A/N: Here's an idea I've been tossing around for a while. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed thinking about it … and I hope it turns out as good as it sounds in my head. I don't own anything, just in case someone was confused…

PLEASE review! I absolutely LOVE feedback of any kind, and I look forward to hearing what my readers think. Enjoy!

Lord Voldemort stood in the clearing in the Forbidden Forest, surrounded by his supporters as they all waited for the arrival of Harry Potter. The Dark Lord hadn't moved or said much of anything, his eyes glued to the west, toward Hogwarts.

"He isn't coming," Bellatrix Lestrange said with a sigh, stepping forward so that she was just behind Voldemort.

"He will come, Bellatrix," Voldemort said, keeping his eyes ahead. "It is his destiny to die tonight, and this time there is no one to save him. He will not escape."

"How can you be so sure?" she asked after a brief pause. Voldemort turned his head slowly to look over his shoulder, his expression unreadable.

"You choose now to question me, Bellatrix?" he asked, his voice even, measured, albeit barely more than a whisper.

"No, my Lord," she said abruptly. Bellatrix looked as though she had been physically struck by his words, her head shaking quickly and her bushy hair swaying around her face. "I do not question you; I question Harry Potter's courage."

"He will come," Voldemort said again, turning his head back to the west and watching the gaps in the trees like a hawk. "He will come, and he will die."

There was movement ahead, but it wasn't Harry. It was Severus Snape.

"Ah, Severus," Voldemort said with a small smile as Bellatrix fell back in line with the others. Snape's blood-soaked cloak billowed behind him as he strode into the clearing. "Everything went as planned, I trust?"

"Yes, my Lord," Snape said, stopping a couple feet in front of Voldemort. "Potter took the memory straight to the Pensieve and by now believes he must die at your hand."

"I fear Potter might be more intelligent than you give him credit for, Severus," Voldemort said.

"He is intelligent, yes, but a terrible occlumens," Snape replied. "It was quite easy to figure out what sort of memory he would believe."

"Excellent, Severus, excellent," Voldemort said, reaching a hand out and resting it on Snape's shoulder. His eyes fell to Snape's neck, where Nagini had sank her fangs earlier in the evening. "Nagini did not do too much damage, I hope?"

"Her first bite was overzealous, but I was able to mend the damage fairly easily after Potter and his friends left," Snape said, tilting his head to the side to reveal the sealed wounds. He looked over at the boa, coiled up at Voldemort's feet. "She made the act believable, to be sure."

"You've done well, Severus, and you will be rewarded beyond measure," Voldemort said.

"Are you sure you want to do this, my Lord?" Snape asked, dropping his voice so only Voldemort could hear. "Once this is done there will be no turning back."

"I am sure, Severus," Voldemort said after a moment's pause. "It is the only way."

"You will have only moments," Snape continued. "If you cannot complete the shift in time, you will die."

"I am well aware of the risk, Severus," Voldemort said simply, a hint of finality in his voice. Snape bowed his head and silently moved past Voldemort, falling in behind him and to the right. The minutes dragged on, but finally it happened. There was movement ahead, and Harry Potter stepped into the clearing. Alone. Jaw set. Ready to die.

"Ah, at last the 'Chosen One' finds his backbone," Voldemort said. The crowd of supporters chuckled. Harry looked past Voldemort and saw Snape. His eyes widened, but he didn't have time to say anything.

"Goodbye, Harry Potter," Voldemort raised his wand, not wasting any time. "Avada Kedavra!"

A flash of green filled the clearing, followed by a loud bang, and both Voldemort and Harry fell to the ground in a motionless heap.

"Harry," Albus Dumbledore said, his hands clasped in front of him, a smile on his lips. They were surrounded by the bright, white mist that made up the 'Limbo.' "You wonderful boy… You brave man." His voice was gentle, his eyes twinkling proudly. The eyes that looked back at Dumbledore, however, did not belong to Harry Potter. While the person standing before Dumbledore looked like Harry Potter, it was impossible to miss the subtle change. Dumbledore's smile faded.

"Hello, Albus," Voldemort said.

"Tom…" Dumbledore replied, his eyes widening slightly.

"Yes, it is me," Voldemort replied, stepping forward slowly. "The boy is dead. I have won." Dumbledore said nothing. He looked at the man in front of him, his eyes still widened in disbelief. It looked like Harry. Sounded like Harry… But the man was clearly not Harry.

"Surely you didn't think I had no idea what you were planning?" Voldemort said. "I've known all along what you had sent the boy to do. I could have stopped him and his friends if I wanted to, but why do when a much better option presented itself to me?"

Again, Dumbledore said nothing, though he did turn away from Harry, his shoulders sagging. All of his careful planning with Severus… Everything he had put Harry through… It had all been for nothing. Harry was dead.

"What is this?" Harry asked, his lips curling up in a smile. "The great Albus Dumbledore, speechless?"

"What now, Tom?" Dumbledore asked after a brief pause, not looking over at Harry.

"Now, Albus, I go back to the world as Harry Potter," Voldemort replied. "You see, when Severus told me you had discovered Harry was a Horcrux, I knew I could use it to my advantage."

"Severus told…" Dumbledore began.

"Yes, you old fool," Voldemort spat. "Severus told me. He was mine all along. When I learned that part of my soul was in the boy, I knew what had to be done. I let him destroy my Horcruxes so that I would no longer be bound to them. With Harry being the last, I knew I could claim his body as my own when the time was right."

"But why?" Dumbledore asked as he swayed slightly on his feet.

"Isn't it obvious?" Voldemort asked with a chuckle. "As Lord Voldemort, I am hunted and hated. But as Harry Potter… I am trusted. Loved. The whole wizarding world will bend to my will. I will achieve my goal that much easier as Harry Potter."

"Tom, you cannot do this," Dumbledore said evenly, though there was no denying the desperation in his voice.

"It's already done, Albus," Voldemort replied. "I'm going to achieve everything I wanted to achieve as Voldemort, and this time no one will stand in my way. The path to greatness will be paved for me by all those who love Harry Potter."

"Tom…"

"Goodbye, Albus," Voldemort said, turning on his heel and walking away from Dumbledore.

"Tom!"

Voldemort did not reply. He merely kept walking directly into the white mist that surrounded them. Before long, Dumbledore could no longer see Tom Riddle at all. He had already returned to the world of the living ... as Harry Potter, the boy who lived.