"In my defence, I have none, for never leaving well enough alone."
When Astoria made her way up to the Heads Common Room, she felt more hopeful. She had spent the entirety of the afternoon thinking up a happy memory that would be strong enough to conjure a full corporeal Patronus and she finally thought she had one.
"Good afternoon, Astoria!" Hermione smiled at her from the end of the corridor, "come on in!" She pushed open the door to the Heads Common Room and immediately Astoria's mouth fell open. "It's lovely isn't it, just like our common room."
Lovely was an understatement. It was nothing like the Slytherin Common room, light streamed in from all four corners of the room, illuminating it with golden sunlight. Armchairs were dotted around the room in all four house colours, scattered around various small tables. But the centrepiece, the centrepiece was the fireplace. A radiant golden flame brought a dancing glow into the room.
Astoria ran her hands across the armchairs, "this is far more than wonderful."
"So," Hemione pointed over to a suspicious chest in the corner of the room, "I borrowed a boggart and charmed it to only appear as a Dementor so we could have some practice, but that won't be for a while so don't panic. First, I thought we could just try some of the wand movements, and then cast the spell without any risk. How does that sound?"
Astoria had barely been paying attention, she was too enthralled by her surroundings, "sounds good Hermione."
Hermione sat herself down in front of the fireplace, "when you conjure a Patronus, you need a happy memory. It must be strong enough to repel all the darkness that the Dementors bring. But it doesn't have to be real."
This part stopped Astoria in her tracks, "what do you mean?"
"The memory, it doesn't have to have happened." Hermione explained to her, "as long as it would be a happy memory, you can just imagine it. Imagine a scenario that would make for a happy memory, I know it's what Harry did for his Defence Against the Dark Arts exams."
"I never knew that." Astoria was unsure if she even had the power to imagine a scenario powerful enough to repel a Dementor. Her imagination was strong, but she wasn't sure what she could even imagine that would be happy enough.
"For now, just think about the memory," shared Hermione, "think about what you can see, the smell, what you can touch." She guided Astoria through her memory.
Astoria closed her eyes and let herself be transported back in time. Back to a happier memory.
She let herself sink into the chorus of sun-warmed grains, letting the salty oceanic air enter her lungs. Next to her sat her mother, their hands interlinking as she hummed a sweet lullaby. Astoria rested her head on her mother's lap, allowing her heartbeat to match each tumbling wave. Her mother's dainty fingers found their place in Astoria's chestnut hair, twirling the strands and tumbling through them.
"Astoria?" She snapped back to reality, "you were gone for ages."
"I have a memory."
Hermione smiled in approval, "ready for step two?"
She nodded.
"So now we need our wands out, and what we need to do is draw circles in the air, each circle you want to be thinking about your memory stronger as each circle helps to increase the power."
Astoria followed her steps, every circle she drew, focusing more on the feeling of her mother's hands running through her hair.
"Now we put that together, so the memory, the motion and the enchantment."
Astoria lifted her arm, creating circles with her wand as she thought back to the salty air. "Expect-, Expecto Patronum." But nothing.
"Try again," pushed Hermione, "it's a difficult spell."
She took another deep breath, closing her eyes. She took in the salty air, listening carefully to the sound of tumbling waves paired with her mother's careful humming. "Expecto Patronum."
A tiny silver wisp whooshed out of the end of her wand, "did you see that?" Astoria's eyes lit up, praying that she hadn't imagined it.
"I saw Astoria, that's amazing! Do you want to try with a Boggart now, you don't have to say yes?"
Astoria wanted to be able to cast a Patronus as soon as she could, as much as she had been casting the thought of her father coming back to the back of her mind, she knew it was still imminent. With the Dementors guarding the castle so closely, a Patronus could just save her life. "I'd like to try."
Hermione stood up and made her way over to the Boggart chest, "concentrate hard on that memory, create the circles with your wand, then speak the incantation loud and clear."
She took a deep breath, brandishing her wand in front of her. "I'm ready."
Hermione unlocked the chest, and out flew a Dementor, its hooded face turning to face Astoria and sending a wave of piercing cold across the room. "Expecto Patronum!" She yelled with all her might, staring into the hooded shadow. "Expecto Patronum!" She tried again, but everything was fading quickly around her. All the colours around her blended into one as she felt herself falling and her eyes closed.
"Astoria?"
She awoke with the cold cobblestone against her back, and a looming sense of disappointment above her. "I'm sorry."
Hermione placed a welcome hand on hers, "don't be! You have nothing to be sorry for."
"But I didn't do it," she sat herself up, collecting her fallen wand.
"Astoria, you at least tried. You gave it a go and quite frankly, it would be a miracle for anyone to cast a full Patronus charm the first time." She looked down shyly, "it took me several attempts." A moment passed, "we can try again tomorrow, and the next day and however long it takes for you to feel confident."
"Thank you, Hermione." It meant a lot to her that someone she once considered a rival, had it in their heart to spend the time teaching Astoria how to perform difficult enchantments.
"You should get some rest, it really takes it out of you," Hermione helped Astoria rise to her feet, "do you want me to come back with you to your common room?"
"No thank you," as much as Astoria appreciated the gesture, she wasn't sure if everyone would approve of her coming back to the common room with a Gryffindor. As much as most of the bad blood had faded between them, it had still left a stain.
Astoria smiled as she waved goodbye to Hermione and made her way into the hallway. She stuck close to the wall as she traipsed through, holding on any time she felt as though she might fall. As much as Astoria was grateful for the training in producing a Patronus, interacting with a Dementor, albeit a Boggart, was draining. She was grateful for the opportunity to do it every day, but she knew that by the end of the week, she would be a shell of a person.
She rubbed her eyes with a yawn, barely being kept awake by the sound of her shoes crashing against the cobbled stones.
"Astoria."
She turned to see where the sound came from, but she had no luck. Perhaps she was simply imagining it.
"Astoria."
She heard it again, and again, and again.
If she hadn't had her eyes open, Astoria could have sworn she was dreaming. She rubbed her eyes again and then out of the corner of her eye, she saw it, a small glimmer, like a ball of light leading away from her.
As much as Astoria was exhausted, curiosity overcame her, and she found herself following the ball of light. It led her through countless winding corridors, through the clock tower and out across the dark wooden bridge; had it not been for the light it was emitting, the grounds were pitch black. Astoria walked until she was at the Standing Stones and the ball of light was no more.
She raised her arm, lifting her wand from her pocket, "Lumo-"
"Don't" A hand grasped her shoulder firmly, "I'm taking a risk just being here."
She recognised the voice instantly, but the words she needed to find failed to form. "I- I..."
"Astoria don't say anything, you just need to listen. Put your wand away."
She obeyed, and standing unarmed in the darkness, she felt consumed by fear.
"The plan is in place; we just need someone inside Astoria. We need someone just like you."
Astoria shook free from her father's grip, "but not me."
"I told you not to speak!" She couldn't see his face, but she could feel his seething anger. "You will do as I say," he took her wrist in his, tightening his grip, "you will honour the family name Astoria. I know you have been fraternising with mudbloods," he spat the last word, "and it needs to stop. Be in the Room of Requirement tomorrow at midnight with five invisibility potions. If you aren't there," his grip tightened again, "Daphne dies."
Astoria was so numb she barely noticed him releasing his grip and letting her go. She didn't hear as he retreated. All she could see was the darkness, and in one short swoop, it overcame her.