Harold's words wiped the smile right off Hermione's face. She never imagined that the Firebolt had actually been sent directly from Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"You're sure?" she asked, uncertain now.
"Very sure," Harold nodded. "I saw the owl fly right past my window."
Ollivander's wand shop was closer to the entrance of Diagon Alley than the Quidditch store. If an owl were heading to Hogwarts, it would've flown past the second-story window of the wand shop.
So Harold's claim made perfect sense.
Hermione's expression shifted slightly.
"Maybe… maybe the shop clerk was under Black's control," she said, still clinging to the idea. "He could've enchanted the broom beforehand…"
"So you're saying Sirius Black risked exposing himself by sneaking into a heavily populated wizarding district just to control a Quidditch shop clerk?" Harold said just as the class bell rang.
He stood up and added with a small smile, "Come on, Hermione. With your brains, you'll realize soon enough how silly that idea sounds."
"If Black really wanted to jinx something, why go through all that trouble? Wouldn't it be easier to just buy the broom, curse it himself, and send it off?
"Using a few owls would be a lot simpler than infiltrating Diagon Alley."
Without waiting for a reply, Harold turned and left the classroom, heading down the hall to Defense Against the Dark Arts.
A few minutes later, Hermione arrived too.
Her expression hadn't changed much, but if you watched closely, you'd notice she kept glancing in Harry's direction during the lesson.
After class, Harold was about to head to the Great Hall for lunch when Harry caught up with him.
"I talked to Professor Lupin," Harry said, eyes bright. "Thursday night, eight o'clock, in the History of Magic classroom. Don't forget!"
It took Harold a second to recall what he meant.
Learning the Patronus Charm!
He'd promised before the holidays to learn it with Harry, but everything he'd recently discovered about wandmaking and magical resonance had pushed it out of his mind.
Now that Harry reminded him, it all came rushing back.
Should he go?
Sure—why not?
Harold made his decision in less than a second. He had promised, and Harry had already spoken with Lupin. Backing out now wouldn't be right.
Besides, he still had plenty of time to figure out the mystery behind the magic of "recognition." It wasn't something he could solve overnight.
And even if he were to try giving out wands for free to test the theory, people probably wouldn't value them enough to form genuine bonds.
So he'd revisit that later. For now, learning the Patronus Charm sounded like a good break.
…
That Thursday night, just before eight, Harold and Harry left the lively Gryffindor common room and made their way to the History of Magic classroom.
The room was empty. All the desks had been pushed to the sides, leaving a wide space in the center.
"Looks like we're early," Harold said, lighting the lamps with a flick of his wand. "Let's wait a bit."
They waited a full half hour.
Just as Harry began to suspect Lupin had forgotten, the door creaked open and the professor walked in, carrying a large chest.
"Sorry I'm late," Lupin said. "I miscalculated a few things."
"What happened?" Harry asked.
"This." Lupin gestured to the chest. "Another Boggart. I've been searching the castle since Tuesday. Turned the whole place upside down and still couldn't find one.
"In the end, I had to ask Professor McGonagall. About ten minutes ago, she found this one in the wardrobe of the staff quarters. I hope you weren't waiting too long."
Harry had been growing impatient, but after hearing that, he didn't complain.
"Alright, let me think how we'll do this." Lupin looked from Harry to Harold.
It would've been simpler if it were just Harry.
When a Boggart sees him, it turns into a Dementor—perfect for practicing the Patronus Charm.
But Harold was another matter. For him, the Boggart would take a different form.
So should they just… bring in a real Dementor?
No, absolutely not.
That idea barely surfaced before Lupin dismissed it completely. There was no justification for letting Dementors into Hogwarts.
But without one, it would be difficult to create the fear needed to summon the magic behind a Patronus. That fear—the chilling effect of a Dementor's presence—was essential to tap into the kind of memory required.
"You can learn the steps first," Lupin said to Harold. "We'll figure out the rest later. Maybe during the next Hogsmeade weekend, we can find something useful."
"Alright, first, we need to understand the theory behind the Patronus Charm." Lupin pulled out his wand.
"I must tell you—it's an advanced spell. Harder than anything you've learned so far…"
Harry swallowed nervously but tried to look confident.
Harold thought the line sounded familiar.
Ah, right—Professor McGonagall had said the same thing when he was learning Animagus Transfiguration. And that really had been difficult. He'd spent nearly an entire school year buried in the library, reading dozens upon dozens of Transfiguration texts just to get it right.
Compared to that, the Patronus seemed… well, a bit easier.
"Now, listen carefully," Lupin continued. "To cast this spell, you must concentrate your mind on a single, powerful, happy memory. Then say the incantation: Expecto Patronum!"
…
Lupin was a good teacher—thorough, patient, and always correcting their wand movements when they got them wrong.
Then came practice.
To avoid distractions, Lupin had them stand on opposite sides of the room and try separately.
Harry, nervous, fumbled the spell several times.
Harold, on the other hand, already had a memory in mind: the moment before term began when he successfully transformed into a cat for the first time.
Months had passed, but the excitement was still fresh in his mind.
He reached into his magical lizard-hide pouch and pulled out a wand—not his usual silver-bristled one, but a yellowish-brown wand with a spiral-carved grip.
[Dragonblood Wood, Unicorn Tail Hair, 12.5 inches]
[Status: Unbalanced]
[Properties: -70% general spell effectiveness; +25% Patronus Charm effectiveness]
He gripped it tightly, focused, and gave it a gentle flick.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Suddenly, a shimmering silver mist burst from the tip, swirling into the air.
It took shape.
From the hazy glow emerged a distinct silhouette—it looked like a cat.
…