The Other Side: A Harry Potter FanFiction

Chapter XVIII

Every pair of eyes stared at Lana in shock, amazement, and disbelief.

            Sirius's eyebrow cocked, his glass of wine halfway to his mouth. "You agree? As in you want war?"

            Lana nodded. "It's your only shot at turning this world around. You know, saving muggles forever!"

            "You do realize that if we were to fail, all of London would be destroyed," Andromeda said.

            "Just like Kensington," Remus added.

            "And it would be our fault," Sirius said.

            Lana nodded. "That's why you can't fail."

            "Easier said than done," said Dumbledore, "I mean, yes, if we were to win, we could take the world back from Voldemort. We could save millions!"

            "But we can't risk an entire city in order to accomplish this," Andromeda said.

            "Why not?" Lana asked, "Yes, it's a horrible thing to say. But London is just one city! Winning this war would save every city in the world."

            "London is the one of the most populated cities in the world," Remus argued, "Most of our allies are here anyway. If we lost-"

            "Enough with the 'ifs'!" Lana shouted, "You need to think positively. Don't think about the risks, think about what good will come from winning and strive for it! You have to do this!"

            "Winning is practically an impossibility," Snape said, "We don't have nearly enough numbers-"

            "We've been through this before," Sirius interrupted, "We can't go into war. You know why, we know why, there's no need to explain. The answer is no."

            Lana glared. "So, you're just going to give up? Really?"

            "We gave up years ago, Lana," Regina whispered.

            "If the only issue is numbers, then just get more people!" Lana said, "The answer is simple!"

            "When news of rebellion reaches Voldemort, everybody gets in trouble," Remus argued, "He's the worst dictator in the history of the world. He terrifies everyone, even his own followers. People wouldn't be willing to help or rebel. They'd be too scared of getting caught and being killed."

            "Well, you said there are other safe houses, right?" Lana asked, "Get them to help! I mean, they're already going against Voldemort. Why wouldn't they want to help?"

            "That's exactly what we would do," Cedric explained, "We'd get everyone involved, they'd get people involved, we'd soon have a huge army."

            "But no matter how large our army gets, his army will always be larger," Sirius said.

            "Not to mention much more frightening," Regina added, taking a sip of her wine.

            Kreacher came around the table, placed Sirius's dinner in front of him, saying under his breath, "Kreacher agrees. Death Eaters are very frightening indeed."

            "Thank you for your input, Kreacher," Andromeda said kindly.

            "His army might be bigger and scarier, but the Order of the Phoenix is determined, brave... you said yourself that a lot of the Death Eaters are there out of fear."

            "That is true," Dumbledore said, "They might run when faced with danger."

            "'Might' isn't good enough," Sirius said, "We shouldn't take any chances."

            "Why do you care so much?" Cedric asked Lana, "I mean, honestly. You wouldn't be out there fighting for your life. You'd be here, or in another safe house, sitting around and hoping we don't lose."

            "Maybe not," Lana said slowly, thoughtfully.

            "What do you mean by that?" Sirius demanded.

            "Maybe I could help," Lana suggested, "Maybe, somehow, I could fight."

            "Without magic, you'd die within the first few seconds," Sirius said.

            "Maybe I don't have to be without magic," Lana said.

            They all stared at her, Sirius putting his wineglass on the table and saying, "And now I'm confused."

            "You said that there are wizards out there with muggle parents," Lana said, looking towards Cedric.

            "I did," Cedric admitted, "Just look at Regina."

            "I was in my first year at Hogwarts when Voldemort took over," Regina explained, "I am and always will be a wizard. My parents will always be muggles. That's just the way it is."

            "But why does it have to be that way?" Lana asked, "Why can only some people be wizards when their parents are muggles?"

            "Where are you going with this?" Dumbledore asked.

            "Teach me how to use magic."