Disclaimer: I don't own HP. JKR does. That's why HBP is the way it is…
A/N: Thanks to all of you who have reviewed, that means a lot to me. Please, if you read, review!
Chapter Seven
"Dumbledore's Army, again"
The only thing that Harry did not drop was playing Quidditch. He had explained McGonagall that he needed it to relax a little, sometimes, and she accepted, so Harry continued leading the trainings as a real captain, now safe also from bad surprises in the showers room.
The team learned very well his tactical teachings, so, after having defeated Slytherin, Harry thought that the way to the Cup would be relative simple. Few weeks later they would have to face Hufflepuff, and it would probably be a pure formality, and then concentrate on the match with Ravenclaw. But now, without Cho as Seeker, that one didn't seem too hard.
Harry felt that distracting a little from the terrible task he had to face could be a good way of freeing his mind, opening it to new ideas, so he dedicated himself with a particular care to his morning exercises, as the run in the park.
***
They arrived to the day of the match with Hufflepuff, that was without story: Ron was an excellent Chaser, who scored avalanches of goals, Dean as Keeper didn't allow anything to pass, and the boys who replaced Alicia, Angelina and the twins didn't let him regret them, as they did the last year too, so he had only to worry to see the Snitch.
When he saw it, with his very fast Firebolt 2003, he easily surpassed his competitor, reaching and catching it. So he finished the match with a record won for Gryffindor: four hundreds fifty to nothing!!
That evening, as usual in the last month, Dumbledore's Army met in the Great Hall, because by now it had as members more than the 70% of the students. Only the first two years were not there, because Harry didn't allow them to join, but for the remaining, the recruitment campaign made by Hermione was a success. Draco had been important, too, convincing many of Slytherins to join, using his leadership on them, but also reminding the sorting hat's prophecy, two years before, which wished cooperation between the houses to fight the fall of Hogwarts. After all, even the Slytherins did not wish for the school to be destroyed.
All of them worked very hard, under Harry's eyes, while he sometimes corrected someone to perfect their technique.
However, everyone by now saw in him the real leader, who would bring them to the won, so nobody mumbled for his methods. Obviously, he also wanted to be trained and fit so he asked Moody to duel with him everyday.
The former Professor accepted, so even Harry had his load of work to do. But after few weeks Moody gave up, saying that he couldn't train him anymore for the simple reason that Harry was already too much better than him. In fact, he lost only the first duel with the old Auror.
Harry, now, had only to correct the others, looking at them. Sometimes he worked with Neville, who was not so good, however he applied himself to the work a lot, and Harry was satisfied the same, because it was what he wanted from them: everyone had to give his best in the battle, then if they would be defeated, at least they would have fought as heroes, for what they believed in. And however, if one would remember the Neville of the first four years, this one was totally another person, now.
The training, usually, was made of first a series of Disarming duels, which could be conducted with every charm they knew. Then there was the conjuring up of the Patronus, in case Voldemort had on his side also the Dementors.
He remembered well he found one of them in the Dark Lord's Headquarters, last year.
On this there were the biggest problems. Ron, Hermione and the old members succeeded soon, having already done it two years before, but the rest of the Army needed more time, so Harry insisted on it for some evenings before going on with the program. When all of them were able to conjure a good Patronus, they returned to the original plan of the training, which was made by the learning of defending from the Unforgivables.
Harry asked the Ministry for the permit, and, in that situation, he obtained it, since Arthur Weasley, the new Minister after Fudge, was surely not going to stop him. In it was helped by Moody, so with two teachers the students could learn quicker. The time was becoming strict, the attack could be in any moment. The results of the group were very good, also for the youngest members, so Harry started another important training, but only for the ones he trusted with his life: how to cast the curses. In it only Hermione, Ron and Draco were involved.
Harry, however, was surprised for the speed the Army learned his teachings. After another week, everyone was ready to fight, and they had only to maintain themselves trained, duelling all the evenings. Moody and McGonagall congratulated with him for the results and the work done, saying they were sure that the Army in every case would keep high the school and Dumbledore's honour. Harry was sure of that, too.
The question was if that would be enough.
In the meanwhile, the researches in the library didn't give big results. For what they had read, and it was very much, Hogwarts had not weak points. However, even if it seemed a good new, Harry was worried. If Voldemort was to find it before them, he could surprise them with his attack, and they had to avoid that at all costs.
Hermione tried to calm him. "If we can't find it, it is probable he can't too. So he would be obliged to attack in the most foreseeable way"
"Yes, using the primary entrance" Ron added. He was sure it was the choice Voldemort would do, since it was the one they would probably overlook as too easy to predict.
Harry, however, was not convinced. He knew the better way would have been to let Ron go to the Death Eaters meetings, as a spy. But he did not want to risk his friend's life. There was Snape, but since Dumbledore had died, the Potion Master had chose to not go to the Death Eaters meetings anymore, without the Headmaster protection, so restarting it now would equal signing his own death.
After a little silence, he stood up, a revelation hit him.
"It is obvious! Passing through the Forbidden Forest, nobody would see them! Probably this will be what he will do!"
"But Harry, the Forest is dangerous. The risk of losing men is high…" Ron commented
"And you think Voldemort will worry for this? He doesn't care about human lives he may lose in his project. Plus, he doesn't know we are so prepared. Obviously he imagines we are preparing something for the defence, but not at this level" Harry replied, and Hermione was a little more convinced, hearing that.
Harry, however, was still worried.
"What if he is waiting the end of the term to attack? I promised to defend the school, but if I am not still here, how can I do it?". These words terrified Ron and Hermione.
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