Harry heard their voices before he saw the owners of them. A shrill, almost insane with worry voice of a middle age woman. And the second, a low breathless wheeze that still demand force.
The body of Grawp, lay in front of the large throne-like chair that had haunted Harry's dreams for months. And in it, sat a bald grotesque creature.
"You will be silence you insolent bitch!" spat Voldemort, from the throne. "As I said before, you can follow your family as soon as your sister has gotten word back to me."
"But they'll be dead by then!" screamed the woman to his right. Harry recognised her as Draco's mother, Narcissa. "Just like Bellitrix! That's why she hasn't reported back! She's dead!"
"Silence!" commanded Voldemort striking Narcissa. She fell to the ground, when she raised herself, she was supporting a bloody lip.
There was a chuckle from a Death Eater to Voldemort's left. Voldemort cast his eyes towards the man.
"Something funny, Gibbon?" glared Voldemort.
The chuckling stopped.
"No my lord." said the Death Eater quietly.
"Because if you thought that one of my subjects disobeying orders was funny, that would make you an enemy wouldn't it? Maybe you should be looking for Miss Bellitrix. Do you volunteer?"
Gibbon stammered. "If…that's what you think I should do."
Voldemort growled lowly. "What about you, Mulciber? Or you Travers? Maybe you two should go looking for her. Hmm?"
Two Death Eater Harry hadn't even seen in the shadows moved uncomfortably.
"Because," Voldemort continued. "You may have noticed that I've only sent the creatures in first because I believe that the school is still dangerous! But if you think you can find her! Then by all means!" he shouted.
Voldemort began breathing very deeply. Harry could then see, that he was in fact weak. His breaths were deep wheezes. His hand seemed to be a dead weight, his wand lay limp in it.
"Gibbon!" shouted Voldemort. Gibbon jumped at the mention of his name. "Where is she!" he demanded.
"I…I don't-"
"Mulciber! Where is she!"
"I-
"SNAPE! WHERE IS BELLITRIX! WHERE IS NAGINI!" roared Lord Voldemort.
Snape seemed to appear out of the shadows to his side.
"I'm sure they will be here in a matter of minutes, my Lord." said Snape quietly.
"Nagini! She should be back by now!" wheezed Voldemort.
Harry could see that the effort was taking a toil. Voldemort's breathing continued to intensify.
"Where is Nagini! Where IS HARRY POTTER!" yelled Voldemort.
Snape paused. "Unless I'm very much mistaken, he's right behind that tree."
Before Harry could even think, the tree he was standing next, exploded in a burst of flames. The blast sent Harry to the ground. Ash and soot seemed to rain on top of him. His hair was singed, but apart from that, he was un-harmed.
"Don't kill him." ordered Snape and then he added. "not just yet."
"You always had keen eyes, professor." said Harry as he glanced around the group. He had a horrible feeling that he might die at any minute. His scar began to throb with pain. Beating, like a horrible second heart.
"Harry Potter." wheezed Voldemort, Harry could see that he was trying to control his breathing, trying to look stronger.
"Harry Potter! The boy who lived! I take it, that since you here, Bellitrix was un-able to finish her task?"
Harry forced a smile. "Yes. She was close. But you know I have a knack of 'staying alive'" Joking was all that Harry could do to stop his brain from panicking, and his feet from buckling.
"So you killed her?" Voldemort mused, he didn't seemed to broken up by the fact.
"She's dead if that's what you want to know." said Harry bravely, knowing full well that there was six wand trained on him.
"Well she played her part-"
"No!" interrupted Narcissa. "No! You killed her! You killed my sister!"
"Wasn't me." said Harry evenly.
"What about Lucius?" she demanded. "What about Draco? Did you kill them too!"
Harry thought about lying, but for a second he only saw Narcissa as a worried mother and wife.
"No." he answered "There alive. Unconscious perhaps. Trapped. But alive."
Nacissa's wand was trembling.
"I don't…I don't believe you!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. "You killed them! Didn't you? Didn't you! Crucio!"
Harry raised the shield without thinking, the hex struck it soundly. The entire shield seemed to shake, then the spell shot back at Nacissa. Her screams filled the clearing, until she fell into unconsciousness.
The Death Eater called Travers, completely forgot Snape's (and more importantly Voldemort's) orders and shouted. "Avada Kedavra!"
Again Harry parried the shot off the shield, and the spell rebounded into the chest of Gibbon. The Death Eater just had enough time to cast a quizzing look at Travers, before hitting the ground.
Harry could feel the shield crack as soon as the spell had hit it, but it still stayed together. Turning on the spot, Harry raised the sword and blasted Travers off his feet.
Voldemort had his wand raised.
"Avada Kedavra!" he shouted. Harry ducked as the spell flew over his head. Voldemort repeated it again and again. "Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!"
Harry dodged the next one, and swung the shield at the third. It sent the spell ricocheting into the trees. But the force of the spell shook the shield. The crack, split lengthways down it. Gold liquid oozed outwards. Harry tossed it to the side, and got ready for the next attack. But it didn't come.
There was a pause. Voldemort seemed in great agony, clutching his chest.
Mulciber glanced at him, waiting for some kind of order. But Harry had already aimed.
"Too slow." he said. "Stupefy!"
Mulciber slammed into the nearest tree.
"Severus! Severus! Do something!" ordered Voldemort, straining to breath.
Snape turned to Harry. He had barley moved in the entire brawl. Then he turned back to Voldemort.
"I would my Lord. But unfortunately, Mister Potter seems to have mastered the Imperius Curse. Yes." he said as if only realising something. "Yes, unfortunately I have no control of my body."
Snape simply raised the wand to his head, and said.
"Dormio."
He fell to the ground asleep.
Harry regarded Voldemort. Then he looked at the shield.
"That's it. Isn't it." Harry said. "If they get destroyed. It hurts you. Well it is part of your soul, I suppose. Wow. You must have been in agony, when I shoved the diadem down Nagini's throat."
"You mean?" wheezed Voldemort.
"Yeah I do." said Harry smugly. "I killed her, with a piece of you. Ironically. And this shield."
Harry picked a piece of the broken shield and tossed it to Voldemort. "Look familiar?"
Voldemort regarded the badger symbol of the centre of the shield.
"You knew." he growled. "But then you know I can't die unless you destroy them all." he added with a small smile. "See Potter! I didn't get this far, merely by luck!"
Voldemort cackled like a sick dying man.
Harry let him laugh. And then.
"Hey. Are you watching? Cause this is important."
Swinging the sword Harry dug it into the ground. Then he gabbed at the locket-wand combination, and pulled it free. As soon as it was separated form the sword, the locket and wand divided. The wand fell on the ground a foot away. Harry gripped the chain tightly.
"No!" screamed Voldemort as soon as he recognised the locket.
"This is gonna hurt." said Harry swinging the locket into the standing sword.
The metal shell shattered against the perfect blade.
Voldemort screamed in agony, his hand was held to his chest as if holding on for dear life.
Harry regarded the smashed locket in his hand. It was cracked in two, and was leaking a dark green liquid. Harry looked at Voldemort as he writhed in pain.
"Horcruxes. Fool proof." Harry said.
Voldemort shot him a look of absolute venom.
"I'm not the fool here, Potter! You have gotten far. But not far enough. Your wand is gone. But I still have mine." Voldemort heavily raised his hand. "You are now standing in front of me defenceless. Alone. Ready to die!"
"I wouldn't be so sure about the last two." said a voice to Harry's left. Voldemort and Harry turned to see a girl and boy appear form under a cloak a few feet away.
Hermione and Ron stood in the clearing, still holding the thing wrapped up in the purple cloth. Harry was filled with relief. But it quickly vanished when he saw Voldemort raising him wand.
"Crucio!" he shouted. Ron pulled Hermione out of the way, and caught the blast of the spell. He let out a small cry, and fell to the ground. Hermione turned to Harry.
"Harry!" she called. "Catch!"
She tossed the cloth covered objected into the air. Voldemort's eyes followed it's progress through the air. The cloth fell away from it as it flew. Harry jumped and caught it. Landing, he turned to aim a large revolver at Lord Voldemort.
"What-!?" attempted Voldemort.
"It's a gift." replied Harry. "From my mother's side." and fired.