TW: suicide.

"Thank Harry, it's really you," Angie whispered as Tony held her in his arms.

It was him, the real him. If she hadn't been so preoccupied before, she would have known right away that Twin World Tony wasn't her husband. The differences between Eddie and Ted were sparse, but her Tony was easily distinguishable from the other.

She should have known, but it didn't matter now. "Walden's in his playpen in the living room. I was just going to warm up some milk…"

"Let me do it," Tony said. He let her go, slowly, reluctantly, then headed for the fridge.

"So…" Eddie said. He had given them a short moment to themselves, but he was obviously excited. "We hear that you've had visitors?"

Angie nodded. "You met them, then? Weird, right?"

"Good thing they found us, otherwise we would still be in that cursed place," Amy said.

"What happened?"

Tony, Eddie and Amy looked at each other. Angie could read their expressions easily: they were considering how much to tell her. Before they could come to a decision, she realised that it didn't matter. Maybe later, she thought. Eddie would be delighted to recount and re-enact their adventures at a more appropriate time. "Did you…find something useful?" she rephrased. Their primary objective was to find something – some sort of demonic artefact, perhaps – that could destroy Tom's Immortal Horcruxes. Nothing in their world had worked so far: Godric Gryffindor's sword, a Basilisk's fang, Fiendfyre… They'd tried everything that had proved fatal to the "regular" Horcruxes.

Again, they hesitated. Angie crossed her arms under her chest. "Guys, come on. Time is of the essence, need I remind you. Tom has taken over Paris and Berlin while you were gone. Rome will be next, if it hasn't fallen already. Resistance numbers are dwindling." She sighed. "We lost Arthur last week."

Tony stared at her in shock, the baby's bottle forgotten in his hand. "Arthur Weasley?"

"How many Arthurs do you know?" she retorted without thinking. Seeing the hurt look on his face, she immediately felt guilty and bit down on her lip. "Sorry. I'm on edge, Tony. I've been so fucking worried about you, and things here are so…" Dreadful. Hopeless.

"Poor Molly. She's lost everyone…" He cleared his throat roughly. "Give me a moment with Walden, then we'll talk." He didn't give her a chance to protest; he was already walking away.

"At least tell me if you found something or not," Angie pleaded to the other two. More hesitation from them. "For fuck's sake! You were gone for weeks. I thought you were dead, damn you. Please tell me it wasn't all in vain…"

Eddie gave her a bright smile. "How about I make us some tea, uh?"

She eyed him flatly and didn't smile back. "I can warm up Ted's mug, if you want. They just left about ten minutes ago."

"I'd like some coffee," Amy put in.

"Coffee it is!" Eddie exclaimed. He busied himself in the kitchen, ignoring Angie's glares.

"Where are the others?" Amy asked after a moment.

Angie was tempted not to answer unless they told her what they'd discovered in Pandemonium, but that wouldn't be fair. Amy was worried, too. "Team Delta is out on a rescue mission in the Swansea area. Team Omega is escorting four Muggle-borns and their families to the safe house in Bristol. Scabior lost two Snatchers in an ambush last week, but they saved three Half-vampires yesterday. Mal and Elle are scheduled to make contact in about…" She glanced at the clock. "…twenty minutes."

"What about Team Gamma?"

Angie bit on her lip again. She had hoped to avoid the topic. "Haven't heard from them. Not since you left."

Amy patted her arm. "I'm sorry, mutt. I'm sure they're fine, though. Communication is difficult, you know that."

Mutt had become somewhat of an affectionate nickname for Angie among the Wolves and Ancients, the same way they liked to call Tony fledgling. "You don't know that," she murmured. In fact, they were very likely dead, but Angie had done her best not to think about that. "Now, are you going to tell me that there's nothing to be done, that our last resort solution turned out to be a bust just like everything else we've tried? Is that why you're so reluctant to talk to me?"

"Hey, easy now," Eddie said. He placed a steaming cup of tea in front on the table, and a large coffee mug in front of Amy. He'd opted for something stronger for himself: a wine glass filled with a golden brown liquid, almost certainly rum.

Tony returned at that moment, Walden gurgling happily in his arms. The baby let out a small burp which, as usual, caused Eddie to grin. Merlin, he was such a child. "Okay. Down to business, I guess," Tony said, his face darkening as he sat down. Walden was content to play with his stuffed wolf – a gift from Eddie, who was his godfather – while the adults talked. "According to the multiple demons we've encountered, there is no object, no artefact, not even a being, that is powerful enough to destroy the Immortal Horcruxes."

"Bloody hell," Angie muttered. "I fucking knew it! We're fucking doomed." Even for her, that was a lot of swearing, especially in front of the baby. Fuck would very likely be Walden's first word, she had resigned herself to that.

"Not exactly," Tony said. "There is a way to render them…useless. To deactivate them, as it were. Or so we've been told."

"Yeah, just a reminder," Eddie said. "Everything we've heard comes from the mouths – or speaking orifices – of demons."

"We don't know if they can be trusted," Amy added. She frowned. "Well, we do know that they can't be trusted. What I mean is-"

"We know what you mean," Tony said with some impatience. "They're demons. They're evil. Still, it makes sense, so we have no reason not to believe them on that particular matter."

"Stop beating about the bush, for Harry's sake!" Angie yelled. Walden looked up at her, more inquisitive than scared, before returning to his plushy.

"The Immortal Horcruxes cannot be destroyed, but their essence can be…" Tony hesitated. Angie didn't press him, because this time it wasn't an issue of refusing to tell her; he was struggling with his words.

"What the fledgling is trying to say," Amy said, "is that if we destroy the essence trapped within the Horcruxes, the essence he gathered from murdering Wolves and Ancients, then they will be useless to Tom. He will be as vulnerable as any mortal. As vulnerable as he should have been after we destroyed the regular Horcruxes."

Angie was having trouble following. "But how does that help us? He has at least half a dozen of them, scattered Merlin knows where and…well, even if we had the Immortal Horcruxes in our possession, how do you destroy an essence, anyway?"

"That's the beauty of it: we don't actually need to have the Horcruxes to implement this," Eddie said. He looked far from his cheerful self now that they were in the thick of it.

"Unfortunately, that's the only good thing about it," Amy said.

Angie eyed her husband. "Tony, tell me. How do we do this?"

"We have to kill Ellessin and Malkoran. Well…they have to kill each other. Theoretically, it will result in the deaths of all Wolves and Ancients."

"Not just their deaths," Amy expanded. "Their very souls will… I mean, our very souls, our essences, will vanish from this world. It will be as if we'd never existed. According to the demons, that will include the bits that are trapped in the Horcruxes."

Angie barely heard her. She was stuck at "the deaths of all Wolves and Ancients". Tony was an Ancient, and so was Amy. Eddie was a Wolf. And Mal, and Elle… Most of her friends – the few who were still alive – belonged in that category. She realised she was shaking her head. "Nope. No, no way. Nuh-huh. There must be another-"

"There isn't," Tony said quietly. "Or if there is… The demons weren't forthcoming with alternative solutions."

"Then we'll ask someone else. Persephone!" she cried out, glaring at the floor.

Tony blinked in surprise. "So it's true? Did you…did you actually see her?"

Angie didn't look away from the floor, and didn't answer. If Fake Tony could do it… "Come on! We need your help. Now more than ever, and that's saying something," she added in a lower voice.

Nothing happened.

"For fuck's sake!" She almost threw her cup of tea at a wall, then remembered that Walden was in the room. There was no need to upset him, the poor thing.

Eddie put a hand on her arm. "We need to be practical, love."

"Practical? Are you kidding me? This is insane! How can you even consider doing this?" That last question was directed at her husband. "You can't leave me," she murmured. "You can't leave us. You can't. Don't you fucking dare. After everything we've been through…"

"There will be more to go through before the end," Amy noted. "Much more. At this rate, mutt, Tom will have taken over all of Europe before Christmas, and the rest of the world will follow. He's unstoppable. You know this."

"Okay, true, but wait," Tony said. "Angie has a right to know. We must take into account all of the consequences. The decision should be unanimous, but everyone must have all the facts to decide."

"Merlin, there's more?" Angie asked in strangled voice.

"It's not just the Wolves and Ancients – it's everyone who's descended from Elle and Mal. From the demons. All the werewolves, vampires, half-breeds… Everyone who shares even a tiny bit of their demonic essence will be gone. Again, according to-"

Angie burst out laughing. Of course she did. What else could she do? This was pure madness. It had to be a dream. She must have fallen asleep after her other-worldly visitors had left. Or perhaps before that. This couldn't be reality.

"Yep, you've broken her," Eddie stated the obvious.

"To be fair, I still haven't quite managed to wrap my mind around it," Amy whispered. "All those people… Innocent people, most of them."

"It's for the greater good," Eddie said. "The sacrifice of the few to save the many…"

"The few?!" Angie exclaimed, incredulous. Hopefully, this was a nightmare, but that didn't mean she wouldn't see this ridiculous conversation through. "There are tens of thousands of werewolves and vampires worldwide. Hundreds of thousands. There are children and-"

Oh, fuck.

She stared at Walden. Oh, hell no.

"But it's a necessary sacrifice". That was what Persephone had been about to say before she disappeared, wasn't it? No wonder that fucking cowardly bitch wasn't responding now that they'd figured it out. The goddess had known all along.

She looked at Tony. "You do understand what that means, yes?" Her voice was oddly calm.

He didn't meet her gaze. His eyes were on his son. "I thought…at least we'd go together."

Practical indeed. A heroic sacrifice in an attempt to save the rest of the world… Most people wouldn't hesitate. But Angie wasn't most people. "Regardless of the three of us, or the five of us, more accurately, there would be a lot of…" Collateral damage? That seemed a harsh term, heartless even. "So many people, Tony. Innocent people, none of whom would have a say in the matter… That doesn't seem fair. Besides, for all we know, someone will stop Tom eventually. Maybe Amy's countrymen will save the day at the last minute. They do like to do that."

Amy chuckled bitterly. "Last time I checked, the States were in a state of chaos, and Tom hasn't even set foot there yet. It's been a mess, since the Revelation."

The Revelation – when Tom had taken over British Muggle media to out the wizarding world, breaching the Statute of Secrecy. Even if he hadn't done that, though, the Muggles would have realised by now. He wasn't exactly discreet in his conquest. The United States of America had broken apart following that event. There were riots, witch hunts. Thousands had died already.

To be fair, it was the case almost everywhere in the world. Religion and witchcraft had never mixed well.

"We don't have to decide today," Eddie said gently. "But you were the one who insisted that time was of the essence…"

Merlin, she hated it when people turned her words against her. But she didn't need time, anyway. She knew her decision. "No. If we're all going to die anyway, let the whole world perish with us. They're tearing each other apart. Whatever we do, there's no certainty that humanity will recover from the damage Tom has already done. So why bother?"

"Angie," Tony said in that mellow tone he used when he wanted something. Or when he thought she was being unreasonable. "Even if the answer had been a fancy artefact that could physically damage the Horcruxes, we would have lost people hunting them down. And the longer we delay, the more people die. Humans don't surrender easily or peacefully. It's not in our nature. Many will fight Tom until the bitter end, even if it seems hopeless. If we act now, we can save countless lives. Perhaps it will balance out the-"

"You know it won't. It's not the same. And Walden…" There, finally. Her voice broke. They were asking her to let her own child die, knowingly, willingly. And her husband, and her friends and family, and herself – but that mattered somewhat less.

Tony stood and handed Walden over to Eddie, then came behind her to put his arms around her. "If we do nothing, all the children in the world will die, Angie, or they will grow up to be Tom's minions. All the Half-bloods, the Muggle-born witches and wizards, the Half-breeds… You know what happens to them. You've seen what he does to them. I love Walden more than anything, you know I do, but we have to think of the bigger picture. Think of all the children who will live, who will grow up in a world without Tom and rogue Wolves if we do the right thing."

"I understand what you're saying," she said in a trembling voice, "I really do, but I cannot comprehend it. I do see the bigger picture, and I'm not particularly fond of this stressful, reclusive life, but… He's my baby, Tony." That was it. That was her argument, the best she could come up with. In any other context, she was certain that it would have sufficed. "If it was just me, or even us… I know someone would look after him. But-"

The old landline telephone rang loudly, the noise intruding on their hushed conversation. Angie wiped her eyes. "Elle and Mal. Gotta pick up or they'll worry."

"We should invite them over," Eddie said as Amy walked over to the living room to answer the call.

"What for?" Angie demanded. "That would be crazy dangerous and you know it."

"Well, if we're going to do…the thing, then we should be together, don't you think?"

It was Tony who replied, this time. "Whatever Angie decides," he said firmly, "we cannot risk it. If they're captured and used to make more Horcruxes…" He trailed off, knowing that Eddie would finally realise why his suggestion was such a bad idea.

The Wolf slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Blimey, those pesky demons have melted my brains."

"Do we have anything to tell them?" Amy asked from the living room.

Angie turned in her chair to look at Tony. "What if the demons lied?" she said in a small voice. "What if we kill all these people and the Horcruxes still work?"

His face was set, but he gently brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. "We have nothing to lose, Angie. If these people, including us, don't die now, they'll die later, and likely in a much more violent fashion. You know what Tom's partisans will do to us when they finally breach the wards. I don't want to contribute to Tom's immortality, love. I'd rather die now, with you, on my own terms." He glanced at Walden. "Together."

It still made no sense to her, but she knew she would give in sooner or later. Tony always knew what to say; he would change her mind eventually. Unfortunately, as stated before, time was not on their side. "Go tell Elle and Mal what to do. Give them a time to do it, so we know…so we know when."

Angie glanced at the clock again. Three minutes to go. Two minutes and fifty-nine seconds. Two minutes and-

"Hey, don't look at it," Tony whispered in her ear. "Look at me. Hold Wal." He transferred the baby to her and hugged them both tightly.

They'd said their goodbyes – to Eddie, who had preferred to go outside, in the woods, alone, and to Amy, who was on the roof. To Elle and Mal, who were Merlin knew where, ready to kill each other for the greater good. They had voiced no objection. This fate was far preferable to what awaited them if they fell in Tom's hands.

Then they'd made some more calls – to the Resistance, or what was left of it. Be prepared. Tom will come for Him, and you must be ready.

"You won't even know it's happening," Tony said softly. "One moment we'll be there, the next gone."

Yeah, and so would a great many people. In the past three hours, Angie had somehow come to accept her fate. Or, more accurately, she'd decided not to think about it too much. Yet in these last few seconds, her mind turned to the poor people who would suddenly find themselves talking to empty air, to the people who would find their loved ones gone in the morning, to-

"Angie, I love you. Close your eyes." She did. "It's okay. Everything will be okay. This is the right thing to do. The only thing to do. It will be-"

Angie suddenly realised that everything would be very fucking far from okay – for her, at least. The clock struck four, and her arms held nothing. Tony's reassuring words faded in her ears. She dared not open her eyes, but she knew she was alone.

They were gone, but she was still here.

Oh, it had to be a nightmare. The most cruel, longest nightmare in history. Why in hell was she still here? She was going to lose her shit, she knew it. Any moment now. She would fall to her knees and scream and tear out her hair-

"The essence they passed on to you is gone, but you are still here," a musical voice said. "Interesting. I didn't expect it."

Angie's eyes sprang open, and her tears fell freely down her cheeks. She pointed an accusatory finger at Persephone. "You! Now you show up! You knew! You knew this would happen, and you said nothing, you did nothing! Did it even work?"

The goddess smiled. "Oh, yes. The…Horcrux thingies are useless now. Tom's villainous flunkies are gone. Now you need only-"

"Kill Him," Angie growled. "I have to destroy the last one."

There was no time to lose. Her people would be on the move already. She couldn't just stand here and do nothing while they risked their lives – vulnerable or not, Tom was still Tom.

She located her wand and looked around the place – so dreadfully empty now, so silent – one last time. She didn't expect to come back here.

"Before I leave," she said to Persephone, "we were supposed to tell you something: Set helped my people in Pandemonium."

The goddess frowned. "He did?"

"Yeah," Angie replied absent-mindedly. She picked up Tony's wedding band, which had landed near the couch, and put it in her pocket. "The exact phrasing, according to Tony, was that he generously saved their worthless lives out of the goodness of his divine heart. He seemed to expect his punishment to be lifted or something. Anyway, there you have it. Now…well, you can do whatever the fuck you want, but I'm off to save the world."

Angie Apparated just outside of Azkaban. For the first time in her life, she didn't splinch herself. Whoop-de-doo.

Most of them were here – the last remnants of the short-lived Resistance. The ones Tom had overlooked, dismissed. The ones he'd underestimated, and yet who would be his downfall.

Most of them, save the one who mattered most to Angie, now that everyone else was gone. She would never see him again.

Angie scanned the determined faces as she approached. Andromeda Tonks. Angie briefly hoped that baby Teddy was safe and sound, but judging by Andie's expression… Teddy was a Metamorphmagus, but he had werewolf blood. Oh, gods. What have we done?

But it was the only way. They would make their sacrifices count.

Augusta Longbottom, her wand already in hand. It didn't tremble. She, too, had lost too many loved ones to Tom and his minions.

Viktor Krum, who'd been thousands of miles away when the girl he loved had perished. He had returned to avenge her.

Gabrielle Delacour, barely thirteen years old, here to see that she get revenge for the brutal murder of her mother, sister and brother-in-law. Her father, Etienne, was with her.

Xenophilius Lovegood, who'd lost his only daughter in the war.

Narcissa Malfoy, whose husband and son had died after redeeming themselves.

Molly Weasley, whose entire family had been annihilated, one by one.

Aberforth Dumbledore. Madam Rosmerta. Dedalus Diggle. Dennis Creevey. Oliver Wood. Penelope Clearwater. Lee Jordan. Rolanda Hooch.

They were all looking at her, some in surprise, some with sorrow etched upon their faces.

"Let me do it," Angie said curtly.

"Dear," Andie murmured. "You cannot go in alone."

Angie shook her head. "I can." Quite easily, too. "It's the best way. I have the sword." It was in her pouch. The good thing about the sword of Gryffindor, they'd realised, was that its size and weight could be reduced at will, and that the handle always fit its bearer. "They won't even know I'm here." No one argued. She was the only Animagus among them. "Hold the Dementors back and wait for Tom." The Wolves were gone, but there were still the creepy creatures to consider and, needless to say, Angie wouldn't be able to produce a Patronus.

She made her way toward the entrance of the prison. She was followed by several Patronuses: two cats, three different breeds of dog, a goat, a bat, a squirrel, a rabbit, a falcon and a tiger, all of which looked ridiculously small next to Gaby's orca.

Angie would be safe until she accomplished her mission.

At the entrance, she attempted to turn into a Wolf. Unsurprisingly, it failed. She was no longer a mutt. She could still use magic, though, so she changed into her Animagus form: a vixen. The Dementors would overlook her until she changed back.

Her Animagus form vaguely recognised some of the people in the cells she passed, but there was nothing she could do for them. They would be freed after the deed was done.

She reached the Horcrux's cell easily. As expected, it was heavily guarded. The hallway was packed with Dementors. The Patronuses that had made it this far started attacking. Hopefully the creatures would be distracted long enough for Angie to carry out her task. As a vixen, she slid through the bars of the cell effortlessly. She returned to human form and armed herself with Godric Gryffindor's sword.

The empty husk that was once Harry Potter stared at the unfolding chaos without seeing. The Horcrux was sitting cross-legged on the dirty floor, its skeletal body naked and pale. The fragment of Tom's soul that was trapped inside it was all that kept the former human being alive. The scar on its forehead was gone, as were Harry's trademark glasses.

This is not Harry, Angie repeated to herself several times as she moved toward him. Harry is dead.

She raised the sword and aimed for the heart of the Last Horcrux. She more or less expected the thing to crumple on itself without a sound, but instead it let out a piercing cry before exploding in a puff of ashes. Of course, the Dementors heard that. Angie turned as they came gliding in her direction. People were running in the corridor, more Patronuses charging ahead, but they would be too late. The Dementors were going to kiss her.

Oh no, I don't think so.

"Angie! Hold on, Ange, I'm here!" She recognised the voice, but she ignored it. He was alive after all, but it was too late.

Time to make a graceful exit. Most of the cells at Azkaban were windowless, but not this one. This was Tom's favourite prisoner, after all. Horcrux Harry had all the comfort he could want, though he had no use for it.

Angie hopped on the ledge and jumped without a second thought.

Here I come, my darlings.

In another world, Evangeline Macnair awakened with a start, drenched in sweat, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. I dreamt that I died, she remembered vaguely. The details were already escaping her. Soon it was only a faint afterimage on her eyelids. She would bear no memory of it in the morning.

She snuggled up closer to her husband, who'd slept through it all. The coldness of his skin felt good against the warmth of hers. Evey sighed contentedly, draping an arm across Walden's scar-riddled chest, and fell asleep again almost immediately.

All was well.