Chapter 38 - Speaking of War
The next night, Harry addressed the entire DA before drills:
"I am delaying the beginning of practice for a few minutes because of a problem that I have been seeing which may lead to a much bigger problem. All this year, I have noticed that fights have broken out among you: sometimes just arguments, more often extending to fistfights or exchanges of hexes. You are all wearing sunglasses so that I, and through me Voldemort, may not know what defensive plans may be made. But just as easily, he can glean information from the things you say and do, and he watches most closely what you do in unguarded moments, when you are unaware I am around. What he has learned is that we are fractious and divided, that we cannot cooperate and that we are weakened by this. This has caused a recent shift in his strategies. Even now he is massing forces, recruiting dark wizards and opportunists from the world over, as well as bringing in giants. Of course, he already had the dementors on his side. They are being brought for one purpose: to make war on Hogwarts. They are using other forces to keep the Ministry forces occupied.
"I would hope that I would not need to impress on you the magnitude of this problem, but I will share with you what I know about the situation. They are even now in the process of moving the several hundred giants still remaining to Britain. To defeat the giants, each one would have to be attacked with massed firepower, at least ten spells hitting at once. Two years ago I saw Professor Hagrid shrug off repeated stunners from trained aurors: realize that he is only half-giant, and you'll begin to appreciate the magnitude of the task if we have to face them. They have already over 500 wizards and witches enlisted and hope to have at least twice that number by the end of the school year. As for them, there will be a great range in their talents, but you can expect that the ones who volunteered for a battle are skillful and completely ruthless. And finally keep in mind that they will be using dementors as well - hundreds of them. To help deal with that I am adding another night of patronus sessions - every Friday evening starting at 7 p.m.
"This change of strategy has come from two developments. First, the aurors and the auxiliaries have been very effective. The enemy will no longer be giving us warnings of their targets so that they more effectively spread terror without the losses they had been suffering. Even now, the witches and wizards who had not done so previously are being encouraged to gather in the well-protected strongholds such as Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley. Second, there is the concern Voldemort has about all the skilled and courageous fighters of this school entering the general wizarding population. In this regard I must agree with him. You have been brilliant. You have worked so hard and you have become very strong and able. I have been involved in a number of adventures in my life. I'll not bother to recount them, but I want you to know that nothing has pleased me more or made me more proud than to work with all of you and see the development which has occurred. It has been awesome and humbling.
"But your very talent makes you a critical target for Voldemort. He does not want to let you join the rest of the wizarding world, where you would be able to thwart his followers again and again. He did not dare to order an attack on the school so long as we worked together. As the Headmaster told us after Voldemort regained a body, 'We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.' Of late, he has found you divided and therefore weak. You all still work brilliantly when you are focused on training, but then I see you allowing yourselves to fall into discord. I watch these things when I'm not working with you. The fighting, the bitterness, the rancor, the division must stop. If this continues as it has, he will order his forces to attack by the end of the year. Death and destruction on a scale never before seen in the magical world will be the result. We must each find within ourselves the strength of character to look beyond our immediate annoyances and work together. If not I can assure that this fighting within our walls will lead to a very deadly war outside them."
There was silence for several seconds and then Ron stepped forward. "Speaking for the squadrons, Harry, I can assure you that we will do everything we can to stay unified for the greater needs of all."
Ernie McMillan also stepped forward. "And speaking for the real army, we too will put aside any differences."
"REAL army!" shouted Ron. "Your kind just hunkers down in holes – you're not out in the open where the real danger is!"
"Real danger? – Your kind just sneaks in for quick hit-and-runs. You haven't the backbone to hold your ground!"
Ron charged at Ernie, who charged back. "No backbone, eh?" and the two of them commenced tussling on the floor.
Harry hit them both with a spray of ice water. They stopped fighting. The whole room was silent. Harry hung his head and walked out and down the hall.
Harry was halfway down the corridor when Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe caught up with him.
"Harry! Hey, Harry," called Crabbe. "Wait up. We need you."
Harry turned and looked at them.
"Harry, I don't know what's got into those guys - all that fighting is nuts," said Goyle, "but those of us who just started this year sure need you. We're barely doing the disarming and Protego spells. We can do a poor stunner and a few other hexes. It may not sound like much, but it's more than we could do three months ago. All we knew before was some goofy prank spells. We stuck our necks out to join and we need to be able to defend ourselves if things get rough. Everybody there says what a great coach you are and how they would do anything for you."
"Yeah," said Crabbe, "you haven't let anything stop you from helping us – what house someone's in, things that might have gone on before, the friends someone has, …
"...what their fathers have done …" added Goyle.
"Right," continued Crabbe. "None of that stuff. And I really feel like a changed person. The world has turned around for us."
"Absolutely," said Goyle, "and there's one reason – because Harry Potter took the time to work with all of us. I guess tensions have gotten a bit high or something. But we're all really together. Trust us. Come back."
"And even if some people are not really all that much together," said Crabbe, "that's all the more reason that us poor wizards need your help. Don't leave us hanging out there. You don't know what it's like until you've walked a mile in our shoes."
Harry started to laugh. "Well, actually, I have. But that's a long story for another time."
Harry looked from face to face. How could he refuse them? Here were Malfoy's longtime henchmen, the sons of two Death Eaters, begging him to come back to lead the training to defend against Voldemort. He smiled and shook his head.
"Come on," he said, stepping between them as they turned, and reaching up to put an arm around each one's shoulder.
"A poor stunner, eh? Let's see if we can't punch it up some, okay?"