A Room With a View

Let the Games Begin

September 9, 2005 - Hogwarts

Severus faced the combined Gryffindor/Slytherin seventh years and tried not to let his exasperation show on his face. "I see that you've improved your patronus charms over this last week, but that most of you are unable to sustain the mist form for more than a few seconds." He flicked his wand and had baskets of chocolate pieces floating down the sides of the room toward his students. "I'll remind you, should you ever encounter a dementor you will need to maintain the mist form for at least one full minute to mask your presence long enough to move clear of the creature's area of effect and apparate elsewhere. Your textbook states that this is the prescribed course of action for an encounter with a single dementor. Can anyone tell me the flaw in this logic? Mr. Bertle?" He motioned his hand toward the breathless Gryffindor who was currently vying for this year's title of top-swot.

"Dementors rarely travel alone, sir. They generally travel in packs, and as the ministry no longer retains control over dementors since their release from their Azkaban duties, they have been allowed to breed without restriction or oversight." The boy swiped his brow discreetly, trying to clear the sweat that had accumulated as he battled to sustain his mist patronus before snagging a brick of chocolate from the basket.

"Excellent, Mr. Bertle. Five points to Gryffindor. While it's rare to see dementors roaming the British countryside, the Ministry's failure to wrangle the creatures at the end of the Second Wizarding War resulted in small clutches of them falling into the hands of dark wizards. If you should run afoul of a grouping of two or more dementors - and let me remind you, they generally travel in groups of five to seven - what form of patronus will you need?"

"A corporeal patronus," chorused the class.

Severus nodded at the group approvingly. "Yes. You will need to create a corporeal patronus to shield you from a group attack." He paused as one of the Slytherin seventh years raised a hand. "Yes, Miss Dioli?"

The young woman sneered at him. "Why are we learning this particular piece of magic? It's not on the N.E.W.T. You're just wasting the time that we should be spending revising for our exams."

The entire class gasped as one and turned their heads toward their Professor, anticipating the set-down that their legendary Defense professor was about to hurl at Dinah Dioli. Severus simply raised an eyebrow and replied in a dry tone of voice.

"Miss Dioli, I am not accustomed to having my curriculum questioned in an open classroom. In the future, if you have concerns about our lessons I encourage you to come speak to me during my office hours. But I'll answer you this once as you have - however rudely - managed to ask an intelligent question. Can anyone tell me why I have asked you to learn the Patronus Charm, even if it's not on your final exam?" One shy Slytherin raised her hand. "Yes, Miss Gorman?"

"Because the release of the dementors from their duties at Azkaban eight years ago has meant that there are more attacks on the wizarding population, sir."

"Yes, Miss Gorman. Five points for Slytherin. You have managed to negate the five points I'm taking from Miss Dioli for failing to address an instructor with proper decorum. I will tolerate legitimate questions, Miss Dioli, but not disrespect. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Professor," the sarcastic teen muttered, glaring at Severus. He simply turned back to the class at large and noted that the Headmistress had slipped into the back of the classroom.

"The Patronus Charm is not the only spell that I will teach you that will not be found on your N.E.W.T. exams. As important as those exams are to your future careers, they do little to prepare you for the real dangers we face in our world. My job is to prepare you to both pass your exams and become witches and wizards capable of defending yourselves safely and without notice. Harry Potter - who had some talent, yes, but was by no means a magical genius - managed to produce a corporeal patronus at the age of fourteen. He taught others - many of whom survived the Battle of Hogwarts and whose names you now learn in your History of Magic classes - to do so when they were sixteen. This is not magic that is beyond you, and I expect you to apply yourselves to its mastery. Now then. The practice spaces are open all weekend long and the supply cabinets therein have an ample supply of chocolate for replenishing your reserves. I expect you to make use of the space between now and our next meeting. I want to see each and every one of you maintain the mist form of the patronus for one minute during our class. As an added incentive, anyone who manages to produce a corporeal patronus by next Friday will be awarded twenty house points and an automatic O on this assignment. We will be moving on to compulsion spells next week with only limited attention to the patronus, so I suggest you use your time wisely before we meet again on Tuesday afternoon. Please don't forget to read your texts on the compulsion spell before our next class. You are dismissed."