White Heather for Protection

Felons and Convicts

The school term began with bad news. That pesky Malfoy Heir had complained to his father about Buckbeak injuring him. 'My father will hear about this...', 'My father will hear about that...' Honestly, did the boy have no backbone of his own? Unfortunately, his father was Lord Malfoy and had considerable political standing. Buckbeak was under investigation right now for being a Creature Posing Serious Endangerment to Wizardkind. Hagrid was devastated and so was Hadrian.

Heather didn't know much about wizarding law, but she did know that Lucius Malfoy often greased the palms of the Wizengamot to get his way. That was all the prosecution he needed. If this was the standard of the judicial system, she could see why Sirius Black had been convicted wrongfully. He hadn't even had a trial. To be fair, though, being surrounded by twelve dead muggles and laughing maniacally did look very incriminating.

Regardless, Lucius Malfoy was a lord and what he said usually went. It was then that it occurred to Heather that she was legally Lady Potter. She had some law books to read.

~~~

"Okay guys, the Patronus Charm requires you to think of the happiest memory you have, one that outshines all other memories. Or at least that's what most texts say."

Hermione raised her hand eagerly. Heather stared in amusement at the appendage and the younger witch blushed before lowering it. "What do you say then?"

"Personally, I don't cast it like that. Well, not my first few times, at least. It is a theory of mine that any positive emotion does the trick. As long as it fills you so much that despair has no place to invade." Heather smiled at her best friends. "In fact, Fred and George helped me in that respect. I was really struggling with the spell, then they said something that gave me an idea."

"What was it?" Ron asked curiously. He had joined these lessons only because both his friends were doing them, but after seeing the spell being cast up close, he had begun to look forward to being able to do it. The spell looked totally brilliant!

"Laughter. Mirth, I suppose you could call it. For me, that worked better than the happy memories I had."

"Why is that?" Hermione asked, frowning. "Happiness is a stronger emotion than amusement."

Heather shrugged. "I think it's because all my happy memories had associated sad ones." She smiled deprecatingly before continuing, "Laughter, on the other hand, is pure enjoyment and mirth for me. Except in sarcasm and whatnot, of course."

"You've got that-"

"-right, Heather-harp."

"At least you've learnt-"

"-something from being our friend!"

"Laughter is the-"

"-essence of life!"

Heather rolled her eyes. "Anyway, the trick is to find what positive emotion works for you. And your memory or memories have to really be saturated in that feeling. Then, the incantation - Expecto Patronum!" A burst of light and her little snidget zipped out of her wand. Hadrian chuckled when it nuzzled in his messy locks before dissipating.

"How long did it take for you to get it?" Hermione asked, awed.

"Hmm, about four months to get a mist. After that, it was a matter of practice and focus to make it corporeal."

"That long?" Ron asked, shocked.

"I've been trying for three months already and I've only recently made some mist appear," Hadrian piped in, demonstrating his thin wisps.