The Girl Who Found Hope [2]

Year 3 - 31

As the Christmas break came to an end, and the students returned to school. Cassiopeia and Harry both received a message from Professor Lupin to meet him. So, as the snow melted from the ground, the pair made their way to the Defence Against The Dart Arts classroom after the Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw match earlier that day.

"Ahh, Harry, Cassiopeia. There you are. You came." Professor Lupin greeted the pair. He stood on a balcony above the pair, looking to their eyes. "Now, are you sure about this? This is very advanced magic well beyond the Ordinary Wizarding Level."

"We're sure." Cassiopeia and Harry replied in unison.

"Well, everything's prepared." The Professor replied with a smile. He starts to walk down the stairs to the students. "Now, the spell I'm going to teach you is called the Patronus Charm. Have you ever heard of it?"

"No." "Yes." Two responses were heard at the same time.

"Yes, Cassiopeia?" The Professor asked.

"I read a book about protection charms, and it was featured. A Patronus is a positive force. For the wizard who can conjure one, it works like a shield, with the Dementor feeding off of it, rather than feeding off the wizard." Cassiopeia said. The Professor nodding along. "But in order for it to work, you need to think of a memory. Not just any memory. A very happy memory. A very powerful memory."

"Yes, exactly. Can you both do this?" The Professor asked. Harry said yes straight away, but Cassiopeia didn't reply. So many of her memories were horrible. They were filled with death, pain, heart break.

"Cass?" Harry's voice brought her out of the thoughts. Cassiopeia looked up to him, to see him and the Professor were looking at her.

"Sorry." She replied.

"It's fine. Have you thought of a memory?" The Professor asked. She nodded, despite her lying. "Well, close your eyes. Concentrate. Explore your past. Do you have a memory?" Harry nodded, his eyes still closed. Whereas Cassiopeia shook her head. "Maybe Harry should go first?" The Professor said, seeing Cassiopeia shake her head. Cassiopeia opened her eyes and nodded, stepping away from the pair. "Now, Harry. Allow the memory to fill you up. Lose yourself within it. Then speak the incantation, Expecto Patronum."

"Expecto Patronum." Harry repeated.

"Very good." The Professor replied. The Professor then walked to a case in the room. "Shall we? Wand at the ready." The professor then opened the chest, after unlocking it, and out came a Dementor. Harry looked at it in fear and his wand shook in his hand. But he still attempted to fight it and mutter the incantation. But after three tries, he started to fall unconscious. He fell to the floor, and Professor Lupin closed the case while Cassiopeia rushed over to Harry.

"Harry?" Cassiopeia called.

"Here we go. Come on. Sit up. Deep breaths." Professor Lupin said to Harry, as himself and Cassiopeia helped the boy sit up. "It's alright. I didn't expect you to get it on the first try. That would have been remarkable. Here, eat this. You'll feel better." He said, bringing out some chocolate.

"That's one nasty Dementor." Harry commented.

"Oh, no, no, no. That was a boggart. A Dementor would have been much worse." The Professor said. "Much worse." Cassiopeia's head snapped to him at the word 'boggart'.

"But doesn't that mean mine won't turn into a Dementor?" Cassiopeia asked, while helping Harry from the ground.

"Ah, it might. But what I need you to do is think of a Dementor as your fear. Then it should emerge as a Dementor." The Professor replied. "Anyway. As a matter of interest, what were you thinking of? Which memory did you choose?"