Milestones
At eleven o'clock they stopped, and each fifth, sixth, and seventh year commander separated the warriors into two groups. The Slys and Raves who were in on the secrets on the one hand and those who had just joined on the other, asking them to move away a bit to sit on the grass to rest.
The initial group of twenty-nine did so in turn, in a single circle. (Just in case, I surround us conjuring the nonverbal Muffliato,) Sev thought.
"What have you done Prince?" asked one of the Rave boys who had joined the last weekend and had never trained in the Forest.
"A spell so they don't hear us, we must talk in private," Sev replied. "First and most important question, have you talked to anyone who joined today about something private about me?"
"We don't, Prince," a seventh-year girl from Sly told him. "We haven't had time, and in any case we wouldn't have betrayed your secrets without your permission."
"Nobody?" he asked everyone.
They all confidently denied.
"Well, thank you very much for not doing it. I sense that the one we have messed up this morning is going to spread quickly throughout the Wizarding World, and it's not convenient for anyone to find out the details of my personal life. We'll probably have the Daily Prophet here tonight, or tomorrow at the latest. You must not give interviews to any of the journalists, let alone comment on my relationship with Evans or Malfoy's letter. The news will reach Voldemort's ears and he should not even suspect that we are neighbors, it would put her in grave danger. Do you understand it, don't you?"
(Everyone nods gravely and fearfully.)
"But… and your address?" asked a Rave girl, alarmed. "They could read you in summer."
"Dumbledore was talking to me in the Infirmary, he offered me help in whatever we need, he is at our complete disposal," Sev replied. "I will ask him to teach to occlude all of us who know it, we are very few. I already have an appointment in his office this afternoon. That too is a secret for now. Can I trust you?"
(A wave of yes, sure and of course. I'm about to cry. I've already lost count of how many friends I have, I don't have the memory to learn their names.) "Thank you very much, I totally trust you," Sev continued. "We still don't know each other well enough personally, but you have already shown me absolute loyalty and dedication by doing what you did this morning. You have saved me from the abyss. Thank you."
He cried, in front of the other twenty-eight, covering his eyes and forehead with his hand. Those closest to him hugged him. He couldn't see how the circle closed around him and everyone came to touch him and comfort him, many crying too. They were telling him, "Thanks to you... You have freed us from the malefics... You are going to teach us to fight... We will win the war together... You are very brave... A true hero... You have given us hope and confidence... We owe it to you... We are more than double... One quarter of the school... Voldemort is going to scare of us... He's not going to dare with us…"
(If you only knew… he's immortal…) Sev was thinking.
He also couldn't see how Albus, Lily, Cecile, Remus and Lauren were crying too nor how half a dozen elves came out of the castle loaded with baskets and handed out sandwiches to the rest of the groups, about forty other people who were resting sitting on the grass in the meadow and who had not had time to eat breakfast to join them.
The elves kept a respectful distance from the core of the Guard, until Sev recovered and they all opened the circle around him again, closer to each other, many holding hands and still crying. A community of feelings shared by twenty-nine people had just been created. A true milestone.
Then the elves came closer, not yet entering the circle. Sev made a sign for them to do so, they also offered food to them and some accepted, few, since they had had a good breakfast, but they all kindly thanked them and the elves were also moved, for having come out for once of the kitchens and of their silent and secret work that they carried out every night in the service of the wizards, without ever being rewarded for it. Another milestone.
(Poor things, these ones really are slaves, we should free them all and let them choose,) Sev thought.
When the elves left the circle, Sev continued, "The second question is related to what I have just told you about the Daily Prophet. If we have them here tomorrow, it is not convenient to publicize the matter, the Ministry could intervene and prohibit us from training at the school. So, for the time being, tomorrow's training session at this location is aborted. If it's possible to do it where we did it last week or somewhere else, I'll let you know as soon as possible, no later than dinner. We must create a network to be in contact with the sixty-eight."
"Seventy-two, Prince," Lorenz cut him off. "Four Gryff kids have joined the fourth-year group."
"Wow… how wonderful."
"We're only missing Gryffs in fifth-year," Deborah told him.
"But you already know that the four who are preparing Defense, two because they are enemies and another two because they are too close, cannot join us, at least for the moment," Sev explained. "Well, what I was telling you, Slys and Raves have been warned and there is a couple of sixth-year Gryffs that can be trusted. Jack, do you know the Longbottoms?"
"Of course," Jack replied.
"Then they will be our contact in Gryff. The Huffles are missing. Have you established a relationship with any of them?"
"Not yet, we have dedicated ourselves to training."
"Then I will do it with the three seventh-years who train in the fifth group," Sev said. "Let them be in charge of staying in touch with us and communicating the news to those at their home. Anyone from Sly who knows them?"
"Everyone," said Paul, the seventh-year Sly boy who was most confident with Jack and who had been the contact with the seventh-year Raves during the previous week. "We see them in class."
"Then take care of them yourself. I'll let them know."
"Sure, Prince, no problem."
"Third and last question and no less important," Sev continued. "We have not expelled all the malefics from the school. Given last week's suggestion that there might be camouflaged ones in the other Houses, I've been inquiring among the Slys, and indeed, there are. Two Gryffs, of whom I have already warned the Longbottoms, and three Raves, two seventh-years and one sixth-year, whom I ask you to try to control as much as possible."
"I know who they are," said a seventh-year Rave. "The seventh-years have been the only ones of our year that haven't joined the training. If they had, I would have warned you. But that way they have betrayed themselves even more." He said the last names of the three seventh and sixth-years. "That one always hangs out with them. We'll keep them in line, Prince. They have nothing to do against us. It's a month and a half, and then the other one is left alone. We will intimidate them, do not worry about them anymore."
All the Raves were nodding.
"Great. Thank you very much. What a great team we make," Sev said.
"There's also someone left in Sly, Prince," Anthony told him.
(Lauren,) Sev thought.
"Parkinson hasn't gotten up from the table and she's been watching us all morning," continued his friend.
(To hide it.) Sev gave Anthony a weary look. "That one is not dangerous at all…," he said in a contemptuous tone. "You know what she's up to, and if she's left alone she has nothing to do. We see her every day in class, and I'll take care of controlling her."
(That way he understands I already read her.) Sev glanced at Jack. (He's afraid for her. Don't worry, Jack, don't give yourself away…)
"Well, that's all for now. Pay attention to the messages at dinner," Sev concluded.
(Ugh… I'm beaten. There's almost an hour left in training and then five of Time-Turner with Albus, and he must be too. When we're done I'm going to stop by the house for the sleeping potions, see if the vipers haven't wrecked my trunk with some curse before they left, because Slughorn just showed up right now, he missed half the training by staying in his office to let a third of Sly go through Floo. He's smiling and Albus is telling him everything.)
"Shall we continue?" Sev asked.
A wave of sures.
"Well, reorganize the pairs as much as you can," he ordered. "I have to talk to the seventh and fourth-year Gryffs. I go there, I already see all the Gryffs sitting together. Too bad, we keep splitting up to eat."
"Little by little, Prince," Genevre told him.
"Wait until I get to them to get up, otherwise they will too and they will escape from me."
Sev jumped up and headed for the Gryff group. "Have you rested enough?" he asked them.
"Sure, Prince," Alice replied. "If it wasn't necessary."
"Well, we had to talk, the fourth and fifth-years did need it and you had to eat something, surely you haven't had time to eat breakfast. I would like to chat for a while with the fourth and seventh-year Gryffs, if you feel like it, which are the ones I still don't know, the sixth-years can continue training."
The rest of the groups are already getting up when they see that the Guard is doing it.
Sev led the ten Gryffs to a corner out of the others' way. Before sitting down again he introduced himself to everyone giving them firm handshakes. Ugh... my arm.
"As you will understand, I will not be able to remember your names the first day, I have met too many new people today. Excuse me for it," he told them.
"Don't worry, we understand perfectly, with such an avalanche of people," a seventh-year told him.
"Well, yes, the truth is that I did not expect such a huge response at all."
"Well, you handled yourself perfectly, so as not to expect it. The Longbottoms have told us that you made them commanders as soon as you met them."
"It's that they deserve it. What a level they have, they surpass all the seventh-years," Sev said.
"Of course. We think they will have a determining role in the war."
"Yes, I think so too, it shows that they live for it. True brave Gryff."
"Not like others, right?" asked the boy. "Those who prepare the Defense OWL are not exactly brave. They tarnish the name of the House."
Sev thought, Potter and Black. In Gryff they know everything, and they are already more on my side than on theirs, they are going to be left alone. I have earned them by making the Longbottoms commanders, who are admired. Take that! Won by hand in a single morning. But I'm not going to talk about it with them, I don't care, to go off on a tangent. "How are you preparing for the exams to enter the Aurors Academy?"
"Good, good, training on our own, and now with this much better. We are going to do great, we are going to be the best promotion in years. And if you keep going, you'll beat us next time, so we'll be ready for war."
They chatted a little more about the war. How sick I am of talking about the damn war, Sev was thinking. All the hopeful people and me with a weight in my soul that I will not take off in years. Voldemort is immortal... How many of the seventy-two will be left alive when he disappears? Maybe none. Let's change the subject, the fourth-years haven't opened their mouths. "Are you going to prepare the Defense OWL next year?" he asked them.
"Yes, it's going to be great for us to train, and if we keep doing it during all the years we have left of school, we're going to be very good fighters."
"Sure, we'll try to continue. We will do everything possible to prepare you well and that you are well above your adversaries, so that you do not lose your life in the attempt." Warning them, so they can back out now that there is still time.
They chatted a little more about their studies, about the OWLs.
"Well, we are going to continue training, the Longbottoms will let you know if there will be training tomorrow and where it will be," Sev said goodbye.
"Perfect, Prince, we'll return to our groups."
"For the time that remains, organize yourselves in pairs, let's not make the commanders dizzy anymore. It was Lorenz's first day, and Genevre's third, and she had to handle twenty-four all by herself at first."
"Buah… well, she has done great. Brilliant Rave."
Creating bonds.
They rose. The ten Gryffs returned to their groups and Sev to that of the Longbottoms. He watched them. They have made pairs with the best four and each one fights against two of the worst four, at a lower level than they have. Perfect commanders, without the need to teach them anything.
He stopped the fight of the two groups of three. "I must have a word with you and the Huffles."
"Perfect Prince."
The Rave turned away from them respectfully. Sev introduced himself to the Huffles. "You will see. We were thinking of repeating the training here tomorrow. But the one we have messed up with, we're almost certainly going to have here the Daily Prophet. Discuss the matter at home, it's better if no one makes statements, but if Dumbledore gives us a solution to not train in full view of everyone, we'll do it anyway, inside the school, I think we'll be able to tell you about it at dinner. And so you notify the rest of your House that they have come today."
"Only those who have come today, right?" Alice asked.
She says it because of Potter and Black, and probably because of Remus, she knows that he must protect Lily. "Well, if you want, you the Gryffs can invite the sixth and seventh-years even if they aren't studying Defense, the Huffles, whoever you want."
Everyone has understood, the whole school knows about the bullying that the quartet has subjected me to for years. Perhaps that is precisely why I am so famous, in the end it has served me well. Take that!
"You can continue, you are doing great," Sev said goodbye.
And now what do I do? He looked back at the people watching. There they still are.
Albus projected to him, "Unbeatable, Prince. Derelict on Sly."
Sev thought, He already abbreviates the names of the Houses too, he is funny. Slughorn, next to him, smiles proudly and smugly. Oh, Slughorn, how you screwed it up thirty years ago. How many lives will your indiscretion and cowardice cost for not telling anyone else what you did?
Lauren is still in the same position, looking at me. Buf... she has hung on me since they broke my arm and the kiss this morning. I shouldn't have done it, now she's not going to have enough with Jack.
I'm going to see if Lorenz needs a hand with the fourth-years, he has sixteen now. He watched the fight. Well yes, they are resisting well despite never having trained on their own, and they all seem to be at ease and having a good time. Even the Huffles laugh when they get a spell. I could fight with them, but they must have been fighting Lorenz for quite a while now, so I'm going to let them have fun, they're good friends.
There it goes! I have forgotten someone. The Gryff who was left out of Defense because of Transfiguration, as could happen to me. I'm going for him. Sev headed for the sixth year group. Jack keeps fighting the boy. He must have been with him all morning, and he must be bored, and so is Genevre, who is alone. I'm going to put myself with the Gryff and send Jack with her.
He broke off the fight. "How are you?" he asked Jack.
"All in order?"
"Goal achieved. Gryff in my pocket."
Both Jack and the boy laughed heartily.
"I've already spoken with the Longbottoms and the Huffles, you're in charge of transmitting the messages," Sev told Jack.
"Of course Prince."
"And now go fight with Genevre, she must be bored. I'll stay with him." And to the boy, "What was your name? I have met so many people today that I no longer remember."
"Call me Robert."
"Perfect, between now and the end of the year I promise I'll learn it."
The boy laughed heartily. How nice he is.
"Go for it."
They fought until ten past twelve. Sev made one last round of all the groups, asking the commanders to interrupt and letting everyone know that if there was training tomorrow, they would know about it at dinner from people in their Houses. They all waited for him to finish and headed towards the castle up the hill the seventy-two in a group, with Sev and Jack in the lead. Milestone.