"Expecto Patronum!"
"Expecto Patronum!"
Standing outside the entrance of the Cave Heaven Manor, Leo repeatedly raised his wand and cast the Patronus Charm.
Again.
And again.
And again.
His expression remained focused and stubborn.
Every swing of his wand carried expectation.
Every incantation carried determination.
Yet no matter how many times he tried, the result remained exactly the same.
The instant the silver light began to form—
His memories shattered.
Then came death.
Again.
And again.
And again.
The memory of dying in his previous life clung to him like an inescapable nightmare.
Every time he approached success, the suffocating darkness returned.
The feeling of standing upon that stage.
The terrifying loss of control.
The helplessness.
The coldness.
The sensation of life slipping away little by little.
Every failed attempt dragged him back to that final moment.
It felt as though time had frozen forever at the instant of death.
The surrounding world blurred completely until only endless darkness and despair remained.
Leo understood now.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
There had to be a reason the Patronus Charm triggered those memories specifically.
Yet strangely—
The more he failed, the more stubborn he became.
A fierce unwillingness rose inside him.
It bordered on obsession.
As though he absolutely had to overcome this obstacle no matter the cost.
After countless attempts, Leo finally noticed something unusual.
During the brief moments when the memories of both lives overlapped—
A transparent snake tail appeared.
At first, it was nearly impossible to notice.
Just a faint flicker.
A passing shadow.
But with each attempt, it became clearer.
Like watching clean water slowly become contaminated.
The crystal-like tail moved with eerie fluidity through the fragments of his memories.
And every single time it appeared—
The memories of this life shattered instantly.
Then his previous life overwhelmed everything.
Leo stared silently at the faintly visible tail.
Questions flooded his mind.
What exactly was it?
Why did it appear inside his memories?
And why did it interfere specifically with the Patronus Charm?
At one point, Leo even wondered whether Slytherin House itself was influencing the spell.
After all, the Patronus Charm represented light and positivity.
Could his House somehow affect him subconsciously?
So he deliberately removed every trace of Slytherin from himself.
His robes.
His badge.
Everything.
Then he returned to practice.
The result?
Nothing changed.
The transparent tail still appeared.
The memories still shattered.
And death still followed.
Eventually, Leo collapsed backward onto the grass outside the manor.
Exhaustion filled his eyes.
"What exactly is the problem..."
His voice sounded hoarse and tired.
Nearby, Raven remained motionless on the small stand beside him.
That familiar black lump still showed no signs of awakening.
Leo glanced toward the sleeping bird helplessly.
"You useless raven."
His tone carried more frustration than anger.
"You said if your energy ran out, we could replenish it using the Philosopher's Stone."
"But Master Flamel said your magic isn't disappearing at all."
"You're just..."
"Dormant."
Leo rubbed his forehead before sitting cross-legged on the grass.
He decided to stop thinking about the Patronus Charm for now.
Instead, he focused inward.
If something truly was wrong—
Then perhaps the answer lay inside his sea of consciousness.
Closing his eyes slowly, Leo immersed his awareness within himself.
Soon, he arrived once more at the vast sea of stars.
Countless stars shimmered above an endless celestial ocean.
At the center sat the miniature version of himself, cross-legged upon the water.
The pseudo-Yang Spirit.
Its eyes remained closed.
Silent.
Motionless.
Leo stared at it for a long time.
Then suddenly—
His frustrated voice echoed across the entire sea of stars.
"I can't master the Patronus Charm."
"And now I don't even know how to condense the Yang Spirit properly."
Throwing his hands into the air dramatically, he groaned.
"The heavens are collapsing!"
"What refining essence into qi?"
"What refining qi into spirit?"
"What refining spirit into emptiness?!"
Then he shouted toward the endless void.
"Grandfather!"
"How exactly am I supposed to reach the Divine Transformation stage?!"
His voice echoed repeatedly through the sea of consciousness.
Unfortunately—
No one answered.
Eventually, Leo withdrew from his inner world.
At this point, he genuinely suspected his current suffering was punishment for celebrating too early.
Back when he realized his Yin Spirit was evolving toward a Yang Spirit, he'd been thrilled.
Now?
That excitement had transformed into pure misery.
After silently complaining about his grandfather once more, Leo looked down at the wand lying beside him.
Then slowly picked it up.
"Expecto Patronum."
The familiar silver light appeared once again.
Unlike before, Leo remained calm this time.
The silver mist slowly gathered at the tip of his wand.
At first, it looked unstable.
Fragile.
Blurry.
Yet it didn't collapse immediately.
Leo stared quietly at the faint mist.
"So this still counts as progress..."
Even if it remained shapeless fog rather than a fully formed Patronus—
It was still better than complete failure.
So he carefully increased the flow of magic.
At the same time, he amplified the happiest memories in his heart.
His parents.
The warmth of Nicholas Manor.
His father's patient guidance.
His mother's endless affection.
His grandfather Sean's indulgence.
Alice's teachings.
Meeting Draco.
Meeting Hermione.
Reuniting with Rose.
The warmth of Hagrid's hut.
The exhilaration of flying lessons.
The kindness Nicolas and Perenelle had shown him from the very beginning.
All those beautiful moments gathered together continuously.
The silver mist grew larger.
Brighter.
Then—
The transparent snake tail appeared again.
Crystal clear.
Cold.
Alive.
It slithered silently through his memories like venom moving through blood.
Leo's expression darkened instantly.
"If you can destroy all of this..."
His teeth clenched.
"Then try breaking this too."
The anger rising inside him merged strangely with his obsession.
At that exact moment—
Inside the sea of consciousness—
The pseudo-Yang Spirit erupted with dazzling brilliance.
This time, Leo sensed it clearly.
The miniature figure radiated light across the entire celestial ocean.
An invisible fluctuation spread outward.
Then merged directly into the silver mist outside.
The Patronus exploded.
The football-sized cloud expanded violently until it became as large as Leo himself.
Massive silver fog floated around him like living moonlight.
Leo stared silently at the enormous mist.
Then suddenly understood.
This—
Was his Patronus.
Even if it lacked shape.
Even if it couldn't become an animal.
It still existed.
A complicated mixture of emotions rose within him.
Relief.
Excitement.
Satisfaction.
And helplessness.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
Yet at the same time, he couldn't help cursing himself internally.
Because deep down—
He still desperately wanted a fully formed Patronus.
After all—
How cool would that be?
A majestic magical creature fighting beside him.
A legendary guardian standing at his shoulder.
That was the Patronus every wizard dreamed of.
Compared to that—
A giant cloud of silver fog felt somewhat disappointing.
Leo stared at the mist for a long time.
Then finally shook his head helplessly.
A bitter smile appeared on his face.
"Well..."
"I suppose it's better than nothing."
....
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