Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay. You can partially blame the return of college football :) The good news is that this is a long chapter and I think I'm now going to do 3 full years for the story.

I had to make one small change to Chapter 18. I was thinking that in the book, the Sword of Gryffindor was able to destroy Horcruxes simply because it was Goblin made. Reading again, I realized this was wrong and that the movie explanation is the same as in the books. The Sword was able to destroy a Horcrux because it had absorbed Basilisk venom. I altered chapter 18 so the venom was visible, but the knife Dumbledore had been using was not. Ron put the Sword of Gryffindor in the venom so it can destroy a Horcrux.

Happy Reading.

Chapter 19: Standing Ground

The shack was still standing, but it was clear the only thing keeping it that way were the increasingly old magical protections. Even with them, it was now leaning.

Hermione looked at it in the fading sunlight and took a breath. "No idea of its protections?"

Ron shook his head "No. Dumbledore never told Harry or he never told us. You were pretty sure it was unplottable. I'm also guessing that if we weren't looking for it, we wouldn't have been able to see it."

Ron pulled out his wand. Hermione reached her hand to push it down and spoke quickly, "You can't use your wand. The trace..."

Ron never let his eyes leave the shack. "It's a magical dwelling. The trace shouldn't alert the ministry to anything happening here."

Hermione looked at the shack unsure. "No one's lived here in a long time though. Do you think it still recognized that way?"

Ron paused . "As long as there are magical protections on it, it should be..." He shook his head. Was he 100% sure? "We'll just use them a last resort."

Hermione nodded. She stood close to Ron as they walked forward. This was scarier than going after the Sorcerer's Stone last year for some reason. Maybe it was because this was not set-up by teachers. She noticed a series of stones ahead in front of the old house. She pointed, "Look."

Ron nodded. He had seen them too. "They are set-up for some sort of enchantment...They'll probably just try to scare us away, but...be very careful."

Hermione nodded her head. Her mind went back to Scabbers being turned yellow the first time she'd seen Ron. "How do you know that?"

Ron stopped and just starred for a minute. He sighed. "I don't. You were the expert at this stuff. Luna was pretty good too. I learned some along the way from you two looking for all those feathers though."

Hermione nodded. "Should we go?"

Ron was hesitant now that he was here, but the path forward was clear. He nodded and thought back to probably dead sister again. If he had gotten his memories sooner, he wouldn't have to be here. "This is for Ginny."

Ron took a step forward and, to his astonishment, a person appeared in front of him. It was Ginny.

Harry didn't run immediately out of Gryffindor Tower. He was conscious of just how much he had been followed recently and had doubts about his ability to get out of the castle undisturbed. Instead, he ran to own dormitory.

Sitting inside alone was Neville. Harry barely glanced at his friend, but ran to his chest and started moving things. As he pulled out the invisibility cloak, Neville asked, "What's going on? Is something wrong?"

Harry hadn't planned on speaking to anyone, but now thought better of it. He looked at his letter. It had the words "time travel" on it. He ripped the lower portion of the letter off and handed it to Neville face down. "Don't look at this. Wait 25 minutes and then give it to Professor McGonagall."

"But..."

Harry ran out before Neville could finish. He slipped the cloak on as he descended the stairs and rushed out. He realized stupidly he had given Neville the directions, but he remembered them well enough to still follow them to the secret exit. Every word of the letter seemed burned into his memory.

Ron's mouth dropped open at seeing Ginny. She looked fine, just like she had before all this. She was in her Quidditch robes, seemingly ready for the match with Slytherin.

Hermione saw her too and looked to Ron. She whispered. "I don't think she's real."

Ron didn't say anything as conscious thought had momentarily stopped. It returned slowly though and he knew Hermione was right. Ginny was definitely not here.

Ron forced his eyes off Ginny. This was an image Voldemort was responsible for. He had to ignore it. He started walking.

Ginny sighed loudly as the two approached. "Please don't do this."

Hermione looked up, almost surprised by the voice. Ron never let his gaze leave the shack ahead.

Ginny kept her eyes on Ron, completely ignoring Hermione. If this was a test of some kind, it was designed for him. "You are right that I'm not real, well, at least not the real Ginny. The spell is designed to create the image that is most likely to convince you to turn around."

Ron kept walking steadily. Hermione looked away from Ginny as well. They were almost up to the illusion though. They were detouring a little, but she walked in the same direction and they had to be content with her walking beside them toward the shack. Ron held his wand close.

Ginny kept speaking matter-a-fact, "The spell was a mistake by Voldemort though. It isn't set-up to do what will harm him most, only to make someone turn back. If it's actually a good idea to turn back, then the spell goes against Voldemort's wishes."

Ron didn't look up, but he was surprised to hear Voldemort's name directly mentioned. Ginny had resorted to using it once they got back to the past, but from anything of Voldemort's creation, he would have expected to hear, "The Dark Lord."

Ginny maneuvered right next to Ron. She spoke in exactly the tone of voice Ron would expect from the real Ginny asking a serious question. "Ron, I'm going to ask you one question. If you answer it with a yes, I promise this image of me will go away as the spell will have no more point in creating me."

They were better than half-way there. The sun was almost completely down and light was fading fast. Ron didn't look at the fake Ginny. He tried not to even pay attention to her, but of course it was impossible.

"Ron, would Ginny tell you this was a good idea?"

Ron didn't answer.

The image repeated, "Would she tell you this was a good idea?"

Ron still didn't respond.

Fake Ginny threw up her arms exasperated. "For Merlin's sake Ron, this is a legitimate question and you know it. If you are killed here, there might not be anyone left with memories of the future. If you are forced to use your wands, the trace might work, and do you think the ministry knowing about you being here won't reach Voldemort's ears? You know better than that."

Ron stopped walking abruptly. Hermione looked between him and the fake Ginny. She took Ron's hand and tired to push him forward. "It's trying to stop us."

Ginny took a step and stood right in front of Ron. She spoke much softer. "Yes, but that doesn't mean it's not the truth."

Ron stood another minute and then turned. He started walking quickly the other direction. Hermione kept up. "Ron, it's just an illusion, like you said."

Ron's walk almost became a run. After a minute, they were clear of the house and well back on the road.

Dumbledore landed on a soft patch of ground. He looked at the group come up around him. As he expected, Molly objected first. "We can make it there tonight. If we keep going..."

Dumbledore held up a hand. "If we keep going Molly, someone is going to fall off their broom. We haven't slept in better than a day and were operating off little enough sleep already. If we are to confront Voldemort, we will need a little strength."

"But..."

Firmly Dumbledore said, "Four hours. We will each take a small amount of sleeping potion. I will split my time with one of the younger ones in this group and take watch."

Bill shook his head, although he was clearly tired. "No, me and Charlie will do it. Of all us, you had better be ready when we get there."

Dumbledore hated to take the offer, but he had been at this for a week with little sleep and his age was very much showing. Facing Voldemort, he, like it or not, was the one best able to handle the Dark Lord.

Twenty-six minutes passed from the time Dobby disappeared after giving Harry the letter to the time Harry appeared in the Shrieking Shack. In that time, Harry questioned and re-questioned his decision, but in his heart he believed that getting help would lead to exactly what Voldemort had promised. The only way to save Ginny was to play along.

All the time going through the underground passage, his mind kept flickering back to the Quidditch match. He wished her luck, but didn't even look up.

Harry pushed his way into the building. Completely winded, he pulled off his invisibility cloak and raised his wand. A man sat in a corner of the room. It was Lucius Malfoy. Dobby was beside him with tears in his eyes. Malfoy spoke. "You're late."

Harry could barely speak with his breath still returning. "I came...as fast...as I could."

Malfoy shook his head dismissively and stood up. He gestured to the floor. On it was sitting a cane. "This portkey will take you to the Dark Lord. I suggest you touch it quickly."

Harry looked up at Malfoy. He almost ran up and took it, but something stopped him. "And if I don't?"

"You will not see Ginny Weasley again."

Sounding almost normal again, Harry said, "How do I know she's alive?"

Dismissively, as though the question was beneath him, Malfoy said, "The Dark Lord is offering you this one time chance. It is up to you to decide if you want to take it."

Harry didn't move. The two sat in silence. Dobby kept his eyes covered.

Eventually, it was Malfoy who spoke and the tone of his voice had changed in some subtle way. "Touch it now."

Malfoy went for his wand and Harry ducked for cover on the other side of the doorway.

Malfoy held his wand high, looked at it for a second, and, with a sigh, put it away. Frustration was in his voice and maybe... a bit of worry. "The portkey will automatically return to its destination in less than 2 minutes with or without you."

Harry considered for a second. This was exactly the kind of trap that Sirius had warned him about, but he was going to have to go into it anyway.

He started to walk forward and then got one look at Dobby again. He could tell the misery the house-elf was in. "I'll touch it if you do something first?"

Lucius looked at Harry with contempt. "What?"

"Give Dobby his freedom."

Dobby's hands fell from his tear streaked eyes. He looked up at Harry with shock.

Lucius's face filled with hate. Proudly he said, "I will not give up one of my servants for you."

Harry took a step back and tried to make sure his cover was good. "Then I won't touch it. All I have to do is hold you off for a minute or two." Harry had serious doubts he could do that or even if it would matter. He had next to no defensive skills really and even if he managed to miss the portkey, Lucius could probably take him himself. Still, Lucius's reaction was just what Harry had hoped for. He seemed to be weighing in the time factor and risks for himself.

"Use it now!"

Firmly, Harry said, "No."

Lucius pulled out his pocket watch and his eyes went wide. He took a scarf off and threw it at Dobby.

Dobby caught it, shocked. "Dobby is free."

"Time's up," said Lucius.

Harry ran up and touched the portkey. Lucius ducked down and did the same. Harry heard Dobby scream, but the house-elf didn't react fast enough to do anything.

Neville hadn't waited 25 minutes to check the letter, but by the time he found McGonagall and there was time to react, they were still too late. McGonagall, Snape, and several aurors arrived not two minutes after Harry and Malfoy had left. All they found was a weeping Dobby.

Nagini was resting not far from the girl. The trek through the woods had not been pleasant, but she followed her master's wishes unquestionably.

A loud crack altered Nagini that the beast was on its way. Her orders were clear. She was to protect the girl at all costs.

There had been small hints of day time light left in Scotland. All of that was gone as Harry felt stone below him and fresh air around him.

Harry saw Lucius Malfoy beside him. Harry quickly backed up and raised his wand. Malfoy saw Harry, but didn't bother raising his own wand. He bowed in Harry's direction. "I have brought the boy as you wished."

Harry heard laughter behind him and turned.

Standing before him was Voldemort. While his face did not look like one Harry would expect on anyone, his body seemed completely full, completely restored. Harry kept his wand held high.

Voldemort ignored the wand. "Welcome Harry Potter. I..." Voldemort trailed off. He looked away from Harry and toward the woods. To himself, Voldemort said, "Protect her."

Ginny awoke with the large crashing of trees. The creature was on its way. Because of the night, because of her weakness, and because of its strength, Ginny was paralyzed with fright.

Nagini's natural instincts with the beast had always been to stay away. The snake had attacked the beast on Ginny's first night in the woods. While the beast's strength had been limited-less than Nagini's strength by far-there had been some part of Nagini that had naturally known that this was a creature that no one wanted contact with. For her master's order though, Nagini had had followed Ginny this past week.

Nagini prepared herself not far from the girl. As the beast exploded into the clearing, Nagini jumped with full force at it.

Ginny watched without comprehending. She saw a giant, 12 foot long snake jump out from nowhere and then saw the creature emerge right in front of the place the snake was heading.

The result was nothing like in her first night in the woods when the snake had pushed away the creature. The creature swatted at the snake with perfect timing and unbelievable strength and the snake crashed into a nearby tree with a thud that could be heard from a long distance.

Harry looked at Voldemort who was looking into the woods and seemly oblivious to those on the pyramid. Harry was beyond confused. He looked to Malfoy and to a third man standing nearby (Wormtail?). They were equally perplexed.

Harry said, "What's going on?"

Voldemort ignored him. "Protect yourself. Leave her!"

Ginny saw the snake hit the tree.

The creature ignored the snake and now slowly approached her.

"It's time. Are you ready?"

Ginny could barely speak and her voice contained nothing but fear, "Please...just leave me alone."

Ginny heard laughter in her head. "After a week of fattening you up, that fear is very satisfying and now you will taste truly delicious."

In the distance, Ginny saw the snake move slowly. That meant it wasn't dead. That fact barely registered with Ginny at all, but then a voice spoke in her head. Ginny had no idea how the thought managed to come out now, but the voice was from her older self, the hallucination she saw sometime in the past week:

"You have an opportunity here to do something that needs done. There's one part of the mission that you can accomplish. You need to keep your eyes open so that when the opportunity arises, no matter how scared or weak you are, you do it. That's what you came back here for! That's what you got this 2nd chance to do!"

With that thought, Ginny's mind cleared a little and the fear, while not gone, at least abated. She looked at the creature. "If you are going to...could I have one last request?"

The creature looked at her surprised. It examined her for a moment and then with some amusement it said, "What is this last request before you are consumed and remain forever a part of my forest?"

Ginny looked to the snake which was slithering away in the opposite direction. It was quickly gathering speed. If it wasn't Nagini, what she was doing was beyond cruel, but she was pretty sure that it was. "Kill the snake."

"Kill your guardian?"

"It's from the man who put me out here, and I want it dead."

The creature almost seemed to smile in her mind. "Consider it done."

Without warning, Ron turned to the woods and went a little ways in. He sat on a log. Hermione sat down beside him.

They sat in silence a few minutes. Ron finally spoke. "I don't know if she was right or not. I really don't."

Hermione nodded. It had been a very effective spell. "Ron it was just a spell. It was supposed to make you leave."

Ron nodded. "I jumped too quickly on deciding to do this though. I have a bad habit of that. I got a lot better over our last few years, had to, but...but I made too many quick decisions and hurt a lot of people." Ron thought of their failed Horcrux quests in the other timeline. He had left Harry and Hermione of his own free will. He'd been too rash a lot then and this decision to come here had been no different.

Hermione stood up. "I'm going back."

Ron looked at her confused, "What?"

Hermione went on. "You said that if You-Know-Who knows we know about the Horcruxes, he's going to try to move them. Is that right?"

Ron looked down. "Yes."

Hermione starred at Ron, but didn't say anything until he finally looked up at her. When she was sure she had his full attention, she said, "Did anything change?"

As Ron looked at Hermione, he had to love her constant ability to keep knocking sense into him. No matter what happened, she always eventually manged to do that. "You're right."

Hermione gave a small smile. "Then we are going back."

Ron nodded. "In the morning. We know where it's at now, and no reason to do it in pitch darkness."

Harry watched Voldemort just as Wormtail and Malfoy did.

The dark wizard put his hands to his temples and then removed them stunned. "Escape. Leave her behind."

Harry wondered who the "her" was. He felt certain it was Ginny. She'd escaped and just hurt Voldemort somehow. Once again, she was impressive beyond anything anyone could imagine.

All of this meant he'd probably walked into a trap and messed things up.

Ginny saw the creature come back into her clearing. It hadn't taken long. It was holding the snake...and the snake was alive.

The creature stopped a long way from her. It was terrifying. She had seen creatures physically more intimidating so she wasn't sure what made it as scary to look at as it was, but her fear of the creature seemed almost instinctual.

The creature took a finger and started to skin the snake.

Ginny looked down.

"I would not recommend looking away."

She looked back up and saw the creature was closer. She looked down again.

"Big mistake."

Ginny looked up again quickly and saw half the distance between herself and the beast had been covered. She forced her eyes to keep looking forward at the terrible sight. Looking away was an immediate death sentence. She watched as the creature slowly killed Nagini. She knew it was a sight she'd never be able to force from her memory.

Fred walked back into the library. George and Percy looked up at him. "No luck finding Harry?"

Fred shook his head. "He's gone. Neville said he got some kind of letter and ran off. Neville gave it to McGonagall and she left with the aurors."

Percy and George exchanged glances. Percy said, "He wouldn't do something that stupid, would he?"

Ginny's arm gripped the rock in her pocket hard enough to hurt her hand. Her eyes though never left the horror in front of her. It was a view she would never wish on anyone, but her fear was great enough to keep her from looking away. The snake was dead now, but the creature still took its time in eating.

At last, the creature finished with a loud swallow. It looked right at Ginny. In her mind, she heard, "That snake had more than animal life in it. I can taste humanity, more than humanity, a human soul."

Ginny didn't say anything.

The creature seemed to smile wide in her mind. "I'm satisfied for now. The appetizer is finished. I'll be back for you soon."

The creature turned around and soon she lost sight of it. Ginny released her hand from the rock in her pocket. She fell to the ground and didn't even have the energy to properly sob. She fell asleep.

Wormtail remained cowered to a side. Malfoy approached Voldemort. "Master, what is it? Is the girl alright?"

Harry felt like he should move, but what was he supposed to do? He could try to touch Voldemort as he had last year, but until he knew about Ginny was that smart? Was doing nothing smart?

Voldemort turned toward Malfoy. He seemed to be just coming back to reality. His tone contained a little venom. "Nagini's sacrifice did not go in vain. Ginny is alive for now."

That snapped Harry's anger. "What do you mean for now!?" This whole thing was completely surreal.

Voldemort's attention now went fully to Harry. His voice changed immediately to welcoming. "My apologies Harry. Events occurred which required my full attention. You will be happy to know that Ginny Weasley has almost left the woods."

Harry wasn't sure if that was really something to be happy with or not. "Where is she?"

Voldemort glanced back in the direction he had been looking. "That way. I don't know precisely where. If I could leave this pyramid, my senses would take me right to her. Unfortunately, I can't leave."

Harry starred at Voldemort. He looked fully restored. That sight was terrifying. "Why can't you leave?"

Voldemort started walking toward an area of the pyramid and Harry had no choice but to follow. Voldemort led him to two stone tables. He turned back to Harry. "The pyramid is ancient and deeply connected to the forest. Most the spells it's cable of are unnecessary with modern potions and techniques, but it still harnesses a tremendous amount of magic."

Harry put his hand on one of the tables. He imaged Ginny being right here.

Voldemort allowed Harry to look and then continued. "The most powerful spell was an ancient one. It connects two people. One stays on the pyramid, the other goes through the woods."

Harry looked up at Voldemort with hate in his eyes. Ginny was the one in the woods.

"The one who goes through the woods experiences suffering that the forest will inflict on them. Each pain, from a prick of branch to the worst of wounds, has the reverse effect on the pyramid. The one on the pyramid gains strength."

Voldemort allowed that to sink in. Harry remembered what Voldemort had looked like last time while looking for the Sorcerer's Stone. Now he seemed to be fully back. How much pain had Ginny gone through?

"What have you done to her!" Harry put his wand away. He wanted to run up and tackle Voldemort, to do the same thing he had done to him last year and remove this body just as he had done Voldemort's host body of Quirrell. Some part of Harry's mind stopped him though. He needed more information, and he wouldn't get it by attacking Voldemort.

Voldemort smiled. "I've said she's alive."

Harry waited. When Voldemort didn't say anything, Harry said, "What do you want?"

Voldemort looked between Wormtail and Malfoy. "I told you this part would be easy. The boy is a hero and will follow that role."

Voldemort turned back to Harry. "First things first Harry. The prophecy. I assume you know it now?"

Harry gulped. "Kind of."

Voldemort smiled. "Marvelous. Let's hear it."

Harry tried to think on how it was worded. "I only heard it once. It's something like, 'he who can stop the Dark Lord approaches. He's born on the 7th month to parents who have defied him 3 times. He has power the Dark Lord doesn't know. Neither can live while the other survives.'"

Voldemort considered the words and stared at Harry closely. After a moment, he seemed convinced Harry had said everything worth telling. He frowned. "Somewhat disappointing actually. I always thought there would be more. That I would have to kill you was something that I already knew."

Harry shifted the conversation back where it should be. "Where is Ginny?"

Voldemort's smile gave Harry the chills. "You can end this again right now Harry Potter. If you do not cooperate with me fully, I will lose this body and will be unable to try this method again. You will die too as I would kill you for not cooperating, but I think that's a price you are willing to pay."

Harry shook his head, trying to think things through and make sense of the situation.

Voldemort stood 5 feet from Harry. He touched one of the stone tables. "The spell cast here connects myself and your friend. If I leave this pyramid now, I will lose all the strength it has given me. Further, if Ginny dies in the woods, all the magic which has been flowing into the pyramid will flow back into the woods and I will lose my body. There is one way, and only one way, for me to keep what has been returned to me."

Wormtail and Malfoy looked anxious, unsure of how this would play out. Voldemort was not. "I need Ginny Weasley to exit the woods alive. If she leaves alive, the spell simply ends and I can depart from this pyramid."

Harry tried to think. Voldemort was presenting him with some kind of choice and the choice involved saving Ginny and allowing Voldemort back or stopping Voldemort...and letting Ginny die.

Had Ron or Ginny been here in his place, with memories of future horrors, they might have delayed or even, crushing as it may have been, refused. Harry though could not allow a friend to just die in the woods. He knew he was trapped. "Why didn't you gotten her out yet?" He looked for a second at Malfoy.

"She's far from here, somewhere along the edge. The woods are vast, too vast to simply give directions to retrieve her. I can sense her presence myself, but cannot leave. I had been protecting her with a snake, but that protection was destroyed not 10 minutes ago."

"Then what..."

Voldemort interrupted. "There is another old spell...The Lover's Spell." Voldemort laughed at the name. "It was used in marriages quite often in the Middle Ages although it's rarely useful to a couple. It combines the blood of two people and requires both parties full consent. Briefly after the spell, the two share a strong mental connection."

Harry mostly understood now. Voldemort wanted him to agree to the spell and then send him off to get Ginny. He'd have a connection to Voldemort (another one) and be able to sense where Ginny was indirectly from that. One thing didn't make sense though. Again Harry glanced to Malfoy. "Why me?"

Voldemort looked to his two minions and then back at Harry with a smile. "A wise question. The the spell is quite limited in time and the distance between us and Ginny is now large. I need someone both very quick on a broom and someone who's motivation can keep the spell going as long as possible. I don't trust either of my companions."

Neither Lucius nor Wormtail moved visibly reacted to that statement. Harry felt like Voldemort was leaving something out, but what did it matter?

Harry considered his choices. "And if I refuse?"

Voldemort ignored the question. "Time is running out. A creature is stalking Ginny right now. I have lost my only means to defend her. We will begin when you are ready."

Harry wanted to protest. He wanted to tackle Voldemort and hurt him again like last year and maybe throw him off the pyramid. He couldn't make himself do any of that. "Let's start."

Percy, Fred, and George were alone in their section of common room. Percy said, "I lied to McGonagall and said Ron and Hermione were accounted for. They better get back soon."

Fred considered how they had gotten here. There were only three of them now. "We should still try the secret entrance in the library tonight."

Percy sounded incredulous. "Do you really think that's a priority right now?"

George shook his head. "Well, we wanted the Horcruxes destroyed before You-Know-Who comes back, so yeah, I think this last move makes it a big priority."

Percy sighed. "Fine."

The agony was immense. Harry had never felt anything as terrible, but after a few minutes it passed. He looked at Voldemort, who held a triumphant smile.

"The same blood now flows through both of our veins." Voldemort walked up to Harry and touched him on the forehead. Harry ducked back, but Voldemort's hand still grazed him.

Harry gulped. That protection of his mother's was gone. "You didn't say you'd be able to touch me."

Voldemort smiled. "I apologize. I must have forgotten to mention that fact." Voldemort paused for a moment. "It was a fluke that you became the Boy that Lived. After this is over, I will show everyone and remove all questions about my power."

Harry felt the triumph of Voldemort. After a second he realized that it wasn't just something he could tell Voldemort was feeling; he could very directly feel it himself. Harry turned and looked to the west. He could feel something that way too.

Coldly Voldemort said, "Give it to him."

Wormtail ran up and dropped a broom by Harry. Harry didn't know what kind it was specifically, but it was professional, state of the art of some kind. Without further questions or comments, he took the broom and flew off.

Molly woke even before the spell fully dissipated. She saw Bill standing guard. She walked to her oldest son. "Thank you for coming."

He hugged her. "Nothing could keep me away Mum."

She hugged him back and despite loving her son being here, Molly wanted him gone. That monster had already taken Ginny; she couldn't let him take anyone else. She knew Bill wouldn't go though, and she was past the point her order to leave would make a difference. Instead she contemplated how they had gotten into this situation. "I keep wondering if I'd done something different... I was worried about letting them look for that Horcrux. I didn't want to let Ginny play Quidditch, but compared to the Horcrux, it felt like a good distraction."

Bill kept his arm around her. "There's no way we can prepare for everything. We just have to get Ginny back now and finish off You-Know-Who."

Molly looked up at the stars. The first rays of sunrise were in the sky in the east. "There is one thing we can do..." Molly looked away from Bill. "We could leave."

Bill looked at her like she was mad. "Leave. What do you mean?"

Molly looked around at Author and Charlie on the ground and then back to Bill. "We could get out of Britain. Come visit you two for awhile and find someplace else we could settle down."

Bill stuttered for a second and then got out, "Mum, we can't let him win, not when we know how to stop him. I'm coming back to Britain when this is over. If you want to get the others out I understand, but I'm part of this now."

Molly nodded. She knew this was a battle she was going to have trouble winning, but she might try hard after Ginny was back. Dumbledore could take care of the rest with Sirius and she could get her children (possibly the Granger family and Harry's family too) out. She would need to convince Arthur, but at the least she could get Ginny, Ron, Percy, and the twins out. They'd protest, but Voldemort was too aware of their roles now.

All of that was for the future though. For now, Molly started prodding the others. It was time to get Ginny back and no one, not Voldemort or the devil himself ,would be able to keep Molly from her daughter.

Ginny felt the sun on her cheeks as she woke up in the early morning. She didn't feel like she could even move.

With a tremendous amount of difficulty, she made herself sit-up. After a few more minutes she forced herself to stand.

This was it. Forget about the monster stalking her. If she didn't make it out today, she wouldn't be able to travel tomorrow. She examined the path before her and started to walk. She saw some berries along the path, but the thought of eating them was so repellent she didn't even try to take any.

As Ginny walked, still following the almost completely gone path with tremendous accuracy, she thought back to last night. She should have died then. Everything else at this point was extra.

At least she had destroyed one of the Horcruxes. Nagini was gone, Voldemort didn't know they were hunting them, and only 3 remained. With any luck, Dumbledore had the Cup of Hufflepuff and the Locket of Slytherin would prove manageable. That would only leave the Diadem of Ravenclaw and with all their efforts on that last Horcrux, they'd find it.

Ginny heard the birds chirping in the spring air and let herself forget her predicament.

It was still dark in Britain as the remaining Weasley children at Hogwarts examined the stones behind Madame Pince's desk. An extra room did not appear on the Marauder's Map, but Fred and George thought the room dimensions, when examined closely, seemed to go a bit further on the map by the desk than they should.

Percy touched a narrow stone. "There is probably a password for this room."

George said, "Older rooms tended to use simpler methods."

Percy sighed, but conceded the point. "They could have added one in, but if the room is never used during hours the library is open, I guess they might not have bothered."

Fred, unseen by the other two, smiled. "This one rotates."

After a few minutes, they found two other small stones that rotated. After that, a narrow doorway opened up in the wall.

The three walked in with their wands lit. The room was a fairly decent size, not as big as the rest of the library, but with quite a few books. Most looked very old and pretty delicate.

Hermione awoke to a gentle shake. Her body ached lying on the floor and she was definitely cold despite the blanket Ron had found for her. It was the second night in a row of an unpleasant sleep, this time in an abandoned muggle house that was for sale.

It took a moment for her eyes to focus, but there wasn't much light in the room. "Is it morning yet?"

Ron shook his head. "No, but it will be by the time we get there."

Hermione, trying to jog her brain into action agreed. Best to get this over with and back to Hogwarts as soon as possible.

As the three spread out, Fred let his instincts guide him. There was some organization in here, somewhat by age and somewhat by topic. After a minute or two, he came to one shelf that looked quite old. He dusted off the books carefully. The magical protections kept them intact and somewhat readable, but the age was impossible to hide. On one of the books, there was a word that was very distinctive. He yelled to the others. "This one says Hogwarts on it."

Fred pulled it off the shelf carefully and opened it. He stared for a minute at a random page and found he was having a hard time reading much. It wasn't just the age and condition. He could read it, but half of it just didn't make sense. "Is this in English?"

Percy and George made it to their brother. Percy put his head close to the book. "It's old wizard English I think."

George flipped through a few pages. He could make out some of it, but it was definitely tough to read and the age wasn't helping either. He didn't want to do it, but their time here was limited. He looked to Percy. "Can you read it?"

Percy was hesitant. "We've read a few old things in A ncient Runes, but not a lot." He held out his hand for the book. "At least it's closer to modern language than muggle Old English was."

Fred handed it over. Percy turned back to the cover and a name quickly jumped out at him. "Ronald Hufflepuff. That was Helga Hufflepuff's son."

Percy turned to the first page and read slowly, trying to put the words in a modern context. "And so I've made this book as a small gesture of gratitude to the work the Four Founders did in creating this wondrous castle and central school. It is my hope that their work will never be forgotten."

Whatever kind of broom Malfoy had given Harry, it was good. Harry hated to admit, but it even put his Nimbus 2000 to shame. He'd traveled all night and the adrenaline still kept him going.

When Harry had started, he'd had a strong sense of where Ginny was. He felt Voldemort on the pyramid behind him and Voldemort had clearly felt Ginny's direction with his connection to the woods.

In the last hour though, what had once been a strong sense of Ginny's location had decreased to only a small hint. Harry was struggling to hold onto even that. In his mind, he could still feel Voldemort on the pyramid even though that had faded to a dull connection. Voldemort was nervous and that much would have made Harry happy under any other circumstances, but he was running out of time before this spell gave out completely.

Hermione saw Ron gulp when he saw the shack again. That had not been hard for him last night and going past the fake Ginny again was something she wished they didn't have to do. She saw resolution in his eyes though. This time the illusion wouldn't stop them.

As they left the road and headed toward the shack, a figure appeared. It wasn't Ginny though and it wasn't designed to stop Ron. Hermione's heart skipped a beat as she saw her dad.

Lovingly, but sadly, her dad said, "Hi Hermione."

"It's not real," said Ron as he put his arm around her shoulder and gently but firmly pushed her forward. She struggled to dismiss the image. Even knowing this was fake, it took a minute. That fact pressed into her though. This wasn't a real image. Dad was at home, probably getting ready for work right now.

Hermione kept her eyes off the illusion, but felt its eyes on her. Surprisingly though, it didn't seem to be saying anything. It walked toward the shack and just stood there.

They were half way there and then ¾. Hermione saw the door to the shack right in front of her. She kept her eyes off her fake dad as long as she could and still it said nothing. Maybe the spell was weakened after yesterday.

Ron waited at the door for a moment examining it and then opened it quickly. He pulled Hermione through. As he did, the image asked one question, "What happens to us Hermione?"

Ron the shut the door and the image of her dad was gone, but that question did not disappear from her mind. What would happen to her family now? They weren't wizards and witches with all kinds of magical protections on their home. They were muggles, whom few in the Ministry of Magic would really even care about and Voldemort now almost certainly knew the role that she played in trying to stop him.

The book had full details about the construction of Hogwarts and earliest of classes. It talked about the work each founder did in designing and creating the different parts of the castle.

When Percy got to one part, he stopped reading. "Rowena's 'Blue Room'"

The twins exchanged glances. This at least sounded promising. Percy started reading. "There are many rumors about secret rooms that the Founders created on their own. Most of these stories can be dismissed, probably even the ones on Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets. However, this room I do know to exist. It's on the 7th floor and only appears very seldom. My mother said that Rowena called it her Blue Room once, although would never say how she got it to appear. "

"All I can say for sure is that it appeared once on New Years Eve night (1096 AD). After much coaxing, I eventually got a group of students to admit that it was there at about 11:30pm as they had strayed from their common rooms to celebrate (and had avoided being caught and properly punished in the morning)."

"The door appeared locked to the students, but the new door unlocking charm proved strong enough to allow them entry. They reported the room contained many personal items of Rowena's and it is likely this room was considered a safe place for her."

"The students sought to get credit for the discovery at a time when they could avoid trouble. It was not there the following night, at any point in the next month, nor the following New Years however, and none of the students ever saw the room again."

Percy, Fred, and George all had the same thought. That's exactly the kind of place to hide a Horcrux. All the same, Percy shook his head disappointed. "This didn't give us much more than we already knew."

Fred was more optimistic. "We know it's called the Blue Room. That's got to be good for something."

Percy shook his head. "It's probably something about the room itself, heck, probably it's color or just the place Rowena went when she was sad. That doesn't tell us much."

George rubbed his head. "We also know that it appeared on New Years Eve. What did Hermione say before from the Grey Lady, Halloween? That gives us two days it was there."

Fred nodded. "Both holidays, that's got to have something to do with it."

George said, "It didn't show up the next New Years though."

Fred added, "Maybe every other holiday or once every 5 years or a different one every year."

Percy almost dropped the book. "No...You're right about the name."

Fred shook his head, surprised. George said, "You're right...You're right. I like hearing those words coming from Percy. Next time let me hear them OK Fred?"

Fred shook his head. "No. I think I'm going to keep them."

George said, "What is he right on?"

Percy put the book back in its spot. "On the name...I think...The blue room."

"What?" asked the twins.

Percy didn't answer. Instead he started looking through books. Finally he found an astronomical one.

Fred and George didn't say anything as Percy looked through. Finally he stopped in 1096. "That's it."

Fred and George looked at a calender. "A full moon," said George.

Fred caught on. "A blue moon."

Percy nodded. "Both days we know it showed up were toward the end of a month. A blue moon can only happen on the 30th, or 31st, that's why it would happen on those holidays."

It was Molly who first saw the pyramid. Her eye sight was not the best of them, but she was the one who turned to the left at the right time. In the distance, she saw the sun reflecting just slightly on something. She got the others attention.

Dumbledore looked over in the direction and nodded. "This is it. Wands ready."

Ginny's heart leaped. It couldn't be. As she approached though, there was no denying it. Her path was giving way into a much larger one. It was more than a path, maybe it should be called a road. The Romanian or Hungarian Ministries were probably the ones keeping this up. That meant she was almost out. She felt the now extremely heavy rock in her pocket. She felt no warmth from it at all anymore.

She wasn't sure which direction to go when she made it up to the road. There was no sign of which direction more quickly led to civilization. Right or left, north or south. She headed north.

To Wormtail and Lucius Malfoy, Voldemort appeared completely dominant over the situation. He would have it no other way even under the worst of circumstances. That didn't change the fact that he was getting nervous. Ginny was close to out, but he barely had any sense of Harry at all anymore.

Voldemort concentrated hard on his connection to both children, trying desperately to make it easy for Harry to spot Ginny. That it had come to this was embarrassing, but he did what he had to, he always did.

Voldemort didn't consider the connection with Harry, but as he pushed hard, it almost felt a little different now than before.

"My Lord!" Malfoy ran to Voldemort.

Voldemort dismissed him. "Not now!"

Lucius turned from his master back the other direction and then back to his master. "A group on brooms is heading this way."

Voldemort let his concentration drop and turned to the sky. Several people on brooms were indeed approaching. One would be Dumbledore of course.

Voldemort's predicament was bad. He was stuck on this pyramid until Ginny was out of the woods or he would lose all that he had gained, Ginny was no doubt being hunted, Harry's connection had faded, and Dumbledore was almost here.

Voldemort concentrated one more time and sent what he hoped was a strong sense of Ginny's position to Harry. Then he turned back to the oncoming group. He could make them out now, 4 red heads that were no doubt related to Ginny, a man he wasn't sure about (but based on Wormtail's reaction was probably Sirius Black), and...Dumbledore, of course.

Sounding every bit as in control as ever, Voldemort said, "We must delay."

The shack had little light in it. Some made it through what was left of the windows, but it was dark in the early morning light. Hermione made herself forget the last words the illusion said to her...at least as much as she could.

Ron let his eyes drift around and adjust to the light before moving. "That trap was designed to play on our emotions. The next one probably will be too."

Hermione held Ron's arm without even realizing it. Together they took a few steps in.

The shack wasn't large. Toward the middle was a groove in the floor. Hermione and Ron looked to it and it was clear that one of the floorboards was weak. Something must have been moved there. It could be the ring was under it or it could be another trap. The two approached slowly.

A scream filled the room. Both raised their wands high. Hermione's hand was shaking.

It wasn't one voice, but two. Luna and Neville, not 12 or 13, but 20-year-olds sat in the middle of the room.

Neville leaned over Luna who seemed to be bleeding from every inch of her body. Oblivious to presence of Hermione and Ron, he spoke, "You shouldn't have done that!"

Luna coughed and blood came out. "It was the...only way to get it." She held an old hat of some kind up to Neville. He took it, but kept his eyes on Luna. "We need the feathers...almost out of time." She seemed to lose consciousness at that point.

Hermione looked at her two friends knowing full well this was probably something that actually happened in the future. Even knowing it wasn't real now, she looked to her grieving friend. "Neville, what happened?"

Neville didn't look up for a minute. When he did, he didn't look at Hermione. Instead he seemed to be speaking to others. He shouted. "Death Eaters!"

Hermione's heart jumped. Ron didn't seem to react. His eyes were transfixed.

Three new figures appeared. They were an older version of Ron, Hermione, and Ginny.

The older Ginny threw a spell behind while ducking. The older Hermione started with some protection charms around them. Ron looked to Hermione and then back in the direction that the Death Eaters must be coming. "Those protections won't last long."

Neville immediately said, "We're not leaving her."

Hermione went to Luna. Ron and Ginny exchanged glances and followed. Neville shooed them away just as the voices in the background were starting to become clear. "I got her. Go."

Hermione, Ron, and Ginny delayed a second. Neville shouted again, "I got her. Get out now!" He threw the hat at them and Ginny caught it.

The three ran and their images disappeared. Neville held on to Luna, but didn't make any show of moving her. He lifted his wand and said a curse at some unseen intruder and then a curse hit him and he fell to the ground. A second later, Luna's breathing stopped.

Hermione (real Hermione), stepped up to the two. "Is this how it happened?"

Ron walked up beside her. "Yes."

"Could we have got them out?"

Ron looked away. "Probably not. Too many death eaters. The three of us barely got away as is."

Fake Luna and Neville's corpses were directly on top of the groove in the floor. Ron and Hermione just stood there for a second.

Hermione made herself walk up to them. She took a very deep breath and tried to move Neville over. Her hand went right through him though. Hermione drew her hand back.

Ron walked up beside her. This part was his job. He gritted his teeth and reached his hand through the fake corpse. It went through the body just as it would go through thin air. He felt the floor below and pushed aside the floorboard. There was something in it.

He pulled up his hand and was holding the Ring of Slytherin.

Everyone turned to Dumbledore. He signaled for them to spread apart. It was better that a missed shot meant for one of them wouldn't have a chance at another.

Dumbledore could make out figures on the pyramid as he approached. There were three that he could see. Wormtail, Lucius Malfoy, and Voldemort. So Voldemort was indeed back. All of the efforts to prevent Tom Riddle's return now seemed in vain, but...why was he still here? This was either a trap or Voldemort was trapped here himself.

As they got closer, the lack of wand raising by the three was very noticeable. They were in their hands, but not raised even though they could clearly see the oncoming group.

Finally Voldemort raised his wand to his neck and amplified his voice. "You wish to retrieve Ginevra Weasley. She is alive. Land and we'll discuss terms."

Next to Dumbledore, Molly heart skipped a beat. Ginny was alive or at least this monster said she was.

Dumbledore directed them to the far side of pyramid away from Voldemort. He cast several spells on their landing spot to protect from traps, but one spell bounced right back up. It missed a startled Arthur Weasley by less than a foot.

Dumbledore looked to the group. "The pyramid has protection charms that reflect a great deal of magic. Be careful."

Molly flew to her husband. "Are you alright?"

He kissed her briefly. "I'm fine."

The whole group landed on the pyramid save Charlie and Bill who stayed above on Dumbledore's signal.

Peter looked nervously ahead as the groups converged. His wand was down per instructions, but Sirius's was not.

Padfoot didn't let the reunion go completely unnoticed. "Betrayed James, betrayed me, betrayed Lily and James' son, anything at all you really care about Peter?"

"I..."

Dumbledore mercifully interrupted. "Tom, where is Ginny?"

Voldemort got his first good luck at Dumbledore, and while seeing his old nemesis was not comforting, he took pleasure in his appearance. "I don't mean to be rude, but you are looking like an old man Dumbledore." That was very true, but it wasn't just that. The past week had clearly taken a tole. Voldemort didn't want to fight today, but that might be the edge he needed if it came to it.

Dumbledore dismissed the comment. "We are not here to discuss my appearance Tom. Now, where is Ginny?"

Voldemort looked around the group. Spotting the parents was easy enough. "My apologies Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Ginny was never my target in this."

The mother spoke first, "Where is she!?"

The father spoke on top of her. "Return my daughter."

Voldemort laughed. The eyes of the parents, especially the mother, were like ice water, but they wouldn't fire right now. "First we need to discuss terms. I can tell you where Ginny is, but I expect something in return."

Silence greeted this. Voldemort liked that.

He addressed the parents, but it was Dumbledore who would determine which way this went. "You came all this way. I thought you would do anything for her."

Arthur, with some defeat in his voice, said, "What do you want?"

Maybe he could divide them up here. Voldemort turned to Dumbledore. "You have been in my way a long time. I want you out. Leave Britain. Take them," he signaled to the rest of the group, "if you want, but leave me alone. I will ensure no more time travel and don't think you would approve of that anyway."

Voldemort studied Dumbledore's reaction and guessed he was right on Dumbledore's stance on long term time travel.

Molly had just been given an excuse for what she had wanted to do, for what she had actually discussed doing only a few hours ago. She could be out of Britain with her family and be safe.

Now that the offer was out though, it was cold. It meant Dumbledore leaving too. It meant letting this truly evil man win. For her daughter though. "Then you'll give her back?"

Voldemort smiled at the mother. "You have my word that I will tell you where she is and allow you to leave the country, provided," he emphasized the next word, "ALL do so."

Voldemort turned his eyes to Dumbledore. Everyone else did as well. Voldemort knew that Dumbledore would never agree to such a thing, but he hoped that a desperate family would now confront him on this which would buy more time.

Dumbledore spoke slowly. He didn't bother commenting on Voldemort's offer. Instead he went right to the topic, Voldemort had wanted to avoid. "Tom, why haven't you left this pyramid? You have a full body and yet stay where you were bound to be discovered. You have only 2 Deatheaters in the country. Are you stuck on this pyramid?"

Voldemort knew the ruse was up. His wand was up in a fraction of a second, "Avada Kedavra!"

Harry had gotten one last good grasp on Ginny direction, but he could hardly feel anything now. He was close. He knew that, but he needed a little more. The blood link's mental connection was almost completely gone.

Harry thought once more of the last time he talked to Ginny. He hadn't even looked up.

He focused his mind desperately on any inkling of the right direction and, as he pushed his mind, he got it. It was faint, but he was almost there.

The battle had quickly separated into two separate ones. On one side, Voldemort and Dumbledore fought. It was clear to anyone watching that the two's magic and skills so surpassed the rest of the two groups that helping would just be a hindrance. If fact, at the start of the battle, Dumbledore had been protecting others more than able to engage for precisely that reason. The other battle involved Wormtail and Lucius Malfoy vs. the Weasleys and Sirius.

Voldemort sent a wave of water flowing at Dumbledore. Dumbledore caught the water and sent it back. Voldemort sent tree flying from the forest floors, roots and all and Dumbledore easily deflected them. Curses and all kinds of spells went back and forth as the two fought on one side of the pyramid.

On the other side, the larger group was winning. Wormtail wasn't the best of fighters. While Lucius was much better, he couldn't take down 5 competent wizards on his own. He needed to divide them. He shot out a stream of fire that held in place. Molly managed to avoid it, but she was forced back from the rest of the group.

Lucius tried to press the advantage, but too many spells were coming to deflect. The two Death Eaters were forced to take cover behind the stone tables.

That protection didn't last long. Bill and Charlie, still on brooms, came from behind and threw spells from the air. That forced the two out back into the open.

Sirius struck Peter with a paralyzing curse and his old friend fell to the ground. Lucius panicked and took his wand, starting an apparating spell.

Arthur got out one clear blasting charm that hit Malfoy clean in the chest and forced him down with his wand flying away. "Not today Lucius. Not ever again."

A little ways from the rest of the group, the curse fire disappeared clearing a path for Molly to get back to the others, but seeing things settled on that side, Molly decided to head back to the real villain here. Maybe with You-Know-Who focused so much on Dumbledore now, she could get in a surprise shot.

Ron and Hermione looked at the item. Hermione said, "It's hard to believe this ring is responsible for so much."

Ron nodded agreement.

Hermione asked, "Should we do it now?"

Ron took in his breath. "Yeah. I think now would be best."

Hermione nodded. She was shaking, but said, "I'll do it."

Ron loved her courage. He wasn't sure he felt up to this, but she wasn't doing it either. "No, I will."

Hermione looked at Ron and then said, "How about together."

Ron probably should turn it down, but he didn't want too. "OK."

They moved away from the fake bodies of their friends. Ron put the ring down. Together they held the Sword of Gryffindor above it.

Several imagines appeared all at once across their minds.

Neville and Luna came first. "Put it on and we'll be back. You can see us with it."

Then Hermione's father appeared. "Put the ring on and we can escape death. The danger can end."

The words had to be lies, but somehow, they felt completely true. Seeing her dad again frightened Hermione in a way few images could. She started reaching for the ring.

Ron pulled her back.

Ginny appeared and said. "This is the way to stop Voldemort. He doesn't understand the power of the ring. Please Ron, put it on for me."

It took great effort not to do that, but Hermione's hand was holding his. Together they brought the sword down crushed the ring.

The images disappeared. Ron picked up the ring. It felt different.

Hermione looked at him, still with high emotions from the experience. "Is it.."

Ron nodded. "It's gone. We destroyed it."

Hermione looked at the ring. The gold was crushed by the sword, but the stone was intact. "Maybe we should leave it here, back in the floor board."

Ron nodded. He walked back. The images of Neville and Luna were still there. He took a breath and put his hand through. He put it back. The board would have to be moved for the destruction to be apparent. "Let's get out of here."

Hermione nodded. "Sounds good to me."

As they left, Hermione had to once again ignore her father's piercing stare. "I wonder what showed up for Dumbledore in the other timeline?"

In Ginny's state, even the smooth path was taking a long while to follow. She'd made it about a mile and half though. In the distance, she stared at what she was seeing in the sky. Was it...smoke?

If she wasn't seeing things (not a foregone conclusion), it was. It wasn't just from a fire. It was slightly purple and must be the result of some bad spell. Someone was using magic ahead. A witch or a wizard or a group of them.

Ginny made herself keep up a steady pace and not run. To run now might be to use all of her remaining strength. Nothing could be worse than using that this close to the end and her body giving out on her within sight of salvation. Well, almost nothing.

Ginny heard trees crashing behind her. The creature's strength was enormous. Rather than run though, she turned.

The creature come out from the clearing and walked slowly onto the path. "Hello Little Girl."

Chills ran up and down Ginny's spine. Her hand went to her pocket instinctively to the rock that she had been carrying as symbol of home and comfort.

The creature still approached slowly, but the pace was faster than Ginny guessed she could even run. It was up to her in little time. When it got to about a foot away, it just stood.

Ginny resigned herself to her fate and tried to let go of the fear.

"You've done very well. Far better than most would. Why don't you run now. You are almost there. A wizard village is just ahead."

Ginny considered the option, almost did it, but that felt like giving in. She would never outrun it. It might let her get just far enough she'd believe she could, but it knew what it was doing here, it had done it for a long time.

Instead, Ginny surprised herself and forced herself to stand straight. "Why don't you leave?"

The creature laughed. "These are my woods and feeding ground. Wizards have tried to tame them, but all have failed. You are my meal...but, I'll give you a chance, a legitimate chance. I am stuffed from last night's feeding and a bit slow. If I'm a little over confident, even a little, you'll escape me."

Ginny stood still. She wanted to run, but her instincts told her that was death. Staying felt like death too though so there wasn't any reason to.

"Feed my appetite just one more time. RUN and let me feel your fear as a chase you down...RUN!"

A part of Ginny's mind decided to run, but that part was overshadowed by a larger part. She had been in these woods as nothing more than a pawn in two evil creatures' game. She was going to die, that was inevitable, but she would not let herself be beaten down. This was going to end on her terms.

Ginny was still in her Quidditch robes. That thought crossed her mind for the first time in days. They were torn to shreds, but they were still the same robes. Ginny's hand was also still in her pocket on the rock. At that moment, everything in the world came into clarity. She was going to die, but first, she was going to score one more goal.

Ginny pulled out the rock and with all her strength, held it overhead. Her arm and whole body moved forward.

The forward motion, when Ginny should have been moving backwards, completely startled the creature. He took a step back and tipped on one foot just as Ginny threw the rock.

The rock hit the creature dead on the nose.

Ginny fell to the ground, but that didn't stop her from noticing one very big change. The creature's eyes lost something. The look of intelligence was gone.

The animal looked at a girl beside it with a mixture of fear and fury. Run or fight?

No time for a decision. A spell hit the creature and he was blasted far to the side. He ran.

Harry had seen the creature staring down Ginny. He didn't know what it was, but his instincts tried to get him to run away. After Ginny hit it with the rock though, the creature had pulled far enough away from Ginny for Harry to risk using the reducto curse on it (the one he heard Ron use last year in the girl's bathroom).

He landed beside Ginny and the sight made tears come to his eyes. She was on the ground, coughing, weighing next to nothing. Voldemort said he got strength from Ginny's pain and she'd clearly had a lot of it. He became very scared he wasn't going to be able to get her out.

Ginny looked at the figure in front of her again. It looked like Harry, but she was just imaging things now. She had no strength left. It didn't matter if town was ¼ mile away, she wasn't making it. She had done it though. She hadn't let Voldemort win this, not completely anyway and she hadn't let the creature. It was do doubt alive somewhere, but it had been forced from the body it had possessed.

The image of Harry knelt beside her. Her voice was nothing but a tiny whisper, but she spoke. "Did you see it? I made it leave."

Harry didn't know what she was talking about, but it didn't matter. "I saw it. Can you get up? I need to get you out of here."

Ginny was smiling and that broke Harry's heart somehow. Even more quietly she said, "I did it. I scored." Harry couldn't make out any of those words, but he had the feeling Ginny wasn't getting up. He'd seen the town just ahead and guessed this path would take him there.

Harry picked up Ginny. Despite her light weight, it was a struggle for him. He left the broom behind and went as quickly and delicately as possible.

As Harry neared the edge and saw the village just outside the woods, a figure approached on the trail. The woman saw him and ran up. "Ce sa întâmplat?"

Harry looked at her without comprehension and spoke quickly. "I don't speak...Romanian. I speak English."

The women looked at the two for a second and then tried to grab Ginny.

Harry drew back. "No!" Was this a Voldemort trick?

The women raised her hand ups, maybe signaling she meant no harm, but Harry wasn't really sure. She gestured forward. Harry followed.

Molly examined the battle in front of her. The flurry of spells and amount of both magic and material moving between the contestants was amazing and something she wouldn't have even thought possible before.

Despite all that, she waited for an opening. Voldemort was slowly moving in her direction. He cast a spell that made the whole ground shake. Dirt, trees, even animals flew up toward Dumbledore, but with several quick spells, all were directed back at Voldemort. Voldemort sent them off in another direction and Molly saw her chance.

Molly jumped forward and sent a cutting spell at Voldemort.

Voldemort deflected it and turned a spell at Molly, "Avada Kedavra!"

The brief interruption, combined with Dumbledore's speed with a wand, gave Dumbledore time to get off an exceedingly fast blasting spell of his own that Voldemort was just a little too slow to react to. It hit Voldemort and threw him off the pyramid. He landed on the ground.

Voldemort looked up in horror and pain from the ground and then, after a moment, laughed. "Ginny has left the woods. I am free to go."

He apparated away.

The killing curse would have hit Molly straight on if not for Sirius. He got to her just in time and pushed her away.

Instead, the curse hit the pyramid, bounced back, and still hit Molly.

Arthur beat even Dumbledore to his wife. She was breathing heavily, but not dead. He hugged her tight.

Dumbledore got to them and forced her away from Arthur. Her body was turning blue. He gave directions quickly. "We must get her to a hospital at once. I'm taking her to Saint Sofronie's in Targu Lefan. Head back there."

Molly looked to Arthur. Her eyes closed and then opened again. She focused only on him. "Find Ginny...Stop that bastard from hurting anyone else." Her eyes closed again. Dumbledore apparated away with her.

The women led Harry out of the woods into one of the first houses in a small wizard community. She took some flu powder. Several times she said, "Sfântul Sofronie." Harry understood. He took a little and stood in the fireplace with Ginny and repeated the words. He felt himself arrive in a hospital. The lady arrived a second later.

Dumbledore, Arthur, Bill, and Charlie surrounded Molly. It was over. Really, it had been over from the second the spell hit her. The pyramid had absorbed enough of the spell to not immediately kill her, but there had been too much magic in her at that point for her to be saved. They had never been able to get her awake again in the hospital.

Arthur kept his hand around his wife's hand. Their wedding rings touched.

Sirius walked in somberly. Dumbledore looked to him and Sirius nodded. Peter and Lucius were in Romanian custody.

A nurse came in after that. In a heavy accent, she spoke English. "Professor Dumbledore, there is a boy here who is asking to see you."

Dumbledore turned in surprise. "He wishes to see me?"

The nurse nodded. "He doesn't know you are in the hospital actually, but requested you be sent for. He came in with a very sick girl."

All eyes turned to the nurse. Bill asked, "The girl, who?..."

The nurse tried to describe. "I can't say much. She was in the woods, very sick, but will live."

Arthur held Molly's hand tight. He gently set it down. He kissed the cheek of his wife. "Where is she?"

The group arrived in a room two stories down. Dumbledore and Sirius went to Harry and the nurse allowed one visitor in at a time for Ginny.

Ginny was under deep sleep potions and looked terrible, but she was the most beautiful sight in the world right now for Arthur. He hugged his girl and smiled a little. "We've got her and we won't let him win Molly."

Author's notes: It was not until very recently that I even co nsidered the possibility of Molly dying. I love the character and think she added a lot. As I've looked to where I want the story going for the 3rd and final year though, I think it was the right choice.