Reducio

Silent. Wand in his hands, wet from the frustration and desperation.

Lesmana knew too well that spellcasting was never his best suit, unlike brewing potions or scribing runes. His lips parted, spelling out a sigh. He tried many times, but nothing worked; only a wisp of silver smoke, which also occasionally came out if he tried hard enough. It has been a month since the lesson on the spell was taught. Most of his friends had mastered the spell, at least they produced enough mist to protect themselves. While he, the sixth-year student, shook his head. He couldn't give up now.

"Expecto Patronum," he cast with a high hope, but the result was still the same. A chuckle followed by another sigh, Lesmana decided to take a moment to rest. Not far from the place he stood, Lesmana found a stump and sat on it. He took a chug of water and threw the bottle nearby. He wondered what he did wrong. The wand movement and the spell was cast exact from the book. He kept thinking and thinking, looking for the answer of his struggle. "Do I not have a happy memory?" He rubbed his face in frustration.

He sat, leaning back on his hands, gazing up at the sky. The clouds moved slowly above him. It was silent until he saw a bird with pretty colors. He pulled a smile, remembering his last vacation in Indonesia.

It was during the Summer Holiday in his fifth year. The family had a plan to go back to Indonesia for a vacation. Lesmana was excited. He could see his family again in Jogjakarta and showed the progress of his self-training to his uncle. So the day had come, and they met the family. They spent some days reuniting until Wisnu got a message that there was a site of ancient runes that he should see. Lesmana, who accidentally heard it, asked if he could go with him. And miraculously, Wisnu allowed him.

So he spent another day following his father. Srikandi chose not to follow them since she still had something to tell the big family. The father and son duo went to Irian Jaya and spent a day in his father's colleague's house before continuing to find the site.

The site was deep inside the forest. The lush vegetation there made them struggle to walk. They took some rests occasionally. Wisnu finished his business with the runes and decided to take Lesmana to explore the forest longer.

Early in the morning, Wisnu woke Lesmana up and told them to stay quiet. Walked sneakingly, Wisnu pointed out at the bird with the harmonious colour of brown, yellow, and white. "Pretty." Lesmana smiled.

"The natives called this bird Cendrawasih. Some people called it the bird of paradise." Wisnu explained. "They are so elegant, right?" Lesmana nodded. "This bird reminded me of you. Elegant, solitary, and defensive." Lesmana didn't understand the similarity between him and the bird in his father's eyes. "Your name, Lesmana Asmaralaya, we had thought it for a long time before you were born. Lesmana means eternity, and Asmaralaya means the child from heaven. Day and night, we waited for you, praying you would come into this world from heaven and write your own history. Your grandparents told us that the name was too elegant, too heavy to be held on your shoulder. They were afraid that you would be a sick boys. But you proved them wrong. You grow up strong and healthy. You are smart. You are our pride." Wisnu finished his words.

Silent. Lesmana couldn't reply to his father. His heart was heavy with hope for him. Tears almost fell from his eyes. "Thanks, Dad." A simple word that which followed by a hug from the father.

Lesmana woke up from his daydream of memory. He had it. He had a happy memory. The boy stood up and gripped his wand, ready to try the cast the spell once again. "Expecto Patronum." A wisp of silver smoke flowed from his wand, slowly forming a figure of a bird. It was the bird that Lesmana saw with his father, a Cendrawasih Kuning Kecil or Paradisaea minor.

The boy smiled. He couldn't believe that he finally made it. Once the spell effect wore off, he packed and went back to his room. A smile bloomed across his face as he walked along. His heart was heavy with longing. Never in his life he wanted so deeply to see and embrace his parents.

Reducio

Cultural explanation: Javanese people in old days believed that the name has a significant impact on children's lives. A name that was too long or a name that had heavy meaning sometimes is believed to be the reason for the child's sickness. This is why some old Javanese people had a simple name with a simple meaning. Some often experience a name change when they fell in a severe sickness when they were young.

Approved, Octavius Baird (5/18/2025)

Approved; Sarai Toussaint (5/29/2025)

Approved, Octavius Baird (6/5/2025)

School Year: Adult II
Link to your encyclopedia thread: Ping!
Patronus you are applying for: Occamy
Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

Tucked deep within the emerald rainforest, Catelobruxo lay hidden beneath the layers of enchantments and a secret too wild and precious for the muggle world to touch. The school's walls carved from a living stone that wrapped in vines and moved with moods of passing students. Around its borders, the strange creatures lurked and watched quietly and even its stillest, Castelobruxo buzzed with much magic and a soft gentle breeze that never went to sleep. Akeem Toussaint was in his seventh year, he stood at the edge of the school's guardian grove, which was a place few students ventured after sundown. Tonight however, he felt compelled to be here, his wand was placed in his hand and his heart flickered with something more powerful than fear.

The Haitian boy never struggled academically. Potions came easily, duelling spells landed with precision and he could brew the Elixir to Induce Euphoria without blinking but the Patronus charm? That spell stayed out of reach. During one of the school events that took place in the Northern jungle, things took a turn. There was a rogue Jararaca had come too close to strike a fellow student and its strike nearly fatal—Akeem had realized that instinct alone was not enough and protection required more than just a skill. The guardian grove did not respond to power, it responded to truths only and hidden behind was a place of reckoning, unforgiving when needed but always fair.

Akeem stepped between two towering Samaúma trees and their bark glowing with a soft pulse as if it recognized him. He drew in a slow, steady breath and let damp jungle fill his lungs,

"Expecto Patronum," Pale magical-like mist swirled around his wand but vanished before it could take shape.

Not enough!

He shut his eyes and attempted to reach a memory as he hoped to unearth something strong enough to cast the spell. Akeem's thoughts skipped through memories such as becoming Head Boy to winning interhouse challenges. Each moment was very vivid and sweet but none of them could spark the kind of magic that would ensure the spell is well cast.

Then, he remembered them!

He was only twelve years old. The sun had just set below the hills of Chaîne de la Selle mountains as it painted the sky amber and blue, his grandmother took his hand and led him quietly down the water edge where the ocean seemed to whisper secrets only she seemed to understand... As they sat in the fading light, she began to tell him about a guardian named Nan Domi, who stood between worlds. Her voice was so calm, almost as reverent as she spoke how magical soul carried both light and shadow—and how powerful power was not about choosing one over the other but understanding them and never letting it consume you.

That night she would look into his eyes and whisper, "You are meant to protect, Akeem. With both power and presence."

That memory surged like a wave as he became teary, and at that moment, he shouted,

"EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

This time, a blaze of silver light was emitted from his chestnut wood and unicorn hair
wand, coiling and expanding mid air until a majestic form stood before him. It was an Occamy!

Beneath the veil of ghostly moonlight, the Occamy hovered mid air and its wings full spread in a breathtaking display. Each feather shimmered with a pale, icy blue soft to the eye yet layered in silent strength. The wings reminded one of the great raptor's. As they unfurled, they seemed woven with strands of liquid silver while it bathed the air around the creature in a gentle magical glow. Its body stretched downward in a fluid serpentine coil that faded into the forest mist. The luminous eyes watched with keen intelligence and even the slight hook of its beak hinted at its strength. It looked ethereal and elegant.

Akeem slowly let his wand fall to his side as his eyes was fixed on the patronus before him. The Occamy hovered fiercely protective and its one of its distinctions was the capability of adapting its size to fit any space and that trait mirrored Akeem's own nature. As the eldest of four, he had long learned to expand emotionally to protect his siblings, Oziel, Makaria, and Sarai—how to shrink into silence when needed, and how to thrive in moments that demanded both magic and empathy. From the edge of the Grove, the Professor appeared and mentioned how uncommon his Patronus is. The Occamy dissolved into the mist, curling around his fingers before upward into the night sky—and from that day on, whenever he summoned his Patronus, he remembered that day with his grandmother. The moment when everything had meaning.
791/500

Approved; Samuel Sauber (08/07/2025)

School Year: Seventh Year
Link to your encyclopedia thread: viewtopic.php?f=169&t=11942
Patronus you are applying for: Eurasian Goshawk
Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

As Cassius neared graduation, the inevitability of entering into adult life began to weigh more heavily upon him. Hogwarts provided safety and structure, but the world outside Hogwarts offered no such promises. There were plenty of threats in this world and given his intended career path as an explorer and curse-breaker he would more likely than others be facing them. He, alone, would be responsible for his safety.

So Cassius would prepare.

That meant the study and practice of more advanced forms of magic. Spells that would become his armor in his adventures to come. Some were easier to master than others but one of those, the patronus charm and creating a corporeal patronus, was proving to be particularly difficult.

Cassius had reasoned out it was not necessarily the verbal or somatic components of the spell that were adding to the difficulty. The incantation and wand movements were straightforward enough and fairly easy to remember. No, what was proving the most difficult for the young wizard was finding a suitably powerful and happy memory upon which to channel the intent of the spell.

The heir to the pure-blood Eden family had been raised in comfort, a stable upbringing free from struggle or scarcity. On parchment, one would assume that he had happy memories aplenty – and he did – but it would be incorrect to say he was a happy child. Many of the happy memories he did have were fleeting moments. Receiving a gift. Exploring a new city or country. Spending time with his parents. None had a particularly profound impression on him that would warrant a powerful enough memory for a patronus. Indeed, the powerful memories he did have from his childhood were anything but happy.

He had experienced loss and witnessed death firsthand. Family members killed in an accident and even the mysterious death of his father that resulted in his absence from Hogwarts for an entire school year. Tragedies where a child should have joy.

Cassius tried time and time again only to find the memories he focused upon were not powerful enough. At times he came close only to find the corporeal patronus fizzling out before it could take its full shape and form.

… And then he began to think of events more recent. Perhaps he had misread a passage somewhere noting the memory had to be a childhood memory. It did not. Suddenly, there were new possibilities and memories to consider.

After days of failed attempts and on the verge of giving up for that day, Cassius tried one more time. He focused on a memory that brought him both warmth and exhilaration. One which he did not realize until now had dismantled what was left of the walls of shyness and reservation he had experienced much of his life up until this point. This memory was his first kiss.

“Expecto Patronum!”

A bright silver light burst from the tip of Cassius’ wand, spreading outward in a steady stream. From the light, the shape of a goshawk formed, its wings wide and eyes sharp. Made entirely of silver light, the bird flew forward with purpose, scanning the area as it circled overhead.

That his patronus took the form of a goshawk was not too much of a surprise when one considered the Eden family crest which featured a goshawk displayed argent. It was symbolic of nobility and fierce independence, a raptor revered by both Romans and Britons and native to the forests and moors of Yorkshire where Cassius was raised.

(Word Count: 589/500)

Approved, Octavius Baird (7/19/2025)

Reducio

STATUS: Approved, Lawrence Maynard, 26th August

School Year: 5th
Link to your encyclopedia thread:
Patronus you are applying for: Artic Wolf
Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

The Patronus Charm is one of the most difficult spells that is taught in Hogwarts, needing not just the technical knowledge of the spell, but the emotional understanding that comes with it, which many students struggle to find. For Argento, being able to conjure a corporeal Patronus in his fifth year was a milestone for him in terms of his magic education and the growth of him as a person. It was not just a demonstration of conjuring skills, but also resilience, and a demonstration that you could find the light if you having down moments.

Argento had always been fascinated with the Patronus Charm. Even in his third year, during Professor's lessons on Dementors that reverberated through the halls of the school, Argento had attempted to do the spell innumerable times, with constant disappointment. All he could manage was a faint haze of silver mist that would submerge into nothingness before it could take shape. His frustration only compounded when he would see older students performing what seemed to him to be an impossible spell. Nevertheless, Argento remained resolute. He continued to practice, keeping in mind that this wasn’t just any charm, but one of the purest defenses against darkness.

The real chance of success arrived during his fifth year. With O.W.L. examinations approaching and stress weighing on every student, Hogwarts felt like a boiling cauldron. Also in that fifth year, security around the school was at an all-time high, as news of severe threats in the world outside Hogwarts was too hard to ignore. Argento's Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had noticed his commitment, and encouraged him to try the Patronus spell again, and helped him to understand the emotional component behind it: the ability to concentrate on a memory so vivid that it could overpower the despair caused by a Dementor.

It was a struggle for him at first because he was oscillating between a few memories that seemed bright, but weren’t powerful enough. It was only when he thought of one evening spent in the common room, surrounded by his closest friends, that he broke through. They had been laughing over stories, joking, and sharing silly secrets long into the night, and Argento felt completely accepted and awash with courage and freedom. Holding that memory in his mind, Argento drew the wand from his robes and spoke the incantation: Expecto Patronum.

This time the result was different. A bright flash of silver erupted from his wand, and instead of fading away it solidified into form. There, before him stood a beautiful Arctic Wolf, alight with a cold radiance, its fur glistening like frost in the moonlight. The wolf padded gently towards him with awesome strength. A spectral beauty graced its form, and the wolf exuded other-worldly power and beauty. The wolf exuded light and warmth throughout the classroom pushing away for the first time in a long time the dark shadows of doubt that hung over Argento. All of Argento's classmates looked on in awe, and his professor nodded sublimely with a quiet sense of pride.

The Arctic Wolf embodied the innate characteristics of Argento. The wolf is highly protective and resilient in the harshest environments. It is a symbol of reliability, compassion, and drive. Argento embodied those characteristics uniquely and balanced them with good loyalty to people he would trust with power and glory. The Arctic Wolf is not the singular predator some imagine. The wolf is known to thrive on the strength of its pack and Argento himself could draw power from the network of friendship, unity, and shared courage.

Argento settled comfortably as a wizard at the conclusion of his fifth year after successfully conjuring a corporeal Patronus. Although pursuing patronus magic only meant to defend himself from a Dementor, Argento’s new shining white beloved wolf was a physical manifestation of the light of person as human. Argent wanted to figuratively remember the wonderful connection he made with new family because while in the deepest coldest darkness, his light and connection to others empowers him to draw light and courage against formidable enemies.

[right][size=200][size=150]T R U N K
[/size]━━━━━━━━━━[/size][/right][quote][center] ╳[size=130]╳ [size=150]S[/size]TATS, [size=150]I[/size]TEMS, & [size=150]A[/size]BILITIES ╳[/size]╳[/center]
[b]█ ABILITIES |[/b] [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=1011692#p1011692]I.[/url] Charmer | [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=1015112#p1015112]II.[/url] Fearless | [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=1015362#p1015362]III.[/url] Healing Sage | [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=1015471#p1015471]IV.[/url] Lovely Creature | [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=1345321#p1345321]V.[/url] Corporeal Patronus| [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=1332444#p1332444]VI[/url] Occlumency | [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=1015649#p1015649]VII.[/url] Nonverbal Magic | [url=https://hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?p=1016042#p1016042]VIII.[/url] Wandless Magic
[b]█ ADULT ADVANCEMENT LOG |[/b]
[list]
[*] 2023-2024: +5 stats (Adult I)
[*] 2024-2025: -5 points to end-game stats for an ability (Adult II) 
[*] 2025-2026:  Rearranged 5 Points (Adult III)
[/list] 
[right]| 12 [b]| STA █[/b]
| 12  [b]| EVA █[/b]
| 6 [b]| STR █[/b]
| 17  [b]| WIS █[/b]
| 11 [b]| ARC █[/b]
| 12 [b]| ACC █[/b][/right][/quote]

STATUS: Approved, Lawrence Maynard, 28th August

School Year: Adult I
Link to your encyclopedia thread: here
Patronus you are applying for: The African Forest Elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis)
Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

Jon’s fascination with the Muggle world was a topic rarely brought up in the Cantu family. His parents, although not elitist purebloods, were not fond of the intensive care he took to immersing himself in Muggle Studies and befriending muggle-borns at the school. Their ways of life were remarkably different from wizards or witches and they had gotten thrown into the wizarding world feet first. One thing in particular that drew his attention was the creatures, or regular animals that they had. It was a lot more than just dogs or cats. Regardless of his parent’s attempt to re-direct his focus, Jon had befriended a blonde-haired boy in his first year who was a muggle-born and stayed by his side throughout the years.

In light of his parents having little care in what he did over the holidays, during winter break in his 5th year, Jon caught the Hogwarts Express with his best friend Lincoln back to his home to really immerse himself. Lincoln joked about Jon acting like a foreign exchange student as he peered at every aspect of the house. The brunette would sheepishly scratch his neck, trying to not weird out Lincoln’s parents too much and be on his best behavior. Lucky for him, his best friend’s parents were as welcoming as a warm hug after a long day and had scored the 4 of them a trip to the Congo. Jon could’ve burst with excitement at this new place they mentioned. Lincoln and his family were quite the adventurers and loved to travel when time allowed, which was quite the contrary to his own home-body family.

Jon quickly noted as they travelled to the Congo, that Muggle transportation was quite loud, and slower, but it was still a unique experience. After setting foot down on new land, they were quickly ushered from one big airplane to a car, something he was more familiar with seeing. As they began their tour, the boy’s mouth hung open. Lincoln pointed his camera toward Jon as the flabbergasted boy pointed to the various wildlife that zoomed past them in the cars, laughing uncontrollably. Soon the cars slowed as a trumpeting noise hit Jon’s ears, causing him to whip around quickly to catch where it had come from. And then a magnificent beast emerged from the brush, multiple of them. A herd of African forest elephants, the tour guide had mentioned. They were absolutely massive, and looked unlike any creature magical or not he had seen. Some larger ones, adults perhaps had tusks some as long as the size of a really short first year. They were grey-ish brown, with soft but wise looking eyes and easily towered over the vehicles even from far away. His eyes were transfixed on the toughened giant that stood a few hundred meters from their car. Its extra limb, of which he was informed, was a trunk grappled at the small shrubs littering the ground, tossing it into its mouth while its large ears flapped up a swirl of dust and birds hung off its body, as if catching a ride for free. He wondered what they saw through their eyes.

The trip was unfortunately cut short as the herd began to move off and the car moved back into a bumpy hum down the dirt path. Jon realized he hadn’t blinked once, his heart beating quickly as he remembered how to breathe normally. Turning back to Lincoln he’d have the widest grin on his face and would begin to plead with him to get a book about elephants from the library when they returned to his family residence in England. From that day forward, there was no greater beast, creature or animal alike that was as magnificent as the elephant.

Returning to Hogwarts only a few days later, Jon was still in a daze. He had been given a book and a photograph in a frame by Lincoln and his parents to cherish the memories so they would never fade in his mind. The book taught him many things, apparently elephants were good for re-growth of forests which the muggles struggled with due to needing trees for a lot of resources. In that way, elephants almost seemed magical themselves due to being able to solve problems muggles couldn’t always do. It really impressed him. It wasn’t until he had realized he zoned out the entirety of a Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson that he had to shake his mind free from the distractions of a winter break now long over. He didn’t want to fall behind so quickly after the break and shrugged off the offer to go hang with Lincoln, instead taking his book, wand and himself to the grounds for some much needed practice.

His fingers traced the Patronus Charm incantation and wand movement in the book, reading about the form that was supposed to take shape. Taking a few steps back and rolling up the sleeves of his robe he’d repeat back the words written in the book.

”Expecto Patronum!”

Small white wisps would spit from the wand’s tip, fizzling out as quickly as they came. A frown etched on the boy’s lips as he searched back to the book for what he could potentially be messing up. He never had a hard time concentrating or making his mind blank. But that was just it, the book instructed the caster to recall one of their happiest memories. Lincoln’s face fluttered to his mind but quickly shifted to the familiar sight of the savannah and the monotone sound of the gears shifting down in the cars… and then..

”Expecto Patronum!” Jon called a second time, his wand clutched firmer as the bushes parted in his mind while a trumpeting noise echoed in his skull. His eyes lifted to see a white-mist spread from his wand’s tip and take the form of an African forest elephant, its trunk raising in a greeting as it half floated, half walked around the grounds, shaking its head side to side before retreating behind a tree and disappearing from view. Jon felt rooted to the ground, heart beating as frantically as it did in the moment when he first saw an elephant. So this was his protector?

”Wow..”

Word Count: 1053

With having very little knowledge about elephants due to them not being native to England he was first captured by their ancient look, but also their remarkable nature to be so gentle regardless of their size. The African forest elephant is an incredibly intelligent and social creature much like that of Jon in his adolescence. They also are incredibly emotionally aware and perceptive, expressing not only empathetic natures but are able to cognitively problem-solve which Jon prides himself on.

Why an African forest elephant represents Jon is because their personalities intermingle very well. Jon has a large empathetic nature and a curiosity that drives him to have a playful demeanor while still having a semi-rugged exterior. Jon noticeably has a passion for Muggles and the conservation to bridge the wizarding world with the non-magical word, and unconsciously provides a big impact by teaching wizards and witches alike about the importance of our non-magical neighbors. Elephants too subconsciously help bridge worlds, being the manmade and natural world with their role as a keystone species. They do various tasks to help other species, plants and animals alike, to grow and thrive. Some cases include eating various seeds and spreading them via their digestive systems, creating waterholes for other living species, and forming paths by eating quicker-growing plants to let the longer-living trees have a better chance at survival and even reforestation. Both elephants and Jon are humble beings who have gentle souls that attempt to make a difference in their own environment and thus are connected through the deeper bond of being a Patronous, because even the protectors need to be protected sometimes.

Pending, Octavius Baird (9/6/2025)
- Doesn't meet prerequisite

Approved, Octavius Baird (9/6/2025)

Reducio

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••
Courageous - Insightful - Protective - Reckless - Resilient - Resourceful - Secretive - Stubborn

My venom can heal, my venom can burn. It is given for both: my friends and my foes.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

[All Dialogue is in Italian]

"You came to me, boy, not the other way around." The ringmaster's single piercing eye scathed Piérre with a palpable danger that testified to the fact that they both knew the tumultuous position they were both in. The young and freshly free from the Trace "boy" certainly realized the peril he himself was allowing himself to dance in, face to face with the psychopath that was allegedly his father, but lack of allowing oneself to take a risk resulted always in nothing gained. Controlled risks, delicately planned ones: these were the ones which resulted in a payoff.

Despite everything to the unsavory learned by him up to this point, Gitano was a very dangerously intelligent man: Piérre realized when he was outclassed when he saw it, just as he always assessed with several of his peers and those that he interacted in passing with. Sizing up, observing, learning, archiving. Gitano was, obviously, doing the same to him. "Get on with it and stop moaning. Show me your best. Though," For most certainly there had to come along with the demand a belittling quip. "I doubt you'll have much of note to show."

Ignoring him, Piérre focused on happy things. Figaro, his brother, his friends--though few and far between... so many lost, but there was surely a good reason for that since they had to be better off without them and he loved them anyhow--bright days and the things that made him laugh. These things were distant, but they brought him mirth...

Didn't they?

There was a pressure in his mind. An unwanted but familiar presence...

"Expecto Patronum!" The yew swished, to a small snap of white light shimmering into dissipating silver before it all went dark again.

"You're trying to be too 'nice.'" Came the low sneer. Piérre glared at the man venomously, who was watching narrowly and running a leather glove across his lips idly in his observations. The blue eye roiled with an ebb and flow of alternating disgust and amusement. "You aren't happy about those memories. Not proud of them or pleased with them. You hate them. You hate them all."

"You being in my head isn't helping." He fired back, which evoked a sly closed-lipped smile from the man in conjunction with a glimmer of deep-seated amusement from the oceanically gleaming, staring orb. "It's my journey, isn't it?"

Gitano shrugged, rising to his feet and crossing to the liquor cabinet. He pulled the cork off with his teeth and raised his eyebrows innocently as he spat it aside. "Your journey, yes. But you're obviously in need of a lamp-lighter to guide your feet, considering you've had three pathetic attempts so far with nothing to show for it." White, sharkish teeth were flashed in a disparaging way. "Think of me as your... little ferryman. Your Charon." The rich wine swirled in the glass, conducted by his hand as he tipped his head with a smug smirk. "I'm here to help you. Or do you trust me so little?"

Piérre snorted. "I trust you as far as I can throw you."

A mocking hand was pressed to his bosom over his heart as he drank. "You wound me." Clearing his throat, he leaned against the cabinet. "Try again." The command resonated.

Brows furrowing, Piérre flicked the wand harder. Other things: the stars in the night sky, the delights of wind in his hair, in his hummingbird feathers. The brilliance of a dawn's light and the dusk's moonbeams. All the lovely, good things in life... "Expecto Patronum!" A thin stream of silver trickled, taking on for a brief moment a long, thin scaled body... feathers sprinkled throughout. Incomplete. Partial.

His nose wrinkled. "This is ridiculous. What am I supposed to do to--"

"Expecto Patronum." There was a flash of light and a hand-sized bird with a long, fletched tail, puffed legs, and only a single strong silver streak on the underside of the tail, surprisingly drab in comparison to the man that had conjured it, soared quickly around Piérre's head before swooping into a perch on the gold-haloed ringmaster's shoulder. The spirit guardian began to preen under its feathers with an air of ease and disregard, glowing silver in the dim lighting. The ringmaster glanced at it. "The great spotted cuckcoo. A brood parasite." He said casually. "I'm quite proud of it. Observative, cunning, insightful to the inner workings of its own kind's mind, adaptable, strategic." The bird looked at Piérre, who had his arms crossed. "Quite a few positive traits, aren't there."

"But they are also flighty, manipulative, aloof, and vicious when slighted. If their host species tries to or succeeds in killing their offspring, they will kill every one of the host's in retaliation. As a warning for the future." With a harsh slash of pinewood, the patronus took flight and then vanished into a sparkle of silver magic that dissipated within the tent. Piérre watched it before returning his attention to the ringmaster once more, who by now had placed the wineglass aside and was once more chewing lightly on the seam of the black leather glove. "You are not a collection of just your best traits, boy." A twinge made itself known in Piérre's heart. "You have very ugly parts in you. We all do. Some more than others. Like us."

The eye narrowed, turning dark and thunderous. "Embrace them. All of them are pieces of the whole 'you'. You are who you are, and pretending that you are not every bit of the bastard that I spawned makes you not only a ignoramus but a bigot towards the only identity that you will always belong to without reprieve or mutability no matter what you do."

Gitano swooped close, taking the Britalian by the jaw with a harsh, leather-gloved hand to tilt his head upwards. His voice lowered into that familiar, soothing yet chilling tone that resulted in a romantic rolling of crooned words. "Run. Hide. It makes no difference. You can change, grow, but you do not rid yourself of your demons. You learn to live with them. You learn to control them. To rule over them." He gripped Piérre's jaw harder, the boy feeling the man's fingertips curling slightly as the bone creaked slightly. "Now." He relinquished the grip suddenly. "Cast."

Happiest memory... beyond the superficial. Something beyond the warm, fuzzy feeling. Something that burned. Something that bubbled against the skin, that hissed with repression and anticipation of being released. Something that flared up so strongly, so irrepressibly... Something that was everything that he was. Something that was everything that he held near and dear--the thing worth surviving for, the thing worth daring to hope for.

Laughing after Romeo had beaten him bloody, after the occasion in Hogsmeade where he and Valentin had had their first kiss due to his hand. Ensorceling Valentin in a painful kiss that served as testament to the madness of attempting to bestow love upon those that he loved most--in the wrong way, but with pure intents.

Surrounded by three children younger than him, with whom he had dared to open up the darkest recesses of his confused and frightened mind. The same as he had with Aida the forest sprite, who saw the world in the strange yet lovely way that he did.

Taking infuriated steps in front of Evelynn on the dueling piste, ready to take as many hits as it took to prove that he could repay the mistakes he had made between them in the past--to prove that he would be there. He could not be drug away even if by wild horses. Because he loved...

A wild flight and untransfiguration from animal into human form, momentum he could not take back, to intervene between a knife and Pericles' eye--that shining window that carried starlight now half-mooned. A blow he had not been able to deter, but had managed to avert the follow-ups to. There was so much guilt there... what had happened? What had gone wrong...? He hadn't done well enough. He had failed. Yet, he wasn't going to leave, he couldn't simply abandon someone he had looked up to, had admired, and had loved for so long, from the moment he had first met the strange and otherworldly eagle. To feel that that relationship had suddenly slipped away, like sand through an hourglass... it hurt... He still watched... watched over...

Always feeling that he was distant. Apart. Vanished. But he had always been there. Keeping an eye out. Watching out for, watching over. He was never apart, not wholly. Just out of sight. Aloof, stubborn, ebullient... desperate, refined, improvisational even if mistaken in method to achieve intent...

And being there... watching even if unable to touch... like a child whose face was pressed to the frosted glass of a home it would never have... it made him...

Happy.

Because they were happy. With or without him.

The incantation was simple now, having been rehearsed and invoked so many times. A powerful swoop of his hand and arm as he willed the magic to not only form but amplify, accompanied by the Latin incantatem: "Expecto Patronum!"

A tiny ball of white light flung itself from the tip of the bone white yew wood, hovering lightly in the air for a moment before suddenly unfurling into an enormous creature with a wingspan identical to or larger than Piérre's own. Black veins, stark against the silver, indicated the presence of butterfly-like wings with reaching clawed hands positioned as it would be on a wyvern. Its rough spiny back served as a marker of how it would appear if it were in its chrysalis form. A long stinger alongside the tails of its wings curved slightly above the ground, in possession of a dangerous venom that could heal or harm depending on its application and preparation. A wolf's skull with empty eye sockets hung open slightly, jaw distended in a soundless intimidation factor towards the elder man in the room, who took an unconscious step back as his face seemed to visibly pale even beyond that of the piercing silver light that it radiated into the enclosed tent, which now seemed so small with the newfound presence of its bulk.

Piérre's wand was still pointed at the creature, a thin thread attaching its tail to his implement. It was attached to him. To his magic. To his self. It was, without a question, him. All of it, its beauty and its lethality, its danger and its protectiveness, its mutability and its viciousness, those memories that made up everything that it and he was, were his. All of those things were unrepentantly his--the things that would not and would never change. His eyes were set hard and determined, flashing with a green and venomous gaze as he looked upon Gitano as he slowly recovered. Piérre had no words for him.

But Gitano found his own. "Hah... What gorgeous irony." He was looking upon the Swooping Evil now, not Piérre. "You finally did it."

"Yes. I did." The boy said matter-of-factly, a small smile dancing at the corner of his lips. "I did."

The blue eye alighted on the boy, a look of something near respect--or was it simply mere acknowledgment?--in it. "Quite apt. Yes... that makes sense, doesn't it."

Piérre raised his wand, cutting away the silvery cord that connected him to his patronus. The creature swirled once more, shrinking into a small, spiny cocoon and alighting gently in his extended palm before vanishing in a small implosion of white and leaving the area dark once more as he closed his hand upon it. He was pleased. Pleased indeed. Yes. It was his. It did. "It does." Came the soft words. He looked undauntedly into that devilish eye. "In many senses."

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

STATUS: Approved, Samuel, 12th Sept

School Year: Adult II
Link to your encyclopedia thread: here
Patronus you are applying for: Mojave Rattlesnake (Crotalus scutulatus)

Describe why this fits your character: (1968 words with the OOC clarifications, 1719 words without. I am sorry.)

Reducio

During her years at school, the Patronus Charm had been one of Jessamine's favourites. That it was an outward showing of happiness intrigued her to no end, and, of course, after hearing of Harry Potter’s excellence with the spell, she thought herself keen to learn it as quickly as she could. She was no Defence Against the Dark Arts prodigy; she put far more effort into that class to achieve the same Outstandings she received far more easily in Herbology or Charms. However, with hard work came a beautiful thing: success.

She’d been toying with spells out in the grounds, mostly advanced spells for duelling, but she had been in a particularly good mood, so one afternoon during her sixth year at school, she sat on a bench and gave her life perhaps the most thought she’d ever deigned to offer it. She was a pretty happy-go-lucky individual, she thought, considering most of her peers were angsty, pure-blooded Slytherins. Aside from her occasional preference for music one might deem ‘emo’, or her appreciation for edgier subcultures, she had a super positive outlook on life.

It wasn’t difficult at all for her to find a suitable memory. A smile cracked open upon her face, and she laughed to herself when she remembered the time she’d acquired a skateboard from a Muggle skate shop. Such a thing had been no easy feat: she’d had to go to Gringotts by herself and convince a Muggle-born to give her their money so that her parents didn’t hear of any funny business. Then, she’d had to actually figure out what a skateboard was supposed to do. That had been difficult, and it wasn’t as if she could go around with a helmet without it raising questions. But eventually, she’d figured it out, and she’d had an absolute blast rolling down hills a bit far away from home, where no one could stop her. The only thing Jess would have changed was the lack of music; for years, she’d wished wizards had something similar to a Walkman, but she hadn’t found anything of that sort yet.

From her wand sprung forth wisps of white, which only widened her grin. She thought she might have seen a bird, a large one at that, but she figured any glimpse of feathers and a large bill she might have noticed had to be a mistake of the eyes, since the pseudo-animal faded almost as soon as it had appeared.

Jess was mildly disappointed, but she didn’t take it too seriously. Especially after graduating, the idea of casting a corporeal patronus was something she didn’t think was a necessary skill. Without the looming threat of dementors, it was just a frill, and she had her medical studies to focus on. Any real work on her defensive charmwork was put on the back burner as she intensified her learning of medical magic and procedures.

Throughout all of those years, her childhood pet and lifelong friend, Snakespeare, whom she had named when she was eight, remained with her. An intellectual snake, he often offered polite commentary and even advice when she needed it; she absolutely cherished her companion, and when she began seriously going out with her future husband, Leander, one condition for their relationship was that he not discriminate against her snake. He had laughed, had been surprised by the tenacity with which she argued for mutual respect, but he had acquiesced to the silly-seeming request.

It, however, was not silly. Jess had made many efforts to convey this, each with varying degrees of success, but perhaps the most enjoyable was when she and Leander had the time to take a weekend to Bournemouth and enjoy the beach. Jessamine had worn a coat on the rather stuffy train, and Leander had poked fun at her during the entire trip down, but when they arrived at the beach and she shrugged off her coat to reveal Snakespeare wound up her arm, he burst out laughing. She hadn’t expected the reaction at all, and she nearly snapped an offence-driven remark at him, but then, he said, ‘Wow, you really do have quite a few tricks up your sleeve!’, and after that, she was laughing, too.

Snakespeare died in 2018. If you hadn’t known how attached Jessamine had been to Snakespeare, or how long she’d lived with him, you would have likely thought she was being far too dramatic with how she reacted. Even distraught was too humble a word; she was very often seen staring up at the ceiling to avoid letting tears fall, and forcing a neutral expression to avoid scowling. She had switched her makeup collection to include only waterproof products, and she turned from excited, witty jokes to coping humour. The fact that a close friend of hers died relatively soon after didn’t help, and although she thought she did a great job of hiding how much both quick events had affected her, the truth was that she was absolutely horrible at working through the emotions she so often helped her clients with.

It was only after her daughter had turned five that she entertained the idea of the patronus charm again. It was mostly because she’d seen one of her clients’ parents use it with their child as a form of entertainment, and she’d thought it was one of the neatest things she’d seen, as a parent. So, one afternoon, when she was out in the garden with Camellia, she tried to cast the spell she’d been enamoured with in her youth.

She vaguely recalled the skateboarding memory, and she tried to think of it, but when she waved her hand and murmured the charm’s incantation, nothing appeared—not even wisps.

Camellia had been rather entertained, but it had been by the astonishment on Jess’s face rather than a super-cool manifestation of happiness.

After that unfortunate mishap, Jessamine started journalling. She wrote down as many positive memories as she could think of. Most had to do with either music or Snakespeare, which she thought was rather unhelpful, since it was difficult to think of a most happy memory. Nonetheless, every night before bed, she waved her wand and murmured, ‘Expecto Patronum,’ trying out a new memory each time. Nothing worked.

Sometimes Leander poked fun at her while she practised, and although she rolled her eyes, she had to admit he was right. It had to be laughable. She was literally nearing forty, and she was practising the patronus charm. Who even did that?

Despite her sudden irreverence for the charm, she still continued to work on it. If she closed her eyes and thought extremely hard, she could kind of, sort of, see a half-bird thing in her mind’s eye. Whatever it had been back then. Maybe it wasn’t even a bird, just some other thing with feathers. At this point, it was a personal challenge: cast the spell because it was giving her so much grief. Entertainment for Camellia—and, by that point, Roscoe, too—was just an added benefit.

Clarity approached Jessamine when she, Leander and Camellia headed down to Bournemouth again. Roscoe was left with her parents so that the other three of them could enjoy a relaxing day at the beach. Leander had been overjoyed; Camellia had never been to the beach, and since Leander’s mother was from a coastal town in Spain, he spent nearly the entire afternoon picking his daughter up and taking her into the water. Jessamine stayed on the shore for the most part, although when Camellia was begging to be buried in sand, she helped Leander with that daunting task.

When they returned home, Leander was carrying an exhausted Camellia on his shoulder and waxing poetic about the beauty of beaches.

‘Now, it’s nothing like Marbella, but I’ve got to say, Bournemouth Beach has got to be my favourite beach in the UK.’ He gently lay Camellia on the couch and gave Jess a warm grin. ‘Maybe because I think it’s actually where we fell in love.’

Jess simpered and raised an eyebrow while preparing a pan to cook dinner. ‘Hm. What makes you say that?’

Leander began to set some plates and silverware on their table. ‘Well, it’s where you started to laugh along with me. Y’know, instead of glaring.’

Jessamine paused, accidentally putting too much oil in the pan. She swore and set the bottle down on the counter. ‘Okay, fair enough.’ Then, she decided to think about it. ‘It’s also where I realised you were more accepting than I gave you credit for. I suppose your charming smile didn’t hurt.’ She averted her gaze and smiled, her cheeks warming as she remembered that weekend fondly.

Dinner went by with no further mishaps, although the food was a bit more oily than usual. The next day, though, between watering plants, Jessamine thought back to the first time she’d gone to Bournemouth Beach with Leander—how he’d joked with her about her snake, how they’d spent time in the water and gone to a nice restaurant after watching the sunset. She was smiling despite herself when she murmured the words, ‘Expecto Patronum,’ and flicked a hand.

White wisps formed, and she was reminded of the time she’d attempted this in her youth, but instead of almost manifesting and then faltering, the wisps began to come together into a long, tubular body. Jessamine lowered her watering can and unabashedly stared at the viper currently slithering across the grass. The almost-diamond pattern on the snake’s back, the rattle at its end, the beady eyes she could swear she’d seen…

It certainly did not have feathers, but that revelation was hardly what stole the breath from her lungs. No, it was that, save for its mannerisms, the snake was relatively similar to the one she’d thought of as her most beloved bosom companion. Without fully thinking of it, she brought her free hand to her eyes and wiped at the corners with her thumb.

It wasn’t the same species. She knew that. But despite its similarity to her old pet, it reminded her of a snake she’d encountered on a trip to the Southwestern United States during her youth, and even that sun-tinged memory made her grin despite the tears in her eyes. No, it wasn’t the same. But it was perfect all the same.

Some OOC clarification:

Reducio

Why the thing with feathers?
- Jess was very different in her youth. I was hinting at a patronus change here—originally, had she been able to cast it properly, it would have been a northern gannet. The birds are incredibly loyal and family-oriented, as far as birds go. Furthermore, their speedy dives was meant to be a nod to how Jess used to be a daredevil of sorts. They are also rather adept at camouflaging due to their colouring.

Why the Mojave Rattlesnake?
- Mojave Rattlesnakes are known for their defensive nature (Jessamine is incredibly prone to reacting to threats). However, they will often try to hide or warn others before attacking (reflected by how Jessamine is trying not to be so quick to anger). These snakes are also very adept at hiding in their desert environment (nods to Cats Grace ability). Like Jessamine, the snakes prefer not to be noticed unless they absolutely wish to be seen.

Why the change in patronus?
Two reasons. One, I think that within the thirty years between being 16 and 36-38, one would become a pretty different individual. Two, Jess had a lot of life changes. A lifelong pet and a close friend died in rapid succession, she got married and had two kids. That’s bound to change one’s worldview—and, for her, it did. She’s far more prone to be thankful for what she’s got, and far less likely to be as much of a daredevil as she was in her youth.

Approved, Octavius Baird (9/13/2025)