Hogwarts: Don't call me Wandmaker

Chapter 220: A stark contrast

The silver cloud that sprang from the tip of the Staff of Siron paused briefly before quickly circling the empty classroom of the History of Magic, as if surveying its own territory.

At that moment, Lupin was instructing Harry. The box in front of them was only half-open, and a withered, rotten, skeletal hand was about to reach out from inside.

However, as the silver clouds drifted by, the hand quickly retracted, and with a crisp "click," the box was locked again.

At the same time, the silvery clouds in the sky also dissipated.

Harry and Lupin looked at each other, then simultaneously glanced at Siron.

"Was that a guardian spirit?" Lupin recalled the scene he had just witnessed.

That warm, reassuring magic is undoubtedly a guardian deity, but it is not a complete guardian deity.

A complete Guardian Charm will appear in the form of some kind of animal. The one we just saw only had an outline... Although it could be seen that it was a cat, it was still a bit far from being a real animal.

If we consider a passing grade of 60, Siron's Patronus Charm would probably get between 40 and 50 points, while Harry's Charm, which only contains silvery-white gas and whose outline is barely visible... would get around 20 points, which is a relatively low score for a beginner.

The main problem is that the memories he's looking for aren't right. Those scattered happy emotions simply can't support the Patronus. Once Harry finds the truly joyful memories that touch his heart, this score might rise to thirty points.

"Very good, Siron, very good, fantastic!" Lupin couldn't help but clap his hands in praise, his voice bringing Harry back to his senses.

He looked at Xilun and asked incredulously, "You, you've already learned it?"

That warm feeling just now was exactly the same as when I was on the train.

“No, it’s almost there,” Xiren said.

“That’s true, but don’t forget you’re only learning this spell for the first time today,” Lupin said. “You just lack the necessary practice.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the box at his feet.

If it were Harry, with the help of Boggart transformed into a Dementor, Lupin was confident he could teach him the Patronus Charm completely today.

But Siron is not afraid of Dementors, which prevents him from using the Boggart, the most powerful teaching tool... Perhaps he could give it a try.

Lu Ping thought to himself.

He called Xilen over, had her stand behind the box, and then continued the operation he hadn't finished.

He made Harry stand still and then suddenly lifted the trunk open.

A Dementor slowly emerged from the box, quickly approaching Harry while emitting a low, panting sound.

Harry's body began to tremble involuntarily, as if enveloped by some kind of bone-chilling cold.

"Treatoria..." He picked up his wand and shouted, "Treatoria, protect me..."

Then, he suddenly fainted uncontrollably.

Lupin seemed to have anticipated this, catching Harry just before he hit the ground.

The Dementor then transformed into a pure white moon.

"Funny!"

The moon deflated like a punctured balloon and crashed to the ground with a "poof."

"Did you feel anything just now?" Lupin asked.

“No,” Xiren shook his head and said, “I don’t feel anything.”

He was only about three feet away from Harry, but he didn't sense anything changing in their surroundings. While Harry was shivering from the biting cold, Siron was looking at him with a puzzled expression.

In Siren's view, the Dementor that Boggart transformed into was just a facade, no different from the one he created using Transfiguration, yet Harry could still sense the Dementor's presence. Hearing Siren's words, Lupin sighed in disappointment.

He had previously considered having Siren practice alongside Harry while he practiced, but now it seemed that this method was unlikely to work.

It's a pity that Siron isn't afraid of Dementors.

Do we really have to wait until Hogsmeade Week to take him to find the real Dementors?

Lupin hesitated.

It's not that I find it troublesome; the key is that real Dementors are completely different from Boggarts... They could very well cause real harm to wizards.

Lupin couldn't guarantee that he could protect Xiren.

……

Harry woke up suddenly after an unknown amount of time. He found himself lying on his back on the floor, with the classroom lights shining brightly overhead.

"I'm sorry." He sat up, feeling cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses.

"Are you alright?" Lu Ping asked.

“It’s alright.” Harry stood up, leaning on a table for support, only to realize that Lupin was the only one around; Siron was nowhere to be seen.

For some reason, Harry felt a sense of relief.

If he could, he really didn't want Xilen to see him in such a disheveled state after he fainted.

Even though he knew perfectly well that Xilen must have seen him faint, he was relieved that he didn't have to face his friend's comforting words immediately after waking up.

“Where is Xilun?” he asked.

“He’s already gone back.” Lupin handed Harry a chocolate frog. “What he needs now is practice, and staying any longer wouldn’t be of much help, so he went back.”

Harry lowered his head and bit off the chocolate frog's head.

It's hard to describe his feelings right now. He had been hoping to have someone practice spells with him, but this is how it turned out.

Moreover, even though Xilun has already learned it, he still faints when facing Boggart.

“This time the sound was louder,” Harry muttered. “And him… Voldemort…”

He then thought of Xilun.

"So, do you have to face Dementors to learn the Patronus Charm?"

“Not necessarily, but it’s the fastest way,” Lupin said. “Of course, Xiren is different; he’s an exception. In fact, I’ve never seen anyone master the Patronus Charm so quickly, forming the nascent Patronus on the first cast.”

"You just said you heard...that person's voice, right?" Lupin handed over another chocolate frog.

Harry nodded.

“Okay, if you don’t want to continue, I completely understand,” Lupin said. “Practicing spells normally is also a good option, although the progress will be a bit slower, but…”

“No, I want to continue,” Harry said, sounding a little agitated, as he stuffed the rest of the chocolate frogs into his mouth.

If it weren't for Xilun, he might have chosen a safer way to practice slowly, but now, he doesn't want to fall too far behind Xilun.

“Alright then.” Lupin chose to respect his idea, grabbed the box again, and said, “However, you may need to choose another memory. The one just now seemed a bit weak; the magic dissipated too quickly.”

……

(End of this chapter)