The Forest Again

He finally knew the truth.

Kneeling on the floor, crying his eyes out, in the office where he once thought he was learning the secrets of victory against Voldemort, Arthur now finally understood at this very moment that he was never meant to survive.

He was to calmly walk into Death's welcoming arms. In the process, he'd dispose of Voldemort's remaining links to life, so that when he'd finally fling himself across Voldemort's path, not to raise a wand to defend himself, the end to be clean, the job that should've been done in Godric's Hollow would finally be finished: neither would live, neither would survive.

Arthur's heart was pounding fiercely in his chest as he continued crying.

It was strange that in his dread of death, it just pumped harder, valiantly keeping him alive. But it would soon have to stop beating.

How many would there be as he rose and walked through the castle, the place he considered home, one last time, out into the grounds and into the Forest?

True terror washed over him as he stayed knelt on the floor, the funeral drum pounding inside him. Would it even hurt when he died? All of those times he thought it would happen and escape, he never questioned it: his will to live was so much stronger, washing over his fear of death.

But he now knew that he can't escape or outrun Voldemort now. It was over, and he knew it. That was all he had to do now: to die.

He thought of his parents, how they threw everything away to try and protect him, willingly shielding him from death, just how brave they were to do that.

He then thought of Dumbledore, how he knew he'd soon die and embraced his fate. And he thought of that gleam of triumph in his eyes when he told him how Voldemort used his blood to create his new body. What triumph is there with death, other than weakening Voldemort?

He regained feeling in his fingers and used them to wipe the remaining tears on his face.

Arthur then slowly got to his feet, becoming more aware of his living body than he ever did his entire life.

He remembered how Dumbledore always had a grand plan, Arthur was just foolish to not fully see and understand it. That before he would serve as the last link to Voldemort's life after destroying the other Horcruxes, always being marked for slaughter.

Dumbledore also knew that Arthur wouldn't back down from this necessary step. Dumbledore got to know Arthur, like Voldemort did, that Arthur wouldn't let anyone else die for him now that he's discovered that it was in his power to stop it.

The image of Lupin's dead body in Tonks' embrace in the Great Hall burned into his mind's eye.

It would seem that Dumbledore overestimated him, though: there was still one Horcrux that bound Voldemort to the earth, even after Arthur was killed.

It would be an easier job for someone else. Just who could do it… Mike, David and Chrys would know what needed to be done… that was why Dumbledore told him to confide in them… knowing they'd carry on if he fulfilled his true destiny.

And he knew what they'd need to finish the job.

So he grabbed the Sorting Hat as he thought about how he must die, that it must end. The three seemed so far away, especially Mike. He couldn't say goodbye or give an explanation. They'd just try to stop him and he may not have the strength to keep going if he talked to them.

Mike… the person he fell in love with, the person he hoped to marry and raise a family… he'd break his heart… but it must be done if it meant Voldemort was to be defeated.

Arthur looked down at the battered golden watch he got on his seventeenth birthday and saw that nearly half an hour had passed after Voldemort told him to go into the Forest and surrender.

Arthur's heart now leaped against his ribs like some frantic bird, sensing the little time it now had before it would stop.

He didn't look back as he closed the office door.

The castle was empty. He felt like a ghost as he strode through the place alone, like he had already died.

The portrait people were still missing from their frames, making the place eerily still, its remaining lifeblood concentrated in the Great Hall, where the dead and the mourners were crammed.

Arthur then pulled on his Invisibility Cloak and descended through the floors, finally walking down the marble staircase into the Entrance Hall.

He smoothly reached the front doors with ease.

He then saw Neville nearly walk into him. He was one half of a pair that carried a body in from the grounds.

Arthur glanced down and Arthur used all his strength to not cry out in misery: it was Colin Creevey. Despite being underage, he must've snuck back in like Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. He seemed tiny in death.

"You know what? I can manage him alone, Neville." Oliver Wood said, heaving Colin over his shoulder in a fireman's lift and carried him into the Great Hall.

Neville leaned against the doorframe for a moment, wiping his forehead with the back of his hand.

He now looked like an old man. He set off down the steps again into the darkness to recover more bodies.

Arthur made one last glance back at the entrance to the Great Hall.

He saw people moving around, trying to comfort each other, drinking, kneeling beside the dead, not seeing those that meant so much to him, no Mike, David, Chrys, the Merlons, Luna, Minerva McGonagall.

He was partly glad he couldn't see them, he wouldn't have the strength to carry on with what he needed to do.

He moved down the steps and into the darkness.

It was nearly four in the morning and the deathly stillness of the grounds felt like they were holding their breath, waiting to see if he could do what he must.

He moved to Neville, who bent over another body, knowing what he must tell him to do.

"Neville."

"Blimey, Arthur, you nearly gave me heart failure!"

Arthur pulled off the Cloak.

"Where are you going, alone?" Neville asked suspiciously.

"It's part of the plan." Arthur told him. "There's something I need to do. Listen, Neville -"

"Arthur!" Neville looked scared suddenly. "Arthur, you're not thinking of handing yourself over?"

"No." Arthur lied with ease. "This is something else. I'll be out of sight for a while. Listen, you know that Voldemort has a snake, right? Calls it Nagini…."

"I've heard, yeah… what about it?"

"It needs to be killed. Mike, David and Chrys know this, but if they -"

At this moment, he realised how and why Dumbledore had to be level headed with all of the planning and information he had, needing back ups. Dumbledore died knowing that four people still knew of the Horcruxes; Neville would take Arthur's place, so four would still be in on the secret.

"If they're - busy - you must kill it." He then said, handing the Sorting Hat to Neville, who seemed confused.

"Kill the snake?"

"Kill the snake." Arthur repeated.

"Alright, Arthur/ You're okay, are you?"

"Yeah, thanks, Neville."

Neville seized his wrist as Arthur made to move on.

"We're all going to keep fighting, Arthur. You know that?"

"I do."

Neville patted him on the shoulder, released him and walked away to look for more bodies.

Arthur swung the Cloak back over himself and walked on.

He noticed someone else moving not far away, stooping over a prone figure on the ground. He was feet away from him when he realised it was Mike.

He stopped in his tracks. He was crouching over a girl who was whispering for her mother.

"Shh… it's okay." Mike said. "It's okay, let's get you inside."

"But I want to go home." The girl whispered. "I don't want to fight anymore!"

"I know." Mike said, his voice breaking. "It'll be alright."

Arthur's eyes welled up as he thought about how he, Voldemort and Snape had one thing in common: that they all considered Hogwarts their one true home.

Mike knelt beside the injured girl, holding her hand.

With a huge effort, Arthur forced himself onward, avoiding looking at the love of his life, not even saying a word or looking back.

Hagrid's hut loomed out of the darkness. There were no lights, no sound of Fang scrabbling at the door, his bark booming in welcome. All of those visits to Hagrid, and the gleam of the copper kettle on the fire, the rock cakes and giant grubs, his great, bearded face, David vomiting slugs, Chrys helping him save Norberta….

He just kept going, reaching the edge of the Forest, where he stopped.

A swarm of Dementors glided amongst the trees. He felt their chill, unsure if he's able to pass through them safely. He didn't have the strength to produce a Patronus and couldn't control his trembling. It turns out that it isn't really all that easy to die.

Every second he breathed, the smell of the grass, the cool air on his face, it was all so precious, clinging onto every second of life he had before death.

Yet he was also thinking about how he may not be able to go on, yet he must. The long game is about to end, the Snitch was caught, he had to leave the air….

The Snitch.

He searched through the pouch at his neck and pulled it out.

I open at the close.

He finally knew what it meant as he stared down at it. This was the close. This was the moment.

Arthur pressed the golden metal to his lips, whispering "I'm ready to die."

The metal shell opened up. Arthur lowered his shaking hand, raising Draco's wand beneath the Cloak, muttering "Lumos,"

And there it was: the black stone with its jagged crack running down the centre inside the Snitch. The Resurrection Stone was cracked down the vertical line that represented the Elder Wand. The triangle representing the very Cloak he had right now and the circle representing the Stone were still discernible.

Arthur understood. It was about joining them in death, they were fetching him.

With that, he pulled the Stone out, closed his eyes and turned it over in his hand three times.

He knew it happened as he heard slight movements around him, suggesting frail bodies that shifted their footing on the earthy, twig strewn ground that marked the outer edge of the Forest.

Arthur opened his eyes and looked around.

They weren't ghosts nor truly flesh, that much was clear. They more resembled the Riddle that came out of the diary five years ago, when he was memory made nearly solid. Less substantial than living bodies, but more than ghosts, they all moved towards him, each of them having the same loving smile.

John was exactly the same height as Arthur, wearing the very clothes he wore when he was murdered. His hair was also untidy and ruffled.

Sirius was tall and handsome, younger than Arthur had seen him in life. He loped with an easy grace, hands in his pockets with a grin on his face.

Lupin was also younger and much less shabby, his hair thicker and darker. He looked genuinely happy to be back in this familiar place, scene of so may adolescent wanderings.

Rose's smile was the widest of them all. She pushed her long hair back as she drew close to him, like she was never able to look at him enough.

"You've been so brave, my cub."

Arthur couldn't speak, his eyes glued to her, hearing her call him her cub.

"You're close, Arthur." John said. "We're all… so… proud of you."

"Does it… does it hurt?"

His childish question came out before he could stop it.

"Dying? Not at all." Sirius said. "Quicker and easier than falling asleep."

"And he will want it to be quick. He wants it over." Lupin said.

"I never wanted you to die." Arthur said, his voice breaking. "Any of you. I'm so sorry."

He then addressed Lupin more than the others.

"Right after marrying Tonks and having your son… I am so sorry…."

"I am sorry too." Lupin said. "Sorry I will never help Tonks raise him… and sorry I will never know him… but he will know why I died and I hope he will understand I was trying to make a world in which he could live a happier life."

A chilly breeze emanated from the heart of the Forest, lifting the hair at Arthur's brow. He knew they wouldn't tell him to go, that it would have to be his own decision.

"Will you stay with me?"

"To the very end." John said.

"They won't see you?" Arthur asked.

"We are part of you" Sirius said. "Invisible to anyone else."

Arthur then looked to his mother.

"Stay close to me." He said quietly.

"Always." Rose said softly.

He then set off.

The Dementors' chill didn't overcome him, he just passed through it with his companions, acting like Patronuses to him, all of them marching through the old trees that grew closely together, branches tangled, roots gnarled and twisted underfoot.

Arthur clutched the Cloak tightly around him in the darkness, travelling deeper and deeper into the Forest, no idea where Voldemort was, but sure he'd find him.

Beside him, scarcely making a sound, walked John, Sirius, Lupin and Rose. Their presence was his courage, the reason he could put one foot in front of the other.

His body and mind now felt oddly disconnected, his limbs working without conscious instruction, like he was a passenger in the body he will soon leave.

The dead who walked beside him through the Forest were more real to him now than the living back at the castle: Mike, David, Chrys and everyone else were the ones that now felt like ghosts as he made his way to the end of his life, to Voldemort.

He heard a thud and a whisper from somewhere close by, making him stop under the Cloak, peering around and listening with the dead stopping as well.

"Someone there." A rough whisper came close at hand. "He's got an Invisibility Cloak. Could it be -?"

Two figures emerged from behind a nearby tree, wands flared, making Arthur see that it was Yaxley and Dolohov peering into the darkness, directly where Arthur, his mother and father and Sirius and Lupin stood.

They didn't see anything.

"Definitely heard something." Yaxley said. "Animal, d'you reckon?"

"That headcase Hagrid kept a whole bunch of stuff in here." Dolohov said, glancing over his shoulder as Yaxley pulled out and looked down at his watch.

"Time's nearly up. Pendergast's had his hour. He's not coming."

"And he was sure he'd come! He won't be happy."

"Better go back." Yaxley said. "Find out what the plan is now."

The two turned and walked deeper into the Forest.

Arthur followed after them, knowing they'd lead him exactly where he needed to go.

He glanced sideways, and his mother smiled at him, his father nodding encouragingly.

They travelled on for minutes when Arthur saw light ahead and both Death Eaters stepped out into a clearing that Arthur knew was the place where Aragog once lived.

The remnants of his vast web were still there, but the swarm of his descendants he spawned were driven out by the Death Eaters, to fight for their cause.

A fire burned in the middle of the clearing, its flickering light falling over a crowd of completely silent, watchful Death Eaters.

Some were still hooded and masked, others showing their faces. Two giants sat on the outskirts of the group, casting massive shadows over the scene, their faces cruel, rough hewn like rock.

Arthur saw Fenrir, skulking and chewing his long nails. The blonde Rowle dabbing at his bleeding lip. There was Lucius, looking defeated and terrified with Narcissa, whose eyes were sunken and full of apprehension.

Every eye was fixed upon Voldemort, who stood with his head bowed, his white hands folded over the Elder Wand in front of him. He looked as though he was praying or counting silently in his mind. Behind his head, still swirling and coiling was the great snake Nagini, floating in her glittering, charmed cage, like some monstrous halo.

When Dolohov and Yaxley rejoined the circle, Voldemort looked up.

"No sign of him, my Lord." Dolohov said.

Voldemort's expression didn't change, his red eyes looking like they were burning in the firelight. He then slowly drew the Elder Wand between his long fingers.

"My Lord -"

Bellatrix spoke. She was the closest to Voldemort, looking dishevelled and face bloody, but unharmed.

Voldemort raised his hand to silence her, and she didn't speak another word, though she still eyed him with worshipful fascination.

"I thought he would come." Voldemort said in his high, clear voice, eyes on the leaping flames. "I expected him to come."

No one spoke.

They looked as scared as Arthur, whose heart was now throwing itself against his ribs, like it's determined to escape the body he was going to cast aside.

HIs hands were sweating as he took off the Invisibility Cloak, stuffing it in his jacket, along with his wand. He can't be tempted to fight.

"I was, it seems… mistaken." Voldemort then said.

"You're not."

Arthur said it loudly and with all the force he could muster, trying to not sound afraid.

The Resurrection Stone slipped from between his numb fingers and out of the corner of his eyes, he saw his parents, Sirius and Lupin vanish as he stepped into the firelight.

At that moment, he felt that no one mattered except for Voldemort. It was just the two of them.

The illusion was gone as soon as it came however.

The giants roared as the Death Eaters rose together, making cries, gasps and laughter.

Voldemort froze where he stood, his red eyes finding Arthur, staring at him as he moved towards him, nothing but the fire between them.

A voice then yelled.

"ARTHUR! NO!"

Arthur looked and saw that it was Hagrid, who was bound and trussed, tied to a nearby tree. His huge body shook the branches overhead as he struggled.

"NO! NO! ARTHUR, WHAT'RE YEH -?"

"QUIET!" Rowle shouted, flicking his wand, making Hagrid be silent.

Bellatrix leapt to her feet and looked eagerly from Voldemort to Arthur, her breast heaving. The only things that moved were the flames and the snake, coiling and uncoiling in the glittering cage behind Voldemort's head.

Arthur could feel his wand against his chest, making no attempt to draw it. The snake was too well protected and fifty curses would've hit him if he raised his wand.

Voldemort and Arthur looked at each other, the former tilting his head a little to the side, considering the boy before him before a singularly mirthless smile curled the lipless mouth.

"Arthur Pendergast." He said softly. "The boy who lived… the Heir of Gryffindor."

None of the Death Eaters moved. They all waited, everything was waiting.

Hagrid was struggling and Bellatrix was panting.

Arthur thought of Mike, his alluring purple eyes, the feeling of his lips on his his -

Voldemort raised his wand.

His head was still tilted to one side, like he was some curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded.

Arthur stared back into the red eyes, wanting it to happen now and quickly, while he could still stand, before losing control.

He saw the mouth move followed by a flash of green light and then everything was gone.


This would arguably be Arthur's lowest point, considering he believed he would in fact die. But of course, all will be explained in the next chapter.