"Well yes," Paul said, "they can and do change. They are tied to who you are and the path that you are on. So lets say if a person was extremely depressed, their patronus would shift to whatever animal fits that mood. For example, we can use me. When I met Jean, the witch that would later become my wife, she taught me how to do the patronus charm. The first time I ever managed to cast one, it was a Lynx. But I ran away from home shortly after. At 15 with nowhere to go, I found myself at the bookstore where I had met Jean. She talked to the owner, who gave me a job there and the pair of them tutored me in school work until I was 17. During that time, my lynx patronus shifted and became the phoenix it is today. I don't know of anyone willingly changing theirs but it might be possible. I mean, if it is the unicorn that Magnus suggested you would like they also symbolize purity so perhaps it might work. We could certainly try if you wanted. You would have to visualise the animal, put all of your thoughts and focus into it as well as the memory." He shrugged his shoulders slightly, "To be honest, I have no idea if it would work, but I can always ask someone and get back to you on that as well as just giving it the afformentioned try."

Magnus almost wanted to joke about having a half rabbit half unicorn patronus but he didn't. Instead he kept his mouth shut. There wasn't much he could think of to say to help is friend feel better about the rabbit.

Katsumi smiled slightly at Paddy's success. The mouse was not her favorite of animals, but she didn't really mind them. They were even sorta cute, if you gave them a chance. But Cato ate mice, among other things, so she'd never had a reason to pay them much mind. The banter of the two boys brought her attention back to those around her. Fade took three attempts to get a proper Patronus, and she gasped. "Wow -- that was amazing, Fade, I can't believe you got it that quickly." Kat was actually a bit jealous, but she tried to shove that aside.

The mention of a Patronus changing form made her raise a brow. "I've heard they can, but it's rare. I think it usually requires something like a life-changing event, doesn't it?" The last she directed at Paul, not certain she remembered everything. She didn't answer the question about her Patronus. Of those present, she was the only one who'd been truly happy with hers, and she didn't want to show off. Instead she absorbed what Paul said about his past. "You met your wife in a bookstore?" she asked. "Aww, that's cute. ...Are you both fond of reading, then?" Katsumi didn't comment on the fact that he'd not been attending Ilvermorny, though she considered asking about that. Some other time, perhaps.

"Yes, its true, they do typically require something larger to change them and even then some people just don't change patronuses at all. But I suppose there's no harm in trying to force the change. Anything for academia right?"

Paul grinned and he looked visibly younger as he raked his hand through his hair with a chuckle. "Well, we do love reading... but admittedly, I managed to sneak away from my mother and went to find out about my father's trial. What she told me didn't ring true, but I didn't know where else to look. Jean had just left Ilvermorny and was working at the shop until she decided what she wanted to do. When I told her what I was looking for she readily helped me. Eventually the topic of patronuses came about and she taught me how to do them. Gave her a start when she came to open the shop, finding me there with a bag and looking terrified."

"I hadn't even thought it could be a spider," Paddy admitted to Magnus (), "kind of makes a wood mouse and butterfly a lot better after all, doesn't it?" she added with a grin. She watched as Fade () cast a rabbit patronus and looked at the confused expression on his face. "If you'd asked me this morning," she confided in him, "I'd have said you would cast a Unicorn patronus. But after seeing Magnus' and my own patronuses, I'm not surprised it was something different to be honest."

She was eager to hear how a person's patronus can change - she'd heard the theory of that before, but it was totally different hearing it from someone who's patronus had actually done that.

Focusing on her happy memory, she said "expecto patronum" again and was pleased to see her patronus mouse was a little more defined this time. He still didn't seem as clear as Fade's rabbit patronus, but at least the mouse wasn't as fuzzy around the edges this time.

Personally Magnus would've rather had the spider but he was still keeping his mouth shut. See? he could exercise restraint sometimes--when he wanted to. The idea of forcing the patronus to change was an interesting one for sure.

Paul smiled at Paddy's mouse. "Getting even better. Good job." .

Aria considered the question Magnus had asked her and decided that the answer wasn’t suitable for mixed company. “It is a really long story,” she said with a half smile. “But basically I was being chased down by a dark wizard and ended up using a patronus to ward off one of his attacks.” She smiled down towards Dax, who was still napping. Only Dax knew the entire story, she thought.

Aria noticed that Paddy was working very hard at achieving a full bodied patronus. Taking a seat, Aria watched with avid interest as Paddy continued to try the patronus charm. Aria realized that she’d been holding her breath, in anticipation over what corporeal form Paddy’s patronus would take. Several people started encouraging Paddy in her efforts. Suddenly a small mouse appeared and ran over to sit on Magnus’s foot. “Oh, how cute,” Aria exclaimed to Paddy.

Aria waved at Fade as he entered the room. She was delighted to see that he was successful in producing a corporeal patronus. Aria leaned back in her chair and thought about how funny it would be if everyone created a patronus and they all interacted with each other, like real live animals.

Aria sat back and thought about the patronus charm and the wizards who cast them. She was very glad that her patronus was a fox -- though a jellyfish or a unicorn would have been equally as appealing to her.

( )

((OOC: @ shylarah I am also interested in how Magnus became a werewolf.))

The girl's mouth formed a silent O of surprise. She hadn't realized that Paul ran away from home as a teen, though given what he'd said about his mother, she couldn't blame him. "Why--" Katsumi started to ask another question, checked herself, then started again after a moment of consideration. "...Why didn't you keep going to Ilvermorny?"

She was pleased to see everyone doing well with their Patronuses. Come to think of it, she'd been so excited by her success, she'd overlooked the fact that her dragon was not particularly solid. She really should give it another go. "Ah, Fade...I did manage to get a formed Patronus a little bit ago. It's nowhere near as adorable as your bunny, but...." The Ravenclaw lifted her wand and cast the charm again, the serpentine dragon emerging more swiftly, though with barely any increase in how well-formed it was.

Magnus nodded and took the hint. Letting the topic drop. He did give Aria a soft smile. "At least that ain't gonna 'appen again. Not now you got us."

"Would've loved to Darlin," Paul said, "I did get both letters from Ilvermorny and Hogwarts. But Mother would not let me go. She tutored me at home with her old Hogwarts school books and added dark arts to the mix. First time I ever set foot in a school was to take my N.E.W.T exams here. Was so pleased to have qualified for auror training."

((magnus' story of his werewolf-ness is on my pet Magnus Lee lol but anyone is always welcome to ask him about how his magic was discovered.))

Aria nodded at Magnus, grateful he didn't continue to question. "You know, one day maybe Dax will tell you," she said while glancing at Dax who had been sleeping until just then. His head snapped up and he looked at Aria with wide eyes. Dax shifted his gaze over to Magnus for a long time before looking back at Aria. After several long seconds he ruffled his feathers on his shoulders and back before resting his head on his forepaws.

Dax mind spoke to Aria, 'You know he might not be all that excited knowing I can actually talk and am not just another unreasoning animal.' Aria considered what Dax said and shrugged.

Aria commented to Magnus, "Though it might take you a long time to understand what Dax is saying." She giggled and smiled broadly.

Aria caught the last bit of what Paul said and was quite shocked to learn that5 he'd never been to school outside of a wizarding school. "You mean you never went to primary school?" Aria asked Paul. "I remember my primary schooling, it was not that bad until my brothers both died." Aria muttered almost as an afterthought to herself.

(twice lol ;P )

(( sorry for the ping, I unintentionally pinged you when my keyboard didn't type out the N in Raven. (Inserts new batteries in keyboard). lol ))

Magnus wasn't exactly sure what she'd meant. Talk the way he talks to his pets maybe? "Well with as thick as my accent is, 'e might not be able to understand me." He smiled.

Paul shook his head, "No, my dear. My mother didn't send me to any school whatsoever, all my education was from her alone. I wasn't allowed to be out without her, and she would often have our house elf follow me. It wasn't until I ran away that I had really ever talked to anyone other than her or the house elf."

Magnus put his hand on her shoulder when she mentioned her brothers. Paul gave a sad nod to her, "I am sorry about there passing, Darlin. I am glad though that you were able to go to primary school. I admit, it always sounded fun."

Katsumi's jaw dropped. "Dax can talk?" she asked, surprised and amazed. "I had no idea -- I'm sorry I never realized, Dax." She felt guilty now for thinking of the griffin as merely a pet. The way Aria said it made him sound like he was a fully sentient creature.

"It's really a shame your mother never let you out of her sight, " the girl told Paul. "But why didn't you go after you ran away? Were you worried she'd find out and drag you back? Ugh, that's awful. I love school. Except for the busywork, that I could do without."

At the second and third suggestion that his patronus should have been a unicorn, Fade’s hair turned from pink to orange before he willed it to turn purple. Waving a dismissive hand he hoped against hope that no one would notice the sweat breaking out on his brow. “No, what? Nothing like that, just curious is all. Rabbits are… well their teeth freak me out, but I guess if I’m summoning it it wouldn’t like, try and bite me.” He knew his excuses were futile, everyone apparently knew about his secret love of the mythical creature. But he simply wasn’t ready to admit it out loud.

cast her patronus again and it seemed to be more solid than the last time. His peers were rather talented. It felt good to be able to keep up with them. But he squinted at Kat () when she tried to downplay whatever it was her patronus was going to be. They had classes together and lived in the same tower, he knew she was going to call something spectacular. But he hadn’t been fully prepared for the amazing dragon that twisted from the end of her wand. Fuzzy or not, it was a freaking dragon! “Wowie!” His mouth hung open as he stared up at it.

(( shh, you'll make Kat blush!))

Magnus knew better than to believe Fade's reason for the disappointment of the rabbit, but he also let it go. Clearly Fade wanted the matter dropped. The boy sighed inwardly and went back to casting his patronus. He'd heard more or less of of Paul's youth so it was not much of a surprise. Paul had been over a lot the first year Magnus had been adopted.

Paul likewise let it drop, having the offer there, Fade could ask any time. Then Katsumi was asking him why he hadn't gone after he left. "Well, Mother could have found me if she wanted to. Our house elf could have tracked me easily enough, apperated me back to our house and forced me to stay. I think she realised after my parting words that I would not be her revenge tool nor would I join with Voldemort. Either that or she truly hated me at that point. She certainly had no love for me when I saw her six years later." He shrugged and took a sip of water. “To start school as if I was 11? I'm not even sure I could have joined that far into my education, admittedly I never checked. I had never had any friends, never been around others my age. I was in the last two years of schooling... If they had said yes, what would the reaction have been to the son of a convicted murdering Death Eater? One that had just turned up and started school with others that had been going for years... I mean, I knew how to make Fiendfyre, knew how to cast the dark mark... how trustworthy could I have been?” he shook his head. “No even if they had let me, I doubt I would’ve gone. Even though I had changed my name, I was worried that I was destined to follow the path of my parents. I’ve tried to atone for what my parents have done, but a large part that fear has never gone away... Just because you are an adult, doesn’t mean it gets any easier to face your fears. Most of the time, it seems to get harder."

(( too late!! loll ))

Seeing the look of disappointment still lingering on Magnus’s () face, Fade walked over and nudged him with an elbow. “I get it OK, not everyone can be as cool as Katsumi. But at least it wasn’t like a salmon, or a poodle.” He knew he was grasping at straws, but he wanted his friend to feel better. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter what shape it takes, just what it represents. ‘N if it represents my best friend, I don’t want it to be any different.” He said the last few sentences to his shoes, suddenly having a hard time looking up. “Maybe that’s part of the reason mine is so lucky, or whatever.” He shrugged and mildly pretended to practice the wand movements some more.

The girl couldn't help it. As awkward as she felt about being the only one in love with the shape of her patronus, she absolutely adored dragons, and it showed. Still, she flushed at Fade's exclamation. "It's really not that impressive, yours is cast better," she mumbled, struggling to regain her composure. That totally distracted her from his reaction to the rabbit, and the suggestion that it should have been a unicorn. She knew the other Ravenclaw loved the horned horses, of course -- anyone who'd seen his expression with them the term before could hardly miss it -- but it was unclear if he'd expected his Patronus to be one as well.

Paul's reply made Katsumi frown. "If you were able to pass the NEWTs, you couldn't have been that far from what was needed in most classes. I would hope the teachers would understand, at least." His mention of not having any friends struck a chord with her. She was slow to make close friends, for the most part, and seemed to get along better with people in different age groups from her own. Though that might be changing, given the relationships she was forming with the other students, particularly the Ravenclaws. "Besides, it doesn't matter so much if you know things like fiendfyre and so on -- it's what you do with that knowledge that counts." Her brows snapped down at his last few sentences. "Atone? But it's not your fault! I don't care who your parents were, you're a good person -- I mean, look how you rescued Magnus. Look how you've helped us! Anyone with half a brain could tell you care about others. If anyone ever says you're bad because of what your parents did, then..." she fumbled for an end to the sentence. "I'll -- I'll jinx them!" Her tilted grey eyes flashed with anger; Katsumi meant it. Maybe Paul wasn't quite a friend, but Magnus was, and the Unspeakable mattered to him. Besides, she gravitated towards clever people, and he was certainly that. She was not the sort of person to let someone she liked get put down, not if she knew it was happening.

"Oh," Magnus said quietly, "I'm not...jealous. Its a beautiful patrons Kat 'as." He also avoided looking at anyone. "Its just...unexpected. An' then everyone is sayin' it means change an' stuff...an' it seems like I can't even escape being a werewolf even in a patronus." And that was the root of the problem. He sighed and whispered so Paul couldn't hear. "Its not like I ain't grateful to be alive an' all. Just wish everything didn't seem to revolve around it, yah know." He looked up at Fade, his eyes begging his friend to understand. "I'm lucky to 'ave good friends too," he added feeling perhaps just as awkward.

Paul shrugged. "It was a long time ago, Darlin. It doesn't do any good to try to think of what could've happened. Who knows if I had, maybe I wouldn't have married Jean. I might not have been there to save Magnus, or have my three year old troublemakers. There's a reason that time-travel is something people shouldn't mess with even with the best intentions."

He laughed as he ran his fingers through his hair, "Put an american accent on what you just said and you've got pretty much what my wife has said to me many times. So has Magnus' dad." His shoulders dropped like he had been scolded by a parent. "Well..." he started, "there have been some that have said that. My wife would agree with you. She has been trying very hard to break me of that thought... that the sins of the parents belong to the child." He looked a little lost.

After listening to Paul Aria felt saddened by his seemingly isolated youth. She thought back on some of her more fond memories and hoped that Paul had some fun memories of his own childhood as well. "Did you have a friend who was your age growing up, or only the house elf?" Aria asked Paul.

Aria looked at Kat and Magnus while blushing. Dax put his head under one of his paws and sent a mental groan to Aria. 'Here we go again,' he commented. 'Should I start packing or would you prefer for me to run around the room and act loopy instead?' Dax said with mild disgust tempering his voice.

Aria mentally shushed Dax. 'They are different,' she mind spoke rapidly.

Aria realized that she had been ignoring Magnus and Kat while talking to Dax and blushed more deeply. "I'm sorry," she apologized before clearing her throat trying to find a good place to start.

She decided to just lay it all out and if they thought she was insane and lock her up or decide to hate her, so be it. "Yes, Dax is just as sentient as you are." She hesitated briefly to watch for a violent reaction but seeing none she continued. "He was altered by an evil wizard as a hatching and had a few different result. One such result was that he gained the ability to mind-speak to any witch or wizard that he so chooses. I have always kept this a secret from everyone because of the extreme negative reaction I received in the past when muggles found out." Aria finished while looking down at the ground.

'Being chased off and imprisoned in an insane asylum isn't exactly friendly,' Dax mind spoke dryly to Aria, Magnus, and Kat. Dax was sitting up under the table of chocolate, looking rather pleased with himself and at the same time ready to run if spells started being thrown.

"Just the house elf," Paul said, "and Dweez was...well I didn't hang around with him if I didn't have too."

Magnus looked at Dax and Aria and then back to Dax. "Well I'll be damned," he said. "That's too cool. But mind you, you better behave and not tell Aria anything in confidence or I'll 'ave to knit a horrible looking jumper and cram you into it for pictures." He winked at Dax and bent down to pet him.

(( Kat would glare at Magnus for that. Butterflies are transformation, yes, but more in the sense of becoming something new and different, not so much in the sense of being a werewolf. But he was too quiet to hear....Maybe she can figure out why it bothers him later, though. plots))

Kat wasn't quite as impressed by a sentient animal as she might have been, were she a Muggle, but she was still suitably intrigued. "Cool! It's nice to meet you properly, Dax. Sometimes I wish Cato could talk and all...but then I figure if I really want someone to talk to, there's plenty of those around." Magnus's comment about an atrocious jumper made her use a hand to hide a snicker.

Paul's words were sobering, though. "Yeah, no one can tell what would have happened, I guess. Still. If Mr. Bartley and your wife are telling you that, you should listen to them, because they're /right/." The girl said it with all the authority an eleven-year-old could muster, but her conviction said much for her character. "You don't need people who want to put you down. You've got friends that care, if you need someone. Like us." Katsumi kept her intent gaze on him for a moment longer until she realize the implications of what she'd just said, and her eyes went round before she flushed and looked away. She wasn't one for boldly declaring herself like that most of the time, not for this sort of thing.