Human Patronus: WasPatronus question again

[Geoff Bannister]

No: HPFGUIDX 187219

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "wildirishrose01us" <wildirishrose at ...> wrote:
>
> I have a very strange question.  Would it be possible for a patronus to take the shape of > a person, a human.  

<snip>

> Marianne

Geoff:
Doesn't strike me as a strange question.

My initial reaction is "Why not?". I would just offer this from canon 
to support my view:

'"Well, when it works correctly, it conjures up a Patronus," said Lupin, 
"which is a kind of Anti-Dementor -  a guardian which acts as a 
shield between you and the Dementor."

Harry had a sudden vision of himself crouching behind a Hagrid-sized 
figure holding a large club. Professor Lupin continued, "The Patronus 
is a kind of positive force, a projection of the very things that the  
Dementor feeds upon - hope, happiness, the desire to survive - but 
it cannot feel despair, as real humans can, so the Dementors can't 
hurt it. But I must warn you, Harry, that the Charm might be too 
advanced for you. Many qualified wizards have difficulty with it."

"What does a Patronus look like?" said Harry curiously.

"Each one is unique to the wizard who conjures it."'

(POA  "The Patronus"  p.176 UK edition)

>From that, I draw two points, both perhaps implied assumptions. 
First, we are not specifically told at this point what one does look 
like. The idea of a Patronus having an animal form really surfaces 
later in the book at the lakeside. but there is no suggestion that 
its form cannot be **human**.

Second, Lupin's comment - "it cannot feel despair **as real humans 
can**. This could just be a casual remark but it also could imply that 
a Patronus could appear as a human.

Summing up, why shouldn't a positive force appear in any form 
which fits the need of the wizard calling on it?