Harry Potter and the Way of Reason

The warm January sun shone on the cold field outside Hogwarts.

For some students it's study time, for others get out of class is over.For enrolled first graders this is the time to practice a specific spell.This mantra is best learned outside, under a clear blue sky and bright sunlight, rather than confined to a classroom.Cookies and lemonade are also thought to aid learning.

The preparatory movements for this spell are intricate and delicate; you turn the wand precisely at the right angle once, twice, three times, four times, and then move the index finger and thumb precisely the correct distance...  

The Ministry of Magic took this to mean that trying to teach the spell before fifth year would be futile.There have been only a few cases of younger children learning the spell, and these exceptions have been explained as "innate talent".

Maybe it wasn't very polite to say it, but Harry began to understand why Professor Quirrell had claimed that turning the Ministry of Magic Curriculum Board into a landfill would do a greater service to wizarding as a whole.

These movements are indeed complex and delicate.But that doesn't stop you from learning the spell at the age of 11.It just means that you need to be more careful and spend more time than usual practicing each movement, that's all.

Most of the spells learned by older students require more magic power than the younger students can muster.But this is not the case with the Patronus Charm. Its difficulty is not because it requires too much magic, but because it requires more than magic.

It requires a warm and happy feeling deep inside of you, those loving memories, a power that is different from what is usually required for a mantra.

Harry turned his wand once, twice, three times, four times, and his fingers slid the precise distance...

"I wish you all the best at school, Harry. Have I bought you enough books?"

"Books are never enough...but you really try and are very, very, very close to successful endeavors."

Tears welled up in Harry's eyes when he recalled the memory for the first time, trying to infuse it into a spell.

Harry raised his wand and waved it. This part didn't need to be precise, just bold and firm.

"Guardian!" Harry yelled.

Nothing happened.

Not even a shimmer.

When Harry looked up, Remus Lupine was still studying Harry's wand, a look of distress on his vaguely scarred face.

Finally, Remus shook his head. "I'm sorry, Harry," the man said softly. "You're waving your wand exactly right."

There were no lights flickering anywhere at the moment, because the other first years who were supposed to be practicing the Patronus Charm were glancing at Harry out of the corners of their eyes.

Tears started rolling in Harry's eyes again.This time it wasn't tears of happiness.Harry thought about it, thought about everything, but never expected it to be like this.

It's such a shame to be told you're not happy enough.

What is it that Anthony Goldstein has that Harry doesn't have that makes Anthony's wand shine brightly?

Did Anthony love his own father more?

"What idea did you use to cast the spell?" Remus said.

"My dad," said Harry in a trembling voice, "I asked him to buy me some books to bring to Hogwarts, which he did, and they were expensive, and then he asked if they were enough— —”

Harry didn't try to explain the Verrys family motto.

"Take a break before trying another idea, Harry," said Remus.He pointed to some other students who were sitting on the ground. Their expressions were either disappointment, embarrassment, or remorse. "You can't cast a Patronus Charm when you're feeling ashamed of not being grateful enough." There was a hint of tender sympathy in Mr. Lupine's voice, and for a moment Harry wanted to hit something.

Harry turned and crept closer to where the students who had failed to cast were sitting.Those students' spellcasting movements have been confirmed to be correct, and they should be looking for happier thoughts at present; judging from their expressions, it seems that there is no progress.Many of them had robes trimmed with dark blue, a few were red, and only one Hufflepuff girl was still crying.The Slytherins weren't there at all, except for Daphne Greengrass and Tracy Davis, who were still trying to learn the spellcasting animations.

Harry plopped down on the dry winter grass next to the student who had failed him most to his surprise.

"Oh, you didn't make it either," said Hermione.She ran away from the practice range first, but came back after that.You need to get close enough to see her red eyes to confirm that she just cried.

"I," said Harry, "I, I probably would feel a lot worse than I do now if you hadn't failed. You're me, the best person I know, I've ever known. Hermione, since You can't make it either, which means I might, might, be kind..."

"I should have gone to Gryffindor," Hermione murmured.She blinked hard, not letting the tears flow.

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The boy and the girl walked forward side by side, never holding hands, but each gained a certain power from the other's presence, allowing them to ignore their yearmates as they walked down the passage to the Hogwarts gates. The whispers of classmates.

Harry couldn't cast the Patronus Charm no matter what happy thoughts he had.People didn't seem surprised, which made it harder for him.Hermione didn't make it either.People were taken aback by this, and Harry saw that she, like him, was beginning to receive a few glances.The other failed Ravenclaws didn't receive that look.But Hermione is General Sunshine, and her fans take it as if she failed them in some sense, like she broke a promise she never made.

The two of them entered the library to study the Patronus Charm.It was Hermione's way of dealing with distress, and sometimes it was Harry's way too.Investigate, study, try to understand why...

The book confirmed what the Headmaster had told Harry; there were often wizards who were unable to cast the Patronus Charm in practice and could successfully cast it in the presence of real Dementors, going from complete failure all the way to a fully fleshed Patronus.This defies all logic.The fear aura of dementors should make it harder to maintain the idea of ​​happiness; but that's how it is.

So both of them had to try one last time, and there was no way they would not try one last time.

The day has come for the dementors to come to Hogwarts.

Harry had pre-altered his father's stone—the stone that usually sat in the ring on his pinky finger in the form of tiny diamonds—and put the large gray stone in his glove bag.Just in case Harry's magic fails completely when he faces the darkest creature in the world.

Harry was starting to feel pessimistic, and he hadn't even faced the dementors yet.

"I bet you can do it and I can't," Harry whispered. "I bet that's what's going to happen."

"I don't think it's right," said Hermione.Her volume is lower than his. "I figured it out this morning when I tried it. When I finally raised my wand, right before I said the spell, something didn't feel right."

Harry said nothing.He had felt the same way from the beginning, though it took him five tries and five different ideas to finally confirm it.Whenever he tried to raise his wand, the spell felt hollow; the spell he was trying to learn didn't suit him.

"That doesn't mean we're going to be Dark wizards," said Harry. "Many people who cannot cast the Patronus Charm are not Dark wizards. Godric Gryffindor is not a Dark wizard..."

Godric defeated the Dark Lords and worked hard to keep commoners from being bullied by nobles and Muggles from being persecuted by wizards.He had many distinguished and loyal friends, and lost more than half of them to one or another just mission.He had heard the screams of the wounded, among the armies he had raised to protect the innocent; young and brave wizards who had answered his call, and he had buried them afterwards.Until finally, when his witchcraft began to decline in his old age, he gathered three other most powerful wizards of his time and built Hogwarts from the ground; -- a great achievement in any kind of war, however just.It was Salazar, not Godric, who gave the first combat magic class at Hogwarts.Godric gave Hogwarts' first herbalism course, teaching the magic of growing green life.

Until the last day, he was never able to cast the Patronus Charm either.

Godric Gryffindor was a good man, but not a happy one.

Harry doesn't believe in existential anxiety[2], he can't bear to read cynically complaining heroes, he knows there are billions of people who would gladly take his place for a change, and...

And on his deathbed, Godric told Helga (Salazar had deserted him, and Rowena was dead) that he had no regrets at all, and he didn't tell his students not to follow in his footsteps, never One can say that he persuaded others not to follow in his footsteps.If it was right for him, he wouldn't tell even the youngest Hogwarts students to make a bad choice.And for those who did follow in his footsteps, he wanted them to remember that Gryffindor had told his house that they should be happier than he was.Gold and red will be bright and warm colors from now on.

Helga sobbed and swore to him that she would deliver when she became headmaster.

Then Godric died, leaving no ghost behind.And Harry returned the book to Hermione and walked a short distance away.That way she wouldn't see him crying.

It's hard to imagine a book with an innocuous title: "The Patronus Charm: Wizards Who Can and Can't Cast it" as the saddest book Harry has ever read.

Harry...

Harry didn't want to...

was written in that book.

Harry would never want to.

Everyone else at school seemed to think that anyone who couldn't cast a Patronus was a bad guy, plain and simple.For some reason, the fact that Godric Gryffindor was also unable to cast the Patronus Charm didn't seem to be mentioned.Maybe people don't talk about it out of respect for his dying wishes.Fred and George probably didn't know this, and Harry certainly wouldn't tell them.It's also possible that other losers don't mention this because it's less humiliating and less costly to reputation and status to be considered a Dark wizard than to be considered unhappy.

Harry saw Hermione sitting next to him, blinking hard; he wondered if she was thinking of Rowena Ravenclaw, who was also a book lover.

"Okay," Harry whispered. "Think of something happy to change your mind. If you could release a full-body Patronus, what animal do you think it would be?"

"An otter," Hermione replied immediately.

"An otter?" Harry whispered in disbelief.

"Yes, an otter," said Hermione. "What will yours be?"

"Peregrine," Harry said without hesitation. "It can dive at over [-] kilometers per hour, making it the fastest creature." The peregrine falcon has always been Harry's favorite animal.Harry decided to become an Animagus in the future, just to change into this form, and then fly with the power of his own wings, and look down at the earth with sharper eyes... "But why an otter?"

Hermione smiled, but said nothing.

The grand doors of Hogwarts opened.

The children walked together, along the road to the Unforbidden Forest, and through the forest.The sun was lowering to the horizon, the shadows were elongated, and the sunlight was streaming through the bare branches of the winter woods; it was January, and on this day, the first-year students were scheduled to study before the dementors last.

The road swerved abruptly and turned in another direction, and they both saw a clearing in the forest beyond.It was the withered winter land, the yellowing dry grass covered with a little snow.

Those figures were still very small from here.The two dimly lit white spots are the Patronuses of the Aurors, and one brighter silver spot is the Headmaster's Patronus, next to a…

Harry narrowed his eyes.

One……

It must have been purely Harry's imagination, because there was no way a Dementor could have had an effect beyond the three physical Patronuses, but he thought he could feel the touch of that void, sweeping across his mind, right down to his limp. In his heart, he completely ignored the barriers of Occlumency.

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Seamus Finnigan's face was ashen, trembling, he returned to the bustling students on the withered yellow grass dotted with snow.Seamus has successfully cast the Patronus Charm once, but there's a gap between when the Headmaster removes his Patronus and before you cast your own, leaving you unprotected against the horrors of the Dementors.

Even if an 11-year-old wizard's resistance is weak and his brain is still developing, it must be safe to be exposed to a distance of five steps for at most 20 seconds.The strength of the dementor's power on people is highly variable, which is not yet fully understood, but 20 seconds is definitely safe.

Exposure to a dementor for 40 seconds at a distance of five paces has the potential to cause permanent damage, though only for the most sensitive subjects.

It was tough training, even by Hogwarts standards.The way to learn to fly a hippogriff here is to throw you on top of one and let you fly.Harry is not a proponent of overprotection.And if you consider the difference in maturity between a Hogwarts fourth year and a 14-year-old Muggle, it's clear that Muggles over-indulge their children... but even Harry is beginning to wonder if this is overkill.Not every wound heals afterwards.

But if you can't cast a spell in this situation, then it means you can't rely on the Patronus Charm for protection; overconfidence is more dangerous for wizards than for Muggles.Dementors will not only drain your blissful thoughts, but also your magic and physical vitality, which means if you wait too long, or you don't recognize the approaching fear until the dementor comes within its attack range , you may not be able to Apparate away. (Harry was rather horrified to discover in what he had read that some books claimed that a dementor's kiss would eat your soul, thereby causing the victim to enter a permanent unconscious coma. And wizards who believed this deliberately used Dementor's kiss to execute criminals. Apparently some so-called criminals are innocent, and even if they weren't, destroying their souls? If Harry believed in souls, he'd be... brain blank, he really I don't know how to comment on this.)

The headmaster is very concerned about safety, so there are three Aurors guarding here.Their leader was an Asian-looking male with a serious, but not quite grim expression—the Komodo Auror.His wand is always in his hand.His Patronus, an orangutan like frozen moonlight, paced back and forth between the dementors and the waiting first graders; the bright white cheetah that moved with the orangutan was the Patnaru Auror's.The man had piercing eyes, long black hair tied in a ponytail, and a goatee braided.These two Aurors, and their two Patronuses, keep watch over the Dementors.On the opposite side of the cage from the students was the resting Goyanov Auror, tall, thin, pale, and unshaven.He sat on a chair he had conjured up silently and wandless, and kept a casual poker face, scanning the situation.Professor Quirrell, who arrived shortly after the first years had begun their experiments, never took his eyes off Harry.The little Professor Flitwick - the former dueling champion - was twirling his wand absently; and his eyes, peering out from between the huge, shaggy beard that filled his face, had been focused on the odd Professor Luo.

It must have been Harry's imagination, but Professor Quirrell seemed to cringe slightly every time the Headmaster's Patronus disappeared and the next student was tested.Perhaps Professor Quirrell was imagining the same placebo effect as Harry, caressing his mind like a reflux of emptiness.

"Anthony Goldstein," said the Headmaster's voice.

Harry walked quietly towards Seamus, and at the same time Anthony began to walk towards the shiny silver phoenix and... the thing under the tattered cloak.

"What did you see?" Harry asked Seamus in a low voice.

Many of the students didn't answer Harry when he tried to gather data; but Seamus was Finnigan of the Legion of Chaos, one of Harry's lieutenants.Maybe that's not fair, but...

"Corpse," Seamus whispered, "grey and slimy...soaked in water for a long time..."

Harry nodded. "A lot of people saw the same scene," Harry said.He feigned confidence, albeit false, because Seamus needed it. "Go eat some chocolate, you'll feel better."

Seamus nodded and staggered to the table where the treat sweets lay.

"Call for God's protection!" a boy's voice yelled.

Then there were gasps of shock, some even from the Aurors.

Harry turned to see—

A bright silver bird stands between Anthony Goldstein and the cage.The bird raised its head and cried, and that cry was also silver, as bright as metal, hard and beautiful.

A voice in the back of Harry's head said, if that's a peregrine, I'll strangle him in his sleep.

Shut up.Harry said to that thought, do you want us to be dark wizards?

so what?You're going to be a Dark wizard anyway.

This...isn't something Harry usually thinks about...

It's the placebo effect, Harry said to himself again, there's no way the Dementors could actually affect me beyond the three physical Patronuses, I'm just imagining what I'm guessing.When I actually face a dementor, it's a completely different feeling, and then I know I was just being stupid.

Harry's back shivered slightly at this moment, because he had a hunch, yes, it would be completely different, and not in a positive direction.

A phoenix with silver light jumped out from the headmaster's wand.The smaller bird disappeared and Anthony Goldstein started walking back.

The headmaster didn't continue to call the next person, but went to Anthony.His Patronus stayed put to watch over the Dementors.

Harry glanced at where Hermione had been standing behind the flashing cheetah.It was Hermione's next turn, but it was slightly delayed now.

She looks tense.

Earlier she had politely asked Harry to stop trying to work out her nerves.

Dumbledore had been smiling as he escorted Anthony back; a shallow smile, because the Headmaster looked very, very tired.

"Unbelievable," said Dumbledore in a much weaker voice than usual. "First-year students cast a physical Patronus. And the astonishing number of young students who have successfully cast it. Quirinus, I must admit that you have confirmed your point."

Professor Quirrell bowed his head. "I just made a simple enough guess. Dementors attack through fear, and children are less afraid."

"Not so scared?" the Goyanov Auror said from his seat.

"I asked the same question," said Dumbledore. "And Professor Quirrell pointed out that adults have more courage, not less fear; the idea, I confess, never crossed my mind."

"That's not my original exact wording," said Professor Quirrell dryly. "But that's fine. So, principal, what's the rest of our agreement?"

"As you said," said Dumbledore helplessly, "I admit I did not expect to lose the bet, Quirinus, but you have proved your wisdom."

All the students were looking at them in bewilderment, except Hermione, who was staring in the direction of the cage, at the tall tattered robes; and Harry, who was looking at everyone, as he imagined himself going into a trance status.

Professor Quirrell said in a tone of no doubt: "Now I am allowed to teach the Death Curse to students who want to learn this spell. This will make them much safer in the face of dark wizards or other vermin. Only a fool would think that They won't learn deadly magic separately." Professor Quirrell paused, narrowing his eyes. "Headmaster, I respectfully note that you appear to be out of shape. I suggest you leave the rest of today's tasks to Professor Flitwick."

Dumbledore shook his head. "Today's task is about to be completed. Quirinus, I will persevere."

Hermione walked over to Anthony. "Colonel Goldstein," she said, her voice trembling a little, "can you give me some advice?"

"Don't be afraid," Anthony said firmly. "Don't think about anything it makes you think, you don't just hold your wand in front of you as a shield against your fear, you raise your wand to drive away the fear. That's it, the thoughts of bliss come into shape... ..." Anthony shrugged helplessly. "I mean, that's what I've heard before, but..."

Other students began to gather around Anthony, asking questions of their own.

"Miss Granger?" said the Headmaster.His voice was soft, but maybe it was just weakness.

Hermione straightened her shoulders and followed the Headmaster away.

"Did you see what's under that cloak?" Harry said to Anthony.

Anthony looked at Harry in surprise and said, "A very tall dead man, I mean, in the shape and color of a dead man... It hurts just to look at him, and I know it's because of the dementors." trying to catch me."

Harry turned to see Hermione facing the cage and the cloak inside.

Hermione raised her wand and gestured.

The headmaster's phoenix flickered and disappeared.

And Hermione gave a pitiful little squeak and cringed—

Taking a step back, Harry could see her wand waving, and then she raised it and yelled, "Call God for protection!"

Nothing happened.

Hermione turned and ran.

"Call God to protect you!" the headmaster said in a deep voice, and the silver phoenix reappeared in a burst of light.

The young girl stumbled and ran on, with a strange noise in her throat.

"Hermione!" shouted Susan, Hannah, Daphne, and Ernie.They all ran to her at once.Harry was no exception, but he thought more, and he turned and rushed to the table with the chocolates first.

When Harry stuffed the chocolate into Hermione's mouth, and the chocolate was chewed and swallowed, Hermione was still gasping for breath and sobbing.Her eyes were a little slack.

She can't be permanently insane.Harry thought desperately in his inner panic, a tangle of great panic and deadly rage mingled together.It's impossible for her, she was only exposed for less than ten seconds, far less than forty——

But she could still be temporarily insane, Harry realized that immediately.There's no rule that says you can't be temporarily damaged by a dementor for ten seconds, if you're sensitive enough.

Hermione's eyes came together again, looked around, and stopped on him.

"Harry," she gasped as all the other students fell silent, "Harry, no, no!"

Harry was suddenly afraid to ask him what not to do, was he in her worst memory, or the nightmare she was remembering?

"Don't go near it!" said Hermione.She reached out and grabbed the lapel of his robe. "You mustn't go near it, Harry! It said to me, Harry, it knows you, it knows you're here!"

"What—" Harry asked, and then cursed himself for asking the question.

"Dementors!" said Hermione, her voice rising to a scream. "Professor Quirrell wants it to eat you!"

Professor Quirrell took a few steps forward in the silence, but didn't come any closer (Harry was there, after all). "Miss Granger," he said in a serious voice, "I think you should have more chocolate."

"Professor Flitwick, don't let Harry try, let him go back!"

Then the headmaster arrived, and he and Professor Flitwick looked at each other with worries on their faces.

"I didn't hear the dementors talking," said the Headmaster. "despite this……"

"Ask," said Professor Quirrell, sounding weary.

"Did the dementor say what he'd do to Harry?" asked the Headmaster.

"First the tastiest part of him," said Hermione, "it's going to - it's going to eat -"

Hermione blinked, regaining some sanity in her eyes.

Then she started crying.

"You're too brave, Hermione Granger," said the Headmaster.The tone is gentle and clear. "That's far braver than I understand. You should have turned and run away instead of patiently trying to complete the spell. When you're older and stronger, Miss Granger, I know you'll try again, and I know you'll be successful when the time comes."

"I'm sorry," Hermione sobbed. "Sorry, sorry, sorry... sorry, Harry, I can't say what I saw, I didn't look at it, I didn't dare look at it, I knew it was too horrible to look at it..."

Harry was supposed to step forward, but he hesitated because his hands were covered in chocolate; so Ernie and Susan stepped up, helped Hermione up from the grass where she had fallen, and led her to the dessert table .

After five bars, Hermione seemed to be back to normal.Then she went over to apologize to Professor Quirrell; besides, she had been watching Harry whenever he glanced at her.He also walked towards her, but stopped when she walked away.There was a silent apology in her eyes, as well as a silent plea, begging him to let her be quiet.

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Neville Longbottom saw a half-melted dead man, dripping with water, its face like a squashed sponge.

This is the worst thing anyone has ever described.Neville had been able to send some sparks with his wand before.But here he was, wisely and entirely consciously, turning away instead of trying to cast his own Patronus.

(The Headmaster said nothing to the other students, and told no one not to be too courageous; but Professor Quirrell had calmly pointed out that ignorance becomes stupidity if you make mistakes after warning.)

"Professor Quirrell?" Harry asked in a low voice, as close as he could to the Defense Professor. "What did you see, at—"

"Don't ask." The answering voice was very flat.

Harry nodded respectfully. "May I ask, what was your initial statement to the headmaster?"

Dry response. "Our worst memories are only likely to get worse with age."

"Ah," said Harry, "very logical."

There was a strange gleam in Professor Quirrell's eyes, and he looked at Harry. "Let's hope," said Professor Quirrell, "that you will succeed this time, Mr. Potter. For if you succeed, the Headmaster will teach you his technique of using the Patronus to deliver unforgeable, uninterceptable messages, which is in Of incomparable military importance, would greatly benefit the Legions of Chaos, and in time, I suspect, the nation as a whole. But if you don't succeed, Mr Potter... I can understand."

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Monage McDougal said "ouch" in a wavering voice, and Dumbledore immediately recast his Patronus.

Parvati Patil created a physical Patronus in tiger form, bigger than Dumbledore's Phoenix, though not as bright.The audience burst into applause, but not as surprised as Anthony was then.

Next it was Harry's turn.

The Headmaster called Harry Potter's name, and Harry was a little frightened.

Harry knew, he knew he was going to fail, and he knew it was going to hurt.

But he still had to try: because once in a while in the presence of a dementor, a wizard can go from no sparks straight to the level of a fully fleshed Patronus.No one knows why.

And if Harry couldn't defend himself from the dementors, he had to be able to recognize their approach, the way they made him feel, and escape in time.

What is my worst memory...?

Harry had expected a worried look from the Headmaster, or a hopeful look, or wise advice; but Albus Dumbledore just watched him calmly.

He thinks I will fail.But he didn't want to spoil my mood by telling me that.thought Harry.If he had anything truly encouraging to say, he'd say it...

Getting closer and closer to the cage, which is already dull and dull, but not completely corroded, not yet.

Getting closer and closer to the cloak.The cloak was unraveled, with several unpatch holes; according to Goyanov, it was new this morning.

"Headmaster?" said Harry. "What do you see?"

The principal's voice was also calm. "Dementors are creatures of fear, so when your fear of dementors diminishes, the image of them becomes less frightening. I saw a tall, thin, naked man. He wasn't Starting to rot, it's slightly painful just to look at him. That's all. What do you see, Harry?"

…Harry couldn't see what was under that cloak.

Or maybe not, it's just that his mind refused to see what was under the cloak.

No, what his mind was trying to see was the wrong image beneath the cloak.Harry could feel his eyes trying to force an illusion.But Harry had trained himself as best as he could to notice the slightest sense of confusion and automatically stop making up images; and whenever his mind tried to start inventing lies about what was under the cloak, this reflex arc would stop in time.

Harry looked under the cloak and saw...

An open question.Harry couldn't get his mind to see the wrong image, so he couldn't see anything, it was as if his visual center that had received that signal ceased to exist.There is only one blind spot under the cloak[4].Harry had no way of knowing what was down there.

And that's far worse than a rotting mummy.

Now, the unseen horror beneath the cloak is near.But the bird shining in the moonlight, the white phoenix, was still between them.

Harry wanted to escape like some other students.Half of those who never managed to cast the Patronus Charm never showed up today.Of the rest, half left before the Headmaster lifted his Patronus, and no one said a word about it.When it was Terry's turn, he turned back without trying, and was met with a little jeer; but Susan and Hannah, who had their turn before him, shouted at those who laughed at him to shut up.

But Harry was the Boy Who Lived, and it would be embarrassing for him to give up without trying.

Pride and a sense of role seemed to fade away in front of whatever was beneath that cloak.

Why am I still here?

let harry