āProfessor,ā Harry asked at the end of one of their Patronus lessons,Ā āwhat does a corporeal Patronus look like?ā
āIt depends on the wizard,ā Remus replied as he broke a bar of chocolate in half and handed one piece to Harry.Ā āEach wizardās Patronus takes a different form. Although not all wizards can produce one, of course.ā
āCan you make one?ā
Remus hadnāt made a corporeal Patronus in years.Ā āItās not always necessary,ā he hedged.Ā āOften, a noncorporeal Patronus is all you need.ā
āBut can you?ā Harry asked eagerly.
Well, Remus had never been able to say no to James, so it made sense that he wasnāt able to say no to Harry either.Ā āI can,ā he said, and he pulled out his wand and murmured,Ā āExpecto patronum.ā
Silver mist erupted from the end of his wand and solidified into the shape of a wolf. Not a werewolf, but it was close enough that Remus had never liked it. Just one more reminder of his condition, as if he could ever forget it.
āCool,ā Harry breathed, sounding awestruck.Ā āDoes your Patronus mean something?ā
āWhat do you mean?ā
āDo people have different Patronuses for different reasons?ā
āThere are some who believe that,ā Remus replied.Ā āI donāt know that itās ever been proven, however.ā
Harry admired the glowing wolf for another moment.Ā āWell, it makes sense that you have a wolf.ā
āDoes it?ā Remus asked mildly, his heart pounding in his chest. Harry couldnātā¦ No, surely he didnāt knowā¦
āYeah,ā Harry said, looking up at Remus and smiling.Ā āYouāre both cool.ā
Remus blinked. For an awful moment, he thought he might cry. āThank you,ā he finally said, and for the first time, he thought that having a wolf as a Patronus might not have been so bad after all.
