The DA meeting had just ended when Cormac had called another meeting with the help of Harry Potter. This was limited to a smaller number of members of the DA. The ones in the group for more than defense lessons– Neville Longbottom, The Weasley Twins, The Golden Trio, and a small number of students that Cormac was reasonably sure would not try to snitch. There were not many students from the older years in the DA so most of the students were younger than him. He had made it a point to ask Potter to not invite Edgecomb of course.
"What was that note about Potter?" Terry Boot asked with narrowed eyes as he looked around at the crowd gathered in room of requirements. The Ravenclaw had always given off this lawyer-like aura to Cormac, and he could already see the gears of Boot's mind turning, trying to draw some information out.
"Just a second," Harry nodded at the boy before looking around and continued, "Ok, so….everyone I called is here." He gave everyone a quick nod of recognition before bringing his attention to Boot.
"To answer your question Boot, this is about what we have been doing the past few weeks. With the DA, I mean. I hope everybody is enjoying their time here?"
His question was met with affirmations from all of those that were present and Harry nodded at some of the thanks for setting the whole thing up sent his way as well before he continued, "Yeah, that's good. Because we will be needing it. I believe everyone is already aware of the attempted prison break at Azkaban. Yes?" Susan Bones had told all of the members of the DA about the failed attempt at breaking out the imprisoned death eaters.
Faces darkened around the students even as they nodded. On the other hand, Cormac grinned internally. Dumbledore had believed that Harry would not let him do anything that was 'wrong' but what he had not anticipated was how angry Potter was at being kept in the dark and feeling uninvolved. This frustration and anger had quickly turned into enthusiasm and eagerness with the right phrasing from Cormac.
"The official blame for that has been laid on the feet of Sirius Black. But can you imagine someone who has been incarcerated in Azkaban for twelve years to be able to conduct something like that? This guy escaped only after twelve years in the hellhole first. I refuse to believe that this attempt was the action of a deranged wizard who has been under the influence of the dementors. No this was clearly an attempt by Lord Voldemort to break out his captured inner circle." Harry genuinely looked creeped out by the idea, and Cormac immediately realized that Potter had probably made the mistake of looking through the actions of Voldemort's inner circle.
The clinical, brutal precision that the more important Death Eaters operated with during his first rise was pretty horrifying to read about.
"As I was hearing what Susan told us, I couldn't help but think. What next? Is the ministry going to allow this guy to just waltz into London, and then declare him Minister of Magic as well? I mean they almost gave him the inner circle of his army back on a damned silver platter as they ran around like headless chicken.
I have been trying to think about what next? And the more I think, the more clear it becomes that what is coming next. The Ministry. Voldemort will bide his time as he uses Lucius Malfoy to puppet Fudge and slowly take over the Ministry."
"Half of them would be willing to join him right now," Susan Bones added with clenched teeth. Cormac imagined the girl was more aware than most how bad the condition of the ministry was.
"Yes, but have any of you imagined what will happen if he does succeed? I know that Dumbledore will try his best to stop him but Fudge has been chipping away at Dumbledore's credibility for the past year. What if Dumbledore fails?"
"They will come for us, won't they?" Dean Thomas asked to noone in particular. But the sheer hollowness of the statement from the half-blood boy made Cormac twitchy so he decided to finally speak up.
"Only if they succeed. I am not twiddling them thumbs as they try. I am no coward and I do not plan to let them harm people." Cormac grinned before continuing, "It was actually me that asked Harry to gather you all. I wanted to scope out some people. Harry's in on it cause he wants to fight Voldemort. We will of course be smart about it. So the question is do you all want to join in?"
"Join you in what?" asked a frowning Granger. Her eyes were narrowed, her arms crossed. Cormac glanced at Potter who was looking at Granger sourly. The two friends were probably not in agreement about his plans.
"This conflict with the Ministry. Planning how those deemed undesirable by the Ministry should deal with the prejudice that a Ministry corrupted by Voldemort's ideals might wish to impose. Take Susan for example–" he pointed at Susan Bones and continued, "Her aunt, Madame Bones, is the head of the DMLE. Were Fudge to be ousted, she would be prime candidate for Minister. She is a woman of character, how do you think Voldemort proceed were she to become an obstacle to his madness? Or Arthur Weasley, Rufus Scrimgeour or any man that won't believe in the same nonsense that his followers propagate?"
Hermione chuckled before she said, "You are sixteen. Not one of us is an adult. I don't know if you have ever bothered going to the library McLaggen, there is a reason that there are so many books in there, even a rookie auror could wipe four of us out in a fight. They train for months if not years before joining the auror force. And that is just the men and women on the lowest position in the chain of command. We are too outclassed in any kind of magic-related activity, especially when it comes to standing our ground. The best we can hope to if the Ministry does go muggleborn-hunting is to escape and lay low in the muggle world."
What she said was true. Every damn word of it was true in any sane world. The only issue with what she said was, that they in fact did not live in a sane world.
"We are wizards Granger. You are being too rigid. Magic stands in defiance of sanity, my friends. There is one rule of magic, that there are no fucking rules. You said that a rookie auror could wipe out four of us. But by believing in that, you have doomed yourself to never be able to defeat an auror. We are taught that magic needs intent, emotions and will. But it needs faith as well. I can only wield my magic because I have faith that when I do the world will bow down to my command. And we don't need to fight, it is merely an inevitability I believe will come to pass. There are ways of resistance other than violence."
Hermione rolled her eyes at Cormac's impassioned speech. "Yet, what I speak is true McLaggen. The facts are very clear. Any plans to fight the ministry are doomed to fail. The Death Eaters had You-know-who and they still couldn't do it. Such a thing is utter madness and any who participate will end up in Azkaban! Do you really not understand that you are committing literal sedition!? By all rights, if what we are talking about is ever reported. All of us will be hauled out of the castle before sunset."
Cormac shrugged. He could not care less about the fact.
"So you want to leave Umbridge to her devices? So that she can keep torturing first years? She is part of the ministry remember. The DA is not true resistance. True resistance should rattle the Ministry and the Wizengamont." Cormac deadpanned at her.
"O-of course not! But the second that violence is involved, the ministry will have the excuse to answer with violence. Overwhelming violence." Cormac found her patronizing tone annoying. Like she was the only one who thought of the Ministry trying to crush any resistance.
"I don't plan to fight them head-on, that would be idiotic. There are ways of resistance than combat. They won't even know who to slander and frame on false charges like Potter here. Even still, do you believe that we can't resist against the Ministry in any meaningful manner?" Cormac sneered. Yes the aurors and Death Eaters were more experienced and educated. On a fair field they would win ten out of ten times but what kind of idiot fought on a fair field? The DE and Aurors were experienced but they were not trained to the level of muggle special forces. And he wasn't planning to fight, he was proud not stupid.
"Yes! I am not arrogant or delusional enough to believe otherwise. We are teenagers. They could crush us anytime they want. That clearly does not seem to be the case with you. You arrogant pillock!!" Cormac's mind ground to halt at the insult. Granger immediately looked like she regretted what she had said.
"OH!" A lot of the students oohed at the insult. A voice in his head reminded Cormac that he was not well-liked by most.
"Guys! Let's not–"
Cormac cut off whatever Potter was about to say, "Take out your wands."
"No need for that, Mc Laggen–" Potter tried to play the diplomat but Cormac needed to answer that insult. He had his pride, and it would not be satisfied until he had something to soothe it.
"There is clearly a need Potter. I was planning on helping you guys later on, about explaining, once I had atleast a few people onboard but this seems to be a great time to start a session. You," Cormac pointed at Granger, "and any who believe that we cannot fight at the level of aurors, draw your wands."
Cormac's own wand slipped into his hand but Potter gripped it and hissed, "Draw it on my friends and I will be forced to hex you."
Cormac could appreciate the protectiveness and softly said, "I will not be duelling to harm, Harry. But I do wish to prove that we can do what aurors can. Four versus one. If I win, you, all of you will hear my plans out in good faith while setting aside your narrow-mindedness."
Granger, to her credit, did not back off and nodded.
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/Author Notes/
Both Cormac and Hermione are correct. Hermione is correct in that the DA could never fight against the whims of the Ministry but Cormac is also right in saying that they don't need to shed blood. There are ways of resisting that don't involve wands being drawn. Is it sedition? Perhaps. Is it very dangerous? Yes. Does somebody need to fight the narrative war that Dumbledore has seemingly deemed a waste of effort and resources? Well that's the interesting part.
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