Chapter 3: The Moon, the Dog and the Snake
A black blur flew past them, and a large and red canine ran in the direction of the Potters, growling and barking. Sirius and Peter followed after it. Dumbledore turned to Luna, who was too shocked to move, and sighed. He didn't know what to say to her, he was out of wise words to share. With a last glance at Minerva's lifeless body, he transformed into a unicorn and ran towards the Potters.
What he found there was not what he expected. That part of the house had also been blown up, and the second floor seemed to be shaking, waiting to fall on their heads at any moment. Harry, Hermione and their son were outside, far from the weakened ceiling. A black stag and a black dog guarded them, while Lily Potter and Peter Pettigrew stood behind the animals, as a second barrier.
But the most shocking, unexpected part was seeing the huge red dog. Bigger than Sirius Black's Animagus form, bulkier and less shaggy. Its cold blue eyes stared up at the large black snake that threatened the group. Then, something clicked in Dumbledore's mind. Merlin never told them who had escaped, but he had said the fugitive was highly tied to Harry Potter, and that only Harry could defeat him.
When Ronald Weasley had disappeared from the Otherworld, Dumbledore had feared that the young man would go after his best friends. Being free, a Good Soul, meant that no one could really see any of the Bad Souls. Thus, neither Albus, the dead Potters nor Sirius knew of anyone else who could have escaped.
But Ron was on their side. He was facing the large snake, his teeth bared and a threatening growl continuously running through his throat. "You will not hurt them," everyone heard him say, even if his snout didn't move. The younger Potters instantly recognized the voice.
"I've waited six years to get my revenge!" the snake hissed. Harry's eyes widened in horror as he also remembered that voice. "Now I will take all he loves and holds dear, so that he knows how it feels to lose everything!"
"This can't be happening," Harry muttered, as he held his son closer to him. Hermione had her wand out and was undoubtedly fuming.
"You!" she hissed. "How dare you come here and try to disrupt our peace!"
"Potter, you followed your father's steps and married a mud-blood!" the snake laughed.
Ronald Potter glared at the reptile and pulled away from his father, who was also angry but paralyzed with fear. "Don't call my Mummy that!" he cried out. Harry's eyes widened and held his son back. "Let go, he called Mummy a bad word!"
"I know, son, but it's too dangerous!" Harry hissed, his grip on his son's arms tightening.
"How pathetic!" Voldemort spat. "But now I'm going to delight myself as I kill you all!"
The stag and the black dog made to lunge at the snake, but the bigger dog beat them to it. It bit the reptile everywhere it could, as Voldemort wrapped himself around Ron. The black dog finally leapt forward and started bitting as well. The stag lowered it head and tackled an area where he wouldn't hurt either canine. The unicorn followed its example.
"I wish I could do something about all this," Peter said desperately. "But my animal form is not very useful."
Lily turned to him, a hint of a smile on her lips. "Peter, we were given some powers to hold him back. Not just our animal forms will be useful in this battle," she said as she held up her hand towards the snake.
The large reptile slowed down, suddenly looking very weak. Voldemort had lost some blood, but it was Lily Potter who had taken some of his strength. He transformed back into his humanoid form and held out a wand towards the older Potter wife. "Avada Kedavra!"
She didn't move out of the way, since her son's family was right behind her. She was also not scared of dieing, since she was already dead. She just wished she could have done more to help in the fight.
But before the curse hit her, someone jumped in the way, his face turned to her. Peter smiled. "See you in the Otherworld," was all he managed to say as he disappeared.
"That foolish rat!" Voldemort spat angrily. The others transformed back into their human forms and glared at him.
Harry looked up at his brother in all but blood. "Ron?" he asked uncertainly. His son stared at the man he had only seen in pictures.
"Uncle Ronald!" the little boy exclaimed.
The redhead smiled at them, then turned to glare at the fugitive evil spirit. "It's time, Harry. You must do this," he said sternly. "You must face your fears, my friend."
Harry nodded and turned to his wife. Hermione was obviously in the verge of arguing back, but he gently pushed their son towards her and walked up next to his best friend, wand held tightly in his hand. "It's good to see you again, brother," he said quietly.
Ron's eyebrows rose at the term, and he smiled. "It's good to see you too, brother," he said after a few seconds of hesitation. But he found it felt good to call him that. Because that's what they were, brothers.
Voldemort was looking at the group, scowling. "I shall get my revenge! I will not stop until you're dead, Harry Potter!" he bellowed. "I will come back, over and over again! I will come back for your children, your grandchildren! Every single descendant of yours will know who Lord Voldemort is!"
He laughed, that shrill laugh Harry remembered whenever a Dementor was near him. But he wasn't scared. He was furious. His children, his descendants. Voldemort would not touch them. He had killed the evil wizard years ago so that future generations could live normal lives. He'd do it again if he had to.
Harry raised his wand. There were no more Horcruxes to tie the dead Dark Lord to the living world, he knew that, since he had destroyed all of them. He would not hesitate to use the Killing Curse, this time. "Avada Kedavra!"
Voldemort blinked, obviously not believing what was happening. When he was really killed, six years ago, Harry had had a hard time to truly do it. He knew the young man felt disgust to kill someone else, and he had used it to his advantage. He had expected this time to be the same.
The curse hit him and he bent over in pain. But he did not disappear like Peter Pettigrew had. Instead, a light surrounded him from above. And everyone watched on in shock as Ronald walked forward to him. The redhead smiled sadly, grabbing Voldemort's arm and raising him to his feet. "By the power Merlin has given me, you shall be completely eliminated," he said loud enough for all to hear.
Voldemort's eyes widened in horror. He had been told by the other Bad Souls things like these happened once every thousands of years. The Guardians of the Otherworld were the only ones capable of fully erasing a soul. Being erased meant you ceased to exist. That was why most Bad Souls behaved. They all rather live in prison than being erased.
The last thing he saw was Ronald's hand in front of his face. After that, Voldemort existed no longer.
-
It was all over, somehow Harry knew that what Ron had done was permanent. Even Dumbledore looked surprised. "You never told us you were a Guardian, Ronald," the old wizard said.
The redhead smirked. "I was made one after Voldemort escaped," he replied. Harry and Hermione looked at each other in silent surprise. Never had they heard their friend say the Dark Lord's name. At all.
But they could tell something was wrong. Ron seemed defeated, sad about something. Luna finally rushed out of the house, from the gap on the wall of the living room. "Ronald!" she cried out, hugging him tightly. "I was scared for you!"
"Sorry, love," he muttered, holding her against him. "I'm so sorry, Luna."
The young woman looked up at him confusedly. "Why? What's wrong, Ronald?"
He ignored her questions and turned to his dead companions. "We've got ten minutes," he informed them.
No one needed to ask him what he meant. Harry quickly turned to his parents. He opened and closed his mouth several times, before his mother threw herself at him, hugging him. He finally broke down and cried. He had been deprived of her and his father for all his life.
James walked up to them and embraced them both. Sirius lingered around them, uncomfortably. He felt like he was intruding. But when Lily pulled away, and went to see her grandson, Harry engulfed his godfather into a tight hug.
While Hermione and Lily exchanged words, and Harry hugged his relatives, Ron and Luna held on to each other, not wanting to let go. "I thought you'd be staying with me forever," the blonde said shakily. "Ronald, without you I'm not myself."
Ron's eyes watered. "I know, love. I'm nothing without you too. I didn't want to come here. I wanted to go far, far away with you," he swallowed, trying not to cry. "But I had to do this. It was my job, my duty. I only regret that I'll be sent back."
"If I die..." she started, but he cut her off, wide-eyed,
"No, Luna. Don't do anything. Suicides never get sent to the Otherworld. They go somewhere else, it's a horrible place. I got sent there because of a mistake," he smiled sadly. "The secretary couldn't tell the difference between self-less sacrifice and suicide." He laughed bitterly at the memory.
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Are you making all that up? Secretaries in the world of the dead?"
Ron chuckled at her cute expression. "Yes, of course there's secretaries! There's also law makers, home builders... Even restaurants!" he exclaimed happily.
That was it, Luna burst out laughing. "Oh, Ronald," she said between giggles. "You're always thinking about food."
He kissed her softly, ignoring the occasional giggles against his lips. He loved her so much, he'd give up his soul for her.
A bright light fell from the sky at that moment, and surrounded the group. Ron turned to his living friends and smiled sadly. "Time's up," he announced.
Dumbledore pulled back from the hug he and Harry shared and smiled at the younger Potters. "I've always been proud of you both. I shall go back to my great adventure!" He slowly faded out of sight.
Harry turned to his parents and godfather as they hugged his wife and said goodbye to his son. "I'll be watching you, son," James told him. "Like I've always done."
The three of them disappeared as well, and the remaining living people turned to Ron. The redhead crouched before the little Ronald and grinned. "Have you ever played Wizard's Chess?" he asked the boy. Harry, Hermione and Luna chuckled.
"No," Ronald answered, blinking in confusion. "Uncle Ron, would you teach me?"
Ron fought back tears as he shook his head. "I can't. But I'm sure your father can tell you about all the times I beat him when playing it. And if you go ask my mum, I'm sure she'll give you my old set."
Little Ronald nodded and hugged his uncle tightly. Hermione started sobbing, and pulled her friend into a hug when her son walked back to his father. "I miss you, Ron. I miss arguing with you," she said breaking away from him.
Ron grinned. "Likewise," he said. "I'll be waiting for you, but you better take your time. I don't want to see you near me for another hundred years!" he said, in mock seriousness. "Fifty years extra for you, little one." His nephew chuckled, not quite understanding what he was talking about.
Harry sighed loudly and shakily. "I'll miss you, brother." Both men hugged each other. "I'm sorry!"
The redhead feigned annoyance. "Harry, buddy," he said, pulling back. "If you ever blame yourself for my choice, I'll... kick your arse." Little Ronald snickered at the threat. "Very hard," Ron added, winking at the boy.
He turned to the love of his life and hugged her once more. Before he could say anything to her, a deep yet soft voice filled the air. "Well done, Guardian."
"Merlin!" Ron muttered, looking around.
"It was a well done job, Ronald Weasley," the voice said. "You did what you had to do."
Ron frowned, stepping away from Luna. "But I wanted to go away! I almost didn't come here!" he exclaimed. "I failed!" Everyone blinked in confusion at his words.
"But you did aid your friends, didn't you?" the voice asked. "We all have doubts, when choosing one thing or another. But what really counts is the final choice, Ronald Weasley. And your final choice was to sacrifice your freedom to save your friends."
The redhead looked at Luna, then back to the sky. "I'm ready to go back."
There was a slight chuckle. "Don't you understand, Ronald Weasley?" he asked softly. "You have earned your freedom. A second chance at life. Because of your selfless sacrifices, your loyalty and the pureness of your heart, you may stay among the living until the day you die again."
He couldn't believe it. He looked at his friends, at the woman he loved and let out a scream of joy. He picked Luna up and spun around, marveling her surprised yet happy face. Ron looked back at the sky and shouted, "Thank you! Thank you!"
There was no reply, but no one noticed. They were all too happy, exclaiming and shouting.
Albus Dumbledore chuckled as he showed his former student around the place. "You seem to like your new home, Minerva," he smiled.
The younger, yet very mature, woman smiled at him knowingly. "It's not that I'm glad to be dead, but... I'm glad to be dead with you, Albus." The elderly couple leaned towards each other, their lips almost touched when they heard someone exclaiming near them,
"Ah, the old lovebirds!" a man said, in fake sweet voice.
"Oh, shush you!" a female scolded him, but her voice was full of mirth.
"You should already know, dead, Padfoot has a thing for ruining moments," a second man said.
There was some snickering. "You shouldn't be laughing, Peter! You did walk in on them once!"
A gasp. "Peter!" two voices exclaimed.
"Sirius! Did you have to say it?" Peter complained, feeling utterly embarrassed.
"What is going on?" Minerva asked, as she approached them. "It's rude to... interrupt." She blushed when Sirius, James and Peter started whistling. "Oh, shush!"
Lily simply rolled her eyes and looked apologetically at her former teacher. Albus chuckled behind Minerva, clearly amused by the three Marauders' antics.
Finally, when they calmed down, James looked around. "Hey, and what happened to Ronald?" The younger man had always enjoyed telling stories about Harry, and they had become good friends after six years of being around each other.
Albus smiled. "He was set free," he explained. "A good reward for erasing the most stubborn dark wizard of his time, if you ask me."
The others smiled, knowing how much Ronald wanted to see his friends again. "Indeed," Sirius said. "And I'm sure Harry will be truly happy now."
Molly Weasley opened the door of her home and saw the raven-haired man she treated as a son. "Harry, dear!" she exclaimed, hugging him. "What a surprise, I didn't expect to see you so soon!"
Harry grinned. It was uncommon. Despite being a father and loving his family, he rarely grinned. Especially not when he was around the Weasleys. She had talked with Hermione, and they had come to the conclusion that he felt responsible for Ronald's death, and unworthy of being around them.
So she wasn't offended that he rarely visited her or that he didn't look honestly happy in her house. "I've got great news. But you must sit down," he laughed. Laughed. Hermione quickly guided her to the couch and took her hand.
Molly was scared now. Not even when young Ronald Potter was in Hermione's belly did they look as happy. Something big must've happened! she thought. "Don't be afraid. Look there," Harry's wife said, pointing at the door.
Mrs Weasley gaped. There, standing on the doorway, holding Luna Lovegood's hand was her son. Her dead son. In his other hand, he held young Ronald's hand. "This can't..." She wanted to run, to hug him. But she was afraid he'd disappear.
Finally, Ron rolled his eyes and ran to her, hugging her tightly. "Hello, Mum," he said softly.
"My boy! My son is back!" Mrs Weasley started exclaiming happily, looking at the others as if asking for confirmation that her son was really there.
Ronald Potter looked up at his aunt and snickered. Luna smiled down at him. "She's very happy," she said, shrugging. The boy burst out laughing.
There was a stampede, as people ran from their rooms upstairs. Fred, George and Ginny stopped at the stairs, looking at their brother, wide-eyed. "Hey, guys," Ron said, still being hugged by his mother.
That day was one of the happiest days of Harry's life, next to his wedding and his son's birth. He had his brother back. And Ron had Luna back.
Harry knew he'd see his parents again. But he still had a lot to live for. Specially after an announcement Hermione made that night, during dinner at the Weasleys'. The Potter family would get bigger. And they still had to repair the house.
Arthur Weasley held up his glass in a toast. "To Ron!"
Both Ron and young Ronald's ears turned pink. The redhead stood up, his own glass high in the air. "To life!"
Notes: I know, what a corny ending. :P Couldn't help it.
I know Voldemort's "death" was quite quick, but it really wasn't the focus of this thing. Not that
this actually had any meaning or plot behind it... :P