"All right, that's it for this gathering. Do you have any other questions?"
In the Defence Association's Training Room, Albert had just put away his wand after finishing the lesson. He looked around at the still slightly excited crowd and nodded in satisfaction.
Excitement and enthusiasm were what gave people the drive to improve.
Come to think of it, the Defence Association had grown considerably without anyone noticing. It now had more than forty members, far more than Albert had expected.
"When do we start fighting back?" someone raised a hand and asked.
Albert looked toward the voice and saw that it was Hannah Abbott from Hufflepuff.
The girl had recently been helping manage the students at the shelter and had done a fine job. After giving it considerable thought, Cedric had decided she ought to receive more formal Defence Against the Dark Arts training, so he recommended her to Albert and had her come practise with everyone else. Hannah was an adult now anyway, free of the Trace, and she had passed her Apparition test.
"A lot of people think someone should step forward and lead everyone against Lord Voldemort."
Quite a few members chimed in agreement. Their meaning was obvious.
Victory after victory had filled most members of the Defence Association with confidence. They could hardly wait to show what they could do.
"And then?"
Albert asked expressionlessly, "Get targeted by the Death Eaters and betrayed?"
The moment those words left his mouth, the room fell silent. Then it erupted.
Whispers filled the room. Everyone stared at Albert in shock, clearly unable to understand why he would say such a thing.
"I have to tell you all something very cruel."
Albert raised a hand for silence. Once the noise around him gradually subsided, he continued, "Don't be fooled