"I'm getting out of Social Studies as soon as I can," he says. "Dunno about the rest. I might have to drop Magical Defense if I want to stay in school - there's just too much having to point a wand at somebody under pressure - but maybe I can work around it with the teacher."

"I'm going to specialize into wards or maybe countercurses when I can," Bella says.

Feral shrugs. "Maybe that too."

"And I'm going from theory into spell development the second I'm allowed, I want to make my own spells."

Feral laughs. "Yeah, I'll bet. Maybe you'll make a Patronus you can actually do."

"Wouldn't that be nice. The book said that people who are unhappy - like, as people in general, not just at the time they try to cast the spell - sometimes never can, but - I'm not. Unhappy in general."

"Huh," says Feral. "Are you sure? Maybe it doesn't mean unhappy the way you're thinking it."

"Like depressed, it said depressed. I'm not depressed."

"Okay," says Feral. "So what are you?"

"I don't know. I'm happy a lot of the time. But I can't get a Patronus past mist."

"So maybe you have a different problem," shrugs Feral. "Are there other kinds of people who don't get Patronuses?"

"The book said they could all be chalked up to being depressed or, like, not trying hard enough - it is supposed to be advanced but you got it and Tony is getting it and Sherlock is probably getting it."

"So maybe the book is wrong," says Feral. "Or maybe you have the same problem with Patronuses that depressed people have, but you don't know it because you're not depressed. Or maybe you're not trying hard enough." He pauses, then adds, "No way, can't be that one."

"Why would I have a depressed person's problem without being depressed?"

"What is a depressed person's problem? Do they actually know, or do they just know that depressed people are bad at Patronuses?"

"Well, you have to make the Patronus with a happy thought so they think depressed people are bad at concentrating absolutely on happy thoughts."

"Doesn't sound like that's you," he says. "So maybe we're just getting it faster because we're older, or maybe the book is wrong and you've got some other problem."

"Maybe. I guess if I still don't have any progress before Sherlock and Tony have theirs I can ask teachers."

"Guess so," Feral agrees.

One morning, in the middle of the following week, there is a little silvery owl circling the room when she wakes up.

"Oh, pretty," she sighs enviously, reaching out for the owl half-consciously.

It perches insubstantially on her finger, gripping with tiny misty talons.

"Congratulations," says Bella, pretending to pet the owl insofar as she can do so when it has no solidity.