𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐘 - harry potter

018| PATRONUS

Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled.

A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold broke over him -

"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled. "Expecto patronum! Expecto -"

But the classroom and the Dementor were dissolving... Harry was falling again through thick white fog, and his mother's voice was louder than ever, echoing inside his head - "Not Harry! Not Harry! Please - I'll do anything -"

"Stand aside - stand aside, girl -"

"Harry!"

Arabelle looked around, seeing Harry on the floor, she realised that she saw everything Harry did when he was facing the Dementors. The classroom lamps were alight again.

Arabelle went up to Harry, helping him.

"Sorry," Harry muttered, sitting up, sweat trickled down behind his glasses.

"Are you all right?" said Lupin.

"Yes..." Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it.

"Here -" Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. "Eat this before we try again. I didn't expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had."

"It's getting worse," Harry muttered, biting off the Frog's head. Arabelle rubbed his back. "I could hear her louder that time - and him Voldemort -"

Lupin looked paler than usual.

"Harry, if you don't want to continue, I will more than understand -"

"I do!" said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. "I've got to! What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can't afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we've lost the Quidditch Cup!"

"All right then..." said Lupin. "You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on... That one doesn't seem to have been strong enough..."

Harry gripped his wand tightly again and took up his position in the middle of the classroom.

"Ready?" said Lupin, gripping the box lid.

"Ready," said Harry.

"Go!" said Lupin, pulling off the lid. The room went icily cold and dark once more. The Dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending toward Harry -

"Expecto patronum!" Harry yelled.

"Expecto patronum! Expecto Pat -"

White fog obscured his senses... big, blurred shapes were moving around him... then came a new voice, a man's voice, shouting, panicking -

"Lily, Keira, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off -"

The sounds of someone stumbling from a room - a door bursting open - a cackle of high-

pitched laughter -

"Harry! Harry... wake up..."

Arabelle came back to her senses and saw that Lupin was tapping Harry hard on the face. Arabelle quickly went to Harry, pulling his head onto her lap, she began to tap his cheeks, much softer than Lupin, then she called his name quietly a few times before he stirred in her arms.

"I heard my dad," Harry mumbled. "That's the first time I've ever heard him - he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it..."