"I just happen to wonder what you two are doing togather at midnight"
Harry's pov
"Are you sure about this, Harry? This is very advanced magic beyond the Ordinary Wizarding Level." Professor Lupin asked me. Holidays were over and it is now time for him to teach me how to fight dementors.
"I'm sure." I replied
"The spell I'm going to teach you is called the Patronus Charm. Have you ever hear of it?".
I shook my head 'no'.
"Well, a patronus is a positive force. For the wizard who conjures one, it works like a shield that the dementors will feed off of rather than him."
"But how do I conjures one?" I asked.
"In order for you to conjures one, you need to think of a memory. Not just any memory, a very happy memory, a very powerful memory. A memory that you would smile at anytime you remember it even in the hardest of the times in you life." professor Lupin explained.
I thought for a second. I remember the quidditch match we had on Christmas which reminded me of the first time I rode a broomstick.
"Now, close your eyes and concentrate. Allow the memory you chose to fill you up and lose yourself within it. After, speak the incantation, Expecto Patronum." professor Lupin instructed.
"Expecto Patronum" I repeated.
"Very good. Now, wand at the ready". He instructed.
I opened my eyes and pulled out my wand out of my pocket. Professor Lupin looked at me then unlocked the chest as I pointed my wand at it.
Once the chest was unlocked, a dementor flew right out of it into the air. It rose up then came up, it seemed like it had its attention on me. I pointed my wand at it.
"Expecto Patronum!" I shot st the dementor as it started to come closer. I tried thinking as hard as I could, the feel of air on me the day I flew on the broom the first time.
No light appered out of my wand. Nothing happened really. I shot again,: "Expecto.. Expecto P-" nothing happened and I started running out of breath before I felt dizzy and heard the screams of my mother, just like on the train. Everything went pitch black and I felt myself collapse on the floor.
~
"Come on sit up. Deep breaths.". I woke up to professor Lupin helping my sit up, asking my to take deep breaths. "It's all right. I didn't expect you to do it the first time." He said handing me a piece of chocolate.
"Here, eat this. You'll feel better.". I nodded and took a bite out of the chocolate piece.
"That's one nasty dementor." I exclaimed. Professor Lupin sigheed and shook his head.
"Oh, no, no, no. That is a Boggart Harry, a Boggart. The real thing is much worse.".
Well, that is great news.
"As a matter of interest, what were you thinking?" he asked at he lit the candles again.
"The first time I rode a broom." I replied.
"Well, that's not good enough. Not nearly good enough." I sighed and looked around. What memory do I have that the dementors didn't take away?. I remember one.
"There's another. It's not happy, exactly. It's the happiest I've ever felt."
"Is it strong?". His words took me aback. I thought for a moment and nodded at I turned to face him.
"Let us give it a try, shall we?"
"Just do it." I said having determination on learning how to fight back dementors. I pointed my wand at the chest. This time I was ready.
He opened the chest and a dementor flew out into the air once again.
"Expecto Patronum!" I shot. Nothing.
"Expecto Patronum!!" I shot again louder focusing hardly on the memory. I allowed the memory of me standing infront of the mirror in my first year play in my head.
A grey, sky - blue wisp came out of my wand only to grow larger. It started compelled the dementor to fly back to chest. Professor Lupin closed the chest and went and plopped on the stairs to rest.
He came up to me and patted me back. "Well done Harry, well done!".
"I think I've had enough, for today." I said breathing heavily.
"Yes, sit down." He started as he sat down next to me. "And just so you know, I think you'd have given your father a run for his money, and that, is saying something." he said smiling.
"I was thinking of him and my mum, seeing their faces, they were talking to me. Just talking. That was the memory I chose. I don't even know if it's real, but it is the best I have." I said smiling.
"Go rest, Harry. Go rest."
~
I met with y/n, Hermione and Ron in the Great Hall after I took a nap. I was extremly tired. The Charm wasn't easy to cast as I thought it would be. We walked out to the courtyard.
"Beautiful day." Hermione said as we walked out of the Great Hall.
"Gorgeous, unless you've been ripped to pieces!" Ron snapped.
y/n sighed. "Not tthis again. I'm sick and tired of hearing you both fighting over this!" she whined.
"What exactly are they fight over?" I asked.
"Ron, had lost his rat." Hermione replied.
"I haven't lost anything!. Your cat ate him!" He snapped back.
"Rubbish" Hermione protested.
"Harry, y/n, you've seen the way that bloodthirsty beast of hers is always lurking about. Scabbers is gone."
"Oh no, Ron, please don't drag us into this." y/n whined. I nodded.
"Well, maybe you should take better care of your pets!" Hermione snapped.
"Your cat killed him!."
"Did not"
"Did."
"Did not!"
"For Merlin's sake shut up you two. I'm sick and tired of your constant fights!. I wonder if Hagrid would be happy if his friends were fighting when they came to visit him!. " y/n snapped. She is right, these two fight all the time.
Ron are Hermione sent eachother glances and turned their faces the other side as not to look at one another along the way to Hagrid's. It was awkward silence all the way there.
We arrived at Hagrid's hut and knocked on the door. "Hagrid? are you there?".
Nothing.
"Does anyone hear this?" Hermione asked.
"The sound of water splashing?" Ron asked. Hermione nodded, "Yes.".
"Well, there is a lake near by. Hagrid might be there." I said looking at y/n. She smirked at me, but she looked a bit red.
We walked over to the lake and there was Hagrid collecting rocks and throwing them across the lake. He was stone skipping in silance. Hagrid was still in the suit he went with to the hearing. He has his pants rolled up as not to get them yet and looked up ahead of him.
"How did it go, Hagrid?, the hearing?" Hermione asked. Hagrid didn't stop stone skipping. He does this only when he is sad or feeling down. This can't be good.
"Well, first off, the committee members took turns talking about why we were there." Hagrid started.
He skipped another rock and continued,: "And then, I got up and did my piece, said how Buckbeak was a good hippogriff, always cleans his feathers.". He sighed looking at the rock in his hand.
"and then Lucius Malfoy got up along with Mr. Parkinson. He said Buckbeak was a deadly and dangerous creature, who would kill you as soon as look at you."
"Pancy's father was there too?" y/n whisper askedm us in surprise.
"And then Hagrid?" She asked.
"And then, they asked for the worst."
"They're not sacking you!" Ron exclaimed.
"No, I'm not sacked. Buckbeak's been sentenced to death!". Hagrid exclaimed with a shaking tone.
~
We all didn't talk much to each other. Maybe we were too shocked to say anything. We all loved Buckbeak. Hermione and y/n were the most annoyed between us all. Hermione couldn't wait until classes were over before she skipped off to the girls' dorms to try and find a way or two to save Buckbeak.
Ron and I sat by the fire in silance. y/n joined us when she made sure Hermione was okay. She had the Defence Against The Dark Arts book in her hand.
Ron got tired and decided to leave to bed. I followed after him leaving y/n studying alone in the common room. I took a cookie on my way up to the boys' dorm from the table.
I layed back to sleep but couldn't. I reached out for the drawer by my bed and pulled out the Marauder's Map. I flipped the pages of it to reveal more parts of Hogwarts. I looked at the names wandering around the castle. "Peter Pettigrew" I whispered. This is strange, I clearly heard the minister say he was killed by Sirius Black.
"Spiders!" Ron yelled. He sat up terrified. T - They want me to tap - dance. I don't want to tap - dance!" Ron wailed. I laughed without Ron noticing.
"You tell those spiders, Ron". Ron have had the same dream almost every night. I'm used to helping him go back to sleep.
"Alright, yeah. I tell them. I'll tell them..yeah." He muttered as he turned to go back to sleep.
I looked back at the map and voices started playing in my head. 'Peter Pettigrew?', 'Little lump of a boy.', 'Always trailing after Sirius Black.' - 'Black was vicious. He didn't kill Pettigrew, he destroyed him!'.
I got up quickly and put on my shoes. I grabbed my cloak and headed down to the common room. I have to see is he alive?. The map might be false or dishonest. Most magical items work the way they want. They are just like humans moody. Like wands, they choose teir new owner.
"Harry?. What are you doing exactly?" y/n asked. Merlin. I forgot she was studying.
"Uhh."
"Harry, where are you going?" She asked as she stood up and walked over to me.
"No where." I said quickly.
"I'm coming with you."
"What? no."
"Yes." She said looking at the map. "What did you spot?"
"I-.. well- uhm- Peter Pettigrew."
"What?" She gasped.
"Yes. I want to go check and see if it is true."
"Well, I'll come with you then. I honestly thought he was dead though."
I sighed and nodded. She followed after me and we left the portrail hole.
"Lumos" y/n said waving her wand. She pointed the light at the map and followed Peter's track. "This way let's go".
We walked through out the cold, dark and shallow corridors trying to make the least of noises as we can. The walls were cover with painting and few old men asked us to turn off the light.
"Harry. He is ahead of us" y/n said drawing my attention. I pulled out my wand and looked at her. She nodded and pointed her wand to light up the corridor.
The foot steps got closer but withdrawn around us. y/n noticed that and pointed her wand the way Peter's foot steps on the map were going.
Northing. There was noone there.
"Oh no, Harry!" y/n whisper shouted as she pointed at the map showing professor Snape taking a turn.
"Nox" she shot turning off the light.
"Mischief managed" I shot at th map. We ran and hid behind a wall. Darkness filled the place for seconds.
We weren't fast enough as the professor lit his wand in our faces.
"Potter, l/n. What is it you both are doing wandering the corridors at night?" He demanded dryly.
"I was sleepwalking." I responded quickly.
He turnedto y/n asking her for answers. "I followed after Harry to bring him back to the dorms" She protested.
"How extraordinarily like your father you are, Potter. He, too, was exceedingly arrogant, strutting about the castle." Snape said. y/n gasped.
"My dad didn't strut. And nor do I." I said.
"Both of you, turn out your pockets." He demanded. y/n put her hands in her pockets and pulled them out and waved a finger in Snape's face with a smirk.
"You must learn how to respect your professors Ms. l/n." Snape said coldly.
"And why do I have to respect who doesn't respect me. And if your world is stuck on me giving you the slightest bit of respect, then shove your wand up your arse and cast 'Bombarda' to get a life. Who knows, maybe you will find it entertaining to do other than being like an old, dry and cold wall." y/n retorted with an innocent smile.
I had to hold myself from laughing my head off, but couldn't. I just laughed hard and he sent me a dirty look that made me laugh even harder.
He pointed his wand at me then at my pockets as he needs to check what I have in my pockets. "Pockets Potter." I turned them and took the map out. He looked at me then at the map.
"What's this?" He demanded.
"Spare bit of parchment." I answered.
"Really? Open it.". He instucted. I unfolded it and he pointed his wand at it and said,:
"Reveal your secrets.". Once he said that, words started forming on the map. He asked me to read it. Couldn't he do that? or did he lose the ability to read. If so I would love to teach him.
"Messrs,: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs offer their compliments to Professor Snape and.." I read before trailing my voice as I read the next line.
"And?, go on." He demanded more than asked for me to finish reading.
I sighed hesitatingly and continued,: "..and request he keep his abnormally large nose out of other people's business." I said with a light smirk while y/n tried to hold in her laugh.
Snape clearly seemed offended and pointed his want at my face. "You insolent little...!"
"Professor!" I heard professor Lupin's voice say from over Snape's shoulder.
"Well, well. Lupin. Out for a little walk in the moonlight, are we?". Professor Lupin rolled his eyes and walked up to me and y/n.
"Harry, y/n are you both okay?" He asked.
We were about to say something when professor Snape offer to 'help' us answer,: "That remains to be seen." He said as he snatched the map from my hand.
"I have now just confiscated a rather curious artifact Mr. Potter" Snape started as he handed the map over to professor Lupin.
"Take a look, Lupin. Supposed to be your area of expertise. Clearly, it's full of dark magic." He said. Professor Lupin chuckled as he read what was on the map and said,:
"I seriously doubt it, Severus. It looks as though it's a parchment designed to insult anyone who tries to read it. I suspect it's a Zonko product." Professor Lupin started. Snape seemed like he was satisfied with his answer and tried to grab it back.
"Nevertheless, I shall investigate any hidden qualities it may possess." the professor said moving the map away from Snape. "It is, after all, as you say, my area of expertise." he said with a grin as he folded it up and put it in his coat's pocket.
"Harry, y/n would you come with me, please?" We nodded and y/n shot Snape one last glare before following after us.
"Professor, good night." professor Lupin said.
He lead us to the Defence Against The Dark Arts classroom. He walked farther in the class and stopped to turn at us.
"Now, I haven't the faintest idea how this map came to be in your possession you two, but quite frankly, I am astounded that you didn't hand it in. Did it never occur to you that this, in the hands of Sirius Black, is a map to you two?"
"No sir."
"No sir."
Professor Lupin walked up to me and said,: "Your father never set much store by the rules either, but he and your mother gave their lives to save yours, and gambling their sacrifice by wandering the castle unprotected, with a killer on the loose, seems to me a poor way to repay them!. Now, I will not cover up for you again. Do you hear me?"
"Yes sir."
"And you y/n. It is dangerous for you too." He started turning to y/n. "Not to mention, I just happen to wonder what you two are doing togather at midnight".
"No, sir, please. This is not what it is about." y/n explained. She looked at me asking me if I want to tell professor Lupin about what we saw. I nodded at her and she turned back to face the professor.
"We..uh, just so you know, don't think the map always works."
"What do you mean exactly?"
"Professor, what y/n means is that.., earlier on, it showed someone in the castle. Someone we happen to know to be dead."
"Oh really?. Who might that be?". I looked at the ground.
"Peter Pettigrew." y/n answered with her head up.
"That's not possible."
"It's just what we saw. Goodnight professor.". y/n explained as she turned to leave. Professor Lupin looked at me. I nodded.
"It is true. That is what happened. Goodnight.". I turned to leave along with y/n leaving professor Lupin try to process whether what he heard was, lies or unbelievable truth.
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(written on: 20/7/2022 - 2795 words)