More Dark Than Light

by NemesisFate

Harry isn't going to defeat Voldemort. He isn't. He's got something much worse in mind. HPSS slash. Implied HPLV.

"Defeat Voldemort, defeat Voldemort," Harry muttered to himself

Title: More Dark Than Light

Author: Nemesis

Rating: NC-17

Warnings: Dark, BDSM, Ambiguous Consent

Summary: Harry's sick of the pressure and the world, so he takes the course never expected.

Pairing: Harry/Voldemort, Harry/Snape (are the main ones, there might be a few more minor ones later on.).

Disclaimer: Not mine, some British lady's. I'm just borrowing the idea of them for a while.

"Defeat Voldemort, defeat Voldemort," Harry muttered to himself. "Everyone always wants the same thing. They want me to defeat Voldemort. Even Ron and Hermione. Oh, sure, they care more than others, but it's still always the same." Harry raised his voice into a falsetto and imitated Hermione. "'Oh, Harry, you'll defeat him one of these days. He can't escape you forever. You'll defeat him, and then you can live happily and the whole world will be free of evil. You'll finally be able to live a good life.' And Ron, too." He deepened his voice slightly, imitating Ron's this time. "'Harry, you'll get that son of a bitch. You'll make him pay. Make us proud, Harry.' Bullshit. Complete bullshit. Who says I'll defeat him?"

He climbed the stairs to the Astronomy Tower, not caring whether any one caught him. He was without his Cloak; Dumbledore had confiscated it at the beginning of the year, telling him that he needed to be protected. Harry, of course, had learned complex Invisibility spells instead.

"The entire Wizarding World expects that. It's in the Daily Prophet all the time, everyone speaks of it, the entire school says so every minute. Bloody hell, even Voldemort is waiting for that. 'He'll kill me one day, that Potter brat,'" he hissed, imitating the Dark Lord. He paced around the Astronomy Tower, looking out around him.

"Merlin, too many people want something they're not going to get. 'Meet our Harry Potter. He'll defeat You-Know-Who.' No!" he cried, "I'm not going to defeat him."

He paused. "I'm going to beat him. Better him. I'm more powerful than he is – I can feel it. My power has yet to peak, and already I am more powerful than he is. His power is great, but mine is greater. And soon I will be recognized as better than him – oh, I am already, but I'll be recognized in ways they'd never expect." Harry threw his head back and cackled. "Oh, yeah, they'll see. They'll see that I am not what they what me to be."

He stood, back erect, his hands behind his back, looking out at the grounds.

Dumbledore peered benignly at the dark-haired teen sitting across from him. "Lemon drop?" he asked.

"No, thanks," Harry answered, containing his irritation.

"Well, then, tell me, my boy, have you had any visions?"

"No, sir," Harry lied smoothly. He had had visions, but he had decided long ago that he wasn't going to be Dumbledore's – the Order's, rather – puppet anymore. He was going to do as he wished. And he certainly didn't need the backing of a raving lunatic and a smattering of dedicated people. Pshaw! Dedicated to an ideal that could never exist.

Dumbledore looked mildly worried. "You haven't had any visions for five weeks, but Voldemort's been active."

Harry looked at him calmly. "Sir, I have not had any visions. That is all I can say to you," he finished with a shrug.

A knock resounded in the room. "Enter!" Dumbledore called. Snape swept in, his face firmly set in a scowl.

"Voldemort's on another rampage."

"What now?"

"Small town in Scotland known for their progression in Light Magic."

Dumbledore held his head. "Merlin, aid us," he whispered. Harry sneered.

"Are you sure you have seen nothing?" Dumbledore asked Harry.

"Yes." Harry stood and nodded to them, sweeping out of the room.

Snape shivered as he felt Harry's power dance over his skin.

"Dumbledore, of course, is powerful – more powerful than Voldemort," Harry mused quietly as he walked back to his Common Room. "But the question is, am I more powerful than him?"

He frowned, then changed directions, his hand traveling surreptitiously to his wand, smirking slightly. The world was going to change.

He immediately made himself invisible and untraceable, not doubting that Dumbledore had tried in some way or another to control him.

Harry let himself out of the Hogwarts through a low window and sneaked to the broom shed, making his broom invisible and untraceable. Mounting it, he flew to the northern Scotland, his hair whipped every which way by the strong wind whistling past his ears.

He landed, still invisible, and left his broom on the ground, sneaking over to the burning fire. He sat down among the people there, at the very back, and listened.

Voldemort was boasting to his followers about the perfection of the raid.

"However, there is one little problem. I know for a fact Harry Potter is still having his visions – I sent him some, to try and trick the Order. But the Order does nothing. Does Potter not report them?"

Snape stood up and glided to Voldemort. "Master," he breathed. "Potter continually tells us he has had no visions, again and again. The Order does not receive this information."

Voldemort was clearly interested by this news. He rested his chin on his hand and mused. "You mean the Potter brat is purposefully not helping the Order? Which side is this boy playing?"

Harry decided that was a good entry point and silently stood up, moving ten or twenty feet back, making himself visible but still untraceable.

He walked imperiously among the crowd, heading up to the front, where Voldemort sat, musing. Snape was still standing by him.

"Voldemort," Harry said curtly, acknowledging his rival's presence.

Voldemort looked up and a slow, feral grin spread out across his features as he realized who was standing in front of him.

"Potter," he replied. He was about to order his Death Eaters to grab Harry, when Harry gave him a predatory smirk and shook his head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, Voldemort."

"Why, is the whole Order here?" Voldemort answered, taunting.

"No. Only I am. I came here to talk to you. Alone."

Voldemort paused. "Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Alone," Harry repeated insistently.

Voldemort nodded slowly and stood up. "Come with me. Anybody who follows me, with the exception of the Potter brat, will first be subjected to the Cruciatus, then killed."

Snape watched as Harry confidently followed Voldemort into his private room.

"What is it?" Voldemort demanded. Harry stood in front of him.

"I have a proposition for you," Harry answered calmly.

Voldemort waited for Harry to speak, but as he did not, Voldemort narrowed his eyes and hissed, "What?"

"You cave, and I will allow you to practice under me."

Voldemort frowned as he realized the implications. "Under you?" he asked, shocked. "You mean…?"

"I don't want to be all prissy-perfect and do 'the right thing' and defeat you and all of that bullshit. I want to be your better – to surpass you in Darkness."

"So, what exactly is your proposition?"

Harry grinned predatorily. "You start out by training me. I need to know more Dark Magic. Afterwards, I will take my place as your Master, with you as my right-hand man."

Voldemort was torn. On the one hand, he would have a very willing student. On the other, he would have to bow down to another.

"What happens if I accept?"

"Just what I said. You and your followers, will, of course, be allowed to practice Dark Magic under my orders. No one in our circle will get hurt, unless they betray or so on. You get the idea – I'm sure you enforce similar rules."

"And if I refuse?" Voldemort asked, almost terrified to.

"I annihilate you and whoever dares to oppose me, and I take my place anyway."

"Can you annihilate me?"

"Very easily. I was shown the Killing Curse. I need to be shown the more subtle ones."

Voldemort stopped and pondered this. "Can you give me time?" he asked.

Harry nodded, and he sat down on the floor, serenely waiting for Voldemort to make one of the hardest decisions of his life.

Voldemort looked at the teenager and signaled he was ready. Harry stood up.

"It's a deal," Voldemort answered, sticking out his hand. Harry shook it, and for the first time in his life, he didn't shudder when Voldemort's skin touched his.

"When would we start?"

"Whenever you wish," hissed the Dark Lord.

"Let us discuss the specifics now, then."

Voldemort nodded, and gestured to the table. "What are they?"

"You take me as an apprentice effective immediately. When I deem I am ready, but not before the end of my sixth year at Hogwarts, I will take my place in this world as the Dark Lord. Your Death Eaters and you will not harm me, under the penalty of death. I will not tolerate such impudence. Even while I am your apprentice, you will check with me before attacking major spots. Owls are fine, as long as we don't use Hedwig, my snowy owl. And always a different owl. Cycle them. I'll use school ones, but the same owl becomes suspicious. Oh, and no more visions. I like inflicting pain, I can take a bit of pain, but I hate having my sleep interrupted."

Voldemort nodded again.

"And now, we sign the contract and make the magical pact," Harry announced. Voldemort smiled thinly.

"Excellent," he said. "It sounds good to me. Also, you are already wise enough to know better than to just blindly assume I will follow you."

Harry drew up the contract and signed it with a flourish. The magic level in the room increased exponentially. He slid it over to Voldemort, who also signed it. The magic in the room grew until it escaped the hut, flying every which way.

The Death Eaters outside noticed and wondered what they were doing.

Harry stood up and shook Voldemort's hand. "I will owl you when I believe the training should start."

Voldemort nodded and also stood. "Leave by the back door. My Death Eaters may not suspect something."

"Oh, one more thing, Voldemort. do not tell your Death Eaters of this just yet. One among your crowd is not loyal."

Voldemort looked interested. "Who?"

"You may not hurt him. He will prove to be useful when I intend to rule. However, he does not believe in you. I want your oath that you will not hurt him."

Voldemort swore it, and demanded to know who it was again.

"Snape is not as loyal as you think him to be. He works for the Order."

Voldemort pondered that and grinned maliciously. "Excellent info. Once he has left, I will order the rest of my Death Eaters not to harm you, under penalty of death."

"Excellent," Harry purred, and he left the room with a smirk.

He returned to Hogwarts, pretending normality, but he was elated. He was going to take his place as the Dark Lord in no less than a year. There was one less person in the world believing he would defeat Voldemort. No one would expect him to become the next Dark Lord, not in a million years.

Oh, but he would. He would.

He joined Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table for breakfast the next morning, a strange glint in his eyes. Hermione picked up on it immediately and asked him about it.

He looked at her, almost condescendingly, and said, "Oh, it's nothing."

Snape swooped down from the Head Table to the Gryffindor table and stopped in front of Harry. "Potter," he said curtly. "The Headmaster wishes to see you in his office. I am to take you up there."

Harry wiped his mouth with his napkin, stood up gracefully, and swept out of the room with Snape, knowing they couldn't touch him.

Dumbledore sat at his desk, his hands folded, the usual twinkle gone from his now-stern blue eyes.

"I've heard shocking news from one of our Order members."

Harry raised an eyebrow, face betraying no emotion whatsoever. "What would that be, Headmaster?" His tone belied no interest in this information.

"This member has reported from a meeting with the Dark Lord –"

"Snape, then."

"Professor Snape," Dumbledore corrected absent-mindedly. "Now, Professor Snape tells me that Voldemort has been sending you visions. Why do we never hear about them?"

Harry kept a stony face and did not answer the Headmaster, waiting patiently. His irritation grew as he sat there, although he did not let it reach his eyes. Snape was watching him with a frown.

"Potter! Answer!"

Harry stood up, silent and deadly. "No," he answered softly. "No."

Dumbledore sighed. "Professor Snape also said that you were there yesterday. How did you leave this place? Why did no one see you? How did you get there? And what did you do there?"

Harry snarled and glared at both of them. "I'm leaving now. Woe be to him who dares to follow me."

He spun around sharply on his heel and left the room, slamming the door shut behind him. He made himself invisible immediately, the Untraceable Charm still working from last night.

Snape turned to face the Headmaster. Dumbledore sighed. "You're a spy, Severus. Go follow him."

Snape nodded and swept out of the room silently, looking for Harry. He listened for footsteps but heard none. Snarling, he attempted a detection spell, but it came up negative.

"Bloody hell, Potter, where could you be?" Snape whispered. After an hour of fruitless searching, he turned back and stomped up to Dumbledore's office.

"He's disappeared," Snape announced.

Dumbledore looked up at him, weary. "Did you try a detection spell?"

"At least twenty, Albus. The boy's gone."

Dumbledore rubbed his temples. "It's too familiar. All of it. I distinctly remember another angry teenager stomping out of here, furious."

"Voldemort."

Dumbledore nodded. "Tom Riddle back then, but yes. They are one and the same."

"And looked what happened to him. Do you think the same thing will happen to Harry?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "I do not know. I seriously hope not, but given his behavior lately, I think there's a fair chance of that. However, there is the little issue that the world already has a Dark Lord."

Snape frowned. "Not if Harry defeats him. He wouldn't be taking the Light course, because upon Voldemort's defeat, Harry would take his place."

"Merlin," Dumbledore breathed. "That would be a disaster. Harry is far more powerful than Voldemort."

"And he does not fear you the way Voldemort does."

"He is young," Dumbledore answered absent-mindedly, fiddling with the lid to the lemon drop jar.

"He has no fear," Snape repeated. "He knows he is more powerful than Voldemort. He knows he is more powerful than you. He has seen you furious, and still he scorns you. If Harry were to become the Dark Lord, then the world would immediately be –"

"More black than white," Dumbledore finished, starting to see Snape's point of view. "Severus, don't you think you're being a pessimist?"

Snape frowned. "It is my job as a spy to be as negative as possible. If I always expect the worst, then I am never surprised."

"Yet you have to have hope for something better."

Snape shook his head. "That raises false expectations and puts me in immediate danger. I expect and hope for the worst and am pleasantly surprised when there is something better. And the scenario I am presenting is not even the worst-case scenario. The one I'm presenting is fairly good, actually."

Dumbledore paused, his hand halfway to his mouth with an unwrapped lemon drop in it. "What is the worst-case scenario?"

"If he took his place before he graduated from here. If he immediately turned Hogwarts dark. If he got rid of Hogwarts."

Dumbledore groaned. "I do not like the sound of this. This is far too disturbing."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Obviously. So, what do you propose we do?"

Dumbledore sighed. "We can't do anything. At the moment, we can't even find Harry. Do you think you could possibly get Harry to open up to you?"

Snape laughed, a rough, short bark. "As if! He knows I work directly for you. He would only play mind and power games with me. He would not share any of his plans. He hasn't been cooperating lately anyway."

"Why can't we find him? I took his Invisibility Cloak in the beginning of the year, and anyway, detection and tracing spells should work."

Snape shrugged. "Perhaps he's learned Invisibility Spells."

"Those are incredibly advanced, not to mention a detection spell would still point us to him."

"Then he must have also learned Untraceable Spells."

Dumbledore moaned and barely refrained from banging his head on his desk. "Then we are doomed. Merlin knows where he is. In fact, he could be here right now, having followed you silently around the castle while you looked for him and then sneaked in here."

"The only worse thing would be if he learned how to be an Animagus."

Dumbledore frowned. "That is also advanced."

"His father did it at his age. And Harry is far more powerful than his father. If he is an Animagus, we don't know how long he's been one. Or what his form is. I think he can do all of it and more. Remus taught Harry how to do a Patronus in Harry's third year. If Harry could do it then, he can definitely learn the most advanced spells."

He stopped and sat down, tracing invisible patterns on the arm of the chair. After minutes of pondering, he stood up and paced for a bit, then left, slamming the door behind him. He went down to his dungeons and blew up, screaming his frustration at the walls while creating a mind-clearing potion.

Dumbledore sighed and knew Snape would be back. While he waited, he turned his mind from the problem of Harry to school management issues, the fear that Hogwarts could be demolished eating away at him.

Two hours later, Snape stormed back in and sat down. "I thought of a worse scenario."

Dumbledore frowned and gestured for Snape to continue.

"If Voldemort took Harry in as an apprentice."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, thinking about that one. "Why would it be so terrible?"

"Harry would have full access to the worst spells that Voldemort knows. Not only that, but given his power, he could easily be accessing the Restricted Section every night and reading everything in there. And what's worse – do we really know that Harry is spending his summers at the Dursleys? And what about Christmas vacations? How do we know he isn't somewhere else in the world, learning all sorts of spells and magic?"

"Where could he go without being recognized?"

"Anywhere if he used spells to disguise himself." A thought suddenly hit Snape. "Or if he was a Metamorphagus."

Dumbledore groaned. "How did he become so powerful? James and Lily were powerful, but not that powerful."

Snape shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know."

"He couldn't be Voldemort's offspring by any chance, could he?"

Snape shook his head quickly. "No, Voldemort is entirely homosexual."

"Are you positive?"

"Fairly," Snape answered, wincing as he thought of it. Dumbledore immediately understood and didn't the push the matter further.

"So you believe all of it?"

Snape nodded, almost apologetically. "It is the worst-case scenario, at least, as bad as I could possibly make it. I might be forgetting something, which would be disastrous. Anyway, since that's the worst-case scenario, I believe it, or at least expect it, because, of course, then I will be prepared for it. Or at least not surprised by it."

Dumbledore thought of a few more terrible things that could happen, but he didn't mention them. He was starting to understand the way Snape thought, the way he was trained to think, and it worried him.

Snape, too, thought of a few more things, but he didn't want to worry his mentor any further. Dumbledore had enough on his plate as it was.

In the corner, Harry grinned, knowing that the worst-case scenario Snape had come up with was flawed. There were more terrible things that could happen. Although, he thought to himself, Snape was good. He had predicted many of Harry's moves and correctly summarized Harry's past actions. Maybe it was time to draft him. Not quite yet, though. Just a little more time, a little more preparation.

He would rise above them all, the darkest of the dark.

Snape banged around his workroom, filling Pomfrey's orders for potions, trying to occupy his mind with busy work. Dumbledore had practically begged him to try to take Harry under his wing and show him where he was wrong. Snape couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched – scrutinized even, like a bug under a microscope. He had had that feeling the entire time in Dumbledore's office, but hadn't mentioned that. Going against his instincts, he put it down to spy paranoia.

In fact, Harry was watching him carefully, observing his every move, preparing for the next attack.

"Where could that boy be?" Snape wondered to himself. He frowned and decanted the potion, then swept out of the room, Harry behind him, although Snape didn't know it.

He stormed into the Great Hall and sat down, looking around for Harry at the Gryffindor Table, noticing immediately that Harry wasn't there. After Snape finished his lunch, he stood up and strode down to the Gryffindor Table, stopping behind Ron and Hermione.

"Weasley, Granger, have you seen your comrade, Potter?"

Ron and Hermione looked up at him and shook their heads. "In fact –" Hermione began, but Snape shook his head.

"Come with me, both of you."

Puzzled, Ron and Hermione both stood up and followed Snape, who first went to the Head Table and stopped next to Dumbledore. "Albus," he whispered. "How much can I tell them?"

Dumbledore pondered that and answered, "Not much. Don't tell them our fears. Just tell them that Potter's missing and we're worried about him. Ask them if they've noticed anything strange about his behavior lately."

Snape nodded and beckoned for Hermione and Ron to follow him, with Harry following silently behind him.

Ron and Hermione sat down in the chairs in Snape's office.

"What were you going to say, Granger?"

"We saw him at breakfast today, and he had this… glint in his eyes. So I asked him about it, and he condescendingly told me it was nothing."

Ron nodded. "And he's been bloody distant lately. Always alone. And he hardly sleeps at night – sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night, and he's never there. Some days when I wake up in the morning his bed's still made, other days it looks like he fell asleep on it without turning down the covers, and he's almost always up before I am. I think maybe there are three days in this entire year he was still asleep when I woke up. Sometimes I wake up when he stumbles in at three or four am."

"He's been skipping breakfast and lunch, too," Hermione chimed in. "Sometimes I ask him where he went, and he usually says the library. I highly doubt that."

Snape nodded as a signal for them to continue. "Anything else?"

"Yeah!" Ron answered. "He hasn't been playing Quidditch. He's there at the games, but he has yet to show up for a practice."

"Who's the captain of the team?" Snape asked.

"I am," Ron answered. "Harry was nominated, but he just turned it down, with this infuriating superior air."

"He's not around on the weekends, either," Hermione mentioned. "After dinner on Fridays, he just disappears, and reappears Monday at the breakfast table. Not to mention he didn't answer any of our owls during the summer."

"Did you try calling him?" Snape displayed uncharacteristical unsureness with the Muggle terminology.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know his phone number."

Snape looked at her blankly, and Hermione sighed. "Every phone line has a different number." Snape nodded slowly, almost dubiously.

"Anything else?"

Ron and Hermione shook their heads. "I can't think of anything at the moment," Ron answered.

"Why are you asking us all this, sir?" Hermione asked. "Harry usually doesn't eat lunch anyway, and we usually don't see him for a while during the day."

Snape sighed and rubbed his temples. "Potter stormed out of the Headmaster's office today when we asked him a few questions, and we haven't been able to find him since."

Hermione frowned and turned to Ron. "Today's a Saturday, right?"

Ron nodded slowly, not seeing where Hermione was going with this. "So why was Harry around any way? Every weekend he's not around, so why this one?"

"He wasn't in bed last night, though," Ron pointed out.

"Do you know where he goes during the weekends?"

They shook their heads. "He's definitely not in the library – I'm usually there for a couple hours on both Saturday and Sunday."

"Well, thank you for all your help. I'm going to go report to Professor Dumbledore now, so I'll ask you both to please leave."

Ron raised an eyebrow. "Sir, are you alright?"

"No, Weasley, I'm not!" Snape snapped and immediately kicked them out.

"Where could that boy be?" he wondered out loud for the millionth time that day.

Harry walked up to the Owlery slowly. He had a letter in one hand, addressed to Voldemort. Upon entering, he whistled for a school owl and tied the letter to its leg. Harry whispered instructions to the owl and watched as it flew out, flying to the horizon.

He had told Voldemort to expect him at five and to be ready to teach him, and also said that he would be staying until early Monday morning. And they both knew Harry wouldn't tolerate disobedience. He was the Master now, even if he was the one being taught. They both knew it.

Harry walked down the stairs again, preparing himself for the lesson. Voldemort would be shocked, Harry knew as much. He had spent his weekends in different parts of the country, learning Dark Magic for three years, and for three summers, he had visited different parts of the world, as well as his vacations. He was an Animagus – had been since second year, although he never told anyone – a Metamorphagus (this, too, he didn't tell anyone, just kept it to himself), and had learned how to Apparate right after he learned how to be an Animagus.

He left the castle quietly, invisible and untraceable as usual, and began walking to the Forbidden Forest where he could Apparate from. He had been to the Forbidden Forest many, many times, and was friends with almost all of the monsters and denizens in the forest. Upon entering the forest, he made himself visible.

As he walked into the forest, a black raven called to him. He whistled back, and it flew down to him and rested on his shoulder. The raven rested on his shoulder, almost protectively, until a large, black snake slithered out of the thick forest around Harry and hissed to him.

Harry hissed back to it and stopped. The snake slithered up Harry's leg up to his body, finally stopping when it was around his neck. The raven flew off, with the snake resting protectively around his neck, hissing at Harry. Harry again made himself invisible, not wanting to be seen by the many Death Eaters when he reached Voldemort's lair.

"What's new?" he asked.

"I am going to be the new Dark Lord of the world, Sisefi," Harry answered.

"Where are you going now?"

"I am going to Voldemort's lair so that he may teach me what I don't know. After this year, I will reign over this world. They cannot defeat me!"

Sisefi hissed without really saying anything, and Harry knew that if snakes could smile, Sisefi would be smiling. "That is my young snake."

"You will remain with me, right?"

"As long as I live," the snake answered. "I like your company. Besides, you're the only one I know of who can speak to me."

"Voldemort is also a Parseltongue."

"But he is not you, and I know you well anyway."

"Indeed. We have been together long."

Sisefi agreed. He had accompanied Harry to every place he had gone during those three years, always taking over at that certain spot.

"You were not here yesterday."

"I took my broom to Voldemort's lair. I did not want him to know that I could Apparate – not yet. I wanted him to think that I only knew the three Unforgivables."

"You know far more than that," Sisefi hissed. "I was with you for all of those journeys."

"And you will be with me as long as you live."

"You should meet my children one of these days. Maybe one of them could become a close friend of yours and take over when I die."

"Very well. I will meet them Wednesday night, if that's okay with you. Get ready, I'm at the apparition spot."

Sisefi braced himself for the sudden jerk of apparition. Harry was an expert at it, and the going was usually smooth, but it was always a shock.

With a faint pop, Harry and Sisefi were gone. "How are you, Sisefi?"

"Okay, thanks."

Harry walked the short distance to Voldemort's cabin and knocked on the door. "Enter!" Voldemort called. Harry patiently waited, and Voldemort called again.

Harry hissed, "Open the door for me. It is less suspicious."

Voldemort immediately stood up and walked over to the door, knowing that he had no choice but to obey Harry. He knew Harry could kill him any time he wanted to, and that Harry was not going to tolerate disobedience in any form.

Harry entered as soon as Voldemort opened the door. "Shut the door," he ordered. Voldemort shut the door, and Harry made himself visible, with Sisefi around his neck.

"Who is that?" Voldemort asked, pointing at Sisefi.

"He is my pet snake, Sisefi."

"Very well. What would you like to start with?"

"You are the one teaching me," Harry answered.

Voldemort sighed. "How much do you know?"

"A lot, actually." Harry then told Voldemort what he had spent his time doing and what he was capable of doing.

By the time Harry had finished detailing his travels, Voldemort was completely blown away. "I cannot teach you much more. What is your Animagus shape?"

"Since I'm a Metamorphagus, I can make my body be anything I want it to be. However, the animal I am as an Animagus is a five-foot long black snake."

"Excellent for camouflage," Voldemort mused. "I was wondering. Do you have any plans for Snape?"

Harry nodded. "I do. He will be useful. He is good at predicting, and he is the best in his field. He is powerful."

"But he works for Dumbledore. How will you convince him to work for you?"

"I will seduce him."

Voldemort blinked. "You'll do what?"

"I'm going to seduce him, using my power. He's attracted to power."

Voldemort frowned slightly. "You're going to use your body?"

Harry shrugged. "Sure, why not? I've learned sex-magic. There were a few amazing towns in Eastern Europe that taught me a lot during the summer."

"Do you intend it to be a serious relationship – like lovers?"

"Maybe. He would be easier to control that way."

"How will you keep him on your side?"

"Power and sex. There was this place in South America that taught me immediate mind reading. It's difficult, but it becomes easier with practice. Dumbledore's an excellent person to practice on, and he doesn't suspect it. Anyway, I'll be able to check if he's loyal to me. If not, I can cure that."

"Excellent plan," Voldemort admitted. "What can I teach you? You are already advanced in Dark Arts."

"Politics," Harry responded immediately. "I know many different spells from many different parts of the world. However, I don't know politics. And I think that you could probably teach me."

Voldemort nodded slowly. "But you conducted that meeting with me expertly."

"Pshaw! I need more knowledge in many different areas. Plus, I'd like you to start introducing the idea to the Death Eaters that I am going to take over, but then again, you probably know how to do that better than I do."

Voldemort suddenly understood what Harry was talking about. "I can definitely do that, then. Are you ready?"

Harry smiled predatorily. "Let's begin!"

Harry was back at Hogwarts by breakfast time on Monday. He was going to go back to Voldemort that night, as well as Thursday night. He had wanted to spend at least two weekends a month doing what he had been doing during the past three years, and Voldemort had liked the idea. In fact, Voldemort couldn't exactly see the point in teaching him, but Harry had one.

Harry always had a point to what he was doing.

Going with his usual schedule, Harry skipped breakfast and went to Gryffindor Tower to take a quick shower and wash himself off, mentally planning his seduction of Snape. Suddenly, an idea hit him, and he jumped out of the shower quickly, drying himself off and throwing clothes on.

He ran up to the Owlery and scribbled a letter to Voldemort on the ledge. He whistled for a school owl and whispered instructions in its ear.

Harry sighed as he watched the owl fly off. He would definitely have to find a different system for contacting Voldemort. Dumbledore would definitely become suspicious if suddenly all of the school owls were disappearing – because, of course, Voldemort killed them immediately, not wanting to risk detection.

Perhaps he would use the raven that always went with him in the Forbidden Forest until Sisefi arrived and order Voldemort not to kill her.

It would have to do. Harry would speak to the raven that night.

Meanwhile, there were other things to be taken care of. Such as letting Snape attempt to take him under his wing. Passive at first, and when Snape was so far in – lost in a trance, one could say – the tables would turn, and Harry would actively dominate Snape.

But first, it was time for Potions. Double Potions, with the Slytherins. Harry had been doing excellently in Potions, always having the potion made correctly the first time around, always knowing what to do and how to do it. It was like that in many of his classes – he was advanced, too advanced, having studied it all during his free time, going above and beyond. If it weren't for the fact it would be too suspicious, he would've skipped all of his classes during the year…

Although, come to think of it, that was an idea. Harry checked his watch. He still had half an hour before Potions. Hopefully it would be enough time.

He then entered the one place in the entire castle he was least inclined to enter: Dumbledore's office.

"My dear boy, we have finally found you," Dumbledore greeted him happily. They had seen neither hide nor hair of Harry since the debacle in Dumbledore's office two days prior, and the Headmaster had been getting more and more worried.

"I have chosen to be found," Harry answered nonchalantly. "I wish to speak with you."

Dumbledore smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. He was positive Harry was here to tell him what had been going on.

"I would like to take my NEWTS this year and graduate a year ahead of time. There is little left this school could teach me."

Dumbledore frowned. "But you are only in your sixth year."

Harry shrugged. "I could pass my NEWTS now, I am certain of it. However, it would be more practical to do it at the end of the year."

"And what would you do after leaving Hogwarts?"

"Explore the wide world," Harry answered cryptically. It told nothing of what he would do while exploring the world – he could be bringing it down around their heads in flames, and it still would, technically, be exploring the wide world.

"What about Voldemort?"

There was a knock on the door. "Hold on, Harry. Enter!"

Snape entered and noticed Harry standing there. "Well, look who chooses to show up. What is going on, Albus?"

"Shut the door, Severus. Young Mr. Potter here wishes to graduate a year early – take his NEWTS this year. Then he would explore the world after graduating."

"Have you not thought about Voldemort, you foolish boy?" Snape snarled.

"On the contrary, I have," Harry answered calmly.

"You cannot escape him forever."

"I do not have to. He would not touch me. None of his followers would, either. They would grant me free passage anywhere."

"Why?" Snape asked suspiciously. Harry just smiled slowly.

"Why, Harry?" Dumbledore asked kindly.

"Because he knows he cannot win. And he would rather remain alive and let me live than die."

"Are you so sure you could kill him?"

"Would I ask you to let me graduate a year early otherwise?" Harry asked with a certain sangfroid that amazed both Snape and Dumbledore.

Dumbledore sighed. "I shall consider it."

Harry smiled and swept out of the room, walking briskly up to his dorm to grab his books for Potions and Transfiguration and back down to the dungeons.

Ron and Hermione immediately joined him when they saw him in the hallway before the door to the Potions class. Malfoy also saw him and walked up to him. They all stopped, Harry, Ron and Hermione facing Malfoy. Next to Harry, Ron and Hermione tensed.

Malfoy eyed Harry speculatively, with almost an appreciative glint in his eyes. "What do you want, Malfoy?" Ron snapped.

Malfoy's eyes traveled slowly to Ron. He sneered. "I suggest you keep your mouth shut, Weasel." He turned to face Harry again and bowed his head minimally, showing Harry that he had received Voldemort's messages – the first one being not to harm Harry, and the second that Harry was, technically, the new master – and was complying.

Harry nodded back surreptitiously and started walking towards the door to the classroom, walking past Malfoy close enough to brush his arm in understanding as he did so. Ron and Hermione gaped after him in shock.

"Harry!" Ron cried. "You're not going to argue with him?!"

Harry turned around slowly, smiling strangely. "No, Ron, I don't think I will."

Malfoy smiled maliciously. "After all, Potter has no reason to."

Hermione was suspicious. "And you're not taunting him, Malfoy? Why not?"

Malfoy shrugged nonchalantly. "I have no reason to. One could say we finally understand each other and our roles." He shot Harry a look and received a curt nod in return.

"What roles?!" Hermione shrieked.

"That is between the two of us," Malfoy answered malevolently. Suddenly Ron turned a variety of colors. "If I found out that you've been…." He trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence. "Merlin, I can't even think of that."

"Of what?" Hermione wondered. Ron leaned over and whispered it into her ear. Hermione made a disgusted face and turned to Malfoy.

"How dare you?" she hissed. "How dare you defile him like that?"

Malfoy raised an eyebrow. "I haven't touched him."

"You're just trying to get him into your bed so that you can dominate him entirely."

Malfoy cackled. "You've got your ideas mixed up in that over-full head of yours, Mudblood."

He walked to where Harry stood, and Harry leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I wish to speak to you sometime soon, Draco."

"Yes, sir," Malfoy responded respectfully. "Will tonight work?"

"No. I am busy."

"Very well. How about tomorrow night?"

"That will do. Give me the password and location of the Slytherin rooms, and I'll be in your room."

Malfoy nodded. "I shall show you at lunch, if it pleases you, sir."

"Thank you."

Harry straightened. "To Potions, then." He turned and strode into the classroom, with Malfoy walking respectfully two steps behind him. Harry sat down in his usual seat and immediately pulled out his materials. Malfoy stopped in front of Harry and spoke.

"If I may…?"

"Speak, Draco," Harry commanded quietly.

"Yes, sir," Draco answered. "Vincent and Gregory – you know them as Crabbe and Goyle – will protect you anytime. They serve me, and therefore, they serve you."

Harry nodded. "Sit here today, Draco, if you will."

"Yes, sir. Would you like Blaise to sit on your other side? He, too, is loyal, although a bit less feared."

"Yes, I like Blaise. Where is he?"

Just then, Zabini entered, and noticed Malfoy motioning to him.

"Blaise," Malfoy hissed.

Zabini quirked an eyebrow. Malfoy frowned, and Zabini looked over at Harry. "Sir," he said simply, and bowed his head minimally, like Malfoy had, indicating his allegiance to Harry. Harry nodded back, as he had with Malfoy.

"Blaise, would you sit next to me today?" Harry asked. Zabini nodded. He knew better than to assume it was a request. It was a command, and he would follow his new Master's orders to the last. He knew better than to disobey.

"Of course, sir."

"I will be speaking with Draco tomorrow night. Would you be willing to be there?"

"Of course, sir," Zabini answered smoothly.

Malfoy and Zabini took their seats to either side of Harry. As the Slytherins walked in, they all bowed their heads minimally in Harry's direction, acknowledging him as the Master. He nodded back every time, accepting it.

Ron and Hermione walked in, having discussed their shock outside of the classroom. Still talking quietly, they walked to their usual seats, until they realized they were already taken.

"What is this, Harry?" Hermione cried. "First you don't fight with Malfoy, instead you agree with him. Then you sit between these two," she continued disgustedly, pointing at Zabini and Malfoy.

Zabini and Malfoy stood up immediately and frowned, crossing their arms over their chests. As a whole, the entire Slytherin faction of the class rose, looking ahead with stony determination. They had accepted Harry as their Master, and that included protecting him.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other, puzzled, but said nothing else, just sat down and pulled out their things.

All of the Slytherins sat down again. "Sir," Malfoy hemmed. "You might find the Slytherin section more comfortable."

Harry looked at him thoughtfully. "Yes, I believe I would." He packed his things in his bag and rose, walking over to the Slytherin section. Immediately everyone moved over so that Harry could sit front and center, with Zabini and Malfoy next to him. Harry accepted it graciously and sat down, with Zabini and Malfoy taking their places next to him.

Slowly, the Gryffindors walked in, always at the last minute, wanting to stay out of the Potions classroom for as long as possible. They came in, ready to see Harry, Ron, and Hermione bickering with Malfoy and his gang.

Instead, they saw Harry listening intently to Malfoy whispering something in his ear and nodding occasionally, sitting in the Slytherin area of the class, and Ron and Hermione whispering furiously in the far end of the classroom, firmly in the Gryffindor section.

Raising their eyebrows, all of them entered, with some of the going as so far as to ask Harry about it.

"Hey, mate, what you doing there? You blind or something?" Seamus asked. Harry looked up at him coldly.

"No. I chose to sit here today."

Seamus raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, look, you're right crazy. Why are you sitting there?"

Harry didn't answer him. Seamus walked up to Harry. "Hey, you alright? Are you under some spell or something?"

Harry looked up at him and smiled slowly, a dangerous and malicious smile. Seamus frowned. "Mate, you okay?" He reached out and tapped Harry's shoulder gently. Immediately Zabini and Malfoy were up, their hands sliding to their wands.

"Get your hands off him," Malfoy ordered.

Seamus looked at Malfoy, shocked, his hand resting on Harry's shoulder. Zabini drew his wand. "I will count to three, Finnegan, and then I will hex you if you do not remove your hand from his shoulder. One… Two… Excellent. Now go sit down, Finnegan."

Shell-shocked, Seamus walked over to his usual seat and sat down. After that, none of the Gryffindors went near Harry, fearing both Zabini and Malfoy.

Both of them sat down again, Zabini leaning to whisper in Harry's ear, "Sir, are you alright?"

Harry nodded. "Thanks, but I don't think it was necessary. It's good to know you will protect me, though."

Zabini and Malfoy smiled wanly and waited patiently for Snape to enter and class to officially start.

Snape entered moments later, and his eyes immediately traveled to Harry sitting in the Slytherin section.

"Potter," he barked. "Why are you sitting there?"

"Why not?" Harry answered with an infuriating tone of voice.

Snape's eyes narrowed, and the entire Gryffindor section gasped. The Slytherins, however, knew their Master knew what he was doing, and trusted him. Besides, they would be there if it got… nasty.

"That is the Slytherin section. You are a Gryffindor."

"I am what I am, and I am not what I am," Harry answered cryptically.

Snape frowned. "Potter, detention, tonight!"

"Then I will not be there," Harry answered calmly.

Snape was taken aback, both by Harry's answer and Harry's coolness. "What did you say?" he hissed.

"You heard me," Harry answered. "I told you I wouldn't be there. I could possibly be there late tomorrow night, but tonight is simply out of the question."

He was still serene and calm, while Snape grew more and more furious and intrigued. "Potter! Stay after class to discuss your behavior with me."

Harry raised an eyebrow and nodded.

At the end of class, he walked up to Snape's desk, with Zabini and Malfoy behind him.

"Lose the bodyguards, Potter," Snape ordered.

Harry turned to Zabini and Malfoy and whispered a few instructions to them. "See you in Transfiguration!" Harry called as a way of farewell.

"What do you want, Professor?" Harry asked, still calm.

"Explain your behavior today."

"It is not difficult to comprehend, sir. I wished to sit with intelligent people – Malfoy and Zabini – for a change. So I did."

"And your humiliation of me today?"

"That I apologize for," Harry answered calmly.

"And your detention?"

"Late tomorrow night."

"And why are you pulling all the punches?"

Harry smiled enigmatically. "May I have a note to Transfiguration, please? Professor McGonagall will be very upset if I am late without an excuse."

Raising an eyebrow, Snape wrote Harry a note, signing it with a flourish and handing it to Harry.

Harry walked out of the classroom and strode to his next class, slipping into the free seat between Zabini and Malfoy.

The class passed without incident, and Harry walked out with Zabini and Malfoy.

"Draco, you told me you would show me the Slytherin rooms. I will make myself invisible. Just assume I am behind you. Blaise, are you coming?"

"If you wish, sir."

"I do not care either way, Blaise."

"Then I shall come."

Harry nodded in acceptance and turned a corner, disappearing. "Draco!" he hissed. "Start walking."

Malfoy nodded and began to walk towards the Slytherin dungeons, finally reaching it. Harry made a note of everything around and then entered, repeating the password to himself silently a few times to remember it.

He followed Malfoy and Zabini into their dorm room and as soon as Malfoy shut the door, made himself visible.

"I will be here right after dinner tomorrow night," Harry informed them, and they nodded.

"Draco, Blaise, what do your fathers say?"

Malfoy answered first. "My father supports you in everything."

"As does mine."

"Would you like to officially greet the Slytherins? They are always here for a few minutes right before lunch to gather their things and in case there's a message."

Harry nodded, and they walked out of Malfoy and Zabini's dorm room into the Slytherin Common Room.

"SLYTHERINS!!" Malfoy called. "COME HERE!!"

The Common Room was suddenly filled with every Slytherin, from the little first years to the aged seventh years.

Harry stood at the top of the stairs and looked upon them all. Like a wave rippling through the crowd, they all bowed their heads minimally to Harry, who nodded in acknowledgement.

He was already being accepted as the new Dark Lord, by his followers at least. Soon the world would know.

Not yet, though. Not yet. There was still some time to wait. A little bit more, and the world would bow down to him.

Harry went up to his dorm room for the remaining lunch time – he needed his things, and he had an inkling Voldemort might have answered his owl.

When he entered his room, however, he was shocked to see letters all over his bed, overflowing onto the floor. And still more owls were coming, dropping letters off.

Cautiously, Harry picked one up and opened it: 'I accept and bow down. Lucius Malfoy.'

He opened the next: 'I accept and bow down. Wormtail.'

They were all like that, just that sentence and a signature. Harry sat down and made a list of all the people who had sent him a letter like that. He then put them all in a pile and incinerated them, watching the flames curl up around the letters.

He sat down at his desk and wrote: 'Accepted and welcome. The Dark Lord.' He knew all of the people would know who he was. He turned to his list and tapped it with his wand. A number appeared at the bottom.

"Hm… 1317. Plus all the Slytherins – I think. I should ask Draco about that. Ask him if everyone is really loyal to me or just pretending to be. So even if it's not all the Slytherins, it's a great deal of them, I hope. So in total, I have about 2,070 followers. Excellent. Soon the whole world will bow down before me!"

He tapped the letter on his desk with his wand and made 1316 copies of it. He frowned. "How am I going to deliver this many letters without using all of the owls?"

He grinned and looked at his watch. He still had time – after lunch, he had a study hall, and he never showed up for those anyway. He made himself invisible, stuffed all the letters in his bag, and grabbed his broom from under his bed.

Opening the window in his room, he tied the sack onto his broom, mounted it, and flew out. He turned around sharply and pulled the window shut so that no one would have an inkling of where he went. He flew around the country, delivering the letters himself, the letters becoming visible the second they fell down the chimney.

He returned before his last class started, thinking he definitely had to find a way to deliver messages easily. He then remembered the Dark Mark. He needed to craft his own. One different from Voldemort's, but still dark.

He made himself visible and walked to Charms, calm and serene.

"Harry!" Hermione called. Harry turned.

"Yes?" he asked.

Hermione raised an eyebrow. "Where were you? I was looking for you during lunch, and then during our study hall."

Harry just smirked and entered the classroom, immediately sitting in the Slytherin section. Malfoy and Zabini took their places next to him, Zabini on his left, Malfoy on his right. Most of the Gryffindors, after the Zabini-Finnegan debacle that morning, just ignored it and sat down in their usual seats, throwing dark glances at Harry.

Dean, however, had been out of the classroom during both Potions and Transfiguration due to an injury. He walked in to Charms happily; Madam Pomfrey had been able to fix him up quickly and send him on his way.

He walked into the classroom and did a double-take when he saw Harry sitting with the Slytherins. Not knowing any better, he walked up to them and stopped in front of Harry, not noticing the Gryffindors motioning frantically to him.

"Hey, Harry, watcha doin' there?" Dean asked.

Harry looked up at him condescendingly, but didn't answer.

"Harry, y'okay? You're in the Slytherin section."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Your powers of observation continue to stun me, Thomas," he answered dryly.

"C'mon, sit with us," he said.

Zabini and Malfoy upped their glares slightly, the air between them grower colder by the moment.

"I suggest you leave me alone, unless you want Blaise and Draco to take care of you," Harry threatened calmly.

Dean frowned. "Blaise and Draco?" he asked wondrously.

"Zabini and Malfoy to you," Zabini snarled. "We answer to him, and we will do his bidding. Should he ask us to jump off a bridge, we would do it without question." He bowed his head to Harry, who nodded.

Malfoy, too, bowed his head slightly, and Harry nodded again. He stood up. "Listen, I'm sick of this. Just sit down, and don't ask questions. Learn from their example," Harry added, motioning to his bodyguards.

Ron stood up suddenly. "Look, mate, why do you need bodyguards? You're perfectly capable of taking care of yourself, plus, those two work for You-Know-Who. And if I remember correctly, You-Know-Who is trying to kill you."

"Actually, these two used to work for Voldemort. They now work for me."

"And how do you know you can trust them? Malfoy's been a right bastard to you for too long, Harry, and now you're trusting him? Why?"

Harry didn't answer. Ron grew more and more furious. "So that's it? We've been by your side through every hardship you've been through, and then you just drop us like yesterday's news?"

Harry smirked. "You were there for everything except my victories, because you never saw those. It was always 'oh, we have to protect the small boy.' I'm not a little boy anymore, and I'm not afraid. I'm going to live life the way I want to, and fuck the rest of the world. I am who I am. Next person to challenge me, I will personally take out. Now everyone shut up. Flitwick's almost here."

Hermione frowned. "How do you know that?"

Harry didn't answer, just sat down, with Malfoy leaning in and asking quietly, "Sir, do you want us to take care of Weasley quietly after dinner?"

Harry shook his head and whispered back, "No. I want to teach those two a lesson myself. If I need help, I will ask you two. Listen, Draco, is everyone loyal? All of the Slytherins?"

Malfoy nodded. "Everyone last one is bowing down to you, sir."

Harry smiled malevolently. "Thanks, Draco."

Snape banged around in his office that night. "The nerve of that little rat!" he snarled. "The sheer nerve. Telling me that he can't be here tonight. He doesn't offer a reason or anything. He just tells me that if I want to have a detention with him, it'll have to be tomorrow night. He's manipulating Malfoy and Zabini, too, I swear, and if he harms either of them, his head'll be mine." In reality, Snape knew he wasn't kidding anybody. Harry was going to do as he liked, for a while anyway. And if he did hurt Malfoy or Zabini, Snape wouldn't be able to do anything about it.

"Why in the world are they following him? What did he do to make them follow him? And so loyally, too."

He had heard about the Zabini-Finnegan debacle from Ron and Hermione, both of whom he had convinced to report to him often to tell him what Harry had been up to. He had also heard that Harry had again skipped lunch and that he hadn't gone to study hall.

"Where was he?" Snape wondered. His Dark Mark began to burn, and he frowned, Flooing himself to Dumbledore's office.

"Albus," he coughed out. Dumbledore looked up.

"Severus, what's wrong?"

"He's summoning me. I must go." Dumbledore nodded.

"I'll be waiting here for you. I have some news, but this is not the best time. Do you know what he wants?"

"No idea. We just had that meeting on Friday. Where's the broom?" Dumbledore pulled it out from somewhere and gave it to him.

"I'll be back as soon as I can." With that, he mounted the broom and flew out the window, turning sharply and landing in the Forbidden Forest at the Apparition Point.

He left the broom there and Apparated to Voldemort's lair. Unbeknownst to him, Harry was there, but invisible.

"Master," he breathed, bowing down and kissing Voldemort's hem. Voldemort yanked it out of his hands.

"Traitor," Voldemort hissed.

Snape looked up, shocked. "Never, sir! I am loyal to you."

"Drop the act, Severus, I know you are a traitor."

Snape shook his head vehemently. "I am loyal," he protested.

"Very well," Voldemort smirked. "Let me test that. Take Veritaserum and affirm your loyalty to me under it." Snape's face fell as he heard that.

"V-Veritaserum?"

Voldemort nodded. "Veritaserum. Lucius, the Veritaserum."

Malfoy walked up to Voldemort and bowed. "The Veritaserum, sir."

Voldemort snapped his fingers, and Snape was bound to a nearby chair. He gulped. "Open your mouth," Voldemort instructed. He clenched his teeth and refused.

Suddenly, his mouth was being opened by a strong pair of hands, which were forcing his jaws apart. The hands were invisible, but he knew they were there.

Voldemort put three drops of Veritaserum on his tongue, and forced him to swallow. The hands disappeared from his mouth.

"What spell was that?" he asked curiously.

Voldemort didn't answer. "I am asking the questions here, not you. Are you loyal?"

"Yes," Snape answered, relieved that Voldemort hadn't asked him who he was loyal to. Voldemort frowned, wondering if Harry had been lying to him.

Harry read Voldemort's mind easily and rolled his eyes. He quietly strode to where Voldemort stood and whispered in his ear, "Ask him who he's loyal to. He is loyal to someone, but who the someone is you don't know. Ask him."

Voldemort grinned unpleasantly and asked, "Who are you loyal to?"

Snape's stomach sunk as he heard Voldemort say those words. "Dumbledore," he answered, knowing his answer sealed his fate, but he couldn't fight Veritaserum.

Voldemort was faced with a dilemma. He couldn't kill Snape – his Master had plans for him. But he couldn't let a traitor go unpunished.

Harry again read his mind. He whispered, "Leave the rest to me. Snape'll be punished, and he'll live. Remove the Dark Mark from his arm."

Voldemort did as Harry bid, and Snape screamed as the Mark disappeared, leaving a burning path as it traveled down his left arm and disintegrated, throwing his head back, unable to move anything else.

Harry then turned to Snape and, still invisible, muttered a spell he had learned in the East. Suddenly Snape felt as though ice-cold water was being slowly dripped on his head, the rate ever-increasing. Five minutes after, however, it felt as though scalding water was being dumped on his head, then ice-cold again, then boiling water, then suddenly both at the same time. He convulsed in agony, wondering where Voldemort had learned that spell. It was certainly different from the usual rounds of Cruciatus.

After twenty minutes of that torture, Harry ended the spell. Snape sighed in relief, then winced as suddenly his toes felt as though they were being eaten by millions of insects. The feeling moved up into his feet, legs, up until he felt as though every part of his body was being consumed alive. He couldn't even try slapping at them because he was tied down, even though he knew they probably weren't there.

Harry ended that spell, too, leaving Snape shuddering in agony. He then cast a spell which left Snape feeling like he was drowning and being burned alive at the same time, fire and water at the same time. Snape was gasping, desperate for air, his hands clenching the arms of the chair compulsively.

Harry ended that spell quickly, knowing that too long under that spell could kill Snape. Finally, after another hour of torture, Harry whispered in Voldemort's ear, "Let him go."

Voldemort let Snape go. "If I ever see you around here again," Voldemort said, saying everything exactly as Harry was whispering it in his ear. "I will kill you, regardless of your reason, unless I have summoned you. Now go!"

Snape Apparated back to the Forbidden Forest, then grabbed his broom and flew to Dumbledore's office, tapping on the window.

Dumbledore let him in and asked, "So, why did he want you?"

"He knows I'm a traitor," Snape gasped. "He tested me with Veritaserum."

Dumbledore frowned. "But he's tested you before, and you always passed. Why was it different this time?"

"Usually he only asks if I'm loyal, and I can say I am, because he never asks who I'm loyal to. Today he asked who I'm loyal to, and I couldn't lie, being under Veritaserum. He tortured me for a few hours, then let me go. My Dark Mark is gone, though." He pulled up his sleeve and showed it to Dumbledore.

"How did Voldemort know you aren't loyal? Who tipped him off?"

Snape shrugged and let his sleeve fall down. "What I want to know is where he learned all of those spells he used on me. It wasn't the usual round of Cruciatus, which I'm used to. It was many different spells, all of them wicked painful."

"Tell me about them," Dumbledore instructed, and, dutifully, Snape told him everything.

Snape went back down to his office and looked around. He thought about making another potion, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.

He slammed the door to his office shut, stormed through his laboratory and slammed the door to that shut as well, then entered his sitting room.

He started the fire in the hearth and stared into it, pondering how to get Harry to trust him. It wasn't going to be an easy task, that was for certain. Nothing was easy when it concerned Harry.

"Did Potter join Voldemort? Will Potter join Voldemort?"

A thought struck Snape. "Or will Voldemort join Potter?"

He rubbed his temples. "He's being rather strange lately. There was the Zabini-Finnegan debacle today, his open defiance of me, his consorting with the Slytherins, but we don't know whether or not Potter is joining Voldemort. It's so strange. He'll openly defy those around him, but he isn't showing everything. Nothing we need to know is open on the table."

He frowned. "How do I get him to trust me? He's not that innocent child we believed him to be. He won't trust me immediately."

Sighing, he continued staring into the fire and mulling over the problem.

"Let him come to you?" Voldemort asked incredulously. He was leaning against the wall in the small hut, his hands folded over his chest, looking at Harry, who was half-sitting on the table, half-supporting himself on one leg, swinging the other. Harry nodded.

"Why?" Voldemort asked. "Where's the rhyme or reason in that?"

Harry laughed. "Snape will immediately push me away if he notices it's happening. But if I just seduce him with coy glances, tentative smiles, lingering stares, all acts of extreme innocence, his rational mind won't immediately notice it. And that's still so blunt and aggressive… Oh, there are so many ways. Dumbledore told him to try to get me to open up. I think he might just choose to seduce me. After all, as he'll figure, I'm sixteen, therefore I must be horny. And if he suspects I'm innocent… Well, he'll be all the more careful."

"Are you innocent sexually?" Voldemort asked curiously.

Harry shook his head. "Hell, no! I lost my virginity a long time ago – age thirteen. The far East – one of the best experiences of my life."

"Really? What kind of things did you learn?"

Harry stood up and looked Voldemort in the eye. "I've learned sex-magic. Powerful, powerful magic, that is. Not only, but I learned how to increase power from sex."

Voldemort raised an eyebrow. "I also learned some incredibly kinky and sadomasochistic things," Harry added in a sultry tone, moving closer to Voldemort with a predatory gleam in his eyes.

Voldemort straightened, slightly taller than Harry, but not by much. Harry had grown a lot: he was six feet tall, with Voldemort at six foot two.

"Oh, really?" Voldemort asked, feeling a wave desire wash over him.

"Yes," Harry answered, standing inches away from Voldemort. "Now, tell me, are you interested in finding any of it out?"

Voldemort looked at his Master, still in the guise of an apprentice, and nodded dumbly. Harry was incredibly powerful, and it showed through in his actions.

Harry closed the distance between them. He lifted one hand and stroked Voldemort's cheek gently.

"Master or Slave?" he asked. "Or do you not want to do kinky?"

Voldemort thought about it. "Slave. And make it incredibly kinky. Terrifically kinky. And very sadomasochistic. Use every device you can."

Harry eyes' brightened. "Excellent," he purred. "I like that idea very much."

Voldemort smiled slightly, just a quirk of the lips, entirely seduced by the young, confident, powerful teen in front of him.

"On your knees," Harry ordered suddenly, his commanding side coming out.

Voldemort raised an eyebrow, surprised at Harry's domineering air. He had suspected it, yes, but faced with the reality, he was stunned.

Harry slapped him across the face. "Do you disobey me, slave?" he snarled.

Voldemort shook his head frantically. "No, sir," he whispered.

Harry slapped him again. "Did I give you permission to talk?"

Voldemort shook his head.

"Down on your knees," he ordered again. Voldemort sunk to his knees obediently, understanding just who the Master was.

"I'm going to brand you," Harry whispered. "I'm going to brand you with my mark."

Voldemort gulped, but he said nothing. Harry had not given him permission to talk, and so he kept his mouth shut, his eyes betraying both fear and excitement.

Harry smirked, easily reading Voldemort's emotions just by looking at his eyes. "I'm going to burn you with a tattoo that'll mark you as my slave. A tattoo like your Dark Mark. Only that'll be gone. You'll carry my mark instead," he finished, growling by the last word.

Voldemort's skin tingled. He knew how much it would hurt to get the Dark Mark off and to get a new one on.

"Crawl to the bed," Harry commanded.

Voldemort shuffled over to the bed and kneeled by it, waiting for his Master's orders.

"Undress me," came the curt order.

Voldemort untied Harry's shoe and eased it off, repeating the action with the other. He was about to stand and stopped.

He motioned for permission to speak.

"Speak!" Harry ordered.

"Permission to stand, sir?" Voldemort asked.

Harry nodded, and Voldemort stood up, keeping his head bowed, undoing the buttons on Harry's robe.

He pushed the robe off of Harry's shoulders and moved to the tie, undoing the black tie and tossing it into the pile on the ground. He then undid all of the buttons on Harry's white shirt and took that off, too.

"Enough," Harry commanded. "Get your clothes off."

Voldemort quickly undressed, taking none of the care with his own clothes that he had with Harry's.

"Lie down on the bed, face up."

Voldemort immediately lay down on the bed, not wanting to upset Harry. He had seen the rougher side of Harry and knew he meant business.

Well, so to speak.

Harry circled around Voldemort predatorily, smirking. "Yes," he hissed. "That will do."

Voldemort gulped, almost afraid of the feral look in Harry's eyes.

Harry pulled out his wand and immediately Voldemort was tied to the bread, spread-eagled.

"So pretty," Harry hissed. "So very pretty."

"Now," he purred. "What should I do now?"

He conjured a black, silk blindfold and tied it on tight, making sure light couldn't penetrate it.

Voldemort squirmed on the bed. "Now what?" he whispered.

Harry slapped him. "I didn't give you permission to talk."

He then whispered the spell to make the Dark Mark disappear. Voldemort howled in pain.

"I'm not going to fuck you today, Voldemort," Harry whispered. "In fact, I'm not going to give or gain pleasure today. You're not going to gain pleasure in anyway. You're only going to receive my Mark. But that can give great pleasure if I choose…"

Voldemort gulped. Harry raised his wand and burned his Mark deep into Voldemort's left arm.

"You'll remember who's your Master, won't you?" Harry snarled.

Voldemort nodded frantically. Harry let him go and turned to put his clothes back on.

"I'm going to back to the castle now. But I think you needed that."

Voldemort bowed.

Harry swept away, Disapparating and reappearing in the Forbidden Forest. Sisefi was waiting for him.

"What news?"

"I gave him a bit of a lesson on who's the boss."

"Did he learn?" Sisefi wondered.

"Of course."

"He knows who's his master."

"I'd say. I'll see you later, Sisefi. I'll be by Wednesday to meet your kids."

"Sounds good. Will you use a new name to be the Dark Lord?"

"Yes. I was thinking of using Parapateia. What do you think?"

"What does it mean?"

"It's ancient Greek for Downfall."

"Very good. Use it."

Harry headed back to the castle and slipped in.

He spied Snape wandering around the castle and followed him silently. Snape was musing on how to make Harry trust him.

Harry grinned, this was right up his lane. He cast a simple voice-altering spell and whispered suggestively: "Seduce him."

"Who said that?" cried Snape.

"Seduce him if you want him to trust you," Harry whispered again, then became silent.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!!"

No one came forward, however, and Snape sighed. "It's an idea. A fairly good one, at that. Why not?"

Snape resolved to seduce Harry, although he had no idea if Harry was inclined that way.

"What other choice do I have?" Snape wondered.

"He's sixteen and probably horny. And who knows how much experience he's had? Oh, Merlin, if he is innocent…" Snape trailed off, knowing that if Harry was sexually innocent, then he would be entirely lost and unable to help himself. Such allure would be irresistible.

He sighed. He knew he could do nothing else. Now the real question was how to seduce Harry.

"I know nothing about him," Snape muttered. "Absolutely nothing. Oh, okay, I know he pulls a disappearing act often, distances himself from his friends, and has made alliances with the Slytherins. Other than that, not much. I know nothing – it is all speculation!" He checked the clock on the mantel and swore softly to himself. He had forgotten all about the time. It was three in the morning, and he was falling asleep. He needed his energy to go through this week.

He propelled himself to his feet and began removing his robe, getting ready for his bath. He extinguished the lights and headed to the bathroom, mentally reviewing what he had to do the next day.

"Fuck," he swore. "I have that detention with Potter tomorrow. Damnit. Merlin aide me. Him with his impossible attitude – he's strange."

He paused. "At least I can try to seduce him tomorrow." He sighed. He had no idea anymore who was in charge. He thought he was in charge, but then again, he knew just how slippery Harry had been for the past few… years, according to Ron and Hermione.

"Humph!" Snape grumbled. "This is not going to be easy. Goddamnit. I'm going to have to play mind games with someone who apparently has been playing them for a long time. Plus, he has that annoying habit of only telling us what's not important. He's trying to make us focus on small stuff to get us away from the big things. Or is there another reason for his sudden trashing of the Gryffindors and alliance with the Slytherins? Why in the world are Zabini and Malfoy being his bodyguards?"

He paused. "Malfoy? Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius Malfoy, one of the most arrogant and snobbish people I know, is bowing down to James Potter's son? Not just bowing down, but serving and protecting? Malfoy? That's… incomprehensible. Entirely so. Malfoy's one who would be protected, not one doing any protecting himself. If asked to protect, he'd immediately tell Crabbe and Goyle to do it."

He turned the shower on and stepped in. "So why is he protecting Potter? Does he fear Potter? Why would he fear Potter now? He's been taunting him for six years, what could possibly have changed?"

He threw his head back and snarled in frustration. He knew one thing: if Harry did become the next Dark Lord, there would be absolutely no hope for the Wizarding World. Harry was the only one more powerful than Dumbledore. He would have no one to drag him down, to make sure he was well and truly dead if he did rise above Voldemort.

"Bloody hell," Snape swore. "This is getting increasingly difficult. I'm going to need a lot of Headache Potion in the upcoming weeks. Goddamnit."

He stepped out of the shower and grabbed a towel. "Didn't Albus say something about Potter wanting to graduate early? I wonder what he decided. Oh, fuck. If Harry graduates early, then he has absolutely no obligations… Oh, fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck! I gotta go tell Albus."

He threw some robes on and strode briskly through the stone corridors to tell Dumbledore. He reached the stone gargoyle and said the password immediately. Snape knew it was too much to hope that Dumbledore was still in his office at 3:30 in the morning. Dumbledore was crazy, but not that crazy.

He entered the office and saw the elderly wizard sitting there, studying some old documents.

"Albus," Snape panted.

"Yes, my dear boy? What is ailing you at this ungodly hour?" Dumbledore asked pleasantly.

Snape sat down. "Did you make your decision about Potter graduating early yet?"

Dumbledore nodded. "The boy seems quite capable. I think there's nothing wrong with letting him graduate early. In fact, I've already sent the letters to the Board, and I've received their reply. They, too, are content to let Harry graduate."

Snape clutched his head. "Albus! How could you let the boy graduate early after everything he's been doing?"

Dumbledore shrugged. "He merely wants some autonomy."

Snape paused and raised an eyebrow. "He merely wants some autonomy? Where in the world do you get such an idea?"

Dumbledore peered at Snape through his spectacles. "Quite easily. He's rebelling against authority. I figured that if Harry says he's ready to take his NEWTS, then he can have a try. After all, he'll have to stay back again if he fails. We should let him have a fair shot at it. I'll ask him to come up tomorrow and tell him the news."

"Albus, don't you see? If you let Potter graduate early, he loses all of his obligations to you. He'll be free."

"That's just what he wants," Dumbledore answered pleasantly.

Snape refrained from banging his head against the wall. "How could you say something so asinine?" he asked.

Dumbledore smiled and didn't answer Snape. Puzzled, Snape stood up and left the room. There was definitely something wrong with Dumbledore. But the decision had been made, and it was irreversible.

Now he had two people to worry about: the Potter brat and Dumbledore.

What in the world was wrong with Dumbledore? Snape knew the man could throw off Imperius, so it couldn't be that. It also wasn't Polyjuice Potion – the man would have to drink it, and Snape had seen no cups or flasks on his desk. So it also couldn't've been that.

Snape returned to his rooms, entirely bewildered.

As soon as he entered his rooms and shut the door, Harry let a wicked smile grace his features and snickered. He was doing well. He was doing very, very well.

He swept away, entirely unseen, deep into the forest. It was worth going back to Voldemort's lair to tell him this. It was far too amusing.

With Sisefi around his neck, he Apparated to Voldemort's hut and entered. Voldemort was sitting in a chair, morosely looking into the fire.

Harry walked in and made himself visible.

"Harry! What are you doing back here?" Voldemort asked, shocked.

He was even more shocked at the slap across his face that followed.

"You will address me as Master at all times, Voldemort, not as Harry. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Master. What are you doing back here?"

Harry slapped him again. "Address me with respect!"

"Yes, Master. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company again?" he asked demurely.

Harry smiled wickedly again and sat down. "Much better. Just wanted to tell you what's been going on."

Voldemort grinned. "I do have some news for you, too."

"Well, then, I insist you tell me first."

Voldemort nodded. "Very well, then. The Board has approved your request to graduate a year early."

"They're all my followers, anyway. I looked over the Board list the other day and noticed they were the same people who sent me letters the other day telling me they accept and bow down."

"So, what's your news?"

"Dumbledore's been succumbing very nicely to the poison."

"When will the poison stop affecting him?"

"In a few days. Until then, anything I want from him, he'll give it. He's completely insane at the moment. Plus, Snape's going ballistic. He's trying to figure me out, and now he's trying to figure Dumbledore out. It's not going to well for him, as you can guess. Not to mention I managed to plant in his head that he should seduce me, so now he's trying to figure out how to do that. And he's trying to figure out why Malfoy and Zabini are my bodyguards. He's particularly perplexed over Malfoy being my bodyguard, so he's going slightly crazy. Really quickly."

Voldemort shook his head. "My Lord is very wicked."

"That, my dear slave, is my job. I enjoy this." He stifled a yawn. "I'm going now. Maybe I can catch an hour of sleep. Just need a little bit. I won't see you until Thursday."

Voldemort nodded. "Take care of yourself."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not helpless. If I wanted, I could annihilate the school right now. However, that would be counterproductive since I would have no one to rule and no one to work with me. Now, let me leave."

He stood up and walked out, beckoning to Sisefi. He disappeared into nothingness, an evil smile gracing his face.

Voldemort shuddered. Harry was far more wicked far earlier in his life than Voldemort. He feared his new Master. Feared and loved his new Master.

Severus was pacing in his room, worried. He had no idea what was going on and was starting to think that he was the only sane one in the entire castle. There was so much going on…. Malfoy and Zabini Harry's personal bodyguards, Dumbledore acting so strangely, Harry abandoning his closest friends… It was uncanny, to say the least.

Later that day, Hermione and Ron cornered Harry, who was in a remote part of the castle, alone.

"Listen, mate," Ron said sternly. "We want to know what's going on. Why you're being so cold and distant."

Harry shrugged. "None of your goddamn business. What I do in my spare time does not concern you."

"It used to," Hermione answered softly. "Remember all the time we used to spend together? Remember the Triwizard Tournament?"

Harry snarled. "Get the fuck away from me."

Hermione stepped closer to Harry. "What's wrong with you?" she asked softly, gently.

Harry glared. "I told you to fuck off. I don't want you guys around me anymore. I don't want any of it anymore. Just leave me the fuck alone."

Hermione stepped even closer to Harry, reaching out and gently touching his arm. Within seconds, he had sent her flying to the ground. "I said leave me the fuck alone," he ground out. Hermione's eyes were wide and hurt.

"But Harry," she pleaded.

"You filthy Mudblood," Harry spat, kicking her. "You filthy, rotten, good-for-nothing Mudblood with your fame-grubbing boyfriend. Go to hell, both of you."

Ron drew his wand. "I don't know why you think you can get away with hurting my girlfriend like that," he snarled.

He advanced on Harry, furious. Harry did not have the time to reach for his wand, and he watched in terror as Ron took the last step between them and nearly said the fatal words.

"Expelliarmus," a voice calmly intoned from behind him. Ron's wand flew out of his hand. Ron turned around to see Malfoy and Zabini standing rigidly. Harry breathed an inaudible sigh of relief.

"Malfoy, Zabini," Ron growled, the names sounding all too familiar. The anger was too real, too adult, too unlike the teasing and taunting of former years. Before, he didn't fear Malfoy like he feared them now. Feared them and Harry, too. "Sod off," he snarled.

Malfoy shook his head stubbornly.

"It is none of your business what happens here!" Ron snapped.

"Au contraire, it is every bit our business," Zabini answered, already drawing his wand. More cautious than Malfoy, Zabini preferred his enemies to know that he was in a state of constant preparation. Seeing his partner draw his wand, Malfoy followed suit.

"And just how would anything that happens between the three of us be any of your business? We've known each other longer than you have known Harry. You leave him alone. I dunno what you've done to him, but you leave him alone."

Harry laughed, a wild, evil laugh. "They have done nothing to me, Weasel. I have done everything to them. They serve me in body, mind, and soul. Were I to order them to commit suicide right now, they would follow without a second thought. They follow my every order. They protect me. And it is every bit their business if you are about to kill me."

Ron stared at Harry.

"By the way, Draco, Blaise, thank you for saving my life. I owe you one."

"It is our pleasure to serve and protect you," Malfoy answered, bowing his head.

Ron stared at all of them, then suddenly fled. There was no response to Harry's behavior. Hermione was still on the ground, shocked. Zabini glanced at Hermione, then at Harry.

Harry nodded dismissively. Zabini cautiously advanced to Hermione and helped her to her feet, then sent her on her way.

"You are neither wanted nor needed here, Granger," he had said firmly but courteously.

"There had better be absolutely nothing between Granger and you, Blaise." Harry's tone was dangerous and warning, but it also had a light element to it.

"Nothing, sir. I'm homosexual. That was nothing more than courtesy to a woman, as my father taught me. My apologies if I acted out of order, sir."

"No, Blaise, you did fine. But I do have a question for both of you. Seeing how you two are my personal guards, I need to know. Whom are you romantically involved with, if anyone?"

Zabini and Malfoy glanced at each other. "We're together," Zabini finally said quietly. "Draco's my world, if you know what I mean."

Harry nodded, secretly pleased, his countenance showing none of it.

"That is good. You two will fight hard not only for me but also for each other." His voice was devoid of emotion, but Zabini and Malfoy understood. They were accepted as an entity by their Master.

"But I do expect total devotion from both of you," Harry added.

Zabini nodded and bowed. "Master, if you were to order me to betray Draco, I would. You come first. Everything else – the world, my family, my Draco – is a mere second."

Harry scanned Zabini's mind quickly and found only truth and a deep hope that Malfoy wouldn't have his head for that remark.

Malfoy nodded. "Blaise speaks the truth. We have accepted you as the dominant figure in the world and that you are. If you ordered me to slit his throat in the throes of passion, I would. You come first."

Harry scanned Malfoy's mind quickly and found the same thoughts and emotions he had found in Zabini's mind.

"I am pleased," Harry said genuinely. "However, I highly doubt that I would ask you to do anything so dramatic."

"Sir, how are you going to deal with Weasley and Granger?"

"Granger will be let off easily – she must join my side. She is bright; she will be of much use to me."

Harry noticed Zabini and Malfoy glancing quickly at each other. Harry scanned Malfoy's mind and rolled his eyes subtly.

"Nothing sexual, you two. Like you, I'm homosexual. However, Weasley I fully intend to kill. Slowly and painfully. I don't like threats on my life."

Malfoy and Zabini nodded. "Would you like our help?" Malfoy asked.

Harry shook his head. "I'd like you nearby in case anything goes wrong. But I will have my wand, and I am far better at magic than that little scumbag."

Malfoy and Zabini nodded again. "It is our pleasure to serve you in whatever way we can," they answered in unison.

"Come," Harry said. "Let's go."

He walked off, Malfoy and Zabini a respectful and cautious step behind.

Harry showed up for his detention with Snape at ten.

Snape opened the door, seriously annoyed. "Potter!" he snapped. "It's getting late."

Harry shrugged. "I told you it would have to be late. And we did not specify an hour yesterday." He entered Snape's office and sat down, waiting almost patronizingly for an order to come his way.

Snape yanked a chair to the opposite end of the table and sat down, glaring at Harry, who seemed unfazed.

"Mr. Potter," he said simply. Harry did not answer.

"You have been acting rather strange lately, Potter."

"You can interpret what I have been doing as you will, Professor."

"Well, then, I choose to interpret it as you being a stuck-up, spoiled brat." Snape sat back, triumphant. But he knew there was a catch. Harry would talk his way out of this one, too.

"That does not necessarily mean you are correct," Harry continued. "In fact, you are very wrong. But that's okay. I don't mind that much." His tone was condescending and patronizing, something that made the hairs on the back of Snape's neck stand up.

Snape snarled. "Are you at all tolerable?"

"Depends on whom you ask."

Snape stood up. "Let me ask you something else, then, Potter. Why are you doing this?"

Harry shrugged and didn't answer.

"Potter, you may be graduating early, but that does not mean that while you are still in this institution you can mouth off and disobey the teachers. Graduating from here is a privilege, not a right."

"Doesn't much matter if I don't answer a question from you. I'll graduate at the end of this year and that will be that. You can't do anything to stop me anyway."

"Oh, really?"

Harry smirked. "This detention is over, Professor."

He stood up and walked out, making himself invisible and untraceable immediately. Snape didn't bother going after him. He knew well that if Harry didn't want to be found, no one could find him. There was simply nothing to do. Harry was uncontrollable, and only would become more difficult once he graduated.

Months passed in this manner, with Harry becoming more and more difficult and still not letting anyone besides the Slytherins in on his plans. After a three-month period in which Snape attempted to seduce him, Harry gave in and smiled wickedly every time he thought of it.

He did have to admit, though, that Snape was an amazing lover once stimulated.

Harry headed down to the dungeons, invisible and untraceable. He was always untraceable. He entered Snape's private rooms silently and watched his lover for a moment.

He was grading quizzes, humming quietly to himself. He looked up suddenly and scowled to himself. Harry raised an eyebrow and quickly scanned Severus' mind. 'Three months as his lover, and not a hint of what is going on. He is hungry for sex, like any sixteen-year old, but talk… Oh, he'll talk alright, chatter away about Quidditch and candy and such all he wants, but nothing that I want to know!'

Harry smirked and congratulated himself. He made himself visible and seated himself in Severus' lap immediately. "Miss me?" he asked childishly.

Severus smiled and kissed him. "Of course. A lot. Now, what are you up to?"

"Not much."

Severus frowned. "You should be studying for your NEWTS. It wouldn't be good to fail them after you told Albus you would be able to pass them this year."

Harry smiled. "I know. But I'm confident."

"I'm worried, that's what I am," Severus answered. Harry scanned his lover's mind quickly. 'I'm worried you'll pass and leave here, and then no one will have any reign over you. Merlin, I hope you fail and stay here one more year. Maybe, just maybe, I can save you if I had more time. Maybe.'

Harry kissed the tip of Severus' nose. "I'm confident enough for the both of us."

'That's what I'm afraid of, my little snakeling,' Severus thought. 'Confidence is the key to life: without it, you are nothing, with it, you can conquer the world. I just hope you don't have too much confidence.'

Severus took a deep breath. "With confidence, you can do anything."

Harry smiled happily. "Thanks, love."

Severus smiled a smile that was traced with melancholy. "You should go back to your dorm."

"I know," Harry sighed. "But I don't want to. I want to stay here with you."

"I know you do. And I want you to stay here with me. But you really should sleep in your dorm with everyone else occasionally."

"How about I stay here and study with you a bit?"

Severus nodded. "But study then."

Harry smiled. "Let's study Defense Against the Dark Arts."

"I think you've studied quite a bit for that one already," Severus answered. "Besides, you have your very own Potions Master here. I think studying Potions now would be better for you."

Harry nodded. "Very well then, let's study Potions."

It was nearing the end of the year. Harry sat in Malfoy Manor by the fire. Harry sipped the brandy Voldemort had presented. "Acceptable," he sighed in pleasure.

"Thank you, Master. In all ways, I serve you."

Harry smiled. It had taken a while, but Voldemort now addressed him only as Master and only respectfully.

"It is good to know. I will not have my current bodyguards after my NEWTs, given they are still in school. I will need another. Not to mention, Draco and Blaise are perfect from defending me from anybody in school, but there are more powerful wizards out there than they."

"I will talk to Lucius and Wormtail, Master. I am sure that they would be thrilled to serve you in this way."

"I will have Lucius but not Wormtail, Voldemort. Wormtail has a history of deserting my family. I shan't make my parents' mistake with him. You will be my second bodyguard."

"Yes, Master. Thank you for granting me this honor."

Harry drank some more of the brandy. "There is the end-of-the-school-year battle to discuss, slave," he announced.

"Master, pardon my rudeness, but isn't the point defeated? I had those battles to attempt to kill you."

"You aren't supposed to know that I will be leaving. And what better way to announce to the world that I am their new Dark Lord? Their shining Hope and Glory, their Pride and Joy, their newest Dark Lord."

"You are truly wise, Master, and I thank you for the gift of your explanation."

"I will also return to Hogwarts in a few hours. I need to announce a certain… vision to Dumbledore."

"Vision, Master?"

"You attacking Hogwarts, slave. Not quite accurate, naturally, but sufficient for our purposes. We will attack right after graduation, given that everyone will still be there but I will no longer be a student. And the Slytherins will attack as well. We will take the school. I'm sick of this place. Hogwarts will be the base of my operations."

"You know best, Master," Voldemort answered with a bow. "When does it please my Lord to leave?"

"I will be leaving after I have talked to Lucius. Fetch him."

"Yes, Master. I will call him to you immediately." He strode out.

Minutes later he returned with Lucius.

"You wish to see me, Master?" Lucius asked.

Harry nodded. "Your son, so far, has done an excellent job of guarding me. However, I will be leaving school soon, and your son will not be. I need a bodyguard after I graduate, someone I can trust to look out for me. Will you accept, Lucius?"

Lucius knew better than to assume this was a question.

"I thank you, Master, for granting me with such an honor. It would be my pleasure to protect and serve you, my Lord."

"Thank you, Lucius. That will be all. You may leave."

Lucius bowed and left.

Harry rose. "I am leaving now. I will return the night of my graduation. We will attack Hogwarts the day after. Prepare everyone for battle."

Harry knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office.

"Enter!" he called.

Harry entered. "Headmaster," he gasped out.

"Are you okay, my dear boy?" Dumbledore asked, worried.

"Vision… I had another vision. He couldn't hide it from me this time. He wants to attack Hogwarts. After the NEWTs."

Dumbledore didn't have to ask who. He also, foolishly, did not question Harry's sudden about-face. He assumed that Severus had, in fact, succeeded.

"We will do our best to prepare for it. Are you sure you still want to take your NEWTs, Harry?"

Harry nodded. "I need my freedom. I will never defeat him if bound to classes. I am ahead of all of them."

Dumbledore nodded. "I ask, though, that you are either at Hogwarts or at Grimmauld Place until this threat passes."

"Yes, Headmaster," Harry said obediently.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm happy you told me this, Harry."

"I am too, Headmaster," Harry replied evenly.

He sat for his NEWTs with the seventh years a few days later. Hermione had been scandalized when she found out that Harry was sitting for them a year early.

Ron hadn't said a word to him since the incident early in the year. Harry hadn't expected him too. He had realized that he didn't want to kill Ron. He wanted Ron as a slave.

And he would have him.

These thoughts came to him unbidden as he took his Potions NEWT. He pushed them into the back of his mind for later consideration.

After the last of his NEWTS, he entered Severus' rooms calmly.

"Hey, love," Severus greeted, hiding (or so he thought) all apprehension. "How did it go?"

"Quite well," Harry answered. "I think I did excellently on all of them."

Severus felt defeated, but figured that Harry didn't have the results yet. He could have failed something.

He hoped Harry had failed something, even though he knew it was an empty hope.

It had been a false hope. Harry had gotten the highest marks possible on all of them. He graduated that year and left Hogwarts that night without a second glance. It was incredibly bad form, although allowed. Almost all the students stayed the few extra days until the Leaving Feast. Not to mention a stupid idea, since Voldemort was planning an attack. Although maybe he had only gone to Grimmauld Place.

But he had still left Severus without a second glance.

Or so Severus had believed until he entered his rooms that night and found the note Harry had written to him.

'Severus, I haven't left you, I promise. I'll be back for you. There are some things I need to take care of first, and then I will return for you. I want to be with you, always. Love, Harry.'

Severus cheered slightly. Maybe he had saved Harry from himself. Maybe Harry wouldn't become the Dark Lord anymore.

Maybe all would be okay.

Late that night, Severus was hit by a disturbing realization. Even if Harry did set himself up as the next Dark Lord, Severus would stay with him. He loved Harry.

Shit. He hadn't counted on that happening.

And he was quite sure Harry would set himself up as the next Dark Lord.

Strangely, the prospect no longer filled him with fear… but rather with excitement.

This, he was sure, he wouldn't tell Dumbledore.

He just hoped Harry wouldn't be in the battle tomorrow, on Voldemort's side (or Voldemort on Harry's). Because then Severus would join him.

Harry stood in the middle of the Death Eaters preparing, radiating hateful energy. "Are you ready?" he demanded angrily.

Voldemort bowed deeply to him. "Master, it pleases me greatly to tell you that we are ready for the attack on Hogwarts my Lord has so wisely planned."

"Then let us start. Voldemort, Lucius, you will be in the back, with me. You will protect me, you understand."

Lucius and Voldemort bowed deeply. "My Lord, it is a great honor to be entrusted with your care and protection."

Harry cast a Sonorus on his voice and called out, "The Slytherins are on our side, I want none of them dead by our hands! Severus Snape is also not to be harmed. Incapacitate him if it is absolutely necessary, but do not harm or kill him! Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, my Lord!"

"Then we begin! Everyone Apparate now, to the edge of the forest."

They Apparated as one. The Order was waiting for them, and the ensuing battle promised to be horrific.

It was. Spells flew everywhere and people on both sides collapsed either in injury or in death.

The dust kicked up by the battle was tremendous, and soon few could see more than a foot in front of them.

Harry, with Voldemort and Lucius in tow, dodged his way into the middle of the battle. "Dumbledore!" he called out angrily.

As one, everyone else stopped fighting, sensing the beginning of the end. The dust began to settle slightly, and Harry could make out Dumbledore's figure.

He strode over to him.

Dumbledore watched the tall, dark figure approach him in the dust. He felt no fear. Voldemort was afraid of him, and that had yet to change.

The dark figure stopped in front of him, and Dumbledore gasped as he saw who it was.

"Harry!" he gasped, shocked.

Severus shut his eyes against the sight. He had made his decision and yet it was so hard to defy his mentor.

"Severus," Harry asked calmly. "Are you on my side or on his?"

"On yours, Harry," Severus answered, willing his voice to be strong. "Only ever on yours."

Harry smiled brightly. "Then join us. I will induct you later."

Severus ducked his head and stepped next to Harry.

"Lucius, give him your space," Harry commanded. "And protect him as you would me."

"It would be an honor, my Lord," Lucius answered automatically.

Harry turned to Dumbledore. "What to do with you?" he asked.

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "I'd suggest allowing me to kill you, if you won't return to my side, but I doubt you'd agree. I also don't think you would take me alive. Not me, the leader of the opposition. So I suppose you will kill me."

"Very astute," Harry praised. "Avada Kedavra."

Dumbledore fell backward, his eyes open and unseeing.

Harry cast a Sonorus on himself. "Your leader is dead," he told the Order. "We can continue this futile battle, for you will lose and many of your bodies will be carried off this field, or you can bow down to me now."

The Order looked at each other, and as one, they bowed down.

"I will deal with you all later," Harry answered. "Take them to the dungeons. Treat them well. Allow them use of facilities, the showers, and make sure they are well fed. Under pain of death, you are not to kill any of them. Nor are you allowed to harm them unless there was no other way to control them. Do not let them escape. The Slytherins will help you with this, for they know all the passages in the school."

"And the students, my Lord?" Lucius asked.

"If they do not agree to join immediately, imprison them in their respective towers. Do the same for them that you are doing for the Order members. Those that have already joined, move them to Slytherin Tower. Anyone who wishes to join should be held in the DADA classroom – in comfort – for a bit. I need to settle in before I can deal with anyone."

"Yes, my Lord," came the answer from all of the Death Eaters and the Slytherins.

Harry turned to Severus. "Do you have any Veritaserum?"

"Yes, Harry," he answered. "My Lord," he corrected with a bow of his head.

"Much better, Severus," he answered. "We will discuss you joining us in a bit. Fetch me all the Veritaserum you have."

"Yes, my Lord. Where would it please you to have me give it to you?"

"In the Headmaster's office," Harry answered.

Severus walked off. The Death Eaters and the Slytherins began separating the Order and the students and marched them off towards the castle.

"Lucius, Voldemort, come with me. I need to get settled in."

Harry quickly removed the portraits of all the Headmasters and Headmistresses. "Have someone place them in storage," Harry ordered. "Pour the fluid in the Pensieve into a vial and give it to me. Then scourgify it."

Lucius and Voldemort obeyed immediately.

Harry sat down in the chair behind the desk.

"No longer is this place the 'Headmaster's Office.' It is the Dark Lord's office, and it will be referred to as such."

"Yes, my Lord."

Harry swiveled around in his chair and looked out onto the grounds. "I am in power now," he announced to no one in particular.

"Yes, now the world is more Dark than Light, and it shall remain that way for many years still."

-- End.