Till The End | h.p

dementors

Once the holidays are over and the snow melts, Sam and Harry go to Lupin to learn how to fight the dementors.

"Are you sure about this? This is very advanced magic, well beyond the Ordinary Wizarding Level," Lupin states.

"We're sure," Harry clarifies.

Lupin nods, "The spell I'm going to teach you is called the Patronus Charm. Did you ever hear of it?"

Sam and Harry both shake their heads.

"No? Well, a Patronus is a positive force. For the witch or wizard who conjures one, it works like a shield, with the dementor feeding on it rather than them. But in order for it to work, you need to think of a memory. Not just any memory, a very happy memory, a very powerful memory. Can you do this? Yes. Very well. Now close your eyes and concentrate."

They close their eyes and search for the happiest memory they can. So many happy memories cross her mind until she lands on Christmas morning. She sat at the foot of the lit tree with Fred, George, Hermione, Ron and Harry. They were all laughing together. Her best friends, her family. She could feel their love and it filled the room that morning.

"Allow the memory to fill you up. Lose yourself in it. Then speak the incantation, Expecto Patronum."

They open their eyes and Sam motions for Harry to go first.

"Shall we? Wand at the ready, Harry," Lupin says as he moves to the trunk opposite of them.

He opens the lid of the trunk and a dementor flies out of it and moves closer to Harry who holds his wand up and shouts, "Expecto Patronum!" but nothing happens. As the dementor gets closer to Harry he passes out. Professor Lupin reaches out to help him up.

"Here we go. Come on. Sit up. Deep breaths. It's all right. I didn't expect you to do it the first time. That would have been remarkable. Here, eat this. You'll feel better," he says as he hands him more pieces of chocolate.

"That's one nasty dementor," Harry remarks.

"Oh, no, no, no. That was a boggart, Harry. The real thing would be worse. Much, much worse."

Sam looks up to Lupin, "But sir, my boggart isn't a dementor. How will I be able to practice?"

"Ah, yes. The spell will still work without a dementor present. You can practice without it. However, as a matter of interest, what memory did you choose, Harry?"

Sam turns to Harry as he answers, "The first time I rode a broom."

Lupin turns to Harry, "That's not good enough. Not nearly good enough."

Harry sighs and looks the other way, "There's another. It's the happiest I've ever felt."

"Is it strong?" Lupin asks.

Harry looks back at him and nods slowly.

"Then let's give it a try. You feel ready?"

Harry gives one nod, "Just do it."

As he opens the trunk once again, Harry shouts the incantation with a deeper furiosity and the brightest white light shoots out of his wand and forms a shield that pushes the dementor back into the trunk. Sam looks in astonishment as Lupin shouts, "Well done, Harry. Well done!"

Harry sits down with a smile.

"Just so you know, Harry, I think you would've given your father a run for his money. And that is saying something."