"Come," Fleur whispered, leading the trio, Ginny, and Percy through the dark streets of the village of Beuvron-en-Auge. The moon, a crescent of silver, hung high in the midnight sky.

"Zis is ze place," Fleur said. She looked to Percy. "Where do we go from 'ere?"

Percy scouted the buildings. "This way," he said, and scurried off down an alleyway.

They passed tiny cottages, which soon gave way to larger, grand houses. Percy stopped in front of a particularly forboding Gothic-era house.

"This is it," he said definitively.

"Bloody hell," Ron said, staring up at the facade.

"Now who's in there?" Harry wanted to know.

"Loads of Death Eaters," affirmed Percy.

"And Voldemort, of course," Hermione said.

Percy looked as though she had just brought the whole house down upon them. "Don't say his name so close--"

But it was too late. Voldemort, in robes of black fog, his outline blurred against the night, appeared in the great arched doorway, flanked by Bellatrix and Umbridge.

"We have visitors," he said wispily, his pointed teeth showing as he grinned wickedly.

Ron raised his wand, glaring steadily at Umbridge. "Avada Kedavra!" A weak puff of green steam came from the tip of his wand; Umbridge laughed, her high and cruel voice echoing in the night.

"Ron, you can't--" said Percy from behind him. He thought of the training Natalya and Bellatrix had given him. "But I can." He pointed his wand straight at Umbridge, who was still laughing. "Crucio!"

Abruptly, the laughter stopped, replaced by horrified screaming. Umbridge curled in terror on the front steps of the house as Percy advanced on her. "I was taught," he said darkly, "to want to cause pain."

Umbridge looked up at him, her eyes wide with fright.

"Percy!" screamed Hermione. "Percy, no!"

He ignored her. "I bet you didn't give my father a chance, did you?"

She said nothing, only continued to twitch and shriek.

"Percy!" Hermione ran forward.

"Finite incantatem," Percy said finally, and Umbridge relaxed. He turned to walk away.

"That's right," Umbridge said distastefully. "You still are capable of mercy."

Eyes blazing, Percy turned on her. "Avada Kedavra!"

And Dolores Umbridge lay dead, a look of horrified shock on her amphibious face.

Voldemort watched this as if it was a mildly entertaining play unfolding before his eyes, while Ginny watched with a guarded jealousy. She wished she had killed Umbridge. She wanted vengeance. And there was only one person left standing on the stairs who had hurt her directly.

Perhaps it was just because Voldemort would never expect it from a young witch; perhaps he remembered Ginny from when he had possessed her as Tom Riddle; or perhaps he was just so occupied with predicting Harry's response that he forgot that other people were standing there, posing just as much of a threat. But when Ginny Weasley Apparated into a spot two feet from the Dark Lord and jabbed her wand into his ribs, he didn't have time enough to react before she had shouted "Expelliarmus!"

"Stupid girl," scoffed Bellatrix, but before she could do anything, Hermione had stopped her in her tracks.

"Petrificus totalus!"

Harry grabbed Voldemort's wand at once.

"I don't need my wand to perform magic," Voldemort said calmly, flexing his fingers.

Hold on, Ginny, thought Harry, as his eyes flitted over the ground, searching for Nagini.

"I'm not afraid of you," Ginny said defiantly.

Voldemort seemed offended.

"You possessed me for nearly a whole year," she continued, "and you couldn't win. Harry killed you then, and he was only twelve. Imagine what he'll do to you now."

Ron shook from head to toe. "Ginny..." he said weakly.

"I will kill you slowly," Voldemort told her, his red eyes boring into her. "I will torture you, while they watch."

Nagini slithered through the long, scraggly grass. Harry and Ginny noticed her at the same time, and Harry raised Voldemort's wand.

"Too late," Ginny said, an eyebrow raised.

"Avada Kedavra!" cried Harry, and a green jet of light soared from the tip of the wand.

The ground shook, and light exploded from the dead snake's mouth, fading into nothing.

Voldemort glared at him.

"You're mortal now," Harry said stoutly.

"You didn't need to kill the snake."

"I killed it out of spite."

"Then go ahead." Voldemort stuck his chin out, daring Harry to kill him. "You can't do it. Your rage against me is still warranted. You cannot use the Killing Curse."

Harry knew this. "Percy," he said quickly.

Percy smiled. "My pleasure." He raised his wand. "Avada Kedavra!"

But the curse bounced off. Percy ducked, and it hit a bird, who fell to the ground in a shower of feathers.

Harry's mouth fell open. "But I've destroyed them all," he said in disbelief. "You made six... we've destroyed all six..."

"No," Voldemort said, pushing Ginny to the side, "I made seven."

"But--"

"I only intended to make six," Voldemort told him, "you're right. I intended to make my sixth with your death, Harry. But something else went wrong the night Lily sacrificed herself for you."

"And what would that be?" His heart beat wildly in his chest.

"The Horcrux spell backfired," Voldemort explained, "and the part of my soul that fragmented when I killed your mother... went into you."

Harry went white.

"Yes, Harry, with every breath you take, you keep me alive," Voldemort said hungrily, "with every day you feel the sun on your face, you keep me immortal. You are nothing but a container for my soul, Harry."

There was no response, no curse, no defense. Harry had nothing to say. He opened his mouth, and looked at Ginny, who was terrified.

And then he Apparated away.