The Marauders: Year Five #Wattys2017

The Spell in the Grade 7 Textbook

The Spell in the Grade 7 Textbook

"DEMENTORS!" Sirius shouted, the moment they were in their dormitory, "HERE AT HOGWARTS! Is Dumbledore mad? How could he let the fucking Minister do this? How could Minchum ever dream -- terrible idea! Terrible idea! And what of Moony? WHAT OF MOONY!" Sirius flung his book bag so hard against the floor that everything in it came spilling out in a great tidal wave of stuff across the floor - his guitar's strings squealing as it slid across the carpet.

"What about me?" Remus asked. He was the last of the four through the door and he paused to shut it and wave his wand at the handle, "Colloportus," he murmured.

"Full moon nights," James said ominously. "I was wondering the same thing." He glanced at Sirius, "I mean, they'll be looking for - for threats... and... and I'm guessing werewolves... given, you know, Fenrir's helping Moldy Voldy and all..."

Remus stopped dead in his tracks. He hadn't even thought of that. It had never occurred to him to worry - never occurred to him that the Shrieking Shack was technically off the grounds and that technically what the four of them did each month - romping about through the Forbidden Forest - was actually trespassing, as Dumbledore had warned them against. He paled a bit.

Peter, surprisingly, was the one that said, "Well, obviously we'll need to go and protect him against them, won't we?"

Sirius, James, and Remus all looked at Peter in surprise.

"What?" Peter asked. "It is obvious, isn't it?"

"Well - yes," said Sirius, "It's just that by you suggesting it you've just saved us the next hour of arguing with you about why it's obvious."

James laughed.

Remus looked nervous. "Guy... I don't know. I don't want you lot risking yourselves for my benefit. I mean --"

"Stop. Stop right there." Sirius put his hand over Remus's mouth and stared him in the eyes. "The bloody day I let you go out into the darkness to be surrounded by a trillion soul-sucking leech spirits when you're already depressed enough during full moon times is the day I bleedin' die, Rey. I will not allow it. No. You will not be alone with those... those things. The full moon is hard enough on you without those things making it worse. I'll bloody slay every one of them!"

"But how?" James asked, "I mean, how does one protect oneself against a dementor? They're spirits, sort of, aren't they? You can't very well pick up a sword and slash it to death or anything, and - and I mean what are we supposed to do against them? Hardened criminals in Azkaban can't even defeat them!" He looked nervous now, too.

"Bleedin' hell, Potter, don't go soft on me."

"I'm not going soft on you," James said, "I just don't see how we're going to do it."

Remus stared at his hands. "Well. I did.. I did read... something..." he paused. "But I dunno if it's a good idea. It - it was in the Grade 7 Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook."

"Grade Seven?" Sirius asked, "Moonpie, why in hell were you reading grade seven? You know we're only in five, yeah?"

Remus flushed. "Well I - I finished six and --"

"Is there a book in the library you haven't read yet, Moony?" laughed James.

"Maybe a couple 'round the Arithmancy section," Remus joked.

Peter shook his head in awe. "Probably not even kidding, you nutter."

"Well c'mon then, out with it," Sirius commanded, "What's the thing you read? I'm betting it's ruddy brilliant."