Tannim's blog: "Harry Potter and the Mental War"

Hermione continued her research in Dumbledore's library.  It was nearly impossible to get her out of there, stopping only to use the bathroom, and Dobby made sure she had lunch.

Sighing, she put aside the book.  Another dead end.  Anything made magically can be destroyed magically.  There's got to be a way.  But what?  Think, Granger!

Dementors are repelled by Patronuses, which are created using the happiest of thoughts.  Ron's plan is to get them stuck on both sides by Patronuses so they cannot flee and are forced to deal with them.  But once they are contained, then what happens?

I need help on this.

She pressed her coin.  "Ron?"  His face appeared.

"What is it, 'Mione?"  She blushed.

"Send Fred and George to the Room of Requirements with some Portable Patronuses.  I need to do some experimenting."

"Right away." Ron's face disappeared.

Hermione got up and left the library and headed to the seventh floor.  She walked past a blank wall three times, frowning in thought.  A door appeared.  She started to open it when Fred and George came walking up.  They entered together.

"OK, here's my problem.  I want to destroy a Dementor."

Fred whistled.

"Gee, Hermione, you always pick the easy ones, don't you?" chuckled George.

"Well, Harry told me you had done some work with that on the Amoeba Suit," she responded.

"That we did, but we had some help," replied Fred.  "Dobby?"

The house-elf apparated with a crack.

"Misters Wheezy called for me?" he squeaked.

"Dobby, we need a Dementor to experiment on.  Can you bring one here?  Not this moment, please, but when we're ready," Hermione added hastily. Dobby nodded.

"OK, here's what I want to do." Hermione looked at them both.  "Ron's plan is to have Dementors contained from multiple sides by Patronuses.  He thinks that they will be destroyed if they are surrounded by Patronuses and have nowhere to flee to.  I'm not so sure.  So I want to test it."

They deployed Patronuses around the room.  Several of them flew around the ceiling.

"Ready, Dobby?"  Dobby nodded.  "Bring it in."  Dobby snapped his fingers.

A Dementor appeared in the middle of the room and started to glide towards Hermione.  Immediately Fred and George sent the Patronuses forward from all sides and above.  The Dementor glided back to the center of the room.  The Patronuses closed in.

Then the Patronuses advanced no more.

"I was afraid of that," Hermione sighed.  "Now what?"

"May Dobby make a suggestion?" asked the elf.

"Of course, Dobby."

"Dobby thinks they need cleaning.  They are dank and nasty and dirty creatures."

Hermione smacked herself in the forehead.  "Merlin's beard, that's brilliant!  How could I have been so dense?  Banish the Dementor for now.  I'll be right back!"

She tore out of the room, running at top speed towards the dungeons.  She found the office she was looking for and knocked.  The door opened abruptly and Mr. Filch glared out.

"What do you want?"

"Mr. Filch, I need to ask you something.  When you have to clean things in the castle with a bucket of soap water, what do you use?  Can you show me?"  Hermione asked, panting.

Surprised, Filch pushed past her.  "This way," he grunted.  He led her to a broom closet, opened it, and pulled out a bottle.  "I use this stuff."

"May I borrow this for a few minutes?  I, er, want to try to clean something with it."

Filch grunted again.  "Bring it back when you're done."

Hermione next ran to Dumbledore's library.  She looked up and down the aisle, and she found it: an old volume on exorcisms.  She leafed through it quickly and found the spell she was looking for.  She conjured a parchment and quill and wrote down the spell.  She returned the book to the shelf and made her way back to the twins and Dobby.

"OK, I've got two ideas I want to try.  One seems kind of silly, but what the Hell."  She noticed the Dementor was still contained.  She conjured a bucket and filled it with water and the soap Filch gave her.  Then she waved her wand over the water and said, "Inciendo Scourgis."  The water turned bright orange and started to get warm.  She quickly picked up the bucket and threw the soap water towards the Dementor.  The water hit the Dementor and ignited.  The Dementor screamed.  After a few seconds it was gone, completely consumed.  She refilled the bucket with the Augamenti Charm.

"Bring in another."  Dobby snapped his fingers again and again the Dementor and the Patronuses danced until it was contained.  This time, Hermione tried the spell on plain water.  She threw the water on the Dementor and the same thing happened.

"OK, it wasn't the soap, then. Let's try one more."

Dobby snapped his fingers a third time and again the scene repeated.  This time, she waved her wand and shouted "Inciendo Scourgis!"  An orange flame leapt from her wand and hit the Dementor square in the face.  It ignited immediately and was consumed.

"OK, it wasn't the water, either."  Hermione thought of one more idea.

"OK, this time, no Patronuses, but you three be ready if I need you, all right?"  They nodded.  The twins banished the Patronuses.  Hermione steadied herself and nodded.  Dobby snapped his fingers.  The fourth Dementor appeared and began to move towards her.

"Inciendo Scourgis!"  Again the flame leapt out from her wand, and again the Dementor was consumed.

Satisfied, she ate the chocolate Dobby conjured for her then coined Harry and Ron.  Only Ron answered.  "Where's Harry?" she asked.

"He said he was taking a nap at Headquarters.  I'll get Sirius to wake him.  Come on over here."

Hermione looked at the twins.  "Thanks, guys.  Did you get the spell down?"  They grinned.

"Yup.  Any Dementors that show up in Hogsmeade won't go home again!"

"Spread the word."  She turned to Dobby.  "Thank you, too, Dobby."

Dobby bowed and disapparated with a crack.

The three left the room to Floo out, the twins to the village, Hermione to the Burrow, with Filch's soap bottle long forgotten.

* * *

"Harry? Harry! HARRY!" Sirius shouted.

Startled, Harry sat up quickly, unceremoniously dumping Ginny on the floor.  She awoke with a start and glared at Harry.

"What-Sirius?  What is it?" Harry was slowly collecting his wits.  Seeing Ginny on the floor, he reached down a hand and helped her up.  "Sorry about that," he mumbled.

"Harry, Ron and Hermione need to see you in the War Room immediately.  Man, do you sleep soundly!"  Sirius grinned.

Harry grabbed hold of Ginny, only to have her jump up in his arms and wrap her legs around his waist.  Instinctively he caught her, but as she started to slip down, his hands moved down to support her, cupping her bottom.  Realizing it, he blushed.  She planted a kiss on his lips.  "I forgive you.  They feel good there."  Looking at her in surprise, he turned on the spot and disapparated.

They arrived in the War Room.  Ginny quickly dropped her legs and let go, and they walked over to where Ron and Hermione where talking.

"What's up?"  Harry asked.

"Hermione found a flaw in the plan, but she also found a solution!" Harry looked at her.

"Harry, just containing the Dementors with Patronuses won't destroy them.  You have to use a Fire Cleaning spell on them." Hermione dragged them into the kitchen and conjured a series of waterfalls into buckets.  "Watch me.  Inciendo Scourgis!"  The orange flame hit the waterfall and evaporated all of the water.

Harry tried it next.  "Inciendo Scourgis!"  He got a similar result.  Immediately Ron and Ginny tried it as well.

Harry looked at Hermione.  "Bring up two more.  I want to try something."

Hermione nodded, and two more waterfalls appeared.

:Follow my lead.

Harry turned into his phoenix form.  Ginny looked at him and followed suit.  They took to the air, wands in their talons.  Harry let out a screech and the orange flame shot from his wand, evaporating a waterfall.  A similar screech came out from Ginny and the other waterfall evaporated under her orange flames.  They landed and changed back.

"Well, that settles that.  Who all knows this spell now?" Ron asked.

"Us four, Fred, George, and Dobby," Hermione answered.

"Well, we can't spare my brothers.  They're needed in Hogsmeade," Ron thought out loud.  "It looks like it's up to us and Dobby.  We'll need to go to Azkaban in the morning."

"All right, then," Harry replied.  "We need to be able to do this wandless and silently by tomorrow.  Let's get to it!  Dobby?"

Dobby arrived with his usual crack.  "Harry Potter called Dobby, sir?"

"Yes, can you get us some sandwiches and juice, and whatever it is you eat, then join us?  We've got some training to do, including you."