Chapter 743: The Magpie
Chapter 743: The Magpie
Time truly flies when you're having fun, and Albert felt that his Christmas break had come to an end all too soon without him having accomplished much. He bid his family farewell at the station, pushing his luggage towards the train that would take him back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Perhaps due to the previous disturbance caused by the Dementors, the Ministry of Magic dared not send them aboard the train again, fearing further trouble. The last thing they wanted was more negative press in the Prophet.
"We've been practicing the Patronus Charm all throughout the Christmas holidays, and I think I'm close to conjuring a real Patronus," Fred exclaimed excitedly to his roommates upon meeting them in the carriage.
Okay then! While the silvery mist that Fred summoned was indeed more substantial than before, he was still a ways off from manifesting a physical Patronus.
"Think of a happy memory," Albert instructed Fred as he guided him in casting the Patronus Charm. "The happier and more vivid the memory, the stronger your Patronus will be, and the greater your chance of summoning a corporeal Patronus."
If the twins had been diligently training the charm, they should have been able to manifest a physical Patronus by now, unless they had been practicing incorrectly.
Of course, he was also aware that for some people, their experiences made it difficult to produce a corporeal Patronus, but Fred and George didn't seem to have that problem.
"Focus now. Think about the large sum of galleons you'll receive once you master this charm," Albert said, and Fred felt a heavy bag of coins appear in his palm.
At that moment, not just Fred, but George and Lee Jordan as well, were stunned.
"Feel the weight of those galleons in your hand. Do you want to lose them?" Albert continued, stimulating Fred's desire for success.
"No," Fred replied, his brow furrowed in concentration as he searched his mind for a happy memory.
The truth was, Fred didn't lack for happy memories; it was just difficult to pick out the happiest one.
The memory of their first Wizarding Duel tournament surfaced, when the four of them had toasted to their future shop plans that Albert had painted so vividly.
There was understanding, support, and a path forward for their dreams, no longer just a vague fantasy.
That moment of celebration with his friends was perhaps Fred's happiest memory.
"I will succeed," Fred declared, clutching the bag of coins tightly before releasing it. He focused his intent, and in his mind's eye, he clearly saw the beautiful future that Albert had described. With determination, he swung his wand and cried, "Expecto Patronum!"
A small, silver-white bird burst from the tip of Fred's wand, flapping its wings as it circled above the carriage.
"A bird?" Lee Jordan exclaimed, his mouth hanging open in shock. Fred had actually managed to beat them to it and summon a physical Patronus, a true Patronus.
"Yes! I did it! I did it!" Fred screamed in excitement. "Look, it's a cute little bird."
"Congratulations," George said, proud of his brother's achievement.
"Now, what kind of bird is that?" Lee Jordan asked, looking longingly at the silver bird above them.
"It's a magpie," George said, turning to Albert. "You were right again."
"Now it's your turn," Fred said, reaching over George's shoulder and giving him a friendly nudge.
"Actually, I managed to summon a real Patronus before you," George said, barely containing his laughter. To prove his point, he withdrew his wand and summoned his Patronus as well—also a magpie, just like Fred's.
"When did you do that, you sneak?" Fred asked, playfully punching George's shoulder.
"It was on the third day when Dad was teaching us the Patronus Charm. I managed to summon a corporeal Patronus," George explained with a smile. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to discourage you."
"Well, what about my feelings then?" Lee Jordan felt a bit left out. He hadn't expected Fred and George to have both succeeded in summoning true Patronuses while he still hadn't made any progress.
"That's not fair! We've been practicing together, and now you've mastered the charm before me and made it look so easy!" Fred complained, but he was truly happy for his friend's success.
“That’s because I’ve been practicing the Patronus Charm longer than you,” George said, offering some consolation to the slightly dejected Lee Jordan. “And Albert did say your Patronus would be a gorilla. If you keep practicing, you’ll definitely be able to summon a real Patronus too.”
“Of course.” “There’s something I should remind you of, so you don’t get too carried away. Successfully casting a Patronus without the presence of Dementors doesn't truly count as a success. Only when you can summon your Patronus in the face of a Dementor's threat and drive them away can you be considered to have truly mastered the Patronus Charm. Many witches and wizards are unable to call upon their Patronus when confronted by Dementors.” Albert unceremoniously poured cold water on the excited Weasley twins.
“Don’t be a downer. Being able to summon a corporeal Patronus is still a huge step forward, isn’t it?” George patted Albert on the shoulder.
Inspired by Fred and George's success, Lee Jordan spent the rest of the journey diligently practicing the Patronus Charm.
While he didn't consider himself on par with Albert, Lee Jordan never felt inferior to anyone. He was just regretting that he hadn't taken the time to seriously practice the Patronus Charm.
Chewing on some Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans, Lee Jordan focused intently, his brow furrowed as he searched his mind for happy memories.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Lee Jordan stared at the silvery gas spewing from the tip of his wand, feeling that it seemed more substantial than before, which excited him immensely. "Albert, I feel like I'm close. It really does look like a gorilla."
"It seems you've come to accept the reality of your Patronus being a gorilla."
After successfully summoning his Patronus, Fred looked relaxed and was now trying to command his Patronus to fly above the carriage, like a child playing with a new toy.
"Your Patronuses were all predicted by Albert. As for me, what can I do? Even if I'm unwilling to accept it, there's not much I can do about it unless I give up on trying to summon a real Patronus."
"Makes sense." George noticed that Albert seemed deep in thought and asked after he snapped out of it, "What were you thinking about?"
"I was thinking about whether it's possible to store Patronuses. If we could temporarily store them like light sources, ordinary witches and wizards wouldn't have to worry so much about Dementors."
"Do you think that's really possible?" The three of them were skeptical, as Albert's idea was completely beyond their understanding.
"It's said that in the Department of Mysteries of the Ministry of Magic, there's a room filled with a type of energy called love." Albert recalled, "Since love can be stored and studied, why can't the happiness, joy, and hope that are already condensed by the Patronus Charm be stored as well?"
Compared to the abstract concept of love, Patronuses were much more tangible and easier to research.
The reason Patronuses countered Dementors was that their essence was the opposite of Dementors, and they didn't feel despair like humans, so Dementors couldn't affect them.
However, this was still something Albert needed to research and overcome, and approaching Dumbledore might be a good option.
After all, Headmaster Dumbledore's understanding of the Patronus Charm far surpassed that of other witches and wizards, and he had even created a similar device in the Deluminator.
"If it succeeds, it will definitely sell well."
"I think people would be happy to buy you a Chocolate Frog card."
Due to the winter season, it was already completely dark by the time the train arrived at Hogsmeade Station.
As they rode the horseless carriages towards the castle, they passed by the Hogwarts gates, where Albert noticed two Aurors standing guard, apparently there to prevent any conflict between the Dementors and the students.
Fred and George were disappointed that they couldn't test their Patronuses against the Dementors guarding the gates.
The two of them tried to summon their Patronuses in the carriage, but the results were disappointing. Just as Albert had said, their Patronuses were still very fragile, and they easily failed to summon them when interfered with by Dementors.
"See, I didn't lie to you."
"What should we do now?" Fred and George were a little disheartened.
"You can use a Boggart as a substitute for a Dementor." Albert suggested without hesitation.
(End of Chapter)
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