𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 - regulus black

chapter thirty two

Waking up the next day, the brunette did feel tired. She hadn't managed to find sleep until long minutes, but in the morning, images of the past night flashed in her mind, instantly making her in a good mood. The four girls started chatting normally before making their way to the Great Hall, and Adena wanted to laugh when seeing Jacob looking exhausted.

"How are you Jacob?" asked Jade, not hiding her amusement. The boy only grunted in response.

"You look tired but I'm sur DADA will wake you up."

"Aren't we finally studying the Patronus charm today?" asked Isaac a bit hopeful.

"Oh, I think yes!" said Eugenia excitedly. Every fifth-year was waiting for the same thing; the Patronus charm lesson. Adena herself felt excited about this, DADA classes were always interesting for her. The group of Ravenclaws continued chatting and eating. They decided to head to class in advance today, none of them wanting to wait more. Sadly, their Professor wasn't the type to arrive early. But the excitement among the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw students wouldn't go down as they continued talking with each other in the corridor.

"Good morning class!" interrupted the voice of Professor Bixby, making everyone go quiet. He led the way to the classroom, with the students following and then taking a seat.

"Today, like I told you, you will be studying the Patronus charm." Some excited chatters could be heard again. "For the first hour it will be theory and for the second it'll be practice. But let me tell you, I don't expect anyone to succeed on today's lesson. The Patronus charm is difficult and needs some practice."

The excitement dropped a little, but the students stayed focused, nonetheless. The teacher started his lesson and for once everyone was listening carefully to his every word. They all seemed very attentive and interested. And after an hour, as promised, the teacher announced it was time for practice. The students stood up and Bixby moved the tables around with a wave of wand, giving space to practice.

"The formula is 'Expecto Patronum' , and when you'll be able to master this charm, here's what you should get." He then said the formula again while waving his wand this time and then the silhouette of an horse appeared. It looked like it was made of smoke, but it was moving around in the classroom. The students stared at it, fascinated.

"This is my Patronus but yours will be different. It's normal if you don't produce a Patronus today, if you get just a little of this smoke, it'll be already great. Remember, you have to focus on the happiest memory you have. Now you can start."

The students nodded, preparing their wands. On the first try, nobody managed to produce anything, but it was no surprise. Adena wasn't sure what to focus on, she wasn't sure there was a time she had ever been happy enough to produce a Patronus so she just thought about the day when her sister and she went back on good terms, but she wasn't surprised when nothing happened.

She tried multiple times and took multiple breaks as well; she didn't think it would be this tiring. The girl tried to think of happy memories from her childhood. The happiest one she could find must have been her sixth birthday. Both her parents, as well as her sister, her grandmother, as well as her grandfather and aunt were there. The strawberry cake her mother had baked was the best she had ever eaten, everyone was laughing for some random reason. She used to be happy at that time, innocent and naive, wishing this moment would last forever. This wish was of course an illusion she believed into at that time.

Adena sorted herself out of the memory, focusing back on her goal. Lifting her wand up, impregned by the memory, she said clearly 'Expecto Patronum!' and her wand let out a tray of smoke, making her widen her eyes in surprise. And the next second the room went quiet as everyone stared at her.