the final test. The object would go to whoever succeeded in passing it. Everything was fair play.
Compared to Harry and Hermione, Ron believed he valued the matter more.
Despite some discontent, because Evan had saved him, Ron still regarded Evan as his friend and didn't want to do anything he might regret with his friends.
He was simply more committed than anyone else to the adventure of that night, more eager for power, for the magical object that would help him gain potent magic.
He didn't see that he was doing anything wrong; he just wanted to be stronger.
Ron made a decision and stopped trying to conjure the Patronus.
In fact, if Sirius or Professor Flitwick were here, they would have definitely pointed out why Ron couldn't successfully cast the corporeal Patronus.
It wasn't for lack of magic; his magic was weak but stronger than Ginny, Luna, and most other first and second-year young wizards.
Ron couldn't succeed mainly because his understanding of the Patronus Charm wasn't deep enough and the happy memories in his mind weren't strong enough.
As an advanced white magic, the magical demands of the Patronus Charm were secondary compared to its requirement of internal positive emotions and the caster's determination.
When trying to master such a Charm, being overly concerned about power is definitely the wrong path.
At the end of the match, the Quidditch field was a sea of pure joy and light, with all sorts of strange Patronuses blooming.
They ran towards the paralysed Dementors, piercing through their bodies again and again.
Patronuses couldn't cause real harm to the human body, but they scared Malfoy and his friends, who lay there pitifully, as if they had just experienced a typhoon, with a disheveled and desolate look.
Unaffected by them, Harry successfully caught the Golden Snitch before Cho.
With the sound of Madam Hooch's whistle, the match ended.
Gryffindor students were chanting loudly as they celebrated Harry catching the Snitch and Gryffindor's victory.
"We won!" Hermione smiled happily and looked very charming.
Her Patronus returned to her side and happily circled her several times before disappearing into the air.
Hermione was very excited about the surrounding atmosphere and hugged Evan tightly.
Though he didn't ask for it, Evan wasn't going to refuse the hug.
He hugged her back, and she realized what she had done. She hurried to try to stop but Evan wasn't going to let her go, in turn, tightly embracing Hermione until she had to push him with enough force to break free.
Hermione's face was so red, and she stared fiercely into Evan's eyes.
Seeing Evan's serious gaze, she quickly looked away, not daring to meet his eyes.
"I don't understand. What happened to the three Dementors?" Hermione quickly changed the subject. "The Patronuses didn't work; they're not destroyed. Also, why didn't I feel any unpleasant sensation from them?"
"They're not Dementors; they're Malfoy and his cronies in disguise," explained Evan.
They followed the other young wizards to the center of the field, carefully gathering around the Dementors. Before everyone, Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and Marcus Flint, the captain of the Slytherin team, lay in a twisted heap on the ground.
Feeling people approaching, they wanted to flee.
Everyone struggled to free themselves from the long black hooded cloaks. It appeared as if Malfoy had been standing on Goyle's shoulders.
Seeing this scene, all the students understood the nature of this farce.
The Gryffindor students laughed at Malfoy's group, then stopped looking at them and headed towards the Gryffindor team that had just landed from the sky, cheering for Harry Potter, the greatest hero of today's game.