Expecto Patronum (Seek Further Reading)

Chapter 46: Expecto Patronum

Night fell, and Harry, accompanied by Ron, donned the Invisibility Cloak and headed toward the kitchens.

They walked past the Great Hall.

Just as they entered the underground corridor.

"Wait, my legs feel a bit weak." Ron tugged at Harry.

Harry turned back, casting a questioning look.

"We're too close to Snape's office." Ron took a deep breath. "Let me catch my breath."

He was terrified of Snape.

Even though his performance in class was standard and he had rarely been reprimanded, who wouldn't be afraid of the way Snape spat venom?

They were lucky; they didn't run into Snape.

The painting was quite conspicuous. Harry raised his hand and tickled the pear; it giggled, floated outward, and transformed into a green doorknob.

Harry pulled it open.

He walked inside with Ron.

In the room, dozens of house-elves were busy with their work while peering over—at nothing but empty air.

Was it a Disillusionment Charm?

"Which young wizard is it?" A house-elf sniffed the air, walked over, and spoke respectfully, "Is there anything Kro can help you with?"

"Prepare a live cow for me, stunned with a Stunning Spell." Harry didn't pull off the Invisibility Cloak, keeping his voice low as he issued the order.

The magical contract allowed these house-elves to distinguish whether he was a student of Hogwarts.

But he had almost no trust in these creatures.

"Of course, but... this might take some time." Kro nodded, complying submissively.

"How long?" Harry asked.

"Tomorrow night!" Kro looked pitiful, tugging at its own ears. "Kro still has to clean Hogwarts; only tomorrow night can Kro satisfy the young wizard's request."

"No punishing yourself." Before it could start wailing and beating itself, Harry commanded, "Tomorrow night at eleven, I will come to collect it."

Seeing Harry finish, Ron asked expectantly, "Are there any lamb chops left from dinner?"

"Of course!" Kro snapped its fingers, and a plate of lamb chops landed in its hands. "Is this enough? There are plenty more in the kitchen."

"Enough, enough." Ron happily reached out to take them.

Kro's mood lifted: "Kro has helped the young wizard!"

"Does the young wizard have any other instructions?"

"Tomorrow morning, prepare a mushroom soup, a croissant, and a small piece of butter for me, and send it to Gryffindor..." Ron mumbled indistinctly while gnawing on a lamb chop.

Harry gave him a light nudge with his elbow.

"Send it to the Gryffindor table." Ron immediately corrected himself.

Kro bowed: "Everything shall be as you command, young wizard."

They left immediately.

On the way, Ron chewed on his food and remarked, "They're so great; the lamb chops are almost no different from when they were freshly made."

"Except for the fact that the house-elves intercepted your essay, forcing you to rewrite it before school started." Harry reached out to pinch a piece, adding a jab for good measure.

Ron's face turned a bit green: "Thanks for reminding me of that."

They walked back to the common room.

"Harry, can I go to the Forbidden Forest with you tomorrow?" As they neared the dormitory, Ron suddenly asked.

Harry shook his head.

"I promise, I'll be quiet..." Ron immediately swore; every Little Lion had an adventurous heart.

"It's very close to the Acromantula nest." Harry said softly, "And they've been restless. At the end of last term, they tried to attack me several times."

Spiders.

Giant spiders, at that.

It made Ron's face turn even greener than before: "Alright, in that case, maybe next time."

"Of course." Harry nodded.

Thursday.

The second-year Little Lions could sleep in a little; the first Transfiguration class didn't start until ten o'clock.

Transfiguration was one of the most difficult subjects at Hogwarts, perhaps second only to Defense Against the Dark Arts—though the difficulty of the latter lay in the lack of a qualified professor, while the difficulty of the former lay in the lack of a qualified brain.

Professor McGonagall led them in reviewing the material from the end of the previous term.

Turning a ladybug into a button—

Only Harry and Hermione performed excellently, succeeding on their first attempt.

Ron had a minor accident.

He managed to conjure the buttons, but the legs remained, scuttling rustlingly across the table until he had to smash them with a book to resolve the issue.

Professor McGonagall, in a fit of pique, assigned an eight-inch essay.

They had plenty of time at noon to rest, digest the contents of their Transfiguration lesson, and gather their strength to face the final two Potions classes of the week.

The two classes were back-to-back.

Snape set them a difficult task: brewing Skele-Gro. This was a potion that required extreme precision; even the slightest carelessness would render it ineffective.

This was not a difficult task for Hermione and Harry.

They brewed it quite smoothly.

They were also among the few in the entire class to succeed.

"The quality is mediocre; perhaps the person who takes your potion will have to endure two days of pain before their bones grow back," Snape commented on Hermione's potion, paused, and added hastily, "Gryffindor, one point."

The room fell deathly silent.

Everyone stared at Snape in disbelief.

Wait...

What did Professor Snape just say?

Snape had already picked up Harry's vial, glanced at it, let out a "tsk," and set it down hurriedly before spraying his venom onto the next student.

After the class ended.

Ron kept eyeing Hermione, his eyes full of curiosity: "Hermione, what did you do?"

"Why would Professor Snape give you points?"

"It was only one point." Hermione shook her head. "Besides, the professor deducted five points from Harry today, even though his potion was superior."

"Perhaps you reminded him of my mother," Harry offered a conjecture. "The way you handled the ingredients was very similar."

Hermione said nothing.

"I want to learn that too." Ron looked envious. "I don't care about the points, as long as Professor Snape stops yelling at me."

Hermione snorted coldly: "I told you to study during the summer, but you wouldn't."

"Who studies during the summer?" Ron complained, looking at Hermione.

She looked righteous; she had spent the entire summer buried in her studies.

He looked at Harry, who also looked righteous—this one was even more intense than Hermione, having exhausted even Professor Flitwick.

"So, students are supposed to study during the summer?" Ron's tone was suspicious, and he began to doubt himself. Recalling the past, besides the Weasley twins...

It seemed Percy, Charlie, and Bill all studied during the summer too.

No!

Even the Weasley twins read books sometimes.

Was he really the odd one out?

"You need to study hard, Ron." Harry said earnestly.

"You need to study hard, Ron." Hermione followed up, equally earnest. "Shall we try to sweep the top three spots this year? Professor McGonagall would certainly be pleased."

Ron's face twisted in pain: "Oh, fine, I'll try."

"If you get third place, I'll take you to the Forbidden Forest." Harry promised.

Ron's eyes lit up: "Really?"

A sudden surge of motivation welled up inside him.

After dinner, Ron dove headfirst into his textbooks; he wanted to try writing his Transfiguration essay on his own, while Harry headed toward Snape's office.

Today was the first extracurricular tutoring session of the semester—Professor McGonagall hadn't put him in detention yet, but Harry felt that after visiting the Forbidden Forest, he should turn himself in.

One shouldn't waste such prime time.

Knocking on the office door, Harry walked inside.

"Potter, I thought your empty head might have forgotten about this." Snape stood up, staring at Harry with a sneer.

"Actually, I almost did." Harry said expressionlessly. "I'm actually here to ask Professor Snape why you gave Hermione points."

"It seems our Mr. Potter's brain is starting to cloud over." Snape flicked his wand, and the surrounding furniture retreated. "Or would you prefer to see me deduct points from Gryffindor?"

"Enough."

"I don't want to see your foolish face any longer; let's begin tonight's lesson."

"Before you learn Occlumency, I expect you to master the Patronus Charm. You're slightly better than a Troll—you can flip through a book—so you know what the Patronus Charm is, right?"

Harry nodded: "One of the oldest and most powerful spells in wizardry, and also the most famous defensive charm."

"It is the only white magic that can be cast by the most upright and powerful of wizards."

Snape narrowed his eyes: "Do not try to be clever by placing extra emphasis on certain syllables."

"Professor, I wasn't." Harry wore an innocent expression.

Snape flicked his sleeve: "The incantation for the Patronus Charm is Expecto Patronum."

"It requires no complex gestures, nor any elaborate rituals. To cast this spell, you need only the purest happiness, the purest positive emotion."

"Grip your wand and recall your happiest memory—if you have one. If not, just think of that little witch by your side."

Harry looked at Snape.

"What are you waiting for?" Snape asked, seeing him remain still. "Are you waiting for me to cast the Imperius Curse on you?"

Harry spoke up: "Professor, aren't you going to demonstrate it for me?"

Snape's expression remained unchanged, but his aura... gradually turned dangerous.

"Is that so? Does our clever, highly gifted Potter also require a demonstration from his professor?"

He spoke coldly, and the temperature in the room plummeted several degrees.

"Of course." Harry nodded.

"Very well." Snape raised his wand and recited the incantation: "Expecto Patronum!"

Silvery-white mist erupted from his wand, and within moments, it grew dense enough to fill the entire room. Suddenly, something corporeal emerged, darting hastily around the room in a circle.

"Now, have you seen it?" Snape retracted the spell, gritting his teeth.

Harry nodded: "A very beautiful doe, it seems to be a fallow deer?"

Snape raised his wand, pointing it at him: "Should I praise your keen eyesight and award Gryffindor a hundred points?"

"Now, immediately, cast the spell."

"I truly hope that after I've demonstrated it for you, you won't just wave your wand dryly, like a Troll swinging a club."

Harry raised his wand, gripping it tightly with both hands.

Happy memories...

There were plenty of those.

Lambert wanting to become a Witcher, seeking out Geralt only to get beaten up, then seeking out Vesemir only to get beaten up again.

The first time he got drunk, dancing by the lake with the others.

The various sorceresses, bards, and physicians he met on his travels...

After returning to this world, that night spent chatting with his grandparents—even if they were only portraits.

And his friends.

Hermione, Ron...

Though a Witcher's life is filled with pain, he has always been protected by love, no matter where, no matter who, no matter the form.

He opened his mouth and recited the incantation.

"Expecto Patronum!"

Thanks to CK for the 10,000-point reward!

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