Chapter 402: Happy Memories
Chapter 402: Happy Memories
As the coldness dissipated, Madam Pomfrey immediately got up, ready to check on the pale-faced students.
But after taking only two steps, she was stopped by a hand.
"It's not the right time yet, Poppy," Professor Lupin gently shook his head. "The students can withstand this level of influence."
He then looked at the surrounding students who were dejected and said half-jokingly, "Don't be discouraged. I didn't expect you to succeed on the first try, and to be honest, if you did succeed, I'd be quite surprised."
Professor Lupin said, "I want you to remember the feeling you just had, treat everything in front of you as a Dementor, and then try again with that mindset."
However, for those who failed earlier, your emotions might not be intense enough, and you may need to choose another memory..."
After that, everyone began to practice freely, thinking about the coldness brought by the Dementors.
The professors were interspersed among the students, offering guidance when mistakes were made.
Professor Lupin circled around and soon arrived at a group of Gryffindor students, "Harry, how are you feeling?"
"I'm fine, Professor," Harry replied, his face looking a bit pale but also excited.
This was the first time he had experienced the bone-chilling cold of a Dementor without fainting.
In Harry's opinion, there was no better state than this.
"Expecto Patronum!"
In front of Professor Lupin, he waved his wand.
A swirl of silver-white mist emerged and condensed into an indistinct shadow in mid-air.
"Very impressive," Professor Lupin said, "To achieve this level on your first try, you've already surpassed many fourth-year students, Harry."
"Then, Professor, when can we face a Dementor again?" Harry asked, "I feel like I'm missing something."
"It's still not the right time," Professor Lupin shook his head, "Even if it's not directly facing a Dementor, the number of experiences shouldn't be too frequent. Take it slow.
Remember what I said earlier, this is a complex spell, and we need to take it one step at a time. Your current level is already very good."
Although Harry was a bit disappointed, since Professor Lupin had said so, he could only nod and not say anything more.
Not far from them, Cedric also wanted Professor Lupin to open the box again.
The outline of his Patronus was already very clear... sharp beak, long neck, and wings, every detail was distinct, but it was still missing something.
It was like a clay sculpture, no matter how lifelike it looked, it wasn't real.
He felt that he was about to succeed, just missing that last bit.
If Professor Lupin had closed the box a second later, it might have worked.
But now...
The unsatisfied Cedric waved his wand again... but the outline remained just an outline, with no sign of transformation.
"Perhaps you can try changing to another memory."
At this moment, Professor McGonagall, who had walked over, said, "I noticed that your Patronus had signs of solidifying, but it dissipated in the end. It's clear that your emotions are not intense enough."
"Professor McGonagall," Cedric quickly said, "I think I need some pressure. Can you let me face a Dementor again?"
"I don't recommend doing that," Professor McGonagall said, "There are many ways to learn the Patronus Charm, not just through Dementors."
She had never agreed with Professor Lupin bringing Dementors to the school, even with the box as a barrier.
But who could have guessed that even Professor Dumbledore would agree to it? In the end, Professor McGonagall had no choice but to accompany them as a precaution.
Fortunately, so far, everything has been relatively normal.
Beside Cedric, Kyle was teaching Conna the spell.
She was slightly worse than Cedric, but her progress was rapid. The initially blurry shadow quickly began to take on a more distinct shape.
"How did you do that?" Cedric exclaimed in surprise.
It took him a month to reach this stage, but Conna achieved it in less than two hours.
"Perhaps my memories are happy enough," Conna said, "This spell is amazing. Every time I recite the incantation, those memories provide me with an endless source of strength."
"Is it that simple?" Fred asked in astonishment, "Why didn't we feel it?"
"What were you thinking about?" George asked.
"Many things..." Conna unconsciously curled her lips.
"Receiving the Hogwarts acceptance letter... making my first friend... getting the first candy from him... earning my first Galleon... meeting Professor Snape..."
"Whenever I need to find happy memories, they appear..."
The correct version can be found on Book Bar 69! 6=9+Book_Bar
"That's strange," Fred muttered, "The acceptance letter, the first Galleon we earned... they're all the same, but why is the effect not as good as yours?"
"I even thought about the scene when we opened the joke shop a few years later," George said, "But the effect was even worse... that was our dream all along!"
"It's not about daydreaming," Kyle said.
"The joke shop really made us happy," Fred said, "Sometimes, even when we dream about it, we wake up laughing."
"It's not the same," Kyle said helplessly, "Imagined food only arouses your desires but never gives you a sense of satisfaction.
It's the same principle.
What the Patronus Charm requires is for you to find the most genuine 'satisfaction' in your memories."
"Genuine..."
"Satisfaction?"
Fred sighed in disappointment, "We thought we had found a shortcut..."
"Turns out it was wrong," George said, "No wonder our Patronus Charm gets worse the more we practice..."
After finding the correct method, Fred and George gradually became more adept at the spell.
Although their progress was not as noticeable as Conna's, it was still better than most of the people here.
Cedric waited for two hours, and Professor Lupin did not open the box again until the end of the club.
"Let's end the lesson here for today, it's enough."
He clapped his hands, and after everyone quieted down, he continued, "Although we didn't directly face the Dementors, I still suggest you eat some chocolate when you get back... it should make you feel much better."
"Professor, when will we come again?" someone asked.
This was also a concern for everyone.
"How about in a month?" Professor Lupin thought for a moment and said, "This period of time should be enough for you to digest what you've learned today.
From now until the end of the school year, I will open the club once every month. As for the specific time, I will notify you in advance."
...
(End of Chapter)
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