Su Er took a deep breath, held his arm out level, and half closed his eyes, drawing on the happy emotions in his memories.
"Expecto patronus!" The incantation left his lips slowly and forcefully.
Su Er had already maxed out his proficiency in the Patronus Charm. With Lady Hufflepuff's legacy as well, he naturally cast it successfully without the slightest effort.
The magic surging within him found an outlet, rushing into his right hand and flowing through his wand into the air, where the spell rapidly converted it into silver threads.
Aberforth stood a short distance away, his aged face flushed with excitement. His hands unconsciously clasped in prayer, his pale blue eyes filled with eager anticipation, not daring to blink.
Because the magic he released far exceeded what the spell itself required, a few silver threads continued drifting through the air after the Patronus had been summoned.
The little badger that had originally been his Patronus had an exceptionally solid body. In the entirely gray basement, that vivid splash of silver made it impossible to look away.
It stood upright in midair, its paws gathered before its silvery-white chest. Beneath its feet was a peculiar little silvery-white plane made of silver threads, and its lively eyes darted about.
Meanwhile, Su Er's consciousness sank entirely into his mind.
"Are you ready, Ariana? I'm going to try summoning you."
"Yes." Ariana nodded gently and gazed at the white space overhead, anticipation in her eyes.
She could feel faint strands of tugging from the outside world. They were barely perceptible, but they truly existed.
In reality, magic rippled and, under Su Er's conscious guidance, rapidly poured into his wand. The magic that had made his body ache with pressure was like water in a deep reservoir whose floodgates had opened, surging downstream.