“I feel like a such a horrible hypocrite”, Arthur pulled his fingers through his hair. “I was so incredibly self-righteous about judging people for having family members who are Death Eaters or dark mages or muggle-haters or pureblood supremacists. I used to automatically judge Lyra for having parents who served Voldemort. And here I am now, having just buried a son who was as bad as any Death Eater, completely evil and rotten. I thought I didn’t even need to see that recording, but I did, and it managed to be worse than anything I imagined. He was as bad as Dolohov or Macnair. I’ve seen the looks people have been giving me, and it’s the same looks I’ve been giving people with evil family members before, not thinking anything of it. They must have done something or be guilty of something, by association. It runs in the family. An apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I disgust myself”, he wiped a tear from his face.

“It’s healthy. It’s part of the healing process”, Lyra approached and hugged him. “I was there, I know. When Voldemort returned and I understood he’s pure evil, and my parents bet everything on him twice, I felt so ashamed of myself for blindly trusting them and offending people by repeating the nonsense I heard from them. It’s hard, it hurts, but it has to be done”, she whispered into his ear. “Self-righteousness is a horrible drug, and it hurts to wean yourself off it.”

“The worst thing is, I can’t just hate him for what he became. I also remember the good things, how he stood with Harry and Hermione, how they destroyed the Horcruxes, how proud I was when he became an Auror. I loved him so much and I grieve for that part of him, and I blame him for killing it, for becoming that murderous scum that Lyra finally rid us all off, and I grieve because he never got the chance to repent, to come back, become that good boy again”, he sobbed.

Everybody in the Burrow looked down, obviously sharing similar feelings. Healing is going to be hard. People who resented him for his ugly behaviour felt both vindicated and guilty for their feelings. People who loved him felt guilty for loving him. They didn’t know how to deal with it, and it will require careful, slow disentanglement and analysis, Lyra thought. She exchanged a look with Harry, and saw that he had the same thoughts. Hermione, too, was distraught, obviously reminiscing about the good days and being unable to reconcile it with the recent developments, grieving and sad and guilty. Ginny looked like she was crying recently; she’s obviously feeling guilty about honestly hating what he became and wishing him to die or go away. Molly was crushed and wordless, but it was obvious that Arthur spoke for both of them.

…

“It’s good that they put it into words”, Lyra kicked her shoes off as she made herself comfortable on her favourite couch. “It makes healing easier. So much of our personal history is intertwined with him, and most of it was good memories. We can’t just lock those away.”

“It would destroy our hearts if we did that”, Hermione whispered. “Half of my memories would go dark if I tried. And if I embrace the good, I’m afraid I’ll open myself up to that horrible evil that I felt from him in the end, and I don’t know how to reconcile those feelings”, she sniffed.

“We buried the evil today. It ended. But the good remains part of us forever”, Harry nodded. “It’s just that now, we no longer have to feel guilty for perceiving parts of that evil as it asserted its dominance over his soul over the years, and eventually overcame him”.

“I think that’s a good way of looking at it”, Lyra nodded. “The good existed, it partook in our lives, but the evil also existed, rose up occasionally, and eventually won, as he abandoned the good part of himself that shared our lives. He chose parts of himself he wanted to be, and we can keep parts of him that we want to keep. They no longer share a person.”

“Thank you both”, Hermione looked at Lyra and Harry. “It actually helps when you put it into words that way. It makes it granular, doesn’t force me to either accept all of him or reject all of him. I can look at each memory individually, and be relaxed and secure about dealing with it”.

“Now you made me feel guilty for having no good thoughts or memories of him, and just being very glad that the bastard who tried to slander and later kill my wife is finally dead”, Viktor grinned.

“Don’t be”, Hermione smiled. “You’re in a much healthier place than we are, but I hope we’ll all join you there in a few days, if not in the morning already”.

“I’m going to get something to eat, and you can join me in that immediately, to hasten the process”, he smiled back.

“Is there anything fresh there? I’m starving”, Lyra gave him a mischievous grin, and went to raid the kitchen with him.

Harry and Hermione exchanged a look, and burst into laughter. “I envy them so much”, he smiled as he stood up and offered her a hand. “I hear that biscuits with some butter do wonders against overcomplicating your life by trying to save people who don’t want to be saved”.

“Milk, not tea. It’s too late for caffeine”, she beamed and took his hand.

“Honestly, I regret Lyra not being the third person in our group from the beginning”, he mused as they went to the kitchen where she was slicing jamón ibérico very thinly for herself and Viktor.

“You have a point there”, Hermione agreed. “How was she even not sorted into Gryffindor, with her heart?”

“I asked the hat to sort me into Slytherin because my parents told me it was the best house”, Lyra spoke with mouth full of ham sandwich. “It was one of their less brilliant pieces of advice”.

“Well, at least we sorted ourselves into the same house later, so it all ended well”, Harry grinned and started stuffing his plate with food.

“Someone leaked the visual recording of the fight to the press”, Viktor went through the titles in the Daily Prophet.

“We asked Minister Shacklebolt for comment:
Yes, I can confirm that head of the Auror office herself took the ground during the ambush, and she is very good at her job. I don’t understand the level of surprise over the fact that the person leading the Auror office in fact happens to be the most lethal and competent fighter in the country, and possibly in the world. That should be a given.”

“Others comment that the hole left by the death of Albus Dumbledore has finally been filled, and we again have a person of extreme competence on the watch. Experts have been analysing the footage and picking apart various details – what kind of chronomancy you used to selectively stop time, how you hovered in half-apparated form, what spell you used to kill the assailants. They even interviewed Harry:

Yes, I can confirm that she took the field while I took the office because she is a much stronger fighter between the two of us and the hostage situation with Mrs. Krum was extremely delicate; all five assailants had to be neutralized at once so that none of them could have time to fire off a spell or surprise us in any way, so I supervised the operation from the control centre while she dealt with the murderers in the alley. Yes, I can confirm that she didn’t have a wand.”

Viktor let out a muffled laugh. “Yeah, that will take some getting used to. Let’s see what’s next. Some are panicking about your level of power and need for oversight and accountability. Others reply that having someone in charge of dealing with armed murderers and dark wizards who’s the most powerful magic user in the world is actually the point, echoing the minister. There’s even a fashion columnist commenting favourably on your sweater”.

“Your tea is getting cold”, Lyra pointed out with a smile. “I knew this was about to happen once the cat gets out of the bag, as it eventually would. It will be fine.”

“You seem so incredibly cool about this. Haven’t you even been a little bit scared?”, he looked at his sister of choice with amazement.

“I’ve been terrified”, she admitted. “Not of the stupid ghouls, of course. I was terrified that Hermione might miscarry from the shock. Also, that they might surprise me with something unexpected, like hitting her with a portkey and transporting her to an unknown location, or using some potion or a powder. Fortunately, they were just ordinary idiots with wands”, she sighed.

Viktor froze. “Oh, I didn’t even think that she might miscarry. So that’s what it was all about later – all the personal spa treatment”, he grinned.

“Yes. I started relaxing only when a day passed and she seemed to be fine”, a visible shiver went through her body.

“I’m very happy I don’t have to manage the circus Harry and Hermione are currently having”, Viktor noted.

“I still had to submit paperwork”, she smiled.

“True”, he laughed. “But I wonder how we would have dealt with it if you were unavailable”.

“Easy. Have one Auror protect her with their life and get her to safety – apparition, portkey, something. Hit them with a spray of some debilitating potion. Mop them up”, she shrugged. “Less clean, but doable in a pinch”.

“I guess. But having her surrounded by five armed guys makes the logistics of it a nightmare. Everything would have to be coordinated down to a split second so that none of them can fire off a spell. We are really lucky to have you”, he admitted.

“Thanks”, Lyra smiled angelically. “Let’s finish breakfast and go play with Lily and James, they’ve been neglected slightly over all this”.

“Last night at 8PM Ronald Weasley and four other violent criminals known to the magical law enforcement lured Hermione Krum, the head of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, into a meeting in Knockturn Alley, under false pretence, suggesting that Ronald Weasley had been kidnapped and will be killed if she doesn’t appear. Five men surrounded the pregnant lady, and Ronald Weasley attempted to murder her with the killing curse. Fortunately, the Auror office was aware of the situation, intervened in time and all five armed and dangerous criminals have been killed. The lady was unharmed.

We asked an Auror, who wished to remain anonymous, for a comment:

“Slander is one thing, but trying to lure your childhood friend and former fiancee, who is pregnant, in order to murder both her and her unborn child, is the lowest of the low. But trying that with a lady who lives with three Aurors, two of which are the joint heads of the Auror office and the third is her husband, that requires a level of stupidity that is rarely seen. Let’s just say that neither the magical society nor the magical gene pool will miss them. Of course, the boss immediately had us on the case and we dealt with the situation.””

Hermione closed the Daily Prophet, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. “That Auror is right. I am fortunate to live with three Aurors, because if not for that, I would have been dead right now, Lily would be growing up without her mom, Viktor would be grieving, my unborn child would be dead, and Ron and his fellow ghouls would be laughing maliciously in some dark hole”.

Lyra was carefully applying pink gel to Hermione’s toenails. “I know that muggles have stupid nonsense sayings like ‘no means no’, but you can rest assured that this family has different rules. Next time you decide to go into a dangerous situation, be sure to let us know and tell us you don’t want us to be there for you, and we will be sure to completely ignore your wishes”, she grinned.

“Thank you for that”, Hermione laughed. “At least somebody here has a functioning brain, because mine was apparently asleep. Having you save me last night was the most satisfying and relieving thing I felt since I watched Voldemort drop dead like a sack of flour. Please, always ignore my stupid nonsense and handle my safety as you see fit, because, unlike me, you actually know what you’re doing”.

“It’s my job, sweetheart. Quite literally”, Lyra smiled angelically.

“And by the way, you are absolutely frightening when you fight”, Hermione grinned. “I’ve never actually seen you in action before, but that was quite something”.

Lyra just smiled, focused on applying the gel precisely.

…

“Kreacher, please get the door; it’s Arthur and Molly Weasley”, she smiled at the Elf.

“Yes, Young Mistress”, he croaked.

Arthur and Molly approached shyly, and saw two women on the couch, Lyra painting Hermione’s toenails; they just looked at each other.

“I’m sorry I can’t get up and greet you properly, but I’m literally in the middle of something, and Hermione’s comfort is the most important thing in the world to me now”, Lyra smiled at them, as Hermione blushed. “Please, get the chairs and make yourselves comfortable”.

“We’re so sorry, my dear”, Molly approached Hermione. “I’m so glad to see that you’re alive and well. When the Auror lady notified us of what happened last night, we almost had a heart attack and decided to come see you first thing in the morning. We knew he was lost, but that he would try to murder a pregnant woman, and not just any woman but you…” she started crying and couldn’t control her voice.

“It’s not your fault”, Lyra addressed them, not taking her eyes from the toenail. “I know you’ve been thinking about what I showed Arthur, but despite all your errors, none of your other children ever turned to evil. Ginny is a healthy, vital, wonderful young lady. Fred and George were pranksters, but their hearts were always in the right place. Percy’s only flaw is that he’s uptight and too formal when there’s no need for it. Charley and Bill are wonderful men. You should be proud of all of them. Ron’s choices in life may have been facilitated by Molly’s upbringing that promoted infantile behaviour, but they were not caused by it. None of your other children had those tendencies in the first place. He was just that kind of a person, and he made his own choices that ended up exhausting his guardian angel’s ability to save him. It is not your fault. And by the way, I am sorry to have caused you pain by killing your son, but I am glad I did it. He almost finished the killing curse invocation pointed at Hermione, and he did it with such murderous, cold hatred, that I haven’t seen anything like it since the fall of Voldemort. I am glad he’s dead”, she looked at them with perfect, transparent honesty in her eyes.

“I am glad you were there”, Arthur nodded. “Had he managed to kill Hermione, I would never be able to forgive myself. I’d probably go and hang myself in the attic, to be honest. Just the thought is too horrible to even consider”.

“Please, join us for tea and biscuits. I sense Kreacher had made a fresh batch and they smell wonderful”, she smiled at them with profound peace and kindness.

“We might just do that, thank you”, Molly smiled through tears. “I feel such peace here, as I haven’t felt in a long time. Thank you for having us”.

“You know it’s a trap, right?”, Harry looked at Hermione incredulously.

“Probably, yeah”, she shrugged. “We have Ron; come alone to Knockturn Alley tonight at 8PM if you want to see him alive”.

“Probably as in certainly”, Harry grinned. “Let me send a detachment and deal with it”.

“And what if Ron gets killed?” she frowned.

“It’s a possibility”, he conceded. “However, it’s also a possibility that he aligned himself with some dark creatures who want to lure you into a trap and kill you, and he thinks it’s suitable vengeance for you leaving him”.

“That’s really a stretch”, she raised an eyebrow incredulously.

“Is it? With what we know about him, and how he’s been lately?”, Harry retorted. “I wouldn’t put anything past him. Also, you’re pregnant. And even if you weren’t, you’re precious. Risking you for that fool doesn’t sound like a good trade”.

“Maybe, but it’s my call to make”, she insisted.

…

She apparated there slightly ahead of time, and observed carefully, wand drawn. Harry was probably right and she was probably a fool, but she had to do this.

Three shadows moved in front of her, and she felt movement behind. Five.

“You were right, Weasley. She really is that stupid”, a nasty, rough voice laughed. “We caught ourselves the Ministry mudblood.”

“Probably pregnant again with that Bulgarian freak”, it was Ron’s voice, but rough, cold as ice. She shivered. “Time to die, bitch. Avada Ke…”

Hermione felt as if time froze around her as she felt terrible regret for not listening to Harry. As always, he was right. His instincts won them the war and she had to be a smartass and go against his advice. She won’t even get to tell him she’s sorry. Her eyes swam with tears, but then she realised something. Time didn’t just feel like it froze around her. It actually froze. A flash of white light swirled, red light flashed in five spots, at the chests of five thugs, and time suddenly restarted.

White mist materialised as a young platinum blonde woman in jeans and a warm sweater, wandless, completely relaxed as five men crumpled to the floor like sacks of potatoes: safely and permanently dead.

“Lyra?” Hermione was still in shock.

“Might as well earn my pay as your personal goddess”, she smiled. “Also as the head of the Auror office”. She snapped her fingers and three Aurors apparated, looking like they mean business. “Would you be so kind as to clean up after me? I’m afraid they were armed, in the process of deploying the killing curse, and I couldn’t risk lady Hermione’s life by using half measures. I’ll do the paperwork in the morning”, she smiled at the men.

“Sure thing, boss”, the closest one nodded respectfully as they started processing the bodies.

“Come, sweetheart. This must have been stressful for you, and you’re pregnant. Let’s go home and have Kreacher make us hot cocoa”, she hugged Hermione and they disapparated with a crack.

…

“He’s really dead”, Hermione spoke dully, wrapped in a blanket, holding a warm cup. “I didn’t want him to die”.

“I’m afraid it was his choice”, Viktor whispered, holding her tightly. “I’ve seen the preliminary report. Those were thugs adjacent to Death Eaters; they did jobs for them, and tried to become important enough to get the Dark Mark; they were on our wanted list, but not a priority. That’s the company he was keeping these days. It must have been his idea to lure you to your death, to curry favour with that scum, make himself important. Had you not come, sooner or later it would have ended similarly, but at least now you got to see what he became”.

“I’m not sure I’m improved by the experience”, she sighed. “Harry, I’m so sorry not to have listened to you. I can’t remember when your hunch was ever wrong, but I was a stubborn fool”.

“You were emotionally compromised by your misplaced sense of responsibility for him”, Harry nodded. “I didn’t want to insist, but I also didn’t want to let you walk alone into a trap, so I notified Lyra and the guys. I held the office, she held the field”, he smiled.

“You were never in danger”, Lyra smiled, massaging Hermione’s feet. “I allowed them to come close to releasing the spell only to make sure that they had lethal intent. Then I dealt with them. Girl, your feet are so cold; you’re in shock. But we’ll thaw you in no time”, she giggled, and Hermione smiled despite her mood.

“Thank you for saving my life, Lyra”, she managed. “I was already regretting not listening to Harry and expecting to die in a second, when time stopped around me”.

“I didn’t want to risk giving them the chance to finish the spell, so that was the only safe way”, Lyra nodded. “Nobody hurts what is mine”, she smiled a smile of fierce protectiveness.