Disclaimer: I own no part of this story except for the plot and spell work. J. K. Rowling owns everything else, including dozens of hours of my life that I am dedicating to this story.

Chapter 8: A Leader Born

Harry glanced around the crowded auditorium at the many hesitant and fearful faces. The Aurors had about ninety members with another thirteen trainees. However, with the news of Voldemort's imminent arrival, many of these Aurors seemed unwilling to fight. They had little to hope for and, hoping for the best didn't seem to amount to a whole lot right now.

Harry's thoughts were disturbed as a deep voice echoed from the front of the auditorium. Harry turned around and saw Kingsley Shacklebolt standing and preparing to talk to the crowd of Aurors. Harry was standing pretty close to the platform Kingsley was on and wished that he had been at the back of the room because of the volume of the loud, booming voice.

"As you all know, Voldemort is on his way here with several of his Death Eaters. In addition to the eighty some odd Death Eaters that will be in his company, Voldemort is also bringing Dementors."

A wave of fear swept through the room at the thought of the guards of Azkaban. As if Voldemort wasn't enough, they now had another type of demon to worry about.

"Therefore, I must ask that all Aurors that can effectively produce a Patronus to please come forward now."

Only half of the Aurors came to the front of the room. Harry looked about at the remaining Aurors and was surprised to see Hermione there. He quickly made his way to her side.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Hermione turned a piercing gaze on him and simply replied, "The same as you; fighting Voldemort."

Harry was about to object when she put a hand over his mouth.

"Harry, I know what you are going to say but I have to be here. I could ask you the same question, I know that Dumbledore told you to stay behind, but I know that you are here for the same reason that I am."

Harry was about to protest but saw the look in her eyes. Instead, he simply nodded and gave her hand a quick squeeze. He turned back to where Kingsley was finishing his instructions.

"Okay, those that can fight Dementors will be with me on the first floor. Those who cannot will be behind us. Should an Auror in front of you fall, we need you to step up and take his place. Call out if you need help against a Dementor."

Kingsley looked over his audience. He could see the fear in the eyes of most Aurors and he knew that the news he was about to give them would only make it worse.

"I called Hogwarts to ask Albus to come and help. Unfortunately, he won't be able to come here and fight Voldemort."

A wave of whispers swept through the room. Harry could feel the fear of those assembled increase tenfold. Albus Dumbledore was the light side's hope. Dumbledore alone had stood up to Voldemort and lived to tell about it. Without him, many feared that there was no reason to fight anymore. Defeat was inevitable.

Harry listened to these whispers and was astonished that these men and women would give up so easily. Harry looked up at Kingsley and saw the man shaking his head, as if giving in to defeat. Suddenly, without any conscious effort, Harry's feet took him up to the raised platform. He was suddenly at Kingsley's side and the tall Auror was giving him a strange look.

"May I say a word?" Harry asked after he finally found his voice.

Kingsley nodded and Harry turned to the mixed assembly. The room became suddenly quiet as the Aurors assembled realized who was at the front of the room. Harry didn't know what to say, but the words came to his mouth without effort.

"Fellow Aurors, we are gathered in this room today to acknowledge the fact of Voldemort's imminent arrival. Upon my arrival in this room, the only feelings I have felt are fear and despair. Now, after hearing that Dumbledore will not be fighting with us today, many of you may feel that our last hope is gone."

Harry looked over the audience and read the fear in the eyes of most of those gathered. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"Aurors—friends and family—I come here before you to tell you that all is not lost. I come here to tell you that Albus Dumbledore is not our last hope."

A wave of whispers shot through the room. Disbelief was evident on the faces of many. Harry Potter, Dumbledore's star pupil, was telling them that Dumbledore wasn't important to the war.

"As I said, Dumbledore is not our last hope. Someday a day may come when Albus Dumbledore may no longer be with us—a day when even Albus Dumbledore himself may crumble against the wave of darkness that threatens to consume us. Will you give up then? Will your hopes and dreams of winning this war be shattered by the loss of one man? Friends—family—fellow Aurors—I am here to tell you that our last hope lies not within one man, but within all men and women. Hope does not lie within one man, but within us all—within each and every heart. Our hearts hold our hopes; for in our hearts are our family, friends, and loved ones—in our hearts lie our dreams and ambitions—in our hearts lie every thought and feeling towards all who live on this great earth. These hopes are what will allow us to survive. It is these hopes, when standing alone against the torrents of despair and fear, which will allow us to triumph over evil."

Harry paused and looked over his audience. He didn't know how he knew what to say, but was acting on instinct. It was like playing Quidditch; it just came naturally to him. Harry could actually see the fear slowly dissipating and saw that many of the Aurors were now looking at Harry with a newfound respect.

"As long as I am here on this earth, I will fight against Voldemort. As long as there is one breath left in my broken and beaten body, I will not give in. I will fight till the end, no matter how hard or long the passage is. I have hope that one day my children and grandchildren might someday be able to live in a world where the threat of Voldemort does not exist. I have hope that one day, no matter what descent a witch or wizard is, they will be equal in the eyes of all who live in our magical world. I have hope that one day we will triumph over the Dark Side—that one day we will triumph over Voldemort. This is what my heart contains. My hopes of living a life free of the worry of darkness and that this life will carry on into the lives of my children and grandchildren. I will fight till the bitter end for this hope; for where it lies is a place that Voldemort can never touch. As long as our hopes lie in our hearts, they will remain unblemished by the taint of darkness that Voldemort brings. Voldemort cannot understand love—he cannot understand compassion and feelings—therefore, he cannot understand hope and he cannot destroy what he cannot understand. That is why our hopes cannot lie with the fate of one man. If we allow ourselves to put our hopes and dreams into one man, we have already lost this war as well as condemn that man to a horrible death at the hands of Voldemort.

"I do not ask you to put all of your hopes into me, but I do ask that you fight along side me. Not as fellow Aurors—not as friends—but as a family. A great man once said, 'We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.' I ask you to join with me today, to put away all discord and enmity between one another, and become a family with me. We are a family of light—a family that will not rest until the darkness among us is destroyed. We are the light of truth, justice, and happiness and may the hopes of our families, friends, and loved ones lie in us—all of us. Some have said that Albus Dumbledore is a hero. It has been said that I am a hero. However, heroes will not win this war—for you are all heroes. Every man and woman who has ever placed himself in harms way in order to fight for what they believe in is a hero. Heroes will not win this war but our hopes will. Together our combined hopes become an unstoppable force, one of which even Voldemort cannot defeat."

"As long as there is one person left standing among us, the light will fight against the darkness. As long as one hope exists, Voldemort has never truly won. Voldemort can control our bodies and our minds, but he cannot control our hearts. Each and every one of you has something to fight for today—each and every one of you have placed your hopes into something worth fighting for. Today, let not our minds, which are governed by fear and despair, guide us, but our hearts. Our hearts remain free of the taint of darkness and will allow us to fight bravely alongside one another.

"We have let Voldemort take the fight to us for too long and today we will fight back. Today we show Voldemort that we will not just fall down and surrender. We will stand up and fight against the forces of Darkness and we will win. Some say we fight a losing battle, but I ask, 'What other battle is worth fighting?' Only when something is on the line are things worth fighting for. Only when times are tough and we stand the chance of losing the things we hold dear are the true heroes born. Remember that it is not our abilities that show who we truly are, but our choices. When we act of our own freewill to secure the happiness of others, we are personifying the epitome of heroes. The members of this family gathered here today are the heroes of our generation. This family will stand against the flood of darkness and we will emerge victorious."

"It is time to show Voldemort what truly lies inside all of us. Our compassion does not make us weak—it provides us with a link to one another. A link that makes us stronger than Voldemort—stronger than any form of darkness that rises up against the light. Join me today as we take the fight to the darkest creature imaginable. The war may not end here, but after this Voldemort will no longer underestimate the strength of the light—the strength of hope."

"My family, I ask you to join me now as we fight against Voldemort. I know that I can depend on each and every one of you as we begin this fight. I know that every one of you will achieve more than I could ever ask for—more than our world could ever ask for."

"Friends—comrades—my family; I ask you to fight alongside me as we take the first steps against the darkness that has threatened to overcome us—I ask you to join with me and fight."

Harry looked out across those assembled. The oppressive fear that had swept through the Ministry since news of Voldemort's imminent arrival was gone, replaced with determination, awe, and… a small bit of hope. Harry could isolate that hope and could feel its strength. Harry could feel the hope starting to grow as the Aurors began to have hope, not for themselves, but for their loved ones. That someday their children would not have to fear Voldemort the way their parents did. He watched as the hesitancy was replaced by determination as the simple Aurors transformed into heroes.

Harry looked down at Hermione who now had tears in her eyes. She gave him a smile and Harry felt his own hope begin to grow. He knew that he was ready for this battle as was the rest of his family. He gave Hermione a roguish wink which made her smile widen even more. He turned to Kingsley and shook the tall Auror's hand.

"It is time," Kingsley said.

"Yes it is."

"It is time for us to fight, and I am proud to be fighting alongside you Harry. You cannot imagine how proud your parents would be of you right now."

Harry gave the man a smile, "Thank you, that means a lot to me. Shall we?"

The tall man nodded and Harry turned back to the crowd. "It is time for us to fight. Good luck to you all and watch after one another. Today marks a new day in the history of our world. Today is the first day that Voldemort will begin to taste defeat—one of many more to come."

As the Aurors began to file out the doors to their defensive positions, Harry felt proud to be a part of this family. "Not all of us will make it. I know that and so do they but we all know we are doing the right thing." Harry walked down from the platform and joined Hermione.

"You ready?" Hermione asked.

"Of course. The only question is if Voldemort is ready for us."

Many miles away, in the protected castle of Hogwarts, a single tear fell. Albus Dumbledore began to cry as he heard the last of Harry's speech. He had matured more than Dumbledore had ever believed possible and Dumbledore knew that it was Harry that was supposed to be out there not him.

Dumbledore wiped a tear of the end of his long, crooked nose and sent a silent prayer to the young man who would be fighting for his life and the lives of those he loved.

Dumbledore's quiet voice echoed in the through the room.

"Good luck Harry."

Their distance apart didn't matter and Harry Potter could only smile at he heard Dumbledore's quiet voice. He nodded his head and began to mentally prepare himself for the fight to come.

Author's Note: Since I was a little behind where I wanted to be in the story right now, I figured I'd go ahead and work up another post this weekend. This is the chapter that I imagine you will either love or hate. Some of my beta readers thought that the speech was great while others thought it was too long. I didn't want to waste any of the effort I put into this chapter so I posted it all. Hopefully it didn't bore any of you to death…you'll miss the post I do later this week otherwise.

Eric – thanks for the review man and for subjecting yourself to proofreading this piece. Keep reading because the story is just going to keep coming.

For those of you who didn't know, and that should be almost everyone else who is reading this, Eric and my parents have been the beta readers for the early draft of my fic so a warm round of applause goes out to them.