Hello Potter (and friends),
I've been informed you have managed to take away my beloved Nagini. I will not let you get away with murdering her, or Severus Snape. You will not defeat me. You cannot win. I must admit, I have felt myself weakening. Clearly you have done much. You destroyed all my Horcruxes except one. As I said, you will not get away with killing Nagini and Severus. I will take away those that mean the most to you.
I look forward to our next meeting.
Goodbye, Potter.
-L.V.

Voldemort folded up the letter and enclosed it in an envelope. A large black owl flew down and perched on the arm of the chair. Voldemort tied the letter to the owl's leg and the animal took off. It was time to get revenge on Harry Potter.

"Harry? Harry, wake up. Are you okay?" Ron shook Harry.

"What happened?" Harry asked, sitting up.

"Harry, you did it. You destroyed the sword," Hermione replied. Harry looked at the wand still in his hand. "Harry. We have one Horcrux left."

"This is unbelievable. I can't believe it. It's almost over," Harry whispered.

"I know. We can almost go home," Hermione smiled.

"Before we get too happy, we have to find the person that has a Horcrux in their soul," Ron stated.

"Right. How do we even find the person?" Hermione asked.

"I'm not sure. We have to think about it. Who would Voldemort use to hide a Horcrux?" Harry said. Before they could begin thinking, a black owl soared into the cave and landed on the ground.

"I don't recognize that owl," Ron frowned at the animal.

"I've never seen it before," Harry shook his head. Despite not knowing the owl, Harry untied the letter and the bird took off.

"Harry, be careful," Hermione warned. Harry nodded and slowly ripped the envelope open. He pulled the parchment out and read the writing.

"Who's it from?" Ron wondered.

"Voldemort," Harry answered. He jumped up suddenly. "No! No! No!"

"Harry, what is it?" Hermione asked.

"He's going after Remus and Sirius. He's getting revenge for killing Snape and Nagini," Harry handed her the letter.

"Oh no."

"What do we do?" Ron said.

"What can we do? We can't contact them. We can't go to them," Harry replied. He pulled out his pocket watch. "Uh oh."

"What?"

"My uncles are at the Burrow." Harry looked at them. All three of them were drained of colour.

"We should get home," Remus said as his watch struck eight a.m.

"Mum, I have to go back with them," Ginny told her mother.

"I know, dear. You'll be home soon," Mrs. Weasley hugged her daughter.

"I hope so. I want them to come home," Ginny sighed.

"We all do," Mrs. Weasley nodded, knowing who Ginny was talking about.

"Hellooooo?" a high voice called from outside.

"Who in the world is that?" Mr. Weasley headed to the window.

"Arthur, no. Turn off the lights," Sirius said. Mr. Weasley looked at the Auror curiously but turned off all the lights.

"I'm looking for Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. I have a message from your nephew," the high voice said.

"That's You-Know-Who, isn't it?" Mrs. Weasley whispered, holding Ginny close. Bill, Charlie, and the twins were in the kitchen now.

"Yes, it is," Sirius nodded.

"I guess I'll send the message in there since you won't come out here," Voldemort said. It went quiet. Remus and Sirius looked at each other.

"Look out!" Sirius yelled. Everyone ducked just as a jet of green light came soaring through the kitchen window, shattering it.

"Spells can't shatter glass unless it's Reducto or Bombardar," Remus said, looking at the window.

"We'll figure it out later. We have to get out of here," Sirius said.

"How? I bet you anything Death Eaters are surrounding this place," Remus frowned. He and Sirius moved quickly as another Killing Curse flew their way.

"We have to try."

"If we go out there, we all die. This is Voldemort, not Snape or Bellatrix."

"We have to get them out of here," Sirius pointed to the Weasleys.

Remus looked at them. They were all terrified. "Let's go," he nodded. Sirius smiled and they headed for the back door. He opened it and peeked out. It was clear but he knew they weren't safe.

"Everyone, keep your wands out. Even Ginny," Sirius told the Weasleys. They took out their wands and slowly followed him, Remus last.

"Sirius, we have to get out of range of the wards," Remus said.

"Go through the field," Mr. Weasley pointed to the wheat field to their right.

Sirius looked at everyone. "We'll be seen. We'll have to fight." He looked Remus in the eye. Remus sighed. There was no way out. It was time for their encounter with Voldemort. Sirius started heading towards the front of the house and the others followed. Finally there, they saw Voldemort with only three Death Eaters, but Greyback was there too.

"There you are," Voldemort greeted.

"Here we are," Sirius said.

"So your nephew left you a message."

"Which is?" Remus stated.

"Goodbye." Everything began moving quickly, turning into a blur. Spells were flying everywhere. Everyone was dodging and immediately retaliating with their opponent.

Remus seemed to have taken on Greyback and Voldemort, while Sirius, too, was fighting Voldemort along with Lucius Malfoy. Bill and Charlie had teamed up and taken Igor Karkaroff. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were fighting Bellatrix Lestrange. Fred, George, and Ginny were sending spells at all the enemies, trying to help out.

After a few minutes, they were getting weak. They had all been hit with multiple cutting curses and were bleeding freely. Fred, Bill, and Sirius had been hit with the Cruciatus curse. They knew they couldn't win. Voldemort was too strong and so were his followers. Almost no damage had come to the Death Eaters and Greyback.

"I told your nephew I would get revenge and I don't go back on my word," Voldemort said. Sirius was on the ground, breathing hard, having just been released from Voldemort's powerful Cruciatus curse. Remus was beside him, trying to help him up.

"Dad!" Ginny's cry made everyone look towards her. Mr. Weasley had fallen to the ground. He didn't appear to be breathing. Mrs. Weasley was beside him, holding his hand. What had hit the man, only Bellatrix knew.

"So you two aren't the only ones leaving your nephew behind," Voldemort raised his wand at Remus and Sirius. The Death Eaters turned their wands on Remus and Sirius as well. Their eyes grew wide. "Goodbye." All the wands were waved and different spells were sent towards the remaining Marauders. A few seconds later, a spell hit the ground and a wall of dust clouded Remus and Sirius from view.

Harry sat upright from his spot on the floor of the cave. He looked around. Ron and Hermione were lying next to each other across from him, asleep. He looked outside. It was dark but seemed to be getting lighter. When he had laid down, it had been around midday. He quickly woke his friends.

"Something wrong, mate?" Ron sat up, yawning.

"I think it's morning," Harry said.

"That makes no sense. It was only the afternoon when we laid down," Ron frowned.

"Look outside, Ron," Harry said. Ron obeyed. "We've been asleep all day and all night."

"Uh oh. We lost so much time. We have to find this person," Hermione replied.

"I know, but how? Voldemort probably put the Horcrux in someone close to him or someone he knows well," Harry answered. They all jumped when the familiar black owl landed on the floor. A rolled up paper was tied to its leg. Harry took it off and the owl flew away. He unrolled the Daily Prophet.

You-Know-Who Attacks and Takes Lives!

Early yesterday morning, at eight o'clock a.m., He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named attacked Ottery St. Catchpole. He, along with three Death Eaters and the infamous Fenrir Greyback, attacked the home known as the Burrow, also home to the large Weasley family. At this time, Mrs. Molly Weasley, Mr. Arthur Weasley, Ginevra, Fred, George, William, and Charles Weasley were all at home. They also had guests; Mr. Sirius Black and Mr. Remus Lupin.

These nine wizards put up a heroic fight, but in the end, only six walked away. We will all grieve for the deaths of the following:

Remus Lupin
Sirius Black
Arthur Weasley

They will be forever missed and forever loved.

An R.S. article.

Harry looked up at his friends as the paper fell from his hands. It couldn't be. It was a lie. They weren't dead. None of them.

"Harry? Harry, please say something," Hermione said.

"They're dead," he whispered.

"We don't know that for sure. Whoever wrote this article might have gotten false facts," Hermione told him.

"Hermione, it's right there! They're dead! Voldemort killed them!" Harry shouted then put his face in his hands. "They're dead," he whispered. He had tears falling down his cheeks.

Hermione went to her friend's side and put a hand on his back. "Harry, there's a possibility the article is wrong," she said softly.

"They can't be dead. They can't be. I need them," Harry sobbed.

Hermione hugged him. "I know. If they really are gone, you can avenge them. Voldemort may have killed them. Let's kill him."

Harry looked at her through tears and nodded. "Let's find this person." Hermione smiled and handed him a book. Ron hadn't said anything. If his father was dead, he, too, was ready to avenge him.

"Maybe it's one of the Death Eaters. Maybe it's Greyback," Ron suggested.

"Maybe," Harry breathed deeply. "We need some kind of clue. Anything." All of a sudden, the sound of an explosion sounded out. The trio ran out and up to Hogsmeade.

"Oh my God!" Hermione gasped. The Astronomy Tower on the school was ablaze, but that wasn't the only thing. The Dark Mark was floating over Hogwarts. The ghostly snake slithered from the green skull's mouth. There was another explosion and another tower went up in flames.

"That's Gryffindor Tower!" Ron exclaimed.

"It's a message. He's calling me. He's saying it's time to finally end this," Harry said.

"You don't have to face him alone," Hermione told him.

"This time, I do have to go alone. I'll stay until we find the person. After that, I have to go. Alone," Harry replied.

"Harry-" Hermione began.

"Let's go find the person." Harry gave the castle one last glance then headed back to the cave. Ron and Hermione looked at each other sadly and worriedly. They, too, gave the school a final look then followed the trail to the cave, hands linked.

Sirius groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the soft pillow under his pounding head. He opened his eyes a crack but immediately shut them from the light.

"Is he all right?" he heard Bill Weasley ask.

"Yeah. He was closest to the Reductor Curse, so he felt the effects more than I did. He was also hit with a Stunner and we were both skimmed with a Killing Curse. He'll be find as long as he rests for a while," Remus explained.

"If I was nauseous, this would feel like a hangover," Sirius said, finally opening his eyes. Remus, Bill, and the twins were in the room. "Where're the others?"

"St. Mungo's," Remus answered.

"Why?" Sirius frowned.

"Arthur wasn't breathing and he didn't have a pulse. I couldn't hear or feel a heartbeat either," Remus told him.

"Has there been any news on him?" Sirius slowly sat up.

"Not yet. Molly said she'd tell us as soon as there was something," Remus shook his head. Sirius sighed. "Oh, and the world thinks we're dead," he added.

"What?" Remus grinned and handed him a copy of the Daily Prophet. "'An R.S. article'? What's that?"

"The person who wrote the article," Remus said.

"R.S. R.S. Rita Skeeter," Sirius sighed. Remus nodded. "What if Harry sees this? He won't pay attention to who wrote it. He'll think we're dead."

"Yeah, I thought about that. We can't do anything though. We have no idea where he is," Remus said.

There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it," Bill said and headed downstairs.

"Wonder who it is?" Remus stated.

"We're still at the Burrow, right?" Sirius asked.

"Padfoot, look around. We're in Fred and George's room. Molly, Bill, and Charlie brought us up here. We were unconscious," Remus told him.

"Sirius! Remus!" Kingsley burst into the room, Bill behind him.

"We're alive, Kingsley," Sirius said.

"I don't care," Kingsley snapped, making Sirius raise an eyebrow. "Hogwarts is on fire! The Astronomy Tower and Gryffindor Tower are in flames! And the Dark Mark is over the school!" he shouted.

Sirius jumped up. "Let's go."

"Can we come?" Fred asked.

"This is extremely dangerous," Sirius said.

"We don't care. We want to help. We want to help Harry, Ron, and Hermione," George added.

"Sirius, we can't technically tell them what to do. They're of age," Remus said.

"They could be killed," Sirius replied.

"Sirius, please."

Sirius stared at the twins. "If it gets too dangerous, I'm sending you both home. No complaints, deal?"

"Deal," the twins agreed.

"Okay," Sirius and Remus exchanged glances. "Let's get to the school." He resumed running down the stairs after Kingsley, the others following.

"What about Mum and the others at the hospital?" Bill asked.

"They need to stay with your dad. We don't have time to go there," Sirius answered. Bill nodded. They all Apparated to Hogsmeade.

Kingsley, Sirius, Remus, Bill, Fred, and George gasped at the sight before them. Two towers were engulfed in flames, the black smoke rising and adding to the frightening essence of the Dark Mark's lingering presence above the ancient school. They ran up the empty street of Hogsmeade village to the large iron gates, running through to the school.

"Where are we going?" Fred asked.

"Inside. It's time to fight. It's full fledged war. It's the battle of Hogwarts," Sirius said.

"We have to get the students out of the school. Especially the younger ones," Kingsley stated.

"That'll be nearly impossible. We'll be trying to stay alive, keep kids alive, and get them out, all with Death Eaters lacing the school. Not to mention You-Know-Who," Bill replied.

"Voldemort won't be anywhere around us. He'll be in the Headmaster's office, waiting for Harry. We have to deal with Death Eaters and werewolves," Remus explained.

"This is it. It's time to see if good can defeat evil for good," Sirius said.

"Let's go," Kingsley added. They pushed through the large oak doors and gasped at the scene. All banners hanging in the air had turned to Slytherin silver and green. All the magical pictures had been removed from the walls. There were kids in tiny groups gazing around, horrified. There were some first years by themselves and crying.

"What a year to begin school. These kids are going to be traumatized," Remus muttered.

"It's time to split up. Do what you have to to get people out of here. I'm not letting anymore kids die," Sirius said. The others nodded. They split into pairs. Sirius and Kingsley, Remus and Bill, and the twins, all going different directions. The twins headed to the Grand Staircase, wanting to help out in Gryffindor Tower. Remus and Bill headed to the Great Hall and Sirius and Kingsley went to the dungeons.

Fred and George slowly walked up the last flight of stairs to the seventh floor. The only problem had been a Slytherin on the fourth floor, but they stunned him.

"We don't know the password," George said as they stared at the portrait of the Fat Lady. Suddenly, the portrait door opened. Dean Thomas came running out.

"Dean!" the twins exclaimed.

"Fred! George! What in the world are you doing here? You'll be killed," Dean said.

"We're helping. We're getting people out of here. People includes you," George replied.

"Is anyone else in the Tower?" Fred asked.

"Neville and Alicia," Dean answered.

"I'll get them. Stay here," Fred stated and ran through the opening. The common room was unrecognizable. Everything was Slytherin, just like the Entrance Hall. Fred looked around. Neville Longbottom and Alicia Spinnet were in a corner, almost in the fetal position. "Neville! Alicia! Come on!" he called, making them look up.

"George!" they said together and ran to him.

"I'm Fred actually," he corrected.

"I don't care," Alicia hugged him.

"Let's go," Fred led the way back out the door.

"Are we ready?" George asked.

"I think so," Fred nodded.

"All right. Everyone, keep your wands out," George replied and started heading back downstairs.

"These dungeons are a lot creepier than when I last saw them," Kingsley said.

"Typical. The school is being burnt to the ground and you're worrying about how creepy the dungeons are," Sirius looked at him. He grinned.

"You do the same thing and you know it. I've seen you do it with Harry a lot," Kingsley replied.

"Yeah. I was trying to make him relax. Especially anytime he was in the hospital wing or St. Mungo's," Sirius nodded.

"Exactly. I'm trying to make you relax a bit. Oh, another thing. You will get Harry back," Kingsley said. Sirius nodded again. They fell silent as they navigated their way through the dungeons.

"Maybe I'll finally get to curse Snape," Sirius stated.

"I thought your first priority was Malfoy, then Bellatrix, then Snape?" Kingsley raised an eyebrow.

"Well, now I depends on who we see first."

"All right," Kingsley chuckled. They turned a corner and ducked as a stunning spell flew over their heads. "Stupefy!" the spell his and the Death Eater fell to the ground.

"Karkaroff," Sirius said as Kingsley snapped the wand.

"What do we do with him?" Kingsley asked.

"Tie him up and leave him here. He can't do anything without a wand," Sirius said. Kingsley obeyed and, after a few seconds, they continued following the dark dungeon corridors.

"This can't be the same school I went to," Bill muttered, he and Remus gazing around the Great Hall. Again, everything was Slytherin. Silver and green banners were suspended in midair. Same coloured table clothes covered the four house tables. Silver snakes hung on the walls with ruby eyes.

"The school we went to wasn't dedicated to the Dark Arts," Remus said. He couldn't take his eyes off the few kids sitting at the tables. They weren't looking anywhere but the table. They had no expression, though some had red faces, making Remus assume they had been crying.

"What do we do?" Bill asked.

"We have to get them out of here. Doesn't it strike you as odd that there's no Death Eaters around?" Remus answered.

"Yeah. It's weird," Bill nodded.

"Come on. We have to get everyone out," Remus said and they headed to the students.

"We need a clue. Some kind of help. We'll never figure it out alone," Harry groaned.

"Harry, what's that sound?" Hermione frowned.

"What sound?" Harry asked.

"I hear it too. It's a ringing. It's coming from your bag," Ron replied.

"I don't have anything that makes a ringing sound," Harry picked up his bag and tried to find the noisemaker. "I think I found it." His fingers closed around something and he pulled it out.

"It's the Snitch Dumbledore gave you," Ron said.

"There's light shining through," Hermione pointed. She was right. There was light shining through a crack around the middle. "It can be opened now."

"I hope so," Harry pulled on the top and it opened. As soon as it was open, a voice began speaking. "It's Dumbledore's voice."

'You can speak Parseltongue because Lord Voldemort can speak Parseltongue.'

'He unintentionally transferred some of his powers to you that night.'

'You share Voldemort's thoughts and emotions.'

'You can Voldemort have a connection. He is able to enter your mind. You're able to know what he is feeling because of your scar.'

'You're different from Voldemort because you're in Gryffindor. The Sorting Hat wanted to put you in Slytherin, not because you're like Voldemort, but because of what's touched your soul.'

'Neither can live while the other survives.'

"It's me," Harry gasped. Ron and Hermione stared at him. "I'm the one human soul. I'm the seventh Horcrux."