A Tale Of Does And Stags ✨

6 • DADA

Monday

Hogwarts corridors were yet again bustling with students trying to reach their classes on time after a the weekend.

The Marauders and Marauderettes make their way to block periods before lunch.

The Marauders have taken a liking to start sitting with the girls at the front recently, abandoning their previous seats at the back of the class. The class is shuffling around getting their books ready, chatting with each other waiting for the teacher to arrive.

"Do you think he'll start something new now?" Lily asked thinking about how their DADA professor had so far been recapping the lessons of last year just incase some of them had managed to erase any memory of those.

"Yeah, I think so. He's made us revise good enough." Alice replied.

All the commotion dies down as the professor enters the classroom.

"Okay class today we're going to start with patronuses" he said. "So, who can tell me what a patronus is?"

Lily, Remus, a 3 Hufflepuffs, another Gryffindor and to everyone's surprise James and Sirius raise their hands.

"Ah Mr Black, let's hear from you"

"the Patronus is a kind of Anti-Dementor - a guardian which acts as a shield between you and the Dementor. It's also 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." Said Sirius with exceptional ease.

"Wonderful Mr Black. Ten points to Gryffindor" he said turning back to the class.

"Now as Mr Black said, a patronus is a charm that is produced by a very happy memory and takes the form of an animal that represents the witch or wizard who has conjured it. Each Patronus is unique to the witch or wizard who conjures it, and it's possible, in some cases, for a Patronus to change." He explained. "Who can give me the incantation of this charm?"

A couple of hands rose again.

"Ms Williams?"

"Expecto Patronum, sir"

"Very good. Five points to Hufflepuff. Now, what are the two types of patronuses?"

"Ms Evans"

"The Patronus has two forms, non-corporeal and corporeal. A non-corporeal Patronus can appear as 'a thin wisp of silver' that hovers 'like mist'. Whereas a corporeal Patronus has a form that is clearly defined and is more than vapour or smoke."

"Right as always, Ms Evans. Five points to Gryffindor. Who will tell me how this charm performed? How does one succeed in producing and excelling it?" He looked around the class, first at the familiar faces of more studious children then to those of whom were least interactive in the class or rather, who prefered to create havoc in the classroom than pay actual attention to what's been taught.

"Mr Potter"

"To produce a fully corporeal patronus the witch or wizard has to first choose a very powerful happy memory then focus extremely hard on it. Then you just have to make the right wand movement and recite the incantation"

"Excellent Mr Potter. Ten points to Gryffindor"

"Everyone open your books to page 77. Let's get started. Mr McMillan would you mind reading the first page for us..."

The rest of the class went smoothly. Reading, explaining, asking doubts, thinking and a little chatting.

Five minutes before the bell rang the teacher dismissed the class with a last announcement.

"Have a thorough reading of the chapter everyone, we'll pick up from where we've left. After few more classes we'll start practicing the practical charm. And for homework I want a nine inch essay on patronuses. Have a good day."

In no time lunch was finished and the students had attended all their classes for the day and the day had turned to twilight. All students heading back to their respective common rooms. Some visiting the library or the hospital wing.

"Lily! Lily! Hey" said James catching up with the redheaded girl who was going back to their shared dorm.

"Oh, Hi po- er James" she said smiling.

"Hi. Um, I was just asking that is it possible for us to replace Remus with someone else for the patrol schedules this evening?" He said nervously hoping desperately to get away with this without being questioned. "I- I mean you know, just so he can rest a bit. For erm. Er, because he's feeling a little dizzy. You know, it's nothing suspicious. I swear. He just er, it was probably the food he ate. You know how he is.." and chuckles awkwardly, trying to prevent his stupid rant of trying not to reveal Moony's secret. "I prom-" and he was saved the trouble of coming up with other absolutely pathetic excuses for why Remus couldn't do his patrols by Lily cutting him off.

"It's okay James. I'll switch it up with someone... Don't worry. Remus can relax all he wants"

"But- wait, he can? Great thanks alot. He's really tired but just won't admit it. He didn't even want me to ask for switching him, but I just had to do it. I mean he needs to rest!"

Lily smiles at the boy she's seeing infront of her. This boy isn't the bragging boy she once knew. He's no longer the arrogant toerag who messes up his hair to look cool and tosses a snitch around. He's matured. He's kind and caring. This is a side of James Potter she had never bothered to know before this year. The side that really mattered; more than any other. This was the boy who cared for his friends and wouldn't think twice before putting others before him. This was a side of James Potter anyone would fall in love with.

"So, do we have anyone free to take the patrol tonight?" James asks breaking Lily out of her 'lets-admire-james-potter's-soft-side' trance.

"Oh, er-erm, I'll check."

And by this time they had reached the portrait hole to their common room. Giving the password to the two sisters, they enter the common room looking over to the patrol schedules and checking who could be free for an extra patrol for the night.