May 1st, 1998
"Give me Harry Potter, and none shall be harmed. Give me Harry Potter, and I shall leave the school untouched." Voldemort surveyed the followers who had congregated around him, watching him with hunger and reverence, and a deep sense of satisfaction settled in the pit of his stomach. "Give me Harry Potter, and you will be rewarded. You have until midnight."
He took the wand away from his throat and held it in his hands, clearing his thoughts by the comfort of the worn wood and the heavy silence that had fallen around him. The castle stood some distance away from the land on which his army stood; he knew that, even now, the teachers and students within must be preparing for the fight in which they would inevitably be defeated. He could almost smell the fear and adrenaline inside of the castle, borne on the night air toward him.
He felt almost detached from the castle which had once been the only home he had ever known, a castle which he had once considered to be impenetrable. How extraordinary it was that he, Lord Voldemort, would be the one to break it now.
He sensed rather than heard Bellatrix approach his side. He anticipated her need for touch, to attack, and how her eyes would bulge and her chest would heave at the prospect of what was to come. He could have requested that she jump from the cliff on which his army stood to prove her loyalty to him, and she would have met her death in an instant.
"Patience, Bella." He murmured. "The fun is yet to begin."