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What Is My Patronus?

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You’re minding your own business, when the air around you suddenly goes cold. The lights flicker out and the world goes quiet. You swirl around to find yourself face-to-face with a Dementor. There’s only one thing you can do. You lift your wand and shout, “EXPECTO PATRONUM!”

Your Patronus is your spiritual guardian. Powered by a positive and happy memory, it will do anything to protect you. It presents itself as the animal version of yourself. But what is that and what does it say about you and your personality? Take our quiz to find out!

Visible from the neck down, a person in robes with a Gryffindor-colored tie holds a book and wand.

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Questions Overview

1. What’s your Hogwarts house?
  1. Hufflepuff—Whenever a friend’s down, I’m there with a hug and tasty treat!
  2. Slytherin—I’m not afraid to fight for what I want.
  3. Ravenclaw—Catching me without a book? Impossible.
  4. Gryffindor—I’ll defend the truth, no matter the cost.
2. Don’t look, but your crush just sat next to you! Who is it?
  1. Ron Weasley or Lavender Brown
  2. Draco Malfoy or Ginny Weasley
  3. Neville Longbottom or Luna Lovegood
  4. Harry Potter or Hermione Granger
3. What’s your favorite class at Hogwarts?
  1. Transfiguration
  2. Defence Against the Dark Arts
  3. Charms
  4. Care of Magical Creatures
4. You’re on your way to Honeydukes. What’s the first treat you buy?
  1. Cauldron Cake
  2. Chocolate Frog
  3. Pumpkin Pastie
  4. Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans
5. What would you take with you on an adventure?
  1. A friend! What’s an adventure without some company?
  2. Chocolate, in case the Dementors attack.
  3. A magical object that would aid me. I’ve done my research.
  4. My wand—duh!
6. If you had to pick, who’s your favorite professor?
  1. McGonagall. She truly cares about her students.
  2. Snape. I love how he tells it how it is.
  3. Flitwick. I like how he appreciates the arts.
  4. Dumbledore. He’s the greatest wizard, after all!
7. Hogsmeade weekends are here—hooray! Where do you go first?
  1. The Hogsmeade Post Office. Have to send my letters out to my friends!
  2. Hog’s Head Inn. I hear there’s a secret passage.
  3. Tomes and Scrolls, so I can get the latest reading materials.
  4. The Shrieking Shack. I bet it’s not as haunted as they say.
8. You’re caught in the hall after dark. What do you do to cover your tracks?
  1. Stumble over a lie. It’d be easier just to tell the truth!
  2. Claim I’m doing something for a professor, so they don’t ask questions.
  3. Come up with a clever lie—I’m naturally quick-witted.
  4. Pretend to be sleepwalking. What I’m doing is top secret, after all.
9. If your friends could describe you in one word, they’d say you’re:
  1. Trustworthy
  2. Protective
  3. Curious
  4. Resilient
10. Someone walks into the common room on a Friday night to see you:
  1. Chatting with friends. What else would I be doing?
  2. Practicing my spells. Not like I need it or anything.
  3. Reading a good book or magazine. There’s so much to learn!
  4. Fiddling with a new magical item I found…Well, that found me.
11. What’s your go-to spell?
  1. Alohomora. People who lock doors have something to hide.
  2. Expelliarmus. You never know when you need to disarm someone.
  3. Reparo. Something always needs fixing.
  4. Lumos. You’d be surprised how often I find myself in the dark.
12. What do you want to do after you graduate from Hogwarts?
  1. Maybe I’ll be a professor or work at Gringotts—whatever’s stable!
  2. Work for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
  3. Be an advocate for magical minorities.
  4. Try to settle down and raise a family of my own.
13. A troll has stumbled into Hogwarts. What do you do?
  1. Confront it. This creature may be tall, but I am fierce!
  2. Form a plan, then attack. Going in blind would be silly.
  3. Get a professor. They’ll know what to do.
  4. Run. There’s no way I’m getting attacked by a troll!
14. You and a friend are fighting. How long does it take to make up?
  1. A week or more, but they better be the one to apologize.
  2. A day. I can’t stay mad at them for long.
  3. A few minutes. I’ll apologize even if I’m right.
  4. Fighting? I never disagree with my friends.

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What Is a Patronus?

In the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a Patronus is a powerful spiritual guardian that appears when a witch or wizard casts the Patronus Charm by saying Expecto Patronum. The Patronus Charm is mainly used in defensive situations when a Dementor is present. The spell is extremely challenging and takes lots of practice to cast correctly.

To cast the spell, the witch or wizard must think of a positive memory. But this can’t be just any happy memory. It must be something full of an overwhelming amount of joy. For instance, Harry Potter tries casting the Patronus Charm twice with different memories before producing a sliver of a Patronus. The memory he lands on? When he finds out he’s a wizard and can leave the Dursleys behind.

Now that you know what a Patronus is and how to conjure one, you can learn about the different shapes they take. Patronuses can be just about any animal or magical creature. Each Patronus is unique to the spell caster, taking on a shape that projects their personality. Check out some of your favorite characters and their Patronuses below:

Harry Potter’s Patronus is a stag , which reflects his noble, brave, and protective nature. He also shares the same Patronus as his father, James Potter.

Hermione Granger’s Patronus is an otter , as it shares her inquisitive nature and hidden playful personality.

Ron Weasley’s Patronus is a Jack Russell terrier , as they have the same loyal and stubborn attitude.

Luna Lovegood’s Patronus is a hare because of her shy but clever and bubbly personality.

Albus Dumbledore’s Patronus is the phoenix , representing his resilience and drive to restore the wizarding world.

Minerva McGonagall’s Patronus is a cat , as she is intelligent, cunning, and extremely loyal.

Severus Snape’s Patronus is a doe because of his often hidden loving heart and protective nature. He shares this Patronus with his childhood crush, Lily Potter, who happens to be Harry’s mother.

Remus Lupin’s Patronus is a wolf , which reflects his protective nature and werewolf abilities.

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