It had been one year, five months, and two days since George had been killed when Arthur heard the bell that denoted the arrival of a ministry message ring throughout his house. Molly and he both jerked their heads up from their respective books in the den and ran to the kitchen. They nearly knocked each other over and skidded to a halt in front of the hearth.

"It's nearly midnight!" Molly exclaimed. "What could it be?"

A count down from five illuminated in ten centimeter high blue digits was in the fire as they waiting sharing a worried expression. One disappeared and a low level ministry employee's head appeared looking placid.

"Arthur Weasley?"

Molly glanced over at him.

"Yes?" he said his pulse increasing.

"Report: dark mark sighted over the residence of Charles and Anne Weasley at 11:00 pm, Aurors dispatched. Next of kin allowed access to site."

"What!" Arthur yelled, feeling a strong urge to punch the face in the flames.

Molly clenched his shoulder, trying to calm him.

"The Auror's are at the site, sir. We are informing you of the event and granting you access."

"'Granting me access!'" he screamed.

"Arthur, the children!" Molly hissed holding his arm down.

He hadn't even realized that he'd almost grabbed the head of the ministry man in his fire.

'How do they say such a thing?' he thought. 'How could they act so heartless when his parents could be dead?'

"Thank you, sir," Molly said and she dragged Arthur away.

He couldn't help it. He wanted to kill someone, wanted to bash his fists into anything alive. He just wanted to smash something, destroy anything in his sight.

"How, how could he - how!" Arthur babbled, his body heaving in fury.

Molly was still holding on to him.

"I don't -"

Molly cut him off, "Arthur!"

He looked down at her, breathing heavily.

"Your parents," She said simply.

His body stilled and he couldn't breathe. His parents!

"I've… I've got to go, Molly."

"I know," She said, releasing her grip on Arthur's arm.

He kissed her on the head, looked into her worried eyes, and walked out the kitchen door. As soon as his feet were on the grass he apparated to his parent's house. He appeared with a pop by the owl perch, the dark mark looming above him. There were three wizards standing on the lawn and he could hear noise from inside. Arthur ran to the house, kicking up dirt as he went.

"Hey! Who are you?" One of the wizards shouted.

They pulled out their wands, pointing them at Arthur, and the one who spoke approached him. Arthur tried to run past, ignoring them.

"Hey!" he shouted again, and he grabbed Arthur's arm. "I asked who you are!"

Arthur punched him. Almost immediately hands were on his and a wand was pointed directly in his face.

"Let me go!" He shouted, struggling against the arms that held him.

One man took his wand out of his pocket.

"Stand down!" the wand holder shouted right back. "Don't make me bind you!"

"I said let me go!"

"You're the one who came in here starting a fight!"

"Arthur!"

They all looked at the house where Patrick stood in the doorway.

"Patrick!" Arthur exclaimed.

"Let him go, you idiots!" Patrick said as he ran down the lawn. "He's my brother, their son! Let him go!"

The hands released him and Arthur ran up to Patrick. There were tear stains down his cheeks and his eyes were red, not to mention his hair was sticking out at a number of odd angles as if he'd been grasping it over and over in his fist. As Arthur saw his brother's pain stricken face his anger evaporated into concern. He suddenly realized there was someone to be more worried and angry over than himself. In fact he could not be angry at all now.

"So?" Arthur said, trying to remain calm.

Patrick nodded, looked away, and turned, leading Arthur to the door. Chest tight, Arthur took Patrick's hand firmly in his own and walked to the house where he had spent his childhood. Inside nothing was torn apart, hardly a thing out of place.

"Do they know what happened?" Arthur asked.

"It was probably because of mother's article in the Daily Prophet about Lucius Malfoy and his possible Death Eater connections. I can't believe they even let her print that in the first place."

"She always did have a lot to say," Arthur replied, arms crossed.

In the parlor their bodies lay side by side. They'd obviously been moved and placed more nobly than they had been before. One chair was broken by the wall but apart from that the place looked rather serene. It just felt… odd to Arthur to see his parent's bodies lying as if for just a quick rest on the parlor floor. He strangely didn't feel sad. He only felt blankness as if he couldn't decide how he felt about their deaths and seeing them now; so his mind put a blank sheet of paper there, waiting to be written on.

Looking sidelong at Patrick, Arthur could see his eyes tearing up again. He always had been the baby and the apple of their mother's eye. No doubt he would be more affected by their deaths than anyone. Arthur felt guilt that he had not been there when Patrick had first arrived so he could have helped Patrick's shock and grief at the first sight of their dead parents.

"Father was found right in the hall. Looks like they caught him by… by surprise…." Patrick's voice quivered, "no fight at all."

"It's all right, Patrick."

"And mum…." He choked.

"It's all right," Arthur put a hand on his shoulder, "you don't have to tell me now."

"I can't believe it, Arthur. George has been barely gone a year and now… this. It's just you and me now. How can they all be gone?"

He turned to look at Arthur with eyes of someone much younger than 27. Could it really be that Arthur was now the oldest Weasley left?

"We just have to go on, Patrick."

"But, how -"

"Patrick, they wouldn't want us to stop living for sorrow. We have to remember them and fight to keep living happily. They would want the best for their children."

Arthur didn't know where the little speech came from but it made Patrick smile a bit so it must have done the job. A pair of witches walked past them, levitating the bodies of their parents under black sheets out the door. Patrick sighed.

"How can these times be so terrible that it ends up touching everyone even when they think they are immune?"

Arthur gave no answer, only watched the black sheets leave. Neither of them spoke for a long time standing alone in the hall.

"Well…" said Patrick, "I guess we should…do some… we should…"

"Nothing now, Patrick. We can worry about everything else tomorrow."

Patrick nodded, trying to casually wipe at the corners of his eyes. He sighed heavily and looked away from Arthur. His shoulders shook a little and Arthur could tell he still wanted to cry but was trying to hold it back.

"Let's go," Arthur said, grasping the top of Patrick's arm.

Patrick turned and they walked out the front door. Aurors still covered the lawn, occasionally pointing their wand at things and muttering spells.

"We'll finish up with the inspection then report to you if we should find anything you need to be aware of Mr. Weasley."

Arthur nodded to the Auror and walked down to the road. Patrick looked back to the house.

"What do they do with the bo…"

"The ministry holds them until the family makes provisions for them," Arthur replied.

"Uh huh…"

"Patrick, do you want to come to The Burrow tonight?"

"I…." Patrick faltered.

"It's all right, we'll make room. Come. You shouldn't be alone."

He nodded, "ok, Arthur. I'll come."

"Let's go then."

With a pop the both apparated and left the dark mark there in the sky.

A small funeral was held one week later. Patrick gave a short speech about childhood and memories. He and Molly cried the entire service. Arthur did not.


The first war caused changes, not changes as in the level of fear or death but in people. War changes all people bringing out terrible things you didn't know someone could do but also amazing things which could make your love for one other person grow. For the years which the war dragged on fear was a common place thing but certain changes came as surprises. The change in the policies of the Ministry of Magic came as a surprise to Arthur, though he would later reflect that they really shouldn't have.

Tank changed too and became more amazing than Arthur could have anticipated.

"You named him after me?"

Arthur smiled. "Well, I'd gotten into a naming pattern and…"

"So, this little guy is Ronald?"

Tank and Arthur looked in at the sleeping baby nestled in his crib.

"I think Ron is a good sized name for him right now at least."

"So, kid number six is me?"

"Well… I wouldn't say that. He is a good deal smaller."

Tank nodded with a laugh and stood up straight. "You going to raise him to be just like me then?"

Arthur snorted then motioned Tank to follow him out of the room. They lightly stepped down the stairs, taking care to be especially quiet in front of Molly's room. Little Ron had only been born two weeks ago so she still needed her rest. In the kitchen Arthur got Tank a cup of coffee, only partially warmed up since his heating spells weren't always up to par.

"Can you stay for awhile?" Arthur asked.

"Not too long. I'm speaking before the Wizengamot this afternoon."

Arthur nodded in reply. A few years after the war had started Tank had begun speaking out against some of the new policies and actions of the Ministry. The Ministry had legalized confession through torture and often imprisoned people without trial. It even allowed aurors to use unforgiveables against suspected Death Eaters and their conspirators when necessary. Tank had been outraged at the turns the government was taking. He said if we used such brutal and unjust methods we were no better than the Death Eaters. Tank began holding sessions for others who felt as he did to make their opinions known.

By now Tank was well known in the wizarding world. He was just called McClaggen. He spoke out at hearings and trials advocating fair treatment of suspects and criminals. Barty Crouch was his chief adversary, not to mention one person whom Tank was most interested in reforming.

"What are you presenting today?" Arthur asked.

"I'm trying to appeal the case of a couple who has been imprisoned on charges of conspiring with the Death Eaters and passing information. They weren't given a trial and some of my friends who work in their office have evidence that contradicts the charges. The Wizengamot has been refusing to hear it."

He sighed and put down his coffee. Arthur followed Tank with his eyes as he paced.

"So far they haven't been receptive but I'm hoping Amelia Bones, she's new, may be able to help turn it our way."

"I hope so," Arthur said.

Grinning, Tank stopped pacing. "There's always a chance."

Last month Arthur had helped Tank organize a rally calling for the clean up of Ministry policies. Over the weekend Arthur had heard Tank use that phrase over and over to motivate the protesters, "There's always a chance." He did not believe in giving up. As he said, the Ministry could win the war without lowering themselves and prolonging pain. They were supposed to be fighting against prejudice, torture, and death not magnifying it.

"Well," Tank said, "I best be off. You'll still be able to come to that dinner tonight, right?"

Arthur nodded; He was going at Tank's 'date' to the Ministry dinner and gala to honor five aurors killed in action. He wasn't sure how Tank had gotten on the guest list but they were going.

"You be careful, Ok…" he paused, "Ron."

Turning his head Tank smiled at Arthur. "You tell little Ron his uncle Tank will be back."

Then he apparated.

At the party that evening Arthur wore his blue dress ropes, the nicest he had now which was only mediocre compared to everyone else. Tank had dressed in black, sleek dress robes and high boots, and his demeanor rivaled that of haughty Lucius Malfoy. In the face of Ministry officials he had spoke against, reported illicit actions on, argued with through trials and hearings, Tank was a tower of confidence and charisma. Only Arthur could see the slight nerves present in Tank's overly bright smile.

Tank held a crowd around him almost constantly repeating over and over in various forms how injustice against the innocent and accused must always be upheld no matter how dire the times and that the Ministry and its supporters had to be examples of morality as well as justice. Arthur could not believe how many different ways Tank could say the same thing and yet convert new people each way.

The focus of the party was not the dead aurors but McClaggen. If the tension in the room was any indication, many people were not happy about this.

Of course no one can talk forever, so eventually Tank fulfilled his crowd of learners and sought Arthur out standing by the wall. Leaning one shoulder on the wall beside Arthur, Tank sighed.

"Did I sound like complete crap?" He looked apprehensive.

"No."

"Really?"

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "Only I can see through your crap."

Tank laughed in response. "So, having any fun at all?"

Arthur shrugged, looking out of the corner of his eye at Tank. "The food is good, spiced pumpkin cake with that cream stuff on top."

A snort was Tank's only reply.

"I doubt you're eaten at all yet."

"Well," Tank shifted so his back was to the wall, "it's hard to eat and preach the gospel at the same time."

Both laughed and looked at each other.

"Well, come on!" Arthur said, "let's get you at least some crackers or something."

Pushing off from the wall the two former house mates weaved their way through the crowds of fancy robes and shinny pointed hats. On their way Arthur spotted a familiar face in the crowd. He stopped Tank with a hand on his chest and waved once.

"Terrence!"

He turned his head and grinned. "Arthur Weasley and McClaggen!"

They walked up to Terrence Longbottom and all three exchanged hellos and 'been a long time's. As soon at they had finished reintroductions Alexander walked up, two drinks in his hands, and they did it all again.

"What are you guys doing here?" Arthur asked after they got through the customary pleasantries.

"Terrence is an auror," Alexander said, "head of unit V now."

"Head of a unit?" Arthur said, impressed.

"Its very rewarding and I'm glad to do it!" Terrence smiled as he spoke, beaming with pride.

"Fighting the good fight, eh?" Tank said with an edge of sarcasm to his voice.

"Of course we know what you do," Terrence said to Tank, his smile lessening.

"I'm going to get you two drinks," Alexander said, looking like he wanted to escape the clearly up coming debate.

Arthur wished he could flee too. He loved Tank as much as he had loved George but he had heard this debate before. At the end of it there was no winner no matter what Tank might think.

"I do what needs to be done," Tank said.

"Of course," Terrence replied, his expression falling.

"I stand up for those who can't."

"You oppose the Ministry and take up their time when they could be working against the real problem. You're a rabble rouser and a disturbance!"

"You'd rather us be animals!" Tank spat just as Alexander got back with the drinks.

"All right!" Arthur said, grabbing the glass Alexander offered him spilling half its contents. "Opinions are opinions and we clearly know both sides now. You both need to calm down."

Tank took the glass from Alexander and gulped down almost the entire drink at once. They were silent, Tank and Terrence still staring at each other. Alexander coughed nervously and looked up at the ceiling. Sighing, Arthur looked at Terrence.

"So, did you know the aurors this event is for?" He asked.

"Uh… yes." Terrence drew his attention away from his staring match with Tank rather reluctantly. "One was under me, actually."

"Yeah, I knew Ben too. He was a good guy, two year veteran I think," Alexander added.

"Bagged himself a lot of bad guys?" Tank suddenly broke in.

Terrence opened his mouth, eyebrows almost crushing his eyes in an angry scowl. Tank stepped forward. Both Alexander and Arthur's hands lashed out and grabbed their partner's shoulders.

"I think we best be going!" Arthur said, "more punch to sample and all."

Tank gulped down the last of his drink, shoved the glass into Terrence's hand and stalked off. Arthur took a step to follow then stopped.

"You know," Arthur said, looking directly at his two old friends, "he doesn't mean any offense to either of you. He's fighting just like the two of you, only difference is he doesn't have it so easy."

Then Arthur turned away and followed Tank.

They left soon after the memorial speech and posthumous awarding of medals. Unfortunately, they were not drunk as they walked away from the Ministry. 'A walk in the air' Tank had said. It was dark enough that the street lamps were lit but it wasn't all that late.

"Shouldn't we head home?" Arthur said.

"In a second," Tank said. "Sometimes I wish I was a muggle. No war to speak of and no magic and no friend against friend shit."

"Oh yes, that's only in the wizarding world," Arthur said sarcastically.

Laughing in response Tank turned down a side street. "True, quite true. Must be that whole being human thing."

"You're fighting for what you think is right, Tank, nothing wrong in that. Plus you don't talk to Terrence and Alexander that much anyhow, especially Terrence."

"Good point, very good. McClaggen must do his work." Tank put his thumbs in the fold of his robe and looked importantly at Arthur.

"Confident, are we?" Arthur asked.

Tank stopped walking and put his hand against the wall. Arthur stood still a step behind him.

"No," Tank replied.

"Found you," a male voice said out of the darkness.

Both looked up to see a figure ahead of them a few meters at the end of the street back lit by a street lamp. Tank dropped his arm and Arthur stepped up beside him.

"Found us?" Arthur queried.

A thin blue line shot out of the figure's pointed wand and hit Tank in the chest. As soon as it made contact it disappeared and Tank fell onto his back. Arthur was on his knees beside Tank with his wand pointed the next second.

"What did you- oh shit! Ahhh- god- I- ahh!" Tank curled around himself and groaned, biting at his lip.

"What did you do to him?" Arthur shouted.

The man stepped closer to them, his wand trained on Arthur.

"I activated the poison lying dormant in his system. It only needed a few hours."

Tank screamed, clutching at Arthur's free hand, his body twitching. Panic started to fill Arthur's head. Then, as if peeling out of the darkness, he could see the man's face.

"Oh my… no!"

"I'm afraid so, Arthur." Alexander kept his wand on Arthur. "I work for the Ministry now Arthur and this had to be done. I don't want to kill you too."

Shock made Arthur shake involuntarily at seeing the man who had lived with Tank and him for seven years at school, the man who had seemed so squeamish inside the Ministry at a simple debate, pointing a wand at him now.

"Oh… help," Tank groaned.

His eyes turned pleadingly to Arthur. Tank's whole body was shaking and his hand was holding on to Arthur's so tightly that both their skin looked white. Arthur gently released his hand from Tank's and stood up. Forgetting his shock, he advanced on Alexander with his wand held out like a sword that he could impale into Alexander's gut.

"You stop it! Stop it now!" He screamed.

"It can't be stopped."

"Yes it can!" There were tears stinging him. "Stop it!"

"What do you know of magical poisons, Arthur? You deal with muggles!"

Tank's breathing was sounding shallow and his voice choked. Arthur stood directly in front of Tank, the memory of a drink handed to the other by Alexander causing him to grit his teeth.

"You have to stop it!" Desperation was in his voice but he didn't care. "He was your friend too! Stop it!"

Arthur couldn't even force himself to speak calmly and try and talk Alexander into submission. He was panicking. He didn't know how long the poison would take and Tank could not die!

"He was an enemy of the Ministry, Arthur. He disrupted our work and only complicated matters."

"Alexander!"

"I do what has to be done," Alexander echoed Tank's earlier proclamation.

"Arthur…" Tank gasped.

"Tank, stay with me," Arthur said, still looking at Alexander.

He did not respond.

"Tank?"

Still keeping his eyes on Alexander's wand, Arthur knelt and felt for Tank's hand. When he found it Tank did not grip back. Completely turning away from his aggressor Arthur grasped Tank's hand.

"Tank!"

His eyes were closed and his body still. Arthur felt something snap inside of him.

"Tank! Talk to me!" Tears flowed down his face. "No, no, no! Tank- Ron! Ronnie, no, don't do this to me. You can't die. Open your eyes!" Arthur was shaking Tank's still body and screaming. "Open your eyes, damn it! You git! Don't do this! Ron! Open your eyes! Please! Please! Ronnie!"

Tank didn't open his eyes and the panic in Arthur exploded into despair.

"No!" He wailed, laying his head on Tank's chest. "No! No!"

Then a face swam before him, Alexander. Standing, Arthur turned around and ran to the end of the little street, hot rage blinding away everything else. Looking left he saw retreating robes.

"Alexander!" Arthur kept running, rage in every part of his body, coursing through his wand bringing out sparks.

"Arthur, don't provoke me!" He shouted as he turned around.

"You try to apparate and I'll kill you before you're half way through turning!"

They were standing still now on the sidewalk in front of each other.

"You'd become a murderer for him?"

"You already are one!" His voice was softer but still full of rage.

"I did what I had to, Arthur."

Sparks were still coming from Arthur's wand and his hand shook.

"You killed Tank, Tank! You killed him! He did nothing to you!"

"I'm a hit wizard, Arthur; I work for the magical law enforcement squad. I'm the Ministy's assassin, Arthur. Did you really think they didn't have any? I don't kill for pleasure or because I had something against him personally. I kill to protect, to serve the Ministry of Magic."

"It can't work like that! We have laws!"

"When has any government followed their own laws to the letter?"

"I'll expose you!" Arthur shouted.

"How? The poison had a magical trigger and disappears after 20 minutes. You have no proof. McClaggen had many enemies." He pointed at the street as he shouted the end.

"Then I will kill you!"

"You won't," He stepped closer.

"I will! Avada-"

Alexander moved before Arthur could finish and one swift hit to his knees had Arthur on the ground. Another knocked out his breath and blurred his vision.

"Good bye, Arthur."

Then Arthur was alone on the street at the sound of the assassin's apparation. Getting to his feet Arthur swayed and blinked furiously, staring at the space where Alexander had been. Turning around he walked back to the side street. Tank still lay where Arthur had left him.

Walking back to Tank's body seemed to take forever; a pressure barrier kept hard at Arthur's chest, constricting his heart and breathing. Finally he sat down beside his best friend. His face was still pinched a bit with pain, his body curled on its side though his legs had gone lax. Tank didn't move when Arthur touched him. He brushed the hair out of Tank's face and brushed the dirt off of Tank's robe while tears streamed out of his eyes.

Tank was dead and Arthur could not stop the tears.


A knock came at the Weasley door at 1:27 PM three months after Tank had died. It was Terrence Longbottom. Arthur and Terrence stood in the doorway just looking at each other. The two hadn't seen each other since Tank's funeral.

"Well?" Terrence asked.

"Come in then," Arthur said, stepping out of the doorway.

The two walked into the house and sat down in the den.

"I came to see how you were doing," Terrence said.

"I'm fine," Arthur replied, looking at the wall.

"You know when people say fine they usually mean not fine."

Arthur glared at him, "thank you, Terrence."

"It's only been three months, Arthur," Terrence said, moving forward in his chair. "No one expects you to be 'fine' yet."

Arthur stood up suddenly, "Did you really not know?"

Terrence threw up his hands and leaned back in his chair, "Arthur!"

"Really, Terrence. Alexander was your best friend!"

Arthur was pacing around the room. From his seat Terrence watched Arthur with his eyes. Arthur knew he shouldn't be doing this but he couldn't help it. He shouldn't be attacking Terrence. Three months and still all he could think about was Tank. He couldn't stop himself.

"Arthur, I know what you've said about Alexa-"

"I've told you, I'm not lying, Terrence! Why would I try to pin the blame on someone who'd been my friend unless it was true?"

Terrence sighed. "Arthur…"

"You know I tried to do something about it. I tried that whole first month, I tried!"

"Arthur…"

"I couldn't just let him be dead. I couldn't just let it be nothing. I couldn't let Tank be killed right in front of me and not try to get the man who did it!"

"But you can't prove it, Arthur!" Terrence shouted and stood up. He stood in front of Arthur, forcing the other to look at him. "I know what you said but you have no proof. Alexander is a respected Ministry employee, works hard; many people think very highly of him and the work he has done for the Magical Law Enforcement division during this war! He's needed."

"Oh, yes-"

"Arthur!" Terrence cut him off and put a hand on Arthur's shoulder.

Arthur hadn't noticed that he was breathing so heavily until Terrence forced him down into a chair. All he could see was Tank falling to the ground; Tank crying out in pain. He would have nightmares of Tank gasping and asking him for help, to make the pain stop, to do something, dying every time. He could still see Alexander at the end of the alley; see the light from his wand. The images were haunting Arthur and he felt as if he would never be rid of them. He wanted to scream and cry all the time, just hurt something, do anything that would bring Tank back.

"Arthur."

He looked up at Terrence who was crouching in front of him, hands on the arms of the chair.

"We've all lost Tank, you most of all. Now I want to make sure we don't loose you too."

For some reason this made Arthur smile. Terrence did care for him despite the irrevocable divide between Arthur and Alexander now. It was probable that the struggle was different for Terrence, loosing a friend and having two no longer speaking to each other.

"I will be fine, Terrence."

Terrence gave him a look.

"Eventually, really."

He smiled and stood up. "Well, shall we have some tea then?"

Arthur sighed and did not stand up. "I can't just stop, Terrence."

He looked up at the other from where he sat. Terrence just gazed back at him then looked away.

"Arthur, I understand that you want justice for Tank but you and I both know that no matter what you say, not matter Alexander's guilt or not, you are not going to get anywhere." Arthur huffed but Terrence held up a hand. "There is still a war to fight and far more serious threats. We have to beat the Death Eaters first Arthur before personal crusades can be waged."

Clasping his hands in his lap Arthur stared at the floor. He knew Terrence was right. He had a family to protect. You know who and the Death Eaters were so close to collapsing their entire world. They had already taken Tank, if indirectly.

"This is how it is Arthur," Terrence said.

"I know…" Arthur muttered.

He heard Terrence walk over and sit on the arm of the chair. A hand came to rest on his shoulder.

"We just have to keep going for now, all right?"

Arthur nodded and stood up. "Yeah, I know. Bigger battles to fight and all that." He looked over at Terrence. "Let's go have that tea then."

There was still a war to fight and live through but Arthur would not forget and he would not forgive what had happened to Tank.