It was fury. He was livid with himself and everyone else in the world. He had been so sure that Potter would come, but it would seem that he would not. He asked himself why. He was sure that he knew about the Horocruxes and he had succeeded in killing all but Nagini, so why was Potter not coming? He would have to come if he wanted to kill the precious snake, for she was always by him, and they would certainly see him if he tried to kill Nagini, even if he was under his invisibility cloak, for any spell would give his location. Voldemort wanted to yell and scream, slashing his wand through the air and ending the lives of almost everyone he could lay a hand on. However, he did not do that. He sat majestically and proudly in his seat, terrifying in his mysterious way, calm and controlled. It was what people feared most about him, when they had no clue what he was thinking or what he would do.

He gazed around his circle of followers. They had not suffered many losses, but there were a few injuries. The only one who did not seem to be hurt was his most loyal, Bellatrix. She did not even look like she had come from a battle, aside from some of her enemies' blood, dried on her arms. Her face was not flushed, nor did she seem exhausted, but he was sure she had been fighting with all her strength, because he had occasionally gazed inside his Death Eaters' minds. In fact, it had seemed to him that she had been fighting the most successfully of all. Now she sat closest to him, her eyes bravely set upon his face, eyes glittering from the excitement of the fight and mockery towards the others for keeping their distance and avoiding his gaze. Bella had never been truly afraid of him. She treated him with upmost respect, and fled when he was in one of his tantrums, but she was not truly frightened by him. Maybe it was the reason she did better than the others. Her servitude was out of loyalty, and the others acted upon fear and commitment. Bellatrix did not do missions and tasks because she was forced to; she did them because it was an honor to.

She looked up at him and gave a reassuring smile that plainly said, "He will come. You are the Dark Lord and you think he will come, so he will come." He saw the trust in her deep brown eyes. Her gentle gaze calmed him down and extinguished some of his anger. These were his servants and they trusted him; at least Bella did. He was Lord Voldemort, the most powerful wizard that lived. It was ridiculous to think that if not today, then someday soon, he would not succeed in killing a teenage boy. His heart pumped a bit faster, stronger, when she raised her chin in pride for her master. She knew, as well as him, that he was unbeatable. She turned her head to watch the trees, and her long hair obscured her face from his view. He also turned his attention to the forest beyond.

He will come. He will come. He knows that if anyone is to kill me, it is he. He will come and I will defeat him. He repeated these thoughts to himself in between short, impatient comments to the Death Eaters surrounding him. However, after a while he began to lose faith. Potter would not be coming after all.

His fears were confirmed when Dolohov and Yaxley returned from where they had kept watch.

"No sign of him, my Lord," said Dolohov, face cast towards the ground in fear. He cringed as Voldemort twisted the Elder Wand in his hands, but Voldemort had no intention to curse him. It was Potter he wanted, and only Potter. He felt rage burning through him like a forest fire, but his expression remained impassive. He would not show any weakness or sign of emotion around his Death Eaters.

"My Lord —"

Bellatrix had turned to face him once more, her eyes full of concern and respect, but he had motioned for silence. She seemed slightly disappointed, but maintained her dignified appearance. Voldemort was half-regretting that he had cut her off, for he was wondering what she had intended to say, but he did not want his other servants to start talking as well. He wanted silence, though he was not sure for what reason. After a few moments he spoke.

"I thought he would come," he said in his cold, clear voice. "I expected him to come." His words were almost whispers, but his followers hung on to every word, Bellatrix in particular, but nobody dared to speak a word, not even his bravest Death Eater, who happened to be the only female in the group at the moment.

"I was, it seems . . . mistaken." Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Bellatrix's face reflecting protest, though she did not utter a single sound.

"You weren't," spoke a voice from the shadows, and out stepped Harry Potter. To the Dark Lord's great annoyance, his servants began to shriek and laugh, mocking and yelling. Bella, though, seemed to understand the importance of the situation, and remained silent, though she was breathing heavily and was now on her feet.

To add to the racket, the giant oaf Hagrid began to bellow from where he was bound to a tree. Voldemort was quite pleased when Rowle performed a silence charm on him.

Voldemort glanced over towards Bellatrix. Her pale hands were curled into fists, her hair blowing wildly in the wind. Her chest rose and fell rapidly and her eyes were locked on his. This seemed to be the moment she was waiting for. Voldemort felt his heart skip a beat. I have anticipated this moment for too long. There is no reason to be excited. Potter had lived too long, he thought, though his heart's pace rose even more, as Bella's eyes widened, and the circle grew tense.

"Harry Potter. The Boy Who Lived," he breathed, more to himself than to anyone else, though he saw both Potter and Bellatrix react to the words as he raised his wand slowly. He tilted his head slightly to one side. This was the baby that he failed to murder. This was the small boy prevented him from stealing the Sorcerer's Stone. This was that teenager who thwarted his plans so many times. And now he was a man. As men, as true equals, they would fight, and the Dark Lord would finally triumph. He glanced at Bella once more. He thought he saw a small nod and smile as he took a breath. This was the end of Harry Potter.

"Avada Kedavra." He whispered, and the flash of green light hit his enemy. Before he blacked out and crumpled to the ground, he saw Bella's terrified face.

Oooh... it's getting close to being done! Yay! This was my longest chapter so far!