Perspective: Ron Weasley
He walked in a daze towards Fleur, Percy and Bill and relaxed into Percy's embrace. The whole world melted around him as he was surrounded by his family. He let the pain of losing Fred return to him for the first time since they left his body behind the statue and tears started roll down his face. He didn't bother to wipe them away but he felt his mother's presence in front of him whispering comforting words.
"It's all right Ron, come here, give me a hug. Everything is going to be ok," his mum said kindly and Ron cried harder.
"It's not, you don't understand, none of you understand. Its over we can't win," Ron replied desperately.
"Ron, stop, stop, we're going to make it through this. We're going to be alright, there's only one left Ron. We can beat him," He heard Hermione say desperately.
"You're mad! Fred's dead. Lupin and Tonks are dead. Dozens of others. We can't beat him, he's too strong," Ron cried.
He felt his mother drag him to a seat and she sat next to him wrapping a comforting arm around his shoulder. "I've been so worried about you Ronald. You've been gone for months. No word of you being alive. I'm so happy to see you again. You being here with me… I thought I would never hold my baby boy again but I am Ron. You came back to me. We can never give up hope. We'll win this because we have too and when it's over we'll mourn for what we've lost but for now we need to fight," his mother whispered and Ron nodded his head.
"Your right, I know, it's just… it's so hard."
"I know Ronald, but we're going to win this. You can't give up hope, Harry needs to you," his mother replied.
A sickening feeling dropped into his stomach, "Harry," he whispered and looked around the Great Hall frantically.
He jumped to his feet and Hermione looked at him in alarm, "Where's Harry?" he said.
Hermione looked around and Ron could see the fear hitting her too. "I don't know… he was right here. He came into the Great Hall with us but… I don't know where he went."
"God damn it," Ron mumbled, "He's gone to be the martyr hasn't he?"
"No, no, he wouldn't, he couldn't," Hermione replied.
"This is Harry we're talking about Hermione, he would and he could," Ron said and felt a sudden burst of anger towards his best mate.
"Harry doesn't have a death wish Ron. He probably just went to watch Snape's memories. We'll go up to Dumbledore's office and find him. We'll plan what we're going to do next. Harry can't give himself up to Voldemort, we haven't killed the snake, and he wouldn't do something so stupid before destroying all the Horcruxes," Hermione said desperately.
In Ron's heart he knew his best friend had gone to hand himself in but he held on to the desperate possibility that Hermione was right and that he had just gone to watch Snape's memories. "Let's go then," Ron said.
"Ron where are you going?" his mother practically cried as he began to walk away.
"Harry needs us," he said simply and although his mother looked like she wanted to object she just nodded and gave him a hug.
When they reached Dumbledore's office the gargoyle let them right in. Ron ran up the stairs and burst into the Headmaster's study looking around frantically. When he saw no sign of Harry he let out a cry of frustration, picked up a trophy and threw it against the wall, "I'm going to kill him when I see him," Ron screamed in frustration and Hermione put a comforting hand on his arm.
"Maybe he's just looking for us now. He could be in the Great Hall or searching the grounds for survivors. We can't give up hope Ron, please," she begged.
Ron sighed and ran a tired hand through his hair. Hermione was right, Harry could just be searching the grounds but Ron felt in his heart that wasn't true. "Ok, Hermione, let's go."
As he turned his back on the office he heard a faint voice say, "You won't find him."
Ron wheeled around and stormed towards the portrait of Dumbledore, "What do you mean?" he asked feeling panic settle into his stomach again.
"I mean Harry has gone to find Voldemort," Dumbledore said sadly.
"Why would he do that?" Ron screamed.
Dumbledore smiled sadly, "Because he had to. It is the only way."
"No, Professor, Harry needs to kill the snake, he can't face Voldemort yet, he won't be able to kill him," Hermione replied softly.
"Quiet the contraire my dear, Harry needs to die so that Voldemort can be killed," Dumbledore said.
"That doesn't even make sense!" Ron screamed, "Harry is the one that needs to defeat You-Know-Who, that's what the prophecy said! So how can it be that Harry needs to die! Who's going to defeat him then? And why would Harry need to die anyway? Nobody needs to die!"
Dumbledore shook his head, "I think you know the answer Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger. Neither can live while the other survives. Harry must die tonight and he must do so willing by Voldemort's hand. He knows that now and he has gone to face his destiny. It is up to you to kill the snake."
"Who cares about the snake if Harry is dead and You-Know-Who is still alive? I don't believe you, it doesn't make sense," Ron said angrily.
"Ron… Ron… I think Professor Dumbledore may be right," Hermione whispered with tears running down her face, "I've known for a while this might be the case I was just hoping I was wrong."
Ron was hyperventilating as he looked desperately between Dumbledore and Hermione, "You're both mental," he whispered, "it doesn't make sense. I have no idea what you're talking about. Harry's probably just in the Great Hall looking for us and I for one am going to go find him… we can't just give up hope."
Ron turned and stormed out of the office and hard Hermione following him quickly calling his name, "Ron! Ron!"
"What," he hissed at her as they approached the Great Hall.
"Ron, we need a plan to kill the snake," she said desperately.
'Harry's going to do it," Ron said simply.
"Ron, please, let's… let's just say Harry's busy fighting Voldemort. We're going to need to kill the snake for him, we need a plan," she replied.
"Right, your right, I'll distract it, you kill it with one of the basilisk fangs," Ron said simply.
"Ok, ok…" Hermione said as her eyes darted around the corridor frantically.
Ron began walking towards the Great Hall again when he heard a booming voice echoing across the grounds, "Harry Potter is dead. He was killed as he ran away…" but Ron didn't hear what else Voldemort said, he felt his legs give out underneath him and Hermione's desperate attempts to get him back on his feet.
"Please, Ron," she begged and he could hear that she was sobbing, "Please, it's not over, we need to finish the job Dumbledore gave us."
But Ron couldn't process what Hermione was saying all he could hear was Voldemort saying over and over again, "Harry Potter is dead."
"Ron we can't panic! We need to kill the snake."
Ron got up and walked in a daze away from Hermione towards the entrance of Hogwarts. As he approached he saw the crowd part to let him and Hermione to the front of the group. And when he reached the courtyard he stopped walking. In the distance he could see Hagrid carrying a small, broken figure and Ron's heart learched, "No," he whispered, "It can't be. I can't lose two brothers in one night."
He felt Hermione's hand in his and Ginny by his side with Neville but none of it mattered as he struggled to identify the person Hagrid was carrying. As Voldemort reached the opposite side of the courtyard he could make out of the face of his bloody and bruised best friend and felt Hermione tense beside him.
"No, no!" screamed Ginny and Hermione as they began sobbing.
Ron tried to move forward but a strong hand grabbed his arm and stopped him, "Harry! HARRY!" he called desperately as the rest of the crowd began to scream at the Death Eaters as well.
The person who was holding his arm, Bill, leaned forward and whispered, "Your alright, Ron, we're going to win this. Harry wouldn't want you to give up."
But Ron wasn't worried about winning of losing, he didn't care anymore, all that mattered was that his best mate, his brother, was lying dead at Voldemort's feet. He saw the smiling boy he met on the Hogwarts Express. Harry had been so little then and his clothes didn't fit at all. Ron smiled as he remembered the look of wonder on Harry's face when Ron tried to turn Scabbers yellow. It was the same smile he wore after rescuing Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets and emerged bloody but alive.
He smiled wider as he remembered them goofing around in the Gryffindor dorm, wrestling, talking about girls, planning adventures, studying, avoiding Hermione as she hassled them to do homework and just laughing. He thought of the numerous times they'd sat in companionable silence over the years. He remembered how goofy Harry was when he talked about Cho and how nervous he was when he approached Ron about dating Ginny. He remembered how thankful he was when Harry said Ron would be the Gryffindor Keeper and when Harry had emerged to save him in the Shrieking Shack. Also, the Department of Mysteries and that time he was poisoned. He knew Harry blamed himself for those things but Ron wouldn't have changed a moment he'd spent with his best mate.
Well… maybe one moment, the day Ron had left Harry in the Forest with Hermione would forever haunt him but even that brought with it a good memory: Harry's face when he had realized Ron had come back. Harry was soaking wet and had nearly drowned but he was looking at Ron as if he was his long lost brother he had been waiting ages to see again and before he said anything to Ron he just smiled. That was so Harry, always forgiving, fighting, and never giving up hope. Sure it was dangerous to be best mates with Harry Potter but he wouldn't give it up for the world. All the danger, the laughs, the frustration had made them closer and turned him into the brother he would forever miss.
Miss... Harry was dead and Voldemort had the nerve to slander Harry even in death. He could hear him talking about how stupid Harry was, how weak and Ron couldn't help but scream out, "He beat you!"
Voldemort continued to yell about Harry but Ron was distracted by a sudden movement at his side as Neville ran forward to face You-Know-Who. Ron stared in amazement as Neville faced Voldemort without a hint of fear on his face and he turned to look at Hermione as Neville spoke, "We have to finish this 'Mione," he whispered.
She was crying but when her eyes met his she looked defiant and strong, "We will. First the snake and then… and then him," she said her voice quivering a little.
Ron looked up in horror as Neville's head was set on fire and cheered when he pulled the sword of Gryffindor out of hat and beheaded the snake, "Just Voldemort than," he said as they ran forward to face the Death Eaters.
Ron was fiercely battling Greyback with Neville. He dueled with more ferocity then he had ever experienced and felt like his wand performing magic before he could even think of the jinx. Together he and Neville brought Greyback down with a sickening crunch and as soon as he hit the floor, Ron was looking around the room to find Hermione and Voldemort. He saw Hermione battling Bellatrix with Ginny and Luna and took off at a run as Bellatrix shot the killing curse at his little sister. But before he could even raise his wand his mother was dueling Bellatrix with more fury then he knew she was capable of. So he ran to Hermione, who was watching Molly Weasley in awe and grabbed her arm. "Voldemort, Hermione, we have to kill him," he yelled and Hermione nodded as they began moving towards their target and Ron felt his heart pounding in his ears.
You-Know-Who was battling Kingsley, McGongall and Slughorn with ease and Ron nodded at Hermione to circle around to the other side but before she could do so Voldemort's three combatants were blown off their feet as the Dark Lord screamed in fury because his mother had killed Bellatrix. Ron smiled with pride at his Mother but began to yell as a jet of green light headed straight for her and then… the impossible happened.
He saw Harry put a shield charm around his Mum as he took off his invisibility cloak, very much alive. And Ron screamed in excitement as Hermione jumped on him screaming, "He's alive, he's alive."
"That git," Ron muttered to himself, "I'm going to kill him when this is all over. I swear to Merlin, I'm going to kill him for this." Ron looked on as Voldemort and Harry began to circle each other and Harry was speaking to Voldemort with no fear in his voice or his eyes. Ron found himself staring at his best mate in amazement, and Ron really did try his best no to hero worship Harry, but at times like this it was hard. Harry was actually tormenting You-Know-Who, egging him on, daring him to make the first move. And the most amazing part was that Voldemort seemed scared of Harry. Of little Harry Potter, the boy Ron shared a dorm with and considered a brother. Harry was talking about powers the Dark Lord didn't know he had and seemed extremely confident that he would win the approaching battle.
And then Ron felt his heart stop as Harry talked about having the Elder Wand and for the life of him Ron couldn't figure out how Harry could possibly have it. And he knew the final moment was approaching and he held his breath as the Dark Lord pointed his wand at his best mate and screamed the killing curse. Ron looked on in awe as the jets of green and red light struck one another and Voldemort's wand flew into Harry's hand as the Dark Lord collapsed on the floor. And then there was silence.
And suddenly Ron felt his feet moving towards Harry and the Great Hall had erupted in noise as Ron wrapped his arms around his best mate and Hermione as the entire populace of Hogwarts descended upon them. And as Ron hugged Harry and cheered he forgot for a moment about all they had lost and how they had suffered. All that mattered was that he, Hermione and Harry were together and that no one was going to be able to hurt them anymore and that it was all over. It was over, they had done it, they had won the War. There would be time to mourn, and time to rebuild but in that moment all that Ron cared about was that his best friends were with him and they were safe.
A/N: This story has really been bothering me to write it for a while. Its my first trio-centric fic so please let me know what you think. I've also been thinking about writing some more missing moment DH stories so if you like this one review and feel free to give me suggestions for future moments!