Hey everyone,
I'm not going to bore you guys with a long AN, I know darn well no one is going to read this one. If you have, write me a review that says
"Endgame".

Venquine1990


Chapter 36
Happy Early Christmas – Part 02

14th of December 1995
Malfoy Manor, England
Lucius' POV

"This has to work." Is the last thought on my mind before the monster that I saw be reborn only a few months ago enter my ancestral home. The fact that he walks around with an air that makes it look as if he is the Lord of the House really annoys me, just like it did every other time he did so. I don't let this show as I bend my back in a bow before him, not willing to go for a full-on bow, because I know Draco is nearby watching us and because I want to keep some of my Lordship pride.
"My Lord, you will be pleased to know that Cornelius Fudge has been sent to an All-In Wizards Resort and will be there for the rest of the day. Also, once one sends Fudge on such events, he never returns from them to thank said person until the next day." This causes a smirk to grow on the monster's face and he says: "What I am pleased about, Lucius, is that you know me so well you know what I plan to say even before I say it. Well done.
Now tell me why you wanted me to risk breaking my secrecy to come here." And while I refuse to fantasize about how the plan will see to his destruction, do I pull back up and say: "As you know, My Lord, Draco was suspended for an act to prove his worth to our cause. Well, I decided to use that fact to our benefit and have been training him ever since. And I can proudly and honestly say, My Lord, that at this point, he has reached a point where he can be considered Bella's apprentice.

Because of this, I decided to take a bit of a risk, which paid off. However – ehhhh –." I mutter at the end, suddenly reminded of the only potential challenge of this plan as said challenge slithers past me, flicking her tail past each of my ankles and her tongue going in and out of her mouth over and over, as if tasting the air or, as I suddenly fear, telling her master about my actual intentions. I notice the monster turning from me to the snake and take and release a breath before I say:
"My Lord, I'm afraid that my horrible mistake of '92 had an aftereffect I really hadn't known about until now. But because of that, and because I consider this meeting so important, I left my peacocks in the garden for your precious snake to snack on." The monster stares at me for several minutes and then starts to talk in hisses and tongues that make me work my hardest not to shiver in disgust. And to my relief the snake slithers away and back out the still open door.
"Make sure that your son can be around my precious by the next time we meet, Lucius. Also you best have something to make up for me not keeping my most precious close to my person." Again I have to work my hardest to keep my real thoughts from showing through my mask and I snap my fingers, causing for Pepper, who looks utterly horrible and as if she has been barely healed from being close to death, to land on the floor between me and the monster.

"This, my Lord, is Pepper Pomfrey. The Unspeakable who is the oldest sister of Potter's newest Regent as well as one of the Unspeakables working in the Hall of Prophesies. And, this is also the Unspeakable that took us Severus. And finally, this is what Draco will be using to show off his newly trained skills." This makes the monster put his full focus on the Unspeakable, allowing me to work a little harder to hide the shudder of self-disgust at my own words.
"Well, well, well, talk about a stroke of absolutely divine good luck having come our way. Well done, Lucius. Truly well done. Now, where is – ah, Draco. Perfect timing, dear boy. come, stand beside me." At this my eyes want to widen as I silently think: "It can't be that easy – can it?" Yet I just focus on my son, who is obviously working his hardest not to stare back at me in need for support, as he does indeed walk over to stand beside the monster. And because I know that the monster won't think it strange or wrong, do I keep my gaze warm and supportive as I keep looking at my brave son, who does an amazing job by keeping his cool.

He even goes so far as to cross his arms and put his wand on the upper arm of his other arm as he takes a prominent, dominating pose, yet he also makes his shoulders shake and quiver, proving that he is still slightly scared, but trying not to show it. The monster does stare him down and Draco follows my example of earlier as he asks: "Should one not exert their dominance over their prey before they break and punish them for their misdeeds and make them regret their existence?"
And while glad that my son is so focused on Pepper as it makes him mostly ignorant of the horrible smirk that grows on the monster's face, the monster gives my son the one chance I am sure he will need as he asks: "Indeed one does, Draco. I can see that Lucius is indeed right, you truly are ready to be your Aunt's apprentice once we break her out next year. Now tell me, what is the first spell that you wish to show your Lord?"
And at the exact same moment do my son and I notice that one of the threads of the monster's robes is sticking out and swirling in the air just under the monster's elbow. And Draco instantly takes this for the chance it is as he gently, almost invisibly, aims his wand at the thread and says: "Portus, My Lord." And because everything has been going his way so far, do I smirk at how this throws the monster off guard. And Draco instantly takes advantage of this as he moves, putting his hand on the thread and pulling it off with speed faster than any spell can be cast as he shouts:

"THREE, TWO, ONE!" And just that one single touch along with my boy's words are enough to do the job. And just like Potter six months ago does the monster that took Potter his parents all those years ago vanish in a flash of light and a small bang. And seconds later Draco and I have rushed for each other, me wanting to reassure and comfort my poor little boy, who is now showing how scared he had been this entire time as his whole body shakes and trembles as he cries in my arms.
"Wow, I didn't think that would work so well." Pepper says, twitching her own fingers to undo the now obvious Glamour charms that had made her look the way she had and getting back up. She sends me a look that clearly says: "I wouldn't have disturbed the moment if I didn't have a job to do." I nod at her and she says: "Seal the house at the count of ten. No window, door or crack in the outside wall is allowed to continue existing. I'm going to see how many of your peacocks I can save."
And the woman leaves while I silently think: "I only left one in the garden." Yet while I lead my son from the entrance hall to the informal dining room to the side, I both feel glad that my wife is currently at Hogwarts ready to help Poppy and the Order in case of something going wrong and know that I would leave all of my 291 peacocks if it meant helping the Unspeakables and ending the reign of that horrible murderous monster. And yet, I feel like I am only halfway done.

At the same time
At Hogsmeade
Albus' POV

The last hour has been quite horrible. Not because I lost my men to Death Eaters, because I feared for the inhabitants of the houses the Death Eaters have been trying to infiltrate over the past few weeks or because of bad communication or cooperation between the Order and the Unspeakables. The problem lies in the fact that, in the last hour, we have not been able to do anything other than wait.
We arrived at Hogsmeade and instantly noticed something quite peculiar. All of the houses, bar the ones that are actually stores, either had a red, a blue or a green hue. Part of me had been curious as to why there weren't houses with a yellow hue, but one of the Unspeakables named Gerard had been quick to explain this phenomenon. "The blue houses are the ones where the targets have already been apprehended. The red ones are still just targets and the green ones are the parents."
The Order and I had nodded at this explanation and Gerard had continued. "Okay, in less than one hour from now Target #32 will arrive here. When he does, you need to disarm him and then focus on containing the red ones. The rest you will leave to us. Also, do not attempt to draw us into a conversation. We require our focus if we wish to hold onto the 139% chance. Oh, and the red is magic that diminishes the curiosity of those inside when it comes to the outside world. They can see us, but won't get suspicious or worried."

Alastor had grinned at this and Gerard had finished by turning to my main group and saying: "Those who know each other the best, complete our circle and stand opposite of the one person has the best chances at dodging a disarming spell of your casting. We need all of you to cast the spell upon his arrival, but there is always the chance that you might miss and we don't want any of you needing to waste time fixing this when you can contain the red."
And at this Minerva had taken a spot opposite of me, Tonks and Kingsley had mirrored each other, Poppy had mirrored Filius and various others had taken positions opposite each other. After that, we had merely waited, only speaking in hushed tones to those next to us from time to time, but also keeping these conversations short before returning our focus to the center of the circle.
Halfway through Tonks had switched places with a fellow Auror, yet she had returned after a few minutes and relieved the man again, saying she just needed to do something for a few minutes as she was losing her patience. The Auror had nodded and whispered something to her to which she had given him a confirming nod. After this I hadn't seen the Auror in question again, but after he had left Tonks had sent a reassuring wink at Kingsley, making him smile.

Then suddenly, after almost twenty minutes of nothing happening and everyone just standing in the circle staring at the center, Gerard lifts both his arms, raising one wrist up to check his watch and the other to eye level as he says: "Disarm and contain in – five – four – three – two – one –." And upon him falling silent after the last count, does my whole team shout in unison: "EXPELLIARMUS!" Our voices sounding in perfect sync with each other and hitting the newly arrived Voldemort.
His wand is ripped from his pocket and the fact that so many spells hit him from the front and are coming from such powerful witches and wizards, such as myself, Remus, Filius and Kingsley, makes it so that the pocket is ripped to pieces as well and I even see bits of his skin being ripped off as well, causing for the man to grunt in pain before Gerard snaps: "Contain." And instantly everyone snaps into action at this word.

All of the Order and the others that came to help my friends and I turn around and start casting spells at the houses with a red hue to them. This causes for Death Eaters who already managed to break out of their hiding places to get caught with Disarming, Petrification, Binding and Containment charms and spells, the doors that are opened by Death Eaters to be snapped shut and for all of the other red hued houses to glow with new containment and entrapment charms and spells.
At the same time I notice the Unspeakables moving their wands as well and feel the earth behind me shake and move. I rush past all of my friends, helping and increasing the strength of their spells the best I can to make sure they can't be overpowered and once I am back full circle, I turn around. The ground around Voldemort has been replaced for metal that seems to have risen up from the ground under which it had, apparently, been hidden.
The metal has formed itself into a platform upon which Voldemort is standing and plates are being shot up from it, launched at Voldemort and encasing him, every last bit of his body. Three Unspeakables then also shoot three more beams of metal at Voldemort, all of them blood red, and two of them snap shut around each of Voldemort's wrists while the last is closed around his neck. And when the whole lot is done, Voldemort is set in such a way his arms are wide and his whole form encased in metal, bar his head and face.

I turn from the monster to Gerard as I have come to stand to his right after running around the circle and ensuring the Order had the last group of Death Eaters under control. "We have exactly 4 minutes from this moment. Numbers 1, 2 & 3, keep the murderer contained. Numbers 4 & 5, set up the rest. Number 6, with me." At which all other Unspeakables chorus: "Yes, number Seven." And instantly I turn to Voldemort, whose eyes, as I had expected, widen and show a small sense of fear.
This makes me smile as Gerard, like me, must know about Voldemort's love for symbolism and the importance of numbers in magic and that he named himself #7 while he is also the one in charge of the operation. I focus from him to the two named numbers 4 and 5 and notice them focusing their magic on the edges of the platform. And from several spots, the ones where the Unspeakables themselves are standing, devices with a metal pin aimed for Voldemort come up.

"Wow, that – that's brutal." Tonks whispers to herself before she looks up. I turn from her to where she's looking and notice that the sky is slowly turning darker, that more and more clouds are gathering together right above us. This horrifies and worries me and makes me want to aim my wand at the sky, but then Tonks says: "No. Albus, that's not a sign of the Dementors. That's part of their plan. The Unspeakables are the ones doing this."
This shocks me and I notice numbers 4&5 nodding in confirmation. I sigh in relief and lower my arm back down before I turn to Voldemort as I decide to distract him, hoping to increase the chances of the Unspeakables to do their job unbothered. "This is it, Tom. This is the day that you lose. When Harry got pregnant and gave the order of ending your existence to the Unspeakables, the chances of this happening went up to one-hundred-twenty-three percent.
And when the Unspeakables found that little curse that you put in every Dark Mark, which has since been removed from all the Marks of the Death Eaters who are also parents, they got something that increased their chance at victory to one-hundred-thirty-nine. And I know you know what that was, Tom. You, after all, just came from it." Yet at this Voldemort smirks and asks: "Are you sure about that, Dumbledore? Because Lucius seems to have something of great personal value to you." Yet before I can calmly respond to this, something happens.

Voldemort's eyes widen even more, his whole face whitens more than I thought could even be possible considering his paler than snow complexion and even when stuck in the metal armor, his whole body starts to convulse and he starts to gurgle, as if choking on something. "Pomfrey, health check." Gerard snaps and Poppy instantly waves her wand before she says: "There – there seems to be something – stuck in his throat, some – some kind of gas."
At which the other Unspeakables start to smirk and number 4 waves her wand as she says: "I'll be right back. Give me half a minute." And as she speaks, she actually seems to pull a contained boll of gas out of the man's throat before she vanishes in a cloud of white light, taking the boll with her. "You thought Lucius had Number 8, Poppy's sister, as his hostage, didn't you Voldemort? Well, I hope that your current state makes you realize you're quite wrong.
We planned for number 8 to be at Malfoy Manor, not just to help the Dragons with getting you here, but also to make sure that your snake would not be within your ability to defend it, to separate it from you so that number 8 can take it out. And she just did. Also, do these perhaps look familiar?" And as he waves his wand, four plates of metal on the platform turn around, showing off several other objects that are lying on the other side of the plates.
A ring that looks as if it's missing something, a locket with emeralds shaped like a snake, a cup with a badger motive on the cup and a diadem with a gorgeous set of gems set within it appear upon the platform and even though Voldemort has a horribly white complexion, there is no denying the fear that is now emanating from him and showing on his face. "You got that right. We managed to cleanse them all. All we had to do was throw them through the Veil. The souls stayed in the Veil, the items came out the other side. Most extraordinary, really."

Number 4 returns and asks: "So, are we ready to proceed?" And all Unspeakables nod, making the rest of us start to shiver as excitement and a need to see this happen starts to fill us all. And even though I am standing here, able to see it all take place, I still feel a sense of disbelief fill me deeply. Gerard swishes his wand near his throat and his voice gets amplified as he says: "Lord Voldemort. Fourteen years ago, you put a burden upon a newborn child out of nothing – but sheer stupidity.
You heard of a prophesy and without ever considering the fact that prophesies are part of Divinations, the most ethereal-based subject, that a single sentence in any prophesy might have more than one meaning, you went for the literal definition of what little you knew and went with it. And because of that, you lost and set yourself upon a path where you would continue to lose.
And now that Harry Potter has finally been blessed by Destiny with a reward for surviving you several times over, it's now time to finish the curse upon his life – that is your existence. You placed a burden upon the boy in the shape of powers that will always be stronger than your mortal body and now, today, we are going to prove this to you. Your death, Lord Voldemort, Tom Marvolo Riddle, former Lord Slytherin, will be iconic; which is the most preferred death ever offered by the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries."
And while I can see some of those around me getting impatient, while I can feel and even hear some of the Death Eaters that are either caught on the ground and caught behind the doors of the houses around me, trying to break free from their chains and containment to aid their Lord, while I can clearly see Tom trying to cast spells to put a stop to this, while the other Unspeakables use the red chains around his wrists and neck to prevent this, does Gerard chant.

"Forzas da natureza, golpea a escuridade coa túa poderosa luz. Remata o tempo mortal neste mundo. Amósanos o poder que este mortal nunca controlará, o poder que lle acabará. Nai natureza, grandes poderes enriba, completan o círculo." And because he repeats the chant in both ancient English and even Latin and German, I recognize what he is saying and mutter:
"Forces of nature, strike the darkness with your powerful light. End this mortal's time in this world. Show us the power that this mortal will never control, the power that will end him. Mother nature, great powers above, complete the circle." And upon Gerard finishing the chant in German at the end, the power strikes, making me look up once again.

And just a second later I turn around, cover my face with the sleeve of my robe and close my eyes tightly. And even through all that, I still almost get blinded by the flash of lightning that strikes down from the clouds that have formed above us and I still hear Voldemort scream out in horrendous pain. Yet then Gerard shouts: "Health Check." And to my shock, after a few seconds, Poppy gasps and shouts: "He – that's impossible – he's surviving."
To which Gerard instantly shouts: "OKAY, NOW!" And I hear the other Unspeakables starting to cast even more spells. I turn back and notice that their wands are moving from Voldemort to the platform he is on and down to the devices at their feet. Then I notice that Tonks seems to be doing the same and she shouts at me: "They're casting a direction spell. Like Accio and Depulso, but then to direct the lighting." I nod, but then number 4 shout:
"If you want to help, be careful. Support your wand arm with your other hand. Your hand may twitch left or right, but not back. Doing so will cause you to receive a shock yourself." And just as she says this does she wave her arm up, her wand directing a new bolt of lightning to shoot from the device in front of her and aimed at Voldemort. I turn to look at all those of the Order standing next to an Unspeakable and we all share a nod.

I aim my wand for Voldemort, who is still grunting, but also smirking, as if believing he still has a chance at victory even in his state. This infuriates me and I close my eyes, bringing up the memory of what we found out shortly after Draco's attack on Harry. And while I do not know for sure, do I think: "He's known for years. Tom must have been laughing in my face for years for trusting a spy who betrayed me even before he started spying for me, before I could find out his true colors."
I let the anger over this thought fill me up from deep within my heart and core, the two fusing together to get even stronger and this focus and strength allow me to not feel the sting that comes from my wand connecting with the lightning that is now shooting through Voldemort. I direct a bit of it out of him and use my magic to increase the strength and potency of the electricity as I lead it towards the device near Gerard's feet.
Then, after another nod shared with all those I can see standing on this side of Voldemort, do I swish my wand straight up and aimed at Voldemort. And upon these extra bolts of lightning, along with all of the bolts of lightning that the Unspeakables have been holding into the air near the monster, does something happen. Poppy swishes and waves her wand again and gasps before she whispers the two words that I know everyone around me wants to hear.

"He's dead.""Follow our lead." Number 3 is the first to respond and he twitches his wrist to make his wand aim downwards to the ground, making his wand no longer connected to the bolt of lightning he aimed at Voldemort and causing for it to dissipate. The rest of us follow and as we do, as the lightning stops striking at Voldemort, I see the evidence that proves the words correct. A sliver of blood seeps from Voldemort's eyes, nose, ears and lips, his eyes glazed over.
Having seen that same look so many times, in the eyes of so many people I loved and lost to this monster over the years, tears spring to my eyes as the realization that it really truly happened, that Lily and James can finally rest in peace knowing that the goal behind their sacrifice has finally been met, that all those who died for the cause can finally be at peace finally hits me. And while I am expecting cheers and screams, do I only hear hiccups and gasps of pure elation.
Then a door opens, making me turn my head to the left and an Auror leaves one of the buildings that has a blue hue to it and he says: "The Death Eaters inside are braindead. The curse in their marks activated the second those bolts hit him. They're basically gone. It's Greyback, Rookwood and Selvig in there." This makes my eyes widen and Remus gasps as he whispers: "Greyback? He – he – he – he –." But the man is just unable to voice his desires, yet the Auror still nods.

"I – I – I have to go. Poppy?" The sweet and kind werewolf asks of the Potter Regent, who gives him a tearful, but understanding nod. The man smiles at her for only a second and then dashes off, pulling his Gummi phone from his pocket as he runs. I then notice that the Unspeakables have gathered together to my right and Gerard says: "Alright, #2, get #8 over here so we can start the procedure. Numbers 4&5, let's get this over with, so you can do what we all know you want."
This intrigues me and I notice the three of them putting their right hands on top of each other before all three seem to focus on something. And for a moment magic swirls around them before it seems to entirely settle upon Gerard, fusing with his form. "The – the Fidelius charm?" I hear Filius ask in confusion and the three smile at him before Gerard turns back and says:
"It was brilliant working alongside the both of you. Know that the Department will never be the same without you there." And while I wonder why this sounds like the three of them saying goodbye to each other just now that Voldemort is gone, does the sense from before return to me. And a second later I understand why as my eyes widen upon seeing the other two lower their hoods, revealing faces that I didn't think could ever look healthy again, let along sane.

"Frank? Alice?" Pomona gasps in shocked surprise and Frank smiles at us all as he says: "We foresaw the attack on our lives after Harry lost James and Lily. Gerard had already offered me a position, so I decided to hit two pixies with one stunner. After that, we did research and discovered that, if we revealed that we had survived, we would only know peace for maybe ten years or less, depending on when we would reveal it. But our trip for Neville's very first Hogwarts supplies – would be our last and not just for us."
And the way that Frank turns away to look at where Remus was running away says everything, making me and those around me nod in understanding as Alice sighs and mutters: "We would die that same day, Neville – our baby – would die a horrific slow and painful death, through an illness we would never be able to identify and – and Sirius, Harry and Remus – would all end up Kissed or in a state similar to having been Kissed. It – we just – there was just no way we could –." Yet by this time I have reached the two and pull them both in a warm embrace, whispering:
"You did what you had to do." And the two return the hug gratefully as Frank says: "Mother has always known. We worked through her to make sure the Longbottom name remained something to be recognized and respected. We told Neville this summer. He needed all summer, but he understood why we didn't tell him before then by the end. And if I know my son, he's probably telling his friends right now, just to keep their minds off of their anxiety."

At this I nod and turn to Poppy, who smiles at me before Gerard says: "Right, next step. Albus, Poppy, I need you both for this." I turn to him and the man says: "We are going to create a cover story for Pepper. Please understand that normally, we would entirely erase the memory of any Unspeakable who desires to retire or end their career at our Department. However, because both Pepper and the Longbottoms have worked alongside both us and the outside world, we're using another method, namely the Fidelius charm."
At this both Poppy and I nod and Gerard fells us both with a stare as he says: "This is what you will be telling your students from now on, if any of them would ask. Pepper has been Poppy's apprentice for years, ever since a year after Poppy herself ended her own apprenticeship under the previous School Matron. However, she started her apprenticeship by studying under other matrons across the continent and the globe and afterwards kept her presence at Hogwarts a secret. Because of that, everyone in the staff started to believe she was an Unspeakable, especially thanks to some of her skills."
I nod as so far the story sounds very believable and Gerard goes on: "Another factor that made you all believe that she was an Unspeakable instead of an Apprentice Matron is the fact that she is my Goddaughter, something I revealed to you after meeting with Potter about his pregnancy and the prophesy as I had arrived at the same time that Pepper did, Pepper wanting to congratulate Harry on his pregnancy and her sister on her new Regency."
This actually makes me turn to Poppy, who smiles and nods at me, making my eyes widen before I realize: "A cover story that has factions of truth in them is more believable and can be easier proven in case necessary." Which makes me smile before Gerard smirks and says: "And now, with Voldemort's defeat, Pepper and Poppy decide on a break as Matrons before Pepper would take over from Poppy so Poppy can focus on her Regency."

Yet the idea of both of them gone from the school worries me, until I notice Gerard, who has had his hood down ever since our arrival, smirking at me and he slaps his chest with his fist as he says: "Of course, as Pepper's godparent, I can't let her leave her new workplace unmanned, so I decide to take her, their, job until their return, which will be in the New Year, though it will only be Pepper, with occasional returns from Poppy whenever the Potter line requires it."
My eyes widen at this, but then I realize the hidden meaning. I turn to the man sternly and tell him only one thing: "Telling the parents about this – will be on you." At which the man gives me a single nod before I turn to the rest of my friends and allies and I say: "Let us return to Hogwarts. I believe the Elves are all done by now preparing a celebratory feast." And the rest of the group happily follows me as I return. And the fact that I am returning with the exact same amount of people as I left with fills me with the same sense of disbelief as before.

Arthur's POV

This whole time I have been wishing that I wasn't here, that I was either in Romania, at Percy's home or even at the Garden. But I know my kids well enough that, the only reason Ron, Ginny and the twins aren't here, is because they rely on Molly, Bill and I to do this for them. Yet even now that Voldemort is gone, now that I spot the other Unspeakables work to remove the platform from the ground and take Voldemort with them, do I feel as if it's just not over yet.
And I know my family well enough to know why and so, as we walk over to Hogwarts, I make sure to have a lot of the Aurors and Hit-Wizards that have been convinced to join our cause over the weeks walk between me, my family and the Order. Bill notices this and turns to me. I sigh, wishing things could be different and whisper: "Bill, your mother and I will leave for the Garden tonight.

When that happens, Fudge will receive a note telling him that I have decided to retire from my job and that I've hired a couple of Aurors that are sick of their jobs to replace me and take my position in the Department. However, I know Gerard and I know he won't reveal Voldemort's return until sometime tomorrow morning, probably when the Ministry officially starts the day. When that happens – I just know something will know wrong."
Bill frowns and mutters: "Percy." I nod, once again noticing that Bill stopped calling Percy by his last name shortly after my third eldest's fight with me and just ignoring like it like I have been doing for months. This because I know Bill well enough to know that he has his reasons and that my son will tell me why when he feels ready. As so far there has never been anything that, overtime, Bill hasn't shared with me when he felt ready.
I sigh and turn to Molly, who has tears of both relief and pain shining in her gorgeous bright brown eyes, yet she still nods in resolute acceptance and I turn back to Bill as I whisper: "If, William, if Percy messes up and ruins the occasion for everyone tomorrow – disown him. You have your mother and my permission." William nods and says: "Sorry to say this father, but, to me, he disowned himself when he walked out on his fight with you. Weasleys don't walk out on their own problems, ever." And while it hurts me, do I agree with him.

William then turns to look ahead and says: "I've been in contact with Charlie for some time now. He resigned as well. He's loved his job, but – he's like me, father. We grew up learning just what people like those in front of us think of you and mother. We were both done with that, we just couldn't take anymore. If it hadn't been for that, we would have taken professions here on the island. However, now that we have a home away from the island, we're all ready, ready to be a family again."
This makes new tears sting my eyes and I slow my step just long enough to make it so that I am walking right beside the both of them. I wrap my arms tightly around both my eldest and my wife and whisper: "We're starting new lives, better lives. England is safe, we will have a safe place to send our kids back to for their education and we will have a safe place for them to return home to." And Bill finishes this great fact with the words: "A home – for us all."

And while I now know that, as he says this, he means everyone of us bar Percy, do I only need to glance at my wife to know that neither of us care. We have always been loving parents and done everything we could and more to help our kids forward. And ever since he started working, Percy has been distancing himself from us and proving he just doesn't see our efforts for what they are, that he does not care for us. And now that the war is over, we are done caring as well.
And while this fact hurts, does it not hurt as badly as I had expected. I turn thoughtful at this and suddenly realize something. I may have been trying to contact Percy ever since he started his job and since after our fight. But while Percy continuously just ignored my efforts, have I also been lessening my efforts over the last few months. And with a shock I realize that this isn't because of the war effort or because I was planning my resignation. It's because, slowly but surely, I was distancing myself, saying goodbye to the son I lost.
Yet as I walk on, towards the one place that has always been so great to everyone I know, I cannot help but turn back to the place we just left. And the sight of the whole town being vacant, of there not being a single sign of the Death Eaters who had infiltrated the homes or of the Unspeakables that had made their mark or even of Voldemort, feels symbolic to me, yet also returns the sense of happiness, glee, amazement and rejoice to my heart and I whisper: "It's over. We've won." And I continue my trek with a spring to my step.


Good on you, Arthur,
Also, the whole Percy thing is going to be quite the story in and off itself, though I am not going to do anymore chapters in his POV. I did the one a few chapters ago and I plan to make that the last one. Though while Percy "will be dealt with" next chapter, there are going to be a few more twists and turns revolving around him later on in the story.
Anyway, what did you all think? Was the chapter too long? Did I drag the end of Voldemort for too long? Was the death unrealistic? Did you want me to make Voldemort turn to dust like he does in the movies? If the last question has you answering yes, then I am sorry – not going to happen. I do understand Why they did so, but I don't agree with it. Plus, if you read the upcoming chapter, you will see why I didn't do this.
Have fun,

Venquine1990