It took Harry and Hermione nearly an hour to get Ron and Neville's bodies out of the Forest, largely because neither of them seemed to possess the ability to consistently cast magic at the moment. The few times that Harry attempted to levitate Ron's body, he found that he couldn't get Ron more than a few inches off the ground before he would lose control and be forced to lower Ron back to the ground.

That meant that there was only one way out: they had to carry them. Neither of them even considered leaving them behind for someone else to bring out. They would do it themselves or they wouldn't leave the Forest at all. Eventually, Hermione was able to cast a weak Featherlight Charm that made it easier to put Neville on her back.

But Harry refused to cast any magic on Ron. Instead, he reached down and scooped him off the ground, carrying him out of the Forest the same way that Hagrid had carried him out ten years earlier.

When they reached the line of Aurors, Harry was approached by Elaina, who looked as if she was ready to say something. Then she saw Ron in Harry's arms and Neville in Hermione's. One of the Aurors stepped forward and asked if they wanted help.

Neither accepted any.

Roughly an hour after Ron and Neville took their last breath, Harry and Hermione, exhausted and barely able to walk, finally cleared the trees where, to Harry's surprise, they were surrounded by the professors of Hogwarts. Harry's head swam, but he knew that he had told Minerva that the staff should return to the school.

Apparently, she had not heeded his request.

She stood in front of the pack of Professors, a look of horror on her face as Harry and Hermione, each of them covered in blood, cleared the edge of the forest and made their way towards them. Beside her stood Hagrid, who took a step forward the moment they cleared the woods before sprinting towards them.

"Harry, are they…" he said roughly.

Harry found that no words would come. Instead, he shook his head and collapsed to the ground, Ron still in his arms. Having carried Ron for the better part of an hour, he could no longer go on, but he refused to let Ron go.

He knew that the moment he did, he might never see his friend again.

Hermione set Neville down on the ground next to Harry, breathing heavily as she did so. Even with the spell, Neville was significantly larger than Hermione. Still, there had been no question that Harry was going to bring Ron out of the Forest.

"Weasleys," Harry said as McGonagall approached, kneeling down next to Harry despite her advanced age.

"We'll send for them," McGonagall said, fighting to remain composed and largely failing. "You need to get cleaned up."

"Luna, Augusta...I need to tell them," Harry muttered. "Gotta be me."

"You need to get cleaned up first," McGonagall replied. "And you need to let him go."

"Can't," Harry said. "I can't….it's….my fault."

Harry broke down again and pulled Ron towards him, squeezing him tightly and praying for some kind of miracle that would bring Ron back to him. Harry knew that it was wishful thinking, but Harry had survived the Killing Curse twice. If there ever was a time that Harry really, truly needed a miracle, it was now.

Hermione put her head on Harry's shoulder and covered his hand with hers.

"You need to let him go, Harry," she whispered in his ear. "We have to tell the Weasleys before they find out from someone else."

"I know."

"Then you have to put him down," Hermione said softly. "You know more than any of us. You know you'll see him again."

Would he? Hermione was right. Harry knew more about the world beyond than anyone else. He knew that there was something there, some place where the dead went when they were done with this world. But was it a place where the dead congregated? Would he see Ron and his parents again?

Or would he rest alone in the darkness, only called upon when the living asked?

"Let him go," Hermione said, taking Harry's hands and guiding Ron to the ground. In the moment just before Harry would have fallen on top of Ron, he let go, letting Ron gently drift to the ground next to where Neville.

Immediately, Harry seemed to lose sense of the world around him. He felt someone pull him to his feet and drag him towards the castle. He heard Hermione's voice and he was certain that he heard McGonagall's. At some point, he was thrown in one of the showers at the Quidditch Pitch and a new pair of clothes were provided for him to change into.

It could have been ten minutes later or it could have been several hours when Harry finally found himself in the Headmaster's Office with McGonagall and Hermione. Sometime while Harry and Hermione had been getting cleaned up, McGonagall had called for all of the relevant parties to meet in her office. She had indicated that it was an emergency and that nothing was of a higher priority.

Within less than ten minutes, all of the adult members of the Weasley family, Gabrielle Delacour, Luna Lovegood, and Augusta Longbottom had flooded McGonagall's office, each of them asking dozens of questions about why they had been called. Harry and Hermione remained in the upper section of the room, just out of sight of the families until they were all present.

Just before George and Angelina walked in, Hermione put her head on Harry's shoulder.

"You don't have to do this."

"Yes, I do," Harry replied. He was leaning on the railing, barely able to stand on his own. Still, he would do this.

He would do it if it killed him.

Once George and Angelina were settled, McGonagall announced that they would begin in a moment before retrieving Harry and Hermione. The moment that they walked into the room and saw the two of them, the room went silent.

They were seated in a circle around McGonagall's desk, which Harry leaned against for support. Every eye in the room was fixed on Harry, who felt as if he was going to throw up.

Eventually, George piped up.

"Mate, you're scaring us. What the hell is going on?"

Harry finally looked up at the families gathered, tears streaming down his face. The casual smile that had been on George's face disappeared.

Then, Harry spoke. His voice was rough and weak and he was barely able to push through his tears.

Yet no one struggled to hear him.

"Ron and Neville were killed this evening in the Forbidden Forest."

The room couldn't have been quieter. Harry looked at Arthur and Molly, who stared at him in disbelief.

"You all know enough about Legion to know that it threatened my family. Today, Legion abducted Neville from his office. When McGonagall discovered that he missed a class, she sent a message to his house. Luna received the message just as Susan Finch-Fletchley came over for lunch. When they got the message, they called me."

"I spent the last several hours organizing a hunt for Neville. Eventually, we found this in his office," Harry said, holding up the Resurrection Stone. "All you need to know is that I had this on me when I presented myself to Voldemort in the Forest. I dropped it there. It was the clue that told us where to find Neville. I knew that Hermione and Ron would not let me go alone, so the three of us lied to McGonagall and the Aurors, telling them that Legion left a letter asking for only the three of us to go into the Forest."

"When we arrived, Neville was tied to a tree and it was evident that he had been tortured. Legion enjoys playing games with its prey. So, it offered me the choice: if I killed Neville, the three of us would walk free. If I refused, it would kill Hermione and Ron. I banked on the thought that it wouldn't want its game with me to be over so soon, so I called its bluff. I refused to kill Neville."

Harry suddenly felt his knees lose any sense of structure and before he knew what happened, he dropped to the floor, his head snapping back against the desk. Hermione dropped to the floor and attempted to bring Harry back to his feet, but Harry refused.

He couldn't stand anymore. He didn't have the strength for it. But he did have the strength to finish the story.

"I refused to kill Neville," Harry repeated. "In response, Legion threatened to kill Hermione if I didn't kill him. Again, I refused. But, Neville, Neville was so brave. He told me to do it. He told me to make the choice. He was ready to give himself up to save Hermione."

Harry looked at Luna and at Augusta, who sat side-by-side, Luna holding Augusta's hands in her lap. More than anything, he wanted them to know just how strong Neville had been when Harry had not.

"I couldn't do it," Harry admitted. "When I lowered my wand, Neville grabbed it and tried to Stun Legion. Unfortunately, he missed. In his anger, Legion removed Neville's left arm and then froze him in position. He was likely dead within moments."

Luna and August sobbed silently in their seats as Harry turned back to Arthur and Molly, both of whom stared at Harry in fear, knowing that the next part of the story would be for them.

"Legion gave me a choice: Ron or Hermione. Again, I couldn't do it. I couldn't decide. Of course, each of them tried to say that I should kill them. But Ron, I think he knew that we weren't all getting out of there alive. He was so calm, so fucking brave. He told me to do it. He told me that he was alright with it and that he believed that it was his turn to make the sacrifice instead of me."

Harry chuckled through his sobs.

"Ron gave up having a normal life the moment that he became my friend. He sacrificed his safety time and time again. He lost Fred. Now, he's talking about making the sacrifice, like he had never done that before," Harry scoffed. "Despite his request, I...couldn't decide. I couldn't make that choice."

"Legion saw that and it knew. It knew that I would never make the choice, so it made it for me. It tried to kill Hermione."

Harry looked up at Arthur and Molly, who were holding each other up.

"He was so brave. I couldn't get there in time, but he could. He jumped in front of the spell and it killed him."

"I'm alive because of him," Hermione whispered. "He didn't know what Legion was going to hit me with, but it didn't matter. He put himself between Legion and I anyway."

When they finished their story, the room was silent other than the few strangled sobs that escaped the lips of everyone in the room. Harry couldn't bear to look at any of them. They would blame him and they would be right to do so. If Harry hadn't called Ron into help, Ron would never have been in that forest. He would be at home, safe and sound, with his new wife-to-be.

Speaking of Gabrielle, as the rest of the family sat in silence, all of them trying to collect their thoughts, Gabrielle approached Harry, standing over where he sat on the floor, her hands trembling. Harry thought that she was going to curse him. He wouldn't have stopped her if she wanted to.

Then, she reached a hand down for Harry. Confused, Harry looked up to see the usual no-nonsense look on Gabrielle's face. Harry took her hand and Gabrielle placed her other hand under Harry's arm, helping him to his feet.

Once Harry was on his feet, Gabrielle held onto him by his upper arms, giving him just enough stability to stay on his feet.

"Did he suffer?" Gabrielle asked stoically.

"No," Harry replied. "He was gone in less than a minute."

"Where is his body?"

Harry didn't know the answer to that question. Thankfully, McGonagall had been standing in the far corner of the room.

"The bodies have been cleaned by the Aurors and remain in the castle in one of the empty classrooms in the dungeons. I can take you to see them whenever you like, Miss Delacour."

"Thank you," Gabrielle said, turning back to Harry. "Did you bring him back?"

Harry nodded. Then, Gabrielle took her hands and wrapped them around Harry's shoulders, pulling him into her warm embrace. Gabrielle was not one to show affection to others and especially not to Harry. Still, she held onto Harry tight, saying more with a hug than she ever could have said with words.

Then, one by one, the members of the Weasley family lined up behind Gabrielle, each of them taking a turn embracing both Harry and Hermione. At the end of the line stood Arthur and Molly. When it was her turn, Molly stepped forward and placed a hand on either side of Harry's face before leaning forward and kissing his forehead.

She looked Harry directly in the eye when she spoke.

"Thank you, Harry. Thank you for bringing back my boy."

Over the next two days, Harry spent almost all of his time at the Ministry, answering questions from his other Aurors to absolve any potential chance that Harry had done this himself. Hermione was in the interrogation room next to him. After leaving Hogwarts that night, they spent nearly fourteen hours in those rooms, making sure that their stories aligned and that there was no chance that this had been their doing.

Thankfully, their stories did align and by the next morning, they were finally released. Harry and Hermione went home and slept for two hours before attempting to return to the Ministry of Magic where they were stopped by Kingsley Shacklebolt. He personally ordered them to take three days off, returning to work on Tuesday. When they tried to protest, Kingsley threatened to suspend both of them again if they did not agree to his request.

Ultimately, it didn't matter. They were back in the Ministry the next day for the state funeral that would be held for both Ron and Neville as both of them were Order of Merlin award winners from their actions during the war. Both Hermione and Harry were expected to speak and neither did so. There were too many words to say for their fallen friend and all of them were too personal.

That Saturday evening, the members of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army gathered for a private ceremony at The Burrow. The Burrow sat on acres of land and at the very back of that property was a hill with a single willow tree on it. Harry had only been that far back roughly ten years earlier when they had buried Fred. Now, they would return to bury his brother next to him.

Earlier that morning, Harry and Hermione had attended a private ceremony for Neville at the Longbottom House, the Longbottom ancestral home and home of his grandmother, Augusta Longbottom. The gathering was small, but it allowed Harry to see a side of Neville that he never met. His extended family talked about how much of a jokester he had become. According to Neville himself, he had been influenced by the Weasley twins and adopted some of their methods at family gatherings.

His Uncle Arnold talked about how he became a source of pride for the whole family after the war. The one that no one had expected much out of had become the most famous Longbottom in history.

Harry and Neville had drifted away from each other as time had passed. Neville spent his time at Hogwarts and Harry at the Ministry. They often went weeks without speaking to each other and months without seeing each other. But, they were brothers in arms, just like the rest of the Order or Dumbledore's Army. They could go years without seeing each other and still greet the other like an old friend.

Harry thought he had known Neville. Now, he was seeing that he didn't know Neville at all. At least not the man that Neville had grown into. Harry would never really get to know that man. Neither would anyone else.

Just as the ceremony ended, Luna approached Harry and Hermione. As expected, Luna bucked at any sense of conventional attire. Instead of the black robes that everyone else wore, Luna wore a light blue dress, her hair done up with flowers.

Lilies.

How appropriate, Harry thought to himself.

"I'm glad you came," Luna said. Although her attire may have been unconventional, she looked every bit the grieving widow.

"We're so sorry," Hermione replied, grasping Luna tightly around the shoulder as she embraced Luna.

"We all know that you did everything you could," Luna said. "I just...I just wish that things had turned out differently."

Harry couldn't look at her. Instead, his eyes were fixed on the top of his shoes. Over the last few days, Harry had felt an overwhelming number of emotions, but none of them more so than shame. Shame at his inability to act, shame for his failure to protect his friends, shame because he had nothing to say to defend himself other than to repeatedly express his apologies.

"Harry, can I talk to you in private for a moment?" Luna said. Despite his reticence, Harry looked up and saw that Luna was smiling at him, if in the way that those who are in mourning smile at those they love.

"Of course," Harry said, handing his jacket over to Hermione and following Luna away from the cemetery towards a bench in the rose garden adjacent to it. Luna sat on the bench and Harry followed her lead, taking a seat next to her.

"Neville was always better at expressing himself than I was," Luna replied. "Of course, I'm a bit odd so that's likely part of it."

Harry didn't know what to say to that, so he said nothing. Instead, he simply stared off into the distance where the mourners were finally heading their separate ways.

"There are a couple things that Neville would have wanted to tell you," Luna said, turning to face him. "First, he would have known that you were going to blame yourself. Don't."

"But, Luna, Legion targeted me and-"

"And we all knew the risks, Harry," Luna replied. "You explained them to us quite clearly. We knew that the safe houses weren't perfect. We knew that there was still going to be a risk there. Hell, if he could break into the safe houses, he probably could have just as easily broken into Hogwarts."

Harry couldn't deny that Luna had a point. Still, that didn't make him feel any better.

"Second, Neville would have said that he was honored to be on the list of people that you cared about," Luna added. "We don't see you that often anymore. It's the nature of growing up, I guess. Even though it put him at risk, when you told him that he and I had been among those that Legion was targeting, Neville wasn't upset. He was proud."

"Why?"

"Because even among your friends, you cast a long shadow," Luna said. "People want to be close to you. They want to know you. After twenty years, Neville and I are still among the people that you hold closest to your heart along with your best friend, your ex-girlfriend, although that one is a bit weird, even for me, your godson, your adopted parents, and the love of your life."

"Being close to me puts you in danger," Harry countered. "People close to me get hurt. They get killed for being my friend."

"And they're better for it," Luna protested. "You still have a lot to do. The people that love you, love you for a reason. You are, after all that has happened to you, still an inspiration to those around you. You'll be the kind of role model that my son will look up to."

At first, Harry didn't quite hear what Luna was saying. Then, as the words washed over him, their meaning became clear. Harry turned to Luna and looked down. Now that she mentioned it, it was quite clear that Luna Lovegood was pregnant.

"Merlin," Harry whispered. "Did he know?"

"He did," Luna said sadly. "He was so excited. He even said he was going to take a year away from teaching to stay at home so I could keep working."

The tragedy of Neville Longbottom's death had been great to begin with. But Harry hadn't known anyone who might have been a better father than Neville. For him to have been so close to fatherhood only to have it stripped from him only magnified that tragedy even more.

"I….I'm so sorry, Luna."

"Stop. Stop apologizing, Harry. I will raise my son and I will tell him about his father and what a wonderful, wonderful man he was. I will tell him that his father died as he lived: brave and bold. I'll tell him that he should be proud to be named after one of the great heroes of Hogwarts."

"Neville?"

"We had talked about it anyway, but it only seems right," Luna said. "It will be a burden, naming him after someone that is so highly regarded within our community. But I hope that he'll see it as an honor, a way of carrying on Neville's spirit."

"I'm sure he will," Harry said warmly. "If you ever need any help-"

"Harry Potter, you've been a father for a month. Maybe get used to the idea yourself before offering assistance to others for a change."

"Well, I was going to offer Hermione, but I suppose you're right," Harry said, causing Luna to chuckle softly. "I'm sure you'll be a great mother."

"And you'll be a great father, Harry."

That night at the Burrow, everyone stood in a circle around the spot where Ron had been interred. Gabrielle spoke first, welcoming everyone and thanking them for their attendance. She briefly spoke about Ron and their relationship. She spoke about how Fleur had attempted to dissuade her from dating Ron many times over the years to no avail.

"Ron was so nervous on our first date that he spilled wine all down the front of his shirt," she said with a laugh. While she never cried, you could tell just how deeply she felt Ron's loss in how she spoke. Normally, Gabrielle spoke with confidence. Today, she spent much of her time looking off into the distance, clearly struggling just to formulate the next sentence.

"When he tried to fix it, he accidentally set his shirt on fire," Gabrielle said, garnering her own set of laughs from those in attendance. "We spent our first night together in St. Mungo's that night as the Healers worked on healing his burns. It was the best first date I had ever had. I had hoped it would be the last."

When Gabrielle was finished speaking, each of the Weasleys took a moment to speak, each of them telling a different story about Ron. Some were funny, some were serious, but all of them spoke to Ron's true character.

After the Weasleys finished, Hermione stood up and spoke briefly about Ron. It was hard listening to her talk. Her story meandered from point to point, never quite getting to what she truly wanted to say. In the end, she stopped trying to tell her story and just spoke directly to Ron.

"You were the glue that kept us together, Ronald," she cried. "Without you, there's so much we wouldn't have been able to accomplish. But more than that, our lives would have been a darker, sadder place. Every day, we'll have to live with knowing that we have to move on without you. I love you, Ron, and I hope that, wherever you are, you are at peace."

When Gabrielle and Molly had asked Harry to speak last, Harry had pushed back. He didn't feel as if he deserved an opportunity to speak, let alone be the person whose thoughts would be the one that everyone was left with. When they told Harry that the Weasleys had voted and unanimously agreed that Harry should speak last, he was dumbfounded. Still, he agreed to speak.

Harry walked from his place at the back of the crowd, stopping just in front of the marker.

Ronald Bilius Weasley
March 1, 1980-November 7, 2008

"Bravery is not a quality of the body. It is of the soul."

"Ron wasn't the first wizard that I met on my eleventh birthday, when I was reintroduced to the wizarding world. That distinction belongs to Hagrid. Ron wasn't even the first wizard of my own age that I spoke to. That was Draco Malfoy, although I didn't know it at the time."

Harry turned away from the grave and finally spoke to the assembled.

"But he was the first person that I met that didn't treat me like I was different. For the previous ten years, the name Harry Potter may have been special in this world, but in mine, that name only brought misery. I was a Potter and therefore I was lesser. Less than my family, less than others, a lesser being in all manner of the word."

"So you can imagine how surprised I was when I learned that not only was magic real, but that I was a wizard. And not just any wizard, I was either the first, second, or third most famous wizard in all of England, depending on how you ranked me, Dumbledore, and Riddle. Hagrid treated me fine, but he knew who I was from the beginning. Malfoy didn't treat anyone well at the time, not even his own mother."

"But from the very time I met you, you all treated me like family. Molly helped me get through to Platform 9 and ¾. Ron helped me find a carriage. All of this before they even knew who I was. When Ron did find out my name, he was stunned for just a moment. Then, he asked to see my scar and…that was it. From then on, we talked about Hogwarts and his family and what we could expect once we got to school."

"My greatest fear when I started at Hogwarts was that the nature of my celebrity would isolate me. I had already seen how adults treated me when I was introduced to them in Diagon Alley. Here I was, eleven-years-old, I don't even have a wand, and these people are falling over themselves to introduce themselves to me. Would children be the same? Would the other kids like me? Would everyone want to be my friend? Would no one?"

Harry chuckled softly at the thought.

"The truth was somewhere in between. Some hated me for who I was. Others worshipped me. But for a small group of people, I was just Harry. That was all I could have asked for. By Halloween of my first year, I befriended the two people who would change my life, the two people who were there for me whenever I needed it most."

"That's not to say that Ron and I didn't have our ups and downs," Harry said, which got a small laugh. "Ron thought I put my name in the Goblet of Fire. We didn't talk for weeks. Under the influence of Riddle's Horcrux, Ron left Hermione and I during our Horcrux Hunt. More recently, Hermione and I hid a great many things from Ron for far too long."

"When Ron found out about Hermione and I, my greatest fears came true. He was pissed and rightfully so. Hermione and I together had made a series of terrible mistakes, ones that a lesser person would have never forgiven. But, he did. It didn't happen overnight, but slowly, after proving ourselves trustworthy again, we were slowly starting to put the pieces back together."

"Now, we'll never get to know what the future looks like. But, I can say this: Ron Weasley was one of the bravest men I've ever had the privilege of knowing. He was often afraid as we all were, but he never let that fear stop him. He pressed on, no matter what it cost him personally, to be there for me. That's something that I can never, ever repay. All I can do now is live my life with the intention of honoring the memory of my best friend and brother."

Harry turned back to Ron's grave. Then, he set his hand on top of it and kneeled down and spoke so that only Ron could hear him.

"And I'm going to take that bastard down for killing you."

After Harry finished, the family retreated back to The Burrow for a home cooked meal and some family time. Harry expected to feel strange being around the Weasleys. He expected at least one of them to blame him and Hermione for Ron's death.

Instead, just like they had done for years, they offered him a plate and a seat at their table. Harry had long considered the Weasleys to be his family. Since his twelfth birthday, Hogwarts was the only place that Harry had spent more time than at the Burrow. This was as much his home as any other place.

Hell, Molly had already offered Hermione and Harry a place to stay for the night. Unfortunately, the only room with privacy was Ron's old room.

Harry and Hermione elected to sleep in the living room instead.

Late that night, well after everyone had already gone to bed, Harry lay awake. He hadn't slept for more than a few hours since The Forest and he doubted that he would do so again until Legion was taken care of. Thankfully, Hermione had finally managed to sleep after two nights of nightmares.

Of course, the rather large bottle of wine that she and Fleur had shared during dinner likely had something to do with that.

After hours of staring at the ceiling, Harry couldn't stand sitting still any longer. He got up and wrote a note to Hermione that he placed the table next to her, telling her that he had gone for a walk. Then, he walked out the back door and started down the trail that led to the back half of the property that The Burrow sat on.

Harry hadn't walked with any particular direction, but he shouldn't have been surprised that he ultimately ended up at Ron's grave. Harry considered the stone for a moment before he sat, leaning up against the stone as if Ron himself were holding him up. While Harry and Ron had never been particularly affectionate with each other, all Harry wanted was for Ron to sit up and hug him and tell him that everything was going to be alright.

Harry knew, somewhere deep inside of him, that everything would likely be alright in the end, if they could get through Legion, that was. But for the moment, every breath that Harry took hurt and every time that he even thought Ron's name felt like the life was being squeezed out of him.

"Oh good, it's you."

Harry was so surprised to hear someone else's voice that he drew his wand. Turning around, he held his wand to see Ginny walking towards him.

"What the hell are you doing out here?" Harry asked, breathing heavily as a result of her sudden appearance.

"I could ask the same to you, but I imagine the answer is going to be pretty much the same," Ginny said as she walked to the other side of the stone and sat next to where Harry had been seated. Harry replaced his wand in its holster and then sat next to her.

Harry didn't know how long they sat the two of them, just watching the earliest light from the sun cresting over the horizon. Even when they were silent, Harry was glad that he wasn't alone. More importantly, he was glad that it was a Weasley out here with him. While he would always be glad to have Hermione at his side, there was something different about being accepted by one of the family right now.

Just as the sun became visible in the distance, Ginny turned to Harry.

"So, when are we meeting next?"

"Soon," Harry said firmly. "Probably tomorrow."

"Why wait?"

"I wanted everyone to have enough time to grieve."

"And you're going to be done grieving by tomorrow?" Ginny asked. Harry turned to her and saw that she was staring at him. You could always count on Ginny Weasley to say exactly what was on her mind.

"That's not what I meant."

"You meant that you were going to honor some sort of period of mourning before jumping back into things."

"Exactly."

"Yeah, fuck that," Ginny snapped. "Fuck waiting, Harry. This thing, this monster killed my brother. It killed Ron. It killed Neville. It tried to kill Teddy and it nearly killed you. If you told me that we were meeting now, I would go now."

"Not even going to jump in the shower?" Harry asked.

"Not a chance," Ginny shot back. "Don't have time."

"Good to know," Harry said as he stood up and began pacing. "Honestly, we're at an impasse. We've got The Arch figured out, but we're nowhere close on the ritual."

"Then pull all of us in," Ginny said, standing as if she were ready to fight that moment. Of course, knowing Ginny Weasley, she was. "I'm not going back to the Harpies until we figure this out. I'm certain that the rest of us feel the same way. Sure, it seemed like something that we could do in our spare time and to be honest, we were pretty successful at fixing the Arch."

"But it is different now, Harry. Ron is dead. Neville is dead. I'm never going to get to see my brother again. Neville will never meet his son. We're done acting like things are normal, because for the second time in my life, I've got to grapple with the fact that things will never be normal again."

"Ginny, you know that I tried-"

Before Harry could finish what he wanted to say, Ginny cut him off.

"Save it, Harry. We both know that you did what you could. I know you. You are many things, but you would have never condemned any of them to die. It's not who you are. None of us blame you. You were put in an impossible position and things…..well, things got bad."

Ginny stepped forward so that she was only inches from Harry. She spoke in a soft, sharp tone that gave Harry no choice but to listen to her.

"Do you blame yourself, Harry?"

"Of course. Of course, I do," Harry replied.

"Good," Ginny growled.

"What?" Harry uttered in surprise.

"I'm glad that you blame yourself. How does that blame make you feel, Harry?"

Harry was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth several times to speak, but had no idea what he wanted to say.

Ginny threw her hands forward and shoved Harry in the chest.

"How does that make you feel, Harry?" Ginny bellowed, the sound of her voice scaring away birds in the tree near them.

"It makes me angry!" Harry growled. "It makes me feel like my insides are on fire. I stood there, helpless, as he killed two of my friends! How do you think I feel?"

"You feel angry?" Ginny asked.

"Yes!"

"Good," Ginny replied with satisfaction. "We've seen Harry Potter at his best. Ten years ago at The Battle of Hogwarts, we all saw you. We saw you stand in defiance of the greatest terror our world had ever known. But Legion doesn't need Harry Potter at his best."

"What do you mean?" Harry questioned.

"We need Harry Potter at his worst," Ginny explained. "We need a Harry Potter willing to win at all costs. We need a Harry Potter who is going to play dirty. We need a Harry Potter who is going to go for the kill."

Suddenly, Ginny reached forward and grabbed his shirt, jerking it and Harry back towards her so that Harry was only inches away from her face.

"We need you to kill it, Harry. Whether you kill it or trap it in that Arch, I do not care. But now is not the time for half measures. Now is not the time for waffling. That thing is pure evil and it needs to be put down. Do you think you can do that?"

Harry hadn't wanted to kill Voldemort. He had long refused to kill anyone. Harry brought in dozens of Death Eaters after the war and hadn't used the Killing Curse one time. The only time he had ever used it was on Legion a few weeks earlier when it had abducted Teddy.

In the end, if they were able to reverse the ritual, if Legion was restored to a normal man, could he really do the unthinkable? Could he take a life? But then Harry thought about Teddy, almost drained of all life. He thought of Neville, bleeding out and frozen, unable to help himself. He thought of Ron, throwing himself in front of Hermione.

And he knew.

This was different. Whatever Legion had been, he wasn't a man any longer. For too long, Harry had treated Legion as if he was still human, as if it abided by the same rules as Harry.

No more.

"I can do that," Harry said firmly. "He'll go down permanently."

Ginny smiled sadly and then let Harry go, allowing him to stand up once more.

"Good. Now, are you ready to go to work?"

"You bet."

Less than four hours later, the entirety of the Weasley family, Elaina Andrews, Draco Malfoy, and Luna Lovegood joined Harry and Hermione at Safe House Four. Everyone, even those that managed to sleep, were tired, but no one refused the call to arms. They had waited long enough. It was time to act.

Harry waited until everyone had taken their seats before walking into the room. He made a beeline for the head of the table, Hermione just on his heels. When he reached the end of the table, he stopped and immediately addressed the room.

"I know we're tired. I know we're grieving. But we've waited far too long to band together and take this monster down. That is my fault and...people have died as a result. But, no more. From now on, my sole attention goes to undoing the ritual that created Legion and then stuffing it back in its cage where it belongs."

Harry looked down to the other end of the table where Ginny sat. She smiled at him, encouraged that her message from earlier that morning had gotten through to him.

"I need all of you. I need you to be willing to walk away from every other responsibility in your life and help me stop Legion. The Auror Office will be working to locate Legion around the clock, but when the time comes, the people that stop Legion will be in this room. Right now, I need to know just one thing: are you with me?"

Harry looked down each row of people, first to his left and then to his right. He knew that this was a big ask. For some, Ron's death would be the end of the line. They wouldn't (and shouldn't) trust Harry to act in this moment. He couldn't blame them and yet, he still needed their help.

He needed all of them more than he had ever needed them before.

Finally, from his place towards the opposite end of the table, Arthur Weasley stood. Arthur was one of the most powerful men in the country. But more importantly, he was the moral compass for the Weasleys. Whatever he said would likely influence the decision of most of the room.

"Harry, if I have to quit my job to stop this thing, then that's what I'll do. That's what we'll all do. We're with you to the very end. Ron wouldn't want it any other way."

One by one, the rest of the Weasleys stood and joined Arthur, each of them silently nodding their affirmation. As the Weasleys stood so too did Luna, Draco, and Elaina, each of whom said nothing but joined in nonetheless.

Soon enough, everyone in the room was standing, the intentions clearly stated. They were going to war with Legion and this time, they were all looking to Harry.

Harry turned to Hermione, who stood next to him.

"You in?"

"I'd follow you anywhere," Hermione whispered, taking his hand in hers. She squeezed his hand and held on tight.

"Good," Harry said before turning back to the rest of the room. "Now, we have a monster to kill."