Alex Weasley: Book 3

20

Alex started spending more and more time outside. Not always with Kichiro, either. Most students usually stayed away from the black lake the closer it inched into the forest. She found a spot not quite too deep into the trees, but still sheltered from view. There was a boulder she could lounge on. She'd led Kichiro and Venus out to the spot every once in a while.

This time, she was alone. She was practicing her patronus over and over and over, wanting it to be natural.
"Expecto Patronum!" She yelled and her wolf burst forth. The wolf bounded away, moving to the edge of the lake. She lowered her wand as it vanished, and pulled her legs close with her head resting on her knees. She was startled by something furry pushing at her. She jumped back from the boulder she was sitting on and looked at the offender, only to realise it was a dog. She let out a sigh of relief. "You scared me." She sat back down before looking at the dog. "Why are you out here?" She asked and the dog inched closer to her, sniffing her. She smiled, scratching it's head. "So what kind of dog are you? Are you a Grim? Because Professor Trelawney apparently saw a Grim in Harry's tea leaves and now he's destined to die. But Harry's not here. Am I destined to die? Are you a bad omen?" The dog whined. "Just joking. I don't believe in the Grim, but my brothers do. Ron would absolutely lose his mind if he found out about this. The amount of wild, magical animals at Hogwarts is actually quite frightening. And why am I always the one to find them? I suppose, I'm not really upset. Kichiro's the best. He's a unicorn. Lives just a few kilometres that way." Alex pointed deeper into the forest. The dog seemed to look at her with curious eyes. "He's turning one, tomorrow. I was there when he was born- Luna and I both were. I think I'm going to drag Hermione, Cedric and Luna out to celebrate with him or something. Maybe I can get some horse feed from the kitchens. I know wild unicorns are herbivores and that the forest is lousy with grass and fruits and other horse foods but Kichiro's pretty domesticated compared to his family. That actually might be my fault a little." She sighed. "Okay, that was a long enough break. You can stay if you want, but I've got to practice my patronus. There are dementors guarding the grounds and I cannot afford to freeze up again if I see one." She raised her wand, and tried envisioning her happiest memory. An evening over the summer where she and Draco played chess came to mind. Snape refereed, stepping in when he thought they might be taking the game too seriously. Alex smiled. "Expecto Patronum!" The familiar holographic wolf burst from her wand, pouncing into the air, before bounding back to her. She looked at it, and it softly faded from view. She sighed and tried again, switching memories. She thought about her first time riding a storm petrel in Mahoutokoro. How it reminded her of her flying sessions with Cedric. "Expecto Patronum!" Her wolf burst through again, this time blinking out of existence quicker than the last time. Alex threw her wand onto the ground in frustration, only for it to roll down towards the lake. She jumped into action, reaching for the wand and grabbed it before falling into the lake herself. "Ugh." She groaned but made no move to get out. "It would be just my luck if the giant squid suddenly appeared under me." She huffed. There was a splashing, before she felt a tugging pulling her out of the water. The dog was pulling her up the bank. She hoisted herself up to solid ground and saw the dog attempting to do the same. She reached forward and hauled him up beside her. "My hero." She laughed, and stood up.

Alex snuck back into Hogwarts, making her way to Snape's office. It might have been past office hours, but she was hoping he'd still be in his office. She knocked on the closed door and waited until the door opened, a few seconds later.
"Everything okay?" He asked and she shrugged.

"I need help." He opened the door wider to let her in. He cast a muffling charm, but kept the door open.

"What's wrong? And why are you soaked?"

"Long story, and I couldn't wait until Friday. I'm having trouble with my patronus." He looked a little relieved.

"Show me." He said, and she raised her wand. She concentrated for a second.

"Expecto Patronum!" This time her patronus barely stayed a second. "It works- it's corporeal. I don't think the problem's my happy memory. But it just disappears as quickly as it appears. I've tried to change my chosen memory, but it never stays long."

"Take a seat." He said, browsing his shelves. He picked out a vial and handed it to her, sitting on the chair next to her.

"Draught of peace? I'm not anxious."

"Humour me." He told her. She nodded and gulped it down.

"So do you know why my spell's malfunctioning? I haven't tried it in Japanese yet. Do you think it's because I've been doing most of my spells in Japanese for months?"

"Take a breath." He told her and she did, before almost melting back into the chair. "Do you remember when you first cast a corporeal patronus?"

"I've tried using that memory, too. It's not working."

"That's not what I'm trying to say. Do you remember the first time you cast your patronus." She nodded. "And you called her a 'she'. When I questioned you on it, you said it was because she's a reflection of you." Alex nodded again. "But just now you referred to your patronus as an 'it'."

"Did I?" She looked confused.

"Your conflict over your patronus could be what's affecting your charm." He told her.

"There's no conflict. And did you give me a draught of peace so that I wouldn't panic?"

"Yes." He said.

"There's no conflict." She said.

"Why don't you go to bed, and think on it, and come see me tomorrow?" She shook her head.

"I'm gonna be with Kichiro tomorrow. It's his birthday."

"You're celebrating a baby unicorn's birthday?"

"I didn't know if he was going to live last year. Against all odds, he did. So yes. I'm celebrating Kichiro's birthday."

"Okay. Want to tell me why you're soaked through?" He said holding out a towel.

"I fell into the black lake, and I can't really cast spells on myself. Including a drying charm."