Harry reminisced silently over the plan. He already knew Snape had completed step one since the entire staff and student body were in the Great Hall. He wouldn't ever admit it, but the young man was starting to have second thoughts about trusting Snape. The plan seemed to be suicidal, which in a way it was. Harry would willingly sacrifice himself to Voldemort in order to destroy the last Horcrux, himself. However, the steps leading up to all that scared Harry the most.

Snape was allowing Voldemort to enter the castle. Any number of variables could change the outcome. For example, any one of the professors could start firing off hexes at Voldemort, which would only make result in more deaths that Harry couldn't bear to have on his soul. Then there was the biggest variable himself, Voldemort. If the man even caught wind of their plan, Snape would be dead within seconds. Everywhere Harry looked, he knew more deaths would follow if this plan didn't work.

After arriving in the Great Hall and helping Professor Sinistra reach the other professors, Harry quickly blended into the background. The plan was for him to remain hidden until Voldemort was right in front of him. Snape relied on the idea that Voldemort would search the castle for him. It wasn't foolproof, though.

The second the air chilled, Harry felt his heart rate increase. He glanced out of the corner of his eye from where he stood towards the doors. He felt a chill sweep over him when he saw Snape walking side by side with Voldemort. However, he knew it was all for show. Snape had to wait, just as Harry had to until the time was right.

"It won't be long, my pets, before I find your savior and slaughter him," Voldemort hissed with a grin. He then glanced around the room. "If you give me Harry Potter, then I shall let you all live. I am after all the merciful lord." No one moved, though. "Very well, but know that I will find him." Voldemort then walked down the narrow path and glanced at the students.

Harry felt like his heart was going to explode as Voldemort came closer and closer to him. He had to use every bit of self-control to keep himself from running like a crazed lunatic away. He noticed Hermione and Ginny step closer to Ron. It wasn't quite noticeable to the others, but it was to Harry.

"Come out. Come out, wherever you are, Harry. I promise not to hurt you too badly. Come out, Harry. I don't like to wait. Come out. Come out and show everyone that you are just as brave as your father was. Did you know that he didn't even have his wand when he tried to protect your dear sweet Mudblood mother and you? He thought he'd beat me with his good looks." Voldemort then roared with laughter. "Come out, Harry. Come and show me that you aren't a coward. Prove to everyone that you are the one to defeat me!" More laughter echoed throughout the room. "I know you're here. Come on, Harry. Come out and play."

Harry's heart thumped wildly in his chest. However, he remained quiet. Voldemort was just in front of Luna now and was about three steps away from Harry. He kept his breathing controlled so he wasn't panting wildly. His Occlumency barriers were up, and Harry's hand tightly coiled around his Holly Phoenix wand.

"Your mother begged for your life, Harry. She begged me on her knees like the Mudblood she was. Come out, Harry. Prove to Mummy dearest that you aren't a coward." Voldemort then loudly chuckled. "Oh, I can hear your heartbeat, Harry. Thump, thump, thump, it goes. I'm close now, aren't I?" Voldemort said as he stopped in front of Harry. His red eyes stared at Harry before he angrily whipped around and continued down the line. "You know, Harry, Dumbledore, the old coot, left you with those bastard Muggles. He knew they were the worst sort, but he thought it'd build character in you. I don't believe he was right. I think it made you lazy and arrogant. Don't you agree, Severus?"

"Of course, my lord," Snape replied silkily. "He's just like his father in that regard."

"Shut up, just shut up you no-good murdering bastard."

Harry then watched Sinistra's hand explode across the side of Snape's face. For a split second, Harry caught Snape's eyes. The man looked positively shocked that she had smacked him. If they weren't in their current situation, Harry would have laughed. However, he had a job to do. When she went to smack him again, Snape quickly latched onto her wrists and shoved her backwards into the large crowd near Harry. Throughout the entire chaotic event, Harry kept staring at Voldemort while making it appear that he was watching Snape and Sinistra. The exact second Voldemort turned around and pointed his wand at Sinistra, Harry drew in a breath and felt the calmness wash over him. At the sight of the green jet of light, Harry dove in front of her. He heard the screams instantly, but it was the smile on Snape's face that he noticed the most. Their plan was working beautifully.

"POTTER," roared Voldemort as Harry's body slammed hard against the ground with a thud. He then whirled towards Snape, only to find the man had disappeared into the crowd. "So it was you, Snape? You were the one to betray me! You lost, though, my little traitor. Potter still died. I wonder what your little Mudblood—" Dozens of various colored jets of light then shot out in various directions towards Voldemort. Voldemort blocked every single spell, though. "Is that the best you can do?" More spells from all directions sped towards him. Again, Voldemort easily blocked the spells with lazy flicks of his wand. "You can't defeat me, Snape!"

"Why?" a voice loudly echoed around the room. Hundreds of the students screamed in fright as they charged towards the doors. However, a loud boom quickly spread like wildfire and separated the students and professors from Voldemort.

"A Stasis Spell, Snape, really? I would have thought you'd use a better spell than that to contain me," Voldemort sneered as he whirled around. He couldn't see his little traitor, but he knew he was there. Snape hardly ever stayed on the sidelines.

"Who says it's to contain you?" replied Snape somewhere off to Voldemort's left.

"Come out, Snape. You're really too old for these juvenile games." Voldemort then whirled around to see any movement. However, there was none. Instead, he only saw hundred of screaming children that he desperately wished to kill. "I killed Potter, so there isn't a need to play this game."

"Is that right?" Snape mocked off to Voldemort's right. "Perhaps you've forgotten that quaint little fact about the Horcruxes?"

"What about them, Snape?"

"Well, far be it from me to point this out, but your lovely Nagini died, didn't it? I believe it was something about meeting a panther?" Harsh laughter then echoed around the Great Hall.

"YOU, YOU KILLED NAGINI!"

"Now you're catching on," Snape replied from somewhere in front of Voldemort. "Then there was something of Slytherin. Luckily, Reg destroyed that for me." Snape was now somewhere behind Voldemort. "Something of Ravenclaw, which we both know was the diadem. It shattered into a million pieces when the Sword of Gryffindor struck it the night before Albus's death. Harry luckily destroyed your quaint little diary his second year. I must admit that I never took you as a diary writing man." Loud scary chuckling filled the Great Hall. "Albus destroyed that ring of yours before he died, and Hufflepuff's cup was all too easy to destroy this year with the Sword of Gryffindor. However, let's not forget what you just did. You destroyed your last Horcrux."

"What are you talking about, Snape?" Voldemort snarled as he whirled around. He still couldn't see the man anywhere. It didn't help either that the man sounded like he was everywhere.

"Harry, my lord, you just destroyed the Horcrux you left in Harry. However, you didn't kill him. You can't kill someone who wanted to die. You see, sacrifices are everything. Murder is nothing."

"Then you shall see your own," Voldemort roared before sending a volley of Killing Curses. The green lights brilliantly burst into a ray of colors, though, as they hit the shield surrounding him. "What did you do?" snarled Voldemort as he angrily whirled around. The now green shield was closing in on him. It wouldn't be long now before the volleys of Killing Curses killed Voldemort. It'd be over soon.

Snape, however, stared from where he stood in the crowd. He had to admit that Harry's Invisibility cloak was rather handy. He was glad he took the young man's advice about wearing it. The darkness then started to settle into the back of his mind. His Vow was starting to take over. He felt the coldness seep into his bones. He bit his tongue to keep from groaning from the pain. Slowly, he started to stumble. He reached and grabbed the person closest to him. He heard the familiar gasp, which could only belong to Minerva McGonagall. The cloak gradually slid as he started to fall to the ground. She, however, grabbed his arm and gently lowered him. He gasped as it became difficult to breathe.

"What did you do, Severus?" she whispered. "What did you promise?"

"Harry," Snape rasped softly. "I…I vowed to…to protect Harry." He was fading fast, and he knew it. He always thought he wouldn't survive the second war, and here was his proof. He then let go.