Harry only slept for a few hours and when he awoke, the sun had still not yet risen. Still, the entire Safe House was already awake and on edge, clearly ready for the day. One way or another, it would all end in just a few hours. Harry looked in on Teddy, still asleep thankfully, before heading to take a shower.

Once he was prepped, he headed to the kitchen where Molly was already hard at work making breakfast. In fact, there was already a plate of potatoes and eggs sitting at the end of the table.

"Eat up, Harry," Molly said as she worked on cracking another pile of eggs into the skillet on the stovetop.

Despite the fact that Harry did not at all feel like eating anything, he knew that he needed the calories. Today was going to be one of the most stressful days of his entire life and doing it on an empty stomach would have just been foolish.

Moments later, Hermione came down the stairs, dressed and ready to go. Once again, Molly's timing was impeccable as the moment Hermione sat down next to Harry, a plate appeared in front of her.

"How did you sleep?" Hermione asked softly.

"Not well," Harry grunted. "You?"

"Same."

It was rare for Hermione to be so succinct and yet he couldn't blame her. She must have had a thousand things going on in her mind, just like him. They were responsible for everyone's safety today and if a single person was harmed, that would ultimately fall back on them, not that there was anything they could honestly do about it. People were going to get hurt today and possibly worse.

The best they could do was mitigate the damage and ensure that Legion finally went down.

They finished eating in silence before Harry went upstairs to look at Teddy one last time. Again, Teddy was asleep and for several minutes, Harry just stood in the doorway, watching him. If all went well, he would have the rest of his life to watch Teddy grow up into the fine, young man that Harry anticipated he would become. Still, the fear that Harry was working hard to bury kept telling him that this could be the last time he ever saw his son.

In the distance, Harry heard Hermione call his name. It was already time to go. Just as Harry turned to leave, Teddy spoke up.

"Are you leaving?" Teddy asked, clearly having woken up at some point. Harry paused. He considered simply telling Teddy to go back to sleep, but that nagging thought at the back of his mind told him that he would be disappointed in himself if this was truly the last moment he got to spend with Teddy.

If this was it, he was going to make it count. Harry walked into Teddy's room and sat down on the edge of the bed next to him.

"I am," Harry said, unable to prevent his voice from trembling. Still, he tried to put on a good face for the boy.

"Are you scared?" Teddy asked.

For a moment, Harry considered lying. He thought about telling Teddy that he knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that everything would be fine. But he had spent so much time lying over the last few years that the idea of lying to a child, even about something as important as this, sickened him.

"I am," Harry admitted softly. "It's a dangerous thing we're going to do today."

"But you're prepared, right? You've thought of everything."

Harry chuckled warmly. "You can't think of everything. But you can think of as much as possible. And yes, I think we've done that."

"Then I think you'll be fine," Teddy stated plainly.

"Really?" Harry said with a smile. "What makes you so certain?"

"Because you are there and you don't lose."

Harry thought about that for a moment. It was amazing to think that this child, this child who had lost his parents at such a young age, believed that Harry was unbeatable. Of course, Harry knew better. He had lost more than anyone. He had lost time and time again.

"Now, I want to tell you something," Harry said softly. "I lose all the time. Everyone, even the best of us, lose all the time. Even still, it's not the losing that matters. What matters is that you don't ever give up. Not ever."

"We might lose today," Harry admitted. "But I promise you that as long as I can, I will never give up. I can't. Because I'm fighting for you, Teddy. I'm fighting for you and Hermione and all the Weasleys and all the rest of the people I love. But the reason I can do that is people like you, people that inspire me to be better."

"I inspire you?" Teddy asked in awe. "How?"

"Because of how brave you've been," Harry replied. "You saw terrible things, something that no one should ever have to see. I know that you miss Andromeda. You always will. But you've kept on going and that inspires me to keep going. You give me the faith that I can keep going, even when it seems too hard."

"Wow. I didn't think that I inspired anyone."

"Well, you inspire me," Harry said, ruffling Teddy's hair. "Now, go back to sleep. Before you know it, I'll be back and we can talk about what happens next."

"I hope so."

Harry reached over and took the covers, pulling them back over Teddy and tucking him in tight. Then, he leaned over and kissed him on the forehead.

"I love you, Teddy."

"I love you, too, Harry," Teddy replied as he rolled over, doing his best to go back to sleep.

Harry wanted nothing more than to stand there and watch Teddy. Watch him sleep, watch him eat, watch him sit on Hermione's lap as she read to him. But he needed to go. The only solace that Harry got as he closed Teddy's door behind him was that if all went well today, there would be time enough for all of that.

Once Harry reached the kitchen, he saw that everyone was ready to go.

"Let's do this," Harry said as he turned in place, Apparating from Safe House Four to the staging area: his house in the woods north of Hogwarts. After the meeting the day before, Harry had returned to the house and removed all of the wards, allowing others to Apparate there. Then, he had sent a photo of his house to everyone who had volunteered, giving them the ability to picture it in their mind so that they could Apparate there.

It was just after five in the morning when Harry and the rest of the Safe House Four crew landed at his home. Already nearly a dozen people were standing outside the house, clearly ready to get started. Within ten minutes, that number had quadrupled and once the Aurors arrived at five-thirty, they stood at almost a hundred people.

A small army created for a single purpose: to finally bring down Legion and end its reign of terror.

Once they were all ready, Harry and Hermione briefly went over the plan again before separating the army up into its individual units. At the same time, Harry pulled together his team that would be responsible for returning Legion to the Ministry if their plan to destroy the Phylactery worked.

"Remember, we're there to distract first and foremost. Hermione and Elaina will be setting up some trap spells while we distract Legion. If all goes well, we should be able to activate the trap and then simultaneously cast Killing Curses at it to destroy the phylactery. Once that happens, we next need to Stun it and return him to the Ministry. From there, it will be up to Bill and Draco to restore the Arch so that we can throw him in."

"Remember: from the moment that we leave here, you are to be on your guard. This is the most powerful thing that any of us will ever face and if you lower your guard for a minute, you will die. Shield spells will be the most important thing. Keep them up at all times when you are casting for offense. Do that and we might stand a chance. Any questions?"

All them stared silently back at Harry. They looked much how Harry felt: scared and determined. Seeing no further questions, Harry nodded firmly.

"We can do this. Stick together, listen and react accordingly. Once we are inside, orders come from me. This only works if we keep it together. Now, let's go."

Harry turned to Elaina.

"Hermione, Malfoy, and I are leaving. Wait for our signal."

"Yes, sir," Elaina said firmly.

Harry turned to Hermione and Malfoy, neither of whom looked particularly excited to be going so soon. Still, Harry knew that they would be ready. Harry held out a hand to either of them. The moment they took his hand, Harry turned, Apparating them to the point that Harry had Apparated to just a few days earlier. Once they landed, Harry pulled out the magical sensor and checked it. Sure enough, they were still getting a large magical reading in the distance.

"This way," Harry said softly as he marched off in the direction of the castle.

For nearly forty minutes, the three of them walked in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Harry, for his part, felt relatively at ease. While it was certainly not an easy thing they were about to do, it still felt better than marching off to certain death like he had during the Battle of Hogwarts

The only part of the whole thing that truly bothered Harry at the moment was the cold. At some point in the night, nearly a foot of snow had fallen on the forest. Even after charming his boots and cloak to keep him warm, the cold and wet seemed to seep everywhere, chilling him to the bone. A quick look at Malfoy and Hermione suggested that they were suffering from the same thing.

They were only a few minutes away when Harry suddenly heard a voice in his head.

"Are you coming for me, Harry Potter?" Legion said, causing Harry to stop suddenly, turning in every direction to see if Legion was around. A quick charm told Harry that no one was there. This meant that more than likely, Legion was still in its castle, but it was now talking to Harry through his mind at a great distance, a sign of its increasing power.

"Harry?" Herminoe said, noticing that Harry had stopped suddenly.

"You are coming for me. Aren't you?" Legion added. "Did you think that I couldn't sense you coming? You and Mr. Malfoy and Miss Granger?"

"Stop it," Harry growled.

"Stop what?" Hermione asked.

"Keep coming, Harry Potter. Do you dare to progress even if I know you are coming? There is no trap to be set. The trap is mine."

"Stop talking!" Harry roared, causing both Hermione and Malfoy to distance themselves from him.

"Harry, who are you talking to?" Hermione asked, real fear creeping into her voice.

"Legion, he's in my head."

"You say that like it's something new, Harry Potter. I've been in your head for months."

Rather than replying, Harry closed his eyes and focused on closing his mind. At this distance, even with the power of Legion, it would be difficult to maintain a connection with Harry if he was actively employing Occlumency. Sure enough, after just a few moments, Harry could feel Legion's effect losing steam and eventually fade away entirely.

Still, it had been an unsettling experience to say the least.

"Legion knows we're coming," Harry said as he pressed on towards the wards.

"And we're still going?" Hermione said as she raced to catch up with Harry.

"He would have known either way," Harry reasoned. "We're as prepared as we're ever going to be."

"Did he find out that we know about the phylactery?"

"Legion wasn't searching my mind, just communicating. Every time he's gone through my memories, I could see it happening. That didn't happen this time."

Within just a few minutes, Harry stopped Hermione and Malfoy. They had reached the wards. Following the plan, Harry drew his wand.

"Expecto Patronum!"

In an instant, a jet of light exploded from Harry's wand before shaping itself into Prongs, who sprinted a quick circle in front of Harry. Clearly, he was excited to be of use again as he came to a stop in front of Harry.

"Tell Elaina Andrews that we're ready."

Prongs nodded deeply before turning and sprinting off into the distance. Now, the only thing to do was wait. In the ten minutes that followed after Prongs disappeared into the distance, nothing happened, which was expected. Finally, when the time came, Harry turned to Hermione.

"Take the wards down."

Hermione nodded gravely, knowing that this was the point of no return. Once those wards were down, they were committed to taking Legion down today without any chance of retreat. Still, Hermione waved her wand a few times and with one final vertical flick of her wand, Harry could feel the wards fade.

Immediately, Harry saw groups of people Apparate into place around the castle at each of the established watchpoints. Down in the valley between them and the hill where the castle was located stood the rest of Harry's strike team, along with the rest of the Junior and Senior Aurors who hadn't been assigned to the perimeter. Harry, followed closely by Hermione and Malfoy, raced down the hill towards them.

Once they arrived, Harry started barking orders.

"Legion knows we're coming so let's be quick about this," Harry roared. "Aurors, take the castle. Teams of four, no one enters a room alone. Are we clear?"

"Yes, sir," was the response from every Auror.

"My team, we follow them in. If there's some sort of great hall or throne room or something like that, Legion will be there."

"How do you know?" Manuel Collins asked.

"I just do," Harry replied curtly. "Now, let's move!"

Instantaneously, the Aurors raced up the hill and towards the castle with Harry and his team following behind closely. As they reached the castle, one of the Aurors at the front of the pack cast a Blasting Curse on the giant double door that led to the castle. Not surprisingly, the door didn't give. Thankfully, Hermione worked her way to the front of the pack and began casting a series of detection spells. Within less than a minute, she had determined exactly what wards were protecting the castle and removed them.

Brightest witch of her age, indeed.

Once that was done, Hermione simply pulled the door open and allowed the Aurors to race past her. As Harry approached, he reached out and grabbed her, kissing her fiercely.

"Merlin, I love you."

"I know," Hermione responded as they walked inside the castle. The castle itself seemed like a dark reflection of Hogwarts. Whereas Hogwarts' tall ceilings and vast halls opted to give off a sense of wonder, this castle had clearly been designed to intimidate anyone who walked through the doors. There were no soft edges to this castle. Everything about its architecture was sharp as though the castle itself was a weapon.

The statues that lined the walls of the hallways all appeared to be of Legion itself, carved out of twenty-foot pieces of black volcanic rock. It gave true meaning to Legion's name, giving him the feeling that he was everywhere, all at the same time. Of course, that could have also been because Legion had been talking his mind not twenty minutes earlier.

Harry and the rest of his team progress through the castle until they found themselves at a giant silver double door with a picture of two massive ravens carved into it, using the same black rock that the statues had been made out of as an inlay.

"I think that answers our question," George said nervously as he looked at the doors, which each must have been at least forty feet tall. Each of them tried to pull on the doors to no avail. Hermione attempted the same trick that she had pulled on the exterior doors to no avail.

That's when Harry opted for the simplest solution.

"Accio door!"

The door wasn't magical and it wasn't locked. It was just massive, meaning that they weren't going to be able to pull it open, other than my magical means. While Harry's spell didn't do much, it did open the door about a foot. Instantly, the entire team cast the spell simultaneously and the door opened another six or seven feet, giving them plenty of room to walk through it.

When they did, they found themselves standing in a massive hall, much like the Great Hall at Hogwarts. However, just like everything else in this castle, it was designed in Legion's image. The same statues that stood guard in the hallway also stood along the exterior of this room. Only this time, they had been adorned with silver armor.

Immediately, Harry feared that they could be brought to life in the same way that McGonagall had done with the suits of armor at Hogwarts during the Battle. And yet, that wasn't the most terrifying thing in the room.

At the front of the room sat Legion, a distance of almost one hundred yards. He sat on a massive black throne, again seemingly carved out of the same black rock that had been used on the rest of the castle. Behind him stood another statue, this one nearly one hundred feet tall, staring down at all of them.

As they approached, Harry noticed that Legion was not smiling. The only other time that had happened was when Harry had struck him with the Killing Curse. In that moment, Legion had been frightened and furious. Now, Harry had led an army into his house and Harry was certain that Legion felt the same way.

Harry stopped roughly twenty yards from Legion and then motioned for the others to fan out, surrounding Legion in a semi-circle so that none of them got too close to him.

"I must say, Harry Potter," Legion said, speaking so that all could hear him, "you have been among my most fascinating enemies. I have done everything I can to destroy you and yet here you are. The only other person who came close was Galahad Peverell himself. Of course, I had no particular grievance with him, the same as I have no particular grievance with you."

"Well, I have a grievance with you."

"That is the point, isn't it?" Legion laughed. "That's why I chose you, Harry Potter. I knew that you would fight back. I didn't know that you would make your way here, but I must say that I am quite pleased that you did. Now, we can finally end this game."

"This isn't a game," Harry snapped. "You've killed people that I care about. But no more."

"You still believe that you can stop me? Harry Potter, I killed your friends slowly because I could. At any time, I could have chosen to simply remove them all, drain them of their magic, and be done with it."

"And that was your mistake," Harry replied, smiling at Legion. "You gave us time. Time to figure out a way to end you."

"Even Galahad Peverell couldn't end me. You honestly believe that you have figured out what he could not?"

"No, but we can make it right."

"I highly doubt that," Legion said as it rose from its seat. "The more likely option is that you'll be seeing dear Ronald and Neville and Andromeda very soon."

"Not too soon," Harry said to himself before twisting the wand in his hand, which was aimed at the floor. Instantly, the room began to fill with smoke, preventing any from being able to see. Of course, this had been the plan and as the smoke covered their appearance, they all slipped on glasses that George had created that would let them see Legion through the smoke by honing in on his incredible magical signature.

"You think that a bit of smoke and mirrors will keep me from killing you!?"

"Fire!" Harry shouted as the smoke continued to grow. From underneath the smoke, Harry saw dozens of spells fire at Legion. Some of them hit and some of them missed but a fair number were blocked by Legion before they had any chance of doing damage. Still, that answered the one question that Harry needed answered.

Legion, while incredibly powerful and capable of magic far beyond them, still seemed bound by the typical rules of defensive magic. It didn't seem to possess the ability to simply block every spell at once while also firing spells. In addition, he did not seem capable of casting multiple spells at once as one spell hit him just as he blocked another.

This meant that numbers would become the only advantage they had, one that they needed to use for as long as they could.

Harry continued to generate the smoke that kept them under cover. Meanwhile, Hermione and Elaina began casting a series of enchantments that would keep Legion from moving once activated. The enchantment would likely only work once and only for a brief amount of time so they needed to be ready when Hermione enacted it.

Despite all of the planning they had done, however, and Legion's limited ability to see, the power that Legion possessed kept the odds firmly in his favor. More than once, it simply threw massive sweeping spells that knocked everyone off their feet. While Legion couldn't see, Harry suspected that he could still sense their magic through the fog. Even if it only gave him a rough guess where they were at, it meant that it wasn't truly blind.

For minutes, the sounds of spellfire echoed through the hall, making it sound like a massive indoor fireworks display. And yet, despite the fact that some of the world's most powerful witches and wizards were in the room, Legion appeared no worse for the wear. It wasn't tiring as Harry's team began to slow down from the sheer volume of spells that they had fired to keep Legion from detecting what Hermione and Elaina were doing.

Then, through all the noise, Harry heard Hermione scream: "NOW!"

Just then, Harry watched as Legion suddenly froze in place. It had worked, for the moment. They certainly had only moments before the enchantment would break. With a flick of his wand, Harry cleared the fog. Looking around, Harry saw that his team was sweating, breathing heavily, but still standing.

"Killing Curses now!" Harry bellowed. "Aim at the necklace!"

That's when Harry saw Legion's eyes grow wide. They had been right. Harry had no doubt in his mind now. The necklace was the key. Now, they needed to destroy it.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Around the room, only about six of them managed to cast the dark spell and of those that cast it, only a few even had the power to reach Legion. Already, Harry could see him starting to tremor. The effect of the spell was wearing off quickly. They would only get one more chance to make this right.

"Remember what it's done!" Harry growled. "It has killed Ron and Neville and Andromeda. It killed innocent people, just to get my attention. If this doesn't happen now, then we all die and Legion can take over the world. Now, do it again!"

Harry raised his wand to Legion, who was smiling at Harry, clearly not impressed with the attack that had just come his way.

"On my mark! Three, two, one, FIRE!"

This time, fourteen green jets of light streaked from the fourteen witches and wizards surrounding Legion. Not a single one fizzled out before reaching it and when they all hit, the necklace broke. For a moment, nothing happened and Harry feared that somehow, they had been wrong.

Then, Harry noticed that Legion had begun to glow, just like he had when Harry had hit him with the Killing Curse at The Riddle House. But this time, that same glow continued until he was washed with light and Legion began to scream in agony. Just as Legion's scream reached its peak, a wave of magic suddenly exploded from Legion, creating a shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet.

Harry was thrown backwards, hitting the ground hard before sliding several feet. Despite the pain in his back, Harry scrambled to his feet, looking towards the throne where Legion had once sat. Kneeling in front of it was a man. The man that Legion had once been. Harry had seen him a number of times before.

"On your feet!" Harry shouted to his team as he raced to the front of the room with his wand drawn. Harry approached the man, his wand held high. Harry had been right. The tall man with one eye was Legion's original form. Now, there was one mystery still left to solve.

"What is your name?" Harry asked.

The man looked up at Harry's wand before turning his face up at Harry. Then, he smiled.

"I was born Wodin, son of Fjolnir," he said and while his voice sounded like Legion, it also sounded so much more human than Legion's had. "But you know me as Odin. I am the All Father, the king of all witches and wizards. You shall kneel before me."

"Kneel before you?" Harry scoffed. "I don't know if you forgot, but you aren't Legion any longer."

Harry twisted his wand and cast a Stunner at Odin, which he easily blocked with his hand. He stood slowly until he reached full height, nearly a head and a half taller than even Bill.

"Harry Potter, I may have lost my memory when I became Legion, but I didn't not forget how to cast magic," Odin said. "I have no need for a wand and I have spent years with the ability to feel magic itself course through my body. You may have undone the ritual that gave me everlasting life, but you have not undone me, boy."

Then, Odin threw out his arms and, in an instant, all of them were blasted backwards. Harry was launched backwards into one of the columns, cracking his head against it. Instantly, Harry had to fight the urge to pass out, knowing that he would be killed instantly if he had.

Looking around, Harry saw that thankfully, none of them had been killed by the blast. Harry looked up just in time to see Odin reach out with his hand towards him. However, unlike the magic that he had cast when he was Legion, this magic was clearly created by his hand, giving Harry time to roll out of the way and onto his feet before the spell impacted where Harry had just been, creating a small crater.

While Harry had been the first to his feet, the others followed in short order and began firing at Odin. Odin in this form was certainly less powerful, but he was furious, enraged in a way that he could never have been as Legion. He was massive, but moved like a smaller man, easily dodging spells and blocking others, while throwing spells to counter easily. It was obvious to see why those attracted to power would follow a man like this.

If Harry hadn't seen him in action, Harry would have thought that he was a myth too.

As the battle raged, one by one, Harry's team fell. Manuel and Emmett were dropped by a pair of Stunners while Collin, Malfoy and George were all knocked unconscious by the same Blasting Curse. Dawlish took a Cutting Curse to the leg that caused him to drop to the floor, desperately trying to stem the bleeding. Bill stepped in front of a Stunner meant for Ginny while Abbi took an elbow directly from Odin that caused her head to slap against the floor, knocking her unconscious.

Ginny and Elaina were each thrown against columns by Banishing Spells in the same way that Harry had been. Only they didn't get up. Within just a few minutes, where there had once been fourteen witches and wizards against Odin, now only four remained: Harry, Hermione, Fleur and Viktor. They were blooded and battered and yet they stood firm against Odin, hoping for some sort of opening that would allow them to put him down for good.

"Harry Potter, I must say that I'm glad that you brought you friends to me," Odin said, stalking towards them nonchalantly. "You see, with the number of people here, I can recreate the ritual that gave me my powers in the first place. Then, I'll be able to destroy the Arch and the only people who could have stopped me will already be dead."

"That's not going to happen," Harry growled. He was relatively sure he had a concession and some broken ribs. His vision was starting to blur and occasionally go double. Still, he would give every last breath he had to make sure that Odin never got the opportunity to regain his power.

"You and I both know that you are the most powerful wizard in this room other than myself," Odin taunted. "We also know that you would never stand a chance if the others had turned on you. Yet, without breaking a sweat, I've eliminated most of you."

While Odin had clearly been working, he hadn't been wrong about how easy it had been to do so. Still, Odin remained a man and that meant that there was a chance, albeit a small one.

"Now, let's finish this," Odin said before raising his hands. As he did so, Harry and the others raised theirs in defense. The onslaught of spells that followed were the most unpredictable and devastating that Harry had ever seen. One spell after the other, each of them as powerful as the last. Harry called out to the others, reminding them to shield themselves. Ultimately, his warnings were in vain. Within a matter of moments, Fleur and Viktor fell leaving Harry and Hermione alone. Then, before Hermione could recover from the last spell that she had blocked, Odin reached out and pulled her to him. Hermione went flying towards him before Legion redirected her so that she flew into one of the side walls, slamming against it with a horrifying crack.

"Hermione!" Harry shouted as Hermione fell to the ground in a heap. He moved to step towards her only to see a Stunner fly across his face. It was only his quick reactions to kept him from getting hit.

"She'll be fine," Odin taunted. "They'll all be fine. I need them to complete the ritual. If they're dead, then I can't take their magic."

"You can't take the magic if you're dead," Harry countered.

"True enough," Odin replied. "But I think we both know that you can't be the one to do it. We both saw how you were in the forest. Weak, indecisive. You let two of your friends die because you didn't want to kill one person. Now you suddenly believe that you have the strength to kill me? It comes down to more than simply wanting to kill someone, boy. You have to have it in your bones and you don't have it."

In his heart, Harry knew that Odin was probably right, but Harry refused to back down either way. Instead, he stepped forward, his wand and head held high, as he unleashed everything he had. While Odin's magical reserves seemed fine, Odin was getting tired. Having spent centuries as a being that needed no sleep or sustenance, Odin wasn't used to the rigors of a human body.

As Harry fired spell after spell, Odin did his best to deflect them but his defenses were getting slower to each point. Harry, on the other hand, was, for better or worse, as human as you could get. He had spent years honing his skill, understanding his body and its limitations. He knew just how hard he could push and he knew that, under the worst of circumstances, he had the ability to push even further, to dig into a reserve of magic that others simply didn't have.

It was his fire, his will to succeed that had let him do that when no one else would have.

And so with every spell that he threw at Odin, he gained power and confidence. He stood tall, the Man Who Lived, the hero of his generation and he threw everything he had at the demigod standing across from him. Slowly, but surely, Odin slowed to such a point where Harry was able to hit him with a Stunner that threw him across the room.

Odin hit the ground and slid to the feet of his throne. But still, even after everything that Harry had given, it was not enough. Almost immediately, Odin began to stir, rising to his knees and then again to his feet. He was tired and he was angry, but when he walked towards Harry, he smiled that same awful smile that Harry had seen dozens of times in his dreams.

"As Legion, I couldn't understand why others would follow you, but I get it now. You truly are something else, Harry Potter," Odin said as he dragged himself towards Harry. "Unfortunately, you are bound by a world and rules that simply do not apply to me."

Odin walked up to Harry, towering over him as Harry stood tall. Harry knew that this was likely the end, but still he would not back down. He raised his wand high and waited for Odin's attack.

Odin seemed to sense Harry's misery and smiled.

"Smile, Harry. You and your friends will live on in me. In a way, you'll be a god, too."

"Fuck you," Harry growled defiantly.

Just then, just when everything seemed like it was going to come to a head, something happened that Harry never could have predicted.

"Stupefy!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw a red jet of light scream towards him, slamming into Odin's side and throwing him towards one of the columns. Harry turned to see Hermione leaning against one of the columns, her left arm clearly broken, hanging at her side. Still, she stood valiantly, her head aimed directly at where Odin had once stood.

Just then, Harry noticed several others stood once more, all of them aiming their wands at Odin, who was already beginning to stir.

"Do it," Harry said firmly. Instantly, dozens of Stunners flew from the wands until finally Odin lay still. He wasn't dead, but he was non-responsive and that would allow Harry to finally take him down. Harry walked over to Odin and stood over him, his wand aimed at his chest. Harry was just about to cast the spell when a voice called out to him.

"Harry, stop!"

Harry looked up and saw Elaina running from the other end of the room towards him. In her hands, she held the magical sensor that had led them here in the first place.

"We don't have time!" Harry shouted.

"You're right," Elaina agreed as she approached. Then, she handed the sensor to Harry. The dial was spinning, just as it had when Abbi had sensed Legion a few days earlier. His magical reserves were growing, even as he laid unconscious. By breaking the phylactery, they had temporarily returned him to his human form, but somehow, the magic was returning. Harry supposed that it was possible that, after having access to that magic for so long, Odin's body was able to generate it on its own.

It meant that even a Killing Curse wouldn't kill him at the moment. It also meant the only way to take care of him was The Arch. Harry took a quick look around the room. George and Ginny remained unconscious, but the others seemed ready to go. Harry turned to Elaina.

"Get someone in here to take them back to the Safe House," Harry ordered. "Once that's done, join us at the Ministry."

"Yes, sir," Elaina replied before racing off.

Harry then turned to the rest of them.

"We've got to move quickly. I doubt he's going to remain down for long. I'll take him to the Ministry with us. Malfoy, Bill: the moment we land, I want the Arch operational."

"It will take a couple of minutes to prep the wards," Bill countered.

"You have seconds," Harry said before grabbing Odin by the arm and turning in place. When Harry landed, he landed just a few feet away from the Arch, where Bill and Malfoy were already working. A series of popping sounds around him let Harry know that the others had arrived as well.

"Wands out!" Harry barked. "If he wakes up, we're going to have to do this all over again."

Sure enough, just as Harry spoke, Odin began to stir. Harry hit him with a Stunner but he knew that was only going to be a temporary solution.

"Keep working!" Harry said as he dragged Odin back to the bottom of the dais. Once he was there, he began casting every confinement spell that he could think of. When Odin awoke, it would only take him moments to escape from them, but that could be time well spent. Harry finished casting, just as Odin woke up again. Another Stunner caused Odin to pass out for only a few seconds before he woke, this time for good.

He tried to stand before realizing that Harry had magically pinned him to the ground. Harry turned and saw that the Arch was still not operational. Two of the three Runes were glowing, which Harry assumed meant that they were operational. Still, the final Rune remained dormant as Bill and Malfoy silently waved their wands in a complex series of motions.

"Get moving!" Harry shouted as he fired Stunner after Stunner at Odin, which succeeded in barely slowing him down. Even when the others joined in, Odin pressed on, working his way through the spells until finally, he was able to sit up.

Somehow, Odin had returned to the power level that he had while he was Legion. He was likely something closer to mortal now, but decidedly more powerful than anything they could hope to fight against.

"You got close, Potter," Odin said as the Stunners bounced off his chest. "Closer than anyone before you, but you ran out of time."

Over his shoulder, Bill shouted: "The Arch is open!"

Harry turned and saw the familiar rippling curtains of The Veil. They had managed to remove the ritual and they had managed to open the Arch, two things that a few months ago had seemed impossible. They just hadn't been able to time it up right. Now, Odin was as powerful as ever and there was no discernable way to force him into the Arch.

Still, Harry pressed on, fighting with everything he had. The others joined him, and together, they fought until they could hardly stand. They threw every curse, spell, hex, and charm they could come up with at him, causing the room to practically glow with magic. And yet, for the most part, the spells barely affected Odin. For a few moments, he blocked their spells until he gained enough power to simply ignore everything they were casting. Once that time happened, Odin went on the offensive, tearing them down one by one. Dawlish and Malfoy got thrown into the air, colliding with each other before falling to the ground. Fleur fought until a length of conjured rope tied her up and dragged her to the ground, squeezing the life out of her. Emmett and Manuel fought side by side until Odin forced Manuel to Stun Emmett and then himself. Hermione charged at Odin, only to be thrown backwards. Viktor, Collin, and Abbi were all caught in the same explosion, knocking them out as they slammed into the far walls of the room.

In the end, Bill and Elaina stood with Harry, but they didn't last long either. Bill was put into a Full-Body Bind and tossed to the end of the room. Elaina quickly followed him as she was tossed into the air, her body hovering just above Harry.

Once again, he stood alone. He was beaten and broken, barely able to stand. They had been so close. They had done everything they needed to end him. Still, it wasn't enough.

Odin stood at the top of the dais, just in front of the wavering curtain behind him, taunting them with his proximity to their goal. Harry stood at the bottom of the dais, looking up at Odin as he raised his hands slowly above his head. On either side of him, the others floated high into the air until they were all suspended much like they had been in the vision that Legion had shown him.

"I didn't want it to end this way, but you've forced my hand."

Odin suddenly reached out and Hermione flew towards him from across the room. He tossed her to the ground and then grabbed her hair, pulling her up so that she was forced to look at Harry, screaming in agony as he pulled.

"Please don't kill her," Harry begged as he climbed towards Odin, coming to stand just in front of where he stood with Hermione on her knees between them. "Listen, you are already as powerful as you ever were. We lost. We're done. Just leave her be."

As Harry spoke, he worked his wand from his wrist holster, waiting for the opportunity to strike. If Odin let go over Hermione, he could cast one spell with enough force that would throw Odin into the Arch. It was the only chance they had left.

"No, I will not leave her be," Odin growled. "You have become more than simply a thorn in my side, and for that, you deserve to be punished. Rest assured, everyone in this room is going to die, but you, Harry Potter, will not be the last."

"What?" Harry asked, his wand suddenly forgotten.

"I've seen your mind and I know your love for her," Odin said as he leaned down to caress Hermione's face.

"Leave her alone!" Harry screamed, stepping towards them both. Just as he did so, Odin reached down and placed a hand on either side of Hermione's head.

"Take another step and I'll snap her neck!" Odin roared, causing Harry to come to a halt. "No, I know how much you love her. I know that you would do anything to prevent her suffering. So, I will grant you that wish. I will kill everyone in this room, other than her, and I'll save you for last. That way, when she watches as I take my rightful place in this world, she will be forced to watch, alone."

Harry knew that Hermione would never want that. Which is exactly why Legion was doing it. He knew, by torturing her, he would also be torturing Harry for whatever time Harry had left on this world.

And so, as Legion let go of Hermione, he did the one thing left that he could. He drew his wand and fired.

"Expulso!"

The Banishing Charm hit Odin in the chest, but had no effect. Harry froze, his wand held high, as Odin reached out and grabbed Harry's wand, taking it directly from his hand. Harry watched in horror as Odin considered the wand for a moment before he snapped it in half and then threw it into the Arch. Harry's eyes tracked the two pieces of his wand until they floated away into the nothingness beyond the Veil.

"And there ends the story of the phoenix wands," Odin mocked. "There's no Elder Wand to save you here, Harry Potter. No way out and no way to win."

Harry's heart plummeted as he watched the wand fade into nothing. Not because of the wand's importance, although that couldn't be overstated. No, because that wand had been his one hope against Odin.

A hope that was now gone.

Harry dropped to his knees in defeat, his mind racing as he tried in vain to come up with some other way to defeat Odin. But he knew that there was no way. He had gone up against a force greater than any man and he had lost. Finally, they had reached the end.

"Harry…."

Harry lifted his head to look at Hermione, who had tears streaming down her face.

"I'm sorry, Hermione," Harry muttered in shame. "I tried. I tried so damn hard."

"I know you did," Hermione said warmly. "I know. It's why I love you. You always tried, even when everyone told you not to."

"I'm so sorry. I wish we could have more time. I wish we had been less stupid. We could have had so much more time."

"I know," Hermione replied. "I know."

Suddenly, Odin reached for Hermione and he threw her up in the air before suspending her in midair with a flick of his wrist. Then, he turned back to Harry, casting a Full-Body Bind Curse on Harry, preventing him from moving.

Now, all he could do was watch.

"Who dies first?" Odin asked, kneeling down to meet his face. "Who dies first?"

"If you're going to kill us, just do it already," Harry said as he spat in Odin's face. Odin wiped the spit from Harry's face and then smiled. Suddenly, he stood and with a flick of his wrist, Manuel Collins and Emmett Davies came crashing to the ground at unnaturally high speeds, their bodies crunching painfully against the solid floor. The impact was like if they had fallen off the top of a skyscraper.

They were dead the moment they hit the floor, but that didn't stop Harry from groaning as blood and guts exploded from the point of impact.

"Two down, several left to go," Odin mused. "Who's next? Oh, I know!"

Again, a quick flick of his wrist. Again, two Aurors, this time, Collin Law and Paul Dawlish, crashing to the ground, exploding on contact.. Four dead because Harry had been too slow.

"What about her?" Odin asked, pointing towards where Fleur hovered above Harry. Harry wanted to do nothing more than scream out, but he could do nothing.

However, just before he had the opportunity to flick his wrist, a body suddenly fell out of the sky on the other side of the room. Harry desperately wanted to be able to move, to see what had happened. Odin turned towards the motion in surprise and just then, a blur came from out of the corner of Harry's eye and threw itself at Odin's back. In response to the sudden attack, Odin stumbled backwards toward the Arch. Harry, who sat perpendicular to the front of the Arch, watched as Odin tripped over Hermione and fell backwards towards the Arch.

Somehow, Draco Malfoy had managed to escape from Odin's clutches. Harry had proven it wasn't impossible, but it was incredibly difficult. Before Odin could react, Malfoy grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and threw him towards the Arch. While Odin was much bigger than Malfoy, he had also been caught completely off guard. Odin fell towards the Arch, reaching out grabbing the column on either side to prevent himself from going in.

Just before Odin could correct himself, Malfoy turned to Harry. In that second, time seemed to stop as Malfoy looked directly at Harry. Odin had fallen against the Arch and with just a simple push, he might have fallen in. But there was only way to know for sure and Harry realized this a moment before Malfoy gave him a subtle nod.

Then, he turned back to Odin, lowered his shoulder and charged, throwing the both of them through the Veil and into the Arch.

For a moment, Harry couldn't believe what he had just seen. He remained on his knees, staring at the portal in front of him. Then, he realized that he could stand. He was free of the Body-Bind. Just at the same time, he realized that everyone had fallen from the suspended positions and now lay on the floor. Harry slowly got to his feet and wandered towards the Veil. It looked the same as it had on the day that Sirius had fallen in.

"Did he…" Harry heard Hermione mutter from his side.

"He did," Harry said in awe. "Malfoy sacrificed himself to make sure Odin went back into the Arch."

Harry and Hermione stood there, waiting for Odin to return, waiting for something. It wasn't until Bill Weasley walked up from behind them several minutes later that they moved. When they told Bill what happened, he was stunned.

"Is there any way...any way he could come back?" Harry asked Bill.

"Which one?"

"Either of them," Harry asked.

"No, I don't believe so," Bill replied as he considered the Arch. "The charms only work one way. Even if you could figure out how to reverse it, I wouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because Malfoy went in holding onto Odin," Hermione replied. "If you reverse the runes, you run the risk of pulling them both out."

"I imagine it's a bit of a moot point," Bill added. "The realm that's created by these runes are not meant for anything mortal. Malfoy likely died the moment that he touched the Veil."

"What about Odin?" Hermione asked.

"It's tough to say. Without the phylactery, he may have been incredibly magical, but he was also definitely human again," Bill reasoned. "It's possible that he's dead, but it's also possible that he's trapped in there. Either way, we can't be sure."

"So the Arch remains," Harry replied as he turned back to look at the mechanism that housed Legion once more. Of all the outcomes that Harry had foresaw, none of them ended with Malfoy sacrificing himself. But then, as Malfoy had said just the night before, he was trying to be a better man.

Harry wasn't certain Malfoy ended his life as a good man, but there was no doubt that it would take a better man to sacrifice himself like he had, especially for the people that he had done it for. In either case, Harry knew that he would never forget the sacrifice that Draco Malfoy had made and he would make sure that the rest of the world knew about it.

For a few minutes, as Hermione went around the room and checked everyone for injuries, Harry simply stood and stared at The Arch. They won, Harry suddenly realized. Legion was gone, locked in his cage again. They would take extra precautions to ensure that this never happened again.

And then, for the first time in months, Harry Potter took a deep breath, let it go, and, despite all they had lost, felt peace.