Chapter 107: The Two-Headed Dragon Patronus
Having thought that making the Patronus corporeal could be accomplished quickly, Ethan found the plan unexpectedly stalled.
After three or four days of training in the basement, Ethan could still only produce silvery-white mist and could not conjure a corporeal Patronus.
Faced with this situation, Cyril was also a bit surprised.
Under normal circumstances, as long as one could cast an incorporeal Patronus Charm, developing it further into a corporeal form shouldn't be too difficult.
Cyril guessed, "Maybe it's because you haven't been attacked by Dementors or Lethifolds, so you lack the dangerous state needed to force you to materialize it further."
But he couldn't find a Lethifold or Dementor quickly to use their attack to push Ethan's Patronus a step further.
The Lethifold was a rare creature, only seen in tropical regions, and as a XXXXX-class magical creature, it was very dangerous.
Because it usually attacked people while they were sleeping, its victims rarely had the chance to use magic against it. Moreover, the Patronus Charm was the only known spell that could get rid of a Lethifold, which many wizards didn't know at all.
As for Dementors, most lived on the Hebrides islands in Britain, as guards of Azkaban.
Cyril had no way to find one in France in a short time.
So he could only let Ethan practice more, hoping he could master this spell before leaving France.
Whether it was due to practicing the Patronus Charm or not, Ethan rarely dreamed of Loup's figure after the first day's nightmare.
So Ethan practiced very actively, without any slacking.
Hard work paid off. Finally, after four days of practice, Ethan materialized his Patronus.
"This is?" Ethan asked, looking at the Patronus in front of him.
At this time, Cyril wasn't in the basement. As the head of the Shafiq family, managing so many properties, he was taking advantage of his extended stay in France to quickly deal with various accumulated affairs.
When Cyril returned home in the evening, Ethan dragged him to the basement.
"Oh my, such a rush? Can't we eat dinner first?" Cyril laughed as he was dragged into the basement.
Ethan didn't say much, directly releasing his Patronus.
Looking at this dragon-like Patronus that was seven or eight meters long, not counting the tail, with wings and sharp claws, Cyril was stunned. "It has two heads?!"
Yes, unlike traditional dragons, Ethan's Patronus had two heads, each with a single horn.
Moreover, the image of his Patronus was different from all known dragons.
"Could this really be the legendary clone of Satan, the Great Red Dragon with seven heads and ten horns?!" Cyril leaned in, carefully examining the image of this Patronus.
"Like, it's really too similar!" He suddenly became excited.
Just as he had said before, he had always felt that the ancestors' claim that the family were descendants of Satan, possessing Satan's bloodline, was just them forcing a connection to the mythological Lord of Hell based on the characteristics of their own bloodline.
But Ethan's Patronus before him made him feel that he, along with many generations of ancestors, had all been wrong.
The bloodline source, long regarded as a myth, was actually true. The bloodline circulating in his family was truly a remnant of the legendary Satan.
Immediately, he looked solemnly at his grandson. "Ethan, you must be careful to hide your Patronus image. Don't let others know."
"I know." Ethan nodded solemnly.
Since he had released this two-headed dragon Patronus in the morning, he had been pondering a question: did Satan and God really exist?
In the fairy tales of the wizarding world, there weren't many legends about God and Satan because that was Muggle mythology and religious belief.
In the wizarding world, Death (the Grim Reaper) was the unverifiable deity with the strongest presence.
Because ghosts existed, the world of death was proven to indeed exist. Therefore, the legendary Death, as the master of the world of death, became the only true god existing in the minds of many wizards, even though the vast majority had never seen Death's true form.
However, the three Deathly Hallows left by Death in legend were regarded as mysterious items that made one the Master of Death.
As far as Ethan knew, the Savior who was the Master of the three Deathly Hallows didn't seem to have become the legendary Master of Death. At the very least, he hadn't successfully resurrected his parents and dear godfather whom he missed so much, so he was skeptical about Death's existence.
With the example of Death before him, he was also skeptical about whether Satan truly existed.
But his current bloodline manifestation indicated that Satan might really have existed. He fell into self-doubt.
He could only ask Cyril, "Grandpa, did Satan really exist?"
"I don't know either. At least over a thousand years have passed, and there has never been evidence proving He really exists."
Cyril knew what Ethan was thinking, but he didn't have a definitive answer to this question either.
Cyril proposed a hypothesis. "But I think your current Patronus is a two-headed dragon. Is it because you experienced two magical outbursts? If you experience a third magical outburst, will it turn into a three-headed dragon? If you experience seven magical outbursts, will it turn into the complete form of the seven-headed ten-horned red dragon?"
This hypothesis also had considerable appeal for Ethan. He had thought about it that afternoon too, but he wasn't sure if he would have more magical outbursts. After all, the family's highest record was only four times.
His heart beat thump-thump as he looked forward to the scene of releasing a seven-headed ten-horned Great Red Dragon Patronus after seven magical outbursts.
Cyril looked at Ethan with blazing eyes, feeling that the most correct thing he had done in his life was his tireless search for this lost grandson.
Cyril continued to admire the image of this two-headed fire dragon before asking Ethan to cancel the spell. "Are you proficient in the method of hiding your Patronus image?"
Ethan answered, "Still practicing. Works sometimes, sometimes not."
"You must practice this method until you're proficient before returning to the country. Your Patronus image is too astonishing. You absolutely, absolutely cannot let others discover it."
Cyril smiled kindly. "But there is still plenty of time. Let's go upstairs to eat first."
The two left the basement one after another. As the basement door closed, the torches on the walls extinguished one by one. This place, which witnessed a miracle in magical history, returned to darkness once again.
After three days, Ethan had mastered the method of hiding the Patronus.
On the fourth day, Cyril, through some unknown connections, obtained a rare Lethifold packed in a box with an Undetectable Extension Charm, and brought it to the basement for Ethan to test the power of his Patronus.
"Ready?" Cyril asked, hand on the lid of the box, looking at Ethan.
"Ready." Ethan stood straight, wand extended, ready to cast the Patronus Charm at any time.
The lid was slowly opened. A creature like a black cloak, only half an inch thick and resembling a shadow, crawled out of the box.
Perhaps because it was released too suddenly, the Lethifold made an attacking movement inconsistent with its usual behavior. It slid quickly along the ground toward Ethan.
"Expecto Patronum!" The Lethifold was fast. Ethan didn't have time to think; he waved his wand and recited the incantation.
Maybe because he was too hasty, his spellcasting this time wasn't very smooth.
Only a very thin wisp of silver mist drifted from the tip of his wand, let alone a corporeal Patronus.
This bit of silver mist made the Lethifold sense a faint threat. Its forward sliding speed slowed, and it stopped in place just as it was about to reach Ethan.
Taking this opportunity, Ethan quickly recited the incantation again. This time the silver mist was thicker than before, but it wasn't enough to make the two-headed dragon appear.
However, this time the Lethifold was hit by the power of the Patronus Charm, thrown backward a short distance, landed on the ground, and quickly slid toward Cyril.
The experienced Cyril released a dragon Patronus, throwing the Lethifold even further away.
Then he turned the Patronus into a large expanse of mist, forcing the Lethifold back into the box.
"Still a bit nervous, but it's also the first time facing this creature. Very normal. When your great-grandfather took me adventuring in the Amazon rainforest back then, the first time I faced a Lethifold directly, I couldn't cast a complete Patronus Charm either. And at that time I was already a sixth year. You're just preparing for second year; it's already very good."
Cyril spoke while closing the lid. He left the box in the basement and took Ethan back to the study, analyzing some errors that had appeared in his spellcasting this time.
"In this nervous situation, your movements were slightly off, so the wand waving wasn't very standard. Also, the mobilization of your emotions wasn't positive enough, so the final result was very unsatisfactory."
Ethan recalled his performance; indeed, it matched the problems Cyril had mentioned.
"But it doesn't matter. With this experience, your next casting will be much smoother. Take a moment to adjust yourself, and we'll try again. Let's strive to completely master this spell today."
"Okay." Cyril had Lala bring two cups of hot tea, and he also brought some chocolate.
Tea finished, chocolate eaten, Ethan was ready.
Back in the basement, Cyril didn't ask if he was ready this time. Seeing him standing properly, Cyril opened the lid and released the Lethifold.
Like last time, the Lethifold slid over quickly, but having learned from the previous attempt, Ethan's movements were more precise than before, and his recitation of the spell was more powerful.
"Expecto Patronum!" A large patch of silver mist instantly erupted from the wand tip, repelling the Lethifold.
"Expecto Patronum!" Reciting the incantation again, the huge two-headed dragon appeared in the basement, sending the Lethifold fleeing in all directions.
Finally, imitating Cyril, he transformed the corporeal Patronus into mist, forcing the Lethifold into the box.
"Very good, our goal has been achieved." Cyril put the box away, considering whether to trade this rare Lethifold on the black market again.
After all, keeping it in his hands was of no use anymore.
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Chapters on Patreon progress: Currently at;
1. Harry Potter: Satan? Nah, Just My Family Crest = CHAPTER 257
2.Marvel: Cosmic Forger of Infinity = CHAPTER 179
3.Harry Potter: Beyond Good and Evil in the Wizarding World = CHAPTER 259
4.Harry Potter: Reborn as Draco Black = CHAPTER 106
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