"Harry Potter" fans know that discovering your Patronus is one of the most personal moments of magic a wizard can experience. A Patronus — specifically a corporeal Patronus — is a sort of guardian animal charm. Made of pure light and happiness, the Patronus will guard its creator from Dementors and drive the evil creatures away.
Now even us non-magic folk can discover what our Patronus would be in the wizarding world. On September 22, a new quiz went live on "Harry Potter" site Pottermore that allows users with an account to find out which animal most suits them.
After signing in on Pottermore, fans are asked a series of cryptic questions. But first, the interactive page reminds you of the magic a Patronus carries.
Then, you're prompted to think of your happiest memory — a key part in casting the spell ("Expecto Patronum!")
Next comes the questions — which are actually more like word association games. Two or three words will appear on the screen, and you must select one as quickly as possible. Users may receive different word associations to choose between
"Leaf, Blade, Thorn" ... how mysterious. Others are straightforward, like "warm" or "cold."
The test is set in a digital rendering of what we guess is the Forest of Dean — a signficant location in the seventh book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." This forest is the place where Harry follows a doe Patronus (later revealed to belong to Severus Snape), until he finds the Sword of Gryffindor.
There are about 5 total questions (at least, there were for me). At the end of the quiz, your Patronus is revealed. Mine was a dolphin.
My fellow INSIDER reporters were assigned a "Dapple Grey Mare," "Blackbird," "Shrew," "Wolf," and "Rottweiler."
Fans on Twitter report that "Stoat," "Red Squirrel," and many more creatures are all options.
—Svend Joscelyne (@SvendJoscelyne) September 22, 2016
—⚡️ Davey ⚡️ (@daveygranger) September 22, 2016
—Maria Vicente 🔮 (@MsMariaVicente) September 22, 2016
—Jack Hughes (@jackmrhughes) September 22, 2016
—hal(loween queen 🎃) (@halrobison) September 22, 2016
—Stephan Lombard (@stephlombard) September 22, 2016
J.K. Rowling even took the quiz herself, though she received two different results when the quiz was still being developed.
—J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 22, 2016
—J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 22, 2016
It's a heron!
To discover your Patronus, head to the Pottermore website and think your happiest thoughts.
