Breen!

Harry's whole body was trembling—not from the strain of maintaining the connection between his wand and Voldemort's, but because of his own guess. Never in his life had he wanted so desperately to be right. Ron and Hermione's souls had not appeared. They were alive.

But how was that possible?

Everyone knew that since the Killing Curse had first appeared, only one person had ever survived being struck by it: Harry himself. That was why he had been called the Boy Who Lived.

But Voldemort had already said that Harry had survived because his mother's fearless sacrifice had granted him a powerful protective magic. Hermione and Ron's parents had not been here just now. No one had shielded them from the inevitably fatal Killing Curse.

And if they were not dead, then what was with Hermione and Ron's current state? Like Gabrielle, they lay on the ground without the slightest sign of life.

Questions filled Harry's heart. He desperately wanted to convince himself that his guess was right, but those doubts could not be ignored.

Suddenly, Harry's thoughts came to a halt.

Another head emerged from Voldemort's wand tip. Harry recognized her at once. Her appearance was undoubtedly further proof that Ron and Hermione were not dead. He should have thought of it—if his guess was correct, this woman ought to appear. But he had been so desperately hoping Ron and Hermione were unharmed that he had overlooked it.

The ghost of a young long-haired woman descended to the ground like Bertha, then straightened and looked at him. Harry stared at his mother's face, his arms shaking violently.

"Your father is here too," she said softly. "He wants to see you. It will be all right. Hold on, Harry, hold on."

He had indeed come. First his head, then his