Chapter XIII: The Patronus Charm
(Daphne P.O.V)
"So, let me get this straight," Tracey said as Daphne and Blaise walked beside her, "The night you decide to visit Harry, he magically wakes up. You kissed him, didn't you?"
"For the love of god Tracey," Daphne said rolling her eyes, "Sleeping Beauty isn't a scientific study, it's a muggle story, and I can assure you that I most certainly didn't kiss Potter last night."
"Well something changed that's for sure," Blaise said as he walked casually by his girlfriend's side, hands resting behind his head, "Because I didn't see you sending him your patented 'I'm going to kill you' glare."
"Look," Daphne said with a sigh, "I just found out that Harry might not be as one dimensional as I first thought. He's still an arrogant pain in the ass, and for your information, I do not have an 'I'm going to kill you' glare."
"So, he's Harry now," Tracey said with a snicker, causing Daphne to shoot daggers into her best friend with her eyes before Tracey smiled, "And there's the glare. Checkmate Greengrass."
"I hate you," Daphne snarled, "So, so, much."
"Yeah, yeah," Tracey said waving her off, "This is your stop," She said as they arrived at the Ancient Runes Room, "Have fun, Blaise and I are off to divination."
"I still don't understand why you would ever take that hack's class," Daphne said shaking her head.
"Easy O," Was all Blaise responded as he took his girlfriend's hand into his own and headed off towards the towers leaving Daphne alone a slight smile on her face which she wiped clean before heading into the classroom.
When she had entered, she was surprised that Harry was already in the seat next to hers. She didn't know if it was intentional or if he just didn't remember, but Daphne suspected he knew exactly what he was doing. Although he wasn't looking as jovial as he normally did, the Runes textbook spread open below him as he rubbed his temples yawning loudly.
"Didn't get enough beauty sleep, Potter?" Daphne said as she took her normal seat.
"Not even close, though I did my best to look presentable for you princess," Harry said a tired yawn once again leaving his mouth, "Ron drove me crazy all morning, and I haven't really had much time to study for runes. I was already a bit behind before I went out, and then Snape decided it would be fun to drown me in homework for his class." Harry then threw his head back and blew out an exhausted sigh, "What a pain."
"That's what I say every time I see you," Daphne said cheekily causing Harry to chuckle.
"Very funny, Princess."
"So, I know why Professor Snape hates you, that stunt of yours and Corner was pretty heavily discussed in the Slytherin Common Room, but why does Ron have his knickers in a twist."
Harry grinned, "Trust me, the prank is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Snape. As for Ron, git claims Loki ate his rat, but I gave him strict orders not to do so."
"Loki's your Kneazle, right?" Daphne asked and Harry quickly nodded in response, "Well, if you've tamed it, it should never disobey your orders unless you've ordered it to do something that could put its own life at risk."
"I know," Harry groaned, "But Ron was throwing a pissy-fit over the rat he didn't even like so I offered him 15 galleons to buy any pet he wanted over the next break. He took the money and he's still complaining. Honestly, that guy's going to really start to piss me off."
"I'd say he's already started," Daphne said with a shrug before reaching into her bookbag and pulling out her notebook, opening it before handing it to Harry, "Look, I'll let you copy my notes since Astoria told me you've helped her out a lot in the Gryffindor Common Room, I'll just transfer them over and then we'll be even."
"You don't owe me anything, Astoria's my friend, of course I'd look out for her," Harry said a quizzical look on his face.
"Just let me copy over the damn notes before the Professor comes in and gets us in trouble," Daphne said rolling her eyes as she tapped her wand to her notebook and muttered, "Exscribo." Before her wand glowed a dim white and she hovered her wand above Harry's notebook, "Rescribo."
Daphne watched Harry's look of awe as the words that were once on her notebook were seamlessly transferred over to Harry's notebook in perfect condition. Harry's look of awe turned into an impressed grin as he spoke, "Neat spell, where'd you learn it."
"I made it myself," Daphne said with a shrug.
"Beautiful and talented," Harry said with a chuckle, "It's almost unfair."
"Don't make me regret my moment of kindness Potter," Daphne said, though the coldness in her tone had not been as strong as it once was. Honestly, Daphne was just relieved Harry hadn't asked why she had created the spell, as in truth, it was a way of copying down important information from medical textbooks and keeping them locked away in her notebook without having to buy them and bring them home. While it wasn't so much the action that she would hate explaining, she wasn't quite sure how she would answer the question of why she was copying the information in the first place, Astoria. Thankfully, the occasion never arose as soon, Professor Babbling had entered and the lesson on creating basic wards had begun, but then the conversation shifted towards one that Daphne had found very interesting, magical exchange.
"Magic Exchange Runes," Professor Babbling Started, "Is a very rare sort of rune, despite their ease of creation." Daphne watched in wonder as Professor Babbling wrote two sets of 5 runes, the first being the runes for: Bond, Magic, Trust, Strength, Power. And the second set consisted of: Unity, Care, Understanding, Magic, and Love.
"The reason this magic is rare is due to factors of compatibility," Babbling continued, "This bond between two witches or wizards in which the rune wearers can pull from each-others magical cores when in physical contact is a strange and certainly unexplained phenomenon."
"The top researchers in the field believe that in order for this magic to work, the two individuals must have what is known as true compatibility," Babbling said, "That being said, this does not necessarily mean that love is all that is required. Married couples have attempted this bond with no success, most researchers believe it requires a harmonization of both individuals souls, minds, hearts, and magic. Lacking any of these categories seemingly eliminates one from the possibility of sharing a core when necessary."
"However, there are examples, in your textbook, if you turn to page two hundred and fifty-five," Babbling lectured, "You'll see the case of Anderson and Augustus Brand. Twin brothers who were able to perform the link. Unfortunately for everyone, the two boys had decided on a life of crime, and in the late 1970s, the twin brothers had together taken down a group of ten Auror's. It was only due to a lucky shot by Alastor Moody that one of the boy's had lost their hand on which the runes were drawn and with the connection severed, the twins were easily overtaken."
"While most would initially believe that the combination of two cores would simply double one's power," Babbling said winding down her lecture, "The less than practical study of the brothers show that if the bond is successful, the power of each individual increases massively, some have even dared to say ten-fold. It would certainly be something I hope to study myself someday."
While Babbling had eventually moved on Daphne had been so encapsulated by the bonding runes. She had intended to ask a question on if there were any healing factors associated with the runes, hopefully believing that if Daphne could somehow transfer her sister's blood curse over to herself then it would certainly be something worth trying just as the last resort. However, in standard Babbling fashion, the professor jumped from one topic to another leaving Daphne scrambling for notes as Potter grinned at her, "Maybe we should try the runes. If it worked then it would mean were compatible, right?"
"No need for runes," Daphne said off-handedly, "I already know it would be pointless."
"Ouch Princess," Harry said returning to his notes, "Cold."
"Ice Queen remember," Daphne said keeping up with Babbling's lecture.
"All part of the appeal," Harry said before he too rushed to keep up with Babbling's instruction.
(Harry P.O.V)
Harry had a very strange morning, to say the least, not only had Dumbledore come up to him to tell him his private lessons that for the past month were slated on his timetable but never used were finally going to start, and he also told him that Snape would be covering for Remus' Defense Against the Dark Arts Class today, and that Harry was to meet Remus at the Astronomy Tower where classes wouldn't be beginning for another couple of hours.
Afterward, he had discussed his fight with Ron about Scabbers who Loki, to Harry's disbelief, had eaten, he didn't believe it so, but Harry had gifted Ron the galleons to buy himself an actual pet, and Fred, George, and even Percy had privately whisked away their brother from causing a stink about a rat, who Ron himself had repeatedly criticized for being "Boring" with Daphne. He hadn't expected the kindness he had received from the Princess but was pleasantly surprised that she was willing to help him out with his Runes work he had missed, though she had insisted it was simply paying him back for helping Astoria. Honestly, the girl simply drove him wild.
The bonding rune had seemingly captivated Harry immensely, and Daphne too seemed to be intrigued, though he doubted it was for the same reason. What Harry saw from the bond was a level of strength that he could barely fathom. A possibility for one to increase their power so dramatically sounded like just the thing he needed to overpower Voldemort if the time came. He was wondering that once he and Remus had put together a way to gather enough evidence to clear Sirius' name without the bureaucracy of people like Lucius Malfoy and Umbridge getting in the way if his godfather and he would be a compatible match for the runes.
Though Harry knew better than to trust his luck, the idea of a bond was a longshot, and Harry needed to continue practicing his mastery of magic in case his idea was crushed. If Harry were to be honest with himself, he'd say he was a decent student. He had firm grasps in the studies of Charms, and Transfiguration, though he did have a less than favorable understanding of Potions and Herbology, granted the ladder was much easier for him to understand than the black-bat's class. In fact, Harry was far from the prodigy that many believed him to be, his only gift lay in one field, combat magic, both the Uses and Defense Against the Dark Arts.
To Harry, combat was like a dance, he had been going toe to toe with people stronger than him all his life, but his gift for battle strategy and tactics had allowed him to barely keep up. Yes, he had lost to Sirius and Tonks, and to his recollection, he had only ever beaten Sirius once when he was ill and Tonks when she had clumsily tripped. Still, he put up a hell of a fight for an eleven-year-old kid at the time and his power had only grown. Harry only hoped that Voldemort's return would take a couple more years as currently, Harry wasn't feeling ready to face the man that had killed his parents, then again, would he ever be?
However, Harry pushed these thoughts to the side as he ascended the steps of the Astronomy Tower where he found his uncle fidgeting with a locked trunk about the size of the one he had at the end of his bed in the Gryffindor Dormitory. Remus due to his increased hearing and sense of smell instantly turned as Harry entered the tower and turned to face him, a look of joyous relief on his face upon seeing Harry was better. He had heard that Sirius had stayed by his bedside in his Animagus form for two days straight, and honestly, Harry felt terribly guilty at the strain he must have put his family through.
Still, Remus never coddled Harry, and while it was clear that he was overjoyed Harry had awoken he spoke softly and in a professional manner, "It's good to see you're doing well Harry."
"I'm still sort of sore," Harry said with a chuckle trying to lighten the mood before he asked, "You wanted to see me?"
"Yes," Remus said, "Honestly, both Padfoot and I felt awful over what happened to you, and as it was I who came up with your lesson plans, I felt even worse that I overlooked the possibility of facing dementors. They weren't around in America, but it was a gross miscalculation on my part and I intend to remedy the situation today."
"It wasn't your fault Moony," Harry said comfortingly, "You couldn't have known it would happen. But if I can be honest with you, when I was out, I started having dreams, really bad dreams. I saw my mom and dad the night they-," But Harry couldn't finish the sentence as Remus walked towards him placing a comforting hand on his shoulder giving him the strength to continue, "But that wasn't it, then I started to see memories that weren't mine, it was about this boy named-"
"Tom," Remus finished for him.
"You know?" Harry said in confusion.
"You muttered that name while you were asleep," Remus said, "Padfoot and I reported it to Dumbledore, he believes you somehow linked your mind to the Dark Lord, as his name was at one-point Tom Marvolo Riddle."
"Voldemort's real name is Tom," Harry asked, if it wasn't happening in his mind, he might have even laughed at the notion.
"Yes, but that isn't the point," Remus said, "The fact that you somehow managed to enter the Dark Lord's mind means that he could have the chance to enter yours which is why Padfoot and I agreed with Dumbledore to begin teaching you Occlumency to shield your mind from any possible mental attacks."
"As much as Sirius and I don't want it to be," Remus continued, "You know that you are at the focal point of this battle with the Dark Lord. Information you know, like the prophecy, for instance, cannot be allowed to fall into He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named's hands. Which is why I implore you to take these lessons from Dumbledore seriously, he may be shady, but he is one of the best Occlumens to ever live and it's important you learn to shield your mind."
"I'll try," Harry said understanding the gravity of the situation, and a mixture of fear and excitement swelled under his skin. On one hand, he'd be learning mental magic which was very cool, but on the other hand, he was only learning it because there was a chance that somehow Voldemort could enter his mind and learn everything he knew. It was about more than the prophecy, he wouldn't let his incompetence be the reason anyone else got hurt, he wouldn't allow it, he couldn't.
Swallowing down all this concern however, Harry spoke once again, "Is that what you called me in for?"
"No, as I said," Remus began, "After the events of the last few days, it is my job not only as your family but as your professor to teach you how to defend yourself against the vile creatures circling around the castle grounds, as for some reason, they seem to be very attracted to you, most likely due to your early childhood trauma if I were to hazard a guess."
Honestly, Harry didn't need Remus to go into more details. His parent's death had been a recurring nightmare for him, but at first, all he had heard was the faint voice and a flash of green-light, now he had seen it first hand, and the thought of studying mental shields and defending against the visions the hooded creatures had forced him to see motivated Harry like no other, "The dementors," He growled, "There's a way to stop them?"
"Stop them, unfortunately not," Remus said, "Dementors are seemingly immortal creatures with no way of permanently ridding them from the world. However, there is a charm that causes them to flee. Normally, it isn't taught until your seventh year or in the Auror department separately depending on the professor, but as Padfoot and I trained you ourselves, I have faith that you will be able to learn this spell at your current level."
"What is the spell called?" Harry asked, intrigue lacing his voice.
"The Patronus Charm," Remus said softly, "Repeat after me, the incantation is Expecto Patronum."
"Expecto Patronum," Harry repeated showing Remus his correct pronunciation of the spell before turning back to the trunk, "So um, do you have a dementor stored away in that thing or what?"
"No," Remus said, "In this trunk is actually going to be the subject of next weeks lesson, it's a boggart."
"A boggart?" Harry asked trying to recall the name from his previous studies.
"Don't strain yourself," Remus said, "We didn't teach it to you as for the most part, they are quite rare and Padfoot and I weren't too concerned about you running into one in all honesty. However, A Boggart is one of the worst magical creatures around, they have the ability to transform into the form of what their target fears the most. In my case, it is a full moon, and in your case, I imagine it may be a dementor."
"What if it's not?" Harry asked.
Remus gave him a small smile as he spoke, "We'll cross that bridge when it comes. For now, I want you to ready your wand. The Patronus Charm is a spell focused on creating a shield of tangible happiness for the dementors to feed on granting the user enough time to escape. Incredibly strong or practiced wizards can even create what is known as a Corporal Patronus, giving the shield the form of an animal."
Harry watched as Remus uttered the incantation and from his wand sprung a glimmering white wolf that ran around the classroom as if it was truly a beast on the prowl. Before with another flick of Remus' wand, the wolf disappeared leaving nothing but a small flash of light in its wake. Harry looked at his uncle in awe as he muttered, "Wicked. How do I do it?"
"First you must understand that this is an incredibly difficult spell," Remus started, "Even more so I fear for you than the standard person. The strain on one's magic is intense, and the focus it requires even under the fearful circumstances this spell would be used in is tremendous. Finally, the true reason the Patronus Charm is so difficult is the requirement of a truly happy a pure memory. Something that fills you with joy to the point it can literally be excreted from you."
"What do you think about?" Harry asked getting nervous, wondering if there was anything at all that made him feel the way Remus had described.
"I think about your father, and Padfoot," Remus started, "The way they had accepted me and tried to become animagi so that I wouldn't be alone on full moons. I remember us laughing as we studied and they attempted to complete their transformations. I remember our late-night prowls around the forbidden forest, I remember their friendship, that's what fills me with joy."
Harry began racking his brain thinking of the happy memories in his life. He was happy that while his life may have started off rough, he had plenty of great memories with Sirius and Tonks, he had memories laughing over Andromeda's fussiness, and he remembered the pride he would feel when Remus had seen his new spell work and congratulated him on a job well done. Finding a happy moment wasn't really Harry's concern, it was finding one that truly filled him with joy to the level that Remus was describing that worried him. Harry was pulled out of his thoughts however when Remus spoke, "For now though, we must first see if my assumptions regarding your boggart are correct." He gestured for Harry to stand in an open space, "Prepare yourself Harry, and remember I am here."
Harry nodded and watched as with a flick of Remus' wand the trunk unlocked and out of it arose the smoky figure from his nightmare. The hooded black mist-like wraith that would have sent him plummeting to his death had it not been for his Uncle and Professor McGonagall. Then, just like before, the screaming returned, his mother's screams begging the Dark Lord for mercy. He covered his ears before he dropped to his knees shivering. Thankfully, the coldness in the air disappeared as Remus stepped in front of the boggart and sent it back into the trunk locking it with his wand.
Quickly he saw that a chocolate bar was placed in front of him and with a kind voice Remus spoke, "Here, eat, it helps."
Harry took the chocolate and bit into it feeling much better before he rose to his feet looking at his uncle with shame, "Why does it do that to me? Why do the dementors affect me so harshly?"
"Unfortunately, that wasn't a dementor," Remus spoke, "That was a boggart, the real thing will be worse, much, much worse. But to answer your question, in my opinion, it is because you witnessed a horrifying trauma before you could even understand what was going on completely. Now, it's even worse with you experiencing it firsthand. Your fear isn't spiders, or clowns, or death, your fear is fear itself, and conquering that can be challenging for anyone, especially with someone with as big as a burden you carry Harry."
Harry felt a warm hand on his shoulder as Remus ensured Harry knew he was by his side. With a slow voice, he asked, "What do you hear when they approach you?"
Harry never liked crying, it was weak, and weakness had been all but drilled out of him. But while in the presence of the first person he ever met to care for him he didn't care as much about looking weak and allowed the tears to flow. He calmed himself before he spoke, "I hear my mother, I hear her screaming begging for Voldemort to spare me. Then, I hear nothing at all, and honestly, I'm not sure which is worse."
Harry felt Remus grip around his shoulder tighten as he felt Remus smiling down at him sadly, "I miss them too Harry. There's no shame in feeling what you are feeling. Sometimes you need to allow yourself to cry."
Harry nodded slowly calming himself down and once he had felt steady enough, Remus removed his hand from Harry's shoulder before Harry turned towards the Professor. He watched Remus nod and returned with one of his own before Remus spoke once more, "Alright Harry, I need you to close your eyes. As I said before, this charm requires the use of a memory, a happy memory. Search your mind, try to find something that fills your heart with joy."
Harry closed his eyes as per instruction and worked hard racking his brain for memories that filled him with happiness. Initially, his first instinct was during the first birthday party he remembered, where Sirius, Remus, Andromeda, Ted, and Tonks had gone all-out decorating the room with streamers and balloons. Harry had remembered Andromeda sighing in annoyance as she had instructed Tonks to buy blue streamers, but she had gotten Purple instead which played a role in why it was Harry's favorite color. He remembered the singing of the Happy Birthday song, he remembered the amazing cookies and cream cake, he remembered opening his presents which contained a model dragon figurine Sirius had bought him that Andromeda had later forced him to return to the store for being too dangerous. He remembered everything, and with the slight opening of his eyes, he nodded his readiness.
Remus nodded, and once again from the trunk emerged the creature that only nightmares should have been able to create. Harry gripped his acacia wand tightly as he roared, "Expecto Patronum!" However, the mist shield hadn't emerged, feeling the darkness getting closer he tried again, "Expecto Patron- Expecto- Expe," but it was too late, acting quickly, Remus stepped in front of him once again and banished the creature into the trunk.
Harry was panting as his uncle leaned down handing him another piece of chocolate before he spoke, "Whatever memory it was that you chose, I'm afraid it wasn't strong enough."
"Damn it," Harry said panting for air, "I don't know what else to do."
"Harry, look at me," Remus said as Harry stared up at the man he considered family, "It's too early to give up. Think hard Harry, there must be something, some powerful memory, something that you may have overlooked."
Once again, Harry racked his mind. He wasn't sure if it was for five minutes or thirty, but when he opened his eye, he had a new memory in mind. Harry turned back to face his Professor before he nodded and glared at the trunk. He wouldn't fail this time, he wouldn't allow it. As Harry had been expecting, the ghastly beast emerged from the trunk, but this time with steeled resolve and memory in mind, he shouted, "Expecto Patronum!" As if his wand had erupted to life, a thin veil of white mist emerged from his wand tip, and though the pull of his magic was noticeable, Harry didn't stop, taking a step forward as he pushed the dementor/boggart back."
The dementor made a strange screeching sound before eventually, it retreated into its trunk, no longer being able to stand the light. When Remus had sealed the trunk, Harry finally gave into his exhaustion, falling on his knees, sweating profusely but with a proud grin on his face. His uncle ran to him expressing the same sentiment as he felt himself wrapped proudly in Remus' arms, "Well done Harry, well done."
Harry chuckled unable to keep the joy he was feeling internal any longer before Remus asked, "If you don't mind me asking, what memory made it work?"
"It was you," Harry said softly, "And Padfoot, and Tonks, and Andromeda, and Ted. I remembered Christmas Day, the one where you and Padfoot gathered up all the photos of my parents and put them into the photo album. I remembered you and him telling me stories as we drank Andromeda's hot chocolate and I remembered leaning against Tonks who was hugging me reminding me I still had a family. That was the memory I chose."
A warm smile was on the Professor's face before he nodded, "I do believe that is enough practice for today. We'll continue our lessons some other time. Unfortunately, classes are set to begin again soon, and you should try and grab some lunch before your next lesson."
Harry nodded thankfully as he headed towards the door before he heard his uncle call to him once more, "And Harry, your parents would be proud. I know I am."