Harry stood there motionless, his mouth open, eyes following the eagle, his mind unable to catch up for quite a while.
— Wasn't Remus's Patronus a wolf... How did it become an eagle? Can a Patronus change form...
It wasn't until he saw the eagle land on Vid's shoulder, turning into a silver mist and dissipating.
"Excellent! Vid, truly excellent!"
Lupin applauded happily and said, "I've never seen anyone succeed on their first try, no, I've never even heard of it!"
Vid smiled, looking down at his magic wand, still savoring the feeling from just a moment ago.
The Patronus Charm... it's truly a wondrous magic.
This spell seemed to transport him to another time; even though the Patronus had vanished, the joy and happiness lingered in his heart.
Lupin noticed Harry's expression and quickly said:
"Of course, Harry is excellent as well; I saw the silver mist at the tip of your wand, that's an extraordinary achievement."
Harry suddenly felt embarrassed, subconsciously hiding his wand behind his back, and said enthusiastically:
"Amazing, Vid, that's incredible!"
He realized his compliment sounded like a poor actor reciting lines, so he adjusted himself, saying:
"Really cool!"
His voice sounded much more genuine.
"A Patronus that is an eagle, that's so cool! Really great, Vid!"
Vid's face showed an uncontrollable smile as well.
The success of the Patronus Charm was one thing; on the other hand, both Animagus and Patronus are reflections of a wizard's inner strength, so their forms often don't differ much, or are exactly the same.
He could finally set aside some pointless worries.
Besides joy, Vid was also willing to share his successful experience with Harry.
"Apart from summoning happy emotions for yourself, it's no different from any other spell."
Vid said, "You must be confident, have firm belief, know where your happiness comes from, and understand why you wield your magic wand; this is crucial."
Encouraged by him, Harry raised his wand once more.
He racked his brains to find happy memories, realizing that his life before age eleven was completely devoid of happiness.
After entering the school, he felt quite happy, yet suddenly noticed that there weren't many moments of pure joy.
Harry recalled his first ride on a Flying Broomstick... catching the Golden Snitch for the first time... securing the decisive points for Gryffindor...
"Expecto Patronum!"
His wand emitted streams of silver mist, vaguely forming a large animal.
Harry gripped the wand tightly with both hands, feeling utterly exhausted.
"Belief!" Vid emphasized, "A Patronus is not just for show; you need it to guard something for you, this belief is the source of our power."
...
Practicing intermittently until evening, although Harry's Patronus hadn't fully taken shape, it was already apparent that it resembled a horse.
It was tall and majestic, with distinct hooves and a tail.
Lupin praised Harry repeatedly, mentioning that Harry's father, James, took a whole week of practice to reach Harry's current level.
This made Harry feel better about his frustration and secretly resolved that once back at school, he would practice several more times.
While Harry was practicing the spell, Vid also became more familiar with his Patronus. He attempted to send a message to Lupin using his Patronus and actually succeeded.
However, when the distance was long, his magic power couldn't sustain the consumption, causing the Patronus to dissipate halfway, which destined that a Patronus couldn't be as convenient as a telephone.
Fortunately, messaging was merely a minor function of a Patronus; its primary functions lay in resisting Dark Magic spells and creatures.
Not only Dementors but other creatures—like the Acromantula—also feared the Patronus, though wizards generally wouldn't use such advanced magic against them.
...
After dinner, Sirius also returned.
"Quite overwhelming!" He shouted to Lupin as soon as he entered the door, "The more we investigate, the more there is! The official sent by the American Ministry of Magic doesn't care about the missing Muggle students at all..."
"Sirius!" Lupin hastily stopped him.
Sirius then noticed the two young wizards beside the dining table.
"Oh, Harry, Vid! How's your progress with the Patronus Charm?" Sirius raised a hand in greeting.
"So-so." Harry asked quickly, "Sirius, have you been investigating the Carrel disappearance?"
"Of course!"
The travel-weary Sirius initially intended to change his clothes, but hearing this, he didn't head upstairs; instead, he pulled over a chair and sat near the dining table.
"You don't know until you check, and after checking, it turns out to be bigger than we thought. Hogwarts usually only has one or two Muggle-born students abducted each year, but in other countries..."
"Sirius!" Lupin said disapprovingly, "The kids don't need to know this!"
"Don't be so rigid, Remus." Sirius waved his hand and said, "Vid and Harry are not ordinary children. They've already encountered Voldemort; there's no need to hide this from them."
"…" Lupin was helpless but could only remind, "You can tell them the basic findings of the investigation, but don't forget the part Dumbledore told you to keep secret."
Sirius's expression flickered with a moment of discomfort, obviously having momentarily forgotten, but he replied nonchalantly, "Of course, I remember it all!"