Fate Set Right

Chapter 14

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January 20, 1976

"Why don't they just cast a Patronus?" Adrian Brown asked Professor Moody as they discussed Azkaban in their lecture period. The class turned to him, and he went red as he sank into his seat.

"Did you just ask me a stupid question, Brown?" Moody asked, and Hermione felt the second-hand embarrassment as strongly as if it were her own. Hermione heard Severus snicker beside her and resisted the urge to shoot him a scowl.

"Well," the young man said with a shrug.

"Because if ya think anyone in Azkaban has a wand aside from a guard, you got some brains missing. A Patronus charm is highly advanced magic. Not even taught here, it's something you learn on your own or as part of a mastery. More so, if you're in Azkaban, ya aren't pure enough to cast it," he explained, pounding against his chest in a way that probably hurt. "Anyone know what happens to a wizard or witch who tries to cast a Patronus who isn't pure enough?"

The room was quiet, and no one moved. Just before Hermione raised her hand to answer, a tiny timid voice said, "Maggots."

"Speak up, Pettigrew," Moody spat gruffly.

Peter cleared his throat. "They get eaten by maggots. My mum used to tell me the story of a little mouse Patronus that scared off a Dark Wizard's hoard of dementors. And when the wizard was angry, he tried to chase it away with his own Patronus. Only, well, that's not how they work."

Moody nodded once, satisfied with the answer.

"Gotta use your happiest, purest memories for a Patronus. Yer a Dark wizard, your happiest memory probably isn't pure."

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"How hard do you think it really is?" Remus asked before popping a crisp in his mouth. He was sitting sideways in a chair with his back propped up against a desk.

Severus had three potions resting in his makeshift lab and didn't want to risk anything at all messing with them. And since Lily was glued to them, and Remus was a frequent fixture, Hermione and Severus gladly found another abandoned classroom to spend some time in when the other two insisted they all spend it together.

"Advanced magic? Mastery level?" Hermione snorted from where she sat against the wall on a desk next to Severus. "I say it's pretty difficult."

"And what constitutes a pure happy memory?" Lily asked. "What's considered pure?" At this, she shot a sidelong glance at Hermione.

Cold unfiltered annoyance with just a touch of anger shot through Hermione, and she ground her teeth to stop herself from commenting.

Lily had tried to spread a rumor about what she found Hermione and Severus doing on his birthday. It hadn't really bothered her that Lily walked in on them. If anything, Hermione was a little miffed that Severus hadn't stopped in time, considering he was the one who set up the warning system. She let it slide though, wondering if he'd let it happen on purpose to send Lily a message. Unnecessary, she'd thought, until the next morning when Marlene cornered her.

"So, Lily said you finally caught some action," she said, blocking Hermione's exit from their dorm.

"I don't believe snogging is what most call action, and it's no one's business but ours." She made to move past her, but Marlene shifted.

Eyes narrowed, she studied Hermione critically.

"Lil said she caught you two doing much more than snogging."