#261 - Chapter 261 Advanced Use of the Patronus Charm

On Saturday morning, Neville didn't go to Hogsmeade with the others, but arrived early at the Muggle Studies office.

"Professor, good morning."

"Morning, sit anywhere," Sebastian waved his wand and poured Neville a cup of hot tea. "It's cold, so I won't offer you Coke."

Neville sat down opposite Sebastian, took a small sip of the hot tea, and then looked up at him, his eyes full of anticipation.

Finally, he could learn the advanced usage of the Patronus Charm.

He had been waiting for this day for too long.

"The Patronus," Sebastian went straight to the point, "is summoned by the caster's strongest positive emotions. It is the embodiment of your inner hope and happiness."

"It is a special power that originates from our souls."

"In the wizarding world, it is generally believed that only those with pure hearts can cast a Patronus. This is a misconception."

"There are many wizards with bad tempers or corrupt morals who can also cast a Patronus."

In the wizarding world, Sebastian had indeed seen morally corrupt people who could cast a Patronus.

The most famous of these was the Deputy Minister of Magic, whose Patronus was a cat.

Frankly, he had never seen anyone more disgusting than this person.

In the original story, this person had a resounding nickname—the Pink Toad.

Sebastian stretched out his right hand, rubbed his furrowed brow, put away his divergent thoughts, and continued to explain to Neville.

"Only when tainted by dark magic, after the soul has fallen, will wand backfire occur when casting a Patronus. This is because the erosion of dark magic on the soul interferes with the normal operation of the Patronus Charm."

"Although the main purpose of the Patronus is to defend against dark creatures such as Dementors, we can strengthen our positive emotions and will by exercising the Patronus, allowing the Patronus to protect our souls from the erosion of dark magic."

So that's how it is!

Neville nodded thoughtfully. It was the first time he had heard such a theory.

"When facing the invasion of dark magic, especially those spells that cause permanent damage to the soul, such as dark magic similar to the Cruciatus Curse, the victim's soul is often torn apart."

"These cracks in the soul are very tricky and often cannot be healed by conventional treatments."

"At this time, we can use the Patronus to enter the victim's body, clear the traces left by dark magic, and nurture those wounds to achieve the purpose of healing."

Neville gripped his wand tightly and asked nervously, "Is this the advanced usage of the Patronus Charm?"

"Professor, how can I use the Patronus to do this?"

"To do this, you need to exercise your Patronus in a special way."

Sebastian said gently, "When casting the Patronus, in addition to mobilizing happy and joyful emotions, you must also add the will to protect."

"The will to protect?" Neville repeated, frowning.

"That's right. You must release an extremely strong will to protect, allowing the Patronus to transform your emotional power into healing power."

"This technique is very difficult. To put it bluntly, it is more than ten times more difficult than learning the Patronus Charm."

Ten times more difficult than the Patronus Charm?!

Could he possibly do it?

Neville felt a little discouraged. He really didn't know if he could learn this advanced technique.

Sensing the frustration emanating from Neville, Sebastian stood up, walked to Neville's side, and gently patted him on the shoulder.

"You have the power to protect others, Neville. Your desire to protect your parents will become the source of power for you to successfully perform this advanced usage."

"Neville, I believe you can succeed. When dealing with the Dementors last night, I already felt your will to protect."

"However, you need to put in a lot of time and effort to practice."

"Professor Swan, I have always had a question."

"Why must I be the one to heal my parents?"

Seeing Sebastian's expression, Neville hurriedly explained, "What I mean is, to do this, I'm afraid I'll need a long time."

"The thought of my parents lying in the hospital bed at St. Mungo's for a long time in the future makes me terribly sad."

He raised his head and mustered his courage to make a request, "Can I ask you to take action and heal my parents?"

"I know you don't lack Galleons, but I am willing to give everything to repay you."

Looking into Neville's eyes, Sebastian gently shook his head and explained gently.

"I'm sorry, Neville, your parents' situation is too special. My ability is not enough to heal them."

Why?

What's so special about it?

Neville looked at Sebastian excitedly, expecting him to give a reasonable explanation.

Sebastian sat beside Neville and waved his wand to turn a quill into a small figure.

"Neville, let's think of this little figure as your parents' soul."

"After being tortured by the Cruciatus Curse, their souls shattered into many fragments."

He waved his wand again, shattering the quill-turned-figure into pieces all over the ground. These fragments were of various sizes and scattered on the ground.

"To heal your parents' souls, you need to use the power of the Patronus to put those fragments together, and then slowly nurture them to allow the soul to heal."

"The difficulty here is that the soul is a person's most private thing. A stranger's Patronus entering their body will first cause a rejection reaction from the soul."

"Due to the rejection reaction, many small soul fragments will not be able to withstand the powerful power of the Patronus and will suffer destructive damage."

"At that time, it will not be saving people, but harming them."

Looking at the little figure shattered on the ground, Neville felt a burst of pain in his heart. He seemed to have seen the shattered appearance of his parents' souls.

"Let's put it this way, to heal your parents' souls, on the one hand, you need a very powerful Patronus; but due to the rejection reaction, a powerful Patronus will cause damage to those small soul fragments."

"It is because of these peculiarities that the healers at St. Mungo's are helpless."

"To heal your parents, only you can do it yourself."

Sebastian smiled slightly, "Don't forget, you and your parents have a strong blood bond."

"This power from the depths of the bloodline will not cause a rejection reaction in their souls when your Patronus enters your parents' bodies."

"On the contrary, their souls will only feel intimacy and will actively cooperate with your Patronus."

"However, putting the soul fragments together is not that simple."

"Then what should I do, Professor?" Neville asked eagerly.