Brooklyn and the Boy Who Lived

Patronus Lessons and Losing Scabbers

Brooklyn's Patronus lessons began a week after everybody returned to Hogwarts for the new term. Sirius explained to the gargoyle that each Corporeal Patronus was different to the witch or wizard who casted it. Brooklyn was quite excited to see what his would take shape of, since he wasn't human.

Sirius had been on the hunt for the perfect tool to use to test Brooklyn's Patronus on, until he found a Boggart hiding in the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade (managing to break in while nobody was looking), since they couldn't use a real dementor.

He brought it back in a trunk, and as it turned out, like Harry, it transformed into a dementor in front of Brooklyn too.

Figures it would know I'm afraid of them, tch, he thought.

So they were able to practice on the Dementor Boggart in a private area underneath the Whomping Willow in the Shrieking Shack.

Sirius showed him how to activate the secret passageway, by using a branch to press a secret knot on the tree that made the branches stop swinging violently.

Brooklyn thought he'd be able to get this one in a cinch like Expelliarmus, but that wasn't the case. It was if as though he secretly wanted to hear his leader's voice again. For even though he had his brother, and supporters here, it wasn't quite the same. And he still hadn't seen any new gargoyles in this world yet, which made him feel rather lonely.

"You need to concentrate on a happy memory, Brooklyn," Sirius had told him quite a few times since they started, but he barely even got a puff of smoke out after at least 20 times.

"I'm trying, I just-damn it!" he hissed, after another failed attempt. Sirius had no clue about the lack of happy memories in his whole darned life from being ridiculed by humans, insulted, and betrayed.

"Just think carefully, relax your body and mind. You must have something deep down."

Brooklyn trembled a bit out of his own frustration, mostly from both not being able to do the spell and from the fact that McGonagall hadn't returned Harry's Firebolt yet for two weeks now. Even Wood, the one who caused all this, tried in vain to redeem himself by convincing her, but he still wouldn't forgive that idiot seventh year boy for that. Not yet.

Taking a breath, he heeded Sirius's words, and shut his eyes, trying to let those happy memories come.

Something then came, vivid memories of riding a homemade motorcycle, the adrenaline, the freedom... He smiled a little at that and felt like he was ready.

Sirius proceeded to open the trunk, and the Boggart Dementor came out. It wasn't as effective as a real dementor, but Brooklyn could still hear the echoing yells of Goliath as he struggled to concentrate.

"Expecto Patronum!" He cried out, pointing his wand, a small silver light just coming out, but the dementor kept coming, and Brooklyn's legs staggered as the white fog threatened to consume him again.

Sirius had managed to contain the Boggart and helped Brooklyn up, who was shaking a little.

"That memory you chose was probably not strong enough," Sirius said, as Brooklyn tried his best to clear his head and calm himself. "What was it?"

Looking down, he answered. "It was the time I first rode a motorcycle my friends and I built. I felt happy riding that thing, until it was destroyed, and she came in, manipulating me."

"Perhaps you might want to try a stronger one," Sirius suggested. He wanted to know who 'she' was, but figured it was best to keep it between Brooklyn and Harry for now, since it appeared to be a sensitive subject.

Losing himself to memories once again, yet another one suddenly hit him: the day he met Harry. The only human besides Elisa who didn't ridicule him. When they became brothers, fighting Voldemort side by side...