Charms Club: Patronus Memories (Term XXIV, Activity 4)

[c-hrista.livejournal.com]

Activity: Patronus Memories
Points: 10 points participation
Deadline: OCT 30, 2012 11:00pm UTC Timezone Converter
Details: Someone's curious! Write a minimum of 100 words on what your happiest memory that enables you to cast your Patronus. Should be a real memory and not a made-up one!

Please submit using the following text box:

<b>Memory</b>: Name/House/Wordcount *Be sure you signed the roster if you want your bonus points*

It's Win-gar-dium Levi-o-sa, not Levio-sa! If your wand skills need work, join Charms Club today!
Rosters aren't mandatory for participation points, but if you want you bonus points be sure to have signed it!

Comments

[slumber.livejournal.com]

Memory: Mine would have to be seeing the Frankfurt skyline for the first time. It was the first day I had in Europe, a month after graduating college and two months before I was to start grad school. I was DONE with school for the time being, I was going to be moving away for the first time, and I was all alone in a continent I'd never been before. I was running on no sleep for the last day or so and on impulse had signed up for a ~day tour of the city while I waited for my train to head over to the small town that was first on my itinerary, after spending the last night basically looking for a comfortable spot in the airport to spend the night. (IDK, my planning skills were kind of terrible back then.) When I got on the bus one of the first things we saw was the skyline, the sun peeking out of it, and it was just like any other skyline I'd seen and any other sunrise I'd watched but it was honestly one of the happiest memories I hold, simply because that trip is one of the best I'd ever taken. It was an adventure -- I knew I could take care of myself and I met a ton of new people and saw a lot of new things and it's a feeling I like trying to recapture every time I travel.

Evy/Claw/243

[shellzconlon.livejournal.com]

Memory: I can't think of just one standout memory that is just eons above the rest in terms of happiness, but the first thing that came to mind was a few months ago when I was just hanging out in the living room with my brother (who is 16). Something led to another, I think I was telling him that I'd be able to get out of any wrestling hold he could put me so of course we had to put that to the test. So he's trying to get me in a lock and I'm thin and flexible so I'm squirming out of everything and everytime I'd try to escape he'd grab me by my legs and pull me back Paranormal Activity style and it was the most fun I've ever had with him in a long time.

Michelle/Gryffindor/137

[erzsebet.livejournal.com]

Memory:
The answer to this, for me, is obvious but at the same time not. Obvious because my mind instantly went to a certain time in my childhood, but difficult because there are a few memories from that time that fill me with that same rush of happiness. They're small and insignificant, things I'm not even sure how I managed to remember because they really are just that small, but I'm so happy that I have remembered them. I guess I'll just share them all because, I feel, I would never be able to pick just one.
1. The smell of my dad's recliner. Because my dad was sick (Emphysema) he was the one to stay home and take care of my while my mother worked. My dad would always sit in this old recliner of his. He'd watch cartoons with me, cuddle with me, sit patiently while I put on dances and musicals for him. And even after he died -- long, long after he died -- the recliner still smelled so much of him. Whenever I was upset about something I used to curl up in his recliner and close my eyes and just remember him.
2. (You'll find a pattern with the memories I'm sharing, they're all about my dad. ♥) Joking around with my dad would be second. He was always trying to make me laugh -- he did a great impression of Donald Duck that used to have me cracking up until I was in pain. But one I remember specifically, and always one of the first memories that comes to mind when I think of my dad, was about Trix cereal. I don't know if their slogan is the same but it used to be "Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids". I loved Trix as a kid and, so many mornings, my dad would walk into the kitchen as I sat and ate my cereal. He'd take the bowl from me and say, "Silly kid, Trix are for rabbits." We'd argue back and forth until one of us gave in and laughed, and he'd hand the cereal back.
3. The final memory that comes to mind is racing with my dad. Because of his Emphysema he couldn't actually race me but he had one of those electric wheelchairs. We used to go up and down the block racing one another, him in the wheelchair and myself either running or on my tricycle.
So yeah, those are my happy memories. I think one reason they do make me so happy is because it's from such a short time in my life, before everything happened. I wasn't aware my dad was sick -- I knew he had oxygen tanks, I remember the man who'd bring the new ones by was always very nice to me -- but I didn't know that it was an actual sickness. None of my friends at the time had dads so I always thought it was just something dads did, breathe with the help of giant tanks. So these memories, despite how naive I was (understandable, I was five and younger), are the happiest and most prized memories I have. I wouldn't be able to pick just one to cast a Patronus. If I had to pick, I guess just a general "my dad", but that's such a vague concept... So yes, these three memories would be what I pick.


Liz | Gryffindor | 566

[muffinpatronus.livejournal.com]

Memory:
There are a lot of kind of vague/unspecific things I'd probably think about while casting a patronus, such as "my friends" or "muffinvasion" or "my year in folk high school" etc, but this is probably the single memory I think about the most when I want to cheer myself up!
Short version: "Allow yourself to dream."
Long version: A few years ago I found out that there was going to be a fantasy and sci-fi con near where I live. Cons never happen where I live so I was really excited, meeting other geeks, drooling over geeky things, maybe meeting someone famous and so on. The con was over a weekend and was going to close around 7 on that Sunday, so even though I had to do some work for my grandmother I was able to get there about an hour before they closed! I drooled over some Harry Potter stuff and bought a t-shirt, then I turned and saw a few tables where people were handing out autographs. One of those people were John Rhys-Davies (know from The Lord of the Rings and Indiana Jones ++) and there was no one in line! So I kind of... collected myself a bit and went over there to talk to him. And we talked for almost half an hour, because no one else came to get his autograph (also the con was about to close so no one else was really around...). I told him I really wanted to work with movies or theatre (behind the scenes, not as an actor) and he told me how great that was and I when I went all pessimist (because that's what I do) and said I'd probably end up working in a grocery shop for the rest of my life he said I shouldn't think like that and try to aim a little higher. He was so nice, he complimented me on my hair and as we were just chatting he asked me about my sister and when I told him we didn't really talk much he grabbed a picture of himself and autographed it to my sister and gave it to me for free (I had already paid about $25-30 for mine)! Then when someone came over and told me I had to leave since they were closing he said he wanted to write something on my photo besides his autograph, so he wrote "Dearest Vanja; allow yourself to dream! Good luck, from John Rhys-Davies". It's simple, but those words and his kindness really stuck with me to the point where I think I can say I probably wouldn't be the same today without it. When I lose hope in myself I think about what he said and I look at what he wrote and it gives me a boost, when I'm having a bad day I think about that half hour, because when those words come from someone you admire that much... :'3

Muffin//Gryffindor//491

[dragongirl3745.livejournal.com]

Memory: When I think of casting a Patronus, my happiest thoughts/memories are of my niece Bryna. I remember how excited I was to see her just an hour after her birth. After my sister having miscarried twice before, Bryna was such a little delight. How beautiful she was and how tiny. I remember when she was home and I finally got to hold her for the first time. I remember how I had thought how fragile she'd looked, but had felt very solid in my arms. I remember how much I enjoyed just looking at her as a baby. And now, as a toddler, how much fun it is to see how much she changes from day to day. I love watching her learn and explore. I love seeing her light up when confronted by something new. I love watching her try and try to walk, even though she's not quite there yet. I love listening to her laugh and talk, even though I only understand a few words. I can't wait to see how she grows in the years to come.

Anna//Hufflepuff//182

[flyingharmony.livejournal.com]

Memory: Oh, I have so many happy memories! It's hard to decide which one to choose to create my patronus. But I think I'm going to take one of my experiences; I grew up with it and therefore cannot remember the actual first time I've been to the opera, because it would have been this, so I'll go with the day I found out taht I'd be allowed to have my first singing lesson soon. It was my 17th birthday and I already had been eager to finally take lessons but everyone had always told me to wait, so I'd not ruin my still very young vocal chords. So, my time was spentw aiting and waiting and waiting even more, until the day finally came. I turned seventeen, which apparently was a good age to start, and received this envelope by my parents that said "it's finally coming!" and contained the message that I was invited at our theatre's then artistic director's office who was a very famous singer herself to basically audition, so she could find a proper voice teacher for me. A few days later I had received the number of the lady who is my voice teacher until today and taught me so incredibly much! I still have the envelope with the card adn I still get incredibly happy when I look at it ♥

Avi//Hufflepuff//226

[cattiechaos.livejournal.com]

Memory: My happiest memory is when I met one of my best friends in the beginning of freshman year of high school :-) I walked into the biology lab and I saw a girl with dinosaur clips in her hair smiling and drawing with colorful Sharpies and I remember feeling in that exact moment, that indisputably and beyond a shade of doubt we were going to be best friends. And we are ^_____^ I really can't say if love at first sight exists or not, but I think friendship is a form of love (platonic love, right?) and I think that friendship at first sight exists~ Four years later and I couldn’t be happier.

Catherine/Slytherin/113/yes I'm on the roster Christa!!

[ffaddict89.livejournal.com]

Memory: The memory I would use for my patronus would definitely be the first time I held my daughter. I'm quite a seeing is believing type of person so, believe it or not, I wasn't quite convinced she was in there. Of course, I felt her move and whatnot, but I was still unsure. I was even less sure that I would be able to love her. However, that moment I saw her eyes and held her in my hands I knew I would do anything in my power to raise her right, love her, and protect her. It was definitely a case of love at first sight. Now, I just remember that early morning whenever she is screaming hysterically or squealing for hours on end.

Jessica | Ravenclaw | 125 words

[schizophrenic0.livejournal.com]

Memory: It’s not really one specific memory, but an entire series of memories, I guess, regarding my time on stage. I think for me the most exhilarating thing is performing onstage and hearing the applause of the audience. If I had to pick one specific show, it would definitely have to be when I was Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre in The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee simply because of how much fun that show was. It was a small cast and Ioved each and every person in it, from the cast to the crew. I also loved how that we had some freedom with it, that we could make some things up here and there, and that we had audience volunteers up there who didn’t know what was going on. I also liked that we were really giving our area something new in terms of theatre. I live in an area in the south that is pretty conservative and religious. I don’t necessarily mean that in a bad way, but a lot of what people consider “acceptable theatre” is more along the line of The Sound of Music and Annie and the such. So it was fun to stage a show that is a little edgier in terms of subject matter and characters. I know some people disapproved, but we really were able to show our audience that great shows exist beyond the classics and more mainstream ones.

Colleen/Ravenclaw/236

[mmailliw.livejournal.com]

Memory: To be honest, it is REALLY hard to think of my absolute best memory (and, at my current point in my life, I hope that if I answer the question 5 years from now - say - I give a different answer from now, i.e. implying that my life gets significantly happier). There are memories that made me EXTREMELY happy at the time (e.g. certain compliments about my looks from a certain ex-girlfriend of mine) that definitely do not fit because these are not related to my life now in any meaningful way. I'm also tempted to go for memories related to getting into Cambridge in 2004 or of success there... but that's both really far away time-wise AND not connected to any of my current life paths.

So, going to something more recent: I will choose February 1 of this year when I was in Helsinki. I had just moved there about a month earlier and was slowly settling in... and the temperature was getting towards the coldest I had seen in my entire life. I had most of the day off though and got to hang out in the city: warming up inside one of those ship museum/restaurants and then discovering a nearby shopping center which had amazing hot chocolate... that, combined with looking at the city, made me feel a bit better about being stuck in sub-zero (Fahrenheit!) weather. Then, I went to my Finnish class late afternoon, learning about the 'pakkasennätys' (record cold: although the winter had been 'warm' so far, this was getting to be the actual coldest part) and realized that at least one part of my life was going to go smoothly, even if my mathematics wasn't. Knowing I was finally settling into Helsinki, even as the coldest winter descended upon me, made me feel like something productive might happen for a change.

William//Slytherin//311

(oh, and I had JUST finally gotten my medicines transferred to Finnish prescriptions I could refill when I wanted to ONE day earlier... another sign of moving fowrad)

[jackie.livejournal.com]

Memory: My baby sister, Hannah, was born when I was a sophomore in high school. She'll be 12 at the end of November. My happiest memory was when I got to meet her for the first time - seconds after she was born. My younger sister, Ashley, then 10, and I had gone to school that morning as usual. I had just turned 16 and had my driver's license, so I got to take the family car, just in case. When the call came in that I was to be excused to go meet my baby sister, I was ecstatic. I didn't even remember getting to Ashley's school or getting back into town to the hospital - I just know we went about 90 MPH on every road. We got there right as she was being born and a few minutes later, got to meet her. It was crazy to me how I could fall so completely in love with someone I'd only just met, but I knew I would be in love with that kid forever. Twelve years later, she's a snarky, intelligent, crazy human being and I'm so glad to know her. She's growing up so fast, it's scary. But I will always remember the first time I held her in my arms and looked down at her bright blue eyes and soft pink cheeks and fell completely, utterly in love.

Jackie//Gryffindor//243

[amakuni.livejournal.com]

Memory: I tend not to cherish many moments in my life but the first thing I recall about happy memory is the time when I was going home with one of my close friends. You could say I’ve had a quite big crush on him but I could express my feelings to him clearly. We used the train to get back home. Inside the train, it was like a sea of people. I was afraid that I would be separated from him but he held my hand. People were pushing just to get themselves in and it just made our space getting closer and closer, still holding on to each other. Even though we were so close by distance that time, I didn’t feel nervous or fidgety at all. I felt truly content that time.

Zhao/Ravenclaw/134

[daisychain-xx.livejournal.com]

Memory: My best memory would have to be Graduation. I worked so hard to get to that point it was crazy. I hardly slept through my whole course, staying up all night to get things in by the deadline. I couldn't have a full time job so had no money, I had to travel 2 hours to get there and 2 hours to get home again, I failed an exam and had to take a year out. I struggled my way through loads of different barriers and to get to that day was just the best feeling in the world. All I could think about when I walked across the stage was "Please don't let me fall over!" I think the best moment though was seeing my parents' faces after it was all over. They were so proud, and that made me the happiest I've ever been.

Claire/Hufflepuff/146

*Be sure you signed the roster if you want your bonus points*

[storminmay]

Memory: The happy memory I’d use to cast my Patronus would be the day I met my current boyfriend. It was the second day of classes during the Spring 2009 semester, and I was sick like a dog. It was the worst cold I’ve ever had and, of course, I HAD to be in class that day. I walked into the classroom and sat in the very back row, with my sweatpants and hoodie and snotty, rubbed-raw nose. (Seriously. It was so attractive. /sarcasm) I sat down next to this blond, bespectacled guy and suddenly realized the chair I was sitting in was broken. I sighed and said under my breath “Ugh, really, universe?” and then heard scraping next to me. The blond guy had stood up, scooted his chair over to me, and then he said “Here, you can have my chair.” It was such a sweet gesture on a day where I felt absolutely horrible and where nothing was going right, and it immediately told me so much about his kind and gentle character. We've been happily dating ever since, and thinking about how special our first moment was fills me with so much joy and happiness that I dare a Dementor to take me on!

Emma/Ravenclaw/207

[bergeronprocess.livejournal.com]

Memory: When I graduated from college in May 2011, my school held its commencement exercises at the nearby Georgia Dome in downtown Atlanta. (Due to a general lack of empty space for building new sports arenas, my alma mater also uses the Dome for its football team's home games.) So after quite a long time of waiting in the stands for everyone to get there, we were herded down the hallways you usually never see as a casual spectator. I'm pretty sure we went by a Falcons locker room at one point when walking. When we finally came out of the tunnel, just like any sporting team, it was to the stands now full of cheering parents, friends, etc. We all just felt like rockstars or champions or anything. Then I was finally able to find my entourage in the crowd and that just made the experience even BETTER! It was just such a great day.

Emma//Hufflepuff//154 words

[lotrangel17.livejournal.com]

Memory: My happiest memory would be when we brought the twins home from the hospital. They were born premature on November 30th and had to spend 25 days in the NICU which means we brought them home, straight from the NICU, on Christmas Day. They were so tiny when they were born, 3 pounds and 4 pounds spending every day there in the NICU was so scary. We didn't even get to hold them until they were over a week old. But on that day when they discharged us and we drove home with them and walked into the house together as a family it was one of the happiest days of my life.

Steph//Puff//110

[scarletladyy.livejournal.com]

Memory:There is only one answer to this: my wedding day! Everything about the day was perfect. My mum and dad have been divorced for fifteen years, always rowed and hated each other, yet on my wedding day, my mum let my dad into her house to come and collect me. It was so touching. They even posed for photos together for me. My dress was stunning, my flowers were incredible, my hair was beautiful and my husband was extremely handsome. We had the works -- tailcoats, top hats and canes! I wanted the canes because of Lucius Malfoy ;) The day held out weather wise and we even got some sun, managing to get some shots of us in the car with the roof down. My bridesmaids were amazing, especially Sam (my chief bridesmaid, and who I met through HiH!) and we had loads of fun dancing the night away. We recently saw our photographs and they are brilliant, so very chuffed with those too. The food we had was out of this world, and our wedding cake was divine!

It was also special in another way, as well. I have severe social anxiety disorder, so although we'd waited until I'd be able to walk down the aisle anxiety wise, everyone was still worried about me. Turns out, they didn't need to be! My happiness, excitement and adrenaline was so great on the day that it was like I was truly me again. The only time I got anxious was when I was just about to walk up the aisle, because it suddenly hit me, but even then, my excitement outweighed my nerves dramatically and it soon went.

For the past five years of my life, I haven't been able to go out alone, talk to people, basically socialise (still can't). But on my wedding day, it was like I wasn't even ill at all! I was just so happy and fuelled on adrenaline that my anxiety literally flew out of the window. It was incredible! I held real conversations with people, managed to be the centre of attention, coped with everything I had to do. It was amazing, and not only did it prove to myself that I was definitely in recovery (because a year before, I couldn't have done it), but also that I could get better.

The entire day was just like a dream, an amazing, beautiful, wonderful, is-this-really-happening-to-me dream ♥ It was so perfect, and I have never been happier ♥

Fairy//Hufflepuff//413

[pretty-panther.livejournal.com]

Memory: My happiest memory would be when I first held my little brother when I was 10. I hadn't been too amused at the idea of gaining a step brother but he was so small and innocent and totally content in my arms. I wasn't having a great time of it at the time and my health was in a terrible place but when I held him I felt truly happy for the first time in months. I was content and for a short time wasn't worrying about anything. I know I was ten but even then I worried a lot and I'm diabetic so my health worries were a lot for my little ten year old self to deal with.

Sam/Puff/120

[flipflop-diva.livejournal.com]

Memory:
I have a lot of happy memories, but one of my very favorites came from my sister’s wedding. Tiny backstory — our family loves Kenny Chesney. Especially my sister and me. But we’ve taken our dad to concerts, and it’s sort of become a family thing over the years. So at her wedding, one of the songs she asked the DJ to play was “How Forever Feels.” I think it was supposed to be the song she and Brian left to, but things never go as planned, and so when it started playing, we (me, my sister, my dad & his wife, Brian, Brian’s mom) all just happened to be standing in a back corner talking about something I can’t even remember now. But then the song came on. And we just all started dancing and lip synching. All the guests were on the dance floor dancing, but we were just all together in the back. And it was just … it was so nice. Our whole new combined family just letting loose and having a good time and enjoying ourselves and each other and not caring what everyone else was doing at the time. It seems like a small thing, but that moment always, always brings a smile to my face.

Kristine/Puff/211 words

[interchanges.livejournal.com]

Memory: Even though my experience there didn't end up being the best, I think my happiest moment would be when I found out I had been accepted into JET and would be going to Japan. It had been everything I had wanted and worked toward over the years leading up to it, so to be accepted left me elated. I was sitting in the Student Union with my friend Diana, constantly refreshing forums to see when people had heard back from the Embassy. It took almost a half hour after people started hearing back that I got the email, as it had to be scanned by my university's virus scanner first due to the attachments. My friends who were rejected texted me as I was waiting to tell me and I was going crazy not knowing. Then the email arrived and I spazzed the hell out.

Chelsea/Ravenclaw/145