"You

"You?!" screeched Hermione. "You're dead!"

"What does it take to kill you anyway?!" Sirius shouted.

"Oh, I am indeed dead, out there. But I think I will wait to explain until the rest of our guests have arrived." Voldemort said calmly.

"Other guests?" Sirius asked. But before anyone answered, Draco fell out of the ceiling in a heap.

"Draco!" Hermione cried, running over to him and kissing him.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just so happy to see you."

Just then, Snape also fell from the ceiling nearby, followed closely by Harry, who had a hold of his robes.

"Hermione, Ron! You're okay!" Harry shouted. "Sirius!"

"We are all fine Harry." Dumbledore said, trying to calm him down.

"Well, now that we are all reacquainted." Voldemort interrupted.

"AAAAAAH!" Harry yelled when he saw him. "How the Hell many times do we have to kill you?!"

"You." Snape hissed angrily at Voldemort. Draco just stood by speechless.

"Why Severus, you brought a friend." Voldemort said with an evil smile. "Good, it will save me the trouble of trapping him myself."

"What are you talking about?" Harry asked coldly.

"You were to immune to the power of the ruby until I was powerful enough to leave it." Voldemort explained.

"Okay, first of all: you're dead." Harry told him.

"Not as dead as we would have hoped." Remus said.

"My body is dead, that is true. But just before the Aurors killed me, my loyal Death Eaters," he said, with a hateful glance at Snape and Draco, "contained my essence within the ruby. My powers, my memories, everything I am. I had meant this ruby to be a trap for Dumbledore long ago. I believe you were on our side then, Severus. But I recently modified the plan, and see how much better it has worked. Saves me from having to kill you all myself."

"But how did it get in my vault?" Harry asked, angry he had been tricked like this.

"One of my Death Eaters in an Invisibility Cloak followed you. I knew you would keep it with you if you believed it was from your parents. Very predictable. And now that you're here, I am powerful enough to leave and return to power."

"Why didn't you just kill us?" Ron asked.

"Because he needs us." Snape hissed. "He needs our power and strength to leave the ruby."

"Very good Severus. You seem to have learned a great deal since you abandoned us. But not how to avoid my wrath. And you are wrong about one thing. I don't need all of you. You and Draco are expendable. I think I'll kill you first. The first to leave, the first to die." he sneered.

What little color Snape's face had drained away. But he didn't run. He stood straight, glaring, defiant to the last. Determined not to show fear, as Voldemort would have liked for him to do. Voldemort raised a wand Harry recognized as Ron's.

"No!" Harry shouted.

He ran in front of a very surprised Snape just as Voldemort said 'Avada Kedavra'. The blast of green light hit Harry full on, knocking him into Snape and hurling them both across the cell. Hermione screamed and buried her head into Draco. Harry lay motionless on the ground as Snape disentangled himself from him. Voldemort, surprised by what had happened, did not react quickly enough. Snape, Dumbledore, McGonnagall, Lupin, and Sirius all pointed their wands at him, and with one voice, stunned him. Ron and Draco ran over to Harry, with Hermione, Neville, and Colin close behind.

"No, he can't be." Ron said, fighting back tears. "He just can't be."

"He saved my life." Snape said quietly, hardly daring to believe it.

"Harry, why did you do that?" Draco asked his still form. "He wouldn't have killed you."

"No, he just would have left us here to starve." Lupin said bitterly.

Sirius suddenly realized he was crying. He wasn't the only one. Hermione was sobbing uncontrollably against Draco, who had hot tears running down his face. Neville and Colin couldn't tear their eyes from Harry. Ron was sobbing too, held up by Professor McGonnagall. Dumbledore had his bowed his head. He seemed much older than he was. Lupin had forced himself to turn away; he couldn't bear to look. Even Snape looked as though he were crying, or were about to.

"God that hurt." Harry moaned, stirring slightly.

"Harry!" Hermione shrieked. She threw her arms around him.

"You aren't dead!" Ron shouted.

"I feel like I am. Could someone please get Hermione off me before she suffocates me?" Harry gasped. Draco pulled her away.

"How could you have survived that?" Sirius asked in amazement.

"He did it once before." Neville pointed out, drying his eyes.

"Yes, but that was because his parents died to protect him, creating a protection around him." Dumbledore explained. "I don't believe it would have protected him again."

"Then how could he have survived?" Colin asked.

"Voldemort." Harry said. "He made a mistake. He couldn't have killed me even if he wanted to."

"What do you mean?" McGonnagall asked quietly.

"He said I was protected from the effects of the ruby. Looks like I was even protected from him. I can't be hurt by the ruby, or anything in the ruby, I think."

"It seems to be the likeliest explanation." Dumbledore mused.

"He only meant to make me immune to being pulled in when I touched it, but it protected me from everything about the ruby. Even him."