Regulus Black went to the infirmary to visit Harry Potter.
This poor child had remained unconscious ever since being attacked by Dementors. In his dreams, Harry could hear his mother Lily's screams, causing him great agony.
Clearly, the Dementor attack did more than just drain his happiness—it plunged Harry into extreme suffering, dragging buried painful memories to the surface.
At that moment, Headmaster Dumbledore approached and said, "Regulus! Your 'Patronus' looks quite unique. If possible, please teach this spell to the child."
"Headmaster, I can't do that. Only girls who have a close relationship with me are granted this privilege. This is a secret of the Black family and can't be passed on casually. Or do you wish for me to officially welcome Harry Potter into the Black family?"
Regulus Black's response was, of course, quite reasonable.
Dumbledore had no intention of seeing Harry used by others, and Regulus' words did have another layer of meaning—he only liked girls and had never considered boys. Moreover, this was a family magic passed down through the Blacks and couldn't be revealed to outsiders.
Dumbledore was left speechless by that double-edged remark.
His assistant had always been this way—he wouldn't do anything unless there was something to gain. If one wanted to move him, the cost was unknown. And now, being flatly refused like this showed that Regulus saw no benefit in the matter.
Dumbledore began to worry again. Teaching Harry the Patronus Charm had become essential. It wasn't possible for someone to protect Harry every time danger arose. If he couldn't learn to protect himself, he might one day die at the hands of a Dementor.
"I suggest you ask the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lupin, to teach him. As one of the Marauders, I believe he'll take this seriously," Regulus offered a candidate.
"Very well. I'll speak to Lupin about this. But I'm still very intrigued by your version of the Patronus Charm, and the ones the girls around you use. I've never seen a Patronus take the form of a magical creature before." As a renowned scholar, Dumbledore was naturally curious when a well-known spell produced such unexpected results.
The Patronus Charm usually summoned ordinary animals—anyone who studied it would know that. But Regulus Black and the girls close to him could summon Patronuses shaped like magical creatures. It was so incredible that it caused a stir throughout Hogwarts.
Naturally, Dumbledore's inquiry into the charm was perfectly justified.
Regulus brushed him off by claiming it was a family secret. But when it came to the girls, it wasn't so easy to evade.
Many girls became obsessed, trying everything they could to uncover information about the Patronus Charm and its mysterious version.
Hermione Granger and Cho Chang were surrounded by other girls, with no time to study or even rest.
"I don't think it's up to them to decide," said Luna Lovegood, sleepily passing by.
"It all depends on Mr. Regulus Black's will—and on how much true love each of you can offer."
After that, Luna sat in a corner with a copy of The Quibbler and smiled dreamily to herself.
A silly girl's words didn't attract much attention. But for those who knew the truth, Luna had actually hit the mark.
Even if Luna Lovegood wasn't the most reliable source, her reasoning made sense. After all, weren't the girls who could summon magical creature Patronuses the ones closest to Regulus Black?
Maybe, just maybe, all it took was true love to earn that power—and in this, the assistant professor had quite the reputation.
"Potter! Do you know what happened yesterday?" At dawn, Ron came into the infirmary holding a book.
"Are you talking about me being accidentally attacked by a Dementor?" said Harry, groggy and half-awake, stirred early by Ron's arrival.
"There's something even more shocking than that," Ron said, trying to sound mysterious. "Yesterday, Assistant Professor Black used a spell called the Patronus Charm to drive away all the Dementors!"
Ron gestured dramatically, trying to convey how grand and unique the moment had been. Ever since becoming a chess champion, Ron's horizons had broadened, and he now felt an inexplicable admiration for Regulus Black.
Though in class, he was still the same as ever.
"But that's not all. Look—this book says something different about the Patronus Charm. Professor Black actually summoned something that looked like a Light and Dark Angel!"
Ron flipped through the pages, showing Harry the section on the Patronus Charm.
"I'm shocked you even went to look this up," Harry said, taking the book and reading it seriously.
(Information about the Patronus Charm sourced from Baidu.)
"Ron, it only says here that the spell can summon animal forms. There's no mention of anything like a Light and Dark Angel."
Harry had been unconscious during the incident, so he hadn't seen what actually happened. Otherwise, he wouldn't have questioned Ron's account. Although "believe only books and you'll be misled" is an old saying, students still relied on textbooks as their most trustworthy source.
"It's true! Even Hermione summoned a griffin. And… other girls summoned magical creatures too. They all have close relationships with Assistant Professor Black."
Ron continued flailing his arms, trying to emphasize the significance of the event, but Harry showed no reaction to the deeper implications.
"If I could use the Patronus Charm, I wouldn't have been attacked by the Dementors—and I could've driven them away."
Harry was now desperate to learn the Patronus Charm.
Regulus Black had successfully passed the responsibility. Teaching this troublemaking boy could be left to Lupin, just like in the original story. That way, when Harry later suspected Lupin of being in league with Sirius Black, it would hit even harder.
Thinking of it that way, Regulus felt quite happy to let that scenario unfold. After all, boys grow through hardship.
Once Lupin accepted the task, he used that embarrassing Boggart from Snape's classroom, having Harry imagine it as a Dementor and trying to conjure a Patronus from the faintest flicker of happiness in his heart.
During this period, Regulus visited once. To him, it was clear that Harry was struggling—the trauma of seeing his mother killed by Voldemort, the fear of facing Voldemort's wand—those were Harry's deepest psychological scars.
Trying to find a sliver of happiness from that well of pain was nearly impossible.
Regulus's method, using other emotions to channel the magic needed for the Patronus, might've worked better.
In Harry's case, what he needed was grief, protectiveness, longing—any of these. And Regulus was confident he could teach him the Patronus Charm in just one class.
"Not this time, but keep trying—you've already done very well."
Professor Lupin waved his wand, sending the Boggart back into the cabinet and turned to encourage Harry.
"Professor! Am I really that useless? I've been practicing every day for a week, but I still can't repel it."
Harry glanced at the cabinet. Inside was only a trickster Boggart, not a real Dementor. He could still tell the difference between the two.
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