Blood of my blood (Severus Snape & daughter)

10- The Patronus

February 12, 1994

Severus was waiting for it to be six in the afternoon, nervous.

In the corner, he had a half-brewed Temar healing potion, just in case, but who was he kidding? It was clear that the potion was nothing more than a stupid excuse.

Growling, he scolded himself. He was behaving as if he were doing something bad, and he wasn't, he was just going to teach a spell to a student.

Severus huffed nervously, running a hand through his hair.

He was going to teach a highly difficult charm to a twelve-year-old child, with him being the Potions professor and having a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor available who was clearly capable of teaching how to summon a Patronus.

Still, it was not forbidden. She had asked him for help, and he was the Head of her house, and it was his duty to help young Slytherins who needed it.

This was nothing personal.

Nor was it an attempt to prove to Lupin that he was the best Defense teacher.

Because obviously, he had no doubt about that.

For starters, Severus wasn't going to use any dementors. In the office there was nothing terrible that could scare Lily, on the contrary, a dose of Nightingale's potion burned gently in a diffuser, spreading the aroma of mint and ginger throughout the room. That was a relaxing atmosphere.

He was surprised that Dumbledore had given Lupin's plan the go-ahead. Severus hated Harry Potter with all his soul, but even he thought that making the brat repeatedly face a dementor to practice the charm was going too far.

It seemed like torture straight out of the darkest corners of Azkaban. But what could he expect from a werewolf from the Gryffindor house?

Just in time, Lily arrived at the office. The girl gave Temar's potion a mocking look, but said nothing. As a good Slytherin she understood the need for subterfuge.

Severus decided to get straight to the point.

"Miss White, if you haven't repented, I will try to teach you how to summon a Patronus. I warn you that it is a very difficult charm and that some magicians take years to master it. However, if you learn the basics of the enchantment, you will be able to create a corporeal Patronus when you are ready."

"I don't understand, Professor, aren't the Patronus always corporeal?"

"A Patronus is a force of energy that represents what dementors cannot destroy. Invoking them requires great magical and mental strength, and most of the time, the spell does not go well, and only a bright mist is generated."

"What shape are they, Professor?"

"When the Patronus is complete, it has the shape of an animal."

"What shape is yours, Professor?" Lily looked at him with her big bright dark eyes, waiting for an answer.

"That is a very intimate question, Miss White. The Patronus represents the most personal aspects of the person who invokes it," he scolded her severely, and she lowered her gaze, ashamed.

"I didn't know," she murmured apologetically. Severus cleared his throat and continued with his explanation.

"Each Patronus is unique and remains unchanged throughout our lives. Although it is also true that some events can cause a Patronus to change its form," he added, before realizing his mistake.

"What kind of events, sir?"

"Events that... make you grow as a person or substantially change what you are... or what makes you happy. For each person it is different, and as I have told you, this change is exceptional. Which is very convenient," he added, wishing to change the direction of the explanation, "because Patronuses can also be used as a means of communication, to carry messages. Because it is impossible to imitate another person's Patronus, it is a perfect way to ensure the reliability of the message."