Chapter 126: Hermione's Patronus Charm

Alaric snapped his fingers lightly, and the closet door swung open.

A Dementor slowly drifted out of the closet.

Its hooded face turned towards Hermione, and its decaying hand grabbed onto its cloak.

The lights around the Room of Requirement flickered and went out. 

Emerging from the closet, it swiftly and silently approached Hermione, taking a deep breath. A bone-chilling cold swept over her...

"Expecto Patronum!" Hermione cried out. "Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum..."

Both the Room of Requirement and the image of the Dementor vanished, leaving Hermione's mind echoing with endless memories.

The rush of wind as she fell from a broomstick, the terrifying roar of a giant, the hissing of a snake, and the sound of scales scraping against the floor as it slithered...

"Hermione!" 

Hermione snapped back to reality. 

She found herself sitting on the floor, the lights in the Room of Requirement back on. She didn't need to ask what had just happened.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, sitting up, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Alaric approached, concerned.

Suddenly, Hermione stood up and threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face. Alaric gently held her, stroking her hair, comforting her repeatedly.

Penelope and Cho Chang also approached, helping Alaric console Hermione.

After a while, Hermione finally stopped crying.

"Eat this," Alaric handed her a chocolate frog. 

"You can take a break for a while, we can try again later. I didn't expect you to succeed on your first try. Honestly, I'd be surprised if you did."

"It's awful," Hermione said softly, biting off the frog's head. "I have seen myself falling from the broomstick, almost dying to a troll, and a basilisk."

Alaric's expression darkened. He could only repeat, "It's all in the past, isn't it? They're not scary anymore, it's all over."

"I want to try again," Hermione said quietly after finishing the chocolate frog.

"Hermione, if you don't want to continue, I'll understand..."

"I want to continue!" Hermione said loudly. "I have to do this! I can't always be overwhelmed by these fears! Otherwise, I'll never catch up with you."

Ah, she is indeed the "Miss Know-it-all".

Not only intelligent, but also strong, refusing to give up.

She was truly a girl with a strong heart.

"Alright then," Alaric said, patting Hermione's back.

"Perhaps you need to choose a different memory, a happy memory.

 I mean, try focusing on something else, think wholeheartedly about it, your previous memory doesn't seem strong enough!"

"I understand," Hermione nodded.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked, releasing Hermione and stepping aside.

"I'm ready," Hermione said, while desperately filling her mind with memories of being praised by teachers in class, getting top marks on exams...

"Let's begin!" Harry exclaimed, opening the closet.

The Room of Requirement instantly turned cold and dark once again. 

Dementors glided forward, their rattling breath filling the air, a putrid hand reaching out towards Hermione...

"Expecto Patronum!" Hermione shouted, "Expecto Patronum! Expecto Patronum..."

Annoying memories clouded her mind again—desperate freefall from great heights, facing monsters alone, being chased by giant serpent...

"Hermione, Hermione, wake up..." Alaric shook her shoulder. It took Hermione a minute this time to realize why she was lying in Alaric's arms.

"You must be feeling upset," Alaric said apologetically, "Listen, Hermione, maybe we should stop here for today. 

This spell is too advanced; I shouldn't have agreed to let you all learn it so early..."

"No!" Hermione said, standing up again. 

"I want to try again. I wasn't thinking of happy thoughts enough, that's why. I need to persevere!"

She delved into her memories once more. 

Real happy memories, she could turn them into a good, powerful Patronus memory. 

Countless flashes of joy from her own successes flickered through her mind, but they weren't much different from the memories just now.

Real happiness, real happiness... If real despair and pain had been experienced, wouldn't the opposite of those experiences be real happiness?

She suddenly thought of the dangers she had faced, and what had become of her after those crises? Why was she able to survive those dangers?

She glanced at Alaric beside her, who was watching her anxiously.

Yes, it was him, the one who always helped me through danger, what could be closer to real happiness than that?

A heartfelt smile tugged at her lips, a smile so beautiful it almost stunned Alaric.

"Are you ready?" Alaric asked, appearing as though doing so went against his better judgment.

"One last question," Hermione turned to glance at Alaric. "You'll stay by my side to protect me, right?"

"Absolutely. If you falter, I'll promptly lock away the Dementor, just like before."

"Really?" Hermione smiled and nodded. 

The question she just asked wasn't about the Dementor at all, and Alaric completely misinterpreted it.

But she seemed to have gotten the answer she wanted.

"I'm ready."

"Have you focused your thoughts? Alright, let's begin!" 

He opened the closet door for the third time, and the Dementor drifted out, filling the Room of Requirement with cold and darkness once more...

Despairing memories once again engulfed her: flying on broomsticks, encountering troll, facing Basilisks... 

But this time, she wasn't pushed back by the memories because she realized that after every despair, there was a turning point, a warm resolution.

'Yes, he always protected me, and he'll continue to be by my side.

So, what's there to fear?

Mere fears, in the end, were nothing but thrilling yet meaningful memories.'

"Expecto Patronum!"

Memories gradually faded from her mind, and the Dementor before her halted. 

Then, a silver shadow shot from Hermione's wand, hovering between her and the Dementor. 

Though Hermione felt her legs growing weak, she managed to stand on her own, uncertain for how much longer...

"Expecto Patronum!"

It was Alaric's voice. 

A silver-white dragon, radiating brilliance, lunged forward, facing the Dementor in place of Hermione's Patronus. 

With a gentle push, the Dementor was subdued and trapped within the closet. Alaric snapped his fingers, and the closet door shut tight.

Hermione felt utterly drained, her legs giving out beneath her. Her Patronus dissipated into the air.

Alaric came up behind her, catching the completely exhausted Hermione.

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