Hogwarts, Eighth Floor – Room of Requirement.
Harold looked at the snapped wand in front of him, split cleanly down the middle, and couldn't help but shake his head.
It seemed Dementors weren't a viable wand core material. So far, Harold had tried every wand wood he could get his hands on, but none could resonate magically with the Dementor core.
This thing was even pickier than a piece of Voldemort's soul fragment.
He'd spent the whole day inside the Room of Requirement, but hadn't managed to make a single usable wand.
By Monday, Harold had no choice but to set aside the Dementor research and return to the noisy, hectic rhythm of school life.
After a grand feast and a thrilling Quidditch match, the memory of Dementors scouring the castle had gradually faded. Everything seemed just as it had been before.
That is, except for the Slytherins, who were now unbearably smug after their win. Every time they passed a Gryffindor, they'd loudly proclaim their triumph, as if they'd already won the Quidditch Cup and not just a single match.
Malfoy was the worst of them. Not content with bragging about the win, he also brought up Harry fainting on the train, claiming Harry must've smelled the Dementors and lost his nerve, and even suggested Gryffindor get a new Seeker—all with insincere concern.
During one Potions lesson, Ron finally snapped and hurled a massive, slippery crocodile heart right at Malfoy's face.
Although Snape docked Gryffindor fifty points, not a single person blamed Ron. Everyone agreed it was more than worth it.
If it weren't for having to save face in front of Professor McGonagall, many were ready to start paying "target practice fees."Malfoy, of course, being the target.
Though crocodile hearts were expensive… a dungbomb from Zonko's might make a fine replacement.
Thankfully, Snape wasn't covering Defense Against the Dark Arts anymore.
Professor Lupin had returned, though he looked quite frail—thinner, even. Still, when he saw everyone settled in, he managed a tired but warm smile.
That's when the classroom burst into a hum of chatter—everyone airing grievances about the last Defense class under Snape.
Harold hadn't been there that day, so he just sat and listened as everyone vented their frustrations.
"He acted like we were idiots for not knowing how to defeat a werewolf."
"That's fifth-year content!"
"And the homework—he was only subbing! What gave him the right to assign that much work?"
"Two rolls of parchment!"
"Did any of you explain to him that we hadn't studied that yet?" asked Lupin, frowning slightly.
"We did, but he said we were behind."
"TWO rolls of parchment!"
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The classroom noise grew louder. From what Harold could gather, no one cared about the werewolf lesson—what really bothered them was the homework.
A single roll of parchment was about fifteen feet. Two rolls meant thirty feet of writing. That was more than they'd ever been assigned over the holidays. It was absolutely unreasonable.
So, naturally, Professor Lupin canceled the assignment.
Everyone cheered—well, except for Hermione and Harold.
Hermione had already finished it (terrifying, truly), and Harold didn't care—he hadn't been in class that day, so technically he didn't have to do it.
This Defense class, Lupin introduced them to something new—Hinkypunks.
They were one-legged little creatures, appearing to be made of wisps of smoke. Harold had once used a Hinkypunk leg to craft a wand core. It wasn't bad, actually.
Perhaps fearing Harold would come asking for specimens again, Lupin quickly threw a cloth over the Hinkypunk box and left the classroom with it in a hurry.
Harry immediately followed.
He'd been meaning to ask Lupin about a spell to defend against Dementors, but with Snape subbing last time, he hadn't had the chance. Now that Lupin was back, he jumped on the opportunity.
Harold, however, didn't follow.
He had no interest in requesting Hinkypunks this time. When it came to making ordinary wands, Hagrid's occasional deliveries of materials were more than enough to last him through graduation.
A single Hinkypunk? Not worth the trouble.
No, Harold was interested only in Dementors now.
Unfortunately, he only had two—hardly enough to work with. And after wasting half of one yesterday, he'd have to be careful with the remaining one.
It'd be ideal if they attacked the castle again.
Harold rubbed his chin, weighing whether he could risk having Sirius show himself inside the castle—just enough to be spotted by a Dementor.
If the creatures all rushed inside again, Harold, as a student, could respond in "self-defense." Then, in the chaos, maybe he could snatch a few more of them...
But after a few minutes, Harold shook his head.
No, too risky. The logistics were tricky, and Dumbledore and the other professors weren't idiots. If he really tried that stunt, they'd know something was up.
Anyway, he still had one Dementor left—if he rationed it carefully, it would be enough.
When Harry returned to the common room, he was practically glowing with excitement.
"Professor Lupin agreed to teach me how to repel Dementors!" he announced.
"Oh, that's nice," Hermione replied absentmindedly, eyes never leaving her book.
She was juggling twelve classes. Between the endless reading and assignments, she had no time to worry about Dementors—after all, casting a Patronus wasn't going to earn her any extra exam points.
Ron didn't seem interested either. If it were part of the regular Defense curriculum, sure, but using free time to learn a tough spell? He'd rather play wizard chess.
Harold, on the other hand, was intrigued.
If he guessed right, Lupin was going to teach Harry the Patronus Charm.
Harold had his unicorn Patronus, so fending off Dementors wasn't an issue. But the Patronus Charm wasn't just for that.
It could also deliver messages—faster and more secure than owl post or the Floo Network. Last year, Professor Flitwick had probably used his Patronus to alert Professor McGonagall about the Basilisk on the pitch.
"Mind if I come with you?" Harold asked. "If Professor Lupin agrees, of course."
"Really? I mean—sure, that'd be great!" Harry brightened. "But Professor Lupin said he'll have to wait until after the Christmas holidays. He's really busy right now—says he doesn't have time."
Still, Harry's emotions were complicated.
He wanted to learn the charm because he'd fainted in front of everyone on the train. That was incredibly embarrassing.
But Lupin said the Patronus Charm was difficult—even adult wizards often struggled with it. Harry wasn't sure he could pull it off.
So having a friend to learn with didn't sound so bad.
Harold was the perfect choice, too—he hadn't been at the station when Harry fainted, so there was no awkwardness.
Harold had no idea Harry was thinking all this. He was lost in thought himself.
He suddenly remembered that he owned a wand made of dragonblood wood—one that increased Patronus strength by 25%.
He hadn't used it before because he didn't know the charm. But now, it was finally time to put it to use.