Chapter 7: Planting Seeds

The Room of Requirement welcomed them like an old friend.

When Harry had led Neville, Luna, and a reluctant Ginny to the seventh-floor corridor, Tonks had already been waiting—leaning against the stone wall, arms crossed, an amused glint in her eyes.

He paced three times before the blank stretch of wall, thinking We need a place to train, to plan, to stay hidden.

The door appeared immediately.

Inside, the Room shaped itself into a spacious training hall. Padded floors. Shelves of practice dummies. Defensive spell charts hovered midair, waiting.

Neville let out a low whistle. "Blimey, Harry..."

Luna wandered past a rack of dueling wands. "It's almost like it's... alive."

"It is," Harry said quietly. "In a way."

Tonks clapped her hands. "Alright, little rebels. Orientation time."


Orientation

Neville, Luna, and Ginny sat on conjured cushions, wide-eyed but listening as Harry and Tonks outlined the basics: defensive spells, dueling tactics, mind shields.

No Horcruxes. No prophecies. Not yet.

Just enough truth to light a fire.

"You're asking us to fight," Ginny said bluntly, arms crossed.

Harry didn't flinch. "I'm asking you to be ready."

Neville nodded after a long pause. "Better than waiting for the next nightmare."

Luna simply smiled. "I always knew you were important, Harry."

Ginny grinned fiercely. "I'm in."

Tonks winked at Harry. "Told you."


Training Begins

The sessions were awkward at first.

Neville's Shield Charms wobbled. Ginny's hexes misfired. Luna got distracted, musing aloud about magical creatures no one had ever heard of.

But there was heart.

And Harry, seasoned by two lifetimes of war, knew heart often mattered more than skill.

Day by day, he and Tonks honed them.

Neville learned to plant his feet like a mountain and drive back curses.

Ginny's Bat-Bogey Hexes turned savage and precise.

Luna developed an eerie knack for silent casting, her spells slipping under defenses like mist.

They called themselves the New D.A., half in jest.

But it was no joke.

Not anymore.


Meanwhile – In the Shadows

Elsewhere in the castle, the fragment of Voldemort's will grew stronger.

It whispered into cracks of ambition and resentment, finding fertile ground in hidden hearts.

A Slytherin fifth-year stumbled into the corridor near the forbidden tapestry and didn't emerge for nearly an hour.

When he returned to the common room, his eyes were wrong. Too flat. Too cold.

Whispers of "new blood," "power rising," and "rebirth" began to coil through Hogwarts, subtle and poisonous.

The storm was coming.

And even with their army, Harry and Tonks knew—

They weren't ready yet.