"Now, all of you, my first question is - what is the Patronus Charm?"
Greengrass answered without a preamble. "It's a Charm used as a repellant or shield against Dementors, and it manifested as a bright, silvery light - the most effective ones take on an animal form, known as a corporeal Patronus, and the actual spell is cast by thinking of one's happiest memory."
"Precisely, Daphne," Lupin said with a small smile. "Any other uses?"
"Communication," Blake said quickly, before the blonde girl could open her mouth.
"The Order of the Phoenix used it in the war - Dumbledore created it, I think."
"Well done, Blake!" the werewolf replied, beaming, as Greengrass glared. "Yes, exactly, the Patronus can be used for communication - but only the corporeal one - formless Patronuses cannot."
"How does the communication thing work?" Harry wondered aloud. "I mean, how do you tell it what to say?"
Good question, Blake agreed, looking towards Lupin for an answer.
"Good question, Harry," Lupin echoed. "It's rather simple, actually - you simply tell the Patronus what to say after it's been formed, but it does require some skill and practice. Now, is everyone ready to begin?"
The three students nodded, and Lupin drew his wand.
"I'll now demonstrate how to cast a corporeal Patronus. Ready… Expecto Patronum!"
A burst of silvery bright light burst form the tip of his wand, and gathered in front of him. Similarly to Greengrass's, the light quickly collected in front of him, until it formed…
"Woah! Is that a wolf?" Harry said excitedly. Blake resisted the urge to give Greengrass a knowing look, and feigned surprised interest.
"It is indeed, Harry," Lupin said, smiling tightly. If Harry noticed the odd reaction, he didn't comment on it.
"Now, you three try it - remember, it requires you to focus and remember - relive, if you will - a single, powerful, happy memory. The happier, the better. Ready… go!"
"Expecto Patronum!" all three of them said. As expected, Blake did not succeed, and not very surprisingly, Harry didn't either - they both had similar outcomes. Strong light did emerge from their wands, yes, but that was it. No form took hold, no animal was made. Greengrass on the other hand…
"Excellent, Daphne!" Lupin said, glowing with excitement. "20 Points to Slytherin!" The man made a slight face at that, but continued, still grinning ear to ear.
"And your Patronus is the same as the most powerful wizard I know, too. Truly, well done!"
As Greengrass's eyes widened, Blake snorted. What a suck up. Even though she knew she could do a Patronus, she came here just to flex and impress Lupin.
"Now, Blake and Harry - tell me, what do you think was the issue?"
"The memory," they both said at the same time.
"Yes, I agree. Your wandwork and incantation were spot on - the only room for effort could've been the memory. And to be honest, given your, um," he stuttered slightly, looking at Greengrass, "histories, I can understand why."
"I was there too, sir," Greengrass said smoothly. "In the first year, and last year, Blake and I worked together to track down the Basilisk."
Worked together? Blake raged. You gave me a hint!
"I see," Lupin said with a chuckle. "Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Anyway, Harry, you keep trying different memories - perhaps you aren't thinking of a happy enough one. You could practice as well, Daphne. And Blake - come here - you mentioned something about clouded memories?"
"Yes, Professor," Blake nodded. "Apparently, I kind of… skewed a memory?" Seeing the confused look on Lupin's face, he hurried to clarify.
"The memory I have is supposedly with my father - before he passed. I thought that it happened at home - Connor's birthday - but my mum's telling me a different story. Apparently, it was at the hospital, a couple of days before he passed away."
Lupin looked thoughtful for a moment.
"And also, my mum said it's not the first time that's happened - there were other instances of me, like, forgetting that he'd even passed!"
At this, Harry and Greengrass both paused their practice, no longer bothering to hide their eavesdropping. I don't really mind though, Blake thought. I've got nothing to hide about this.
"Hmm… to be honest, Blake, I'm not really sure what to say. I do see what you mean, but it seems that this is something you'll have to overcome yourself."
Seeing Blake's disappointed look, Lupin clarified further.
"It seems to me that you have some… inner turmoil about your father's death - completely understandable, of course, but considering your happiest memory is intertwined with such a sad event, it's probably created some emotional complication that's messing with your memories and feelings. What do you really feel about your father's death, Blake?"
Blake just stared at Lupin, unable to relax the tensed muscles in his face. How do I feel about Dad's death? The familiar feeling of numbness washed over Blake as it so often had done when talking about the topic, and he found himself unable to answer the question.
"It's alright," Lupin quickly assured him, as Greengrass and Harry promptly returned to practicing. "Give it some thought - the more you think about it, the more ready you'll be to face those questions."
Nodding, Blake went back to practicing the spell, even though he knew his attempts would be futile. As Lupin ran through many different memories with Harry, Blake couldn't help but wonder if he'd ever be able to do the Patronus charm effectively.
I've never been this bad at a spell before, he thought dejectedly. But even despite his resolve, he still couldn't do it. It was as if there was a barrier - dark, looming wall, separating the wizard from the memories that he prized the most.
Blake suddenly remembered something he'd heard Greengrass say before.
"Why don't powerful wizards just make Patronuses in Azkaban then?" he asked. "Surely there'd be at least some reprieve if they did, even if they couldn't manage it for long."
"Firstly, Patronuses are already extremely difficult," Greengrass said, rolling her eyes. "My Patronus isn't that strong - Dementors are simply weak against it. I couldn't dream of doing it wandlessly, and neither could many in this school, save for perhaps Dumbledore. And secondly," she continued, her voice taking on a slightly more serious tone, "they can't. Most people in Azkaban have committed heinous crimes, used the Dark Arts far beyond how they should have. As a result, they lose the ability to cast one."
"Huh?" Blake replied. "So you're saying that even Voldemort-"
"The Dark Lord," Greengrass corrected firmly."
"-couldn't cast a Patronus?"
"Yes - another reason why my House refused to delve deeply into Dark magic, or Light magic for that matter. Once you go too far on either side, you often limit your options."
Dark wizards can't cast Patronuses… I can't cast a Patronus… could that…
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