He's thirty-two when it ends.

His heart is racing with fear and excitement all at once, but his mind is clear. He knows he will not make it through the night. He has received no word of what became of his master's plan, but he knows it was successful even if the Potter boy survived.

He knows his master has been restored, for he can see the utter fear in the boy's eyes when Potter looks at his true appearance. For a moment he feels his stomach twist as he remembers seeing that same look of terror in the eyes of a girl he once called his friend.

What was her name again?

He notices that same look in the eyes of his old headmaster, the stupid git, though he knows there is no fear in those blue orbs because of him. He knows how he must look, emaciated and insane from years in Azkaban and the prison that was his father's house. He is a pitiful excuse for a human, even he knows that, even if he doesn't really remember what being human was like. No, Dumbledore doesn't fear him, but he fears what he represents.

A shift in power is at hand. Your reign will soon be over, old fool.

He can feel Lord Voldemort's power rising, he can feel the dark mark scorch his skin and feel his blood boiling in his veins as it demands for him to answer his master's call.

He's back.

He knows he will die, either at the hand of one of the ministries' executioners or by a kiss from a dementor. To him it doesn't really matter anyway. Azkaban and the dementors already stole his fear, his life and his sanity. If he were to believe in the existence of a soul then he is sure they've already sucked him dry of it many years ago. He knows there is nothing left of who he used to be, most of the time he can't even remember his own name let alone what sort of man he is, or was.

All he can recall are snippets of a life that seems to have ended centuries ago. All he knows now is his loyalty to his master, his role model, his true father, if not by birth than by the love and guidance his real father never gave him.

His master can't help him now, he knows, but it doesn't matter. He has fulfilled his mission and has repaid his debt to Lord Voldemort. His master walks freely. He has served his purpose, he is done.

There is nothing left of him now. There is nothing left for death to take.

--

THE END.