A little extra-curricular never harmed anyone - Hugo and Professor Decorus only

Rushing down the corridor towards his favourite class at Hogwarts; Charms with his favourite teacher; Professor Decorus. Hugo wasn’t late but he always liked to be early for class with Professor Decorus just in case she wanted to start the class earlier. He never wanted to miss anything with her. Advanced Charms was his best class by far, his talent with a wand when enchanting items or objects surpassed nearly all others in his year. If it wasn’t for Rose he would be the best at Charms in his family after his mother.

The Weasley rounded the corner with a speed thankful to his age though his breathing was slightly faster than normal. Slowing down into a brisk pace he took the last few steps towards the classroom door. Breathing in a deep breath Hugo caught his breath as he twisted the door handle open to reveal the large, expansive classroom. His light blue eyes scanned the room quickly before heading to the opposite end of the room, where a single door led into Professor Decorus’ office.

His advanced Charms class started halfway through his fifth year, when he showed a great aptitude during his preparation for his OWLS. In this class he had learnt spells that many seventh years would learn for their NEWTs, but he was one of the lucky students chosen personally by Professor Decorus. All he wished was to succeed exceptionally in one subject for he did not have his Rose’s intelligence and he knew by applying himself wholeheartedly to Charms he would be able to achieve this goal.

Hugo slid his backpack off his shoulder before pulling his wand out of one of its side pockets. With his wand in his right hand he stopped just a few footsteps in front of the door. Reaching out with his left hand he knocked on the door.

The first Quidditch match of the year had been thrilling, Professor Decorus was still buzzing from the exceptional win against their main rivals, Gryffindor, earlier this afternoon. This year’s captain, Alexander Ravenwing, had created the best team Hufflepuff had ever had, although the wasn’t much competition in that regard unfortunately despite Celeste’s younger brother playing Chaser for the House for the entire 7 years he was at the school. She hoped this beckoned the beginning of some glory for her beloved House.

Celeste had marked the opening match with black robes with the actual yellow shooting stars dancing across the fine, thick fabric and of course, the traditional yellow and black scarf. Sitting at her large, mahogany desk, the Professor awaited the arrival of her most eager and talented student. Hugo Weasley was a ray of sunshine compared to her new first years, maintenance were still repairing her classroom.

A tap on the heavy wooden door, Celeste made her way to the entrance way and opened the door for the student. Having taught his elder sister Rose, she felt some sympathy for the boy who had a tough act to follow. Despite this fact, Hugo didn’t let this become a hindrance and instead took his studies very seriously, much more than she herself ever did.

“Come in,” she smiled and indicated toward the narrow but long room. With her desk at the end in front of a tall window, on the right of which were bookcases full of books not only on Charms but Transfiguration, her other talent, Animagi texts and other such reference guides across the study of magic. The other side was decorated with obscure objects upon delicate tables, her various certificates from the Department of Magical Accident and Catastrophes and assorted things she had inherited from the last Head of Hufflepuff. She had added her own touches to the decor of course, replaced curtains and the ageing carpet with an enchanted one similar but simplified version of the Great Hall’s ceiling. Today it was black with bright yellow criss crosses upon, if one looked closely enough they could see a stray badger prowling around.

“Please take a seat,” she offered while sitting down on her own, high backed chair. “Good Quidditch match.” She stated starting conversation, momentarily forgetting the student was part of Gryffindor without his uniform on.

Hugo stood patiently outside Professor Decorus’ office, his mind mulled over the Quidditch match, his first as team Captain. It was a disaster to say the least. Quidditch was a love of his that surpassed all bounds and to be given the Captaincy of the Gryffindor team was a vote of confidence in Hugo that he wanted to prove he was worthy of. Losing to Hufflepuff was not the best way to start his incumbency as Captain. Hufflepuff hadn’t won by a huge amount, the final score being 180-100 to Hufflepuff and the fact they caught the snitch before the Gryffindor seeker did, and the few goals scored gave them the win. Hugo knew that if had been Chasers only his team would have won.

As the door opened his gaze settled on Professor Decorus. Her smile seemed to rub salt in the wound of his loss, being head of a house carried a pride that many other teachers were not allowed to express and if she wasn’t Hugo’s favourite Professor he would not be here so soon after a devastating loss.

He walked into the office that he had been in so many times before, not for trouble but Professor Decorus always gave her advanced classes in her private office. The high, enchanted carpet always caught Hugo’s imagination for every time he looked upon it was completely different. Today was no different, and he could see that she had changed it due to the win on the Quidditch match. The lone badger seemed to come out from underneath furniture for only brief moments then scurry back under them. The image cheers Hugo up to enable him to smile briefly.

Hugo took the chair that was offered to him. Facing Professor Decorus the Gryffindor looked over the nearest bookcase, the multitude of books this woman kept was impressive. He hoped one day that he would amass a similar amount of knowledge. Relaxing back into his chair he placed his wand across his thighs instead of putting it in his pocket, he was anxious to start the class now. Then the matter of Quidditch arose.

“Yes, Professor,” Hugo said through gritted teeth. “Your new Seeker seems to be very talented, a good future for the team if they continue at this level. Though, I will be whipping my team into better shape for the next game.”

Leaning back in her sturdy chair with a slight creak of the ancient oak, Celeste smiled, “I have every confidence in your ability as captain Hugo,” she encouraged, “may the best house win.” She added diplomatically. Although she herself had never been very talented on a broom, she had been surrounded by Quidditch legends for years, this combined with a passion for a house which had the unfortunate track record of being over looked meant she was going to do everything in her power to secure the best win Hufflepuff had ever seen.

Sitting stoically on the desk was an ornate bronze dragon, anyone who knew dragons would recognise it as a Norwegian Ridgeback, one of Celeste’s favourite breeds. The feistier the better was her philosophy.

“How are your studies going? I take it you’ve chosen NEWTs subjects required by the Auror office?” Not being his Head of House, she wasn’t privy to his timetable however his ambition wasn’t a secret. It was to be expected considering his famous lineage and the paths his parents and extended family.

“Rose joined the Ministry after leaving Hogwarts this year didn’t she?” Celeste enquired, his sister had been one of her best Charms students.

Hugo’s nerves of being in Professor Decorus’ office dissipated quickly, when he was in her presence he rarely felt nervous or anxious. The game must have rattled him more than he had thought. “I’m sure the best team will win, Professor,” he said pushing the game out of his mind, he was here now and not on the pitch. He needed to be focused on what was to be taught today. Immediately he thought of complex charms and spells Professor Decorus must know, he hoped deep in his heart that she would share that knowledge.

The dragon statue was defiantly eye-catching. Dragons had always intrigued Hugo, maybe his Uncle Charlie’s passion had trickled down into him, though Hugo doubted he would ever go into working with such creatures. They were interesting, but not that interesting. The Norwegian Ridgeback was a choice he had never expected Professor Decorus to like. She was such a graceful woman he would have thought she would have enjoyed the more elegant of the species; a North American Eagle Dragon. The smallest of all the Dragon species but it moved through the air with a grace that was breathtaking if ever seen with Human eyes.

He snapped out of the image as the Professor spoke, “Yes, Professor,” he said with a bashful, going red at the cheeks. “I want to follow in my father’s footsteps, but as you know it is one of the hardest professions a graduate can enter into. ‘Exceeds Expectations’ is no longer good enough, though still the minimum they require.”

Being an Auror was Hugo’s ambition since he was such a young age. From then he had wanted nothing else, not even going into Quidditch professionally was something he considered. Ron Weasley was Hugo’s idol, and he was one of the best Auror’s in the service. The stories of his Father’s tales were legend. Hugo only hoped he could live up to them.

“Yes, Rose was hired by the Ministry straight after her graduation. Stright ‘O’ students tend to get the best jobs they apply for. Though, Rose surpassed them all,” Hugo spoke with a tinge of bitterness when he spoke about his ‘perfect’ sister. She got everything. “The Minister for Magic hired her personally as her Junior Assistant. Mum says she’ll be the youngest Minister in fifty years if she continues to rise quickly up the ladder of success.”

Hugo let out a sigh. Talking about his sister’s successes was not a fun pastime for the boy. Long had he paled in comparison to his sister, who passed her subjects with near perfect grades and Hugo had to struggle and work tirelessly just to get the same marks. He hated her sometimes, but then he knew that he was better than her at Quidditch. Something she was unfortunate enough to pick up from their Mother.

Having been teaching at Hogwarts for four years now, Celeste knew all too well the phenomenon which was Rose Weasley. Although she didn’t know Hermione well for Celeste was in the year below the ‘Golden Trio’ at Hogwarts, even she knew that Hermione Granger was one of the most talented witches of their generation and it was evident that her daughter was to follow in her footsteps.

From what she had been told, Hugo favoured their father more but had luckily inherited some of his mother’s academic work ethic. Celeste knew all too well the pain of being overshadowed by a famous sibling. The mix of his incredibly good looks and his unbeatable track record as beater meant that her young brother was a celebrity. She remembered taking her daughter to watch his matches and being surrounded by women swooning over him while having no interest in the Quidditch.

“Well we better begin if you’re to get an Outstanding in Charms,” she said enthusiastically. Picking up her wand by its purple amethyst handle, she pointed toward the dragon statue and said, “I thought we’d warm up with a fun transfiguration spell, draconifors. This will transform the statue into a real dragon.”

With a flick of her wand, the bronze receded giving way to shiny scales. The miniature dragon shook off apparent stiffness and stretched out its wings. The Norwegian Ridgeback took off and circled the ceiling with the occasional puff of flames.

“A female,” Celeste informed him, “generally more ferocious than males but mothers usually are a bit feistier.” During a Norway/Italy friendly in Oslo, Celeste had the opportunity to see them in the wild and had bought the little statue as a reminder.

Bringing the dragon back to rest on the desk, she transformed it back into its dormant, frozen state and indicated toward her student. “You’re turn, keep an eye on her though, the spell means not only giving it life, but also the traits which come with that breed.”

The vote of confidence in Hugo made him smile, he was honoured that Professor Decorus believed he could get an Outstanding, all with the proper work ethic, of course. Nodding as she stood and held her wand aloft in her hand he thought about the draconifors spell. Very advanced magic and a spell Hugo had never attempted before. He wanted to impress Professor Decorus. To have more than your Head of House’s recommendation upon graduation was serious asset, plus he respected her and did not want to disappoint her.

He stood from his chair and held his wand outstretched towards to the dragon statue. It was solid bronze and complete inanimate, Hugo had never been good at transfiguration at this level. Animals to other animals were fine, and objects to other objects were easy, but turning objects to animals was difficult for the young Gryffindor. He focused his mind and looked directly at the statue. With the same flick of his wand he stated the spell, “Draconifors.”

Nothing happened bar a slight shiver of the statue as if the spell was so weak it just tickled the dragon inside. Annoyed at his instant failure Hugo took a deep breath. If he let himself get worked up about one failed spell he wouldn’t be able to do any more magic during the lesson. He was calm. Once again he pointed his wand at the statue, “Draconifors,” he exclaimed with confidence. He felt a surge in the air as the dragon erupted from its bronze cage.

The tiny dragon was indeed feisty. Hugo had to keep his wand trained on the dragon at all times so he didn’t lose control of it. The dragon looped in the air expelling puffs of smoke from its nostrils. Hugo laughed, it was amazing. The Norwegian Ridgeback swooped through the air before it dropped into a nose dive directly at Hugo as he lost concentration on the spell to sneak a glance at Professor Decorus. Regaining his focus on the dragon quickly he arced the wand around his head forcing the mystical beast to zoom around his head before landing back onto the desk.

As the bronze crackled back around the creature it returned to its original pose and all Hugo could do was smile widely at Professor Decorus. "That was amazing."

Hugo’s spell breathed life into the inanimate object giving it qualities of the dragon species it could only mimick without the use of magic. Celeste watched as it soared the long office once again and, apart from a slight mishap, it was a successful attempt ending in the dragon landing where it had been placed to begin with. The bronze took over once again encapsulating the creature, returning it to its original, dominant state.

“It’s fun isn’t it?” Celeste replied because in her opinion that was the point of doing such spells, there really was no need to transform a dragon on a day to day basis, but to see your handiwork in action was always satisfying.

“Have you practised casting spells silently?” She asked knowing that for most sixth years this was the torment of their studies. If he could master such a skill, he would indeed score highly. Another thought came to her before she gave Hugo a chance to reply, “also how is your patronus charm? Have you seen what form it takes yet?”

It was out of interest more than anything for the patronus charm was on the Defence Against the Dark Arts syllabus. The form in which it took revealed subtle characteristics of its master, therefore she wasn’t so surprised when it took the form of a vixen.

The thrill of the spell only lasted a few moments after it ended. Once the bronze had surrounded the dragon again the life from it had dissipated Hugo was left wanting more. He wanted to learn every charm that was possible and he knew that Professor Decorus was the woman to help with his goal. Keeping his smile wide he returned the look he was given by his teacher, “Yes, it was very fun.” He said lowering his wand to his side.

“I’ve managed some spells silently,” he said directly to the woman. “Mainly in Transfiguration and a majority of Charms, as well, it’s something I am working on nearly every day.”

Professor Decorus had always had an interest in Hugo’s studies, something that surprised him for she was not his head of house, and to ensure that her interest was not in vain he tried to impress her whenever she asked him a question. However, his patronus was not his strongest spell he could cast, not through lack of trying but he had never been able to muster a good enough memory to produce a fully corporeal patronus charm. So, his patronus’ animal identity had not been discovered.

“No, Professor,” he said with a sigh. “My strongest patronus has only been a thick mist. I’ve been struggling with finding a strong enough happy memory, nothing seems to come to mind.”

Celeste could sympathise with Hugo's problem, however the Patronus Charm carried heavy marks for it was one of the most difficult to master on the course. If the boy and any chance in getting an Outstanding in Defence Against the Dark Arts it was a must, she hoped it would increase his confidence in casting more advanced spells.

Stepping out from behind her desk, Celeste stood with her back to the ceiling high bookcase and muttered, "Expecto Patronum," The thick, silvery mist quickly coalesced into small, sleek fox which landed gracefully onto the carpet. The vixen prowled in front of her master, marching back and forth with its bushy tail swaying gently.

Having never taught this charm, Celeste had to conjure her own before she offer help. The memory she used changed over the years, as a teenager it had been the feeling when she received full marks in Transfiguration, not an easy feat with the legendary Professor McGonagall as a marker. This had created a reasonable patronus, enough to pass the exams anyway. Her current vixen was a powerful patronus, one she was very pleased with for she used the memory of holding her baby daughter for the first time. That rush of maternal love coupled with swirling hormones had created a heady concoction which several as a strong repellent of depressive, cold and emptiness the Dementors encapsulated.

"To create a strong patronus, the key really is in the memory, or rather the feeling which that memory brings up in you. The Dementors are repelled by happiness which has to be stronger than their depressive power. You need to find a memory in which you were truly happy, a happiness which filled you up."

In the back of her mind Celeste worried why Hugo didn't have such a memory. Perhaps being faced by a Dementor would be easier... she was sure there was a Boggart somewhere in the grounds but she couldn't guarantee it would transform for Hugo that way. It looked like they would have to rely on the old fashioned way.

Spurred on by Professor Decorus’ encouragement Hugo set his mind on finding a strong, happy memory. He closed his eyes, though still very conscious of what he would look like, and searched his past for he knew that there would be a memory strong enough to produce a patronus. There had to be.

A few seconds passed until he stumbled across the memory he thought would be the one. He thought back to the day, early in the summer, when he received the letter informing him he was to be the new Quidditch Team Captain. A great sense of pride and joy washed over him that day. No one in his family, since his Uncle Charlie had been Quidditch Team captain, so that landmark day for Hugo was sure to be strong enough enable him to cast a patronus.

Hugo focused on the memory. The sense of accomplishment drove Hugo’s desire to get this spell right once and for all. Determined, he opened his eyes and held his aloft as he spoke the words, “Expecto Patronum!”

His wand shuddered as the spell formed at its tip before a knee-high silver animal leapt out. Landing on its front paws a Labrador formed in front of Hugo’s eyes. It was magnificent. It looked utterly powerful, as if it could defend him against any dementor in the world. Hugo breathed a sigh of relief and happiness as the dog-patronus prowled around Professor Decorus’ fox. The two silver creatures sized each other up, and as if they realised they were both forces of good they silently acknowledged each other before returning to their respective casters.

Once again, Hugo could only beam as he knelt down to his creation. It amazed him that he had been able to finally cast one of the hardest spells known to wizardkind. Deep inside a realisation occurred that he was just as good as his sister, one day maybe be better.