Harry Potter and the New Marauders (A Harry Potter Fanfiction)

The Patronus Wolf

XII

The Patronus Wolf

For the next couple weeks, the boys took turns staying up to monitor the Map. They were so fascinated with it, in fact, that it was even helping Ciaran get over his Teddy-phobia. Teddy still hadn't figured out how to turn it off after several days, though, and Messrs. Moony, Padfoot, and Prongs finally grew irritated with him and told him:

‘If you can't properly manage your mischief, then stop making it!'

"Errr, I'm done making mischief?" Teddy told it that night, tapping it with his wand. After all, that was sort of how he'd turned it on to start with.

"Close enough," the Map ‘sighed', as it went blank.

But for all of their care in keeping a close eye on the Map (and a few more promised detentions for falling asleep in class), they didn't see any new names appear on it.

About the only exciting thing that happened that week was when Hagrid caught Teddy on his free period and asked him to take a box up to "Uncle Harry's" Third Year DADA class. Teddy was about to knock on the door when he heard his uncle lecturing:

"...the words are ‘Expecto Patronum', but it's the thought that counts, really. You can cast spells nonverbally, but we'll get to that later on.

"And don't be disappointed if you fail. This is advanced magic, beyond the O.W.L. level! Right, then, let's give it a go? It looks something like this - EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Harry then yelled, and Teddy peeked in, watching in wonder as the glowing Stag erupted from Harry's wand.

Teddy had seen the Stag before, when his uncle had sent it as a messenger and even used it when Teddy had been so depressed over learning that he was a werewolf. Uncle Harry had brought out the Patronus then to "show him what happiness could do." The Stag was so beautiful, Teddy thought, and it had made him feel a bit better. He'd even tried the charm with his toy wand, but of course, all the toy did was shoot light, much like a Muggle child's flashlight.

Wanting a better look, Teddy slipped in the door quietly. He turned to close it, just as the Patronus wheeled and came charging down the aisle at him!

If it had been a real stag, it might have run him down. Instead, it skidded to a halt right in front of him, bowed its great head, and then nuzzled his face. Teddy couldn't help but to laugh, as it tickled.

Harry just watched, as did the rest of the class. None of them had ever seen a Corporeal Patronus do that before.

"Mr. Lupin, do you know how to knock?" Harry asked, but his tone was not harsh. "Ahhh, the pair of Redcaps I ordered?" He added, and Teddy stared at the box in horror as the Patronus snorted and vanished.

"Nasty little devils that hide in potholes on old battlefields, attacking passersby and even killing them!" Harry explained.

"R-r-redcaps?" Teddy gasped.

"Never trust a Hagrid-parcel," Harry warned him. "Good thing you didn't open it, no?"

Teddy fainted.

"There's been a few sightings on campus over the years, but nothing that the advanced classes haven't cleaned up for us," Harry went on, propping Teddy up at a desk as he continued lecturing...

Fortunately, the rest of the week went more smoothly. By the time classes and Quidditch tryouts were over, and they had done their homework, the boys were all too happy to just go to bed!

Teddy was also beginning to hope that Harry had forgotten about his first pending detention, but he had no such luck. And since they were having Quidditch tryouts, Harry thought that polishing the trophies and servicing brooms would be a fine way to spend a detention - and without wands. He'd been saving up that detention, it seemed.