HR Chapter 94 The Missing Link Part 2
The silver mist surrounding him was thick, almost dazzling. Ian had no way of seeing that one of his eyes had turned a stark, unnatural white.
"I'm quite curious to see what your Patronus will be." Gilderoy Lockhart's eagerness was palpable, his altered pupils reflecting something beyond the confines of the classroom.
Within his gaze, Ian saw fractured visions—
An old man, kneeling in sorrow.
Young witches and wizards raising their hands to the sky.
An elder wood wand, its tip spilling silver threads, weaving a form too indistinct to recognize.
A prophecy.
They always looked like this.
Especially when the ripples they foretold were profound.
It had been this way back then.
And it was this way now.
"Please don't let it be something as cliché as a dragon or a Thunderbird; that would be dreadfully dull." Perhaps Gilderoy Lockhart— or rather, 'Grindelwald'— had been waiting a long time for this lesson, seeking answers to a question left unresolved. Why had his vision of this moment remained unclear? How could a single spell hold the potential to shift the tides of fate?
All for a mere Patronus Charm.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Ian met his teacher's gaze, choosing not to ask further questions. Instead, he raised his wand and focused, summoning forth the happiest memories he could grasp.
Was it the first time he had stumbled upon the island teacher in his past life?
The wand flickered, releasing only a few silver sparks.
That was not true happiness.
"Expecto Patronum!"
He tried again.
Perhaps it was the time he had spent at university, playing games with his friends, achieving an undefeated streak of 37 victories in a row.
The wand brightened, more silver threads unraveling from its tip, weaving into something more tangible.
This— this was a joy born of true triumph.
[You have learned the Patronus Charm, Proficiency +3]
"Expecto Patronum!"
Ian recalled the moment a girl had once confessed to him— only to be murdered by an infatuated admirer soon after. That hardly counted as happiness. He shifted his thoughts, searching through his experiences in this life instead.
Helena from the orphanage, Catherine, Daniel, Mia— his childhood companions. The family and friends he had made after arriving at Hogwarts.
Had he ever felt true joy in their company?
The increasingly dense silver mist swirling around him provided the answer.
[You have learned the Patronus Charm, Proficiency +5]
[You have learned the Patronus Charm, Proficiency +3]
[You have learned the Patronus Charm, Proficiency +4]
Under the expectant gaze of the counterfeit Lockhart, streams of brilliant silver began pouring from Ian's wand, coalescing into a thick, swirling mass in front of him. Since the Dementors' presence no longer filled him with fear or cold, he couldn't sense their darkness being repelled.
However.
The warmth of the Patronus— the hope it carried— was undeniable.
"You can do even better… Focus on calling forth your Patronus," Gilderoy Grindelwald urged, his voice laced with an uncharacteristic urgency, as though he wanted to witness Ian's Patronus before anyone else.
However—
"Professor Grindelwald."
Ian's face was flushed from exertion, but his tone carried a hint of helplessness.
"I think I might just burst with happiness at this rate… Maybe you should bribe me with a vault full of Galleons for some added motivation?"
His wand continued to pour out silver brilliance.
There was no mistake— his magic was working.
Yet, instead of amusement at Ian's remark, the man wearing another's face frowned deeply. He stared at the rapidly thickening silver mist, his expression unreadable, as though he had stumbled upon a flaw in his own knowledge.
"This… shouldn't be happening."
Gilderoy Grindelwald made no effort to correct Ian's pointed form of address.
He furrowed his brows, clearly troubled. The immense magical power of Ian's Patronus Charm flooded the classroom, even encroaching upon the space where Grindelwald's own Patronus swirled. This was something only achieved by wizards who had not only mastered the charm but possessed extraordinary magical reserves.
Hadn't he noticed?
The Dementors in the cage had gone into a frenzy, clawing desperately at the stone floor as if it was trying to burrow underground. It wasn't just afraid— this Dementer was attempting to flee.
Such power.
It had already surpassed that of most wizards who could conjure a corporeal Patronus. By all logic, Ian's Patronus should have already taken shape.
And yet—
It did not.
Now, it was Gilderoy Grindelwald who found himself at a loss. He prided himself on his knowledge, convinced that his years of research had surpassed anything from his past… yet reality was proving otherwise. There was still something he did not understand.
Ian, too, was puzzled.
[Patronus Charm (Level 0) 49/50]
His mastery of the spell had progressed smoothly, yet now he found himself stuck at the very last step— as though something crucial was missing.
If he were to follow the theory put forth by the counterfeit professor standing before him—
Could it be that he lacked a Patronus entirely?
"Why does everyone else have one, but not me?!"
Silver light poured endlessly from Ian's wand, filling every inch of the classroom. The Dementors wailed pitifully in their cage, their shrieks barely audible over the flood of magic. The brilliant glow even surged past the windowpanes, spilling out into the castle corridors.
And yet—
It refused to take shape.
No matter how Ian tried to direct it, he could only manage to condense it further.
"Professor… where is my Soul Form?"
He could only look up at Gilderoy Grindelwald in silent plea.
"..."
For once, Grindelwald had no response. His mouth opened slightly, as if to speak, but no words came. His usual confidence wavered, and for the first time, he seemed truly unsettled.
It wasn't complete bewilderment— more like the expression of a prodigy who had aced his exams, only to find himself confronted with a problem beyond even his understanding.
"Yes… where is your soulmate?"
The man who had lived a life of freedom, one who could glimpse the threads of fate, ultimately found himself bound by the very destiny he sought to transcend. He watched as the silver radiance from Ian's wand threatened to engulf the entire classroom in blinding brilliance.
"Lower your wand. I'll help you find a solution to this." Gilderoy Grindelwald still could not fathom the cause of the anomaly.
"Alright, Professor." Ian dispelled the magic.
The dense silver mist began to fade, dissipating like morning fog under the rising sun.
With a flick of Grindelwald's wand, the makeshift cage was obscured once more, seamlessly transfiguring back into the ordinary, unremarkable teacher's desk. The classroom was restored to its usual state.
"You're responsible for waking them up. Tell them I'm extremely disappointed in their performance today. And I expect that by our next lesson, at least two or three of them will manage to last until the end."
With that, Gilderoy Grindelwald turned toward the door of the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom.
"Huh?"
Ian blinked in surprise.
He had assumed that Grindelwald's erratic, reckless approach to teaching had been a one-time spectacle. Yet, from his words, it sounded as though he intended to continue masquerading as Lockhart— and remain in his post as Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?
Had this really been approved by Dumbledore?
Did this mean that Gilderoy Grindelwald would be teaching at Hogwarts for the foreseeable future?
The very thought was unnerving.
"Professor… perhaps we need lessons that are a little less… harrowing?" Ian glanced at his classmates sprawled across the floor. To an uninformed observer, the scene might have resembled the aftermath of a mass poisoning.
It was, frankly, a bit much.
"This is what proper Defense Against the Dark Arts training looks like. If you find it overwhelming, it's only because the so-called professors who preceded me were utterly incompetent."
Gilderoy Grindelwald— cloaked in the borrowed guise of a self-absorbed writer— paused in his stride. He turned back toward Ian, his tone no longer sharp or dismissive, but measured and deliberate.
(To Be Continued…)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395