Iris Éclatant is a bright eyed girl from France who is unconvincingly told by the sorting hat she belongs in Ravenclaw. Her Pureblood family history proves to be a troublesome factor in her life, and when Voldemort is on the rise again, things only...
Our lessons in the Room of Requirement resumed as soon as the second term began. Harry was teaching us how to perform the Patronus charm. It proved difficult, honestly. I only ever read about the damn thing. He told us to find the happiest memory we could. I drew a blank. What happy moments did I have? Hardly any. I tried the day I met Harry, the days Hermione, Ron and I hung out, the days I spent with Cho, Luna, and Marietta in the Common Room, even the Yule Ball with Draco. Though each memory drew a spark from my wand, none of them were powerful enough to actually create a full Patronus.
"Keep trying," Harry encouraged me. "What about your parents? There have to be some good memories there."
"They weren't around as much as you'd think, Harry, and considering what I discovered recently, I don't think there are any happy memories." I shook my head.
"You'll think of something," He replied, walking off to help other students. "See if the mirror will help."
I walked over to the old mirror of Erised; my reflection stared back at me. I looked so exhausted. My straight locks slowly shrank back into curls, but only in the reflection. I was by the sea, kicking sand as I walked along the shore. My father used magic to build extraordinary sand castles before my eyes. He picked me up and twirled me around, pointing out at the Ocean. Thought no sound came from his mouth, I could clearly see him saying: 'Your eyes remind me of the ocean.' I realized we were at our old beach cottage. I forgot all about the second home as I grew older. We didn't visit often. I backed away from the mirror, leaving the image of my family and I. Harry explained how difficult a full body Patronus was to produce, but I finally felt ready. I took a deep breathe, holding my wand steadily before myself. I closed my eyes, envisioning my parents and I at the beach.
"Expecto Patronum!" I stated boldly.
I opened my eyes to see students heads turned my way. A blue light emitted from my wand, transforming into the shape of a cat.
The cat pranced around the room, dragging blue light behind it. It stepped over my head before it ran off once more. It joined Luna's rabbit.
Soon, many of the students were able to perform the charm. It was magical. In the midst of our excitement, however, the crystal chandelier above our heads began to shake. We all paused as we directed our gaze to the crystals.
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Our Patronus disappeared. The large mirror before us came crashing down, splitting into hundreds of pieces. Soon after, the wall before us exploded to bits, revealing Umbridge and her Inquisitorial Squad. Cho's jaw dropped in unison with mine as Draco and Filch held Marietta's arm tightly. Spelled on her face in blisters was the word SNEAK. The brunette did not make eye contact with anyone in Dumbledore's Army.
