The Leader of the Light
By: imaginationrunning
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Please don't sue.
Summary: Arthur's POV. Immediately following the battle at Hogwarts; in the hospital wing. Arthur contemplates who will be the next Leader of the Light in the wake of Dumbledore's death.
Terror ripped through me when I heard that Hogwarts had been attacked and that three of my children had been involved in the ensuing battle. The fear only multiplied when I learned that one of the said children was injured. Immediately, Molly and I rushed to the Hogwarts infirmary where we found out that Bill had been attacked by an untransformed werewolf, but that he was expected to be okay. That was the best news I had heard in a long time. Sadly, however, it was followed by the worst news I had heard in a long time: Dumbledore's death. From the looks of the battle weary group around me, there had been some fierce fighting going on here in the halls of Hogwarts.
I left Molly fussing over Bill. He's a strong lad, so I know he'll pull through just fine. No worries there. What does worry me, though, is that now the light side has no leader.
"Dumbledore gone…" I hear myself whisper as I contemplate the possible leaders of our ever-shrinking Order. Dumbledore seemed to know exactly what needed to be done and when. Without him, we're going to be practically lost.
Mad-Eye may work as a leader. He's certainly got the experience – possibly too much experience. He's a bit off his rocker at times, not to mention paranoid…
Kingsley's an option, too, but he's got Ministry orders to be in the muggle world, which makes things difficult. He wasn't around in the first war, either. I think we need someone from the first war, but an Auror would be good…
Tonks is a good Auror, but she's young. Even she's been off kilter for some time now, though, what with this thing with Remus…
Minerva is a born leader and experienced in battle. Then again, she's going to be busy with the school. Well, so was Dumbledore, but then again, she's not Dumbledore. We'd do well to remember that in the times to come, too….
I certainly can't do the job. I don't give orders; I take them…
I listen to the conversation around me. It seems that Molly and Fleur have finally come to their wits ends with each other. It's the make it or break it point. I hope Molly will relent. Fleur and Bill two obviously love each other, and they deserve to be married…Love…I look over to where Tonks and Remus are seated on a cot beside Bill. They love each other, too. If only Remus would accept it and do something about it.
Remus…now there's an idea! He would be a great leader. Everyone in the Order trusts him. He knows a lot about what's going on. He was around during the first war….
My thoughts are interrupted by the scene playing out before me. Tonks is pleading with Remus to allow himself to love her. He refuses, of course, and I can't stay silent when he says, "I am not being ridiculous. Tonks deserves somebody young and whole."
I look at my son lying on the cot, his face maimed by the brutality of another. I think of all those who have died in the war, I smile, and say, "But she wants you. And, after all, Remus, young and whole men do not necessarily remain so." I motion to Bill to drive the point home. Remus may be one of the older ones in our little group, but that doesn't mean that there still aren't things he needs to learn. Remus then changes tactics all together in order to get out of the situation that he's found himself in, which, of course, doesn't work because Minerva steps into her teacher mode and puts him in his place.
It's at that moment that I decide maybe Remus doesn't need to be our leader either. He's too afraid of himself. The risk would be too great in his eyes, and he wouldn't be able to do the job well.
Our plight seems hopeless. There seems to be no one as qualified as Dumbledore to be the leader of the Order. I look up as Minerva stands and ask Harry to follow her office. I had not even thought of Harry since I first learned of the battle. My thoughts had been consumed with my own children and with Dumbledore. Harry's robes look damp. His own face is not a pretty site with the mixture of blood, tears, and mud. His hands look blackened from dirt and soot, and there's a good sized cut on his arm. The worst of it, though, is his eyes. I know, without even having to be told, that he witnessed Dumbledore's death. It's the same look he had last year after the battle at the Ministry, and the same one he had after the Tri-Wizard Tournament in his fourth year. This time is just a bit different, though. His eyes are burning with hatred and anger; to whom, I'm not sure, but most likely at the person behind Dumbledore's death.
I remember back to when I first met Harry. I remember feeling so sorry for him because of the treatment he received from his family. Compared to now, however, he seemed totally care free and happy. His eyes were innocent, awed, and wondering. Now, he has the hardened look of a person who has seen a lot and been through more. His eyes are dark, calculating, and brooding. There is knowledge of the world and of more evil and specific things: Voldemort, especially. There is also a resoluteness there that speaks of how he isn't going to quit until this entire ordeal is over, no matter what.
As Harry walks out of the room in the wake of Minerva, I know who our leader will be. He may be young, but he knows without a doubt what we're up against. He's not an Auror, but that doesn't mean he is inexperienced in battle and defense. Without even knowing how, I know that he's got more at stake in this campaign than any of the rest of us. He's got more reason to fight and more determination. He isn't afraid of himself. He isn't paranoid. He has no ties to the Ministry. He doesn't even have ties to the school at this point. What's more is that Harry doesn't fear He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named as the rest of us do. I know he'll be our leader. It is the position he was born to take. There is no one around any longer to make him go or do anything, and that is why Harry James Potter is now the Leader of the Light.