"Did you and Dumbledore run into Dementors?" Professor McGonagall's face turned severe again.
In the mirror, people always looked a size smaller. McGonagall's sternness didn't intimidate Sean at all—if anything, it felt oddly novel.
"No, Professor."
Sean watched the miniature McGonagall in the mirror relax her brow.
"Then… why do you want to learn the Patronus Charm? And where did you learn about it?"
McGonagall was usually not one for many words, but lately she kept wanting to dig to the root of everything.
"Defensive and Deterrent Charms, Professor. An eighteenth-century work on spellcraft by Catullus Spangle.
It describes the Patronus Charm as a spell that exists to drive off dark creatures… page sixty-eight, line six."
Sean answered from memory.
He had always been in the habit of reading widely.
In nearly two years at Hogwarts, he'd read enough books to circle the castle at least once.
"Mm. Then you should also know—it's a very difficult spell."
McGonagall's voice softened. That obsessive hunger for magic in this child—no matter when it appeared—always pleased her.
"I think for you, Professor, it wouldn't be difficult."
Sean looked at McGonagall in the mirror.
"Of course. Tomorrow—come to my office."
McGonagall's face vanished.
The tabby cat in the mirror went back to licking its fur.
Night settled into its quiet. Aside from Sean's breathing, the hospital wing was utterly still.
By the glow of the enchanted lantern near the window, Sean read Charms of Defensive and Deterrent. After who knew how long, the light began to feel too dim, and his gaze drifted toward the fireplace.
His vision suddenly blurred—because a faint silhouette of Ravenclaw overlaid the world.
He watched Ravenclaw hook a finger, and the fireplace hopped its way over, finally flopping down beside him to illuminate the yellowed pages.
Dazed, he blinked—and Ravenclaw was gone.
He turned his head again, and the fireplace had actually slumped partly against the foot of his bed.
[You practiced magical transfiguration to the standard of a master among masters. Master-level proficiency +300]
His magical transfiguration proficiency had surged by a full tenth. Sean froze for a moment.
So this was…
A second way Ravenclaw's memories could be used?
Ravenclaw "playing for him"?
…More likely, the memory fusion had advanced into a second stage.
He didn't know whether this phenomenon was common.
Sean's lips curved upward. At the same time, an owl dusted with snow landed on the hospital window ledge.
Sean waved a hand; under a wandless, silent Levitation Charm, the window opened.
A brown owl hopped carefully onto Sean's bed. Nestling close to the fireplace, it shook its wings, and cottony flakes of snow scattered down in a soft shower.
Sean dried the damp bedding and cleaned the floor. Soon, in the warm firelight, the owl gave a quiet "hoo," and the two of them read together.
[It is plain to see that when a human confronts inhuman evil—such as a Dementor—he or she must draw upon an aptitude they may never have needed before.
And the Patronus is that secret self: long dormant within, until called upon—now forced into the open.]
A secret self…
Sean knew Professor Snape's Patronus was a doe, Harry's was a stag, and Hermione's was an otter.
What did these say about a witch or wizard?
He wrote the question down in his notebook—then his thoughts snagged on something else.
Dumbledore's Patronus was a phoenix; many people knew that.
But… Grindelwald's Patronus was also a phoenix.
Just as Professor Snape and Lily Potter's Patronuses had been identical.
And even more interesting: Nymphadora Tonks's Patronus had once been a hare, but by 1996 it became a wolf—matching Lupin's exactly.
A Patronus reflected a wizard's happiest memories; perhaps that was why this strange pattern emerged.
Sean, like a meticulous scholar, recorded every facet of the magic.
Then he turned the page.
[The Patronus Charm—an ancient, mysterious spell—summons a magical guardian, a reflection of a wizard's most positive emotions.
The Patronus Charm is extremely difficult. Many witches and wizards cannot produce a full, corporeal Patronus. Its form is usually that of an animal to which the caster has the strongest affinity.
You may not believe it, but unless you truly summon it, you will never truly know what your Patronus is.]
By rights, Sean's Patronus should match his Animagus form.
But the problem was—he had more than one Animagus form.
That only made him more excited for tomorrow's lesson.
When the owl had finally thawed out by the fire, Sean had already fallen asleep. The brown owl cocked its head, fluttered out the window, and—using its talons—pulled it shut again.
…
The next morning, the weather hadn't changed much: damp, and windier than ever.
Notices went up on every common room bulletin board—Hogsmeade trips were about to begin.
In the Transfiguration office, Professor McGonagall stared at a small silver cat figurine. She turned—and there came a knock at the door.
"Professor," a young voice said outside.
"Come in, child," McGonagall replied.
The Patronus lesson began quickly. The moment Sean stood before the blackboard, McGonagall launched into her explanation.
"Watch carefully.
The spell I'm about to demonstrate is highly advanced magic—far beyond the level of the average witch or wizard.
It is the Patronus Charm. Done correctly, it produces a Patronus.
It is the natural enemy of certain dark creatures—a guardian that stands between a wizard and the darkness like a shield."
Straight to the point.
She flicked her wand. Wisps of mist rose, and a silver-white cat bounded forward through the haze.
Sean watched it with bright curiosity as McGonagall continued:
"Every Patronus is unique to the witch or wizard who conjures it.
To summon one, you must speak the incantation—and you must focus all your thoughts on a particular, exceptionally happy memory, or the spell will fail."
McGonagall moved her wand again, and the cat vanished.
She studied Sean, and for a moment didn't speak.
What happy memory could this child possibly have?
What moment of joy would be strong enough to call forth his Patronus?
Minerva McGonagall was intensely curious—but before the attempt, there was still more she needed to explain.
~~~
Patreon(.)com/Bleam
— Currently You can Read 120 Chapters Ahead of Others!