Class 3: ADVANCED FEAR
 

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As you enter the DADA classroom, the first thing you might notice is a marked change in the decor. The room is bright and the walls and desks have been charmed to be pink, of all things! Instead of the usual grim and gruesome moving photos on the walls there are large moving posters of frolicking baby animals: unicorns, kneazles, baby ducks and dragons, and on Kazimeriz's chalkboard, a giant poster of a cruppy that keeps grinning and romping about. Balloons and streamers hang from the ceiling; the balloons charmed to glow and light the room in the same way that the flickering candle sconces usually do.

The air is warm and fragrant with smells of baking cookies (just like grandmom's house elf used to make!), rich, sweet cocoa and hints of butterbeer. There is a victrola in the corner playing the song, "My Favourite Things".

Occasionally, the cruppy on the chalkboard romps out of the frameview long enough for you to read the message left by the Professor:

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ooc: Please take a seat and feel free to talk a little - not to excess, please! Class will start tomorrow morning and run for about 24 hours or so. :) Xana~
PS: Don't forget to get your DADA 2 homework in (especially your drawings) and catch some pogrebin!

Herminny hesitantly entered DADA classroom for the Advanced Fear class, just the name scared her a little but she told herself she would be strong and is ready for whatever this class would bring.

Qaz entered the room and her jaw dropped. She was beginning to have a pink overload. But what was that in the air. It smelled just like mom's Chocolate Chip Cookies. Yummy.

In a bit of a fog, Qaz found a seat at the back and let her eyes wander. This did not look like a DADA classroom at all. Hardly the setting one would expect for a class on Advanced Fear. This could get very interesting. While she was waiting, she pulled out her textbook and began to read.

Lucy entered the DADA room. Nervous but excited about todays lesson. As she walked into the room her jaw dropped. It was all pink and happy looking in here! She spotted Herminny and walked over to her. "Hey! Decors a little strange today, huh?" She asked sitting down next to her.

Lasca walked into the classroom and came to a dead stop. What on earth?! Mouth hanging agape she found a seat and sat down. Dropping her bag she took in her odd surroundings, wow. Taking a deep breath she registered cookies and butterbeer. That made her stomach growl. Wasn't this supposed to be a lesson on fear?

Shaken and wary the young Ravenclaw took out her things and prepared for the class.

"Yeah the decor is a bit strange, but it is laso quite conforting tome cause pink is my favorite color and in a class with a name like this I am glad something conforts me", Herminny said quietly to Lucy

Tobi was more than a mite apprehensive about this class. Advanced fear. What regular old garden variety fear wasn't good enough now?

Seriously, man. Seriously.

He walked into class and nearly tripped over his own feet. This had nothing to do with the decor, he just had big feet that were easy to trip over. He grabbed ahold of some... balloons? - they didn't stop his decent but he wasn't really falling more like wobbling.

"I'm okay, I didn't fall this time!" He looked at the items in his hand. "Er... Why are there glowing BALLOONS?" He let go of them hastily and scurried to sit with one of the few people present that he felt safe in the class with - a first year.

Tobi was a chivalrous man, not a brave one.

"Uh Lasca," he asked, sitting down, "I distinctly smell baking, like cookies and cocoa... do you think he's going to poison us?"

Giving a small start, Lasca turned as Tobi entered into a seat next to her. She gave a small smile but that was all she could manage. The decor and aforementioned smell put her on edge and she wasn't going to let her guard down. Still closely studying the walls and balloons she shook her head. "I think the smell is for show only. I do not think there is really anything baking."

Although, she could be wrong. She glanced at Tobi and then went back to watching the room. The young Ravenclaw looked at the decorations and tables as if they might suddenly jump out and attack her. Lasca was firmly grasping her wand and was ready for anything. "I must say this room is giving me the creeps, however."

Always a bit apprehensive about this particular class, Mariel cautiously walked into the DADA classroom then abruptly stopped in the doorway, quaffle-wide eyes scanning the decor. Realizing that her presence might be an obstruction to any other wishing to enter the - this was DADA, right? - classroom, the 2nd year slowly moved away from the door, eyes still gliding over the moving animal pictures. How odd.

As she looked about the classroom, her green eyes landed on Lasca, and as she made her way to sit at her pink table, the thirteen year old noticed that she was already sitting with a much older Gryffindor boy. Giving her a small smile as she was still wary about the change in atmosphere, Mariel decide to sit behind them, dropping into the seat next to Elizabeth. Still keeping an eye on the romping crup emerging from the blackboard, Mariel pulled out her textbook, wondering what was in store for class. It wouldn't surprise her to think that Kazimeriz was luring them into some sort of false sense of security.

Tino poked his head apprehensively into the classroom, expecting to see various torture devices and empty refrigerators lining the walls.

Hrm. Instead of the usual chains and demons, sparkling doe-eyed critters beamed at Tino gleefully.

He took a seat next to Tobi and another girl he didn't know. "That ducky is staring at me," he stated pointedly. "It's too perky. Ducks aren't perky. I object to this unrealistic depiction of young wildlife!"

Lasca rolled her eyes at the new comer and then went back to scanning the room. There was something going on here and she would not be taken by surprise. Then she noticed her best friend and fellow Ravvie enter the room and sit behind her. Still gripping her wand she leaned back and gave a brief smile to Mariel. "This does not feel right. Something is going on."

She was so not digging these surroundings. She would have felt more comfortable in darkness with dragons and werewolves creeping about. This was just plain creepy and wrong!

Tobi snorted. The truly funny part was that Tino was being serious.

"Hey Tino," he greeted, "haven't seen you in a while."

He gestured to Lasca, "This is Lasca, she's a first year in your house," he added one of those fervent nods that indicated, 'she's cool.' "Lasca, this is Tino, he's a gnometruckle hunter."

Tobi looked around the room once more, it just wasn't RIGHT!

"You know, I think the old way was less creepy," Tobi mused as he tried not to shudder. "I've gotten use to the macabre decor in here, this is throwing me off balance. There must be a point to it."

Unable to focus on the words in her book due to the strange song eminating from the classroom, Mariel looked up to see Lasca turning to her. Nodding her agreement, the second year gave her a solemn look and said, "Definitely dodgy..." She glanced around again at all the cutesy animals, then looked around at the other bemused faces in the classroom. Funny how something normally harmless in any other setting would have everyone freaked out.

Turning to Elizabeth as she spoke, Mariel replied slowly, "It really is bizarre, isn't it?" Maybe he really was abducted by aliens. Although things at Hogwarts, especially professors, had been so strange lately, she wondered why she was so surprised that this class was now another casualty of Hogwarts weirdness. "It's almost looks like a class Bunbury or Lupa would have prepared," she whispered back. All that pink and sickening cute pictures, right up their alley. Hm, maybe one of them was subbing today. Still, it made the young Ravenclaw very uneasy and seeing that Lasca had her wand in hand, Mariel pulled out her own and laid it on her desk just to be prepared.

Daniel was jumping up and down towards the DADA classroom when it struck him. He stopped and his mouth opened wide in amazement of what was he was seeing. Is he in the right place? This can't be good. DADA is like a carnival show. He took a seat in front, still awed, and sat there silently.

Kayla strode into the DADA classroom and stopped just inside the doorway and her jaw dropped when she saw how the room was decked out. She double backed and looked at the sign on the door. Yep this was the DADA classroom, so why did it look like this? Oh no...not Professor Kazimeriz too.

Almost all the Professor's at Hogwarts had gone slightly loopy...okay not slightly...VERY loopy and it seemed as though the DADA Professor had been effected as well. She made her way slowly to an empty chair and sat down taking her things out of her bag and placing them onto the desk in front of her.

Kayla took her DADA textbook out and decided to read it while she waited for the Professor, anything to take her mind off the pink, the smell of cookie baking which was making her stomach rumble and that god awful song. She was rather tempted to take her slingshot out and burst the balloons, instead she focused back on her textbook and read back over hexes, jinxes and curses.

Elizabeth grinned. The discussion of how strange this all was actually was semi-relaxing her. "Definitely," she said to the first comment Mariel made. But then her expression turned more thoughtful. "Maybe. I mean we know Professor Bunbury likes pink. And Professor Lupa's just been acting bizarre. But I think all this stuff put together is even more strange than they could come up with. I don't trust it." She watched as the other girl took her wand out, smiling as she realized there was another way the students were in agreement. And she couldn't think Professor Kazimeriz would have a problem with them wanting to be ready for anything.

Slipping her wand out of her bag, she idly spun it like a baton before leaning her elbows on the creepy pink table, her wand secure in her grasp. She felt like the weirdness of the room was giving her idle energy that she needed to burn off.

It wasn't that Cela didn't notice the new look for the classroom, and it certainly wasn't that she didn't like it, but she was here to learn. So rather than wonder about the point of it, Cela just sat down and pulled out her notes, going over them and conjuring up some earplugs so that she could concentrate without the music brainwashing her into being unnaturally happy for such a serious class.

Freya walked into the classroom and immediately gasped.
'Pink?! NOOO! Say it ain't so!'
She mumbled a few choice words under her breath before continuing to a table and setting her things down. There was too much pink, loads of it.
Freya wished that the old pictures would come back, because that Crup at the front of the room would surely drive her mental with all his running around. Due to the fact that Freya thought this might be some kind of joke, she brought her wand out and kept it in her hands on her lap. She could feel her left eye twitch...it was just too bright for her; and that song! UGH!.
Freya attempted to shield her face with her hair, 'Oh wait.' That's right, there was almost nothing left to it. Aw well.

Chris walked into the DADA room and found it to be a completely different kind of room then the last DADA class he had attended. He sat down next to Freya. "Hey what do you think is the deal with all the pink crap?"

Freya glanced to the boy next to her, "No idea. Maybe it's some cruel joke." The room was so bright in fact that Freya actually took out her sunglasses and put them on, at least for now until the professor started lesson, her eyes couldn't take the strain. It was weird, but with her short hair, Freya actually looked like that lady from that old Matrix movie...of course the glasses were responsible for eighty percent of the look-alike.

Freya couldn't help but smirk at the guy's facial expression. 'Yeah, pretty gross eh?' She thought as she looked back at him with the same disgusted look before turning around again and fiddling with her quill.

Cela looked up and blinked a few times at the expressions of disgust on about half of the student's faces. Why disgust? Pink was awesome! And they all seemed so distracted by it all, something could happen and they wouldn't be ready. Well, Cela was. Even though her earplugs meant she couldn't hear anything, She had her wand held loosely in one hand and her exercise book in the other. The weird thing was, that depriving herself of one of her senses, wasn't all that big of a problem after not being able to touch anyone for so long. She contemplated experimenting with different kinds of sensory deprivation maybe in a dueling situation. Or... tree climbing.

Miranda had been dreading this class. The las DADA lesson had indeed been very interesting, but the thought of how she had embarrassed herself last time was still fresh in her mind.

That's why she was walking so slow.
But she had arrived outside the classroom, gulped and peered inside. Her mouth fell at the sight. It was like a birthdayparty for a three year-old. Awesome!

With a grin, she stepped inside, but suddenly squinted and started to turn around, taking in her surroundings, as if something was about to jump out and scream 'Boo!' at any second. This seems fishy...

Ana entered the classroom and her jaw dropped. What on earth? Advanced Fear and pink don't match very well.
Walking slowly she looked for a seat. Then she look to the portraits of the baby animals Soooo cuteee! she thought
She looked again to the tables and blinked a few times but no... the pink was still there.

Professor Kazimeriz entered the room from behind the students, his cane clacking heavily against the floor. He surveyed the room, looking at the students with amusement-- most of them had a look of trepidation on their face despite the change of atmosphere in the room.

"Good afternoon. I know that several of your classmates are finiishing in Divination in the period prior to this one, so I will allow a few more moments for last-minute stragglers to arrive before we begin." He walked up to his desk and began going over a small stack of homework while he waited.

"Nice to meet you, Lasca," Tino nodded, blinking his eyes strangely. "But I am not a gnometruckle hunter. I am called SLAYER OF THE EVIL PLANT MIDGETS!" He pointed at his cheek, which was still scarred by the creature's sharp claws. It almost had a Freddy Kruger-glove look to it. Tino was rather proud of the scar, so he had objected to healing it entirely. After all, one didn't erase one's very first battle trophy. "You said you wouldn't forget," Tino prodded Tobi. "Remember? My new title?"

His dark eyes wandered absently, taking his mind with it. "That girl is wearing sunglasses," he finally observed. "In winter."

With the arrival of the professor, Tino shrank down in his chair. Professor Kazzimerzee was scary. And he smelled funny. Like old people.

Karma made her way into the DADA classroom after leaving her previous class in anticipation for this one. It would surely knock her off her feet, just like the last class did.

And it certainly almost did.

Pink. The friggen tables were PINK. WHAT?!

Resisting the urge to throw up, she made her way to one of the tables in the back. This didn't look like the type of lesson old Kazimeriz would do, but the man was brilliant, so she had to give him some credit.

The balloons were overdoing it really, as one kept moving around and hitting her in the head. She resisted the urge to pop it right then and there, and stopped herself when she saw the professor looking around. Sitting down at one of the desks, she pulled her things out onto the desk, and sat back slightly, waiting to see who else would show.

Rian stepped into the classroom, her eyes widening in awe. This was a change!! She bit her lip, then went to sit in a seat behind Plymouth. She wasn't too excited for this lesson, because she didn't do too good last DADA class. Well, she would have, except Kazi had made her stop. And for no good reason too.

Thinking about this brightened her mood a bit. Today, she would prove that she really was a master of her fear, and she wouldn't be defeated by something as stupid as a boggart. Now, they most likely wouldn't be facing a boggart again, but whatever they were doing today, she'd do excellent. No matter what.

With a bit of a smug smile on her face, Rian started pulling out a roll of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink.

Professor Kazimeriz stood back up and surveyed the class. "Alright, then, let us begin... First, let me just state how incredibly disappointed in the small quantity of homework I am receiving. I would like to remind you all of the approaching deadline and rest assured, you will not pass this class if you do not turn in your homework. Also, several of my pogrebin are still on the loose. Do endeavor to find them before they find you." He turned to the board, shooing away the cruppy to be able to access it for writing. The cruppy barked and tried to snap at Valon's chalk before backing off, perhaps fearing that he would be doodled upon. "As the chalkboard has stated, we are here to discuss advanced fear. Who can recall, from the last class, which dark creatures utilize fear or prey on your emotions in their attacks?"

Chris raised his hand "Dementors and Boggarts Sir."

Herminny raised her hand and said, "the boggart sir".

Ana raised her hand "The pogrebin right?"

Miranda raised her hand "It's the boggarts, pogrebins and the dementors, sir"

Qaz had completed the written part of the homework, but still hadn't come across a pogrebin. She was glad to here that there were still some out there to be caught.

Lucy tried to remember there last class. "Boggarts, dementors, and......uh......uh." She tried to remember the last. She gave up and decided to guess with her best guess. "Pogrebin?"

"Very good. Two points to everyone who answered, except for you, Mr. Avalon... Very good, showing critical thinking skills and applied knowledge. Ten points."

Kazimeriz nodded curtly to the boy before continuing. "As Mr. Avalon explained, the method of psychomagical attack varies greatly between the different dark creatures we have studied. There is one thing that they all have in common-- to defend yourself against the creature you must draw from your own positive memories and energy, utilizing the strength of these to help create your defense. The boggarts utilize fear energy, the pogrebin confuse your emotions and draw out all positive energy... in this way they are much like the dementor, though far weaker. The dementor actually consumes your positive emotions and happiness, leaving your emotional landscape bleak and lifeless and eventually destroying you, even to the point of stealing your very soul. There is another creature that is often confused with the dementor, and it has been mentioned in Scottish literature. Ten points to the first person who can name it."

"Is it a banshee, professor?" chris asked curiously

"A Lethifold?" She asked quickly. She wanted those ten points. but was sad to see she hadnt made it in time.

Chris changed his mind. "Actualy it is a Red cap sir." he said thoughtfully

Kazimeriz nodded. "Excellent, Kettleburn. 10 points!" He looked around the class. "Yes, Parker, we will get to that. From the rest of your answers I see we need to have more focus on some of the lesser dark creatures next term. Now, for an additional 5 points... who can tell me the Ministry of Magic's rating for dementors?"

"Professor? Dont lethifold attack there prey at night when they are asleep? They suffocate there prey and then digest them in bed." She asked. She cringed at the thought of being eaten by one of these creatures.

"Is it an XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX sir?" chris asked

Herminny raised her hand and said, "It's rated XXXXX, cause there quite dangerous".

"It is rated XXXXX." She said smiling that she knew this bit of information.

"And the prize once again goes to Mr. Kettleburn; very good. Precisely, the dementor is above all normal classifications due to the level of danger they possess, most particularly the ability to rip one's soul from a living body... and as you point out, they are sentient creatures with humanoid characteristics, including the ability to create and execute plans of attack." Kazimeriz paused. "The dementor has the ability to sense things that we cannot... however, it does lack one of our five basic senses. Who can name it?"

Miranda raised her hand "Is it the eyes, sir?"

"Dp they lack sight? Since their eyes sockets are-well empty." Lucy said raising her hand.

"Five points for Mr. Carden. Precisely; the dementor does not have a sense of vision. The makes them extraordinarily dangerous, for they cannot differentiate between one victim and another by sight. Some wizards do work with dementors, most notably in our notorious prison, Azkaban. Only one person has ever been documented to have escaped this prison without outside assistance. For ten points, who name this historic figure and explain how he was alleged to have escaped without arousing the notice of the dementors?"

Miranda raised her hand again "Sir, it was Sirius Black, he escaped by transforming into his animagus form, a dog. That is why the dementors couldnt sense him escaping."

"Sir that's Bartemius Crouch Juniour. He used Polyjuice potion and his mother's assistance," Tobi said with his hand raised.

"He was near death so the Dementors allowed his parents to visit. They bought along Polyjuice potion, his mother who was also gravely ill, took a some with some of Crouch juniour in it, and she took on his appearance, and he took some with a bit of her in it, his father lead him out in her place, and no one was the wiser. When his mother died in Azkaban, she was burried bearing his image, and people assumed that Bartimeus Crouch Juniour had died in Azkaban rather than recuperating in his father's home."

And then Tobi realised his mistake. He hit his head repeatedly against his desk. STUPID STUPID STUPID...

"Excellent, Miss Kovac. 10 points, and Carden and Kettleburn, I shall give you 5 for expanding upon the answer. A dementor's senses are attuned most strongly to human emotions, and that is what they seek out. As an animagus, Black's emotions were so much less refined that they did not register him as an inmate; thus he was able to starve himself, slip out of his cel and escape. Certainly, since this time changes have been made to guard against animagi leaving the island to thwart another such attempt."

"Dementors are so dangerous to work with that even the guards of Azkaban are in jeopardy every day in their line of work. Many do fall victim to the atmosphere and it is rare for a wizard to work more than 2 years as a guard before they are rotated out for the prison system for sake of their own sanity. Those who do work there must have a strong ability to manage their positive memories and focus on positive emotions. The strongest weapon we have against Dementors is a simple, powerful charm. Who here can name it?"

"Sir," Miranda raised her arm, "It's the patronus charm. It works so that you have to think of a very happy memory and say the incantation. Then hopefully a powerful animal will appear and drive away the dementor."

Cela raised her hand, "The Patronus charm, with the incantation Expecto Patronum. It's not easy for everyone since not everyone has strong enough happy memories in the first place to call on. It takes the shape of an animal that is supposed to represent the casters personality a bit. Mine is still kind of whispy. Oh and you can send messages with it and it also works against Lethifolds."

Herminny raised her hand and said, "The patronus charm,however to use it a person must think of the happiest and most powerful memory they have cause the memory is the juice of the potronus, the more powerful it is the more power ones potronus will be".

Cedric raised his hand.."Sir,it is the patronus charm..but you have to be concentrated when doing it because it will not work..you have to think a verrry happy memory that keeps your bad emotions away when you're thinking about that thing..."Cedric asnwered

The Charm Expecto Petronum would be the spell sir that would get rid of a Dementor." he said with his hand raised.

OCC: Excuse me Xana? Shouldn't I have gotten the points for the question about the rankings of a dementor i said the XXXXXXXXXXXXX because that was what the HP Lexicon had it catigorized as because it doesn't have a official ranking because it is so dangerous. Just wondering? :)

I'll PM you about this. :) Thanks, Xana

Ludo raised his hand, thinking the subject of dementors over. His father, a retired auror had much experience with Azkaban. He'd spoken of the guards very rarely, for he was forbidden to mix work with home life.

The answer came to his mind and he raised his hand. "Sir? Dementors flee before the Patronus Charm. It's like a positive energy that the Dementors can't stand to be around."

Daniel was listening to what the professor had said. He had read about this charm from the books on their manor. And his father was an auror by profession before he died.

Daniel raised his hands, "Professor, the Charm was called the Patronus Charm and its incantation was Expecto Patronum. This charm's effectiveness depends on a happy memory. In order to conjour a full-body patronus, one must think of a powerful happy memory.

"Not quite- it is not actually an animal, it is your magical energy assuming the shape of an animal."

"Very good, Toussaint and Andrews. Defense against the lethifold is very similar to defending against a dementor, except that the dementor's magic is much more powerful... and so your defense must also be stronger to combat it. Five points each." Kazimeriz nodded at the girls.

"I suspect History of Magic is a strong subject for you, Avalon. As you said, the Patronus can also be useful for sending emergency messages to one another... that is, if you can produce a corporeal patronus, which can be very difficult to conjure during stressful situations. Very good; 15 points for the extra information, and two points to everyone else who offered an answer." Kazimeriz nodded, pacing as he lectured.

"As even hopefully the most unobservant among you have noticed, there has been a change in the decor for the purposes of this class. Hopefully this extremely cheerful atmosphere will stimulate you all to be better able to think of your 'happy thoughts' so that you might learn this critical defense charm."

"It is a simple enchantment, once you are able to focus on your very happiest memory. The wand motion is delicate-- use small moves. You lift your wand like this, tilting it down to a slight angle toward the area you wish to cast. Then loop your wand, drawing an almost imperceptible 'e' shape. And on the downward motion, you cast."

Kazimeriz drew his wand and momentarily closed his eyes. His face was taken over by a serene expression, the wrinkles and furrows smoothing out and a small smile playing across his lips. The enchantment was easy for him, but for the benefit of his students he spoke the incantation aloud, "Expecto Patronum!" A majestic, silver magical animal-- a qilin-- flowed from his wand into the room and began to pace placidly about, its skin seeming to be ablaze.

He waved his wand again and his patronus disappeared. Professor Kazimeriz changed the victrola to begin to play inspirational music:


It starts with an E which stands for evil, go away...
XP is for cruppies- they bite when they play.
Then an E and a C and a T and an Oh for oh, my, this is easy,
Then it goes a P and a A T R O N U M.
What does that spell?
EXPECTO PATRONUM!

Whoa whoa, you can't go shouting it all willy-nilly like that.
You gotta do something first: remember what it is?

Think of something happy,
Think of something happy...
It could be complicated or it could be short and snappy...*


ooc: *with grave apologies and nod to Remus and the Lupins, who wrote this song and own it and stuff. Copyright, y0. They habs it.

He paused, surveying the classroom. "Please stand and practice this charm, then we are going to play a small game once everyone is able to produce a patronus. I do not expect a corporeal patronus from anyone below an N.E.W.T. level student, so do not worry if you can only produce an ethereal patronus. You will not be graded poorly for this, as this is advanced magic."

Lucy immediately stood up taking her wand out.
Thinking of her most happy memory.
It has her being reunited with her parents after she had been taken away by a strange man and woman. She was only 5 but she would remember that memory forever. No matter what.
She thought of this memory and flickered her wand.. "Expecto Patronum" She said simply.
A small tiger cub flew out of her, jumping around her.
She smiled. She had learned the spell over the summer with her father. He was an auror and had taught her. Her Patronus wasnt perfect and still need a lot of work. This showed as the small cub quickly disappeared as she lost eye contact with it. She would just have to keep practicing.
Again she thought of her memory and flickered her wand saying the incantation. "Expecto Patronum."
The small slither of light came out of her wand.
She sighed and tried again.

Cela stood and watched the qilin for a moment before practicing her own patronus. It had been ethereal when she had first tried, and she was fairly certain that it still would be. Calling on happy thoughts was so much easier since she had been at Hogwarts; meeting Steelsheen, climbing trees with Garret, sliding down the moving staircases with the pirates, stargazing with Copernicus, Mistletoe for Plymouth, exchanging christmas presents with Daphne, learning exciting things in class, having fun in the stands supporting quidditch. She looped her wand delicately, "Expecto Patronum!"

To her immense surprise the patronus was much stronger than it used to be, clearly in relation to her happier memories. And it was most obviously and most interestingly, a scorpion. It darted around for a brief moment until Cela couldn't hold it any longer, so surprised and delighted she was. She didn't think it was corporeal enough to fight off a Dementor or a Lethifold, but at least she knew the form it took for sure now.

Determined, she readied herself to try again.

Karma sat up straighter in her seat when it came to talking about the Patronus and the charm that they were about to encounter. This was perfect - back in Germany she had been able to practice this spell. Practice being the key word.

She stood up and took her wand out and at first, practiced the movement that she had learned back at her old school. It was slightly different than what Kazimeriz's was, but she would try his way. So, instead of going back to her old ways, she started off trying his.

Now to think of a memory - possibly her first year here. Or even when she got her acceptance letter to the old school. Meeting Emiliano was high on the list too. She smiled just thinking of it.

"Professor - is it better to just focus on one, really strong memory, or a few of good ones strung together?"

"Excellent questions. You must use one clear, strong, happy memory. More than one memory splits your focus and therefore weakens the charm, usually to the point that nothing is produced. Feel free to try it with multiple memories, and compare your results. The classroom lab is the time for such experimentation, after all. But you will find that one powerful memory is the key to creating a patronus, especially a soild patronus charm." Kazimeriz walked around the class, watching his students as they began their patronus practice.

Lucy saw Lina and walked over to her. "Hey! Look at this!" She said excitingly. She moved her wand and said, "Expecto Patronum." The little tiger cub came rushing out but quickly vanished. "Cool, huh?" She asked looking at her friend.

Ooooh. So that was why hers wouldn't last? But chosing one happy memory? Just one when she had soooooooo many now? She screwed her eyes tightly closed and when she opened them she knew exactly which one would work. She shot a quick look at Copernicus and gave him a mischievious little grin as she heard him ask a question, but didn't let the question distract her from casting with the same gentle movement as before, "Expecto Patronum!"


Definitely a scorpion.


She held her breath, wondering if it was going to last.

"There are extreme situations where a very strong positive emotion has been reported to generate one, but in most cases a happy memory is required and so that is what you should attempt to use for best chance of success. A patronus is merely a very complex, advanced shield, so you are well advised to use the strongest tools at your disposal to create the most powerful and lasting shield possible." Kazimeriz said to Kettleburn, a small smile twitching at the corners of his wrinkled lips. "Excellent question, though-- five points."

Via followed suit when the Professor said practice. Cool, she would learn what is her patronus form. Expecto PAtronum, she thought. Use one happy memory so the patronus to be formed will be more solid. She said, "Expecto PAtronum," and with a little motion of her wand... ooops... Nothing happened. Maybe she should try again.

"Thank you, sir," Copernicus turned back to his dilemma. Obviously, thoughts of his mother brought about a very strong reaction, but it wasn't necessarily happy. He'd try it, and if the fierce love he had for his mother didn't work, then he'd try something else.

"Expecto Patronum," he murmured once he was entirely focused. Copernicus was pleased to see a swirl of silver mist, but he had a feeling he could do better. In Beauxbatons, his Patronus was almost corporeal. No definite shape yet, but it was more solid than this effort.

Oh great they were working on patronus and she felt like crap. She could produce a wisp of smoke but nothing that would take a shape and she wasn't in the mood for this. She stood up and closed her eyes trying to pull up a happy memory. Her birthday? her hand flitted to the necklace around her neck, that certainly was happy, but she had happier memories. She got it! When her dad showed her the lab he had built for her. The smile spread across her face as her eyes popped open.

She did the gentle wand movement. "Expecto Patronum," She said and some vapor rushed out of her wand, but it didn't have a shape. It shimmered and looked as if it was going to take a shape but then is disappeared. "Shoot!" she stamped her foot.

Kayla stood up beside her chair and practiced the wand movement a few times and then thought of a happy memory. She had many when she was a child before her grandmother had come into her life that is. But one memory did stick out clearly in her mind and it was quite a recent one. Now she didn't want to boast or anything but she had already produced a patronus before.

Taking a deep breath and concentrating on her happy memory which was filling her whole body with joy. Kayla tilted her wand and then gave it a loop into an 'e' shape and with a clear and confident voice she said the incantation, "Expecto Patronum."

Silver mist shot from her wand and immediately formed the shape of a bear. She smiled with delight, happy to see that her patronus was still a bear. Concentrating still on her happy memory and keeping her wand pointed at her bear patronus she was able to get him to walk back toward her. Kayla watched him as he came closer and then made him stop and she held him there for a moment before having him stand up on two legs, so that he had reached his full height of eight feet and he opened his mouth and gave a silent roar. Yeah she was showing off but hey it was not like she got to do this everyday.

Now imagine if she could have done this last year when she was in
Azka - oops bad memories. Her patronus exploded into a cloud of silver mist and she lowered her wand. Now why did she have to go and think about that now? Kayla felt a shiver run down her spine and her immediate thought was of Rosa...no way, that woman couldn't possibly be getting out already.