A Couple's Tacit Understanding

Veratia felt as if she had returned to that cold winter day, standing under that tall tree, looking with despair and helplessness at the silver Diadem hanging from the branches, a symbol of her aunt's care and responsibility.

Hydra and Wilhelmine's harsh laughter pierced her pride like cold needles.

"Muggle Princess," "Squib Vera"—these titles were like a piercing curse, constantly pulling her back to the pain of the past.

Then, there was that gust of wind.

That free wind, that black-haired boy riding a broom, easily removed that unattainable Diadem.

He stopped in front of her, his smile sunny and warm, tinged with a hint of awkwardness and self-deprecation. "Here, your Diadem —be careful not to lose it again—"

Then came the sarcastic remark spoken in broken German, and his confused yet curious expression when he couldn't understand. She translated it for him in accented English, and the cold despair in her heart began to be replaced by a faint warmth.

She "heard" him honestly talking about his orphanhood and how he was bullied by his Dudley.

That empathetic resonance was like a hammer, instantly shattering the shell she had long used to protect herself.

It turns out she wasn't the only one suffering.

After that, it was that boy named "Potter" who, disregarding his status and the occasion, bravely stood up in the solemn hall and spoke up for her in a slightly immature but incredibly firm voice.

"Your Highness, that's not how it is! I saw them bullying her!"

At that moment, she felt as if she could feel the intense pounding of her heart again.

It's no longer fear and resentment, but understanding, protection, and defense.

This is not just happiness, it's also a kind of redemption!

Almost simultaneously, the two opened their eyes, steadily raised their wands, and clearly recited the spell filled with hope and power in unison:

"Epecto Patronum (Patronus Charm)!"

In an instant, a torrent of silver light erupted from the tips of the two wands. The light was so intense and so pure that it seemed to bathe the entire office in liquid moonlight. The light quickly condensed and took shape.

They are not ordinary animal forms, but two elegant and sacred Phoenix with their wings spread wide in dazzling light!

Composed of the purest joy and hope, they radiate a silvery glow, dancing gracefully in this limited space, swirling and chasing each other, emitting clear and melodious calls that seem to directly cleanse the soul and dispel all gloom.

Instantly, the entire room was filled with a warm, peaceful, and powerful energy.

Being genius wizards, the two of them summoned their Patronus almost without any major setbacks, and both of them were Magical Creatures Patronus.

Logically speaking, Patronus should generally be ordinary animals, but geniuses are always different from the norm.

"It seems," Harry said, retracting his wand as one of the Phoenix vanished in specks of silver light, smiling at Veratia, "My next task is to figure out how to invite 'a few Dementor guests'."

Veratia waved her wand, causing her Patronus to dissipate, her eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

"No problem. But before that, Harry, we have some important things to do."

"What is it?"

When Harry turned around, he found that Veratia's eyes were stretchier than cheese.

"Oh, you----"

Before he could do anything, Veratia pounced on him and pinned him to the sofa.

"Hmph." Veratia pinched Harry's cheek. "You can't escape, little darling."

On Friday evening, Harry was finally released by Veratia, who was still "not satisfied".

Despite undergoing several days of "intensive training," the extraordinary vitality bestowed by the Philosopher's Stone made him look radiant, with even brighter and sharper eyes than when he left.

What does "human form of Philosopher's Stone" even mean?!

Alone, he used Apparition to reach the isolated island in the North Sea and enter Azkaban.

Upon noticing Harry's arrival, the Dementor were on high alert, some fleeing and others scattering. Eventually, their leader emerged and negotiated with Harry.

"I need five Dementor to go back and help my classmates practice Charms," Harry said bluntly, without any pleasantries, as if he were buying pumpkins at a market.

"Unacceptable!" A surge of anger and fear assaulted Harry's mind; it was the "voice" of the Dementor leader. "They are guards! Not teaching aids!"

"Oh," Harry shrugged nonchalantly, cracking his knuckles as a faint violet flame flickered in his palm. "I can catch five myself then. However, once we start fighting, I can't guarantee how many of your men might get caught in the crossfire."

He paused, then flashed a smile that seemed incredibly "kind" to the Dementor: "Here, the choice is yours, esteemed Mr. Dementor. Will you peacefully and willingly give me five, and we'll all be happy? Or will you let me stretch my legs a bit, and then forcibly take five—maybe even more—with me? Which do you choose?"

The leader of the Dementor paused for a moment, the hole hidden under the cloak seemingly contracting violently, and finally its two arms drooped down like a deflated balloon.

"I agree to your request," it said, "but you must also promise me that you will never harm anyone else—"

-"

The implication is that you can do whatever you want with these five, I don't care, I'm just using these two to buy peace of mind.

"See? Isn't this a great result? We both reached a happy agreement, didn't we?" Harry patted the Dementor on the shoulder with a broad smile, making it tremble.

The leader of the Dementor was truly furious but dared not speak out.

This little devil, you can't beat him with a fight, and you can't reason with him either.

Never mind, never mind----

Harry, having obtained five Dementor toys, returned to Hogwarts in high spirits and announced that a small-group intensive training session would be held that evening.

After dinner that day, Harry led the elite members of the Dueling Club to the Room of Requirement.

When Harry released one of the Dementor, the Room of Requirement erupted in chaos.

"Merlin's fattest briefs!" Ron's face instantly turned the same color as his hair, and he almost slid off his chair.

"Dementor?!" Hermione gasped, instinctively gripping her wand tightly, her voice trembling, "Harry! Are you crazy?! This is too dangerous!"

"Danger?" Harry turned to look at the Dementor. "Sir, do you think you're in danger?"

The Dementor's hooded head jerked back violently, followed by a series of shakes.

Just kidding, I'm not dangerous, I'm not dangerous at all!

Neville's lips began to tremble uncontrollably, Hannah gripped Ginny's hand tightly beside her.

Draco's face also lost its color, but he forced himself to maintain a calm demeanor, though his knuckles were clenched white. Seamus looked both frightened and secretly excited, while Luna tilted her head, curiously observing the Dementor as if they posed no danger at all.

"Don't be afraid, the next Charms we're going to learn is Patronus Charm." Harry looked around and then said, "Now, who can tell me about this Charms? Anyone want to answer a question?"

Hermione raised her hand, just as Harry had wished.

"How about the Patronus Charm?" Harry said. "Hermione, what do you think?"

"The Patronus Charm, the incantation is 'Epecto Patronum,' is the most famous Charms known to wizards, and one of the most powerful Defensive Charm," Hermione said, her face turning pale. "It's an extremely complex and difficult-to-cast spell that can invoke a semi-materialized positive force, namely, Patronus. It can drive away Dementor and Chizpurfle, creatures that have no other means of defense."

"Well said," Harry nodded. "Sit down, Gryffindor doesn't earn points."

Clearly, he's developed a passion for teaching.

"This spell is extremely complex; many experienced wizards and sorcerers encounter difficulties when using it," he continued. "But I believe you are no ordinary wizards or sorcerers; this Charms should be no challenge for you."

"I think it's possible." Ron's expression was resolute.

"No, you won't be stumped," Harry said. "I know you're scared, and that's normal. Fear is the Dementor ' best weapon. But today, you'll learn how to overcome that fear!"

He walked to the front of the classroom, his gaze sweeping over each pale face.

"You already know the theories, and you know their weaknesses. Now, it's time to put them into practice. Remember what I told you— the Patronus Charm requires the strongest, happiest memories! Focus your minds and tap into the deepest light within your hearts!"

"Now," Harry turned to the group and said, "we'll temporarily refrain from using Dementor for the stress test. I've set it up to—"

Having said that, he raised his wrist.

"The deadline is 9:30. By 9:30, even if you can't summon your Patronus, you will still have to participate in the trial of the Dementor's Kiss. That's your punishment for not being able to summon your Patronus!"

"Merlin!" A wail echoed through the classroom.

But no one backed down.

"No groups," Harry said again. "Each of you will practice individually. I won't interfere with your progress, but the Dementor will check on your progress one by one at 9:30!"

The pressure from those words was immense; everyone felt an indescribable sense of pressure.

Hermione closed her eyes tightly, her brows furrowed, and silently recited the key points about the Patronus Charm from the book "Common Defensive Magic and Its Countermeasures."

"The happiest--the most powerful memory--"

Her first thought was of the moment she received all "Excellent" grades in the 0. WL exam, when a steady stream of silver mist shot from the tip of her wand, but it only lasted a few seconds before dissipating on its own.

"Not enough," she thought anxiously. The joy she felt was more pride than genuine happiness.

She tried to recall the moment she successfully cast the complex spell for the first time, but all she could find was a thin mist.

Sweat dripped from her forehead. She realized that theoretical knowledge seemed less effective in the face of the practical application of this Charms.

Ron wasn't having a good time either; his face was flushed red from desperately trying to recall happy memories.

His first thought was of Gryffindor winning the first Quidditch House Cup. Then, his wand flicked, spitting out a small cloud of something that looked like a silver marshmallow, which vanished instantly.

"No," he thought dejectedly, "It's not exciting just watching others win."

He tried to recall receiving the Prefect Badge in fifth grade, but only a few Mars flew – the memory wasn't pure joy.

He stole a glance at Harry, who seemed lost in thought, sitting next to the Dementor, and inwardly wailed hysterically.

"Melina, where have all the happy memories gone?!"

"Calm down!" Harry's voice rang out at the right moment. "Don't rush. The more you rush, the less likely you are to summon a fully formed Patronus. What you need to do now is to stay calm!"

Upon hearing Harry's words, Seamus raised his wand.

He planned to solve the problem in his usual way—relying on intuition, throwing his magic wherever his mind led him.

He roared.

"EpectoPatronum (Patronus Charm)!"

Then, the wand thrust forward violently, unleashing a powerful surge of silver energy, which was filled with unstable turbulence.

The ball of silver light twisted in the air, then rapidly expanded, and finally burst with a "pop" like a punctured balloon, dissipating into the world.

"That's the Patronus Charm, not the Explosion Curse!" Harry reminded him.

"I suspect his Patronus is dynamite," Ron said opportunely, "Or perhaps Blast-Ended Skrewt."

"Your Patronus is dynamite and Blast-Ended Skrewt!" Seamus retorted sarcastically.

The moment the two started bickering, the atmosphere in the classroom noticeably changed from its previous solemnity.

Not far away, Neville had finished reminiscing; his raised hand trembled slightly.

His first thought was of his grandmother praising him sincerely for the first time because he had earned a huge number of points for Gryffindor.

The tip of the wand flickered, emitting a wisp of silver light thinner than a hair, before immediately extinguishing.

He lowered his head again, deep in thought, when suddenly a scene flashed through his mind.

Hermione and Harry smiled approvingly at him when he first defeated Ron at the Dueling Club.

Then came Luna's ethereal voice and her gentle, moonlit smile.

Immediately afterward, a warm feeling welled up in his heart, and he raised his wand again.

This time, a faint but lasting silver beam shot out, its end seemingly bearing a round shadow. He was so excited he almost cried.

Okay, okay, so your greatest happiness is when the girl you like smiles at you, right?

"Well done, Neville!" Harry praised at the opportune moment. "You're almost there! You know? Just a little bit more—don't rush, keep thinking about your happiest moments, and keep going with this momentum!"

Upon hearing that Neville had successfully summoned his Patronus, the others immediately felt a sense of urgency.

There's no reason why we can't do it!