Hogwarts: Lacus doesn't want to be a witch who destroys nations.

Chapter 117 Patronus

She had a bizarre dream. In the dream, she stood in a void of gray space, with cold, sticky fog beneath her feet.

Countless parchment reports rained down from above like snowflakes, each one marked with the word "guilty" in blood-red ink!

Grindelwald, dressed in a sophisticated black trench coat, stood not far away, laughing heartily and tossing the crown that emitted a dark red glow in his hand.

She wanted to rush over and punch him, but found her feet locked in cold shackles. The other end of the shackles extended into the thick fog, and the clanging sound of the chains scraping against each other could be heard. Then she broke free of the chains herself.

"Farewell, cage!"

"Lux, are you alright?" A clear female voice pierced through the nightmare, and Lux ​​suddenly opened her eyes.

Her heart was pounding, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten, but the dormitory room remained dim.

A figure was standing in front of her bed looking at her; it was Minerva McGonagall.

She was wearing a Gryffindor robe with a prefect badge pinned to her chest. Her meticulously combed hair and tightly pursed lips made her look much more mature than her actual age. At this moment, she was looking at Lux with a worried expression.

"Prefect Minerva?" Lux asked hoarsely, still somewhat disoriented from the nightmare.

"What's wrong? It's not time for class yet—" She subconsciously thought that she had broken some school rule again and was going to be sent to labor service.

Minerva smiled at Lux's sleepy eyes: "Professor Dumbledore wants you to go to his office right now. It's important."

Lux's heart leaped into her throat! Something important? Now? It wasn't even fully light yet! Could it be a warrant from the Ministry of Magic? Were the Aurors already downstairs? Was Dumbledore telling her to run?

She practically sprang to her feet, sitting up in bed and frantically grabbing her robe to put it on, her voice trembling slightly: "Now—now? Because of what?"

"Professor Dumbledore only instructed me to convey the instructions without explaining the specific reasons. However, as a prefect, I suggest you tidy yourself up, Miss Lux. No matter what you face, you should maintain your dignity."

Minerva then added, "Today's password is 'Lemon Snowball Candy'."

After saying that, she turned and left the dormitory decisively, as if she had completed her task.

Lux ruffled her hair haphazardly, grabbed her wand, and rushed out of the tower.

The castle corridors were deserted in the early morning, save for the sound of her hurried footsteps and the muttering of the portraits on the walls, disturbed from their slumber. Her mind was in turmoil as she tried to guess the reason for Dumbledore's urgent summons, each possibility making her palms sweat.

Running to the familiar stone beast, she breathlessly shouted the command: "Lemon Snowball!" The stone beast jumped away, and the spiral staircase slowly rose.

Lux stepped forward, already prepared for the worst, and even silently checked her pocket to see if she still had the key to the door to America.

Lux took a deep breath, pushed open the door, and went inside.

The expected scene of a group of Aurors standing ready for battle did not materialize; Dumbledore was the only one in the office.

He was standing by the window, gazing at the gradually brightening sky outside, when he heard the noise and turned around.

Today he was wearing a dark blue star-patterned robe, his face bearing his usual gentle expression, but his eyes were sharper than usual, as if they could see through Lux's panic.

"Good morning, Lux." His voice was calm, showing no sign of urgency. "I hope Minerva didn't disturb your morning too much."

"Professor?" Lux was a little confused, looking around nervously. "What happened? Is it the Ministry of Magic—"

""

Dumbledore gently raised his hand, interrupting her: "Relax, child, no uniformed gentlemen are rushing in to take you away yet. Although the situation is not optimistic, we still have some time."

He walked behind his desk and sat down, gesturing for Lux to sit as well. "I asked you to come because we need to prepare in advance, especially against a non-existent that conventional magic cannot effectively deal with."

Lux felt a little relieved, but her doubts deepened: "Non-existence? You mean?"

"Dementors," Dumbledore uttered calmly, the air in the office seeming to freeze. "The guards of Azkaban. In the worst-case scenario, you will most likely need to confront them, and the most effective, and only, defense against them is an extremely profound spell: the Patronus Charm."

Lux had certainly heard of this spell; it was said to be extremely difficult, and many wizards could not master it.

Dumbledore called her over early in the morning just to teach her this.

Countless thoughts flashed through her mind in an instant: Was this some kind of code? Was it a pretext for teaching to convey the escape plan? Or was it a test to see if she still had the will to fight against the darkness?

Dumbledore seemed to see through her thoughts, a faint smile appearing on his lips: "Don't overthink it, Lux. This is just a simple magic lesson. I think, with your talent, you should try to learn it. More power always means more security."

He paused, then added meaningfully, "After all, no one can predict what will happen in the future, so it's always good to be prepared."

Okay, looks like it really is time for class.

Lux suppressed her various guesses and focused her mind: "What should I do, Professor?"

"Patron Charm, call upon God for protection." Dumbledore drew his wand.

"Its power comes from the happiest and most intense positive emotional memories in your heart. You need to concentrate, recall and immerse yourself in that memory, and let it take shape at the tip of your wand."

He stood up, his expression becoming focused and serene: "Like this."

He didn't immediately chant the spell, but instead closed his eyes slightly, as if recalling something. After a moment, he opened his eyes, his gaze bright and resolute. He gracefully swung his wand forward and clearly and powerfully uttered the incantation: "Art of Protection!"

In an instant, an incredibly dazzling, pure silver light burst forth from the tip of the wand. The light was so intense that it even dispelled all the shadows in the office that morning, warm but not glaring.

The light quickly coalesced and took shape, transforming into a phoenix shimmering with silver light. It spread its radiant wings and gracefully circled and danced in the office, filling the entire room with a reassuring and warm atmosphere.

Lux was stunned; this was Dumbledore's Patronus.

After circling a few times, the Phoenix Guardian transformed into a streak of silver light and disappeared back into the magic wand.

The office was restored to its original state, but the warmth seemed to linger in the air.

"Remember this feeling, Lux." Dumbledore's voice pulled Lux ​​back from her shock. "Focus your mind and summon the happiest memory within you. Try it."

The most powerful happiness? Lux gripped her wand tightly, desperately searching her mind for happy memories.

Winning the Golden Crate Trophy? It seems the main reasons were excitement and relief at beating up Tom? Uh, maybe it was more about venting anger, a wicked sense of humor, and chatting and eating candy with Vera and Anna in the common room?

It's warm, but it doesn't seem strong enough—wait! I've got it!

She recalled that time after the Gobalotte Prize ceremony, when she and Professor Slughorn went on a culinary spree at a high-end restaurant in Paris. Slughorn, quite drunk, was singing and dancing while holding the golden cauldron, and almost wore the trophy as a hat in the end.

The scene was quite funny, but at that moment, a sense of ease, absurdity, and pure joy welled up inside me.

"Now!" Lux mimicked Dumbledore's gesture, thrusting her wand forward with a sudden burst of energy.

"Protect the Gods!" Her magic was instantly activated, and a silvery-white light shot out from the tip of her wooden wand. The light was very bright, even a little dazzling.

But the silver light did not condense into any specific form. It was like a torrent of extremely surging and restless pure energy that suddenly rushed out of the wand and then turned into embers.

Lux held up her wand, staring blankly at the faint silver ember at its tip, then looked up at Dumbledore, her face filled with utter bewilderment, as if asking, "What's going on?"

She clearly felt the magic power being used, the spell taking effect, and the system even indicated that she had mastered it, so how did this thing come out?

A ball of silver energy?

Dumbledore stared in utter shock at the energy that had suddenly appeared and vanished.

He stared intently at Lux, then at the wand in her hand, as if he were truly getting to know this student for the first time.

After a long silence of more than ten seconds, Dumbledore slowly spoke: "Incredible—this is truly incredible, Lux."

He took a few steps forward, his gaze still fixed on Lux: "The Guardian Charm is one of the most complex and mentally demanding spells in modern magic. The vast majority of wizards never manage to summon even the faintest wisp of silver mist in their entire lives. And you—"

He paused, as if searching for the right words: "On your first attempt, you released a non-physical guardian, though it failed to take shape."

"Your talent, Miss Lux, has repeatedly exceeded my expectations; it is truly extraordinary."

Lux was somewhat flustered by Dumbledore's high praise, and even more puzzled: "But Professor, why can't it transform into a concrete animal? Your phoenix is ​​so beautiful—"

Dumbledore pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head: "The form of your Patronus is closely related to the wizard's heart, personality, and even the imprint deep within their soul. It is not simply a matter of magical shaping. Your Patronus is unstable—perhaps because your inner emotions are too complex, perhaps because those special forces within you are influencing it, or perhaps—"

Dumbledore squinted at her. "You need time to find the memories that truly belong to you and can bring all of this together."

Lux nodded as if she understood, so it wasn't that she hadn't learned the spell well, but that her mind was too complicated?

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the office door.