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Jane Yu quickly realized that her silver-threaded ball of light was far ahead of everyone else.
In Professor Slughorn's advanced class, most of the prefects could barely make their wands tremble, with little to no reaction. Only a few managed to produce faint silvery mist from the tips of their wands.
"Don't lose heart! Think carefully about your happiest memories!" Professor Slughorn encouraged them with a warm smile. "Even an incomplete Patronus can provide some level of protection!"
"Merlin's beard—why is this so difficult?"
Gemma groaned in frustration. She had always been a top student, rarely encountering challenges with charms. But the Patronus Charm seemed to defy her usual talent.
"Perhaps you need to reflect more deeply on your happiest memories," Slughorn suggested. "For instance, the day you became a prefect?"
Percival and Penelope, two of the few who managed to produce mist, furrowed their brows in concentration.
"It feels like the happiness in my memories is... distant," Penelope said thoughtfully. "Remembering them still makes me smile, but it doesn't evoke the same joy or excitement as it did in the moment."
The two of them exchanged troubled looks.
Jane glanced around at the other prefects, noting that they were all shrouded in anxiety and confusion.
Though the Patronus Charm required happy memories for practice, the prefects were clearly worn out from patrolling and attending classes. Their mental state was far from ideal, and the repeated failures created a vicious cycle. The small classroom was thick with tension and an almost suffocating competitive atmosphere.
Jane felt like she was beginning to understand the principles behind the charm.
Dementors caused feelings of depression and despair, and the way to counteract them was through happiness and beauty in one's mind.
In essence, it required the combined effects of four happiness-related brain chemicals:
Dopamine, endorphins, serotonin, and oxytocin.
Dopamine brought immediate excitement and feelings of happiness; endorphins reduced pain and provided long-term joy; serotonin fostered a sense of contentment, relaxation, and confidence; and oxytocin created feelings of satisfaction and connection.
Happiness, hope, sustained joy, and instant excitement—all these positive emotions combined were needed to repel Dementors.
Gemma, with her harmonious family life and successful career as a prefect, certainly had no shortage of happy memories.
The same could be said for Penelope and Percy, both of whom came from loving families.
But perhaps, in this oppressive study environment, anxiety had become contagious—
What they lacked was a dose of dopamine stimulation.
And that was precisely where Jane's gaming console came in handy!
Jane pulled out her prized gaming console and held it up to Gemma.
"Care for a thrilling round of Flying Evil Bird?"
Gemma stared at her, dumbfounded.
Professor Slughorn was still in the room!
Was it really appropriate to play games right in front of the professor?
She wanted to refuse, but a part of her was tempted, as if a cat's paw was scratching at her heart.
Between classes, homework, planning for her future career, and patrolling the corridors, she had only managed to squeeze in a game or two before bed.
And yesterday, she'd been stuck at 998 points—just two points shy of breaking the 1000-point milestone and unlocking a new skin for the Evil Bird.
Besides, it seemed like the Patronus Charm was beyond her grasp anyway...
She glanced at Slughorn, who was busy guiding a Hufflepuff student at the front of the classroom, and whispered to Jane, "Let's move to the back."
Gemma crouched low, pulling Jane to the back row of the classroom. Using the other students as cover, she placed the gaming console on her lap and muted its sound.
Somehow, the thrill of sneaking a game under the teacher's nose made the experience even more exhilarating.
"960 points, 980 points, 990 points—just 10 more—"
"1000 points! New skin unlocked!"
Gemma's face turned bright red from holding back her excitement. If she were in her dormitory, she would have been pounding on her bed and shouting with joy.
But alas, this was a classroom. With no outlet for her joy, she could only scream internally.
"Quick, try the Patronus Charm!" Jane urged her.
Still riding the high of her success, Gemma instinctively raised her wand and shouted the incantation:
"Expecto Patronum!"
A silver Evil Bird burst forth from the tip of her wand, flapping its wings as it soared around the classroom.
"Merlin's beard—it's beautiful!"
The prefects all stood up in amazement, some even attempting to touch it.
"Jane! You're my hero!" Gemma exclaimed, alternating her gaze between the Evil Bird and Jane, before throwing her arms around her in a tight hug.
She finally understood what made her happiest—
Just like the Evil Bird, no matter how many tree trunks it crashed into during its flight, it could always earn a new skin through perseverance!
This was the joy of achieving success after overcoming challenges!
And it was all thanks to Jane!
Jane, nearly suffocated by the hug, thought to herself—
It really was a lack of dopamine!
Look at how playing a game had made Gemma so happy that her Patronus had materialized!
Slughorn beamed with pride as he clapped his hands, awarding five points to Slytherin.
"Miss Farley has succeeded! A perfect Patronus! A magical creature of such rarity!"
Having someone succeed in the first lesson was truly unexpected!
His excellent student Jane had indeed brought in top-tier talent!
"Gemma, how did you do it? What kind of emotions and happy memories did you use?"
The prefects crowded around Gemma, eager to learn her secret.
"Oh, good question."
Gemma played coy for a moment before proudly pulling Jane to her feet.
"But you'll have to ask Jane! She guided me!"
Jane couldn't help but smile—
Gemma truly was a wonderful senior!
Finally, an opportunity to promote the gaming console!
"I have a magical artifact that brings happiness," she said mysteriously. "Gemma succeeded with its help."
She placed the gaming console on the table and continued under the expectant gazes of the others:
"I'm willing to lend it to you, but unfortunately, there aren't many of these artifacts available."
"Moreover, achieving happiness is a long-term endeavor. Gemma has been using it for some time before it took effect."
Thanks to her good relationship with Jane, Penelope was the first to borrow this "magical artifact of happiness."
The prefects gathered around, their eyes fixed on the screen, their emotions rising and falling with the movements of the pixelated character and the progress of the game.
Half an hour later, Penelope cleared the second level of Save the Wizarding World, where the character, a little witch named Yu, defeated the Basilisk and earned an owl artifact that allowed for rapid movement.
"Expecto Patronum!"
Penelope leapt to her feet, waving her wand, and a silver owl emerged, flying around the classroom before disappearing through the window.
"Penelope did it too! This artifact really works!"
The onlookers exclaimed in amazement, their eyes now filled with longing as they stared at the gaming console.
If not for the rules and the need to maintain decorum, they might have lunged for it.
Penelope, meanwhile, hugged Jane's shoulders in excitement.
"I understand now. My happiness comes from conquering fear!"
"Ever since I was petrified by the Basilisk last year, I've had lingering fears. I still avoid that corner to this day."
"Thank you for your magical artifact. It helped me overcome the Basilisk!"
Jane responded with a sympathetic smile and a nod.
She understood as well.
The dopamine from the game had flooded Penelope's brain.
Having two successful Patronuses in one lesson, both aided by Jane's gaming console, was undoubtedly the best advertisement for it.
Many placed orders on the spot, including the usually rigid Percy, who reluctantly pulled out his savings.
"Ahem... Please don't tell my brothers. They'll definitely steal it from me."
He watched with regret as the Galleons disappeared into Jane's pocket.
"I've been saving that money for years. Sigh—"
Penelope, however, was cheerful as she patted Percy's head in consolation.
"Its spiritual value is worth far more than Galleons!"
The prefects all insisted that their extravagant purchases of this "magical artifact of happiness" were solely for the purpose of practicing the Patronus Charm, not for entertainment.
They declared righteously:
"This is all for the sake of mastering the Patronus Charm. We have no interest in entertainment and will not indulge in distractions."
"What games? What games? This is a spiritual leap!"
"That Flying Evil Bird taught us the meaning of perseverance! Defeating the dark wizard instilled us with courage!"
Jane commended their understanding as both accurate and profound, truly befitting of prefects.
If she were Dumbledore, she would have awarded each of them 100 points on the spot for their insights.
Jane left the classroom in high spirits.
Now she could advertise the gaming console to the general student body without worrying about interference from the prefects—
After all, they themselves had been conquered. Surely the obstacles among the regular student population would be much smaller!
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