The ANZAC Legend Essay - 509 Words

The ANZAC Legend ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. The soldiers in those forces quickly became known as ANZACS, and the pride they soon took in that name endures to this day. The ANZAC legend began with the landing at Gallipoli on April 25 1915, signaling the start of the disastrous Dardanelles campaign on the Turk Peninsula. This campaign saw thousands of ANZAC fatalities before its conclusion in January 1916. Significantly, the ANZAC legend is the result of a devastating loss, rather than a great victory. The soldiers are remembered for maintaining courage and determination under hopeless conditions. The ANZAC legend owes much to wartime correspondents who used the†¦show more content†¦In wartime propaganda, the ANZAC forces were portrayed as the loyal sons of the British Empire, fighting as much for the mother country as for their own. Beyond the military campaign, the ANZAC soldiers represented the ethos of their rural Australian background. The values of equality, good humor and mateship were transplanted to the situation in Turkey. It is easy to understand why the ANZAC legend became so popular. The Gallipoli campaign was described as the baptism of the newly federated Australia, and a chance for Australian soldiers to prove themselves to the world. They were not ultimately victorious, but the soldiers came to represent the character traits of the new country: fit and healthy, duty bound and courageous, good humored and egalitarian. The ANZAC image allowed Australians to both demonstrate loyalty to Britain, and claim an identity of their own. There is much to challenge the factual accuracy of the ANZAC image. The idea that Australians were loyal Britons was questionable even in 1915. At the time, over 80% of Australians were Australian born, not English. Archbishop Mannix expressed the discrepancies in the ANZAC image in a wartime statement that England is not my motherland ... indeed it is my stepsister. Publications in existence from the nineteenth century, such as The Bulletin, rejectedShow MoreRelatedEssay about Gallipoli - The Anzac Legend726 Words   |  3 PagesGallipoli - The Anzac Legend The Anzac Legend is the source of the Aussie Fight and bravery that will live on for future generations to understand and to acknowledge their courage and bravery. Some would say The Anzac Legend all began when Britain declared they were in need of help and it was Australia’s duty to go to their aid. Australia tossed aside experience and opted for youth. There were big incentives to go. To travel and visit foreign places, economic reasons, to be withRead MoreMost Important Qualities Of The ANZAC Legend1382 Words   |  6 PagesThe ANZAC Legend is said to contain some of the most important qualities of Australians and New Zealanders today. Sir John Monash, Commander of the Australian forces on the Western Front, later wrote of the Australians as â€Å"intelligent, physically superior, independent, resourceful, brave and easy to lead but difficult to drive† (Cameron, Young, Lawless, 2002, pg 49). Even though Australians display these qualities, this Legend is no longer relevant in society today due to the fact that it excludesRead MoreThe Anzac Legend : An Important Aspect Of Our Identity Essay1737 Words   |  7 Pages The Anzac legend is an important aspect of our identity as a New Zealander. We have every reason to be proud of this historical event. In saying this, many New Zealanders died for us (as New Zealanders) and for our country, in order to give us a chance for a good life and be able to make a success of it. This essay will examine reasons of the Anzac legend and how it has been incorporated into the New Zealand identity. One aspect that this legend evaluates its place in our national identity is ourRead MoreEssay about Anzac Sprit669 Words   |  3 PagesThe ANZAC legend is many things to many people, to me the legend is as relevant today as it was 95 years ago, it is who we are as a people. The Anzac Legend is the Australian Spirit. This Anzac spirit has changed little over the past 95 years, the fundamental appeal and Spirit of the ANZAC legend is as relevant and strong today as it was on the day it was born, 25th April 1915, they were united under a common flag, a common emblem and a common outlook. Over the ensuing 8 months of fighting at GallipoliRead MoreDulce Et Decorum Est and Ninety Years Ago952 Words   |  4 Pageswritten by Rupert McCall in 2005 about the legend of the ANZACs. The poem was written to commemorate the 90th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign. Dulce Est Decorum Et was written by Owen Wilfred in 1917 about Owens experiences in WW1. Owen wrote this poem as an antiwar message describing the horrors that he went through. The two poems were written for very different reasons and this gives them their unique tones. McCall’s commemorative poem celebrates the ANZAC spirit which was an identity of mateshipRead MoreThe Anzac Legacy Of The Australian World War1778 Words   |  8 Pagesplaced on the Anzac legend could be argued to be incorrectly placed and channelled by certain groups for their own gain. This essay will argue that the Anzac legacy of the Australians being the perfect soldier is highly embellished and are no more remarkable than any other soldier. Furthermore the importance and Australia’s involvement in the First World War has been grossly inflated. Additionally, this will analyse claims made by historians and other academics about how the Anzac legend has changedRead MoreThe Importance Of Women During The Gallipoli Campaign1555 Words   |  7 PagesPage 1 title page Chapter 3 THE ANZACS IN WW1 2 index page Page Number What Is On The Page 1 Title Page 2 Index Page 3 Why did Australia go go to Gallipoli? What was the aim of the Dardanelles campaign? 4 Describe the landing on 25th April 1915. 5 Explain the conditions at Gallipoli for the Anzacs 6 Describe the role of women during the Gallipoli campaign. 7 Describe one battle in depth - eg Lone Pine or the Nek 8 How and why did Australians evacuate? 9 How has Gallipoli helped shape AustraliaRead MoreAlbany Essay1617 Words   |  7 Pagesconnections with the ANZAC story being the location where troops last departed Australian shores for the World War One battles at Gallipoli in 1914, and where the ï ¬ rst Australian dawn service was conducted by Padre White in 1932 in St John’s Church. Albany’s unique Aboriginal history position as the ï ¬ rst European settlement in Western Australia, and its role in facilitating establishment of a unifying national identity for Australians through association with the ANZAC legend has been adopted as theRead MoreAustralia s Involvement During The Second World War1100 Words   |  5 PagesJapanese army invaded the British Malaya on December 8, 1941. The Japanese army was outnumbered by the British army. Regardless, the Japanese were capable of pushing their enemies back. The British defence was unable to stop the Japanese army. The ANZAC were deployed to Malaya to support Lieutenant General Arthur Percival’s British forces because the troops were shocked about the lack of defence on the island. Soldiers were exhausted from the battle and Australia has lost roughly 700 men and hundredsRead MorePeter Weir’s film Gallipoli1722 Words   |  7 Pagessense of the phrase be called an ‘Australian classic†™. The impact and effect this film has had upon the psyche and perspective of several generations of Australians has been significant. Whilst it can be argued that every Australian is aware of the ANZAC legend, and the events that occurred on the Turkish beaches in 1915, Weir’s film encapsulates and embodies a cultural myth which is now propagated as fact and embraced as part of the contemporary Australian identity. The film projects a sense of Australian

Jade Goody’s life †creative writing Free Essays

As I turned on the TV to catch the first episode of Big Brother 3, I watched eagerly as each housemate entered the famous ‘Big Brother House’. One by one the participants passed over the threshold like lambs being lead to the slaughter. They wore nervous smiles of anticipation. We will write a custom essay sample on Jade Goody’s life – creative writing or any similar topic only for you Order Now The third housemate caught my eye; she was a twenty year old dental nurse who spent her early years in Bermondsey. Jade soon earned her place in the house, as the majority of housemates were picked decisively to keep the audience amused. Jade was known for causing trouble throughout her time in the BB house, ending up drunk and she was also criticized for backstabbing. From then on she was known as a loud mouthed rebel, who had a poor standard of knowledge, but she withstood numerous amounts of evictions and her popularity grew. Her time in the BB house soon came to an end and overall she came fourth in the competition. Jade’s life in the public eye did not end there and then; she had a few years of publicity ahead of her†¦ Also read The Story of an Eyewitness Essay Analysis Determined and strong, Jade carried on in the spotlight and appeared in numerous gossip oriented women’s magazines such as Heat and OK! She was one of the most talked about celebrities for weeks after the BB house. I admired her courage and willpower to stay popular, and in 2006 I was pleased to hear that she put herself forward to take part in the London marathon. I was proud of her because she was doing it for charity; there was a lot of negative publicity about this as people did not think that she would be able to finish the race. Anyone who is willing to participate in any form of marathon must have fortitude to do so as twenty six miles is an extensive distance. But as her drive took her to a dedicated twenty one miles her body gave in. It shows how much Jade wanted to finish the race as she did not stop until she was at the state of collapse. I think this reflects me as I usually don’t give up until I am injured, or there is something permanently blocking my path ! This is one of the reasons why I look up to Jade, although she had her defaults she aspired to grow in knowledge and acquire respect from the public. Very rarely did Jade seem despondent about the harsh press, and that’s what I think kept her going. She even published her own autobiography: Jade: My Autobiography. Many people had no clue as to how Jade was brought up, and when this book was released in May 2006 numerous people were intrigued to find out how tough her upbringing was. Her father who was of mixed race was a drug addict who a frequent visitor in her majesties service. Jade’s mother, Jackiey Budden separated from Jade’s father and was left to bring her up single handedly. This was demanding for Jade’s mother, but I can relate to Jade as I no longer live with my dad. After appearing on Big Brother three, Jade decided she would accept the invitation to enter Celebrity Big Brother five, as she was now a public figure. At this point in her courier Jade had earned between two million and eight million pounds. I think most people do not aspire to become famous through reality TV, as it doesn’t require talent. Jades second appearance on BB included her Mother and Boyfriend entering the Big Brother house. This was when the whole racial feud between Jade and the Bollywood star Shilper Shetty took place. I felt that Jade made a fool of herself on national TV and my respect for her took a step back. As I watched the headlines I questioned whether Jade should be the only one to blame. As Jade began to redeem herself I valued her strength of mind to get her life back on track. In late 2008 Jade appeared in India’s version of BB, ‘Big Boss’. I didn’t think it would do anything for Jade as Shilper Shetty was going to appear on ‘Big Boss’ alongside her. I was worried for Jade after the ordeal she went through previously. But nothing was said and two days into the show something awful had been uncovered. Something that made me shudder at the thought because she was a young mum with all of her life ahead of her. Something finally that could be terminal. She had been diagnosed with cervical cancer. It was all over the headlines, and when I heard I felt disbelief. The first thing that came to mind was her two sons. How is it going to affect their lives? How are they going to cope? Jade was immediately flown back to England for further testing. From that day on Jade suffered. She was strong willed and kept her battle up for a year. Her story really touched me, and this is why I have chosen to write about her because I think she is an inspiration to many women out there. It has been made apparent that because Jade made her battle with cancer so publicized more women will be aware of cervical cancer and a lot more will be saved. I think that by saving just one life, Jade’s short life will not have been in vein. Jade had her ups and downs, but at the end of the day if she has prompted women to get checked out then she is, in my eye a hero. How to cite Jade Goody’s life – creative writing, Essays

Reflective Report on Personal Learning Reflective Report

Question: Describe about the Reflective Report on Personal Learning Reflective Report. Answer: Introduction This has been a very successful session since beyond my wildest dreams, I have achieved my goals set out in my learning plan at the start of the session. The learning plan helped me devise a clear route to follow in pursuit of my dreams. This is a reflective report whose main purpose is to provide a self-evaluation of the learning needs set at the beginning of the session and the strategies as well as the challenges faced in achieving the goals and eventually an evaluation of the outcomes as set out in my learning plan (Nikolou-Walker Garnett, 2007). The learning needs covered include; fighting for the rights of the University students, developing effective reading skills, Acquiring and enhancing my personal hygiene, becoming a selfless individual and writing a research paper that will win me The Nobel Peace Prize award. The reflective report provides an analysis of my learning needs in terms of the set goals, the strategies employed to achieve the set goals, the constraints and challenges encountered in the process of achieving the goals and an analysis of the outcomes or end results of the efforts and a general reflection on the whole process I went through in an attempt to achieve the goals. Fighting for the rights of university students Leadership has always run through my veins. I have always had the yearning to lead and fight for the rights of others especially the rights of the minority groups in society at every stage of my life. Right from my time at primary school, I have held positions of leadership. As a result, when I joined the University, my goal was to fight for the rights of the students especially the diaspora students, to enhance my leadership skills and to oversee an improvement in the living conditions of the vulnerable members of society (Brockbank McGill, 2007). To achieve these goals, I had a strategy. A simple one in deed. My strategy was to keep doing what I knew best; to write articles on human rights issues affecting the students, publish them and post them strategically where all including the University Administration could read (Boyd Fales, 1983). To ensure that the issues received a wider coverage and attracted immediate attention, I joined human rights advocacy groups both within the university and in the country. Through the advocacy groups I was able to raise funds to aid in my publication and distribution of the articles. However, in this pursuit, I faced a myriad of constraints key among them lack of adequate funds to make enough publishings to reach a larger audience (Miettinen, 2000). Moreover, most of the students were scared of sharing their experiences as they feared this could land them into trouble with the university administration. Furthermore, I lacked adequate time to concentrate on this noble course as my class work schedule proved tight. Despite the challenges, I managed to achieve a considerable amount of positive outcomes from these endeavours. For instance, my leadership skills have grown immeasurably (Brockbank, etal, 2002). My decision making and critical thinking skills are exemplary. Moreover, today I am a leader in my every right. I command a very large following who have branded me the human rights weapon. Developing effective reading skills A man with a burning urge to lead; I need excellent effective reading skills. With this realisation, my goals when I joined the university were to improve my reading speed and enhance my memorization skills so that I can be able to give speeches without necessarily having to carry written documents to the podium (Zubizarreta, 2009). To achieve these objectives, I become a regular visitor of conferences, seminars and tutorials presided over by great speakers to learn the secret and the art behind their reading and presentation prowess. Furthermore, I regularly watched videos and recordings of good speakers such as Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela and read widely on good reading skills (Moely, etal, 2002). Nonetheless, in this pursuit, I encountered constraints such as lack of enough reading materials and lack of adequate seminars as the university could only organise for two seminars and one conference across the session. However, in spite of the constraints, I achieved measurable success. For instance, I learned how to pronounce the words I had initially considered difficult with ease. My reading skills have generally improved a great deal. Acquiring and enhancing personal hygiene On my first day of admission to the university, I was perplexed by the deplorable conditions of the halls of residence. Litter was scattered all over and the floor of my room was so dirty. No wonder there is a high number of cases of vector borne diseases at the universities. From the onset, my goals were to keep my environment tidy and to reduce cases of common diseases among university students such as malaria, typhoid and cholera (Smith, eat, 2009). To achieve these, I had a strategy; first of all, to pick litter around my hall of residence on a daily basis. Later to cut bushes, open water channels and empty dust bins to get rid of the breading places for vectors. This I could not do on my own. I drafted a proposal on environmental management and forwarded to the school management. I also began an environmental management club where I taught my fellow students on environmental management skills. In doing all these, I encountered a number of challenges. For instance, it took some time for the university management to act on my proposal as they required the university senate which sits once a year to convene to deliberate on my proposal (Moon, 2004). Also some of the students are quite uncooperative. They could deliberately throw litter where I had cleaned. However, despite the challenges, the university environment looks better today than it did at the beginning of the session. Moreover, the number of cases of students reporting to the dispensary for treatment of diseases such as malaria and typhoid has significantly reduced. Becoming a selfless individual Having been born in a poor neighbourhood, qualifying to join university was a great privilege. Never should I ever allow this opportunity go to waste. The only way I can ensure this is by giving back to society (Aj Stefani, etal, 2000). Mine is a humble neighbourhood where many children are orphaned due to chronic diseases, others lack houses due to poverty while others lack food. My goal was to put a roof on the head of the houseless, to feed the hungry stomach and dress the empty soul. I do not have enough resources hence to achieve these goals, I needed strategies such as amassing like-minded friends who could assist me in fundraising towards this course. I also, skipped a meal to save towards the noble course (Yelloly, 1995). However, in this regard, I encountered several constraints such as lack of adequate funds to help the ever increasing number of poor families and a general lack of adequate time going around soliciting support for the poor since I had other tasks to attend to. Nonetheless, I made considerable strides. Through reading on and visiting various charity organizations, I have learnt and acquired tactics on managing a charity organization. Writing a research paper that will win the Nobel Peace Prize Award I have always had passion for human rights and social issues. This has seen me compete in essay writing competitions at various levels. This time round, I wanted to achieve something bigger because I believe its achievable (Smith, 2001). The Nobel Peace Prize Award. My goal was to write an excellent piece of work that would make me the first student in my university to win this a word and join in the leagues of Martin Luther King and the likes. My strategy was to read widely on human rights and social issues and do more practice by involving myself in junior competitions to polish my writing skills (Light, etal, 2009). I was also to read sample writings on human rights and social issues and to watch videos on the same. In this pursuit, I faced challenges such as lack of enough time to prepare for writing competitions since I had other classwork tasks to attend to. However, in spite of the challenges, my skills were sharpened and at the end of the session, I am an even better writer. Conclusion Analysing my learning plan, I realise that my objectives have been met. Today I am an all-round better student ready to face the challenges of the outside world using the skills I have acquired. Having applied all the acquired skills as outlined on my learning plan, I will achieve tremendous success in my academic work and in other life fields. I am sure of being a successful human rights activist able to fit in the shoes of my mentor and role model; Koffi Annan. Recommendations I gained a great deal as a pertains to my learning needs. However, there are areas in my overall development which I need to work on to even become a better individual. Such include; engaging more in practical work than in theory so that I can acquire enough in-field experience, attend leadership classes to gain more leadership skills and seek career advice to identify the best arena to indulge in. References Zubizarreta, J. (2009). The learning portfolio: Reflective practice for improving student learning. John Wiley Sons. Ertmer, P. A., Newby, T. J. (1996). The expert learner: Strategic, self-regulated, and reflective. Instructional science, 24(1), 1-24. Kolb, A. Y., Kolb, D. A. (2005). Learning styles and learning spaces: Enhancing experiential learning in higher education. Academy of management learning education, 4(2), 193-212 Brockbank, A., McGill, I. (2007). Facilitating reflective learning in higher education. McGraw-Hill Education (UK). Nikolou-Walker, E., Garnett, J. (2004). Work-based learning. A new imperative: developing reflective practice in professional life. Reflective practice, 5(3), 297-312. Boyd, E. M., Fales, A. W. (1983). Reflective learning key to learning from experience. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 23(2), 99-117. Miettinen, R. (2000). The concept of experiential learning and John Dewey's theory of reflective thought and action. International Journal of Lifelong Education, 19(1), 54-72. Brockbank, A., McGill, I., Beech, N. (2002). Reflective learning in practice. Gower Publishing, Ltd.. Moely, B. E., McFarland, M., Miron, D., Mercer, S., Ilustre, V. (2002). Changes in college students' attitudes and intentions for civic involvement as a function of service-learning experiences. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 9(1). Smith, M., Brooks, S., Lichtenberg, A., McIlveen, P., Torjul, P., Tyler, J. (2009). Career development learning: maximising the contribution of work-integrated learning to the student experience. Final project report June 2009. University of Wollongong. Moon, J. A. (2004). A handbook of reflective and experiential learning: Theory and practice. Psychology Press. AJ Stefani, L., Clarke, J., Littlejohn, A. H. (2000). Developing a student-centred approach to reflective learning. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 37(2), 163-171. Yelloly, M. (1995). Learning and teaching in social work: Towards reflective practice. Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Smith, P. A. (2001). Action learning and reflective practice in project environments that are related to leadership development. Management Learning, 32(1), 31-48. Light, G., Calkins, S., Cox, R. (2009). Learning and teaching in higher education: The reflective professional. Sage.

Timothy Brown Essays (1093 words) - Military, United States Army

Timothy Brown Prof. Julian Rierson Compensation/ Benefits April 23, 2017 My Career Path Army officers are some of the best leaders in the world . Being an officer gives you an opportunity to grow professionally and personally. Education is a major key in the army. Since the beginning of my army career 3 years ago, my leaders always pushed me to learn new things. Being an officer , you need to well educated in a variety of topics. I believe with having a management degree it will help me lead other better. Officers take care of their subordinates, unlike some leaders I've encountered in the civilian world. Being an officer I plan on taking care of and motivating my subordinates to be the best at their full potential. Becoming an officer would be a great feeling. Being in the ROTC program gives me the opportunity to grow into the leader I want to be. Leading by example is something all officers should display. From watching officers throughout my military career they exemplify self-discipline, confidence, present military and professional bear ing. Those are some characteristics I wish to build while becoming an officer. Living by he army values are stepping stone to becoming a great military leader. Resilience is one of the biggest thing I've learned how to show since I've joined the army. No matter how hard things get I will continue to try and keep pushing. When a leader exemplifies resilience it will motivate their followers to do the same. The military has plenty of ways benefiting me financially, academically, and personally. For my career choice I was limited on some of the information . I specifically want to be an aviation officer. The SOC code for an aviation officer is 55-1011. An aviation officer is responsible for coordination of aviation operations from maintenance to controlling tower operations to tactical field operations. CITATION Uni1 \l 1033 (United State Army) The salary for an army officer varies depending on rank and years served. CITATION Uni \l 1033 (United States Army) Starting out as a Second Lieutenant with 2 or less years of service is $36,417.60. The amounts represented above is just base salary, which doesn't include bonuses, allowances and other benefits. The total compensation amount would be way more than the above amount. Most of the information for salary about an army officer was found on the actual army website. The bas e pay is the same in all states so I couldn't find certain pay for only the Columbus, Ga area. The army is constantly growing everyday. An article from USA today states that this year the Army is spending $300 million on bonuses and ads to get an additional 6,000 recruits than normal. By Oct. 1, the Army is going for a target of 476,000 active duty soldiers, up from the previous goal of 460,000. President Trump has said he wants an even larger force as many as 60,000 more soldiers. CITATION Chr \l 1033 (Chantrill) CITATION Bur \l 1033 (Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Dep artment of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook,) The army will double bonuses for new recruits in the hard to fill positions. Advertisement plays a big role in the growth of the army. The army is planning to spend $100 million on marketing to reach new recruits, which will reference the increase in the bonus amount. With this increase in bonuses this will motivate more people to join. The army now offer a two-year enlistment, which is lower than the normal three, four or more years. CITATION Tom17 \l 1033 (Brook) CITATION Chr \l 1033 (Chantrill) Above is a chart showing how much the US spend on its defenses. If you look at 2017 the amount is more than other years, because the target the military make increasing the amount of recruits entering the army. Opportunities should be good for qualified individuals in the military, plenty of the services that the military offer help fill entry-level and professional positions as current members move through the ranks, leave the service, or even retire. When the economy is thriving and civilian employment opportunities are generally more favorable, it is more difficult for the military to meet its recruitment quotas.

Spottswood W. Robinson III essays

Spottswood W. Robinson III essays Spottswood William Robinson, III was born in Richmond, Virginia on July 26, 1916. As a young man, Spottswood Robinson had two heroes, his father and his grandfather. Actually, he idolized his grandfather, who had been born into slavery, yet persevered and later became a successful businessman. He has said that his grandfather and father were strong influences in his life. He went to Virginia Union University when he was the age of 17. When he finished his studies there he then attended Howard University School of Law. His professors became his new heroes because they helped him to see the law as a means of solving the basic problems of American society. For Robinson, these new things became a challenge that gave his life purpose. In 1939 he graduated first in his class. According to Harry T. Edwards, Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, "Robinson graduated from Howard Law School with what is still reputed to be the highest scholastic average in the school's history." The men who taught and inspired him were great lawyers of the time. Their names were William Hastie, George E.C. Hayes, Charles Houston, Bernard S. Jefferson, W. R. Ming, James M. Nabrit, Jr. and Leon A. Ransom. After graduation Robinson became a faculty member of the Howard University School of Law from 1939 until 1947.  He also, along with his mentors and another group of Howard-trained Attorneys Thurgood Marshall, Oliver Hill, Arthur Shores and C. Wolden met at Howard or in nearby cities to assist each other in preparing civil rights cases. They were a marvelous group of men who unselfishly gave time and knowledge to the cause of civil rights. At various times, Robinson was an instructor, professor and also a partner in the law firm of Hill, Martin and Robinson in Richmond. Robinson was one of the core attorneys of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund from 1948 to 1960. Through the NAACP Robinson worked on important civil rights cases including ...

Chapter 12 The Patronus

As far as he was concerned, the stripping-down of a brand-new Firebolt was nothing less than criminal damage. Hermione, who remained convinced that she had acted for the best, started avoiding the common room. Harry and Ron supposed she had taken refuge in the library and didn’t try to persuade her to come back. All in all, they were glad when the rest of the school returned shortly after New Year, and Gryffindor Tower became crowded and noisy again. Wood sought Harry out on the night before term started. â€Å"Had a good Christmas?† he said, and then, without waiting for an answer, he sat down, lowered his voice, and said, â€Å"I’ve been, doing some thinking over Christmas, Harry. After last match, you know. If the Dementors come to the next one†¦I mean†¦we can’t afford you to — well –â€Å" Wood broke off, looking awkward. â€Å"I’m working on it,† said Harry quickly. â€Å"Professor Lupin said he’d train me to ward off the Dementors. We should be starting this week. He said he’d have time after Christmas.† â€Å"Ah,† said Wood, his expression clearing. â€Å"Well, in that case — I really didn’t want to lose you as Seeker, Harry. And have you ordered a new broom yet?† â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"What! You’d better get a move on, you know — you can’t ride that Shooting Star against Ravenclaw!† â€Å"He got a Firebolt for Christmas,† said Ron. â€Å"A Firebolt? No! Seriously? A — a real Firebolt?† â€Å"Don’t get excited, Oliver,† said Harry gloomily. â€Å"I haven’t got it anymore. It was confiscated.† And he explained all about how the Firebolt was now being checked for jinxes. â€Å"Jinxed? How could it be jinxed?† â€Å"Sirius Black,† Harry said wearily. â€Å"He’s supposed to be after me. So McGonagall reckons he might have sent it.† Waving aside the information that a famous murderer was after his Seeker, Wood said, â€Å"But Black couldn’t have bought a Firebolt! He’s on the run! The whole country’s on the lookout for him! How could he just walk into Quality Quidditch Supplies and buy a broomstick?† â€Å"I know,† said Harry, â€Å"but McGonagall still wants to strip it down –â€Å" Wood went pale. â€Å"I’ll go and talk to her, Harry,† he promised. â€Å"I’ll make her see reason†¦A Firebolt†¦a real Firebolt, on our team †¦She wants Gryffindor to win as much as we do†¦I’ll make her see sense. A Firebolt†¦.† Classes started again the next day. The last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs. The first Divination lesson of the new term was much less fun; Professor Trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, and she lost no time in informing Harry that he had the shortest life line she had ever seen. It was Defense Against the Dark Arts that Harry was keen to get to; after his conversation with Wood, he wanted to get started on his anti-Dementor lessons as soon as possible. â€Å"Ah yes,† said Lupin, when Harry reminded him of his promise at the end of class. â€Å"Let me see†¦how about eight o’clock on Thursday evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough†¦I’ll have to think carefully about how we’re going to do this†¦We can’t bring a real Dementor into the castle to practice on†¦.† â€Å"Still looks ill, doesn’t he?† said Ron as they walked down the corridor, heading to dinner. â€Å"What d’you reckon’s the matter with him?† There was a loud and impatient â€Å"tuh† from behind them. It was Hermione, who had been sitting at the feet of a suit of armor, repacking her bag, which was so full of books it wouldn’t close. â€Å"And what are you tutting at us for?† said Ron irritably. â€Å"Nothing,† said Hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder. â€Å"Yes, you were,† said Ron. â€Å"I said I wonder what’s wrong with Lupin, and you –â€Å" â€Å"Well, isn’t it obvious?† said Hermione, with a look of maddening superiority. â€Å"If you don’t want to tell us, don’t,† snapped Ron. â€Å"Fine,† said Hermione haughtily, and she marched off. â€Å"She doesn’t know,† said Ron, staring resentfully after Hermione. â€Å"She’s just trying to get us to talk to her again.† At eight o’clock on Thursday evening, Harry left Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when he arrived, but he lit the lamps with his wand and had waited only five minutes when Professor Lupin turned up, carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn’s desk. â€Å"What’s that?† said Harry. â€Å"Another Boggart,† said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. â€Å"I’ve been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch’s filing cabinet. It’s the nearest we’ll get to a real Dementor. The Boggart will turn into a Dementor when he sees you, so we’ll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we’re not using him; there’s a cupboard under my desk he’ll like.† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry, trying to sound as though he wasn’t apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitute for a real Dementor. â€Å"So†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Professor Lupin had taken out his own wand, and indicated that Harry should do the same. â€Å"The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry — well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm.† â€Å"How does it work?† said Harry nervously. â€Å"Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus,† said Lupin, â€Å"which is a kind of anti-Dementor — a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor.† Harry had a sudden vision of himself crouching behind a Hagrid-sized figure holding a large club. Professor Lupin continued, â€Å"The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon — hope, happiness, the desire to survive — but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can’t hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it.† â€Å"What does a Patronus look like?† said Harry curiously. â€Å"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it.† â€Å"And how do you conjure it?† â€Å"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory.† Harry cast his mind about for a happy memory. Certainly, nothing that had happened to him at the Dursleys’ was going to do. Finally, he settled on the moment when he had first ridden a broomstick. â€Å"Right,† he said, trying to recall as exactly as possible the wonderful, soaring sensation of his stomach. â€Å"The incantation is this –† Lupin cleared his throat. â€Å"Expecto patronum!† â€Å"Expecto patronum,† Harry repeated under his breath, â€Å"expecto patronum.† â€Å"Concentrating hard on your happy memory?† â€Å"Oh — yeah –† said Harry, quickly forcing his thoughts back to that first broom ride. â€Å"Expecto patrono — no, patronum — sorry — expecto patronum, expecto patronum† Something whooshed suddenly out of the end of his wand; it looked like a wisp of silvery gas. â€Å"Did you see that?† said Harry excitedly. â€Å"Something happened!† â€Å"Very good,† said Lupin, smiling. â€Å"Right, then — ready to try it on a Dementor?† â€Å"Yes,† Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding†¦Any second now, he might hear his mother again†¦but he shouldn’t think that, or he would hear her again, and he didn’t want to†¦or did he? Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled. A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold broke over him — â€Å"Expecto patronum!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Expecto patronum! Expecto –â€Å" But the classroom and the Dementor were dissolving†¦Harry was falling again through thick white fog, and his mother’s voice was louder than ever, echoing inside his head — â€Å"Not Harry! Not Harry! Please — I’ll do anything –â€Å" â€Å"Stand aside — stand aside, girl –â€Å" â€Å"Harry!† Harry jerked back to life. He was lying flat on his back on the floor. The classroom lamps were alight again. He didn’t have to ask what had happened. â€Å"Sorry,† he muttered, sitting up and feeling cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses. â€Å"Are you all right?† said Lupin. â€Å"Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it. â€Å"Here –† Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. â€Å"Eat this before we try again. I didn’t expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had.† â€Å"It’s getting worse,† Harry muttered, biting off the Frog’s head. â€Å"I could hear her louder that time — and him — Voldemort –â€Å" Lupin looked paler than usual. â€Å"Harry, if you don’t want to continue, I will more than understand –â€Å" â€Å"I do!† said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. â€Å"I’ve got to! What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can’t afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we’ve lost the Quidditch Cup!† â€Å"All right then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Lupin. â€Å"You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on†¦That one doesn’t seem to have been strong enough†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry thought hard and decided his feelings when Gryffindor had won the House Championship last year had definitely qualified as very happy. He gripped his wand tightly again and took up his position in the middle of the classroom. â€Å"Ready?† said Lupin, gripping the box lid. â€Å"Ready,† said Harry; trying hard to fill his head with happy thoughts about Gryffindor winning, and not dark thoughts about what was going to happen when the box opened. â€Å"Go!† said Lupin, pulling off the lid. The room went icily cold and dark once more. The Dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending toward Harry — â€Å"Expecto patronum!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Expecto patronum! Expecto Pat –â€Å" White fog obscured his senses†¦big, blurred shapes were moving around him†¦then came a new voice, a man’s voice, shouting, panicking — â€Å"Lily, take Harry and go! It’s him! Go! Run! I’ll hold him off –â€Å" The sounds of someone stumbling from a room — a door bursting open — a cackle of high- pitched laughter — â€Å"Harry! Harry†¦wake up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin was tapping Harry hard on the face. This time it was a minute before Harry understood why he was lying on a dusty classroom floor. â€Å"I heard my dad,† Harry mumbled. â€Å"That’s the first time I’ve ever heard him — he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry suddenly realized that there were tears on his face mingling with the sweat. He bent his face as low as possible, wiping them off on his robes, pretending to do up his shoelace, so that Lupin wouldn’t see. â€Å"You heard James?† said Lupin in a strange voice. â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Face dry, Harry looked up. â€Å"Why — you didn’t know my dad, did you?† â€Å"I — I did, as a matter of fact,† said Lupin. â€Å"We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry — perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced†¦I shouldn’t have suggested putting you through this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No!† said Harry. He got up again. â€Å"I’ll have one more go! I’m not thinking of happy enough things, that’s what it is†¦hang on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He racked his brains. A really, really happy memory†¦one that he could turn into a good, strong Patronus†¦. The moment when he’d first found out he was a wizard, and would be leaving the Dursleys for Hogwarts! If that wasn’t a happy memory, he didn’t know what was†¦Concentrating very hard on how he had felt when he’d realized he’d be leaving Privet Drive, Harry got to his feet and faced the packing case once more. â€Å"Ready?† said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgment. â€Å"Concentrating hard? All right — go!† He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the Dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark — â€Å"EXPECTO PATRONUM!† Harry bellowed. â€Å"EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!† The screaming inside Harry’s head had started again — except this time, it sounded as though it were coming from a badly tuned radio — softer and louder and softer again†¦and he could still see the Dementor†¦it had halted†¦and then a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry’s wand, to hover between him and the Dementor, and though Harry’s legs felt like water, he was still on his feet — though for how much longer, he wasn’t sure†¦ â€Å"Riddikulus!† roared Lupin, springing forward. There was a loud crack, and Harry’s cloudy Patronus vanished along with the Dementor; he sank into a chair, feeling as exhausted as if he’d just run a mile, and felt his legs shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Lupin forcing the Boggart back into the packing case with his wand; it had turned into a silvery orb again. â€Å"Excellent!† Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. â€Å"Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!† â€Å"Can we have another go? Just one more go?† â€Å"Not now,† said Lupin firmly. â€Å"You’ve had enough for one night. Here –â€Å" He handed Harry a large bar of Honeydukes’ best chocolate. â€Å"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry. He took a bite of the chocolate and watched Lupin extinguishing the lamps that had rekindled with the disappearance of the Dementor. A thought had just occurred to him. â€Å"Professor Lupin?† he said. â€Å"If you knew my dad, you must’ve known Sirius Black as well.† Lupin turned very quickly. â€Å"What gives you that idea?† he said sharply. â€Å"Nothing — I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin’s face relaxed. â€Å"Yes, I knew him,† he said shortly. â€Å"Or I thought I did. You’d better be off, Harry, it’s getting late.† Harry left the classroom, walking along the corridor and around a corner, then took a detour behind a suit of armor and sank down on its plinth to finish his chocolate, wishing he hadn’t mentioned Black, as Lupin was obviously not keen on the subject. Then Harry’s thoughts wandered back to his mother and father †¦ He felt drained and strangely empty, even though he was so full of chocolate. Terrible though it was to hear his parents’ last moments replayed inside his head, these were the only times Harry had heard their voices since he was a very small child. But he’d never be able to produce a proper Patronus if he half wanted to hear his parents again †¦ â€Å"They’re dead,† he told himself sternly. â€Å"They’re dead and listening to echoes of them won’t bring them back. You’d better get a grip on yourself if you want that Quidditch Cup.† He stood up, crammed the last bit of chocolate into his mouth, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Ravenclaw played Slytherin a week after the start of term. Slytherin won, though narrowly. According to Wood, this was good news for Gryffindor, who would take second place if they beat Ravenclaw too. He therefore increased the number of team practices to five a week. This meant that with Lupin’s anti-Dementor classes, which in themselves were more draining than six Quidditch practices, Harry had just one night a week to do all his homework. Even so, he was not showing the strain nearly as much as Hermione, whose immense workload finally seemed to be getting to her. Every night, without fail, Hermione was to be seen in a corner of the common room, several tables spread with books, Arithmancy charts, rune dictionaries, diagrams of Muggles lifting heavy objects, and file upon file of extensive notes; she barely spoke to anybody and snapped when she was interrupted. â€Å"How’s she doing it?† Ron muttered to Harry one evening as Harry sat finishing a nasty essay on Undetectable Poisons for Snape. Harry looked up. Hermione was barely visible behind a tottering pile of books. â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"Getting to all her classes!† Ron said. â€Å"I heard her talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterday’s lesson, but Hermione can’t’ve been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures! And Ernie McMillan told me she’s never missed a Muggle Studies class, but half of them are at the same time as Divination, and she’s never missed one of them either!† Harry didn’t have time to fathom the mystery of Hermione’s impossible schedule at the moment; he really needed to get on with Snape’s essay. Two seconds later, however, he was interrupted again, this time by Wood. â€Å"Bad news, Harry. I’ve just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She — er — got a bit shirty with me. Told me I’d got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn’t care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first.† Wood shook his head in disbelief. â€Å"Honestly, the way she was yelling at me†¦you’d think I’d said something terrible. Then I asked her how much longer she was going to keep it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He screwed up his face and imitated Professor McGonagall’s severe voice. â€Å"As long as necessary, Wood†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I reckon it’s time you ordered a new broom, Harry. There’s an order form at the back of Which Broomstick†¦you could get a Nimbus Two Thousand and One, like Malfoy’s got.† â€Å"I’m not buying anything Malfoy thinks is good,† said Harry flatly. January faded imperceptibly into February, with no change in the bitterly cold weather. The match against Ravenclaw was drawing nearer and nearer, but Harry still hadn’t ordered a new broom. He was now asking Professor McGonagall for news of the Firebolt after every Transfiguration lesson, Ron standing hopefully at his shoulder, Hermione rushing past with her face averted. â€Å"No, Potter, you can’t have it back yet,† Professor McGonagall told him the twelfth time this happened, before he’d even opened his mouth. â€Å"We’ve checked for most of the usual curses, but Professor Flitwick believes the broom might be carrying a Hurling Hex. I shall tell you once we’ve finished checking it. Now, please stop badgering me.† To make matters even worse, Harry’s anti-Dementor lessons were not going nearly as well as he had hoped. Several sessions on, he was able to produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the Boggart-Dementor approached him, but his Patronus was too feeble to drive the Dementor away. All it did was hover, like a semitransparent cloud, draining Harry of energy as he fought to keep it there. Harry felt angry with himself, guilty about his secret desire to hear his parents’ voices again. â€Å"You’re expecting too much of yourself,† said Professor Lupin, sternly in their fourth week of practice. â€Å"For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren’t passing out anymore, are you?† â€Å"I thought a Patronus would — charge the Dementors down or something,† said Harry dispiritedly. â€Å"Make them disappear –â€Å" â€Å"The true Patronus does do that,† said Lupin. â€Å"But you’ve achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the Dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match, You will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground.† â€Å"You said it’s harder if there are loads of them,† said Harry. â€Å"I have complete confidence in you,† said Lupin, smiling. â€Å"Here — you’ve earned a drink. Something from the Three Broomsticks. You won’t have tried it before –â€Å" He pulled two bottles out of his briefcase. â€Å"Butterbeer!† said Harry, without thinking. â€Å"Yeah, I like that stuff!† Lupin raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh — Ron and Hermione brought me some back from Hogsmeade,† Harry lied quickly. â€Å"I see,† said Lupin, though he still looked slightly suspicious. â€Å"Well — let’s drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I’m supposed to take sides, as a teacher†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he added hastily. They drank the butterbeer in silence, until Harry voiced something he’d been wondering for a while. â€Å"What’s under a Dementor’s hood?† Professor Lupin lowered his bottle thoughtfully. â€Å"Hmmm †¦ well, the only people who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the Dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon.† â€Å"What’s that?† â€Å"They call it the Dementor’s Kiss,† said Lupin, with a slightly twisted smile. â€Å"It’s what Dementors do to those they wish to destroy utterly. I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim and — and suck out his soul.† Harry accidentally spat out a bit of butterbeer. â€Å"What — they kill –?† â€Å"Oh no,† said Lupin. â€Å"Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you’ll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no†¦anything. There’s no chance at all of recovery. You’ll just exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever†¦lost.† Lupin drank a little more butterbeer, then said, â€Å"It’s the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the Daily Prophet this morning. The Ministry have given the Dementors permission to perform it if they find him.† Harry sat stunned for a moment at the idea of someone having their soul sucked out through their mouth. But then he thought of Black. â€Å"He deserves it,† he said suddenly. â€Å"You think so?† said Lupin lightly. â€Å"Do you really think anyone deserves that?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry defiantly. â€Å"For†¦for some things†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He would have liked to have told Lupin about the conversation he’d overheard about Black in the Three Broomsticks, about Black betraying his mother and father, but it would have involved revealing that he’d gone to Hogsmeade without permission, and he knew Lupin wouldn’t be very impressed by that. So he finished his butterbeer, thanked Lupin, and left the History of Magic classroom. Harry half wished that he hadn’t asked what was under a Dementor’s hood, the answer had been so horrible, and he was so lost in unpleasant thoughts of what it would feel like to have your soul sucked out of you that he walked headlong into Professor McGonagall halfway up the stairs. â€Å"Do watch where you’re going, Potter!† â€Å"Sorry, Professor –â€Å" â€Å"I’ve just been looking for you in the Gryffindor common room, Well, here it is, we’ve done everything we could think of, and there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it at all — you’ve got a very good friend somewhere, Potter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry’s jaw dropped. She was holding out his Firebolt, and it looked as magnificent as ever. â€Å"I can have it back?† Harry said weakly. â€Å"Seriously?† â€Å"Seriously,† said Professor McGonagall, and she was actually smiling. â€Å"I daresay you’ll need to get the feel of it before Saturday’s match, won’t you? And Potter — do try and win, won’t you? Or we’ll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Speechless, Harry carried the Firebolt back upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower. As he turned a corner, he saw Ron dashing toward him, grinning from ear to ear. â€Å"She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?† â€Å"Yeah†¦anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Harry, his heart lighter than it had been in a month. â€Å"You know what — we should make up with Hermione†¦She was only trying to help†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah, all right,† said Ron. â€Å"She’s in the common room now working — for a change.† They turned into the corridor to Gryffindor Tower and saw Neville Longbottom, pleading with Sir Cadogan, who seemed to be refusing him entrance. â€Å"I wrote them down!† Neville was saying tearfully. â€Å"But I must’ve dropped them somewhere!† â€Å"A likely tale!† roared Sir Cadogan. Then, spotting Harry and Ron: â€Å"Good even, my fine young yeomen! Come clap this loon in irons. He is trying to force entry to the chambers within!† â€Å"Oh, shut up,† said Ron as he and Harry drew level with Neville. â€Å"I’ve lost the passwords!† Neville told them miserably. â€Å"I made him tell me what passwords he was going to use this week, because he keeps changing them, and now I don’t know what I’ve done with them!† â€Å"Oddsbodkins,† said Harry to Sir Cadogan, who looked extremely disappointed and reluctantly swung forward to let them into the common room. There was a sudden, excited murmur as every head turned and the next moment, Harry was surrounded by people exclaiming over his Firebolt. â€Å"Where’d you get it, Harry?† â€Å"Will you let me have a go?† â€Å"Have you ridden it yet, Harry?† â€Å"Ravenclaw’ll have no chance, they’re all on Cleansweep Sevens!† â€Å"Can I just hold it, Harry?† After ten minutes or so, during which the Firebolt was Passed around and admired from every angle, the crowd dispersed and Harry and Ron had a clear view of Hermione, the only person who hadn’t rushed over to them, bent over her work and carefully avoiding their eyes. Harry and Ron approached her table and at last, she looked up. â€Å"I got it back,† said Harry, grinning at her and holding up the Firebolt. â€Å"See, Hermione? There wasn’t anything wrong with it!† said Ron. â€Å"Well — there might have been!† said Hermione. â€Å"I mean, at least you know now that it’s safe!† â€Å"Yeah, I suppose so,† said Harry. â€Å"I’d better put it upstairs.† â€Å"I’ll take it!† said Ron eagerly. â€Å"I’ve got to give Scabbers his rat tonic.† He took the Firebolt and, holding it as if it were made of glass, carried it away up the boys’ staircase. â€Å"Can I sit down, then?† Harry asked Hermione. â€Å"I suppose so,† said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off a chair. Harry looked around at the cluttered table, at the long Arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even longer Muggle Studies essay (‘Explain Why Muggles Need Electricity’) and at the rune translation Hermione was now poring over. â€Å"How are you getting through all this stuff?† Harry asked her. â€Å"Oh, well — you know — working hard,† said Hermione. Close-up, Harry saw that she looked almost as tired as Lupin. â€Å"Why don’t you just drop a couple of subjects?† Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary. â€Å"I couldn’t do that!† said Hermione, looking scandalized. â€Å"Arithmancy looks terrible,† said Harry, picking up a very complicated-looking number chart. â€Å"Oh no, it’s wonderful!† said Hermione earnestly. â€Å"It’s my favorite subject! It’s –â€Å" But exactly what was wonderful about Arithmancy, Harry never found out. At that precise moment, a strangled yell echoed down the boys’ staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder — and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bedsheet. â€Å"LOOK!† he bellowed, striding over to Hermione’s table. â€Å"LOOK!† he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face. â€Å"Ron, what –?† â€Å"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!† Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Harry looked down at the sheet Ron was holding. There was something red on it. Something that looked horribly like — â€Å"BLOOD!† Ron yelled into the stunned silence. â€Å"HE’S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?† â€Å"N — no,† said Hermione in a trembling voice. Ron threw something down onto Hermione’s rune translation. Hermione and Harry leaned forward. Lying on top of the weird, spiky shapes were several long, ginger cat hairs. Chapter 12 The Patronus As far as he was concerned, the stripping-down of a brand-new Firebolt was nothing less than criminal damage. Hermione, who remained convinced that she had acted for the best, started avoiding the common room. Harry and Ron supposed she had taken refuge in the library and didn’t try to persuade her to come back. All in all, they were glad when the rest of the school returned shortly after New Year, and Gryffindor Tower became crowded and noisy again. Wood sought Harry out on the night before term started. â€Å"Had a good Christmas?† he said, and then, without waiting for an answer, he sat down, lowered his voice, and said, â€Å"I’ve been, doing some thinking over Christmas, Harry. After last match, you know. If the Dementors come to the next one†¦I mean†¦we can’t afford you to — well –â€Å" Wood broke off, looking awkward. â€Å"I’m working on it,† said Harry quickly. â€Å"Professor Lupin said he’d train me to ward off the Dementors. We should be starting this week. He said he’d have time after Christmas.† â€Å"Ah,† said Wood, his expression clearing. â€Å"Well, in that case — I really didn’t want to lose you as Seeker, Harry. And have you ordered a new broom yet?† â€Å"No,† said Harry. â€Å"What! You’d better get a move on, you know — you can’t ride that Shooting Star against Ravenclaw!† â€Å"He got a Firebolt for Christmas,† said Ron. â€Å"A Firebolt? No! Seriously? A — a real Firebolt?† â€Å"Don’t get excited, Oliver,† said Harry gloomily. â€Å"I haven’t got it anymore. It was confiscated.† And he explained all about how the Firebolt was now being checked for jinxes. â€Å"Jinxed? How could it be jinxed?† â€Å"Sirius Black,† Harry said wearily. â€Å"He’s supposed to be after me. So McGonagall reckons he might have sent it.† Waving aside the information that a famous murderer was after his Seeker, Wood said, â€Å"But Black couldn’t have bought a Firebolt! He’s on the run! The whole country’s on the lookout for him! How could he just walk into Quality Quidditch Supplies and buy a broomstick?† â€Å"I know,† said Harry, â€Å"but McGonagall still wants to strip it down –â€Å" Wood went pale. â€Å"I’ll go and talk to her, Harry,† he promised. â€Å"I’ll make her see reason†¦A Firebolt†¦a real Firebolt, on our team †¦She wants Gryffindor to win as much as we do†¦I’ll make her see sense. A Firebolt†¦.† Classes started again the next day. The last thing anyone felt like doing was spending two hours on the grounds on a raw January morning, but Hagrid had provided a bonfire full of salamanders for their enjoyment, and they spent an unusually good lesson collecting dry wood and leaves to keep the fire blazing while the flame-loving lizards scampered up and down the crumbling, white-hot logs. The first Divination lesson of the new term was much less fun; Professor Trelawney was now teaching them palmistry, and she lost no time in informing Harry that he had the shortest life line she had ever seen. It was Defense Against the Dark Arts that Harry was keen to get to; after his conversation with Wood, he wanted to get started on his anti-Dementor lessons as soon as possible. â€Å"Ah yes,† said Lupin, when Harry reminded him of his promise at the end of class. â€Å"Let me see†¦how about eight o’clock on Thursday evening? The History of Magic classroom should be large enough†¦I’ll have to think carefully about how we’re going to do this†¦We can’t bring a real Dementor into the castle to practice on†¦.† â€Å"Still looks ill, doesn’t he?† said Ron as they walked down the corridor, heading to dinner. â€Å"What d’you reckon’s the matter with him?† There was a loud and impatient â€Å"tuh† from behind them. It was Hermione, who had been sitting at the feet of a suit of armor, repacking her bag, which was so full of books it wouldn’t close. â€Å"And what are you tutting at us for?† said Ron irritably. â€Å"Nothing,† said Hermione in a lofty voice, heaving her bag back over her shoulder. â€Å"Yes, you were,† said Ron. â€Å"I said I wonder what’s wrong with Lupin, and you –â€Å" â€Å"Well, isn’t it obvious?† said Hermione, with a look of maddening superiority. â€Å"If you don’t want to tell us, don’t,† snapped Ron. â€Å"Fine,† said Hermione haughtily, and she marched off. â€Å"She doesn’t know,† said Ron, staring resentfully after Hermione. â€Å"She’s just trying to get us to talk to her again.† At eight o’clock on Thursday evening, Harry left Gryffindor Tower for the History of Magic classroom. It was dark and empty when he arrived, but he lit the lamps with his wand and had waited only five minutes when Professor Lupin turned up, carrying a large packing case, which he heaved onto Professor Binn’s desk. â€Å"What’s that?† said Harry. â€Å"Another Boggart,† said Lupin, stripping off his cloak. â€Å"I’ve been combing the castle ever since Tuesday, and very luckily, I found this one lurking inside Mr. Filch’s filing cabinet. It’s the nearest we’ll get to a real Dementor. The Boggart will turn into a Dementor when he sees you, so we’ll be able to practice on him. I can store him in my office when we’re not using him; there’s a cupboard under my desk he’ll like.† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry, trying to sound as though he wasn’t apprehensive at all and merely glad that Lupin had found such a good substitute for a real Dementor. â€Å"So†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Professor Lupin had taken out his own wand, and indicated that Harry should do the same. â€Å"The spell I am going to try and teach you is highly advanced magic, Harry — well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level. It is called the Patronus Charm.† â€Å"How does it work?† said Harry nervously. â€Å"Well, when it works correctly, It conjures up a Patronus,† said Lupin, â€Å"which is a kind of anti-Dementor — a guardian that acts as a shield between you and the Dementor.† Harry had a sudden vision of himself crouching behind a Hagrid-sized figure holding a large club. Professor Lupin continued, â€Å"The Patronus is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the Dementor feeds upon — hope, happiness, the desire to survive — but it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can’t hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the charm might be too advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it.† â€Å"What does a Patronus look like?† said Harry curiously. â€Å"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it.† â€Å"And how do you conjure it?† â€Å"With an incantation, which will work only if you are concentrating, with all your might, on a single, very happy memory.† Harry cast his mind about for a happy memory. Certainly, nothing that had happened to him at the Dursleys’ was going to do. Finally, he settled on the moment when he had first ridden a broomstick. â€Å"Right,† he said, trying to recall as exactly as possible the wonderful, soaring sensation of his stomach. â€Å"The incantation is this –† Lupin cleared his throat. â€Å"Expecto patronum!† â€Å"Expecto patronum,† Harry repeated under his breath, â€Å"expecto patronum.† â€Å"Concentrating hard on your happy memory?† â€Å"Oh — yeah –† said Harry, quickly forcing his thoughts back to that first broom ride. â€Å"Expecto patrono — no, patronum — sorry — expecto patronum, expecto patronum† Something whooshed suddenly out of the end of his wand; it looked like a wisp of silvery gas. â€Å"Did you see that?† said Harry excitedly. â€Å"Something happened!† â€Å"Very good,† said Lupin, smiling. â€Å"Right, then — ready to try it on a Dementor?† â€Å"Yes,† Harry said, gripping his wand very tightly, and moving into the middle of the deserted classroom. He tried to keep his mind on flying, but something else kept intruding†¦Any second now, he might hear his mother again†¦but he shouldn’t think that, or he would hear her again, and he didn’t want to†¦or did he? Lupin grasped the lid of the packing case and pulled. A Dementor rose slowly from the box, its hooded face turned toward Harry, one glistening, scabbed hand gripping its cloak. The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. The Dementor stepped from the box and started to sweep silently toward Harry, drawing a deep, rattling breath. A wave of piercing cold broke over him — â€Å"Expecto patronum!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Expecto patronum! Expecto –â€Å" But the classroom and the Dementor were dissolving†¦Harry was falling again through thick white fog, and his mother’s voice was louder than ever, echoing inside his head — â€Å"Not Harry! Not Harry! Please — I’ll do anything –â€Å" â€Å"Stand aside — stand aside, girl –â€Å" â€Å"Harry!† Harry jerked back to life. He was lying flat on his back on the floor. The classroom lamps were alight again. He didn’t have to ask what had happened. â€Å"Sorry,† he muttered, sitting up and feeling cold sweat trickling down behind his glasses. â€Å"Are you all right?† said Lupin. â€Å"Yes†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry pulled himself up on one of the desks and leaned against it. â€Å"Here –† Lupin handed him a Chocolate Frog. â€Å"Eat this before we try again. I didn’t expect you to do it your first time; in fact, I would have been astounded if you had.† â€Å"It’s getting worse,† Harry muttered, biting off the Frog’s head. â€Å"I could hear her louder that time — and him — Voldemort –â€Å" Lupin looked paler than usual. â€Å"Harry, if you don’t want to continue, I will more than understand –â€Å" â€Å"I do!† said Harry fiercely, stuffing the rest of the Chocolate Frog into his mouth. â€Å"I’ve got to! What if the Dementors turn up at our match against Ravenclaw? I can’t afford to fall off again. If we lose this game we’ve lost the Quidditch Cup!† â€Å"All right then†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Lupin. â€Å"You might want to select another memory, a happy memory, I mean, to concentrate on†¦That one doesn’t seem to have been strong enough†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry thought hard and decided his feelings when Gryffindor had won the House Championship last year had definitely qualified as very happy. He gripped his wand tightly again and took up his position in the middle of the classroom. â€Å"Ready?† said Lupin, gripping the box lid. â€Å"Ready,† said Harry; trying hard to fill his head with happy thoughts about Gryffindor winning, and not dark thoughts about what was going to happen when the box opened. â€Å"Go!† said Lupin, pulling off the lid. The room went icily cold and dark once more. The Dementor glided forward, drawing its breath; one rotting hand was extending toward Harry — â€Å"Expecto patronum!† Harry yelled. â€Å"Expecto patronum! Expecto Pat –â€Å" White fog obscured his senses†¦big, blurred shapes were moving around him†¦then came a new voice, a man’s voice, shouting, panicking — â€Å"Lily, take Harry and go! It’s him! Go! Run! I’ll hold him off –â€Å" The sounds of someone stumbling from a room — a door bursting open — a cackle of high- pitched laughter — â€Å"Harry! Harry†¦wake up†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin was tapping Harry hard on the face. This time it was a minute before Harry understood why he was lying on a dusty classroom floor. â€Å"I heard my dad,† Harry mumbled. â€Å"That’s the first time I’ve ever heard him — he tried to take on Voldemort himself, to give my mum time to run for it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry suddenly realized that there were tears on his face mingling with the sweat. He bent his face as low as possible, wiping them off on his robes, pretending to do up his shoelace, so that Lupin wouldn’t see. â€Å"You heard James?† said Lupin in a strange voice. â€Å"Yeah†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Face dry, Harry looked up. â€Å"Why — you didn’t know my dad, did you?† â€Å"I — I did, as a matter of fact,† said Lupin. â€Å"We were friends at Hogwarts. Listen, Harry — perhaps we should leave it here for tonight. This charm is ridiculously advanced†¦I shouldn’t have suggested putting you through this†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"No!† said Harry. He got up again. â€Å"I’ll have one more go! I’m not thinking of happy enough things, that’s what it is†¦hang on†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He racked his brains. A really, really happy memory†¦one that he could turn into a good, strong Patronus†¦. The moment when he’d first found out he was a wizard, and would be leaving the Dursleys for Hogwarts! If that wasn’t a happy memory, he didn’t know what was†¦Concentrating very hard on how he had felt when he’d realized he’d be leaving Privet Drive, Harry got to his feet and faced the packing case once more. â€Å"Ready?† said Lupin, who looked as though he were doing this against his better judgment. â€Å"Concentrating hard? All right — go!† He pulled off the lid of the case for the third time, and the Dementor rose out of it; the room fell cold and dark — â€Å"EXPECTO PATRONUM!† Harry bellowed. â€Å"EXPECTO PATRONUM! EXPECTO PATRONUM!† The screaming inside Harry’s head had started again — except this time, it sounded as though it were coming from a badly tuned radio — softer and louder and softer again†¦and he could still see the Dementor†¦it had halted†¦and then a huge, silver shadow came bursting out of the end of Harry’s wand, to hover between him and the Dementor, and though Harry’s legs felt like water, he was still on his feet — though for how much longer, he wasn’t sure†¦ â€Å"Riddikulus!† roared Lupin, springing forward. There was a loud crack, and Harry’s cloudy Patronus vanished along with the Dementor; he sank into a chair, feeling as exhausted as if he’d just run a mile, and felt his legs shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Professor Lupin forcing the Boggart back into the packing case with his wand; it had turned into a silvery orb again. â€Å"Excellent!† Lupin said, striding over to where Harry sat. â€Å"Excellent, Harry! That was definitely a start!† â€Å"Can we have another go? Just one more go?† â€Å"Not now,† said Lupin firmly. â€Å"You’ve had enough for one night. Here –â€Å" He handed Harry a large bar of Honeydukes’ best chocolate. â€Å"Eat the lot, or Madam Pomfrey will be after my blood. Same time next week?† â€Å"Okay,† said Harry. He took a bite of the chocolate and watched Lupin extinguishing the lamps that had rekindled with the disappearance of the Dementor. A thought had just occurred to him. â€Å"Professor Lupin?† he said. â€Å"If you knew my dad, you must’ve known Sirius Black as well.† Lupin turned very quickly. â€Å"What gives you that idea?† he said sharply. â€Å"Nothing — I mean, I just knew they were friends at Hogwarts too†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Lupin’s face relaxed. â€Å"Yes, I knew him,† he said shortly. â€Å"Or I thought I did. You’d better be off, Harry, it’s getting late.† Harry left the classroom, walking along the corridor and around a corner, then took a detour behind a suit of armor and sank down on its plinth to finish his chocolate, wishing he hadn’t mentioned Black, as Lupin was obviously not keen on the subject. Then Harry’s thoughts wandered back to his mother and father †¦ He felt drained and strangely empty, even though he was so full of chocolate. Terrible though it was to hear his parents’ last moments replayed inside his head, these were the only times Harry had heard their voices since he was a very small child. But he’d never be able to produce a proper Patronus if he half wanted to hear his parents again †¦ â€Å"They’re dead,† he told himself sternly. â€Å"They’re dead and listening to echoes of them won’t bring them back. You’d better get a grip on yourself if you want that Quidditch Cup.† He stood up, crammed the last bit of chocolate into his mouth, and headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Ravenclaw played Slytherin a week after the start of term. Slytherin won, though narrowly. According to Wood, this was good news for Gryffindor, who would take second place if they beat Ravenclaw too. He therefore increased the number of team practices to five a week. This meant that with Lupin’s anti-Dementor classes, which in themselves were more draining than six Quidditch practices, Harry had just one night a week to do all his homework. Even so, he was not showing the strain nearly as much as Hermione, whose immense workload finally seemed to be getting to her. Every night, without fail, Hermione was to be seen in a corner of the common room, several tables spread with books, Arithmancy charts, rune dictionaries, diagrams of Muggles lifting heavy objects, and file upon file of extensive notes; she barely spoke to anybody and snapped when she was interrupted. â€Å"How’s she doing it?† Ron muttered to Harry one evening as Harry sat finishing a nasty essay on Undetectable Poisons for Snape. Harry looked up. Hermione was barely visible behind a tottering pile of books. â€Å"Doing what?† â€Å"Getting to all her classes!† Ron said. â€Å"I heard her talking to Professor Vector, that Arithmancy witch, this morning. They were going on about yesterday’s lesson, but Hermione can’t’ve been there, because she was with us in Care of Magical Creatures! And Ernie McMillan told me she’s never missed a Muggle Studies class, but half of them are at the same time as Divination, and she’s never missed one of them either!† Harry didn’t have time to fathom the mystery of Hermione’s impossible schedule at the moment; he really needed to get on with Snape’s essay. Two seconds later, however, he was interrupted again, this time by Wood. â€Å"Bad news, Harry. I’ve just been to see Professor McGonagall about the Firebolt. She — er — got a bit shirty with me. Told me I’d got my priorities wrong. Seemed to think I cared more about winning the Cup than I do about you staying alive. Just because I told her I didn’t care if it threw you off, as long as you caught the Snitch first.† Wood shook his head in disbelief. â€Å"Honestly, the way she was yelling at me†¦you’d think I’d said something terrible. Then I asked her how much longer she was going to keep it†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He screwed up his face and imitated Professor McGonagall’s severe voice. â€Å"As long as necessary, Wood†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦I reckon it’s time you ordered a new broom, Harry. There’s an order form at the back of Which Broomstick†¦you could get a Nimbus Two Thousand and One, like Malfoy’s got.† â€Å"I’m not buying anything Malfoy thinks is good,† said Harry flatly. January faded imperceptibly into February, with no change in the bitterly cold weather. The match against Ravenclaw was drawing nearer and nearer, but Harry still hadn’t ordered a new broom. He was now asking Professor McGonagall for news of the Firebolt after every Transfiguration lesson, Ron standing hopefully at his shoulder, Hermione rushing past with her face averted. â€Å"No, Potter, you can’t have it back yet,† Professor McGonagall told him the twelfth time this happened, before he’d even opened his mouth. â€Å"We’ve checked for most of the usual curses, but Professor Flitwick believes the broom might be carrying a Hurling Hex. I shall tell you once we’ve finished checking it. Now, please stop badgering me.† To make matters even worse, Harry’s anti-Dementor lessons were not going nearly as well as he had hoped. Several sessions on, he was able to produce an indistinct, silvery shadow every time the Boggart-Dementor approached him, but his Patronus was too feeble to drive the Dementor away. All it did was hover, like a semitransparent cloud, draining Harry of energy as he fought to keep it there. Harry felt angry with himself, guilty about his secret desire to hear his parents’ voices again. â€Å"You’re expecting too much of yourself,† said Professor Lupin, sternly in their fourth week of practice. â€Å"For a thirteen-year-old wizard, even an indistinct Patronus is a huge achievement. You aren’t passing out anymore, are you?† â€Å"I thought a Patronus would — charge the Dementors down or something,† said Harry dispiritedly. â€Å"Make them disappear –â€Å" â€Å"The true Patronus does do that,† said Lupin. â€Å"But you’ve achieved a great deal in a very short space of time. If the Dementors put in an appearance at your next Quidditch match, You will be able to keep them at bay long enough to get back to the ground.† â€Å"You said it’s harder if there are loads of them,† said Harry. â€Å"I have complete confidence in you,† said Lupin, smiling. â€Å"Here — you’ve earned a drink. Something from the Three Broomsticks. You won’t have tried it before –â€Å" He pulled two bottles out of his briefcase. â€Å"Butterbeer!† said Harry, without thinking. â€Å"Yeah, I like that stuff!† Lupin raised an eyebrow. â€Å"Oh — Ron and Hermione brought me some back from Hogsmeade,† Harry lied quickly. â€Å"I see,† said Lupin, though he still looked slightly suspicious. â€Å"Well — let’s drink to a Gryffindor victory against Ravenclaw! Not that I’m supposed to take sides, as a teacher†¦Ã¢â‚¬  he added hastily. They drank the butterbeer in silence, until Harry voiced something he’d been wondering for a while. â€Å"What’s under a Dementor’s hood?† Professor Lupin lowered his bottle thoughtfully. â€Å"Hmmm †¦ well, the only people who really know are in no condition to tell us. You see, the Dementor lowers its hood only to use its last and worst weapon.† â€Å"What’s that?† â€Å"They call it the Dementor’s Kiss,† said Lupin, with a slightly twisted smile. â€Å"It’s what Dementors do to those they wish to destroy utterly. I suppose there must be some kind of mouth under there, because they clamp their jaws upon the mouth of the victim and — and suck out his soul.† Harry accidentally spat out a bit of butterbeer. â€Å"What — they kill –?† â€Å"Oh no,† said Lupin. â€Å"Much worse than that. You can exist without your soul, you know, as long as your brain and heart are still working. But you’ll have no sense of self anymore, no memory, no†¦anything. There’s no chance at all of recovery. You’ll just exist. As an empty shell. And your soul is gone forever†¦lost.† Lupin drank a little more butterbeer, then said, â€Å"It’s the fate that awaits Sirius Black. It was in the Daily Prophet this morning. The Ministry have given the Dementors permission to perform it if they find him.† Harry sat stunned for a moment at the idea of someone having their soul sucked out through their mouth. But then he thought of Black. â€Å"He deserves it,† he said suddenly. â€Å"You think so?† said Lupin lightly. â€Å"Do you really think anyone deserves that?† â€Å"Yes,† said Harry defiantly. â€Å"For†¦for some things†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He would have liked to have told Lupin about the conversation he’d overheard about Black in the Three Broomsticks, about Black betraying his mother and father, but it would have involved revealing that he’d gone to Hogsmeade without permission, and he knew Lupin wouldn’t be very impressed by that. So he finished his butterbeer, thanked Lupin, and left the History of Magic classroom. Harry half wished that he hadn’t asked what was under a Dementor’s hood, the answer had been so horrible, and he was so lost in unpleasant thoughts of what it would feel like to have your soul sucked out of you that he walked headlong into Professor McGonagall halfway up the stairs. â€Å"Do watch where you’re going, Potter!† â€Å"Sorry, Professor –â€Å" â€Å"I’ve just been looking for you in the Gryffindor common room, Well, here it is, we’ve done everything we could think of, and there doesn’t seem to be anything wrong with it at all — you’ve got a very good friend somewhere, Potter†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Harry’s jaw dropped. She was holding out his Firebolt, and it looked as magnificent as ever. â€Å"I can have it back?† Harry said weakly. â€Å"Seriously?† â€Å"Seriously,† said Professor McGonagall, and she was actually smiling. â€Å"I daresay you’ll need to get the feel of it before Saturday’s match, won’t you? And Potter — do try and win, won’t you? Or we’ll be out of the running for the eighth year in a row, as Professor Snape was kind enough to remind me only last night†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Speechless, Harry carried the Firebolt back upstairs toward Gryffindor Tower. As he turned a corner, he saw Ron dashing toward him, grinning from ear to ear. â€Å"She gave it to you? Excellent! Listen, can I still have a go on it? Tomorrow?† â€Å"Yeah†¦anything†¦Ã¢â‚¬  said Harry, his heart lighter than it had been in a month. â€Å"You know what — we should make up with Hermione†¦She was only trying to help†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Yeah, all right,† said Ron. â€Å"She’s in the common room now working — for a change.† They turned into the corridor to Gryffindor Tower and saw Neville Longbottom, pleading with Sir Cadogan, who seemed to be refusing him entrance. â€Å"I wrote them down!† Neville was saying tearfully. â€Å"But I must’ve dropped them somewhere!† â€Å"A likely tale!† roared Sir Cadogan. Then, spotting Harry and Ron: â€Å"Good even, my fine young yeomen! Come clap this loon in irons. He is trying to force entry to the chambers within!† â€Å"Oh, shut up,† said Ron as he and Harry drew level with Neville. â€Å"I’ve lost the passwords!† Neville told them miserably. â€Å"I made him tell me what passwords he was going to use this week, because he keeps changing them, and now I don’t know what I’ve done with them!† â€Å"Oddsbodkins,† said Harry to Sir Cadogan, who looked extremely disappointed and reluctantly swung forward to let them into the common room. There was a sudden, excited murmur as every head turned and the next moment, Harry was surrounded by people exclaiming over his Firebolt. â€Å"Where’d you get it, Harry?† â€Å"Will you let me have a go?† â€Å"Have you ridden it yet, Harry?† â€Å"Ravenclaw’ll have no chance, they’re all on Cleansweep Sevens!† â€Å"Can I just hold it, Harry?† After ten minutes or so, during which the Firebolt was Passed around and admired from every angle, the crowd dispersed and Harry and Ron had a clear view of Hermione, the only person who hadn’t rushed over to them, bent over her work and carefully avoiding their eyes. Harry and Ron approached her table and at last, she looked up. â€Å"I got it back,† said Harry, grinning at her and holding up the Firebolt. â€Å"See, Hermione? There wasn’t anything wrong with it!† said Ron. â€Å"Well — there might have been!† said Hermione. â€Å"I mean, at least you know now that it’s safe!† â€Å"Yeah, I suppose so,† said Harry. â€Å"I’d better put it upstairs.† â€Å"I’ll take it!† said Ron eagerly. â€Å"I’ve got to give Scabbers his rat tonic.† He took the Firebolt and, holding it as if it were made of glass, carried it away up the boys’ staircase. â€Å"Can I sit down, then?† Harry asked Hermione. â€Å"I suppose so,† said Hermione, moving a great stack of parchment off a chair. Harry looked around at the cluttered table, at the long Arithmancy essay on which the ink was still glistening, at the even longer Muggle Studies essay (‘Explain Why Muggles Need Electricity’) and at the rune translation Hermione was now poring over. â€Å"How are you getting through all this stuff?† Harry asked her. â€Å"Oh, well — you know — working hard,† said Hermione. Close-up, Harry saw that she looked almost as tired as Lupin. â€Å"Why don’t you just drop a couple of subjects?† Harry asked, watching her lifting books as she searched for her rune dictionary. â€Å"I couldn’t do that!† said Hermione, looking scandalized. â€Å"Arithmancy looks terrible,† said Harry, picking up a very complicated-looking number chart. â€Å"Oh no, it’s wonderful!† said Hermione earnestly. â€Å"It’s my favorite subject! It’s –â€Å" But exactly what was wonderful about Arithmancy, Harry never found out. At that precise moment, a strangled yell echoed down the boys’ staircase. The whole common room fell silent, staring, petrified, at the entrance. Then came hurried footsteps, growing louder and louder — and then Ron came leaping into view, dragging with him a bedsheet. â€Å"LOOK!† he bellowed, striding over to Hermione’s table. â€Å"LOOK!† he yelled, shaking the sheets in her face. â€Å"Ron, what –?† â€Å"SCABBERS! LOOK! SCABBERS!† Hermione was leaning away from Ron, looking utterly bewildered. Harry looked down at the sheet Ron was holding. There was something red on it. Something that looked horribly like — â€Å"BLOOD!† Ron yelled into the stunned silence. â€Å"HE’S GONE! AND YOU KNOW WHAT WAS ON THE FLOOR?† â€Å"N — no,† said Hermione in a trembling voice. Ron threw something down onto Hermione’s rune translation. Hermione and Harry leaned forward. Lying on top of the weird, spiky shapes were several long, ginger cat hairs.

Reflection paper for a dance class (2 pages) about a movie dance take Essay

Reflection paper for a dance class (2 pages) about a movie dance take the land - Essay Example The story is all about believing, about deciding to make a difference, and about creating a sense of creativeness. It is about struggling against indifferences and giving rise to recognition of innate talents and capabilities. Pierre confronted the criticisms of the school director, the students, and their parents, but he had decided to make a difference, which he did. The story teaches us the importance of determination, commitment and perseverance. We come to know that we can achieve anything in life if we have strong will power and confidence to bring a change. Pierre speaks of his determination in this dialogue with Rock- the boy who vandalized his school director’s car: Another precious lesson I have learned from the movie is that students tend to develop a feeling of trust with teachers when the latter provide them with a healthy atmosphere. Pierre faced sheer conflict with his students initially, like when he said, â€Å"What if I said these dances would make you look cool?† To this Rock said, â€Å"Id say youre full of shit.† But finally, the same students got to love him. A trust worthy relationship between the teacher and his students leads to better performance outcomes. The teacher-student relationship is as important as the relationship between the parents and their kids. Teachers are spiritual parents, and it is their obligation to provide the students with all the trust they need to grow up into happy and healthy citizens. This trusting relationship helps the students to cross the barrier and be friends with their teachers. For example: This dialogue shows how Pierre tried to bring out self-confidence in his students through interacting with them one-on-one. This is how the movie cultivates new insights to the profession of teaching- that is, interacting with the students one-on-one to bring out the

The field of psychology addresses the constant question of whether Research Paper

The field of psychology addresses the constant question of whether humans are born hard-wired with specific characteristics and - Research Paper Example However, when it comes to understanding the causes behind severe behavior problems like addiction, anger, aggression, criminal bent of mind, sadism, depression, anti-social behavior etc., then understanding the role of nature and nurture in the development of these patterns becomes an important. Hence, people in the field of psychology and psychiatry continuously make efforts to find out what it is that makes human beings behave in certain way, nature or nurture. That is, they try to know if people are genetically programmed to behave in a certain way or if their behavior is shaped by the environment. However, studies in psychology have given a hope to human beings by showing that even though human beings are programmed through their genes to behave in certain way, the environment has the power to break the genetic programming and modify the behavior pattern of human beings in positive way by strengthening the ‘good’ genes and weakening the ‘bad’ genes. The Role Of Genes Variations In Genes Genes play an important role in the development of behavior and personality pattern of human beings. Different genes are responsible for development of different habits and behavior pattern in people. Every human being has same 20,000 genes present in the body but what makes them different is its ‘variants’ or ‘flavors’ (Frehley, 2010, para.1). ... However, it is important to note that scientists are not 100% sure of this information as it is not a statement but a ‘speculation’ (Frehley, 2010, para.2). Also, it is interesting to know that every human being possesses all the genes but what makes them differ in behavior is the â€Å"less than 1%† variance in the genes (Frehley, 2010, para.5). According to Ebstein et al. (1996), the variations in ‘specific’ geneses result in different social behavior patterns in different individuals (Nicolaou & Shane, n.d., p.2). It makes one wonder if such a small amount of genetic variation is ‘major’ enough to control the will power in human being. That is, can human being acquire skills or behavior pattern that he is not genetically programmed to acquire? Evolutionary psychology, also known as ‘modern Darwinism’, is the field that helps in answering this ‘nature or nurture’ question (Nicholson, 1998, p.135). Desire For Se curity It is a natural understanding that if the circumstances and the conditions of living change, then the behavior of human beings should also change. However, according to the evolutionary psychology, human beings living in today’s modern world, still display the same ‘survival’ traits that their ancestors living in the Stone Age had displayed to survive the threats in the environment (Nicholson, 1998, p.135). This shows that even if the environment and the surrounding situations change, human beings still carry the ‘innate’ fear from surrounding and are ‘hard wired’ to behave in certain way when they sense threat. For example, people from Stone Age were genetically programmed to gather and store enough food and have