Was it possible, he wondered as he wandered aimlessly through the forest, to become as or more powerful than Voldemort in less than a year? It didn't seem possible. Ever since Dumbledore…
He squeezed his eyes shut agaisnt the tears that threatened to fall and gritted his teeth. He would never get anywhere if he kept on like this.
"Why?" he yelled, his plea echoing across the forest. "Why?" Dumbledore shouldn't have died—needn't have. They didn't even find the real horcrux.
Something rustled behind him and he whirled around. "Who's there?" No one answered and he repeated it. "Who's there?" He spun wildly, looking for the source of the noise, frantic as voices, voices which were unintelligible, overwhelmed him. "Stop it! Stop! Stop, please just stop!" he pleaded, covering his ears. The voices seemed to come from nowhere, and yet everywhere at the same time. They grew louder and louder with each protest, and he could feel pressure building up behind his eyes. It felt as though his head would burst if he didn't do something about it, but there seemed nothing that he could do. The pressure was overwhemling and his thoughts trailed away, leaving only pain and despair and those voices, those horrible horrible voices and then…it was just gone.
He looked around. The forest seemed empty, and it was all completely silent. Far too silent. "Argh," he gasped, throwing an arm in front of his eyes to sheild them from the intensity of the light that came from all around him, but seemed not to have a source. The light was blinding, completely white.
"Ahhh!" He let out a wail as the pressure returned tenfold and waves of pain rolled over his body. He felt as though he was being ripped to pieces, like he was going to die.
And then he was gone. A scorch mark on the earth where he'd been standing and a pair of wire rimmed glasses were all that was left to testify to his presence there. He had simply vanished.