Patronus Charms
*Trigger Warning: Discussions of weight and fat shaming*
Minnie felt slightly dizzy as she waited for class to start. She didn't want to feel dizzy, but she hoped it wasn't anything serious. She'd had dragon pox before, and that was horrible. Dragon Pox hadn't made her dizzy though. It had never made her nauseous either.
Minnie hoped her stomach would settle, considering she enjoyed this class the very most. It wasn't just because Defense Against the Dark Arts was one of her favorite subjects, but also because she enjoyed Professor Temperance.
Professor Temperance was fairly young for a teacher, early thirties maybe. She'd been working as an Auror, but she'd been permanently injured during a routine training exercise. She had short hair framing her round face with a few tattoos on her arms that she rarely covered.
Professor Temperance had a very casual teaching style. She preferred to keep things practical and insisted on teaching advanced spells even to younger years. She also had a knack for playing music during class, she claimed it kept things lively. Today she was playing Minnie's favorite band, SpiritSprouts.
"Alright, now that we've finished up our discussions on the Unforgivable curses, let us do a bit of a lighter subject. I know we began learning Patronus work at the end of last year." Professor Temperance said with a boisterous smile in Minnie's direction. "We only had one student achieve it."
Minnie felt a smile across her face before touching her little lion necklace. It was something she was very proud of.
"Minnie, why don't you come up here and show everyone again how it's done?" Professor Temperance said with a wave of her arm. "Just in case they forgot."
Minnie stood up quickly. It made her dizzier to stand. With every motion she felt like there was a knife in her chest. It made it difficult to breathe.
Minnie tried not to show her pain on her face. She didn't want to go to the Hospital Wing. She nervously took her place at the front of the desks.
"Expecto Patronum." Minnie said thinking of that same memory she always did, the one where she felt safe with her family. A lively lion left her wand and roamed about the room. The room burst into slight applause with Cody sending her a fine and very drawn out whistle.
Professor Temperance began to applaud with everyone, "Well done Minnie, and ten points to Gryffindor for your excellent showmanship."
Minnie smiled returning to her seat beside Josie.
"Yeah, good job, not-so-Minnie." Brenna whispered snidely making Orpington and Smith snicker.
Minnie felt the stabbing pain again. Her stomach had been hurting since the incident and she really hadn't eaten much. She supposed her illness could contribute to a bit of weight loss, that wouldn't hurt right? Maybe everyone would stop picking on her.
"Personally, I think her Patronus is more served to being an Elephant or a Hippopotamus." Orpington added.
Warrington who was sitting behind Brenna rolled his eyes. Elis Morgan who sat beside Warrington chuckled along in a sound that resembled a hyena. Morgan obviously agreed with the laughter and jokes.
Before Josie, who had her wand out, could send a jinx in anyone's direction, Professor Temperance snapped.
"Excuse me Miss Brenna and Miss Orpington, but that will be twenty points from Slytherin." Professor Temperance crossed her arms. The whole room became stagnantly quiet. You could hear the Grindylows in their tanks bubbling the room was so suppressed for sound.
"Twenty points?" Brenna's face looked similar to when Minnie had slapped her. Her expression shifted as everyone in the room looked at Sarah.
"Each." Professor Temperance smirked a little as she scolded, "Firstly, we do not destroy other's success because of our own insecurities. Secondly, the Hippopotamus and the Elephant are lovely animals to have as a Patronus."
Brenna scowled in Professor Temperance's direction. Her face was no longer red. It had been very publicly announced by Madam Pomfrey that her jaw was not in fact broken.
"Everyone, let's do a review and see if anyone else has picked it up." Professor Temperance said, instructing everyone to stand. "Think of your happiest memory."
Minnie didn't quite feel as happy as she had, she had become much more distraught. If she weren't so ugly maybe they wouldn't be picking on her.
Professor Temperance's supply closet had a mirror on it. Minnie tried avoiding the gaze of the mirror, but it was dreadfully looking at her. She could see every flaw in herself.
Her eyes drifted to her arms, they looked too big in her uniform and her cheeks were much too wide. Why were her legs bigger than Josie's? Why was her nose so pudgy? Why were her ears so abominable? Why wouldn't her hair fall in a correct way?
She tried to distract herself by watching everyone as they attempted the charm.
Cody proudly produced a Peacock Patronus after a few goes. Minnie and Josie ogled over the beautiful fowl.
Jonah produced a stout boar and Javier Hugo from Hufflepuff produced a cat.
"I guess she took one point for each pound Longbottom's gotta loose?" Brenna whispered in a loud enough tone that Minnie could hear.
"I heard that Miss Brenna. That earns you detention, for a week with me, I hope you like cleaning Grindylow and Hinkypunk droppings." Professor Temperance called out sharply, "Keep going, I'll make it a month."
Brenna and her companions went eerily silent. None of them attempted to produce a Patronus.
Warrington and Morgan continued trying. Warrington seemed to be having a bit of trouble.
Josie whispered into Minnie's ear, "That's it, I know what I'm imagining."
Minnie tilted her head at Josie. She pinched her eyes in confusions.
Josie giggled directing her gaze at Brenna before making a punching motion.
Minnie laughed uncomfortably, "That's not your memory Josie."
"It bloody well should be! Do me a favor, do it again?" Josie snickered but stopped upon seeing Minnie's expression.
Class finished up just in time for lunch. Minnie still felt the stabbing pain in her chest. She wondered if she might lose whatever lunch she put in.
Alice sat across from Minnie, her eyes painfully ignoring the display Lorcan and Nell had decided to make a matinee performance at the Ravenclaw table. She was wearing her new Quidditch shirt. Minnie supposed that Alice had practice after lunch. Josie had mentioned something along the lines of, 'whipping the team into shape'.
"You look ill." Alice said as she stuffed a large belle pepper into her mouth. "What's the matter?"
"Nothing." Minnie insisted pushing her lunch around. "Just got a stomach ache that's all."
"Eat something funny?" Alice asked nervously, "For breakfast I mean? Or did you accidentally take one of Professor Hayward's potions? I did that once in first year, it was horrible."
Minnie chuckled a little, remembering how Alice had turned greener than the willow trees at Great Gran's.
"No Lissy, I just don't feel good." Minnie shrugged. She pushed her large red pepper slices around.
Alice nodded but changed the subject, "Beatrice Knox said her big sister is in class with you."
"Yeah, Ellen Knox, she's in Ravenclaw right?" Minnie answered deciding to just drink her pumpkin juice.
"Yeah, well Beatrice is in Hufflepuff, she has charms with me." Alice said with her mouth full of sandwich, "And her sister said that Brenna's been picking on you pretty harshly."
Minnie nodded, trying not to think about it. She hated knowing that those words had gotten to Alice.
"Beatrice told me what they've been calling you." Alice said nonchalantly, "And I think it's ridiculous."
"Is it?"
"Of course, you aren't fat, or ugly." Alice slumped into her elbows, "I would kill to have your dark eyes and hair. You look so mature and so elegant. I think my hair makes me much too pallid. I could be a great beauty if I looked more like you. And if I were nearly as strong, I wouldn't have to work so hard at Quidditch."
"Well, I'm fully flattered." Minnie lied with a small smile. Alice had to say that, she was her sister after all.
Alice made a very serious line of eye contact. She leaned almost fully across the table and whispered in her darkest tone, "I'll kill that Brenna girl if you want, no one would know. Uncle Rolf taught me all about poisons over the summer and Uncle Jack would definitely know how to hide a body."
Minnie laughed, slightly imagining little Alice and her Uncle Jack dragging Brenna's body through the grounds of Hogwarts. They'd maybe drop her into the black lake where the giant squid could devour her body limb from limb.
"Don't you dare, the Quidditch game is next week. If you were caught you'd be sent to Askaban and miss the match." Minnie argued, knowing Alice wasn't really serious about the idea.
"I suppose so." Alice leaned back making her braided pigtails bounce, "I am not beyond murder if it is in the pursuit of joy for my only sister."
"How is Quidditch going?" Minnie asked, desperate for a subject change.
Alice smiled joyously, "Oh excellent! Practices have been loads of fun, somewhat exhausting, but I'm managing. I got a wicked bruise on my thigh from getting hit by a bludger."
Minnie offered, "Mum's got some bruise cream."
"Yeah, Josie was passing it out at practice. Apparently she gets free ones from her dad." Alice bounced her head, "Are you helping the Gazette tonight with auditions? I'll be there after practice for the final decision."
"No, I'm just there for team vote like you are." Minnie said with a nod.
Minnie finished her pumpkin juice in one quick gulp. Her stomach was stabbing a little less.
"Beatrice said she might try out, then Jeanie that little first year with the pretty hair wants to audition but I told her first years never get on." Alice continued rambling before looking like she smelled something rancid, "Warrington apparently wants to try out."
"Yeah, mum encouraged him." Minnie revealed before gathering her things, she had class soon, double potions. Minnie liked potions almost as much as she liked DATD.
"Could you imagine?" Alice shivered, "I dunno if I could handle his damnation and terror."
Minnie shrugged, "He's honestly not so bad."
"He's abominable." Alice pinched her nose, "What's put him in your good graces?"
"He got me out of detention." Minnie revealed as she looked up at the sandwich in Alice's hands.
"He did?" Alice wiped a swipe of mayonnaise from her lips.
Minnie nodded before telling her sister everything that Warrington had done.
Alice stopped eating fully, "That's very out of character for him."
Minnie decided to at least bite a cracker, that seemed to stop the odd moisture in her mouth.
"Well, out of character or not I think I can appreciate his honesty." Alice laughed a little, "I wonder what he wants. Do you think he did that so he can get on the Gazette?"
"Maybe."
"Warrington isn't the type of guy to do something unless he gets something out of it." Alice grimaced, "He wants something out of you I suppose. He's always been nothing but rotten to me, I'm honestly not even sure why he doesn't like me."
"Why are you mean to him then?"
"Because he was mean first." Alice insisted with a turn of her chin, "And because I still have dreams that I'm a canary. It's quite foul."
Minnie didn't mean to laugh so hard that she coughed pumpkin juice, "Fowl."
Alice didn't get it at first, but giggled when she caught on. Her eyes began to linger on the cracker in Minnie's hand.
Warrington was in fact chosen for the Gazette along with four other new members. Helena had been so impressed by Warrington, that she had invited him to join their meeting.
Jeanie had also somehow managed a spot, and was invited to join the meeting as well. She and another new boy, Derick were assigned to follow Alice for her assignments at future Quidditch games when she wasn't playing. Cody was assigned to write for the upcoming game since Alice couldn't.
Minnie was honestly grateful to have a meager assignment, especially as her chest continued to pang with pain. She was only supposed to write a small piece about the Headmistress. She supposed she was chosen simply because of her namesake.