Lionheart ~ Harry Potter (Under Heavy Editing)

Chapter Thirty-Nine | Dementors... Again

"Thanks," Harry breathed, thankful that he hadn't just been bitten and shredded into little bits of wizard confetti.

"You're welcome," Ariana smiled genuinely, also pleased that Harry was alright.

Harry's face blanched. "Great. Now it's coming for us."

Sure enough, the werewolf was bounding towards them on all fours. A confusing feeling of horror and butterflies erupted in Ariana's stomach, but she knew only she was safe, and her friends were her main priority.

"Run!" Hermione shouted, grabbing Harry and Ariana's arms, taking off into the forest.

Harry took a hold of the girls' hands, tearing down the rough terrain. They dashed for their lives, their legs moving as fast as humanly possible. The trio swung behind a huge tree, all pressed together.

Ariana's heart pounded, but she knew what she had to do. "Find Buckbeak," she whispered.

With a last glance as Hermione and Harry, she removed her hands from those of her friends'. She heard them called her back, protesting, but it didn't stop her.

The werewolf laid eyes on her, transfixed. Ariana didn't hang around. She took off in the opposite direction of Harry and Hermione, looping through the tall trees.

She could feel the werewolf, who was actually her mate, tearing after her, following her scent. As she ran, her foot became snagged on a vine. Instinctively, Ariana's hands shot out and clutched onto a tree, regaining her balance as she passed.

She panted heavily, her ears focused on the bounding paws of her pursuer. The girl's legs were burning, but that never made her halt, she couldn't allow it. When she doubled back on herself, she could smell the scents of Harry, Hermione and Buckbeak all together. She silently thanked God and sprinted towards them, chest heaving.

Buckbeak was standing just in front of the pair of Gryffindors, using his beak to itch underneath his right wing. When he heard the two newcomers, his head snapped up, his eyes wide and alert.

Ariana tore past him, skidding to a halt. Harry pulled her and Hermione into his body, using himself as a human shield.

As Lupin sprinted towards them against his will, Buckbeak screeched and reared up on his hind legs defensively, bringing his talons down on the werewolf's head. Ariana inadvertently shuddered when she felt that, wishing Lupin hadn't of had to go through that.

Knowing this was a battle he couldn't win, the werewolf retreated with a yelp, running off into the heart of the forest.

"Poor Professor Lupin's having a really tough night." Harry released the girls, his arms still on their shoulders. "Are you okay?" He asked Ariana, whose breathing had just about evened out.

The witch nodded. "Yeah."

Hermione spun around, anger swirling in her brown eyes. "Never do that to us again!"

"It was successful, wasn't it?" Ariana questioned, raising her eyebrows.

"You nearly gave us both a heart attack!"

"Alright," Ariana relented. "I'm sorry."

In all honesty, it warmed Ariana's heart that she had people who cared about her so much. It was all she had ever wanted.

A foul smell hit him nose, making her screw it up. Her eyes drifted upwards, then she saw what was causing the sour smell: Dementors.

As the wind picked up and the temperature plummeted, hundreds of ghostly Dementors flew overhead, above the trees.

"Let's go," Harry said, racing off with his friends.

For what seemed like the hundredth time that night, the trio dashed through the dense forest. This time, however, they were heading for the Black Lake.

They slammed to a huffing halt, watching as a horrid cyclone of Dementors swirled overhead. Sirius lay as still as death on the ground with Harry beside him, vainly attempting to conjure a Patronus to protect them both.

The cyclone only grew, many Dementors swooping down to suck the life from both males.

"This is horrible..." Hermione said timidly, braced against a tree.

"Don't worry. My Dad will come... Right there... you'll see... he'll come... any minute... he'll conjure the Patronus," Harry countered firmly, eyes searching for his Father.

Ariana watched on as the Lake froze over, ice creeping it's water towards them. A terrible feeling of misery set into the pit of her stomach, which was just a symptom of the Dementors.

As the dark cloud of Dementors grew, they began to peel off, gliding towards her. To lure them away, she slid behind a few trees. The witch was still visible to her friends, but was far enough away to keep them away from her accomplices.

"Expecto Patronum!" she yelled.

A ferocious Lion erupted from the tip of her wand, attacking every Dementor that came for her.

While Ariana battled the hundreds of Dementors her miserable past lured over, Harry was beginning to give up hope.

"No one's coming, Harry..." Hermione sighed.

"HE WILL! He will come!" Harry yelled in denial.

"No one's coming! You're dying, both of you... and no one's coming!" Hermione countered, biting the bullet, her eyes displaying desperation and pity.

Harry's face changed, a riddle unravelling. He drew his wand and charged into the hurricane of Dementors.

"HARRY, NO!" screamed Hermione.

Too late. Harry stood in the exact spot his Father had appeared, his wand poised. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

A wisp is silver miss escaped his wand, them bloomed magnificently. It boomed out, sending every Dementor in sight spinning off to the sides. Light erupted into the trees, extremely bright. It turned into a magnificent, glowing stag, spearing the Dementors with its antlers

Ariana, who had retreated into the forest, saw the light and grinned. She continued to battle the Dementors as Harry's spell died down. She gripped her wand so tight that her knuckles turned white, creating an even more powerful Patronus.

Her Lion dissipated into a circle of light and exploded outwards, deflecting all Dementors that attempted to attack. All of them were pushed off in different directions, soaring far away from their victim.

As the massive silver shield retracted into her wand, Ariana panted. Once the light had completely disappeared, she let out a happy sigh, a relieved smile on her lips. Harry and Hermione had appeared, walking up to her side.

"That was brilliant, Harry. I could see your Patronus from here!" Ariana grinned, giving his shoulder a squeeze.

"I could say the same about you," Harry responded modestly, clapping her shoulder.

"Thank you, but nevermind that. We have to get to Sirius before midnight. We don't have long."

~~~~~

Question:
What form does Kingsley Shacklebolt's Patronus take?

A: A Lynx

B: A Fox

C: A Wolf

Congratulations to CaraTQ for answering the previous question correctly.