I slide into the spot next to Lily and she instantly scolds me with her eyes.

"Where have you been? I woke up and you were gone!" She hisses and my head shakes.

"Later," I tell her and she sighs, then faces the front with her lips set in a straight line. She'll be mad at me until I tell her. "I slipped out for a little flying that night and got hurt. Stayed in the infirmary for the night, but I'm fine." Her eyes look back to me and her face loses a bit of its sternness.

"You're okay?" She asks softly and I smile.

"In perfect health. Just a bit sore and tired. Sorry for scaring you." I apologize and now all anger is gone.

"I'm glad you're okay." She says and smiles back at me before refocusing on the teacher.

"Today, we'll be attempting something far beyond many a great wizard's capability, so I don't want anyone to feel badly if they don't succeed. This is just a mental exercise to expand your mindset and magical muscles!" The professor announces and I nearly flinch at the sudden volume. "So, everyone stand up! Stand up!" We obey and she waves her wand so the desks are all pushed to the walls along with our books and bags. "Find a partner!"

"Do you mind if I'm with Severus? He'll need my support-" I nod and wave her away. She squeezes my hand gratefully and rushes over to him. James and Sirius partner up, Peter is with some other poor sod, so I just stand there a bit adrift.

"Mind being my partner?" A familiar voice says and I'm smiling before I turn around. My eyes widen a bit at his black and green robes, but I hurry to nod despite my surprise.

"I appreciate you saving me from being partners with the teacher," I respond and he smiles. Green suits him well, it brings out his eyes and pretty freckles.

"High praise." Garrett returns and I grin.

"Alright, talk each other through the process! Do your best and remember, this is extremely advanced magic." The professor reminds us and I move a bit closer to Garrett.

"Want to try first?" I ask, a bit bashful about my own. We've got a double period of this, so there's almost no chance I'll be able to escape casting. Unfortunately. He shrugs and takes a breath. "So, think of your happiest memory and try to put yourself back in that moment. Let that same joy fill you again, then cast the spell." I do my best to explain.

"I think that moment has yet to happen. You haven't said yes to a date yet." He teases and I shake my head with a big smile.

"Focus, Garrett."

"Oh, that was a good moment hearing you say my name. Maybe if you whispered it in my ear I could cast a corporeal one." He continues and I roll my eyes after laughing softly.

"At this rate, you won't cast even a wisp." He sighs with twinkling eyes and nods, looking in front of him. "Let that feeling fill you up and try to hold it in your gut so it can feed off it. Like coal to a flame." He casts the spell and gets a good white shield in front of him. "Focus. Keep focusing." I whisper and his brows furrow even as his smile gets bigger. Suddenly the light fades as he breaks his concentration.

"Ah, damn." He swears with determination shining out of his green eyes. "Its hard to focus when you're murmuring in my ear, Arell," Garrett tells me with a charming smile.

"Well done, Mr. Fenway! Ten points to Slytherin!" I grimace slightly at the look the other Gryffindors give me for helping but brighten back up at the look on Garrett's face.

"Thanks, Arell, I'm usually the one getting points taken away." He jokes and I hum with soft laughter. "Are you ready to try?" My lips press together as I glance to my wand in my hands. "Hey, its okay if you don't want to. Even though based on your teaching you'd be incredible." Garrett assures me sweetly.

"Oi, Mane!" Sirius calls and I glance over at him smirking. "Show off a little. It's the Gryffindor way." He tempts me with a darker, questioning look at Garrett so close to me. Smiling, I bit my tongue before giving in.

"Alright, alright, here we go." I face away from the rest of the room with Garret and take a breath. This time, I don't think of my parents. I think of that moment in the hall with the boys, the feeling of Lily and the girls telling me their spot is my spot, the joy of Sirius sharing his drink just with me, the trust James showed me, and sweet Remus who only lets me steal his chocolate. "Expecto Patronum!" I cast and she bursts from my wand in a firework of blue and white swirls. My eyes and wand follow her around the room as she slinks around beautifully, calling gasps and even one small shriek from the others.

It seems James has been successful as well and our patronesses, like our animagi forms, know each other. Side by side, they walk the room before settling in front of us respectively. "Brilliant! Brilliant!" The teacher claps and both images fade as James and I lose focus. "Fifty points to Gryffindor! Fantastic show!" James and I grin at one another and he shoots me a wink. Suddenly people are surrounding both me and him wanting us to teach them how to conjure one too. "New partners, new partners!" The professor announces and Garrett sighs.

"You just keep getting more and more interesting," Garrett says before he's whisked away. Sirius is quick to claim me as his partner so that James can claim Lily. I nearly laugh at how she instantly rolls her eyes with a small smile.

"You said you'd tutor me, love. Here's your chance." He says and slides his arms around my waist to peck my cheek.

"Then get ready, toerag." I scold and he grins before releasing me and getting into the stance.

"You know, Fenway was awfully close. Want me to hex him for you?" Sirius asks teasingly, but there's an edge in his eyes.

"No, I want you to focus. It has to be the happiest memory you've got. More than that feeling when you get flying, more than the taste of your favorite sweetie, more than snogging a cute girl." He smirks at that one, "Love is the best joy there is, so find a potent memory with that." Sirius falters and I'm quick to specify. "Doesn't have to be romantic love or love from blood."

"Well thank god for that." I shove him lightly and he smirks. I consider what I know of Sirius and try another tactic.

"Think about being a first-year and finally getting away from your family for the first time for an extended period of time." His eyes shut as he breathes deeply. "Think about how it felt to find family, real family. Maybe not blood, but by choice. Theirs and yours. The first time you realized with relief that they felt the same way about you. That you can't irritate them away." There's a smile on his face now and it keeps growing. "Let that feeling rest in you and draw on it as you cast." I lift his arm a bit and he takes another long breath.

"Expecto Patronum." He says with his eyes shut. White emerges from his wand slowly, like ink across the paper, then just as the white fills the space in front of us it shifts into a shape. I laugh and Sirius opens his eyes instantly. A big dog with long, shaggy fur trots around us before zooming around the room with near-ceaseless energy.

"Well, that's bloody fitting!" I exclaim as I laugh, the dog swipes several people's legs out from under them and that includes Severus, much to Sirius's delight.

"I did it." He breathes and ghosts a hand over the dog's head before he disappears.

"You did. Brilliantly."

"Brilliantly, indeed. Twenty points to Gryffindor!" The professor says as she passes by and Sirius nods to her with a smile, then turns to me and crushes me to his chest. My feet lift off the floor and I'm quick to wrap my arms around his neck to hold on.

"Sirius!" I object as he spins me.

"No one in my family can produce a patronus, Mane. No one." He whispers and I sober a bit.

"Well, you're not your family Sirius," I whisper back and his arms tighten around me.

"Set her down, Mr. Black, this isn't dance class." The teacher scolds and my cheeks get hotter.

"You must be a good luck charm, love." He tells me and presses a lingering kiss to my cheek before putting me down. His eyes shine with happiness and it's a good look on him, even better than his normal look which is really saying something.

"I'm shocked you were able to actually follow instruction." I shoot back and he smirks.

Class continues and a few more students manage wisps, like Lily, but no one else can cast a corporeal patronus. Us lucky few who did escape class with no homework. It's a weight off my shoulders and just like that my first week at Hogwarts is done. Now all that's left is Quidditch trials on Saturday and results Sunday which I have been looking forward to for a long time. I split from the boys in the common room and head up with Lily to change, then we head down to the lake. I'm glad to see Remus out under the beech tree with the other boys and shoot him a smile as the ladies and I settle down in our spot on the shore.

"You're trying out, aren't you, Arell?" Lily asks and I squint at the redhead from my rather comfortable spot on the warm pebbles. It's sunny today and we've got hours until dinner to appreciate it.

"Mmhmm. Are you all going to cheer me on when I make the team?" I ask and grin when Marlene snorts. Alice and Lily just laugh while Emmaline smiles as she continues brewing what smells like wide-eye potion.

"Course we will. Glad to see you're at least willing to brag about something. Should do it more often." Marlene says and chucks a pebble over at me.

"I can't wait to see you play! We haven't had anyone really close to us play." Alice says while carding a hand through her short blonde hair.

"I've already started a bank of healing potions. You'll need them." Em replies and I chuckle. That's a vote of confidence if I've ever heard one. Lily nudges me and picks up my hand to paint it with the yellow we'd decided on.

"I'm most excited about seeing the boys' faces when they realize you're a pro." She says quietly with a little smirk. "They won't know what hit them." Her smirk grows at the thought of it and her hands are light and gentle as she paints my nails. I've never really painted them before. I was always working or couldn't afford the luxury of little things like polish. It's nice. "You will be careful though, won't you? Quidditch isn't without its own risks and I'd rather not drive Em out of business because you keep breaking bones." Lily says and a little worry sneaks into her voice. I lift my free hand to block the sun from my face so I can see her.

"I won't be touched, Lils. I've only ever gotten bad scrapes and bruises, and one broken arm, but Madam Pomfrey knows her stuff. Besides, the arm was in third year in my first game. If I can play against Bulgarians, I can handle anything the Hogwarts teams can throw at me." I assure her and she smiles, but still looks a bit worried. Hopefully, that'll fade after she sees me play. Although I find myself a bit nervous at the prospect. I can't exactly practice at the orphanage and I've only flown here at night, much less played Quidditch. I take a breath and let Lily take my other hand. On Saturday there will be the trials where I can practice and get back in the swing of things.

A/N

Quidditch, Quidditch, Quidditch!!!!!