“Professor McGonagall!” Hermione screamed. Everyone stared in horror as they took in the terrible sight that was before them. Ron slowly walked over and examined the body.
“She’s dead! Must have been Avada Kedavra. There’s nothing that looks to be wrong with her otherwise…” Ron said in a horrified whisper.
“But then that means that someone else is here!” Harry looked around wildly, searching for the mystery intruder that had wiped away the life of his Transfiguration teacher. As if in answer, a high, cold voice rang out through the halls, magically amplified and made more sinister in the process, “Did you really think I wouldn’t find you here, Potter?”
“No, no, it can’t be!” Hermione screamed again.
“RUN!” Harry yelled. The others needed no further urging. Everyone scrambled and took off in a different direction, fleeing from the evil voice that had infiltrated the place that had once been a sanctuary from all outside forces. Harry ran on with Ginny at his side, his lungs burning and his breath becoming shorter, until finally he skidded to a halt, unable to keep going.
“Harry, we can’t run from him. He could be anywhere here!” Ginny said.
“What do you recommend we do? Fight? He still has two more Horcruxes somewhere. I never got the chance to look at the mirror again!” Harry retaliated.
“Harry! Look behind you!” Ginny screamed. Harry whirled his head around and saw, as if in answer to his question, Nagini slithering from the corridor. “Stupefy!” Ginny yelled, but to no avail. The snake swiftly dodged the spell and continued on her path towards them. Harry similarly shot another spell at the animal, but had the same result. Panicking again, he grabbed Ginny’s arm and started running again. Pain was gripping his side and he could feel sweat gliding down his forehead, but still he and Ginny tried to escape from the fearsome creature in pursuit. The feat almost seemed plausible, until Ginny screamed again. Harry turned his head to find the snake draining her venom into his girlfriend’s side.
“IMPEDIMENTA!” Harry screamed. The spell missed the snake and knocked Ginny into the wall, where she crumpled and fell to the floor. “NO!” he yelled. “Stupefy!” This time the spell hit its mark and left the snake unconscious. Unlike other victims of this curse, however, she began to stir almost immediately. Without thinking, Harry took off down the hall again, surprised to find that he had run all the way to the headmistress’ office. Even more surprising was the fact that the gargoyle had already been turned aside and the stairs were there, almost beckoning him to ascend. Harry took the opportunity and ran up them, closing the door behind him and shouting “Colloportus!” to boot.
Panting heavily, he took in his surroundings. The office was mostly the same as it had been when Dumbledore was the headmaster. Slumping down into a chair, Harry reflected on the events that had just happened. Ginny had been poisoned, Nagini was after him, and Voldemort was also in the castle. There was no way out this time. This had to be the end.
“You cannot hide, Harry Potter. The game is over. Dumbledore is not here to help you this time. He has left these walls forever,” Voldemort’s voice rang out through the silence again. In fury, Harry jumped up and shouted at the office.
“Dumbledore is never gone from Hogwarts!”
“Dumbledore has died. My faithful servant has seen to that. He cannot help you anymore. Hogwarts is mine now!” Voldemort replied cruelly.
“Only when none here are loyal to him! Hogwarts belongs to Dumbledore, even now!” Harry heard an odd sound behind him and turned around to see what new evil was about to greet him. Instead, however, he found one of the most welcome sights he could ever imagine. A phoenix had appeared in a flash of fire. “Fawkes!” Harry shouted. Fawkes squawked in response and flew over to rest on Harry’s shoulder. At least now he had someone else here with him. But what to do now? The snake had to be just outside the door, waiting to bite into Harry as she had done to Ginny. Every time he tried to launch an attack the snake simply dodged. If only there was a way to stop her some other way…and then a memory from four years before came to him. Fawkes had blinded the basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets, and that was a great serpent many times the size of Nagini.
“Fawkes, would you care to help me with the snake?” Harry requested of his new companion. The phoenix chirped in response, to which Harry took for a yes. Harry then undid his spell upon the door and blasted it open with his wand. Almost instantly, Nagini slithered forward through the hole that was created and made to strike at Harry. Fortunately, Fawkes swooped upon the serpent and swiped at her eyes with his talons. Screaming in pain, the snake writhed on the floor and hissed ferociously, unable to stop the attack upon herself. Harry saw a glint of light on his left and noticed the sword of Godric Gryffindor resting in its case, the rubies on the handle glittering. Struck with a sudden thought, Harry raised his wand again. “Accio sword!” The third treasure of the founders crashed through the glass and came to rest in Harry’s outstretched hand. “Fawkes! Move away!” he shouted. The phoenix obediently flew up and away from the snake and back onto Harry’s shoulder. Free from the merciless onslaught of talons, Nagini raised her head up again and blindly struck at air with her deadly fangs. With no hint of remorse, Harry raised the sword high and made a clean slice through the head of the snake. Nagini’s headless body fell to the floor and Harry dropped the sword, exhausted by the efforts that the last few minutes had asked of him. Breathing heavily, he managed to utter, “Five down.”
Harry managed to fall back into a chair and reflect on everything that had now happened. Fawkes flew over to the perch that he had claimed when Dumbledore inhabited the office. Harry could hardly believe that in the course of a few hours, he had managed to eliminate three of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. But they had by no means been easy. Seeing his parents turned into Inferi, coming face to face with a supposedly reformed Draco Malfoy, running from a deadly serpent with Ginny…Ginny! his mind screamed, as he bolted from the room back down the stairs. When he reached the foot, he quickly glanced around to find her still on the ground by the wall where his curse hit her. Her eyes were closed and she was motionless. “Ginny!” he yelled. Slowly, her eyes fluttered open.
“Harry…” she said weakly as she tried to raise her arm. Harry grabbed her hand and clutched it in his own.
“Ginny, please…” he pleaded.
“Harry…I love you. I always have, and always will.” With these words, her eyes closed again.
“FAWKES!” Harry screamed. The phoenix flew down the stairs and landed beside him. “Fawkes, help her!” Fawkes looked at Ginny, then back at Harry, at whom he sadly shook his head. “Don’t waste time, Fawkes! You can help her!” Fawkes again only shook his head. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! SHE’S GOING TO DIE!” But even as he said it, Harry realized the truth. It was already too late for her. He could already feel the tears streaming down his face. Voldemort had now cost him his parents, his godfather, and Ginny. Was there no relief of pain for him?
“Awfully touching, Potter.” The voice filled with malice was no longer echoing throughout the halls but now right behind him. Completely disheartened by the abysmal chain of events that had now culminated here, Harry slowly turned back around and stood up, hate and dismay etched into his face. “Dumbledore always said that love was the most powerful magic, and yet love couldn’t save her, now could it?” He closed with a cruel laugh.
“Cruc-“ Harry tried to shout, but with a casual flick of his wand, Voldemort parried the curse.
“Now, now, Harry. Where are your manners? Did Dumbledore teach his favorite student spells like that?” Again Voldemort let out a harsh laugh, clearly amused by the superiority he held. “Let me show you how it’s done! Crucio!” Harry was gripped with mind numbing torture piercing every inch of himself. Writhing and twisting with the sheer agony of the curse, his thoughts verged on the wish for death to release him from all of his pain. Voldemort relaxed his wand and laughed once more. “Oh, I had almost forgotten. Let me stop using Occlumency against you…” As soon as his words ended, Harry felt his scar burn again, almost as terribly as when he heard Voldemort’s merciless use of his parents in his head. “Are you ready to die, Harry?” Still determined not to give in, not to humor Voldemort in the end, Harry said nothing as he slowly picked himself up off of the floor, ignoring the searing pain emanating from his scar.
CRACK! Snape appeared, standing between Harry and Voldemort. “Thank you for removing the Apparating restriction, my lord,” he said.
“Cruc-“ Harry tried to shout again, but Snape simply countered the attempt. The two wizards Harry hated the most in the world were now standing right in front of him, and he was unable to do anything to either of them.
“Not at all, Severus. Now please, step aside so that I may put an end to the boy.” Voldemort raised his wand again.
“No,” Snape said simply. Voldemort froze on the spot, unable to comprehend what he had just heard.
“What did you say?” Voldemort said, his voice dangerous.
“I said no. I’m not moving.” And true to his word, Snape stood his ground, unfaltering. Harry was now the one to be perplexed. He had no time to puzzle over this new development, however, as Snape turned around and said, “Run, Potter!”
“What are you doing?!” Voldemort yelled. “First Wormtail betrays me over this boy, and now you?! Do you want the same fate as that fool?”
“Dumbledore’s orders,” Snape said with a slight grin. “We are in his territory after all, master.” Snape finished with a sarcastic tone. “Are you deaf, Potter? I said run! Or shall my death be in vain?” Harry needed no further urging. He took off down the hall and disappeared down a corridor.
“What faithful servants I have. Avada Kedavra!” The jet of green light hit Snape squarely in the chest and he drew his last breath. Harry, meanwhile, ran until he realized that he was back at the Room of Requirement. Panic gripping his mind, he did the only logical thing he could think of: he hid behind the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy on the opposite wall.
This was the end then. There was no hope left. Despite all of his efforts, Voldemort was only a few moments away from him and one Horcrux was left. “Oh, Harry?” Voldemort’s voice rang through the hall, half taunting. “I seem to remember telling you before that we are not playing hide-and-seek. You will never learn respect.”
If only the mirror would have shown me the last one! Harry thought bitterly. Why did it have to fail me? He could still see it vividly in his mind: the cup, the snake, and the locket, but nothing else. Nothing else could be seen in the mirror. Nothing except…
At last, Harry understood. Realizing what he finally had to do, he stepped out from the tapestry and faced the wizard.
“At last, Harry. Now, I ask you again, are you ready to die?” Voldemort said with another soft laugh. Harry said nothing, only stood where he was, staring blankly at Voldemort and feeling the pain in his head escalate. “I grow tired of you not answering me. Imperio!” This did him no good, though. Harry had seen enough of this curse to resist it, and his resolve had never been stronger. Infuriated, Voldemort raised his wand one more time. “Be silent then, boy! I will let the world know that you said nothing and foolishly gave up your life to me.” Still Harry said nothing. Cold fury pulsing through him, Voldemort screamed, “Avada Kedavra!”
The jet of green light shot out of the wand and obliterated the life of Harry Potter. Almost instantly, Lord Voldemort fell forward onto the ground, never to rise again. Six Horcruxes destroyed, Voldemort was no more.
Harry’s eyes opened one more time. He looked around at his unfamiliar surroundings. He had no idea where he could possibly be, but the sight before him made him less concerned with where he was. Four people stood before him: James and Lily Potter, Sirius Black, and Ginny Weasley. “Wha---How?” he stammered. No one said anything, but merely smiled, and in his heart, Harry understood perfectly what had happened. Ginny walked over to him and hugged him. Finally, all of his pain was over. Ginny stared at a familiar spot on his forehead.
“Harry, it’s gone!” she exclaimed.
“What is?”
“Your scar.”