Harry Potter and the Wrath of the Horcruxes
Chapter 5: Redemption Day
"Breaking and entering!" said Umbridge as though she was impressed. "I'll finally have you right where I want you, all three of you - Azkaban prison!"
But even as she raised her wand to perform another paralysis spell, a flash of green light came and struck her in the back, and she fell dead. Voldemort stepped out of the dark corner he had been waiting in, carrying an unconscious Neville Longbottom by the collar. Harry froze. As for Ron and Hermione, they were so petrified they nearly swooned. They had never seen Voldemort, but they had no doubt whatsoever that this was the Dark Wizard himself. A shudder ran through the basement. The trio could feel it in their bones.
"You should be dead," came the cold voice. "You were dead. I would certainly like to know what brought you back to life. Such information would invaluable to me - after all, if you knew about my Horcruxes, then you should be well aware that living forever is my greatest cause. Come, tell me this secret."
Harry knew that this was information he must not divulge, at any costs. But wait - Voldemort was a Legimens, the greatest Legimens ever known! How could Harry keep the knowledge of the Fruit from him? Perhaps it was no matter, because Harry was the Chosen One, meaning he was the only one who could have eaten the Fruit and regained life. And yet... his destiny seemed to eternally be tied with Voldemort's, so perhaps the Dark Lord would also be capable of eating the Fruit? All seemed hopeless as Harry realized this, because it all led back to the fact that Voldemort could read minds.
But mysteriously, Voldemort did not seem enlightened. "Tell me, now," he said, "or your dear friend suffers a fate far worse than death." He raised his wand to Neville's throat.
Apparently this Voldemort came from a Horcrux early enough that it was before he could perform Legilimency. All the same, however, Harry still had a dilemma on his hands.
"Are you sure you want to hesitate?" Voldemort whispered. "Believe me, I can make him suffer. I can cause him so much pain he would beg for death - but he would be unable to speak. I know spells that would eat out his mind and leave him still just barely alive. Or how about we perform a little Diffindo and tear off his limbs?"
The fury in Harry was steadily rising. How could he prevent this? Completely at a loss for any other solution, he drew out his wand, but before Voldemort could perform a blocking spell, suddenly wizards and witches began to appear out of thin air. Surrounding the surprised onlookers were the victims that Harry had brought back to life. Ron and Hermione spotted Dumbledore, Sirius, and Cedric, and nearly jumped out of their skin. The newcomers swished their wands, and all pointing directly at Voldemort, cried "Expelliarmus!"
Voldemort's wand and Neville left his grip to fly through the air and skid across the basement floor. There was silence. Voldemort looked shocked, then his expression slowly changed to mildly amused.
"Heh," he snorted, "no matter. I don't need a wand to Apparate." He made a motion as if to prepare for Apparition, and the trio and the former victims thought all was lost, but then, as Voldemort's arms swung around, a light began eating away at his body. It started in his midsection, then spread to his arms and legs, and finally his head. Obviously Voldemort was in some sort of unknown pain, and his face showed it. At last the figure of the Dark Lord was completely overwhelmed, and he vanished in a puff of black smoke.
"That's not Apparition..." Harry said, confused.
When the smoke cleared, Neville could be seen behind Voldemort, looking as bruised and battered and half-dead as ever, but awake and standing, with a satisfied smile on his face. His arms were outstretched and Gryffindor's lamp lay completely shattered under them.