Liquid Luck [Sirius Black]/editing

chapter 24

"KEEKS! GET DOWN HERE! WE NEED YOU! KEEEKS!"

At the sound of James' obnoxiously loud voice calling me from downstairs, I bid my goodbyes to the girls before hopping down the steps with an easy smile at the sight of James, Sirius and Peter waiting for me. "CHIARA HOL –" James begins loudly again before his eyes fall on me. "Oh grand, now that we're all here," James starts, rubbing his hands together excitedly. "we were thinking now would be the perfect time to practice casting the Patronus Charm."

"We were?" Peter questions with a cute tilt to his blonde head.

"Yes, Pete, we just had a whole conversation about this." Sirius deadpans rolling his eyes.

"Yeah but I didn't know we were actually going to try to cast a Patronus now though! I haven't even had lunch yet!"

"Why are you guys trying to perform the Patronus Charm?" A new voice cuts in, entering the Common Room, Remus.

"Just for funsies." James says. "To try. Fail, probably. No big deal. No sir." He tries to make the situation seem casual but it ends up seeming even more suspicious. "Nope." I hit his arm to get him to shut that ginormous mouth of his.

"Why didn't you invite me?" Remus asks as he glances at each of us with a hurt expression.

I frown and my heart aches for my friend. It's obvious the other boys feel just as bad as I do, but what we can't exactly tell him why we didn't invite him. Luckily, Sirius is quick to think on his feet, "We just didn't think you'd want to skip class again, mate!"

"Good point." He remarks, chewing on his bottom lip thoughtfully. After a beat, a lopsided smile slips onto his lips. "I suppose skipping one class today can't hurt. I've read loads about the Patronus Charm. It's said to be one of the most difficult charms to perform." He raves, his amber eyes glittering with excitement.

James, Sirius and I exchange a wordless conversation, before deciding that Remus might actually be very helpful and we probably need him with us if we're going to succeed anyhow. "I'm glad you're joining us, Remy." I admit, smiling at him and he returns it with a proud one of his own. "All we need now is a place to work."

It's then that Peter raises his hand. I giggle behind my hand and say, "Petey, you don't have to raise your hand to speak." James and Sirius snigger beside me.

"Er, right. W-Well, I might have an idea of where we can practice." He says, wringing his hands together in front of him nervously as all eyes are on him.

"Great! Where?"

*

"Peter, I love you with all my heart in this moment. How did you stumble upon this?" I ask, gazing around the magical room with a gleaming smile.

He kicks at the floor bashfully. "I was actually running away from Peeves at the time. No one was around and I was desperate for a place to hide. That's when this room appeared for me!"

"This is wicked!" James says just as mind-blown as I am.

"I've read about this!" Remus says in his usual cheery spirited voice that he gets when discussing something he's read about.

"Of course you have, sweetheart." Sirius says in a mock-loving tone, ruffling Remus' hair with a laugh.

Remus pushes him away playfully before continuing, "The Room of Requirement is what it's called. It's also referred to as the Come and Go Room. It's a room that appears when a person is in real need of it. When it appears, it's equipped for the seeker's needs. Which explains why ours is a big empty space."

"I love Hogwarts." I gush, twirling around the room.

"So Remus, how does the whole Patronus thing work?" James asks.

"You're supposed to say the words Expecto Patronum whilst thinking of your happiest memory. You've got to allow the memory or thought to completely fill you up, really feel it. The happier the better."

I pull my wand out of my cloak and hold it up. My happiest memory...Is it bad that my mind is going blank?

Okay, think, Chiara.

My eyes stray to Remus and I watch as he closes his eyes and a smile tugs at his lips at whatever memory he's gotten lost in. He mutters the two magic words and a spark of white light escapes his wand, however disappears a few seconds later. He remains unbothered by his failed attempt and tries a few more times. It's on his fifth one that all four of us circle around Remus, as much more light is conjured. Swirls of light string out of his wand and a wolf made up of the light appears from the tip. It howls and runs around him playfully.

We all stare completely amazed, especially Remus who laughs with happy eyes trailing after his wolf. When it disappears into thin air, we all congratulate him. Remus really is brilliant, isn't he?

"That was amazing, Remus!" James pats his back lovingly and we all excitedly turn back to our own wands and memories.

James concentrates properly now and grins, his eyes lighting up in pure happiness. He mutters the words and the tip of his wand erupts in the same strings and swirls of light. Only now, a stag appears in place of the wolf and begins prancing around the room. James watches with a gaping mouth.

"What did you think about, Jamie?" I ask.

"The day my dad took me to a Quidditch World Cup game! It was the best day of my life, hands down. Dad even bought me a signed Snitch at the end of the match!" It's obvious the memory means a great deal to James just with the way his eyes light up when he talks about it.

Sirius grins at James for executing the charm so beautifully and turns to his own wand, wanting to be able to perform it too.

He closes his eyes but all he does is frown. The frown depends the more time he spends in his thoughts.

I try to think of my family. We spend little to no quality time together, so it makes sense for my mind to be blank in thought of them. My mind wanders to my friends, and that's when it hits me. I flutter my eyes shut and raise my wand. "Expecto Patronum." I say clearly, opening my eyes to watch my wand carefully. Only a spark of white light erupts at the tip until it goes out just as quick. I frown but remember Remus' first attempts looking similar to this one.

Even Peter ends up getting it. His Patronus is a rat which James and Sirius find all too amusing.

All that's left now is for me and Sirius to do it. I repeat the notion so many times that I end up tossing my wand across the room. "I think I'm just going to curl up in a ball in the corner and stay there...forever." I say dramatically flinging myself to the floor. "I don't understand why this isn't working, it's my happiest memory." I huff.

"What is it?" Remus asks curiously.

I feel my cheeks growing warmer and know my face is probably as red as Lily's hair. "It's the day we all sat around the fire in first year and just talked all night. It was the first day we really started getting to know each other and it's my best I think."

"Awww," James coos, wrapping his arms around my waist and spinning me around. "Chiara's gone sentimental."

"Yeah well, rubbish memory didn't even work."

"You know, it doesn't have to be a memory." Remus says, looking between me and Sirius. "It can be a thought. The thought of a person, the thought of a concept, just something that brings you complete joy."

Sirius seems to take that as his cue to another attempt as he once again shuts his eyes. Only this time, he starts to smile and his face softens drastically. "Expecto Patronum!" He says causing an even brighter light than James, Remus and Peter's appears followed by a dog playfully trotting around him. The dog made of light looks around the room before resting it's eyes on me. It suddenly starts running straight towards me and jumps through me, disappearing into thin air as soon as it does.

I let out a stream of happy giggles. "What was it you thought of?"

Sirius only smiles at me proudly as the other boys congratulate him, and I'm left to wonder what could be so powerful to make Sirius Black so happy.