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Screengrab via Pottermore

Pottermore’s Patronus test is finally here

You'll be warding off those Dementors in no time.

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Michelle Jaworski

Internet Culture

Posted on Sep 22, 2016   Updated on May 25, 2021, 11:04 pm CDT

When Pottermore originally launched a few years ago, fans were excited to get their wands and be sorted into a Hogwarts house, but one of the site’s most-requested features wasn’t charmed into reality—until now.

Fans have tried to guess what corporeal form their Patronus—a defensive charm that protects you against Dementors and can pass along secret messages—might take since Harry cast his first Patronus Charm in Prisoner of Azkaban.

The Patronus charm plays a crucial role throughout the series as Harry casts it multiple times to save himself and others from Dementors. Harry eventually teaches Dumbledore’s Army how to cast it, members of the Order of the Phoenix use it to communicate, and Severus Snape’s Patronus reveals his true allegiance, even after all this time.

Last year, upon Pottermore’s relaunch, the site promised that “Soon, you’ll also be able to find out the form of your Patronus and ponder on what that means.” And so it did, but not before offering a number of teases online. On Wednesday, Pottermore started to tweet out a dark photo that, in subsequent tweets, began to reveal art of the Forbidden Forest and a silver wisp.

Heading to Pottermore’s Patronus landing page takes you to the test, which asks you to think of your happiest memory as you answer a series of questions. It’s similar in manner to Pottermore’s other tests, but this one is timed: It wants you to go with your gut and pick the first answer you settle on. The more questions you answer, the darker the screen becomes—almost as if the Dementors are sucking the light out of the room.

Once you complete the test, Pottermore will ask you to cast your Patronus to reveal its form. It goes away after a few seconds, but you can cast it as many times as you want to see it floating around the forest.

Pottermore

Pottermore

Pottermore

Pottermore

The test has only been out for a few hours so we’ll have to wait to see all of the possible Patronuses we can get, although Dumbledore appears to be the only character with a Patronus in the form of a magical creature—a Phoenix. We won’t have to wonder about J.K. Rowling’s Patronus: In her reveal she shared that her results had changed between a trial run and the completed test.

Her Patronus, she revealed, is now a Heron.

Update 10:03 am CT: It turns out magical creatures are possible results for the Patronus test. 

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*First Published: Sep 22, 2016, 11:00 am CDT

Michelle Jaworski

Michelle Jaworski is a staff writer and TV/film critic at the Daily Dot. She covers entertainment, geek culture, and pop culture and has covered everything from the Sundance Film Festival, NYFF, and Tribeca to New York Comic Con and Con of Thrones. She is based in Brooklyn.

Michelle Jaworski