The story begins on Page 641 of the US version (midway through the Elder Wand Chapter), JK's words in italics…
…"You need to find out where Voldemort is, because he'll have the snake with him, won't he" Do it, Harry - look inside him!"
Why was it so easy? Because his scar had been burning for hours, yearning to show him Voldemort's thoughts? He closed his eyes on her command, and at once, the screams and the bangs and all the discordant sounds of the battle were drowned until they became distant, as though he stood far, far away from them…
He was standing in the middle of a desolate but strangely familiar room, with peeling paper on the walls and all the windows boarded except for one. The sounds of the assault on the castle were muffled and distant. The single unblocked window revealed distant bursts of light where the castle stood, but inside the room it was dark except for a solitary lamp.
He was rolling his wand between his fingers, watching it, his thoughts on the room in the castle, the secret room only he had ever found, the room, like the Chamber, that you had to be clever cunning and inquisitive to discover. . . . He was confident that the boy would not find the diadem. . . . although Dumbledore's puppet had come much farther that he had ever expected. . . too far. . .
"Please my Lord. Let me enter the fray at the school. I will find another wand and help fight the half-bloods that are defying you," begged a voice in a dark corner of the room. He turned and stared at Lucius Malfoy with no hate or anger, but complete indifference.
"Do not lie to me…Lucius!" the Dark Lord hissed. "You have no more desire to run into the school and begin fighting those children than I do. You want to look for your cowardly son who did not come and join me as the rest of the Slytherins did. Where is he Lucius? I thought perhaps he would be more worthy than his pathetic father."
"My Lord, please. He is loyal to our cause. I'm sure he's in the castle helping fight for you," pleaded Lucius. "If you could only let me join him. . . please. . .I could capture Potter for you."
"No! Stop your whimpering. If he is dead, it is of his own doing. And Potter will have come and found me by the end. Now go and fetch me Severus. There is something very - important - that I require from him."
"And then what do you ask of me once I have found Severus, my Lord? May I help my son, and, fight for you?"
He looked at Lucius as one might gaze upon an irritating fly. "Tell Severus to come to me and then you can search for your son. But do not hold out hope, Lucius. I sense your search will be in vain!" sneered Voldemort.
Malfoy scrambled got up from the floor and stumbled towards the entrance of the room. As he reached the exit of the room, he heard a yell from behind -
"He's in the headmaster's office. The password is Lily Rose."
With a gasp, Harry pulled back and opened his eyes; at the same moment his ears were assaulted with the screeches and cries, the smashes and bangs of battle.
"He's in the shrieking shack. He just sent Lucius Malfoy to fetch him Snape, because he wants Snape to help him do something" cried Harry.
"He's just sitting in the shack? He isn't even fighting?" asked Hermoine as a stunning spell flew by.
"No. He reckons he doesn't have to just yet. Listen I'm going to head off Malfoy and get to Snape first. If Voldemort needs Snape right at this moment, then it must be very important."
"No Harry! We have to get to the shack. Voldemort, and Nagini, they are our main priority right now. Come on!" yelled Hermoine over the roar of battle.
"Can we do something instead of just standing here!" yelled Ron, who was itching to battle a death eater, as Fred's death kept replaying in his mind. "Let's get to the shack."
"No! Look we can't fight Voldemort and Snape at the same time. Plus we're so close to his office and the shack is all the way across campus. Let's take Snape first." implored Harry and he began to set off for the headmaster's office. "Come on!"
The three of them ran across the hallway firing stunning spells whenever they could. Death eaters seemed to be everywhere and Harry could see dozens of bodies lying on the floor. As Harry rounded the corner and headed down a hallway, he spotted a group of four death eaters coming up a stair well.
"There he is! Avada Kedavra!" yelled a hooded death eater as he aimed the killing curse at Harry.
Harry tripped over a lifeless body as he was running and flew down the hallway, sliding past the stair well. He turned around in time to see the curse fly between Hermoine and Ron, who were rounding the corner, and smash into the stone wall behind them. The death eaters had reached the top of the stair and were now advancing on Harry.
"REDUCTO!" screamed Ron, and his unsteady hand shot his spell over the heads of the death eaters. The destructive spell hit the roof of the corridor between Harry and the death eaters , collapsing it. The roof fell right on one of the Death Eaters, not even giving him time to scream in shock. But now Harry was separated from the fight. He panicked, wanting to help Run and Hermoine fight the remaining Death Eaters.
"Run Harry, Run!" yelled Hermoine from the other side of the collapsed rubble.
"NO! Wait! No!" screamed Harry as he dove from some more falling stones. He could year hear the yells and jeers from the death eaters as they ran towards Ron and Hermoine, but he could not help them now. Crushed rock and debris blocked his path. "Evanesco! EVANESCO" yelled Harry as he shot spell after spell into the collapsed rocks but they did not vanish. He heard a scream from the other side of the rubble and told himself it came from a Death Eater. Wiping away tears that were free flowing from his eyes, he threw on his invisibility cloak and sprinted for the headmaster's office.
As he ran Harry thought of everyone he had lost; Sirius, his parents, Mad Eye, Dumbledore, Hedwig, and now Fred. If Ron and Hermoine now suffered because he didn't want to head straight to the shack. . . . No, it wasn't his fault. It was Voldemort's, and his minions. They had caused him to live a painful, broken existence. They had taken everything from him..….as had Snape, Harry thought as he imagined familiar gargoyle statues that guarded the entrance to the headmaster's office. Snape was waiting behind them. Anger coursed through Harry's veins, hot as lava. It gave him purpose and strength as he tore down another hallway and whipped on his cloak.
He glided through the castle, slipping past broken rumble, dueling wizards and wounded warriors from both sides. Finally, he came to the hallway that led to the headmaster's office. He reckless tore off his cloak and tore down the hallway towards the stone gargoyles.
Suddenly, Luna and Neville came crashing through a door and fell into the corridor behind him, dueling with a tall death eater. Neville shot a stunning spell at him from the ground and as his hood flew off Harry could see it was Yaxley.
"Levicorpus!" Harry shouted and Yaxley dropped his wand as he was yanked upside down by his ankles by an invisible hook. Harry recklessly whipped off his cloak and ran over to help Luna and Neville stand up.
"Thanks Harry! There are more of em on the floor below us" said Neville and he jerked his head towards the stairs. "Come on!" he said as he stumbled towards a staircase.
"Yea, thanks Harry" Luna said serenely as if she was unaware that there was a huge battle raging around her. "He looks funny hanging like that" she giggled as she gazed up at Yaxley.
"Luna, Harry, what are you doing? Come on, lets go!" Neville sputtered as he dragged Luna by her arm towards the stairs. Luna was still staring up at Yaxley as she disappeared down the stairs.
Harry looked up at Yaxley and grinned. "You know she was right, Yaxley. You look like a moron hanging around like that." Yaxley was busy squirming and trying to force his way onto the ground. When he heard his name called he stopped struggling to lower himself and spat at Harry.
"The Dark Lord will make you suffer, you insignif—ahhh!"
"Stupefy!" yelled Harry as a red light beamed from his wand and Yaxley was sent flying down the hallway and into the foremost gargoyle statue. He bounced off the now destroyed statue and into the feet of a hooded Death Eater who had just come out of the guarded entrance.
"Harry? Harry Potter?" exclaimed the Death Eater incredulously. He started slowly walking towards Harry as if he could not believe his eyes. "Harry Potter all alone with nowhere to hide? With none of his friends to save him? I can't believe it." hissed the Death Eater as he removed a wand from a sheath on his belt.
"Careful what you wish for Lucius." Harry retorted. "You might end up like your pal on the ground."
Lucius stopped walking towards Harry and looked momentarily stunned. He then removed his mask and threw it aside. "Very clever Potter."
"I can sense horrible smell from a mile away."
"Never did learn to show the proper respect to you superiors, did you? You insolent little…"
"You're many things Lucius, but you're no one's superior."
"Enough! Allow me to teach you some manners, Potter." Malfoy spat. He ripped of his cloak and threw it in the air towards Harry. "Incarcerous!" yelled Malfoy as the cloak fell between them and obscured Lucius from Harry's view. Ropes shot out from Malfoy's wand and ripped through the cloak towards Harry.
"Protego!" yelled Harry and the ropes bounced harmlessly off his shield to the ground. "Come on Lucius!" Harry cried as he ran towards the death eater. Hatred fueled him and he was dueling more wildly than ever. "Expelliarmus!"
Lucius blocked the spell with a flick of his wand, crouched and yelled "Flagrate!". Flames spat from his wand and began to envelope Harry. Harry came to a halt and threw off his robes, which had caught fire.
"Exstinguo" he yelled and pointed his wand and the growing ring of fire around him. The flames immediately dissipated with a loud hiss and Harry could feel the air around him become much cooler. He heard Malfoy yell something and he dove to the side as something hot whipped through the air and opened a deep cut along his left arm. He pointed his wand with his right hand and yelled "Petrificus Totalus" right before he hit the ground. The spell hit Malfoy broad across his chest and he fell to the ground with a sickening crunch. "Sectumsempra is dark magic, Malfoy" said Harry as he walked up to the fallen death eater who was lying on the floor, rigid as a board. Harry stepped over him and quietly said "Lily Rose" to the remaining gargoyle and it leapt aside immediately. Harry put one foot on the steps leading to the headmaster's office, stopped and wheeled around to walk over to Malfoy.
"Here's something I owe Draco." Harry said as he stepped down on Lucius' nose. It broke with a nauseating crunch and blood began to pour profusely onto the ground. Harry then pointed his wand directly at Lucius' heart and held it there for a few seconds as if he were debating something. Someone yelled from down the corridor and Harry snapped out of his reverie, turned around and sprinted up the steps, leaving Lucius choking on his own blood.
Harry took the stairs two at a time and his heart was pounding by the time he reached the door to the headmaster's office. Inside was the man who had tried to make his time at Hogwarts a living hell. Inside was the man who gave Voldemort the information that led to his parent's death. Inside was the man who had goaded Sirius relentlessly, spurred him to leave the safety of Grimmauld Place and to his death. Inside was the man who had killed Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard who ever lived. Harry pointed his wand at the door and yelled "Alohomora!" As the lock turned, Harry kicked open the door and rushed in.
"Avada Ke—" Harry began but he could not finish the spell. His tongue had rolled back into his mouth and made it impossible for him to speak. Snape was sitting serenely in the headmaster's throne like chair and had just finished calmly waving his wand at Harry. All the portraits in the room were empty and there was a fireplace cackling in the background. A few Dumbledore's instruments seemed to have been replaced by drawings of Dark Magic and several bottles of bubbling potions. Fawke's cage was empty, but other than that it looked very similar to how the previous headmaster had kept the office. Snape sat there and just stared with a small smile on his face, incensing Harry further.
"You want to kill me Harry? Using unforgivable curses now, are we?" Snape exclaimed. Harry stuck his wand back in his pocket and sprinted to wards Snape. He leapt over a small table, sidestepped a chair and picked up a poker lying in the fireplace and kept running. As he reached the desk he tried to jump over the desk and strike Snape with the white hot poker. With one flick of his wand Snape sent Harry flying backward into a chair as the poker flew out of his hands and crashed against bottles of potions lining the wall.
"You never were able to control your emotions." Snape taunted as he rose from his chair. Harry couldn't move and his tongue was still rolled into the back of his mouth. His anger, turned to fear and panic as Snape approached. In his haste to achieve revenge, he had become sidetracked, let anger control him and now nothing would stop Voldemort. He was so stupid. He had come so far, done so much and at the end he had let hate rule him He forced himself to look into Snape's eyes and promised himself he would not cower when death came. He would be brave, as his parents had been. His eyes widened as Snape raised his wand… but then he stowed it into his cloak. Harry's fear quickly changed to confusion. Snape walked over to a familiar cabinet and removed the Pensive, then laid it on Harry's lap. Snape bent down and stared into Harry's eyes as he raised his wand to his forehead removed thought after thought from his mind and put them into the Pensive. As the last gossamer strand stretched and then broke away from his temple, Snape took his wand from his forehead and stirred around the memories in the Pensive. His eyes never wavered from Harry's eyes as he spoke, "After you see these you will know what to do. Do not hesitate and act quickly. And now I must accept my fate and go to the Dark Lord." Snape said quietly. When he reached the door, he turned around and waved his wand at Harry removing the tongue tying and body bind curses. "Good luck Potter." Snape said and he walked over to a window and opened it. The sounds of the raging battle assaulted the room, destroying the quiet silence. And then Snape leapt from the window, disappearing in the billows of his cloak before a bewildered Harry could respond.
Here is where "The Prince's Tale" chapter would begin. Then the novel would continue to final battle. At the point where Harry is walking around the Great Hall in his invisibility cloak, Molly is fighting is Bellatrix, and McGonagall, Slughorn and Kingsley are dueling Voldemort, Snape would make his entrance.
Hundreds of people now lined the walls, watching the two fights, Voldemort and his three opponents, Bellatrix and Molly, and Harry stood, invisible, torn between both, wanting to attack and yet to protect, unable to be sure that he would not hit the innocent. . ..
…Suddenly there was a loud shattering of glass to Harry's left. Something dark had swooped in and landed on the floor near the dueling Bellatrix and Molly. Snape had landed hard on the ground and threw off his cloak. Mrs. Weasley yelled in shock and turned her attention to Snape. Snape's face was bloodied and his clothes were torn from head to toe. Bite marks lined his neck and shoulders, he had been attacked by some type of large animal it seemed. Mrs. Weasley swung around to face Snape and fired off two rapid spells at him, who parried each with a flick of his wand and continued to approach her. Harry flung of his cloak and tore off toward the fighters. "Don't! He's with us!" he yelled at Mrs. Weasley.
The sudden appearance of Harry caused a great cry from the crowd.
"It's Harry Potter!" "He's alive, it's a miracle!" "I don't believe it!"
Mrs. Weasley turned around, drawn by the shouts from the crowd. Bellatrix took advantage of Mrs. Weasley's lapse in concentration and shot the killing curse squarely at Molly's chest and Harry felt a familiar sickening feeling spiking in the pit of his stomach, knowing what happen next. But he did not see Mrs. Weasley fall to the ground into oblivion, viciously struck by the killing curse. Instead, a silver net appeared out of thin air in front of her and caught the deadly curse. Snape had pointed his wand at Mrs. Weasley and was muttering furiously to the net, trying to completely stop the momentum of the spell that was still headed towards Mrs. Weasley while wrapped in the net.
Bellatrix was stunned and was yelling at Snape. "What are you doing Snape?! You traitorous snake! Stop it!"
Members of the order who had been watching the two simultaneous battles with rapt attention had started towards Snape upon his appearance, but they too had stopped in shock at what they were seeing. Voldemort turned quickly at hearing Snape's name being called and his white, skeletal face registered shock at witnessing Snape alive and fighting. He shot a spell at Kingsley and spun on the spot, appearing within feet of Snape. Without any hesitation Voldemort pointed his wand at Snape and said in quiet, but forceful voice "This is the second time I will kill you Severus."
Snape looked at Voldemort, but did not raise his wand to defend himself. Instead he turned back towards Mrs. Weasley and pulled his wand toward him. The net closed tighter around Bellatrix's curse and forced it to the ground inches in front of Mrs. Weasley's feet.
"Avada Kedavra!" screamed Voldemort and green light shot from his wand. Snape glanced back towards Harry and was staring at him as the killing curse blasted into his chest. He was slammed into the ground and skidded to a halt in middle of the great hall. Voldemort then turned towards Harry.
…"I don't want anyone else to try to help," Harry said loudly, and in the total silence his voice carried like a trumpet call. "It's got to be like this. It's got to be me."