He hit the ground with a stunning suddenness that was almost painless, and the world exploded in colour. He saw a circle of stones, bright green in the dim light. He saw a woman with her back to him. He saw the long grey cape and the black curly hair.

Then he saw a fist.

And the fist hit him in the face.

Harry opened his eyes.

The pain was exquisite. He could taste blood in his mouth. He could feel every bone in his face, every joint, every tendon. He tried to move and couldn't. He tried to speak and couldn't.

"What?" he croaked.

"You're not dead," said the woman.

"I... don't... understand..."

"You're not dead, but you're not alive either."

"Alive?" said Harry.

The woman nodded.

He tried to sit up. He couldn't. His face was still numb, his limbs still curiously reluctant to obey his command. He looked around.

The woman was staring at him. He could see her better now, thought he could. She seemed young, not much more than a girl. Strangely, he didn't think of her as beautiful. He thought of her as... well, he thought of her as _normal_. That was it. She was just a girl. A girl was looking at him.

"I killed him," he said.

"I know," she said.

"I... killed..."

"You mean, your friend, Voldemort? He's dead."

"Voldemort," he repeated.

"You saved the school," said the woman. "You made me a hero. Well, not anymore. I'm not a hero any more."

He felt his face flush. He felt tears fill his eyes.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean —"

"It's all right," she said. "You're alive. That's the main thing."

"But I killed him," he said again.

"I know," she said.

"I killed —"

"You saved the school. You're alive. That's the main thing."

He looked around again.

"But where — where are we?"

She pointed towards the circle of trees.

"Hagrid's hut," she said.

And just for a moment, he wasn't sure. He was sure he had killed Lord Voldemort. He was sure he was lying on the ground, half dead, in front of the hut where he had been born. But he wasn't quite sure he was alive. Was he alive?

"Hagrid!" he shouted.

She put a hand on his shoulder.

"It's all right," she said. "He's not dead."

"I killed him!" he screamed.

"He's not dead."

"I killed him! I killed him!"

"Yes," she said. "You did. Now he's not."

"I killed him!"

"Yes," she said again.

He stared around. The pain in his face had almost gone. He felt his legs. They worked fine.

"But where am I?"

She pointed at a large bundle lying by the trees. "There," she said. "Go and hide yourself in there."

He walked over and looked inside the large bundle. It contained a lot of rags and some chains, which were obviously part of a set. And lying beside them was a body.

A body he knew very well.

Lord Voldemort's.

"It was the only way," said the woman. "There was no other way. I had to make you believe he was still alive."

"But why?" Harry asked.

"Because he is," she said.

"But I saw him die!" said Harry. "I saw him die!"

She pulled him out of the hut. She held his face in her hands, and he felt her hair against his cheek.

"Listen to me, Harry," she said. "Voldemort is not dead. You saw him die. But that was not the end. I brought his body here. You will never see him again, but his body will live. His body and my body together. We are the only two people who know the truth about him. Nobody else knows. If you had not come here that night, no one would ever have known. He would have remained missing. But now everyone knows. Now he can never be allowed to remain among us. So, yes, I had to make you believe he was still alive. Do you understand?"

"But — but —"

"Do you understand, Harry? Now, come with me and hide yourself in there. Quickly. It's the only way."

He tried to pull away from her, but she held him tight.

"Let go, then!" he said. "Let go! I want to know why you had to do this! I want to know why!"

"I had no choice!" she said, wrenching him away from the body. "I had no choice!"

"Let me go!" he said. "I want to know! I want to know!"

"I'm sorry, Harry," she said. "I'm sorry. I had to. I had to!"

"Let me go!" he said.

She held him tighter.

"Let me go!" he screamed.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I had to!"

"Let me go!"

"I'm sorry!"

She pulled him towards the circle of trees.

"Hagrid!" he shouted. "Hagrid! I killed him! I killed him!"

She turned around, pulling him away from the hut.

"Hagrid!" he bellowed. "I killed Lord Voldemort! I killed him!"

She turned around, pulling him even faster through the forest.

"Hagrid!" he bellowed. "I killed him! I killed him! Let me come with you! Let me come with you! I want to come with you!"

"No," she said.

"I want to come with you! Let me come with you! I want to come with you!"

She held him tighter. She didn't stop.

"No!" he shouted.

And then, suddenly, she stopped.

She was standing by the very copse of trees that she had emerged from.

"I can't take you with me," she said. "Not this time. You have to go on alone."

"But — but —" he said.

"I can't take the risk," she said.

"I don't want to go without you!" he said. "I don't want to go at all!"

She didn't move. She just held him with her eyes.

"Please!" he said.

"You have to," she whispered. "You have to."

And then she released him. She turned and walked away through the trees.

Harry Potter looked down at Lord Voldemort's motionless body.