Got One Hundred Steps to Go (Tonight I'll Make it Ninety Nine)

9

Harry was exhausted.

It had been a long afternoon at Hogsmeade, getting all the injured seen to, and organizing people to get them back to the Infirmary at Hogwarts.

The Order had tried to take charge, but found themselves relegated to the background, as the students were more willing to listen to Harry and his friends than a group of strangers.

Sirius, Remus, and Kingsley all appeared shortly after the Order, with more Aurors, but the fighting was over.

Sirius was very happy that Harry and Susan were all right, and apologized for not arriving sooner. As he explained, Dumbledore had called an Order meeting that morning; they had all been at Grimmauld Place when Snape had stumbled into the room informing them of the attack. Voldemort had decided to only inform those who would be involved, so as not to let it get out beforehand. He was growing steadily more suspicious, after the listening devices had warned them of more attacks on wizards and muggles, so Snape felt he needed to tread carefully. But even he wouldn't have been able to do anything to stop this one. He hadn't even known about it until Madam Rosmerta had sent a Patronus to Filius, who was in charge of the castle while Dumbledore and Minerva were at the Order meeting, informing them. Snape would have been there as well, but he had had several potions that needed to be completed, and couldn't leave them unattended. Sirius informed Harry that Minerva had gone directly to the castle with Dumbledore, to get an update on the injured students who were already being seen to by Madam Pomfrey.

It was early evening before Sirius told Harry to get the remaining students up to the castle. There was nothing more to do in the village, and the students who were still in the village should head back to the school before it got much darker.

Harry nodded, and rounded up the dozen or so students who had stayed to help clean up, giving Sirius and Remus one last farewell, before they headed back.

XXX

Harry pulled out his DA coin as they walked, and called for a meeting for that evening. When they entered the castle, they headed straight up to the lounge, and waited for everyone else to arrive. First and second years who hadn't been at Hogwarts two years earlier, when they had needed to employ the coins, could be informed of the impromptu meeting by their elder Housemates.

It took fifteen minutes for the entire group to assemble, and when they did, they were completely silent. It was unnerving for Harry to see all of his classmates so somber.

He took a deep breath, squeezed Ginny's hand, and then stood up. He walked to the front of the room, where they had a board filled with photos that they had taken over the years since the creation of the club. It was mostly Colin's doing, but they had decided to take a wall and fill it with pictures of all of them: practicing, studying, anything really. They wanted to document the club, and the inter-House friendships that they had formed, for everyone, now and in the future, to see. The idea was that each year, more photos would be added, and new students would get to learn about former members.

Harry searched for a few minutes, and pulled away three specific photos. He turned back to the crowd, seeing all their eyes on him. He held the first photo up. "Adrian Whitlock, fourth year Slytherin." He turned to the second photo. "Eliza Melner, third year Hufflepuff." He held up the last photo. "Mark Belmont, fourth year Gryffindor." He put the photos on the nearest table. "Three students. Seven townspeople. Eight major injuries, twenty nine minor to moderate." His green eyes were blazing as he looked at each and every student in the room. The first and second years, especially, were shell-shocked. They hadn't been in the village, and had only heard about it as the injured were being brought back to the castle.

Harry sighed. "I know the war hit us hard today. I know how difficult it is to continue to stand up when it feels like the world is driving you down. Some people, they get pushed down so much, they simply can't stand back up again. But the trick is to use your feelings - your pain, your anger, your fear - and let it spur you forward. Trust in yourselves, and in each other. Don't lose yourself in the grief, and never forget what we've lost."