Violet

Part 10: expecto patronum

Lyres second year at hogwarts wasn't a very eventful one. Sure she joined the quidditch team, but besides that and all the trouble she got in to nothing really happened. During the map had made getting out of trouble a whole lot easier and it made secret trips to hogsmead better. Fred and George had finally found the kitchens. And with that all being the exception, nothing extraordinary has happened. Which brings us to the following summer.

Lyre was sitting on the couch of her uncles cottage, reading some of her class books. Some of them she had just skimmed through, while one book seemed to be mostly about vampires. And. While there was some exceptions here and there the book had mostly covered topics of vampires. Lyre found this painfully boring if this was what her 3rd year at hogwarts was to be. It was just then when Remus came through the door, setting his things down.
"Hey jellyfish, what are we reading?" He asked before trudging to the kitchen to grab a sandwich.
"Well I was looking through your books to find some for school and I found all of them, but this one is mostly about vampires. It's for professor
Quarrels class. Honestly I know more about vampires and how to deal with them than anything else." Lyre closed the book, then placed it in her pile.
"Really? Again? Shouldn't you guys be learning more advanced stuff, like bogarts or patronus charms. That kind of thing?" He quickly picked up the book not to be disappointed by its contents, it was Infact mostly about vampires.
"You should tutor me uncle." She layed her head on one end of the couch while putting her feet on her uncles lap.
"Well I don't have time to tutor, but I can recommend a better book." He then go up to his bookshelf and picked out a husky looking book. " I should write the school, maybe they will listen to my pleas." He handed lyre a book lyre looked it over imeadeatly more intrested.
"Oooooo. Could you teach me one?" The girl closed the book giving big eyes to her uncle. He was not about to deny the Girl he raised.
"Ah alright, this one's advanced so hold on to your socks." He sat up with a roll. He then shook his arms and grabbed his wand he seemed to be jokingly limbering up. It was rare for lyre to see the man use magic around the house. They usually  tried to do things the muggle way, as to not ensue the wizards laziness. The leaky cottage seemed to stop dripping as if it giving the floor to the man. Lyre giggled after her comical limbering up. Then he went ahead and got ready to cast a spell before making another joke
"Oh it's really no good if you watch Ly." Lyre laughed, her uncle must be in a good mood. Which was a rare occasion as he was usually sweaty and pale and slurping down wolfsbane potion if his life depended on it.
Lyre then threw a cushion at him. He laughed at the playful girl
"Oh get on with it you old fart." The man smiled he then demonstrated he liked using the original Latin language. He mumbled something and a wolf whisped from his wand. Stalking around the cottage, before pouncing playfully at the coffee table and disappearing in to a thousand shards of sparkles.
"Well that was cool, but it didn't seem very defensive. I was really hoping for like an explosion or fire or something." Lyre crossed her arms in subtle disappointment.
"Well, I'd like to see you do it. You don't even know what the spell is used for." Remus said in a sassy tone, except he was secretly excited to see the girl attempt and fail. Remus had secretly enjoyed teaching his old  friends child over years. Not a day went by where he wasn't proud of her, even when she somehow managed to get in trouble. Lyre stood prepared to accept the challenge.
"Okay, give me the spell tell me how to do it. I bet I can do it on the first try." Lyre grappled he wand from the coffee table. It was a lightly colored walnut wood, that had a vine with small leaves that wrapped around to the tip. At its core was dragon heartstrings. Once she had it in hand Remus cleared his throat
"expecto patronum is casted while focusing on one very happy memory." He stated simply lyre thought that was laughable
"Easy'nough" she shrugged, except her word exceeded her. She thought for a moment and she simply couldn't think of a happy memory. She could only produce tragic ones. Her face scrunched and she suddenly just produced a memory of sneaking through a secret passage way with Fred and George, after buying loads of candy from hogsmead.
"Okay does it have to be the most happy or just from a time that I was happy?" She asked quizzically. The older man scratched his chin.
"For me it's definitely stronger when I am happy, but in a situation that you would use this it's better to have a happy memory on hand, it's best if you just practice that then thinking of happiness or being happy."

Lyre thought about what that meant for a second before asking another question "what situation would I have to use this in?" She tilted her head she couldn't imagine that this spell could be useful.
Lupin shrugged taking a sip of some wolfsbane potion. "The off chance you find yourself against the dementor, otherwise it's good for sending messages."
Lyre had gotten back in a ready stance she closed her eyes and concentrated on her memory.
"Expecto patronum." She peaked her eye open as nothing happened she repeated the words this time with her eyes open watching her wand making sure she's not making a mistake.
"Are you sure I'm not making a mistake?" She looked back to the kitchen where the man was now standing eating his sandwich with his head stuck partially in the fridge grabbing some milk for his tea. As he swallowed he spoke
"Nope, just keep practicing. It will come to you. Maybe your memory isn't happy enough it shouldn't be something like riding a bike. It should be a moment you felt genuine happiness." His voice was louder so she could hear him from the kitchen. He continued to prep his meal as lyre tried once more. This time she focused strongly on something that made her happy, she thought about stuff like music and cats and sweets. Except it didn't do much of a difference. She tried to recall or recreate a time when she was truly genuinely happy and brimming with glee. In the back of her mind though, she knew that she hadn't felt that way for a long time. She couldn't even recall the last time she felt that way. Which was strange because she was always laughing with her friends. Especially with friends like Fred and George. She gave up for the time being and joined Remus at the cluttered table.
"How do you produce yours?" She asked taking the second sandwich he had made for himself, before she could take a bite he reclaimed it.
"Well depends on the day I used to think about my time at hogwarts with your dad and James. Now I think about you, and our quiet little family." He took another bite of his sandwich.
She thought about what he said, she too enjoyed their quiet little family, especially on nights with soft rainfall, where the moon wasn't out but the fire was raging. She and remus would read in the living room until bedtime. A gentle smile spread across her face.
"I almost forgot, this should be Harry's first year at hogwarts. You remember Harry Potter James and lilys kid?" He asked in between bites of his sandwich's
"Uhm kinda, honestly uncle potter was kinda scary to me back then. All I really remember is aunt lilys cookies. He was just a baby to, so I doubt he'll even remember me at all." She shrugged pouring milk in to her tea as-well.
"I want you to look after him. I feel partially at fault for what happened..." their was a sudden silence lyre then impulsively made a joke as to Smother it.
"Really? The kid who got detention for setting accidental fire to the charms classroom? Look after the boy who lived? Whatever you say old timer."