Chapter 24: Training the Troops
The end of January was soon upon them, and Harry found himself once again in Professor Luenebraum's office discussing battle tactics.
"Professor?" Harry asked, while reviewing his notes. "I just don't see how we can convince everyone what they're up against. Most of these people have never seen Voldemort- they've only heard stories."
Professor Luenebraum looked up from his parchment and stretched. "You've got a fair point there, Potter."
He stood up from his desk and moved to the fire, stoking it, turning the logs so they once again flickered in a brilliant orange flame. His black eyes shone unsteadily in the light, as he began to pace.
"It would do no good to have them lose their heads as soon as the so-called Lord showed himself on the battlefield. They must know what they're up against."
"I agree, Professor," said Harry, calmly, "but the question is how are we going to do that?"
"I'm not sure, Harry," sighed Bertram. "Let's move on then, shall we? No point agonizing over something that we can't solve at hand."
"What did you have in mind, Professor?"
"How is your extra research coming along? Were the books I lent you any help?"
"A little, sir. Mostly for Hermione, I lent them to her so she could look up defensive spells to teach the other students. That, and she can probably make them stronger."
Bertram smiled tiredly. "That's excellent, Harry. If there's one witch I'm glad we have on our side, it's Miss Granger. I've never met anyone so intelligent, and I've taught at schools from the Pacific Islands to America to India."
"She IS brilliant," Harry agreed. "I wonder if she or Ginny will be able to think up a way to ensure people don't fall in a dead faint at the sight of Mouldy-Mort and his Death Sods..."
"Simple!" said Ginny in the common room that night. "You've got a Pensieve, Harry!"
Harry stared at her, unbelieving. "If you're suggesting that I—"
"Put the memories of your encounters with Voldemort in there and have the school watch them—yes!"
Harry shook his head. "No way, Gin, that's PRIVATE. There's no way I'm going to let the Slytherins watch my sorry excuse of a duel with Voldemort!"
Ginny walked over to him where he sat on the windowsill, and pulled him into her arms. "I know it's private, Harry, I know it is. But think about it, darling, think about it. Will you?"
"What's there to think about, Gin?" Harry cried, angrily, moving her hands away from his shoulders. "You're asking me to let people who have ridiculed me my whole life watch me when I'm at my worst! Watch all the horrible mistakes I've made! Watch Cedric DIE! Watch SIRIUS, Gin!"
"I know, Harry," Ginny soothed, "but really- you want them—no, US—to be prepared, right?"
"Of course I do. I wouldn't want anyone to have to face what I did as unprepared as I was."
"Exactly, Harry, that's what I mean. Your memories are the best tool we've got to train everyone. They can see the tricks the Death Eaters will try to play if they see what really happened in the Department of Mysteries. They can SEE what Voldemort looks like, and how he treats his followers all from YOUR memories. They can learn how he's going to try and play with their minds. If there's anything that can dissuade people from joining Mouldy-Mort's Death-Shitters, Harry, it is your memories."
Harry sighed, and pulled Ginny in close to him, kissing her forehead. "You're right, Gin. It doesn't make me hate it any less, but you're right."
Ginny smiled. "If it makes you feel better, I can put my memory of Riddle's diary in, too. That will really drive home how manipulative he can be."
Harry smiled, but shook his head. "Riddle doesn't matter any more, Gin. Tom Riddle died with that diary— he pales in comparison to the monster that represents Lord Voldemort today. And besides- I would never ask you to live through that again. One of us is enough. I'm going to need you to hold me up through this, Gin, that's all I can ask from you."
Ginny smiled. "I'll always be there, Harry. No matter what."
The assembly that had been called for that Thursday evening came much too quickly, in Harry's opinion. Hermione and Harry decided that each person that would be taking in part in battle training should have to view the memories on his or her own, because that was how Harry had been and it was deemed to be the most effective—one couldn't always guarantee having an entourage with them when in danger. If the students were going to learn the lesson completely, the only way they could do it was on their own.
The students that were participating waited in the Great Hall, while Hermione and Ginny called them each one by one to step into a separate chamber where they would view the two memories in succession. Harry's and Dumbledore's Pensieves had been set up in two unused classrooms outside the Hall, so that way people could immediately go back to their common rooms after viewing the memories. Professors Luenebraum and Dumbledore stood outside each of the classrooms, ready to intercept anyone who was having exceptional difficulties after having viewed such graphic and traumatic incidences. Harry and Ron, meanwhile, waited in the Great Hall answering any questions for those who waited their turn.
"So we really get to find out what happened in the Department of Mysteries last year?" asked a rather inquisitive-looking Slytherin girl.
"Yeah," answered Ron. "But that's not the real reason you're doing this for—"
"Then why do we have to watch these?" interrupted a burly fifth year Ravenclaw, his arms folded resolutely across his chest.
"Yeah!" cried several others. Suddenly there was a burst of chatter throughout the Hall, people shouting questions on top of questions and even more accusations flew over the top of those. Ron simply stared at Harry, at a complete loss for what to do. Harry kept hearing snippets of sentences as the Hall rang with shouts.
"Trying to show off or something, is he?"
"—Trying to scare us all to death, more like!"
"You-Know-Who will be able to see us in the memory! He'll attack us!"
"—Are you crazy? There's no memory- they're just going to give us another lecture behind the door!"
"I don't want to see He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named!"
"—Who does, you crazy dolt! I hear You-Know-Who can shoot fireballs from his eye sockets!"
"No way! My dad said You-Know-Who can shoot lightning bolts from—"
"HIS. NAME. IS. VOLDEMORT!" Harry bellowed, sparks flying from the tips of his hair. The Great Hall quieted instantly.
"This is EXACTLY why we're having you view these memories! It's not a joke! Voldemort is back, and if you all lose your heads like you're doing now he won't even have to TRY to kill you! You'll die of shock right there on the spot!
"Don't you understand? We're all that's left between him and the world, as we know it! The Ministry won't help us, for Merlin's sake, it took them an entire year to even believe Voldemort was back!
"If you can't face him in a memory where there's no way he can hurt you then how can you expect to survive against him and his Death Eaters in a REAL BATTLE? Where people are DYING right next to you?
"You need to go in there and FACE HIM now, so you know what to expect before it's too late. If you can't, then don't come back because I won't have your death on my conscience. I just can't deal with any more people dying because of me. Voldemort has killed everyone I've ever loved, and he's still trying to hunt down the few friends I have left, not to mention my WIFE! If you don't think it could happen to you then you really have no idea what he's capable of."
Harry paused, breathing hard, his eyes wild as the glanced rapidly from face to face around the Hall. He stopped on Malfoy, vivid green matching cool gray. Harry had looked into Draco Malfoy's eyes before, but for the first time Harry seemed to finally see. Draco stared back at him evenly, his eyes seeming quite soft in the flickering starlight of the enchanted ceiling. And Harry knew.
Draco opened up his mind, and Harry knew that the heir of Malfoy had no need to enter into the next room and see what Harry went through when he faced Voldemort. Draco didn't need to know what Harry felt like when Sirius went through the veil because of one of Voldemort's tricks. Harry knew that Draco, of all people, had been there already. Through Draco's eyes Harry saw not only Lord Voldemort torturing and killing Narcissa Malfoy in front of her son, but something else that shocked him even more.
Draco Malfoy was looking at him with the utmost respect.