Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters.

Summary: 'Neither can live while the other survives'. Voldemort knows it, and is determined to kill his rival - even if that person is still an infant. But when he catches sight of young Harry, he realizes that everything would be different if the Child of Light were to be turned into the Prince of Darkness. He waits for his chance, then steals away the child from the Dursleys and adopts little Harry as his own son, shielding him from the world until he is to attend Hogwarts. How will the wizarding world react to the infamous Boy-Who-Disappeared when he is not the creature Dumbledore hoped to mold?

Warnings: Slash, AU I suppose, since Harry is being raised by Voldemort. Mentions of assault/abuse, Dumbledore issues, Death Eater favoritism.

Pairings: Uncertain as of now. Ideas?

A/N: This IS NOT the same story as 'A Father's Pride'. The storyline might be similar, but many aspects are quite different. For instance, Harry remains a boy, and will be brought up quite differently, as you will soon see. I hope you all enjoy this story as much as you liked the first three chapters of 'A Father's Pride'.

A Father's Pride: The Beginning

It had been so easy to kill James. Tom had never been fond of the man; the Potters throughout history had always been too cocky for their own good. He had actually gotten a sort of satisfaction out of the act.

Lily, on the other hand, had been a challenge to deal with.

"Don't kill him," the redhead begged, arms spread out protectively as she shielded the crib with her body. "Please, please, don't kill him. Take me instead."

Tom sighed. "Step aside, you foolish girl."

"No! Take me! Not Harry, please!"

"Step aside."

Lily shook her head. Tears had begun to drip down her face, but she ignored them, shaking in fear for her baby. "Please don't do this. He's only a baby, he can't even hurt you."

Tom grit his teeth. He wasn't even sure why he was letting this insipid girl cause him to hesitate. It wasn't like she posed any threat to him; he could blast her to smithereens at any moment.

Maybe that was the reason. Did this woman really care about her brat so much as to die in his place? A small, repulsive voice in Tom's mind commented that the action was admirable, if completely idiotic. Mentally, he told the voice to go shove itself in a not-so-friendly location.

"You don't have to die like your husband, Lily." Voldemort altered his voice, making it soothing, safe. "Move out of the way, and you can serve under me. I can offer you anything in the world you desire."

Lily's emerald eyes flashed. "The only thing I want is for my child to grow up safely and happily!"

"Unfortunate." Voldemort raised his arm, gripping his wand more tightly. "Avada Kedavra!"

The flash of green light was breathtaking. Lily's face blanked; eyes glazed over, she fell to the ground, wand falling from her sudden slack hold. Voldemort stepped forward, making sure to tread on the piece of wood and grinning when he heard a satisfying crack. He bent over the crib to observe the creature who had been causing him so much trouble lately.

Harry's hair, even at so young an age, was long and glossy black, splayed out over his head. He cooed as he stared up at Voldemort with brilliant jade eyes, the exact same shade as his mother's.

Voldemort found the similarity rather uncomfortable. Again he raised his wand, stepping back a step. "Children are the worst to kill," he murmured to Harry. "Don't think I enjoy this. You aren't tarnished yet; you haven't been exposed long enough to the stupidity of wizards."

Harry gurgled, and Voldemort froze. The sounds the baby had been making sounded eerily similar to...

Slowly, he again stepped forward, tucking away his wand. "What did you say?" he whispered.

Harry watched him for a moment, then laughed. A shiver went down Voldemort's spine. He couldn't believe it: Harry James Potter, the son of two Order Members, was a Parselmouth. And here Voldemort had been certain he was the only one left in the world. The disproving of this assumption was actually rather...warming.

Alarms pierced the air from the distance, and Voldemort cursed. Of course, those damn Muggles nearby had probably seen the flashes from the curses through windows. He didn't have much time if he wanted to avoid anymore deaths tonight.

Quickly, the man leaned down and pressed two fingers to Harry's head. "Sleep now," he ordered, watching as the baby's eyelids slipped shut and he began to breathe in and out evenly. Sure of his unconsciousness, Voldemort took his wand and pressed it to Harry's forehead, just above his eyebrows. "Unctio," he whispered. A tiny, focused ball of white light emerged from the tip of the wand and spread across Harry's body. When it was gone, the boy was left with a small scar, shaped like a lightning bolt, on his forehead.

Voldemort nodded, satisfied. "This is not the last time I'll be seeing you, Harry," he hissed in Parseltongue to the baby, before Apparating out of the house and back to his own manor, leaving a sleeping Harry Potter behind.

I hope you all enjoy this! Please review!

~SA