Coup de Foudre [Fred Weasley] [3]

⚡️ Chapter 28 ⚡️

At eight o'clock on Thursday evening, Vega and Harry left the Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic classroom as Professor Lupin had asked them to. Harry glanced at Vega, who was looking around on the Marauder's Map as they made their way down the empty first-floor corridor.

"The common room is so crowded that it's difficult to make out everyone's names," Vega pointed out to Harry and he noticed that she was right. "It's pretty interesting, isn't it?"

"Aren't you a bit too interested in the map, Vega?" Harry asked, who had seen Vega observing the map far too often, seemingly entranced by everyone's movements.

"I've been trying to figure out what spells were used to make this map," Vega answered. "I think it wouldn't be that difficult to replicate something like this – Homonculous Charm, for one, here –"

"We're here," Harry informed Vega quickly before she started going on and on about different spells and make his head spin – especially since he was already nervous.

"Wait," Vega said and pressed her wand against the parchment. "Mischief managed," She folded up the map and slipped it off away into her robe pocket. "Let's go, Lupin's not here yet, but let's go in,"

Reaching ahead of Harry, Vega pushed the door to the History of Magic classroom, which was currently as dark and empty as she had expected it to be. Harry stopped by the doorway and watched as Vega went ahead and lit all the lamps in there with a flick of her long wand.

The two of them waited for their teacher to come up, and Vega stuffed her face into the map. When she abruptly turned it off five minutes later, Harry knew that Professor Lupin was on his way here.

Then, Lupin turned up, carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn's desk.

"Good evening, Professor," Vega greeted as she looked at the large packing case with curiosity. "What is in there? Did you smuggle a Dementor inside?" Lupin chuckled and shook his head no.

"Another Boggart," Lupin told them, stripping off his cloak. "I've been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily – I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch's filing cabinet,"

Vega wondered if he noticed all those leftover detention slips from his time with his three friends.

"It's the nearest we'll get to a real Dementor," Lupin continued. "The Boggart will turn into a Dementor when he sees Harry, so we'll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we're not using him; there's a cupboard under my desk he'll like,"

"Okay," Harry replied, trying to sound as though he wasn't apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitute for a real Dementor. Vega was as curious as ever.

"So..." Professor Lupin said as he took out his wand, and motioned for Vega and Harry to do the same. "The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic – well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm,"

"Patronus Charm?" Vega repeated, finding the name rather familiar. "I think I have read about it somewhere," Lupin smiled.

"You do a lot of reading, don't you?" Lupin asked and Vega nodded. "I'd say that you'll do great but this spell does require more than just excellence in wandwork," She nodded again, slower this time.

"How does it work?" Harry asked nervously – if Vega was going to have a tough time with it, what would become of someone like him?

"Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus," Lupin replied. "Which is a kind of anti-Dementor – a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor,"