Once everyone had had a chance to give the increasingly-reluctant Slytherin either advice, support, or both, Harry continued, "Anyway, I thought first we'd continue a bit with the D.A. One of the rooms I've had Fleur and the remodeling team work on is a training room downstairs. I haven't seen it, so I don't know the exact dimensions, but I know there's a workout space, spellcast practice-dummies that mimic spell fire back with a light stinging jinx, and a couple of muggle-style white-boards to study strategy and things like that on it."
"Ron'll love that," Hermione grinned.
Harry did too, "That's half the reason it's there. I'm more of a, er, spontaneous dueler, but as I've won precisely one game of chess against him ever, and I cheated, well... I think we'll let him take the lead there."
"That sounds... worrisome," Emma commented, "leaving war-time strategy up to a sixteen year old."
"Maybe," Harry shrugged, "but due to events beyond our control, namely a Prophecy I now know by heart, Voldemort is coming after me, specifically. I gave- and continue to give- everyone around me the chance to withdraw, to protect themselves."
"You know what we choose, 'Arry," Fleur replied quietly, "what we 'ave always chosen."
With a solemn nod, Harry looked seriously at the only muggles present, "That's how it is. I am... awed, honored, and humbled by the people around me. People that choose to fight. For me, yes, but also for themselves, for their own hopes and dreams. Voldemort is the one who made me the center of this. It could have been another boy whose parents fit the bill, whose birthday is precisely one day before mine."
Hermione drew in a hiss of surprise, but said nothing.
"Yes, he is our friend, too. If I fail, he's probably your best bet going forward. But I can promise all of you, and everyone not here, that if I go down I'll go down fighting and taking as many of those bastards with me as I can." Here, Harry had to hold up a hand to stall a few protests, "Mind you, I don't intend to die. I have... I have too much to live for, now. For the first time in my life, I have hopes and dreams beyond just surviving Voldemort. Plans. Things I want- that my soul craves to- accomplish before I die a happy old man surrounded by a vast family."
That made Romilda, Fleur, Pansy, Hermione, and even her mother ooh in quiet delight, and even Lilith and Mr. Granger looked a little misty-eyed at Harry's declaration. "That's just one thing, though. Practice in fighting, strategy... that's all well and good. But this is summer, too. And if there's one thing Lilith has taught me, it's that life just isn't worth living without a bit of fun."
"Here, here," Hermione cheered, surprising everyone, but her parents most of all. "What? I can let my hair down once in a while! Even I know you need to relax to be at your best when it's time to work!"
Once the chuckles died down, Harry kept on, "So I've thought of several fun little activities. A beach trip, a pool party, some sightseeing... either in London or in America, or both, I s'pose. A party or two... Daphne mentioned something in passing about a summer solstice ritual she wanted to try."
"Ooh," Emma perked up, "I've heard of those."
Even her husband looked incredulous.
"What? I had a friend in Uni who was a practicing Witch. Er, not like you four," she gestured around the table, "but like, a muggle-style one. It's a religion, I think? Anyway, she did rituals- often involved drinking and sex, if I remember right- on a few nights out of the year, including Solstice. Invited me a couple times, but I never did end up going."
"I... Can't speak to the muggle side, of course," Pansy added, "but if they're anything like what we practice, then it, er, might be the sort of thing you could regret if it got out of hand. So that might've been a good idea. Of course, they're perfectly safe when done properly, and I don't see how a muggle would be able to do anything too dangerous... but for example, the Yule and Samhain rites tend to make magicals... frisky. I've no idea if the same would work for muggles, or on them, but I have no reason to believe that there isn't some crossover."
"Then you're welcome to join us, of course, both of you," Harry told the Grangers, "not that you aren't always welcome in my home, but I'm not sure where Daphne would be doing these rites, they may be at her parent's estate, or somewhere else."
"That, I can speak a bit to," Pansy explained, "the Greengrasses do indeed have a traditional ritual grove to do rites like that in, as do my family, and many other older ones. If possible, I'm sure they would prefer doing them there. That being said, Harry, as you now own a not-unimpressive piece of real estate yourself, and also coming from an old, established family no matter what muggles might have been involved, Mr. and Mrs. Greengrass, and even Tracey's parents, might be happy to come help you build and establish a grove of your own. It's something of a rite of passage for a new homeowner, or someone seeking to re-establish ties with several ancient traditions if they have been broken. In that case, they would likely perform a smaller, maintenance-style ritual at their own grove earlier in the day, or even the day before or after, if they are going to assist you."