form of a patronus

[Cindy C.]

No: HPFGUIDX 28604

Debra wrote:

> All the discussion of the difference between transfiguration and 
the 
> animagus spell is very interesting, but I'd like to draw a 
distinction 
> <holding up a large distinction pencil> between the Patronus and 
any 
> form of transfiguration.  When Hermione describes Lupin's Patronus 
on 
> the train she says "a silvery thing shot out of his wand", and when 
she 
> descibes Dumbledore's Patronus she says "Then he whirled his wand 
at 
> the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them." It seems that Harry's 
> Patronus is the only one we know of which takes a form at all.
> 
> Since the Dementors represent to Harry the worst thing that ever 
> happened to him (the loss of his parents), it seems plausible that 
his 
> Patronus represents, on some unconscious level, getting his father 
> back. Possibly, to other people, who have no such well 
defined "worst 
> moment", the Patronus doesn't have such a specific form.
> 
Debra,

That makes a lot of sense, a nice sharp distinction.  Let me fuzz it 
up some.  :-)

In PoA, Harry's Patronus is a stag, which represents the loss of his 
parents.  And when Harry faces the boggart, it turns into a dementor 
and makes him re-live his parents' death.  So the boggart tells us 
Harry's worst fear, and there's a nice link to the Patronus, which is 
related to the fear.  Very tidy.

Well, the boggart also tells us Lupin's biggest fear, which is the 
moon.  So, if the theory holds, Lupin's Patronus ought to be 
something related to warding off the moon.  Maybe Lupin's Patronus is 
a cloud.  Who knows?

I think the reason I'm trying to force the issue is because we know 
what the Patronus is supposed to be:  "a kind of anti-dementor -- a 
guardian that acts as a shield between you and the dementor."  We 
also know the Patronus is unique to the wizard who conjure it.  So it 
is hard to imagine that Lupin purposefully conjurs "silver stuff."

But there is one other possibility.  Perhaps Lupin's Patronus really 
is just formless silver stuff.  After all, he tells Harry:  "I don't 
pretend to be an expert at fighting dementors, Harry . . . quite the 
contrary."  So maybe Lupin hasn't quite mastered the Patronus charm, 
and is hardly better at it than Harry is during their lessons.  That 
would explain why Lupin thinks Harry's formless Patronus is quite 
acceptable, even though Harry isn't happy with it.

As for Dumbledore, who knows?

Cindy