I'm Still Standing!~ Book 3

Dementor Glooms

Jade briefly looked up from her homework to give Ron a knowing smirk. 'Does that mean Hermione's told me something these two know nothing about?' Harry never did look up from his essay, apparently, it was much harder than her's was. Jade, having finished her essay, stood up and excused herself as she left to go back to the Slytherin common room. Just as the portrait opened to let her out Wood, the Gryffindor's Captain, walked in looking as gloomy as ever. 

"Good evening, boys!" She said waving two fingers in the air as she left with a smirk.

~Timeskip~

January faded into February, with no change in the bitterly cold weather. The match against Ravenclaw with the Gryffindors was drawing nearer and nearer, Jade had finally gotten a routine down for both songs she'd picked out. But a few days ago Harry told her he was looking for a new broom and she couldn't help from laughing in his face. Long story short they still weren't talking and she heard he was still looking for a new broom. He was now asking Professor McGonagall for news of the Firebolt after every Transfiguration lesson. Hermione rushed past them with her face averted. 

Jade sat next to Hermione. "Still mad at them?" 

"The same could be asked of you. What happened?" Hermione retorted.

"Hey, I'm not the one who has a problem! He told me something I was unprepared to hear and... I laughed at him." Jade said with a small chuckle as she saw Potter and Weasle-boy asking McGonagall presumably about Harry's broom. 

"No, Potter, you can't have it back yet," Professor McGonagall told him before he'd even opened his mouth. "We've checked for most of the usual curses, but Professor Flitwick believes the broom might be carrying a Hurling Hex. I shall tell you once we've finished checking it. Now, please stop badgering me." 

To make matters even worse, Harry and Jade's anti-Dementor lessons weren't going nearly as well as she'd hoped since then. On several sessions, he was only able to produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the Boggart-Dementor approached, but his Patronus was too feeble to drive the Dementor away. And Jade's was no better cause she wasn't able to concentrate on being 'happy'. All it did was hover, like a semitransparent cloud, draining them of energy as they fought to keep it there. 

Jade felt more worried than angry with herself. "You're expecting too much of yourselves," said Professor Lupin, sternly in their third week of practice. "For a thirteen-year-old and fifteen-year-old witch or wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren't passing out anymore, are you Harry?"

"I thought a Patronus would... charge the Dementors down or something," said Harry dispiritedly. "Make them disappear..." 

"The true Patronus does do that," said Lupin. "But you've both achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the Dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match," he paused to look Jade in the eyes. "or in your case during your song, you will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground." 

"You said it's harder if there are a ton of them," said Jade. 

"I have complete confidence in you two," said Lupin, smiling. "Here... you've earned a drink. Something from the Three Broomsticks. You won't have tried it before..." He pulled three bottles out of his briefcase.

"Butterbeer!" said Harry, without thinking. "Yeah, I like that stuff!" 

Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Oh... Ron and Hermione brought me some back from Hogsmeade," Harry lied.