A Change of Heart

Chapter Four

Voldemort looked at the food that was brought to him. Evidently, it had been brought from Malfoy Manor. It was too rich, but it was edible. He could feel the silent presence of his Death Eaters in the room him as he ate. Other than the ones who were dead or in prison, there were only two who were absent: Karkaroff and Snape. Voldemort's face was grim as he contemplated the reasons why two of his Death Eaters had failed to obey his summons.
Karkaroff had run, he'd heard. The fool thought he could escape. But he was about to know how wrong he was. Lord Voldemort's wrath was going to find him in whatever hole he thought to hide in. And when it did, Karkaroff would know that there was no corner on earth where he would be safe.
Snape was a different proposition altogether. He was an effective spy. A valuable asset. But if he'd actually turned, had actually become Dumbledore's lapdog, then he should not be allowed to live. To do that under Dumbledore's nose would not be easy, but that did not deter Voldemort. He was nothing if not tenacious, and once he'd killed Snape, everyone would know how futile it was to resist him, trusting in the protection of Dumbledore.
He finished eating and with a wave of his wand, the plates vanished. He wiped his mouth delicately with the napkin proffered by MacNair. There was no need to expend magical energy on the mundane.
There was a commotion at the door and Nott and Wormtail burst into the room.
"My Lord," gasped Nott. "The boy... The Potter boy..."
Voldemort sat up. His nostrils dilated in anger.
"What about the boy?" His voice was dangerously quiet.
Nott gulped. Wormtail started whimpering.
"Speak!" Voldemort's voice was a whiplash. He could feel the fear in the room, the flinch from his Death Eaters.
"He's... not in his room," Nott spoke the final words in a rush, as if he wanted to get it over with.
"Not in his room," Voldemort repeated.
"My Lord," Nott spoke quickly, "we searched everywhere. He is not to be found anywhere. His wand is also missing as is the corpse and the port key!"
Voldemort stilled. The room was deathly quiet. But before Voldemort could open his mouth, the door opened and a man walked in, robes swishing. There was a collective gasp around the room.
Severus Snape knelt before Voldemort. "My Lord."