I started writing this a while ago, but I'm just now getting around to posting it on this site. Hope you all enjoy! disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.
UPDATE: Sorry about any weird lettering appearing in the text, I am having some issues uploading these chapters. I believe I have corrected them, but if you find more please let me know.
"Harry sighed for the umpteenth time. He was unsure how long he had been in this damp, dark prison cell, but he knew it had to have been at least almost a week judging by the meager food he had received. The isolation was starting to get to him. All the food was delivered magically by House Elves so he couldn't speak to them. He couldn't even taunt any Death Eater guards. There was a magical barrier that blocked him from seeing beyond his cell bars, so he couldn't even tell if there were even guards watching him. For all he knew Voldy-Shmoldy could be on the other side of his cell dressed in drag while dancing to the Macarena. Yes, the isolation was definitely getting to him if he just thought of Voldemort dressed in drag.
"For Merlin's sake, just torture me already!" he shouted, his voice echoing throughout the dungeons. "You didn't kidnap me just to watch me go insane inside of a box! And if you did, you are weirder than I originally thought. Who finds pleasure in watching someone walk in a square for three hours?"
"I am not quite sure if 'pleasure' is the correct word, but I do find it humorous to watch you slowly lose your senses. You are yelling at a wall," Harry whipped around at the sound of the rich, deep voice. He was surprised to see a well-dressed, handsome man who looked to be in his early thirties standing in the far corner of the room.
"Who are you," he asked, taking a slightly defensive stance. Though he knew it wouldn't do him any good considering the other man was obviously a wizard; without a wand he was screwed.
The man gave him a mock disappointed look. "I am upset you do not recognize me, my dear Harry. It has been a while since you last saw me like this, but I did not think my appearance would have changed that drastically," he said.
Harry stared harder at the man who had somehow moved closer to him, trying to recall where he had seen that face before. It did look slightly familiar, maybe a few years older… 'He looks a lot like young Tom Riddle' he thought absently. "How!" he exclaimed in horror. "H-How do you look like that!? I destroyed the diary! How? When? H—"
"Do cease your rambling. To answer your question, you only destroyed the container not the soul that was inside. It returned to me, and with it, some of my sanity came back as well. I did another ritual to change my appearance, seeing as how that form would not help draw people to my cause, and this was the result. You should feel honored. You are the first person, other than the few followers I needed to assist me in the ritual, to see me with this new look. Or should I say old?" Voldemort said, chuckling slightly at the last part.
"You tried another ritual after the snake-face fiasco? I'm surprised you didn't come out of this ritual looking like a prune. You are like a hundred years old," Harry commented, his voice laced with sarcasm. Not wanting to acknowledge the part of him that found the Dark Lord attractive.
"Watch your mouth boy!" Voldemort snapped. "I came here to offer you freedom. At a price, of course," he said, in a calmer tone of voice.
Harry was surprised, but quickly covered it with a hard look. "Oh, and what's that price? An unbreakable vow to obey your every word? Sorry, not interested," he said.
"Are you sure? For all you know, you might actually enjoy licking my boots. But," he continued before Harry could snap at him. "That's not my offer. I want you to join my side. Yes, you would take a vow to never harm me magically or in the muggle fashion. You may also be allowed back at Hogwarts so long as you swear to never to mention joining the Dark to your little friends in the light without my permission. Don't want Dumbledore to lock you up, now do we?"
Harry's mouth hung open in shock. Was he serious? Did that idiot actually think that he would accept? Before he could give his anger filled response, Voldemort said, "Wait to give me your answer. I shall give you a week to think it over, and then you can give me your answer. We both know that you are thinking too much like a rash Gryffindor right now to give me a clear answer. I will even help you to make up your mind during the week." And with that he disapparated.
Harry stared at the empty space for what felt like hours contemplating over everything that Voldemort had said. He was right. The first thing Harry was going to say was "Fuck no", which was a very, very Gryffindor type response. He needed to think more like a Slytherin in this kind of situation. What did he mean by 'Help you make up your mind'? Would he torture him? No, the bastard knew that it would only make him say no if he did that. What then? And could he even join with the man that killed his parents? Yes, he could. But should he? That was the question he needed to be asking. The man killed hundreds of people all for fun. Or did he? Dumbledore never gave clear answers, and he knew just how reliable the media could be at publishing the truth. Maybe he should sleep on it. His head was cloudy enough with the lack of food and water to be contemplating all of this. He'd think more about it once he woke up.
The week passed quietly in Harry's dark cell. Every day a letter was brought with his food, and various notes would appear throughout the day, pointing out the faults of the light. Asking him why Dumbledore constantly avoided giving him a clear answer, the media and the wizarding public always going back-n-forth between liking him and not, Ron and Hermione's friendship, there was even a whole letter devoted to just the Dursleys. That one bothered him the most. The more he thought about it, the more confused he got. Even Remus and Sirius had said that Aunt Petunia was horrible, so why did Dumbledore leave him there? Why hadn't he bothered to check on him? And when he first went to the infirmary, surely Madame Promfrey would have noticed his malnutrition and scars. It took him almost the whole week, but eventually he had to accept that the light wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Though he would have to ask Voldemort about the Dark before he even thought about accepting the offer.
He was walking around the cell in thought when Voldemort finally appeared. "Ready to give me an answer?" he asked, admiring Harry's form from where he stood on the other end of the cell.
"Not quite yet," Harry said, casually leaning up against the cold wall behind him. "I agree that the light has faults, but you have yet to show me that the Dark doesn't. Also, you killed my parents, and many others. How do I know you won't kill me at some point as well? What exactly is in this for me if I accept? I will not be just another perishable pawn to you, I want a say in things that happen.
Voldemort's smile could have caused the dead to shiver in fear. This beautiful boy would finally be his. "I always knew you had some Slytherin in you, but I didn't expect this much. I am willing to negotiate with you on your place in my ranks. As for the Dark side having flaws? Yes, there are flaws. But what in this world is completely perfect? I admit I went slightly… irrational for a while, but we will not get into that now. The reason the 'Light side' hates dark magic or what they call dark magic, is because it is difficult to understand and control. They ban any magic that is hard to handle or more difficult to combat 'dark' simply because it would make controlling the masses more challenging. As for the killing of innocent people, those we kill are not innocent. Of course, that is not always true, but this is a war, there is going to be the occasional innocent bystander that dies or a misunderstanding leading to someone's death. In your parents' case, I did not want to kill them, but you know of the prophecy, and—"
Confused, Harry interrupted Voldemort's speech. "What do you mean by 'prophecy'? I don't know of any prophecy."
Voldemort stared at the boy in undisguised shock. "You mean that idiot Dumbledore has not even told you why I attacked you in the first place?" At Harry's head shake, Voldemort swore silently. "Well, there is a prophecy about us. I only know the first two lines: "The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches. Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies,' it is not much, but I was able to narrow it down to two families. Yours and the Longbottom's. I, obviously, went after you because you were born exactly on the last day of July," he said.
"It said 'power to vanquish' not 'kill', right?" Harry asked. "So that means that I could kill you, but not necessarily would. It sounds self-fulfilling if you ask me, but I've only been taking Divination for two years."
Voldemort looked thoughtful for a couple of minutes. "Perhaps it was…" he said quietly. "Now as for the others I have killed not being innocent," he picked up from where he had left off his explanation earlier. "I target muggles who have abused wizards: parents, uncles, etcetera, and those who have harmed wizards, but escaped justice because they are just 'ignorant muggles who didn't know what they were doing'. Honestly! If one muggle harms another they go to muggle prison, if a wizard harms another wizard or muggle they go to Azkaban or get the Kiss, why is it not the same if a muggle harms a wizard! So, you see I only go after those who have escaped justice. As for the media's take on me 'hating Mudbloods', that's not true. I do want them to be more carefully watched though so that they do not go showing muggles magic, I also want them to join Wizarding society earlier than they do now, and to learn about wizarding traditions. I want our people to celebrate the old holidays and traditions. To name a few: Samhain, Yule, and Beltane, which have practically been made extinct with everyone now celebrating muggle holidays. While I was not- me, I may have let my followers get a little out of line, but it will not be like that now. So, what do you say Harry, will you join me?"
Harry's head was spinning with all this new information. "May… May I have some time to think about it? It's just, that's a lot of new information to take in," he said, after almost ten minutes of silence.
"Of course, Harry. I will expect an answer later today," Voldemort said kindly, apparating from the room with a faint pop.
Harry was surprised by the gentle tone of Voldemort's voice. Never would he have associated the word kind with Voldemort before this. Now he needed to think. It appeared that Dumbledore had hid more from him than he thought. All Dumbledore wanted was a pawn to do his bidding; someone who wouldn't question him, and just do as told. Did Remus and Sirius know about the prophecy? And if so, why didn't they tell him?