Chapter 1 : The prophecy fulfilled
Voldemort was dead, lying at Harry's feet, his snakelike features barely less frightening than when he was alive. As he stood there, watching the body of his enemy and trying to take in the full meaning of the situation, Harry became slowly aware again of the battle still raging yards away on Hogwarts grounds. Nobody knew yet... He was torn between the desire to join the fighters, to make sure that Ginny was alive and whole, and the desire to understand. The cup, the snake, Ravenclaw's dagger, he kept repeating himself with a feeling of dizziness, that's only three of them, he can't be gone, the locket's missing. He'd messed up, he hadn't found the locket in time, he'd had to face Voldemort too soon, but there it was, there was no sigh of life in Voldemort anymore. Harry didn't dare move from the spot or avert his eyes lest something should happen while he was away, lest some bit of Voldemort's soul had survived, and then it would all happen over again he thought in despair, then it would all have been in vain.
But he couldn't stay there for ever, not while the others were fighting, maybe hurt, maybe dead. He turned round and began to run, dodging jets of light and looking everywhere for Ginny as he went, but she was nowhere to be seen. Bodies were scattered on the ground but there was no sign of the flaming red hair in the dim foggy dusk light, and Harry kept running...
Was it sudden inspiration, or had he really heard voices he didn't know, but as he drew level with Hagrid's cabin he stopped abruptly and strained his ears to listen. In spite of the shouts and surrounding noises of the battle, he recognised the hated voice immediately. Snape was there. Hiding inside perhaps, the coward. So, Harry hadn't finished his job this night. A murderer still had to pay.
Harry walked round the corner of the cabin and saw that the door was open. Cautiously but determined, weighing his chances against the wizard he now hated more than he had ever hated Lord Voldemort himself perhaps, he peered through one of the dirty windows into the dimly lit cabin.
His heart missed a beat.