Chapter 110: The Patronus Charm (Part I)

Like the upper-year prefects, Jane Yu was eagerly anticipating the opportunity to learn the Patronus Charm.

However, before Slughorn could begin his small-group lessons, her guardian had already whisked her off to the Headmaster's office.

"With your magical abilities, I believe you're ready to attempt this spell," Dumbledore said with a warm smile, placing two large jars of assorted chocolates on his desk. "I've prepared plenty of chocolates. Sweets are wonderful for lifting one's spirits—"

Jane's gaze drifted to a bottle of Tooth-Fortifying Potion he hadn't yet tucked away.

"Don't worry," Dumbledore said quickly, attempting to salvage his dignity. "As long as you brush your teeth regularly and take the potion on schedule, there's no problem."

He hastily popped a piece of chocolate into Jane's mouth, as if hoping she'd conveniently forget the potion's presence.

"Now then, let's discuss the Patronus Charm, shall we?"

After much consideration, he had decided to teach Jane this spell ahead of time.

After all, with her knack for finding trouble, it was only a matter of time before she ended up face-to-face with a Dementor.

Face-to-face was one thing; mouth-to-mouth would be a disaster!

He began reviewing the fundamentals of the Patronus Charm:

"A Patronus is a positive force, a manifestation of hope, joy, and the will to survive—"

"Dark wizards struggle to cast this spell. They are often consumed by the maggots it expels; though, to be fair, they rarely need it, as their inherent darkness shields them from other dark creatures."

Jane strongly suspected he was throwing shade at Voldemort.

Dumbledore's expression of distaste was hard to miss.

"You'll need to recall a particularly happy memory, one filled with hope and joy. Like this—"

Dumbledore gave a graceful wave of his wand, and a silver phoenix, identical to Fawkes, emerged from its tip.

"A fully-formed Patronus can also transmit messages, as I mentioned in my letter. That's one of my little inventions."

He blinked his blue eyes, a hint of pride gleaming in them, as if awaiting Jane's admiration and praise.

The phoenix opened its beak and spoke in Dumbledore's voice:

"My dear child, would you like to try Arithmancy?"

Jane's face fell.

She had planned to humor her guardian with some compliments, especially since she was genuinely intrigued by the messaging function of the Patronus Charm.

But Dumbledore's suggestion instantly extinguished that thought.

His relentless push for academic excellence was truly unyielding!

Realizing he might have overstepped, Dumbledore quickly sent the phoenix Patronus flying out the window.

He cleared his throat awkwardly and redirected the conversation back to the topic at hand:

"Let's begin, shall we? Remember, focus on memories of hope, joy, happiness, and survival!"

Jane searched her mind for particularly joyful memories.

For instance, earning her first Galleon with a beauty potion, or successfully completing a challenging game...

"Expecto Patronum!"

A silvery mist emerged from her wand tip, forming a translucent, thread-like cluster that didn't resemble any specific animal.

"Not a fully-formed Patronus, but you're halfway there!" Dumbledore said, clearly delighted. "For a first attempt, this is excellent progress!"

He led Jane toward the school gates, talking as they walked:

"Conveniently, there are some Dementors nearby. Since the Ministry officials aren't here, we might as well make use of them."

Ah, the resourcefulness of Hogwarts' Headmaster!

No wonder he could run the school without charging tuition, boarding, or meal fees!

Truly impressive!

Jane couldn't help but feel a newfound respect for him.

The air grew colder as they approached the gates, where several cloaked figures lingered. Sensing the approach of food, they began to converge, ready to feast—

"Expecto Patronum!"

The translucent silver thread shot out, striking the nearest Dementor squarely in the head.

They recoiled and fled at once, their retreating figures nearly slicing through the frigid air.

If Dementors could speak, they'd probably complain:

"Getting beaten up on the job—is this what we signed up for?"

"Working for Fudge means starving three days out of nine!"

"We just want to eat—what's so wrong about that?"

"If a deluxe chicken-leg pizza buffet landed in front of you, could you resist taking a bite?"

Dumbledore lowered his wand, having been ready to intervene, but was pleased to see that Jane could handle them on her own.

"Well done, very well done!"

"You managed to control your fear and despair, using hope and joy to overpower them!"

He had initially worried that Jane's painful experiences at the orphanage, coupled with the events of the past two years, might make her vulnerable to Dementors.

After all, Dementors are particularly drawn to witches and wizards who have endured significant despair, fear, and suffering.

And on the train, a Dementor had visited her compartment.

But to his surprise, Jane's mental resilience was remarkable!

Ah, the pride of Albus Dumbledore! His child, raised under his care!

Pride! Joy!

Jane, however, was not entirely satisfied.

While she could draw happiness from those memories, they didn't evoke the overwhelming hope and joy required.

Perhaps that was why her Patronus hadn't fully formed.

And without a fully-formed Patronus, the messaging function was out of reach.

Dumbledore seemed to realize this as well:

"You need to think of even happier memories, focusing on the pinnacle of those emotions—"

"But don't be too hard on yourself. Your spell is already comparable to a fully-formed Patronus."

"Most others in your situation could barely fend off a weak Dementor, let alone drive one away."

Jane tried a few more times but could only produce the same translucent silver thread.

"It's alright, let's call it a day for now," Dumbledore reassured her.

As they reached the staircase, the man who had just said, "Don't push yourself too hard" and "No need to rush" asked softly:

"By the way, I wanted to ask again—are you sure you're not interested in Arithmancy...?"

Under Jane's unrelenting glare, he swallowed the rest of the sentence: "...not even a little?"

Clearly, he hadn't given up, still harboring dreams of adding another subject to her curriculum.

If choosing courses were like pouring wine, Jane had no doubt her guardian was mentally shouting—

"Fill it up, fill it to the brim!"

~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~

"8 amazing fanfics available on my Patreon.

Support for 200+ advance chapters:

patreon.com/DarkGolds"