The wizards who had shown up for the exchange could roughly be divided into three types.
The first group was the largest.
Most of them were here with thoughts like, It might be interesting, There's no harm in taking a look, or I've got nothing better to do anyway. That was reason enough for them to come.
Simply put, they were driven by curiosity.
The second group was also fairly numerous.
Unlike the first, who had no particular goal, these wizards cared deeply about whether their studies were keeping pace. They worried about falling too far behind the older students in terms of magical knowledge.
To put it bluntly, they didn't want to graduate only to be labeled the worst class in years.
Because of that anxiety, they not only attended eagerly but had even helped bring this exchange together.
The most representative example was Hermione Granger, standing right beside Draco.
As for the third group—the smallest of the three—they were people like Harry Potter and his friends.
They had a clearer purpose than anyone else and understood exactly what they were here to do.
With the threat beyond the school walls growing more apparent by the day, they needed to gather every ally they could and make use of every possible advantage, much like Dumbledore had been doing recently.
Influenced by all this, Harry Potter's own actions had gradually begun to mirror that approach.
Yes. He intended to use this exchange to find like-minded companions.
...
Compared to those three distinct motivations, Draco seemed to have no real reason to attend at all.
As a Slytherin—and a Malfoy—he couldn't openly befriend students from other Houses the way Harry Potter could, let alone try to win their favor.
As for learning spells from others, that was even more absurd.
Who here would dare claim they were qualified to teach a wizard who had once single-handedly defeated a Thunderbird?
And yet, despite all that, Draco was still here.
That was what puzzled Pansy, who knew him well enough.
"So, Draco, why are we even attending this so-called exchange? With this time, we could've…"
"Parkinson, don't tell me you've forgotten you're a Prefect. How could we possibly skip it?"
"It's not mandatory… Wait. Oh. I see. This was your idea, wasn't it? Our know-it-all."
Hermione's faintly lecturing tone earned her an immediate jab from Pansy, but a second later Pansy caught on.
From that brief exchange, she understood why Draco had brought them here.
Most likely, Hermione had used some method—unknown to her—to spark Draco's interest in this exchange.
Just as Pansy and Hermione were locked in a silent stare-down, the Head Boy on stage called up the students who had mastered the Patronus Charm.
These seniors, already proficient in the Patronus Charm, would serve as the "instructors," demonstrating and teaching the spell to the others.
What surprised everyone was that Harry Potter—far younger than the rest—was among them.
It seemed he, too, had mastered the Patronus Charm.
"That's—?"
"Potter?"
Standing beside older students who were more than a head taller than him, Harry Potter stood out immediately—especially with his face flushed red from nerves.
All eyes turned toward him.
It wasn't just because of the halo of the Chosen One surrounding him. Mastering the Patronus Charm at his age was genuinely astonishing.
It required not only long hours of practice, but also a measure of magical talent most people simply didn't possess.
Rather than questioning whether Harry truly had that ability, Draco noticed something else.
His gaze drifted toward Penelope, who seemed to have quietly stepped into the background.
"The Patronus Charm, hm? Looks like someone else has realized the threat of the Dementors."
"But… why Potter?"
"There's nothing surprising about it. After all, you're learning the Patronus Charm now as well."
"But that's because—"
"Because we already knew the Dementors might lose control, right?"
"…"
"And how do you think Potter walked away unscathed from a Dementor attack?"
"So there's only one possibility. He must have learned the Patronus Charm before that…?"
With Draco's reminder, the three girls finally accepted the fact that Harry Potter was standing on that stage.
To be precise, they had only felt indignant because Draco himself wasn't up there.
Sensing their thoughts, Draco didn't appear the least bit bothered. Instead, he changed the subject.
"So, how's your progress with the Patronus Charm?"
As he turned away, the explanation of the Patronus Charm continued from the stage.
...
The Patronus Charm.
Its reputation was no less than that of many powerful and dangerous spells.
Not only was it the strongest and most ancient Defensive Charm, it was best known for one reason: it could repel Dementors.
During the First Wizarding War in particular, this spell had shone brilliantly.
"Most wizards believe that being able to cast the Patronus Charm is a sign of extraordinary magical ability."
"Extraordinary magic?"
Hermione had clearly never heard the term before. She gave her wand an absent little wave and let out a soft, startled sound.
When she looked at Draco, her face was practically glowing with curiosity.
Draco tapped the floor lightly with his wand and lifted his gaze.
"You've noticed how difficult this spell is, haven't you?"
"If we're only talking about the first stage," Pansy replied thoughtfully, "then it's actually quite easy to grasp."
As she spoke, she glanced around at the surrounding students.
Leaving aside whether the younger ones—who had only just been introduced to the Patronus Charm—could truly understand its principles in such a short time, one thing was obvious.
The Patronus Charms being demonstrated by the students on stage were nothing more than wisps of mist.
They looked like drifting silver vapor. And that form was precisely what Pansy meant by the first stage.
Even the Head Boy's Patronus was only denser and more defined than the others'.
But even that vaporous manifestation already counted as a successful casting.
Just as everyone was marveling at the spell's intricacy and difficulty, a sharp cry rang out nearby.
"Harry! You're brilliant!!"
"That's incredible!"
Following the voices, Draco saw the same silvery glow flicker—
But there was one crucial difference.
In front of Harry Potter stood a stag, solid and radiant, pawing lightly at the ground.
This was the second stage of the Patronus Charm.
...
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