You decide that the chance of success is greater if Harry allows Voldemort to kill him, and you instruct Snape accordingly.  Then you take Harry to a cave.  In the middle of a zombie-infested lake you find a basin containing a locket, which you think contains one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, submerged under a large quantity of green liquid.  You soon discover that the only way to get the locket is to drink the liquid; so you order Harry to force you to do so.  The liquid makes you remember Ariana's death, possibly at your hands, and you beg Harry to stop, but, following your previous orders, he makes you drink the rest of it and then takes the locket.  The liquid has made you so weak that Harry has to take you out of the cave and back to Hogwarts.

  On your return you find the Hogwarts staff and students in a pitched battle with a group of Death Eaters, who entered with Draco Malfoy's help.  In your weakened state you are no longer able to fight effectively, and you are disarmed by none other than Draco himself.  He has you at his mercy, and he tells you that unless he kills you, Voldemort will kill him and his parents.  You offer the three of them your protection and he lowers his wand.

  At this point Snape appears on the scene.  Following your instructions, he kills you, then flees with Draco Malfoy.  You pass on to the other side, but through your portrait in what used to be your office you are able to keep informed about developments in the land of the living.

  Harry opens the locket and finds a note inside.  He reads it and discovers that the locket containing the Horcrux was stolen and a fake put in its place by a former Death Eater who had switched sides.  He now knows that he has to find the real locket as well as the other Horcruxes.

  While Harry and his friends are searching for the Horcruxes, Voldemort takes over the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts, installing an Auror enslaved by an Imperius Curse as Minister for Magic and a Death Eater - Snape - as Hogwarts Headmaster.  He steals from your coffin the Elder Wand, which he thinks will enable him to defeat Harry.  Harry and his friends find the real locket.  For a long time they search for a weapon to destroy the Horcrux within, and Ron gets discouraged and leaves Harry and Hermione to carry on by themselves.  With the help of Snape's Patronus, Harry finds your sword at the bottom of a lake just as Ron returns.  They destroy the Horcrux, and then continue the search for the rest of them.  They find and destroy two more Horcruxes, leaving only two more - Voldemort's snake Nagini and Harry himself.

  Turn to Chapter 46.