"I want to place a bet on what all of our patronuses will be," Sirius declared as they walked into Dumbledore's office. "If someone gets the other's right, then they owe the other a chocolate frog."
Hollis nodded, wiping away the last of the dampness under her eyes, but then faltered.
"Wait, but aren't they just the same as our animagi?" Hollis asked the other Marauders. "So we all already really know what ours are going to be."
James just shrugged.
"More chocolate for everyone, I suppose," he said with a mischevious grin as he looked between Hollis and Remus. "Not all of us get an endless supply like you do from Moony."
"Well, sometimes it just appears and I don't even know when he managed to sneak it in my bag," Hollis told them as she set down the black leather satchel by the doorway with the rest of theirs as they went to their usual round table in the corner while waiting for Dumbledore to come out.
"Not a complaint, I hope," Remus grinned, wrapping an arm around Hollis's waist.
Hollis smiled softly and kissed Remus quickly.
"Obviously not."
All heads turned towards the staircase as Dumbledore cleared his throat, his pale blue eyes twinkling with excitement from the lesson he had planned for the day.
"As many of you already know, today we will be performing the Patronus Charm," he declared as he walked down to the center of the high ceilinged room with walls covered in moving portraits.
James, Hollis, and Sirius started cheering obnoxiously, making the whole room laugh, and Remus and Hollis smile at each other with amusement.
"Now, who can tell me what a patronus is, just to review?"
Lily raised her hand along with James, Sirius, Hollis, and Remus, and the headmaster pointed at her.
"Miss Evans?"
James stuck his tongue at her that she got chosen instead of him, making her laugh a little bit before giving her answer.
"Well, a patronus is a sort of anti-dementor," Lily started, taking in a loud, clear voice. "A guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor."
James smiled cheekily before winking at Lily.
"That's my Lily flower."
He was met by a slight blush instead of the usual protests.
"Excellent, Miss Evans," Dumbledore praised with a nod towards the ginger. "And who would be willing to tell me why a patronus can act as a shield again a Dementor?"
James, Sirius, Remus, and Hollis all raised their hands again, and this time Dumbledore called on Hollis. Which lead to Sirius muttering something about gender inequality, causing Marlene to lightly hit him over the head with a spare roll of parchment.
Hollis tried to not laugh for a moment, and she had to gather her thoughts away from Sirius and Marlene to answer. And when Hollis did, it was still in an unpreventable amused voice.
"The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon hope, happiness, and the desire to survive," Hollis said, and Remus smiled at her. He loved it when Hollis went into this kind of mindset where she was just so bloody clever. "But, even though it is made of these things that a Dementor loves to destroy, it cannot feel despair as humans do. Which makes it impossible for a Dementor to hurt it."
Dumbledore was impressed, as was the rest of the room at Hollis's knowledge.
"Very good, Miss Rosier," Dumbledore smiled, before turning back to the rest of the room for his final question. "And, lastly, who here knows what is required to conjure a patronus?"
If Remus, Sirius, and James raised their hands any higher, their arms were going to pop out of their sockets. Dumbledore looked at the three boys with amusement, before pointing at Remus.
"Mr. Lupin?"
"Really?!" James and Sirius cried in unison, crossing their arms and making the room laugh again.
Dumbledore let out a soft chuckle, he had been expecting this reaction.
"You conjure a patronus with incantation Expecto Patronum, and while concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory."
"Well, it seems that you three have us covered," Dumbledore said, nodding at Sirius and James, who both stuck out their tongues once more at the headmaster. "Now, I want you all to repeat after me, Expecto Patronum."
A chorus of synchronous reputation rang throughout the room.
"Excellent," smiled Dumbledore at all of his students. "Now I want you to all focus on your very happiest memory. The one, as Miss Rosier put it, that gives you the most hope, happiness, and the desire to survive. Feel free to close your eyes."
There were a few glances around the room to see if anyone else was closing their eyes before it was done by the twenty or so teenagers.
For Hollis, it was easy. There was one memory, in particular, that gave her all three.
We should claim a star. No way every single one of these already has a name.
Remus, Hollis found, was the strongest of her few wills to survive. As long as she ended up with him, anything would be worth it.
Next to her, Remus was thinking of a different memory. The one where they were in the woods together, and she had put that little pink flower in his hair.
Both of them were about each other, because that was what made them the happiest and gave them the strongest amount of hope they had ever felt.
Hollis and Remus both opened their eyes at the same time and smiled at each other. They knew they had both been thinking of the other.
"Now, everyone take out your wands," Dumbledore instructed, noticing that the room was gradually opening their eyes. "And concentrate on nothing but that memory. Focus on it with all your might."
There was a peaceful silence in the room as the Order members relived their happiest memories vividly.
"And when you are ready, say the incantation."
It was almost as if the memory rushed from Hollis's mind, through her body, channeled into her fingertips, and then shot out in a burst of silvery light from her wand.
Right as the shape blossomed from the tip of Hollis's wand, the same magical sensation began to happen for the rest of the room as well.
As Hollis focused even more, the blob of metallic light began to take form.
Into a fox.
The little creature leaped through the air like there was a surface to land on, dancing across nothing. It was like everything good in Hollis had been embodied into a single creature, and the feeling was absolutely amazing.
But it became even better when a wolf began to run alongside her fox.
Remus came to stand by Hollis as they watched their patronuses playing together, and touching the tips of their noses.
"They're amazing," Hollis muttered in awe, and Remus rested his chin on her head and smiled softly.
And then a loud shout broke the moment.
"MINE'S BLOODY HUGE!" James cried, and a large stag joined the fox and the wolf.
And then a dog, and then a rat, and then a cat, and then a doe.
Even the patronuses of Hollis, Remus, James, Sirius, Peter, Marlene, and Lily knew that they belonged together.
Hollis.
The Slytherin turned around to see who had said her name, but there was nobody standing behind her.
"Did you guys hear that?" Hollis asked with a frown.
None of them heard her, they were too busy watching the patronuses above them.
Hollis.
Hollis's hand slipped out from Remus's. Something about it felt final.
No one noticed as Hollis walked out of the room, letting a leak of torchlight slip through the darkness of Dumbledore's office.
Following where the direction of the voice had been, Hollis found herself almost in a trance walking towards the library.
"Hello?" Hollis asked, poking her head around the corner.
What am I doing here? Hollis thought with confusion, not entirely sure how she had ended up there. I need to get back to the Order meeting, I-
Her thoughts were cut off by a cold, firm hand flying over her mouth. Now they were just panic. She should have never left.
She should have never left Remus.
"I'm sorry," came a choked voice from behind her that she instantly recognized as her brother. "I have to do this."
Hollis's eyes widened in worry, and she tried to get free from his iron grip, but couldn't.
"What-"
"Imperio."
END OF BOOK ONE
the next book, curses and candies, is on my profile
1.5k words