Harry Potter and the Prince of Slytherin

Chapter 24: Random Moments of Weirdness

14 November 1993
Hogwarts

In the aftermath of the previous week's disastrous Quidditch match, the Daily Prophet had been inundated with complaints about the presence of Dementors at Hogwarts, but Minister Fudge was resolute. He was also backed in his decision by James Potter, Amelia Bones and, with obvious reluctance, Albus Dumbledore. The Prophet also printed several letters in support of the Ministry claiming that despite the risk, the Dementors were needed in light of the werewolf attack two weeks earlier. The Hogwarts Headmaster did persuade Fudge to assign more Ministry personnel proficient with the Patronus Charm to the school to monitor the army of Dementors still stationed over the Forbidden Forest. He also announced that while the Dementors were at Hogwarts, Hogsmeade Weekends were limited to students who were able to summon a Patronus, an announcement that lead to much booing from the student body.

In response to the denial of Hogsmeade privileges as much as fear of the Dementors, nearly the entire student body abruptly signed up for Patronus lessons, though it was painfully clear that most of them lacked the willpower (or simply raw power) to master the difficult Charm. Poor Marcus Flint found himself overwhelmed by the sheer number of students attending his classes. Luckily – and to the surprise of nearly everyone – the new caretaker Malachi Sturgeon was apparently a wizard who was himself proficient with the Charm, and Sturgeon agreed to help Flint with his class load. Naturally, this led to an increase in wild rumors about how a skilled wizard ended up working as a caretaker, a job traditionally held by a squib. The consensus view of the Hogwarts rumor mill was that Sturgeon was actually an undercover Auror or possibly even an Unspeakable. This, in turn, led to an increasing number of young girls developing crushes on the brooding, mysterious man much to his own embarrassment.

On the second Sunday afternoon after the match, the Third through Fifth years who were studying the Patronus found themselves in the Great Hall. Somewhat surprisingly, the Third Years as a class were outshining their elders. Harry, Hermione, Theo, and several others in their year had demonstrated at least the beginnings of a mist Patronus, though so far, only Neville had succeeded in producing a corporeal version. Their numbers grew by one more when Anthony Goldstein's wand lit up with a brilliant ethereal light that lasted for several seconds.

"Well done, Anthony!" Hermione exclaimed. Anthony beamed in response.

"Thank you, Hermione. Oh! And also, thank you for putting me onto that book. I finally found it in the Restricted Section. Well, Madam Pince found it after I told her what I was looking for, and then Professor Flitwick gave me permission to check it out."

"Which book?" she said in some confusion. Harry crooked an eyebrow.

"The one about magic not working well with either plastics or electricity," Anthony answered. "Magic and Muggles: The Source of Their Inferiority by Englebert von Smallhausen. It's hideously bigoted but also describes several legitimate experimental studies to determine why magic caused Muggle technology to break down, and they all agreed that magic causes plastics to degrade quickly while also causing fluctuations in electrical resistance. Quite fascinating ... again except for the hideous bigotry."

Harry snorted in surprise. "And that's the book you couldn't remember the name of, Hermione?" he inquired. "I'd have thought that a name like Engelbert von Smallhausen alone would be unforgettable without even addressing the title."

Hermione made a face. "Yes, yes. I had forgotten what book it was. I'm so sorry that I don't have your faultless memory, Harry."

Nearby (but not near enough to be a part of that group), Theo No-Name watched as his friends bantered. He'd deliberately taken up a spot by himself so that none of the people he cared about would be contaminated by the power of the Ultimate Sanction. But where that thought had been depressing a week before, now it was merely annoying. Despite the power of the Sanction, Theo knew who his friends were, even if those friends no longer knew it themselves. He looked to the far side of the room where he could see Neville Longbottom giving some Patronus advice to other Purebloods. Briefly, Longbottom made eye contact with him and sneered (quite impressively for a Gryffindor) before turning away towards Cassius Warrington. Theo shook his head – as if those two would have even been on speaking terms a year before!