He hadn’t then - but he did now. His need was great - the greatest it had ever been. And what was more valiant than raising a weapon in defence of the one he loved? Harry was right, it had never been about houses. You didn’t need to be a Gryffindor to be courageous, and this was the bravest he had ever felt in his entire life. Except it didn’t feel precisely like bravery. It felt more like necessity. Harry needed him dauntless, and unafraid, and so that was what he would become.