"He's dead! Harry Potter! Dead!" One, single word constructed of such simple letters, rebounded against the circle of trees. One of the Death Eater's voices had cut through the night as the surrounding people simply stood there, shaking their heads in disbelief and misery.

Arthur's eyes burned with an ache to sob as his stomach rocked back and forth on harsh waves of fear. Even though the temperature in the forest was warm, he felt cold inside. Everything seemed unreal and distant. Happiness lurked as a memory, an illusion slipping further out of reach. He painfully watched Hagrid fall to his knees, gazing at Harry's lone figure on the ground as Harry lay, eyes closed and body unmoving. Harry was as lifeless as the fallen leaves, brittle with death, that surrounded him. No further harm could come to him now, but Arthur felt anger throb and course inside of him. How could I have let this happen?

"No... H-Harry..." Hagrid's loud sobs, that wrenched his companion's hearts, echoed around the forest. "Yer t-told me yer'd be okay. This time—" Instinctively, he reached out his hand and gently stroked Harry's face. After a while, he slowly grabbed a portion of the blanket wrapping Harry's body and covered Harry's face beneath it. Hagrid continued to sob beside him; his tears splashed onto the blanket. The painful howling tore through the hearts of the Weasleys, especially Molly, who shook uncontrollably beside him, her tears also pouring endlessly. The Death Eaters began milling about themselves in congratulations as the news spread around them.

Slughorn sat stunned on the ground, his eyes unfocused and distant. Arthur couldn't help but wonder what had happened the moment he and the others had left the confines of Shell Cottage to venture to the Forbidden Forest. Has the ritual failed? His heart constricted painfully when he thought of his children. What happened to Ron, Ginny and Hermione? How are they now? Panic engulfed him as countless unanswered questions kept popping onto his mind. He bit his lip nervously and inhaled deeply, desperately trying to get rid of the horrible feeling clinging to his inner core. They aren't dead, he assured himself firmly, the resolute voice in his head bringing some form of solace to his terrified mind quickly filling with horrifying thoughts. His worries were interrupted, however, when he heard Yaxley's voice breaking the loud sobbing noises of Hagrid.

"Oh, what a glorious night it has been!" He sounded enthusiastic, making his cheery yet malevolent tone feel strikingly out of place for this grief-stricken occasion. He beamed at the scene in front of him. "Finally, The-Boy-Who-Lived is dead!" He cackled heartily at his glorious proclamation. The Death Eaters did the same; some even whistled and jeered. He stared at the Weasleys, his eyes sparkling with pleasure. "You don't know how I've longed for this moment to happen, and at last, it has come! And you, Slughorn—" He turned his gaze to the plump figure sitting on the ground whic'h gave no effort to look up to his eyes. "I couldn't express my appreciation for bringing the boy here, even though he was already as dead as a doornail."

Hagrid growled loudly and glared at Yaxley with extreme hatred in his eyes. He clenched his fists hard, his knuckles turning white. Arthur could tell that Hagrid would soon lose the control he had been attempting to maintain from the moment they stepped foot in the forest, especially since the very person Hagrid had called and cared for as a son lay before him, lifeless.

Yaxley didn't seem to care how Hagrid may have looked in his direction when he continued speaking. "What shall we do with his body?" he asked his fellow Death Eaters, who stared hungrily at the motionless body of Harry. "Shall we follow the footsteps of the Dark Lord and perform tricks as well? Like the last time he attempted to kill the boy in this very spot?"

The Weasleys stared at each other in confusion. Arthur's brow furrowed as he tried to assess what Yaxley was about to do. He hadn't had a clue what he meant by "perform tricks", but he perceived Hagrid's eyes shining with terror when the latter glanced in his direction and back at Yaxley's. "Don't you dare touch him! H-Harry's—" Hagrid was at a loss for words. By the looks of it, whatever Hagrid had seen in this spot during the Battle of Hogwarts had built up an immense amount of fear.

Yaxley and the Death Eaters burst into maniacal laughter. "Come on now, half-breed. You wouldn't want to prevent us from having a go at him. The boy won't feel a thing, even if I cast the Cruciatus curse on him, would he? No... because he's DEAD!" he yelled into the night, sending chills down Arthur's spine.

"Yeah," Rookwood taunted. "He would only be a stupid, defunct wizard as we toss him into the air." More chortles escaped from the Death Eaters' lips.

"You got what you wanted, so leave him be!" yelled Percy, his face reddening with anger.

"And you think humiliating a dead person just to prove your victory is a good way to go about it?" George added, hissing in disgust. Blood had stopped seeping through his shirt, and he was able to sit and lean against the tree trunk for support.

"You should be aware by now how this works," Yaxley reminded George coldly. "Haven't you learned anything from the torture sessions you were put through? You know full well how we intend to play with The Chosen One. Although I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed with the turn of events. Casting the Imperius Curse would be pointless now, but aren't you glad you won't be doing it? No matter..." he trailed off; his eyes slid into a daze for a second as though he was attempting to come up with a more entertaining idea.

"Shall we proceed, then?" Macnair asked eagerly while twirling his wand menacingly. He licked his lips with glee.

Hagrid clenched his jaw and pointed his finger threateningly at the Death Eater. "You dare cast a spell and I swear—"

Yaxley responded with a resounding cackle. "Such anger..." Relish dripped through his silky voice. "I love it! Let me provoke that, shall I?" The Death Eaters straightened themselves as though preparing for the right signal; some even stretched from where they sat.

"You disgusting filth!" Molly cried. She tried to tear herself from the arms of Bill, who immediately restrained her when she made a move.

Yaxley gave a delighted laugh, and he quickly turned to face his Death Eaters with interest. "I say... Procee—"

"Surely..." Draco interrupted in his drawling voice. He lazily glanced at Yaxley. "This is not the best time and place to perform such exciting tricks."

Yaxley spun around, eyes narrowing as he stared at Draco's grey eyes. "Not the right—you must be out of your mind," he hissed. "Now is as good a time as ever to have fun, Draco. Tell me, don't you wanna have a go with him? I see that you crave it."

Draco snorted. "You have no idea how long I've waited," he said slowly.

"So, what's with the holdup?"

He sighed. "If you truly want to feel the thrilling sensation of humiliating Potter's body even more, I suggest you do it where all the Wizarding World can see. Do it in Diagon Alley where it's always crowded or anywhere public if you must."

The Weasleys gasped, and Hagrid grunted in infuriation.

"How dare you!" Molly screamed, her hands shaking with rage. She had stopped her sobs briefly enough to glare at Draco.

When Yaxley only raised his eyebrows, Draco continued. "Can't you see? You need a bigger stage to show how victorious we truly are! I'm telling you, it's going to be so worth it! Unless, of course, you're satisfied with this crowd." He gestured at the Weasleys, who wasted no time in throwing him hateful looks.

Yaxley seemed to be considering his idea he didn't speak for a moment. Most of the Death Eaters gave an exasperated sigh when their excitement had been stopped.

How could he do this? Arthur seethed within himself. "Harry saved your life, Draco! How could you do this to him! You ungrateful son-of-a—"

"I already paid my debt, Weasley," he snarled. "And why do you even care what I do? He's dead!" He quickly sent a glower at Arthur. "There's really nothing else you can do but take your precious son and leave! Your bloody business here is finished!" He released Arthur from the Body-Bind he was in and Accio'd the Weasleys' wands to his opened hand.

Arthur's jaw dropped. He stood up shaking and walked slowly toward the rest of his family.

"Leave?!" Molly snapped. "You expect us to accept and leave just like that?" She looked incredulously at Draco's piercing gaze.

"No!" Hagrid stated defiantly. "If we're leaving, we're taking Harry's body with us!"

"Are you all deaf?" spat Draco. "I said, your business with us is finished! Take your brat and go!" he yelled.

Molly stood fixedly on the spot. "And I said n—"

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Slughorn, taking everyone by surprise. His face shone with great fury, a side of him that no one had witnessed before, even Molly, who backed away a few steps. He stared at the Weasleys whose faces showed their great confusion at his sudden outburst. "All of you," he finally continued loudly. "Please be rational about this! George is alive, and can't you all be grateful about it for one second? Think about his—or better yet—our safety if you decide to stay!"

Yaxley applauded Slughorn's opinion of the matter. "Finally, someone's thinking logically." He darted a smirk at Slughorn who frowned at him. "Get it over with!" He nodded his head toward Draco, gesturing for him to do something.

"But, what about Harry?" Bill protested to the rest of his family. "We can't just leave him with these disgusting animals!"

Draco released George from the Body-Bind and pulled him strongly in his arms, making him unsteady on his feet when he stood. They, along with Yaxley, Rookwood, and Macnair slowly made their way toward the Weasleys to begin the exchange while Slughorn attempted to do the same. He scooped Harry into his arms, ignoring the wild pleas from Molly, Arthur, and Hagrid who gathered in the hopes of blocking his way to Draco.

"Don't do this, Horace," Molly pleaded, her eyes streaming with tears again.

"I have to, Molly," Slughorn responded solemnly. "I couldn't save Harry, but we can save George."

"We know that, but we can come up with a better plan," Arthur begged quickly. "We still have time to—"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted. He heaved a heavy sigh and gazed at Arthur with the sincerest look of apology he could muster while walking away from him. "I really am."

Arthur glanced towards George and back again at Harry's limp form in Slughorn's arms. He knew he had to prioritize his son's well-being, but abandoning Harry's body to be desecrated by the Death Eaters was just wrong. "Horace... please... let's think about this for a moment," he said desperately.

"We don't have much time," was Slughorn's only melancholy reply. He kept walking towards Draco who had his wand pointed directly at George's neck. Molly's sobs echoed around the clearing. Hagrid and the Weasleys stood from a distance, watching Slughorn pause with trepidation a good meter away from Draco.

Yaxley eyed Slughorn, the bearer of Harry's body, with malignant pleasure. He smiled wickedly while twirling his wand. Arthur's heart beat faster and faster when Slughorn slowly took another step toward Draco. Time seemed to freeze for the moment when the two of them stared at each other, as though calculating their every movement. Draco's grey eyes twitched slightly, and Arthur could not bear it any longer; something must be done; he must act —

And then many things happened at the same moment.

No one had anticipated Draco's sudden yell that pierced through the night. "NOW!"

A mixture of shock and confusion flitted across Yaxley's features when he heard loud war cries from the distant boundary of the Forbidden Forest. What sounded like a large group of people swarmed through the old entangled trees, coming closer into the forest.

Without hesitation, Draco suddenly pushed George towards Slughorn roughly, making George stumble a little. Molly and Arthur dashed towards their son straightaway and pulled him back to where Bill, Percy, and Hagrid stood waiting worriedly.

A chilly breeze swept through where he stood, lifting the hair at the back of Arthur's neck, and with wide eyes, he saw Harry's body jerk forward. In a matter of seconds, before anyone could even comprehend what took place, Harry stood firmly on the ground with his wand held high and pointing straight at Yaxley's face, as the Death Eaters stumbled back from their places, dumbfounded. "What the—" began Yaxley, though his exclamation were instantly interrupted when Harry roared "Expelliarmus!" into the night.

"Accio wands!" Draco shouted instantly. Fifteen or so wands zoomed straight to his open arms, except for Yaxley's whose quick reflexes had him gripping his tightly. He unfortunately hadn't been able to avoid the powerful force of the Disarming spell, which sent him flying across the clearing until he hit the ground.

"Stupefy!" Draco continued, pointing his wand at Macnair, who was blasted backwards, flailing and writhing through the air before slamming into a nearby tree. Draco immediately sent Stunning Spell after Stunning Spell at all the Death Eaters he could lay his eyes on, not stopping until he made sure they were all unconscious. He dodged as spells zoomed in his direction. He ran towards the shocked Weasleys and tossed them back each of their wands.

"There are not many of them left," Draco informed Arthur quickly. "I'm sure I've stunned most of them—the group of Death Eaters present here at least—but the rest of them are scattered farther out from here."

A look of understanding dawned slowly on Arthur's features as well as on Bill and Percy, who wasted no time in springing up to protect their family as they squinted through the dark, determined to blast the Death Eaters who had scattered and fled in an attempt to either fight or hide before they were Stunned.

But Arthur's mind still reeled with what had occurred minutes ago. He couldn't believe what he was seeing right at this moment; Harry was alive and fighting off the Death Eaters like he hadn't gotten sick in the first place. He looked somewhat healthy, and no trace of weariness or illnesses were present. How hadn't he noticed it before when Slughorn brought him to the forest? Was he missing something?

"Look out!" Bill exclaimed loudly. Spells flew past him and his family and they all ducked simultaneously to avoid getting hit.

Arthur sighed. He couldn't afford the time to get to Harry without being blasted off by Death Eaters. Instead, he looked up at Draco inquisitively. He knew it was stupid, but he was determined to get an answer that maybe he could only provide. "Harry—is he truly—" But he wasn't able to get a reply when Draco hurriedly dashed away to track down more Death Eaters who had scurried away on the other side. Arthur frantically looked left and right to see where Harry had gone, but he had disappeared into the darkness of the night. His musings abruptly broke off when he heard a shout of fury behind him.

"DRACO!"

They saw Yaxley getting to his feet, his hand clasping his wand. His eyebrow was cocked like a blade, and a look of pure fiery hatred was forming in his features.

"What have you done?!" he yelled, furious, his eyes fixed on the white blond-haired young man.

But Yaxley's change of demeanour didn't affect Draco at all. "Oh, did I do something wrong?" he jeered. "I thought I was helping."

Yaxley's eyes flashed with anger as he glared at him. "Do you think this is funny?!"

Draco merely shrugged. "What else would it be?"

"You think you can do whatever pleases you?" Yaxley said loudly. "Stunning my Death Eaters one by one. I have more than you'll ever know!"

"Oh, please!" Draco drawled, crossing his arms. "Don't give me that rubbish! We both know you have few followers left, and more than half of them are bloody unconscious right now."

Yaxley narrowed his eyes. "Don't be so sure of our numbers!" he said sharply.

"Oh, I'm sure," Draco replied with a smile.

Yaxley's eyebrow twitched slightly. "I still have them stationed elsewhere and waiting for my signal."

"Are you sure about that?" Draco's voice shook with malicious pleasure.

Yaxley's chest rose and fell rapidly. For a moment, relief dawned on his face when, very slowly, hooded figures started emerging out from the darkness. But when he saw the rest of those fellow Death Eaters closing in and being held and dragged by none other than the Aurors—a herd of centaurs armed with bows and arrows—and the members of Dumbledore's Army, he let out a howl of rage.

Arthur could recognize a few familiar faces among the members of Dumbledore's Army, some of whom were Gryffindors, including Angelina Johnson, Alicia Spinnet, and Katie Bell, whom Fred and George knew from Quidditch, along with their close friend Lee Jordan. There were more of them, at least fifteen whom Arthur didn't recognize, but a firm look of purpose to help fiercely hardened their faces. Their wands pointed straight at the caught Death Eaters.

"You're too late," said Draco, grinning wildly. "You've missed your chance of sending the signal. They overpowered the hidden Death Eaters right when the Weasleys entered the scene."

The Weasleys looked at one another, bewildered. Arthur raised his eyebrows in confusion as he tried to put two and two together. Was all of these already planned out by Draco? But when did that happen? Yaxley blinked, taken aback at the sudden revelation that hit him like a tidal wave. "How could you have known that?"

Draco laughed softly. "I just so happened to have a communication device that would let me know immediately if something is up. It's very useful."

Yaxley looked confused at him for a moment. "Device? I didn't see you leave or talk to anyone else from the whole duration of our stay here in the forest."

"I had it all planned out, Yaxley. After you kidnapped the Weasley," he replied casually as though they were discussing things over butterbeer and biscuits. "Of course you wouldn't know a thing because you're a complete idiot. Why would you choose the Forbidden Forest in the first place? Do you really think the creatures living here are scared of you? Ha, what a gigantic ego you have! Anyway—" He took out a round-looking object from his pocket. "The device I'm talking about is a coin that would warm up to alert me. It's pretty cool actually."

"You bloody traitor!" Yaxley shrieked, shaking with anger. "I knew I shouldn't have trusted you from the beginning. You and your parents are meddlesome fools!"

Draco couldn't hide his smirk. "Yeah... you just went along when I agreed quickly to your idea. I knew full well that you wouldn't stand a chance." He laughed.

"You will regret choosing the other side!"

"Do I look like I regret it?" he asked with pleasure in his voice. "No... I don't think so, Yaxley, because I will enjoy choosing the other side immensely while you rot in Azkaban!"

"How dare you!" he hissed. He clenched and unclenched his free hand with pulsing fury.

"You have nowhere else to go, Yaxley. It's about time to surrender!"

Yaxley shook with fury, and Arthur saw his hand twitch as though he was ready to send a hex in Draco's direction. His eyes went wide when he heard Yaxley yell, "Avada Ked—" but the Killing curse was cut off when they heard someone shout—

"Stupefy!"

A jet of red light shot out from a wand behind Yaxley, and he was thrown forward onto the clearing—Draco avoiding him by mere inches—and he crashed down, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground. The Weasleys turned their heads altogether and saw Harry's wand raised.

Draco walked slowly to where Yaxley lay panting, "One piece of advice, Yaxley... Don't go making friends with the wrong sort." He smiled at the Death Eater, whose face was livid. The Aurors immediately surrounded and subdued him. With one last, incensed stare at Draco, he was roughly grabbed by his arms and taken away out of sight along with the rest of the Death Eaters.

Except for the centaurs, Kingsley and all the members of Dumbledore's Army remained behind. They rushed to the aid of the Weasleys, and Arthur wasted no time in finding out more of what had transpired behind the scenes. Before he could ask questions, however, he was greatly astounded to find Draco kneeling in front of him and the rest of the Weasleys, his face wearing a mixture of remorse and worry. Arthur and Molly stood still, not daring to believe that Draco would willingly express this kind of sentiment outside his small circle of family and close friends. What a humbling gesture, Arthur thought to himself as he gazed at the young man on the ground.

"For all the harsh words that I've said regarding Potter and your family... I didn't mean any of it—" Draco caught himself and shook his head. His face was paler than usual, and there were faint circles under his eyes—the only signs of distress. "I'm really sorry for everything that my parents and I have put you through."

The Weasleys gaped at his words. It was unforeseeable. They were speechless. In his entire life, not once had Arthur heard a Malfoy ask for forgiveness; it was usually the opposite. He thought this day would never come, but at that moment, he was left completely flabbergasted. So many thoughts raced through his mind. How was he going to take it when a family such as the Malfoys who had led their life on authority and prestige suddenly ridded themselves of their power and try as best they could to change for the better?

"I'm sorry." Draco repeated those words again and again.

Molly—having been angry at him earlier—looked into his grey eyes, tremendously filled with concern that she couldn't stop the tears from cascading down her face.

"We never should've treated you all like—" He couldn't seem to say the words. "I'm so sorry." They heard his voice break. He swallowed hard and looked at his hands. "I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you all, I'll—"

Molly and Arthur silenced him with their hands gently stroking his back as they kneeled before him. "You're forgiven, son," Arthur responded softly. "We just want to forget that it ever happened."

Draco looked upon their faces filling with sympathy and compassion. "Of course," he said, "whatever you want."

Arthur and Molly smiled at him sincerely as the three of them stood up.

"I thought you'd forever be an annoying ferret," George piped up from behind his parents. "Thank goodness you've got sense." All of them laughed, including Kingsley and the members of the DA.

Molly cast him a hard look. "Stop it, George!"

"But, it was true, mum," he argued. "If he hadn't redeemed himself until now, I don't want to think of what I'd do to him." There were murmurs of agreement around him.

"He'd be doomed," Lee Jordan agreed from behind George.

"I wouldn't want to mess with you lot," Draco admitted quietly. "I've had enough terrifying pressures to last me a lifetime."

"'Terrifying pressures,' you say?" Bill scoffed.

"With at least twenty of us against one," said a stout-looking boy with blondish hair. "I'm glad you know how that's gonna go for you."

More laughter brightened the atmosphere throughout the clearing. "Too right, Ernie," a pink-faced girl with blonde hair agreed.

Draco bowed his head in defeat.

Arthur raised his finger to silence them. His expression hardened with seriousness as he glanced at Draco. "Speaking of which, how did all of this happen?"

"It was all Draco's plan," Kingsley answered him, and Arthur saw Draco give a sigh as if relieved that the Minister was speaking on his behalf. "Apparently this is how he properly wanted to pay off his life debt to Harry."

With his brows furrowed, Arthur turned to Draco and asked, "What do you mean? You already did when you told Harry about a certain cave in Ireland, didn't you?"

Draco curtly nodded. "Yes, that was my initial plan... but I feel like it wasn't enough. Saving one's life isn't easy, but Potter had risked his own to make sure I survived—even Weasley agreed to help out. It was too much for me to handle the guilt. There was nearly nothing I could do in my power to repay Potter's willingness to put his life down for me... so when I found out that Yaxley went ahead and kidnapped you—" He glanced at George. "I knew I had to do something to properly pay my debt not only to Potter but also to the Weasleys."

Arthur could see the gratitude on Draco's pale face, and he immediately understood his will to act and help out as much as he can.

"Since Draco has to report to the Ministry every day as part of his on-going probation," Kingsley continued for him. "He immediately alerted the Auror's department of what had happened to your son." He cleared his throat, and Arthur noticed Kingsley's sudden change of demeanour, he now looked apologetically in his direction. "Even before we talked in my office, Arthur, Draco and I had already devised a plan, and I purposely hid it from you. I'm sorry... but I had to make this plan work, and without your knowledge, the chances of a successful plan were high."

Arthur looked at him with confusion. "How was not telling me the right thing to do?" he asked.

"Your reactions." When none of the Weasleys understood his concise answer, he elaborated. "Draco and I had to make sure you had no idea what was about to take place. For starters, Draco had suggested to use the help of Dumbledore's Army. He gave me the names of the members, and we quickly contacted Neville Longbottom—as I recalled him being at St. Mungo's during the time Yaxley made a dramatic announcement. Neville went ahead and told the rest of the group of the plan. Draco knew where exactly the Death Eaters would be stationed around the forest, as he was the one who suggested it to Yaxley."

Draco smirked at the recollection. "I still can't believe Yaxley agreed to that. Am I really that trustworthy?"

Hagrid snorted.

"Not really," George, Bill, and Percy replied simultaneously. The DA members sniggered in the background.

"Anyway," Kingsley interrupted them. "The centaurs were a great help. They know the forest by heart and know exactly to where the Death Eaters would disappear if they tried to run. Very unfortunately for Yaxley, Draco had placed a charm so no one could Disapparate from inside the forest. Since there are a lot of us, including the Aurors, the Death Eaters surrounding the forest were quickly outnumbered. They tried to run, but seriously, who would want to wander around the forest in the middle of the night?"

"It's not safe!" Angelina Johnson remarked loudly, and George nodded quickly in agreement.

"Exactly," Kingsley agreed. "It never is safe to wander in this forest. Good thing we had the centaurs guiding us through. We kept a close eye on what had been happening after we gathered all the stationed Death Eaters and knew you had come when Mr. Finnigan here—"

Seamus smiled at the mention of his name by the Minister.

"—alerted us through this coin when it grew warm." He held up the fake Galleon in his hand and showed Arthur and the rest of the Weasleys.

"Very clever," Arthur stated approvingly. "I've never seen that before."

"It was Hermione who created it," replied a dark-haired girl wearing a silver necklace with the letter "P" hanging from a chain around her neck. Her twin nodded her head in agreement.

"And then what happened, Kingsley?" Molly asked eagerly.

"Then it was our cue for Slughorn to interrupt Yaxley before anything got out of hand," he answered. Slughorn smiled weakly at the Weasleys before Kingsley continued with another apologetic look on his face. "This was the hardest part, and we had to make sure that Slughorn could do it."

"Do what?"

"All I can say is," said Slughorn. "It was worth a try. I've never shed that many tears in my whole life."

Kingsley couldn't help but smirk at Slughorn's jest before returning his gaze to Arthur and Molly. "Your initial reaction when you saw Harry's lifeless body and Slughorn's howling sobs."

Arthur's brow furrowed as he tried to remember the events of what had happened earlier.

"We couldn't risk you giving away the only thing we were trying to keep secret."

"You have no idea how much of a relief that was when I saw Harry alive and well," Arthur admitted.

"That was done really well, professor," Percy said with admiration. "The acting. You had us all worried."

"We were all terrified," Hagrid stated. "'Specially me. I thought 'Arry was really dead."

"Where's Harry?" Molly looked around herself and spotted him fiddling with all the Death Eater's wands he took from Draco. "Oh, there you are!" She walked toward him and gave him a tight hug.

"Harry," Arthur called out softly from behind him. His eyes shone with deep relief just from seeing him standing there with them. "We're so glad you're okay." But Harry's tentative reaction bemused Arthur. He couldn't quite tell what was wrong. "Harry?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Weasley, but I'm—"

"What are you sorry for, dear?" Molly asked, her face full of concern.

Kingsley checked his watch. "The time's up."

"For what?" Arthur asked, bewildered. He thought everyone—except for him, his family, and Hagrid—seemed to know what was going on. No one in the DA or even Kingsley made a move or said anything. Alarm grew in the pit of his stomach as he waited for Harry to speak. When he turned his head back to look at him, his eyes went wide and his mouth opened in shock—he was no longer looking at Harry, but—

"Neville?"

To be continued...

Beta-read by TeachUsSomethingPlease, be11atrix-the-strange, Smthnborrowediamblue, KVeronicaP