The voice had come from behind him, but Harry couldn't bring himself to turn around. He was vaguely aware of the rustle of dead leaves as Voldemort approached, but it was a distant, hollow sound next to the almighty throbbing in his eardrums. For a moment, he didn't know how--or even if--he would ever get to his feet, for he felt as if lead had replaced his bones.

And above all else, he felt trapped. So very trapped.

In front of him, Ron was standing still, waiting, watching Voldemort as the Dark Lord drew closer, his eyes no longer filled with dread and horror as they had been only seconds earlier, but instead with fire and defiance.

Harry had seen him look this way only once before, when Draco Malfoy had uttered the ugliest insult imaginable to a Wizard: calling Hermione a Mudblood. Ron had looked fit to kill then--and he probably would have done quite a load of damage too, if his wand had only been cooperating--but even the way he looked then absolutely paled in comparison to the way he looked now.

Watching him, Harry realized he had never been so proud of Ron, not even when he had so selflessly offered himself to be taken by the white queen all those years ago. There were those who had been surprised when Ron became an Auror after leaving Hogwarts--those who had simply assumed that the youngest Weasley brother would forever be one step behind his brothers, always mediocre in the things in which they easily excelled. But Harry and Hermione had always thought differently. They had both seen Ron, the true Ron, the one who shined when it mattered the most. The one who didn't think twice about giving his life to save his best friend; who stood up to a crazed murderer whom he thought was about to kill them; who was always the first to ambush anyone who showed them disrespect.

Slowly, Harry stood, then walked over to join his best friend at his side, and together they faced the enemy.

Voldemort had been watching them as they watched him, stopping a few feet away from them, then taking the time to form a smile that would make any human being want to come out of their skin. "Well," he said, "together again, I see. How very touching."

Harry had been so intent on looking in his eyes all this time that he hadn't noticed the slight motion of Voldemort's wand hand, and in the next instant, a cry of pain tore out of Ron's mouth, and he fell to his knees, clutching his forearm.

"No!! Ron!!!"

Harry sank down to his knees and tried to help Ron up, but Ron was in too much agony, doubled over and grasping his arm as if it would fall off if he let go.

"Leave him out of this!" he said. "It's me that you want, isn't it?"

Voldemort answered with a smug smile. "Oh, don't you worry, Potter. I will get to you soon enough and we will settle some old debts. But your friend here..." He turned to Ron, wand aimed straight at him. He seemed to take particular delight in saying the word friend, infusing it with enough venom to leave absolutely no doubt in Harry's mind what he meant to do right now. "He has to be taught a valuable lesson first."

"Go to hell, you bastard!!" Ron spat out.

His face was red and twisted with straining to keep conscious, despite the raging pain Harry knew he must have been under. Harry knew if Voldemort willed it, his own scar would be burning like mad right now; he would gladly have that happen if it meant relieving Ron of his own suffering right now.

"How quickly we change allegiances, my Knight..." He laughed cruelly, pulling back his wand, giving Ron momentary reprieve. Ron collapsed to the ground, panting, sweating. "But I suppose I always knew you'd question your loyalty."

He was now standing over Ron, and Harry made a move to pounce on him, but Voldemort anticipated his action and said, "Expelliarmus!" sending Harry crashing to the ground ten feet away. A horrific snap rang out upon contact with the ground, and the excruciating pain that shot through him when he tried to get back up told him he had just broken his right leg.

"The weak ones always fail me," Voldemort was saying now. "They are so easy to build up at first--just tell them how valuable they are, how great their powers are... Isn't that right, Weasley?"

He smiled again, clearly relishing each word. Ron was just staring at him in silence, showing no sign of intimidation. This seemed to please Voldemort all the more.

"Tell them what they want to hear," he went on, "and they always believe it..." He leaned in close. "Did you really think... that I was telling you the truth when I told you that you were greater than the famous Harry Potter?"

Ron said nothing, though his face said it all. He was ready to erupt at any moment.

"How long had you dreamed of hearing those words, Weasley?" Voldemort taunted. Then he smiled the most maddening smile imaginable. "Only a desperate fool would have believed me-"

"You filthy liar!!"

No sooner than Ron tried valiantly to lunge at him, did Voldemort aim his wand once more and brought Ron down to his knees in a new wave of agony.

"A fool to the end... Don't worry, Weasley, I won't kill you yet. Not until you've suffered sufficiently..."

Harry had heard enough. Shifting his weight onto his good leg, he began to drag himself over to them, but Voldemort saw and again said, "Expelliarmus!"

Only his was not the only voice that said the word.

Harry looked up, his leg throbbing in pain, making it an effort just to keep his eyes open. Voldemort was getting up, his face twisted with fury. There was a cloaked figure behind him, and when Voldemort whipped around to confront him, he lowered his hood, revealing the last person Harry would have ever expected.

"Snape!" Ron said. He seemed surprised to see him here as well, though not as stunned as Harry was.

What was he doing here? Harry had heard rumors about Snape over the years, but never really knew whether to believe them. Dumbledore had sent Snape on a mysterious mission the summer after their fourth year, after Voldemort had come back to life, but he had never returned, and while most had naturally assumed that Snape had in fact rejoined Voldemort, Dumbledore had insisted upon his innocence till his dying day.

But now here he was, and he had seemingly just helped them.

Gritting his teeth against the pain, Harry made his way to the others, Voldemort now too distracted by Snape to notice he had moved.

"So, you have betrayed me as well," Voldemort hissed. "Though it would not be the first time..."

"I was young and foolish once," Snape replied. "But I saw the error of my ways and I vowed then that I would never let you destroy the Wizarding world again..."

Voldemort laughed--a hollow, arrogant laugh. "Your work was all in vain, then," he said. "For eight years I've survived as a human again... and for eight years you waited while I grew stronger and stronger, until I became invincible once again? You've been a very patient man, Snape..."

"You are not invincible yet."

"If that were true," Voldemort said with a smile, "then you would have destroyed me before now. Or..." He looked in Ron's direction. "... sent your precious Auror to do it for you."

Harry held his breath as Voldemort raised his wand once more.

"But you know as well as I that I have recovered my powers. No one single Wizard can destroy me, just as none could challenge me before."

"Except for me," Harry said.

Voldemort turned his head to look at him and narrowed his eyes menacingly. Harry managed a grin just to make the words sting all the more, though he knew it was suicide to do so.

"Your Mudblood mother isn't around to protect you this time, Potter," he said. "We'll see how well you fare this time... Avada-"

Harry had raised his wand, ready to fend off Voldemort's attack, but something had intercepted the spell: it was Snape.

Snape had thrown himself in front of Harry and Ron, absorbing the sparks that emitted from Voldemort's half-uttered spell. His own wand was aimed right at Voldemort, and with the last bit of waning strength he seemed to be able to muster, he cried out to Harry and Ron, "Together... We must do this together..."

Harry fumbled for his wand underneath his coat; from the corner of his eye, he saw Ron doing the same, and in a split second, before Voldemort could speak again, they shouted out together, "Avada Kedavra!!"

An explosion of green light erupted, blinding Harry for a few seconds, and when the images began to form before him again, he saw two bodies sprawled on the ground, one perfectly still, and one still breathing, but barely.

"Snape," Ron whispered, stumbling over to his fallen body. "Lie still, we'll get you help-"

Harry dragged himself over to them, and saw Snape's lifeless eyes staring back at Ron. "No," he sputtered, "it's too late..."

Ron was shaking his head, as if unable to comprehend what had just happened. "You saved us," he kept muttering, "you saved us..."

"I did... what Dumbledore had entrusted me to do..." Each breath seemed to be a struggle for him now. "It's over... it's finally over..."

He shook, taking air in for the final time, before his head dropped to the side. Ron looked up at Harry, and no words were exchanged between them, then he reached over and closed Snape's eyes.