Lessons from Hogwarts #6: expecto patronum

Having had a lovely few days' holiday, I got sick and I've spent much of the last two days in bed (apologies for the lack of new posts). Being ill in bed presents a great opportunity for rereading Harry Potter, however, and I realised that I've so far left out one of the best bits.

'Expecto patronum' is a spell Harry learns early on to defend himself against the dementors. Dementors are nasty creatures which feed off human misery and fear. If you get too near a dementor, first you feel cold and clammy, and then you feel more and more anxious and depressed as you start to dwell on all your worst memories and deepest fears. But Harry learns how to summon a patronus, a sort of guardian made of positive energy, which usually takes the form of an animal. A patronus can shield you from any number of dementors, provided you can summon it, and you do this by focusing on a single happy memory. Although the patronus is a fictional creature which guards against a fictional enemy, I love the idea of using a happy memory to shield oneself - and others - against the darkness.

We all have our demons, whether they be painful memories, secret temptations or fears that, deep down, we aren't good enough. But we also all have good memories, people we love, things which bring us joy. I was going through some old papers this afternoon and found cards and letters from friends which I'd never been able to bring myself to throw away. Cards people sent me while I was at college, struggling with essays and feeling lonely; a letter my Dad wrote me back when I was single and feeling depressed about life; a printout of an encouraging email from a former colleague. These letters were my patronuses, talismans against the gloom. Some people are particularly good at bringing a kind word at the right time. Christians call this the gift of encouragement.

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