Chapter 21

It was with immense relief Amelia spotted the three professors guarding the entrance to the great hall, seeing all the students sitting safely inside did wonders for her anxiety. Auror Tonks clearly had the situation under her control and even had the foresight to cover the body where it still lay. Amelia didn't have to search for her niece, Susan came running the instant she spotted her aunt. There were other children doing the exact same with their auror parents, Amelia also caught sight of two worried looking redheaded boys who had to be twins talking to Tonks. The head of the DMLE went toward her young auror to discover what had happened here. Susan refused to let go and accompanied her guardian, Amelia couldn't help but think it must be bad for Susan to be this clingy.

Tonks had only started to describe tonight's proceedings when the minister arrived with his two auror protection detail. "Good evening Amelia, when I heard there was an emergency here, I thought you might need some assistance."

"Minister, Auror Tonks here was in the process of describing what happened at Hogwarts tonight, and why she raised the alarm, when you arrived. She suggested we look under this cover first."

The sight of Voldemort protruding out the back of someone's head turned Fudge's complexion the same shade of lime green as the bowler hat he used to be famous for wearing. It didn't improve as Tonks told her tale, Amelia was now returning Susan's clinging hug with interest. She was nearly finished when Minerva came streaking into the hall in her cat form before transforming in front of Poppy. Both redheads headed for McGonagall as Madam Pomfrey practically sprinted out the doors.

"Professor McGonagall, We can't find Ron in the Hall."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Is everything all right?"

Minerva knew they would be bringing the boy down as soon as Poppy stabilised him enough so he could be moved. The entire school would find out soon enough. "I'm sorry boys, Ron was in a toilet and the troll trapped him in there. It wrecked the toilet and Ronald is pretty badly injured. We shall be transferring him to St Mungo's as quickly as we possibly can and then contacting Charlie. It would appear it was pure bad luck the troll chose that particular door."

Amelia, Cornelius and Tonks had caught the end of that conversation and the minister had more than a few questions he wanted answered Since Dumbledore was sitting there as if he was on a different planet, he would make do with the deputy for now. "Professor McGonagall, Lady Potter apparently made a parting statement about something dangerous being hidden inside this school to attract Voldemort. I would like to hear what you know about this."

Cornelius made it plain this was not a request but a demand that had the entire weight of the ministry behind it, Minerva had no inclination to cover for Albus. She had complained bitterly about this but as usual been ignored. "The headmaster has the philosopher's stone hidden behind some magical traps on the third-floor corridor."

Tonks jumped right in, "When we were checking for the missing Weasley boy, the headmaster told us that corridor had been sealed off. We took his word that it was and never checked it!"

Minerva shook her head, "It was never sealed off, the headmaster just announced that the students shouldn't go there if they didn't wish to die a most painful death."

All four adults were now staring at the old wizard who was sitting there as if impervious to his surroundings. Susan still had hold of Amelia, since this would be everywhere by tomorrow, Amelia didn't see the point in denying her niece, and also her, the comfort they were both deriving from the contact.

Cornelius was in full minister mode now, his righteous anger shared by every adult in the hall. "This is a school, having anything inside it that would cause any student a 'most painful death' is criminal. I want that corridor stripped bare, all traps and items removed. This school is then going to be searched from top to bottom as never before. The safety of these children rests on our shoulders and if some people appear to have forgotten, or chose to disregard that, I promise I will ensure student care will no longer be their responsibility." The minister was staring directly at Dumbledore as he said this and there was no room for ambiguity in his words, Albus Dumbledore was finished at Hogwarts.

To set a trap for a dark wizard inside a school was disgraceful, to then employ that dark wizard to teach students was as unforgivable as any curse.

"Minerva, I want these children to spend the night inside this hall, there will be a strong auror presence here all night to ensure their safety. The children shall be returning home tomorrow, until this situation is resolved to my satisfaction they will remain there. As of this moment Hogwarts is closed!" This drew gasps from the hall but the minister was showing a powerful side to him most didn't know he possessed.

"We have one body lying on the floor that died in front of all these children. Both Potters had to be carried out of here and we also have a student so badly injured that he's being transferred directly to St Mungo's. Hogwarts is not a safe environment and will remain closed until it is. The headmaster has a trial on Monday that has just taken on even more importance. The ministry is putting its house in order, it's long past time for Hogwarts to received the same treatment."

The hall was disturbed by Ron Weasley being floated past the doors on a stretcher, the twins zoomed to their brother's side. Ron was unconscious and swathed in bandages, Fred and George only had a few seconds to see him as Madam Pomfrey wanted to get to the hospital right away.

Dumbledore had sat there unmoving since the Potters left, he might have been made from stone for all the reaction he showed to what was happening around him. He was having an internal discussion with himself as the spirit's words had shattered his universe. They had consigned him to not only ignominy, but to spend the rest of his life in Azkaban!

As a final resort, Albus intended to reveal the presence of Voldemort's horcruxes, explaining how the evil wizard had used them to survive. The magical world would then throw themselves at his feet and beg him to destroy these abominations, the name of Albus Dumbledore would once again be revered. They wouldn't be able to lock him up since they needed him.

The revelation from Tom that they were gone and he wouldn't be back heralded the destruction of one Albus Dumbledore. There were two questions that it was imperative he find the answers to before he was arrested. As far as he was aware, the only other person with any knowledge of horcruxes was Horace. How could it be possible they were not only discovered, but destroyed without him knowing?

The second question was, if anything more puzzling and even more urgent he find the answer to. How can the horcruxes be destroyed when there was one inside Harry Potter's head? Neither can live while the other survives, Harry Potter had to die before the dark lord could be banished forever.

Albus just received a bigger jolt than that time he'd peed up against an electrified fence. Honestly, using electricity to ensure a few sheep didn't stray, muggles were indeed strange.

Now he understood what was going on here, all the pieces fell into place. He should have known there was no way an eleven year old boy could have outsmarted Albus Dumbledore!

He came out of his self-imposed stupor to see the minister, Minerva and Amelia staring directly at him. Albus knew he didn't have a moment to lose so acted immediately.

"Cornelius, things here are not what they seem and we must act at once to rectify the situation."

"Dumbledore, that's the first thing you've said I've agreed with in months!"

Albus missed the sarcasm, too focused on his own brilliance. He also completely ignored the little voice inside his head saying he was ill and should see Poppy before someone got hurt. "I'm glad you see it too Cornelius, the dark lord must be stopped immediately!"

Every pair of eyes except Dumbledore's turned as one to stare at the dead body lying underneath the sheet, all wondering how you could stop a person more permanently than killing them.

Dumbledore was almost condescending in his tone, "Oh don't be confused by that shell lying there. If I say so myself, tonight we witnessed the most brilliant plan, quite masterfully executed by the dark lord and his accomplice." The headmaster was now the recipient of stares previously reserved for evil wizards with dark lords growing out the back of their heads.

"I should have spotted it sooner, they instantly began recruiting followers even before they set foot in the castle. They also made sure to stay as far away from me as possible. That is no more than a discarded husk lying there, the real Voldemort left here in Hagrid's arms and he must be stopped at once!"

Neville was not only on his feet but in Dumbledore's face, well as much as their height discrepancies would allow. "You stupid old man, Voldemort killed his parents! Harry would die before he would help that animal."

Dumbledore's next statement saw the tears and screams returning to Hogwarts. "Harry Potter is already dead, that was Lord Voldemort who left Hogwarts tonight."

Susan left her aunt's side for the first time since she'd arrived tonight, the fury expressed her voice was shocking to her guardian. "Aunt Amelia, if you don't do something about this old nutter, then we will!"

The once shy little girl was enraged and stood there with her wand drawn, ready to do battle for her friends. A quick glance around ensured Amelia she wasn't the only one.

Albus was unconcerned, "Children, Lord Voldemort has been fooling people for decades, he's a master of the art. Harry Potter had a piece of Voldemort's soul lodged in his head, the lad has to die before the dark lord can be banished for good. That piece of soul has somehow taken control of the boy's body. The spirit saying its anchors were all gone was nothing more than an elaborate hoax to throw me off the scent while Voldemort works in the background. That's what Harry's been doing, making changes and recruiting faithful followers." If he expected the entire hall to concede 'Dumbledore, you're so right! Thanks for explaining that to us' the headmaster was going to be bitterly disappointed.

Minerva had been expecting Albus to claim the boy was turning dark for a while now, just because he didn't worship at the altar of the great Dumbledore. This though was way too much and her fiery Scots temper was already close to the surface after three of her first years had to be carried out of Hogwarts tonight. Mount Minerva erupted, pouring scorn as hot as any lava all over the headmaster.

"Albus Dumbledore, you are talking a load of tosh! That boy bears no resemblance whatsoever to Voldemort, either in appearance or actions. He lovingly calls a pair of muggles mum and dad with his wife being a muggle born. Tom riddle didn't have a loving bone in his body, far less the ability to love anyone bar himself. Everyone can see this but you, did it ever enter that mind of yours that perhaps Albus Dumbledore could be wrong?"

Albus was indignant and totally unrepentant, "I'm truly sorry you feel that way Minerva but it won't deflect me from my course. The boy must die so we can all live in peace. It's for the greater good and one day you'll thank me."

That wasn't going to be happening anytime soon as wands were drawn all over the hall, even before Amelia and Cornelius screamed for Dumbledore to be arrested.

The old wizard fired off a curse that radiated out from him, knocking every current occupant of the hall onto their backs. Albus then struck a pose resembling some geriatric superman doing his impression of up, up and away, except he didn't go anywhere. His outstretched arm was waiting on a phoenix that never appeared, cursing Fawkes as a traitor he was forced to think fast. It was pretty much common knowledge now that the Potters had purchased the old Weasley place, Albus summoned a plate and made it into a portkey that would transport him to the spare bit of land that lay directly in front of the old house. The halls occupants were starting to get their bodies back under control and Albus activated the impromptu portkey a mere instant before the stunners flew in his direction.

Amelia was struggling to her feet but already taking charge, "I want a team of aurors ready to transport to the Potters…"

"NO!"

Amelia stared at Tonks, wondering why she dared to contradict her.

"The Potter home is guarded by the best wards money can buy, they won't permit entry by apparition or portkey unless the people concerned are on a very short list of those allowed access. They will have to apparate to the Lovegoods or Diggorys and make their way there on foot. Remus, we need to go now!"

Remus had just returned from showing a team of aurors where the troll was and had missed Dumbledore's exit, his girlfriend screaming at him to follow as she raced past was always going to see him chasing after her. He would find out where they were going as they made their way outside the Hogwarts wards.

Amelia arranged for eight aurors to follow them, four to the Lovegoods and four to the Diggorys. The two teams would then make their way as quickly as possible to the old Weasley place. The head of the DMLE hoped those wards were as good as Auror Tonks said they were, Amelia was heartened when she heard the Longbottom boy comforting Susan and the Bulstrode girl, both of who were crying.

"Don't worry girls, they'll both be safe in their home. The goblins erected those wards, with Harry and Sirius being two of their most important customers, there's no way they'll let that crazy old man through. Hermione's portkey was especially made by the goblins, no other will work. Dumbledore is going to find himself bounced clear into the next county. Entry to Harry and Hermione's home is strictly by invitation only, Dumbledore clearly was never going to get one."

Cornelius pulled Amelia aside, "The press are bound to be here soon, that alert will have them running to Hogwarts in packs. I do not want anything hidden but see no reason not to accentuate the positive here. Young Auror Tonks kept her head when many with more experience would have panicked, she then showed tremendous spirit by daring to countermand your order because she had information about the situation we did not. She also just rushed out of here once more placing her life on the line against a very powerful wizard who's clearly lost his mind. I also understand she voluntarily gives her free time to teach these children how to protect themselves, the heroic actions of this young ministry auror deserve to be highlighted. I can't think of anyone more deserving of an award or a more positive image of the ministry to promote."

Amelia now realised that, while Cornelius had definitely changed, he was still a politician. The difference now though was he appeared willing to heap praise on a person who'd actually done something worthy of it and then be content to bask in the reflected glory the ministry would receive. If this was the price to be paid for not only the truth being told, but the guilty punished it was one Amelia would gladly pay. Auror Tonks would have some good things coming her way in the very near future.

-oOoOo-

Emma's and Hermione's few tears were now mainly of the relief variety as Dan and Sirius put a still sleeping Harry to bed. They sat around the unconscious magically exhausted wizard as Dobby brought refreshments while Sirius filled in the Grangers on what had transpired earlier. Emma had a death grip on her daughter and showed no inclination of releasing it anytime soon. "So it's finally over and he won't be back? We're all free to live our lives in peace?"

Sirius was in the process of confirming that when there was an almighty clang that resembled 'Big Ben' striking the hour. The glances they shared with each other ranged from disbelief to rage that this was happening now. Dobby popped in to reassure them and provide the information he had, "Someone very powerful attempted to breech the wards, they easily held and are almost back at full strength already."

"Do we have any way of knowing who it was Dobby?"

"Sorry Madam Granger, Dobby only knows they were very powerful."

Sirius withdrew a necklace that both Dan and Emma were familiar with, he handed it to Dan. "If you need to, use this to get our family out of here. I can take care of myself."

Hermione drew her wand and was ready to argue that she was joining Sirius when her father physically picked her up and laid her down beside Harry. "Not this time Hermione, I will not answer to Harry why I let anything happen to you. Emma love, will you get round the other side in case we need to leave in a hurry?"

Emma was already moving as Dan placed the necklace carefully over Harry's head, "When I say 'grab this', that's exactly what we all do. No excuses Hermione! You've fought enough battles princess, this time we're getting our arses out of here together. Sirius, no unnecessary risks, take a quick look and then we'll all go together."

Sirius was hardly out the door when a very recognisable voice shouted, "Hello the house!"

Sirius soon led Remus and Tonks into the Potters' bedroom, Tonks quickly told the tale from when Sirius had led them out the hall and Emma's expression displayed more determination than ever.

"It's time for us to leave! My children get rid of one madman who was determined to kill them and he instantly gets replaced by another. I'm bloody sick of it so let's just go now!"

Sirius took a moment to pull Tonks aside for a private word, "Please try to explain to Hestia that I've got to go with my godson. I'll return on Monday for the trial whether Dumbledore shows up or not, I'd really like to speak to her then. Will you tell her that for me?"

Tonks kissed his cheek, "Get out of here, I can guarantee you she'll be there. Treat her right Sirius, she really is a good friend of mine."

With a big smile now on his face, he gave Moony a quick one arm hug before sitting on the bed beside his godson.

"What about Dobby?" Emma asked.

Sirius reassured her, "Dobby will find us wherever we are, Elves don't travel by portkey."

With a quick hold on from Dan, the portkey to Black island was activated.

It was only a few minutes later the wards pinged, warning the residents someone was approaching the wards on foot. Remus and Tonks went to meet them, confident it would be the aurors Amelia was sure to send.

-oOoOo-

Dawn was breaking over London by the time a weary Molly and Arthur arrived at St Mungo's. They were quickly led into a private room where Arthur greeted Charlie while Molly zeroed in on her still breathing son lying badly injured in the bed. Molly was by no means a religious woman but she had prayed Ron would still be with them when they arrived.

Charlie nudged his dad into a corner for a private word. "Ron's bad but they think there's a chance he'll pull through. He's been permanently changed though and the healers were waiting on your arrival for a decision on how to proceed. I refused to say anything until you got here so you can expect a visit soon."

Arthur approached the bed to see for himself what condition his youngest son was in, it was hard to tell with the bandages and bruising.

As Charlie had predicted, the healer was soon with them in the room. "Mr and Mrs Weasley, I'm healer Woodcock. Has Charlie here explained the situation to you?"

Arthur shook his head, "We've only just arrived from Cairo, what can you tell us about our son's condition? Will he recover?"

The healer chose his words carefully, "I think he will live…"

This was the phrase Molly had been praying for, she sobbed loudly in relief.

The healer gave her a moment before continuing, "As I said, I think he will live but life will now be incredibly hard for him. The troll smashed his pelvis amongst other things and he was found buried under the rubble of a destroyed bathroom."

Both Weasley parents gasped out the word at the same time, "TROLL?"

"Oh dear, I thought you at least knew what happened. The magical population of Britain will be reading about it at their breakfast, it's bound to be all over the Prophet. You-know-who let a troll into Hogwarts last night as a diversion, Harry Potter defeated the dark lord in the middle of the great hall. It's a minor miracle your son was the only one injured. I expect the DMLE will be contacting you shortly but they've had quite the Halloween."

Arthur and Molly were stunned into silence, their son had almost been beaten to death by a troll inside Hogwarts! What the hell was Dumbledore doing while all this was going on?

Healer Woodcock continued, "Can I assume you were aware what could happen if your son received a severe enough blow to his groin? Getting hit by a troll's club certainly qualifies as severe. Your son will never be a father, actually we had to remove his reproductive organs as they were so badly damaged. His magical core has also received another shock from which we don't think it's likely to recover. This is why there is a decision to be made, your youngest son is now effectively a squib eunuch. There is an option to wipe his memory and place him in the muggle health care system as someone who's been in an automobile accident and now suffering from permanent amnesia."

Healer Woodcock continued speaking before the parents could jump down his throat, bitter experience had taught him this was by far the hardest part. "I know this at first glance appears heartless and barbaric but my job as a healer is to do what I think is best for my patient. Consider if you will what this boy's life will now be like as part of a large pureblood family. We all know how our society looks down on squibs, your son will have the added burden of being a eunuch. He will have to helplessly watch as his family perform magic, get married and have families of their own. Knowing that life will always be denied to him. It is not unheard of for families to keep their child only for the same child to take their own life as they got older. Your son is the first patient I have ever heard of with his additional problem on top of losing his magic, as such we can only surmise how much worse it will be for him. With no chance of ever marrying and having children, even the prospect of having a magical offspring is denied him. In the muggle world, he would only have the one problem to deal with."

Arthur and Molly felt as if they were trapped in quicksand and being dragged under, how could any parent rationalise that never seeing their child again would be the best thing for that child? Charlie couldn't offer any words of comfort, it would appear they were dammed if they did and cursed if they didn't.

Healer Woodcock hoped this was never a position he found himself placed in with one of his children but he had a job to do here. "We will keep him sedated until you reach a decision. Should you choose the muggle option, he will awake in a muggle hospital with some magically produced paperwork transferring him there. Having him wake here so you can say goodbye is such a bad idea it's now specifically prohibited in this hospital."

Both parents sat there, unable to speak for fear of saying the wrong thing, assuming there was a right thing to say in this situation. Their child's future was on the line here and whatever decision they took it was going to hurt.

They had been sitting there in silence, both parents crying while Charlie stood behind his mother and tried to offer some support by resting his hands on her shoulders. The healer couldn't help as the decision was theirs to make.

It was into this atmosphere that a very tired Amelia Bones walked, she took a seat because she needed one. "Arthur, Molly, I'm so sorry about Ron. It would appear he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. The person who let the troll into Hogwarts is dead and there is currently a nationwide hunt ongoing for Albus Dumbledore after his part in this tonight."

Amelia then took a deep breath, this was without doubt the worse part of her job. "The headmaster knew Voldemort wasn't dead and had set a trap for him inside the school, we've since discovered it claimed another victim. While dismantling these traps, tiny scraps of a school robe became apparent. On further investigation, we were able to determine more. I'm sorry to be bringing you this bad news at a time like this but your son Percy never left Hogwarts, he was caught and killed in a trap set by Albus Dumbledore. He will face charges for this as soon as we catch him."

Molly totally broke down, she was wailing and sobbing with only Charlie keeping her in the seat. Arthur moved over to Molly to try and offer comfort but it was to Amelia his questions were directed. "How? Why?"

"Near as we can guess, Percy was determined to prove himself. He got past the first test only to find himself in a dark pit full of Devil's Snare. The only crumb of comfort I can offer is that it would have been quick. Hogwarts is now closed and the children will be sent home tomorrow, make that today. Dumbledore has totally lost the plot and now claims Harry Potter is the dark lord, he set out to kill the boy with only the wards they had erected around their propety preventing this happening. I currently have every available auror scouring the country for him. There was already a trial, instigated by Lord's Potter and Black, scheduled for Monday morning. We intend to add the charges of his crimes against your family as well. He'll go to Azkaban only if he escapes the dementor's kiss. He told my aurors that specific corridor was sealed when they searched the castle, like everyone else they believed him. Why wouldn't they, he was Albus Dumbledore!"

Molly's wailing diminished as she now managed to focus on something, "I can't lose two Arthur, not two of my babies. It would kill me Arthur, not two. I can't lose Ron as well, I just can't!"

Healer Woodcock had watched the drama unfold before his eyes. As a healer he was trained not to get personally involved, you would need to be made of stone not to be moved by the heartrending anguish these parents were experiencing. He couldn't do it so stuck his neck out, "There may be a third option for your youngest son!" The hope expressed in the family's faces gave Woodcock the confidence to promote his radical idea.

"There is an operation the muggles pioneered that can physically turn your son into your daughter. There would have to be a post operative potions regime but, as he hasn't quite hit puberty yet, they should be very effective. We are not talking being able to bear children here but they would at least be able to physically have sex and lead a near normal life as a female. As we all know, female squibs have a far easier time of it than their male counterparts. The only reason I'm suggesting this is I know the family is moving out of the country to build a new life, the child couldn't possibly stay in Britain after this opperation. In Cairo, no one there need know your new daughter used to be your son. It's obviously a bit more complicated than that but it is a viable option and I thought you should know about it."

The healer then faced a barrage of questions and answered every one of them as best he could, the hope was visibly growing in their eyes. Woodcock had been a healer long enough to understand what was going on here, the grief of their older son's death was being suppressed as they concentrated on the survival of the other child in their world. They would do their mourning later when the crisis had passed. He didn't think the boy would survive into adulthood in their world against the crushing blows of losing his manhood and magic. Woodcock was still considering what was best for his patient, he considered the difference between living as an amnesia induced eunuch muggle or a squib female to be a coin toss.

It was also clear to the healer that losing two of her children would destroy the mother, he was trying to perform a balancing act of what would be best for the entire family. It was a horrendous decision and he could only hope they didn't regret it in later years but then again, life was full of what if's.

They finally got there and Molly declared, "Ronald Weasley will be no more, in his place we will have Ronda!"

-oOoOo-

Albus Dumbledore awoke just after dawn on a hillside surrounded by sheep. This by itself wasn't too unusual an occurrence, but the fact that there wasn't a part of his body that didn't feel as if it had been put through a mincer and then hit with a reparo spell certainly was. The old wizard was cold, wet and bloody angry. His last memory was attempting to portkey to the old Weasley place and the only thing he remembered after that was pain. His initial intention had been to use his power to smash through any wards and finish Voldemort quickly. He found himself rebuffed by wards that must rival Hogwarts in their strength, though they outdid the castle in their ferocity at expelling intruders. To Albus, this was further justification that this was Voldemort he was dealing with. No ordinary wizard could cast wards like that, far less two children. The voice in his head urging him to seek medical help was now barely a whisper.

Albus was now sitting up and hazarded a guess that this might be Wales. The surrounding scenery certainly matched but it was the brown / black bodied sheep with the white strip down their faces that gave him his biggest clue. The Balwen Welsh mountain sheep was one of his favourites. It wasn't surprising he felt that he'd been gone over with meat tenderising mallets, he'd been bounced clear into another country.

He was aware the magical community would be forewarned about him by now, he expected the Daily Prophet wouldn't cover anything else today. He would have to keep his head down until he could get another chance at Tom Riddle.

He remembered Minerva warning him that the Grangers would take their children out the country if anything else befell the Potters. Albus didn't believe that for a moment. Voldemort would never leave Britain, and wouldn't allow his cover to leave either. He really needed to find the boy, then he had to kill the lad. It may seem brutal but, in the malfunctioning mind of Albus Dumbledore, there was no alternative.

-oOoOo-

A young blond girl, closely followed by her redheaded best friend, raced along a well travelled path mere minutes after hearing the news at breakfast from Luna's father. Both were still dressed in their pyjamas, housecoats and slippers but neither gave it a second thought, they had shot out the door instantly. They covered the familiar route in less time than it had ever taken before, only to find the house locked down. Luna wanted to cry as the bottom appeared to have fallen out of her world, Ginny was trying to comfort her but it wasn't working.

"Harry said he would always be here for me, that his door would always be open, surely he could have left a note?"

Dobby popped right beside them clasping that much longed for note in his hand. "Excuse me Miss Luna, Miss Hermione sent Dobby with this note for you. Harry Potter has not woken yet but she didn't want you to worry as Harry Potter will be fine."

Luna tentatively took the note from the little house elf, the tears finally came as she read it but they were accompanied by a wide smile. "They didn't forget about us. Ginny, we need to talk to father, now!"

Luna snatched her best friend's hand and practically dragged her back toward their house. If anything, the time took returning was even quicker than the original journey. Luna was practically floating with joy while explaining the note to Ginny as they ran. Soon Ginny was practically dragging Luna as excitement lent speed to both girls.

-oOoOo-

Bill Weasley was in their living room in Cairo desperately awaiting news, all he could think off was his youngest two siblings following him everywhere around the Burrow when he was home from Hogwarts. He was full of regrets that he wasn't a better big brother and just saw a pair of annoying kids who wouldn't give him any peace, he would give anything to have those days return.

Movement caught the corner of his eye and he stared in horror as Ron's hand appeared to fall in slow motion off the clock. Bill shed tears for the first time in many years as the meaning struck home, his youngest brother was no more.

A/N the more I wrote, the more I thought just killing Ron would be too easy. I also feel this option would be acceptable to the Potters, they get the justice required without potentially destroying their relationship with Ginny.