In third-year halls, their paths first crossed,
A Raven boy, a Blonde girl lost.
"Stay out of my way," she warned with a glare,
But something lingered in the frosty air.
Crimson with his scar and fame,
Emerald with her secrets untamed.
Two worlds ap...
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At eight o'clock on the first Thursday evening of the new term, Aria left the Slytherin dorm for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when she arrived, but she lit the lamps with her wand and waited only five minutes when Professor Lupin and Harry turned up, Lupin carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn's desk.
"What's that?" said Aria. "Another Boggart," said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. "I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet. It's the nearest we'll get to a real Dementor. The Boggart will turn into a Dementor when he sees Harry, so he'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like."
"Okay," said Harry, trying to sound as though he wasn't apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitute for a real Dementor.
Aria frowned suddenly, "But...what about me? How will I practice the...whatever you'll teach us?"
Lupin nodded slowly, "There is a chance your greatest fear has changed...and in any situation, you'll still be able to conjure the charm, even without a target to aim it at" Aria nodded, unconvinced.
"So..." Professor Lupin had taken out his wand and indicated that Harry should do the same. "The spell I am going to try and teach you two is highly advanced magic — well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm."
"How does it work?" said Harry nervously.
"Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus," said Lupin, "which is a kind of Dementor — a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor."
Aria had a sudden vision of herself crouching behind a Hagrid-sized figure holding a large club.
Professor Lupin continued, "The Patronus is 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. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it."
"What does a Patronus look like?" said Aria curiously.
"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it."
"And how do you conjure it?"
"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."
