Red dragon

75

Harry draped himself over Cedric and groaned. "Do we have too?" He complained.

"Mister Potter, don't be such a child." Professor McGonagall shook her head sympathetically. "The reporter will be here soon; the minister wants you all to make a public statement."

"But Professor, look at me, I'm traumatised!" Harry was still draped over Cedric.

"Harry Potter, I Swear you are worse than your father sometimes! You've handled other events that are just as stressful as this; Merlin knows how. You can handle this."

At this a woman walked into the room. She was tall- very tall- with chestnut curls for hair. She wore a grey suit and held a quill and parchment.

"May I come in?" She asked and Harry finally sat up from the Hufflepuffs lap.

"Of course." The Professor asked. "Do you want me to stay?"

"We will be fine madam. I think." Fleur looked to the others for agreement. She was adjusting quite well, all things considered. Viktor was acting very compliant just lately and Cedric agreed himself. The Hufflepuff had been slowly separating himself from his old friends; Harry was wondering if this was a problem. He was changing but it didn't look like it was a bad thing.

"Okay then. I'll be back in an hour. No more." She told the reporter.

"Thank you." The reporter moved out of the way to let the professor past before she sat in the only vacant seat. "Right Hello. I'm Connie Pippin from the daily profit."

"Connie? What happened to Rita Skeeter?" Harry asked. He had never been interviewed by any other daily profit reporter but her.

"Oh. She disappeared Mr Potter. Hasn't been seen for a few months now, since shortly after she came to report on the second trial." Connie Pippin obviously didn't seem too sad about this fact.

"Really. Oh that's awful. I was warming up to her." He lied.

"Really?" Viktor turned. "I was under the impression your whole country hated her."

"Well that's true." He made everyone in the room smile; Connie included.

"Umm okay." Connie sighed peacefully and her quill lifted into the air. "I'll begin, shall I?" They all nodded slowly.

"So you all encountered he-who-shall-not-be-named?"

Harry sat on the edge of the stage this time. The room of requirement was rarely full to this capacity on a regular basis.

The people sitting and standing around were doubtful. They were scared.

Harry was not going to comfort them. Not this time.

"Hello everyone. This will be the last meeting of the year." Harry told the room. "In a while I will pass out to graduates but first I would like to speak to you all." He spoke seriously to them all.

"Harry, he can't be back- Can he?" The small Slytherin begged, his sister had graduated some time ago.

"Zack." Harry looked between the boy, the Hufflepuff at his side and the rest of the room.

"Everyone. This is a training club. A defence club. You all know this. Everyone in this room signed their loyalty. Loyalty to our school, Loyalty to the light, Loyalty to the Club, Loyalty to the pursuit of learning, Loyalty to each other, and Loyalty to yourself."

They all nodded, wondering where Harry would be going with this.

He lifted up that mornings daily profit. The front page held a drawing of Voldemort, exactly as he had been described. Not a word in this article was miss quoted. Harry already liked Connie Pippin more than Rita Skeeter.

"There is nowhere in this promise that says you have to fight him." Harry spoke in a cool voice. "He has returned. I will be honest about this. We are in danger. But, listen to me. Do not think it is your duty to fight in the war that is surely coming. If you wish to fight, then here you will learn some of the tools you will need. If you do not wish to fight you will not be turned away. Not now not ever."

"We are a Defence club. I have been teaching you how to defend yourselves; I will not make you into soldiers unless you ask me to."

"BULLSHIT!" A sixth year boy stood. "You can't teach us to be soldiers. You're a child."

"Yes." Harry agreed; he looked around again doubt and fear. "But my head sees' a lot of things; you all know this." Harry explained slowly; lies mixed in with the truth. "Everyone starts somewhere. All of the greatest witches and wizards in history walked through the same castle halls as we do every day. But maybe your right, not quite soldiers. But I do know spells; how to find them, how to use them. I can teach you that but I can't make you use them. That will always be your choice."

Cedric moved forward to look at the group. "I've seen just a glimpse of what Harry suffers every day. A monster with eyes like that. He won't stop, he won't give mercy." Cedric moved to look at Fleur and Viktor. "Harry risked his life to save the three of us. He did everything he could to keep us out of danger."

"Three people older than 'im." Fleur agreed. "Viktor and I 'e 'adn't known for even a year. Yet 'e was prepared to die for us." She choked over her accent.

Cedric took a deep breath. "I'm scared. I've seen into the soul of a monster. I've gotten a glimpse of the world to come if he wins the war he's determined to bring. There will be no stopping him."

Harry nodded to Cedric and looked across worried faces.

"Look, there are times coming that will test us all. We will all make choices. You all swore to stay loyal to the light. You don't have to fight to be loyal. We right now are children. We don't have to fight, but I will. Most of us in this room had family who fought in the last war one way or another. If you don't then you were the ones my parents were fighting for…"

Harry took a break to breath. Without understanding why he did it, Neville stood. "Harrys' right, we are children. But you all need to understand. Most of us are children of war. Right now, some third years, all the fourth years, all the fifth years, all the sixth years and most of the seventh years. We were born in times of war. The day I was born, my father and Harry's father fought off three death eaters on their own." Neville stood holding a rustic wand in his hand. "We have legacies to uphold. A future to fight for. Or, at least, I do."

"Look we've seen him return. Believe it or don't. But please be safe. Be careful. I've seen people die. I want to do my best to stop this from happening to anyone else."

"Die…" The word muttered.

"Listen, shush." Harry quieted the room. "I saw Cedric hit by a Killing curse in my visions." Harry felt he could say this now. "Yet look the event has passed, and here he is. The future can be changed. Take Cedric as living proof of that."

"So I died?"

"Why do you think I didn't want you to come?" Harry stood. "There is a war coming. Not now, but soon. You need to be prepared whatever choice you make. Keep your ears to the ground and your wits about you."

He took a large breath. "But also you need, to put it plainly." Another pause. "To just enjoy life. It's a pleasure many have. A pleasure many have lost already. Make something to fight for."

"Harry Potter." The twins stood up; like always the ones to break the tension. "Don't you worry. We're going to have an absolutely Massive party."

The twins had a very unique skill. After a while everyone calmed down and even began to enjoy themselves. Just as Harry wanted. What everyone needed.