Disclaimer: I own nothing except my spiffy mini laptop and my incredible sense of ironic sarcasm.
Amnesty
Voldemort stood before the Wizengamot, prepared, although furiously reserved, to receive his sentence. He was prepared for the worst. They would put him to death immediately, he knew. The Dementor's Kiss. There would be no mercy for him, but that was fine. He had given none to those he had killed and neither did he feel guilt for those deaths. It was in the face of his cause. He had no need to justify himself. Fudge stood at the top of the Wizengamot with Dumbledore at his side. He hadn't even thought about their precious Boy-Who-Lived or his oddly noted absence.
"Dark Lord Voldemort, do you have anything to say in defense of yourself?" The man asked loudly.
So he could be heard being a merciful dictator, Voldemort thought with a sneer. On the outside he gave the man a grin though.
"I should have killed you long ago, Fudge." Was his only reply. The court erupted in anger at his statement but Dumbledore raised his withered hand for silence.
"Very well. It has been hereby decreed that on this day, the 31st day of June, the Dark Lord Voldemort shall be subjected to the Dementor's Kiss before we, the Wizengamot, and fourty witnesses of your peers. So it shall-"
"Stop!" A voice called across the courtroom, interrupting Fudge's spiel immediately.
Every eye turned to see the owner of the voice for he was known well. Harry Potter. The Boy-Who-Saved. His piercing green eyes were more radiant than ever and seemed filled with energy, filled with purpose.
"Harry, what is the meaning of this?" Dumbledore inquired lightly, keeping his grandfatherly façade on high alert.
"Come to kill me yourself, Harry?" Voldemort asked, hissing his name in parsletongue.
Harry opted to ignore the Dark Lord in favor of eyeing down the Minister. It irked the man somewhat. After all, he was about to die. Shouldn't his most devoted enemy give him at least some semblence of a fairwell or was he below the brat's notice now that he had been "defeated"?
"I am here to give Reguiding Clemency to Lord Voldemort."
Every jaw in the room, no doubt in the nation since the event was being broadcasted, dropped. The room once more erupted in cries of outrage. The Right of Reguiding Clemency was given to convicts, allowing a loved one of theirs to take upon themselves their punishment so they may go free. It is considered the greatest act of forgiveness one can achieve. He doubted anyone even thought about calling upon it's power for the Dark Lord, though. They certainly didn't think he would.
"I am here to beg for the life of Lord Voldemort and to take the punishment in his stead." He reiterated for the crowd and for the pale faces above in power.
He could feel the lightness of the oath settle on his soul as Voldemort's magical chains broke free and bound the Boy-Who-Lived in his stead. It was a binding magical contract. Voldmeort seemed just as shocked as the rest of the world. Dumbledore looked horrified.
"Mr.Potter, you realize that teh Dark Lord's punishment is the Dementor's Kiss, correct?" The Minister asked shakingly.
He had to recognize the oath or his magic would rebel against him. Harry grinned at his uneasiness. Before leaning over to unbutton his shirt, sliding it down to reveal his back to the whole world. He knew that his secrets would have to come out eventually. He may as well reveal them for a cause. A cause of his own choosing this time. he would never again have to fight another dictator's battle. Voldemort would start his war right back off where he left off but this time, Dumbledore would not have Harry to fight for him. Harry would be gone. Blissfully ignorant in death. Carved into his flesh was the word 'Sinner' in curving, painful letters that stretched across his back from shoulder to shoulder. He could still feel the searing pain of the Xacto knife that his aunt had used. Everyone always thought that the abuse instigator had been Vernon but it turned out that it was his aunt who was the sadistic one. His uncle just got off on the sight of her beating the crap out of his nephew.
"I fought for our world for many years, Minister. And how did our great Headmaster repay me? He left me with muggles. He knowingly let me grow up with muggles who hated and despised the very sight of me, the very thought of my existence, and punished me in the cruelest of ways, just so he could make me into the perfect weapon. This is the last thing I can do that will unmake the acts I've committed in his name. In the name of his cause. I unmake it all today in front of the world, by trading my life, for the one person's who can avenge the wrongs done to me." Harry's speech had eyes of hate turning on Dumbledore who took a nervous step back in response. The seventeen year old turned his vermillion eyes on the Dark Lord, a soft sad smile on his face. "I know that you will do what is necessary. And so I give my life to save yours. Just as I wish someone would have done for me." He whispered to him in parsletongue.
The man was stunned and rubbed his wrists in a daze as if he didn't understand why the manacles were gone. He came to his senses quickly and threw up his strongest protective spells, summoning his wand back from Fudge's stand. The Dementors filed in and immediately slid over to Harry. They seemed to squabble over him for a long moment battling with hisses and deathly sounding shrieks before the tallest of them stepped forward. Voldemort's crimson eyes narrowed at the sight, his mind racing. Why had Potter saved him? To get back at Dumbledore? Was that the only reason or was there something more that he was supposed to see? The Dementor's clammy hands pulled it's hood down, revealing it's scabbed flesh and gaping mouth. Harry didn't even flinch, infact, when the thing wrapped it's cold dead arms around his waist, pulling the teen flush against him, he embraced the creature as if embracing a lover or friend. The monster had just begun to lower it's face to his own, even then sucking at the teen's soul already. The horrible sound could be heard through out the room and shushed anyone still angrily persisting in their speech. That was it.
"(ENOUGH!)" Voldemort growled in the Dementor's own language.
The beings halted although their leader did not release Harry as he wished. He glared at it furiously as his Death Eaters poured into the room, not aiming to kill but being generous with their stunners and disarming spells. The whole assembly was screetching and trying to escape so few of teh onlookers caught the display before them.
"(Potter belongs to me!)" He demanded but the Dementor merely held onto the boy tighter, glaring down the Dark Lord boldly.
Voldemort sent an orb of brightest white light at it, sending it screeching, releasing Potter instantly.
"(He is not to be fed from. The others here, you may feast on to your hearts' desire.)" He said, allowing them a tastier alternative.
The leader hesitated for a long moment before bowing his head in acquiescence. He slid off towards the Minister, his arms outstretched. Harry lay crumbled on the ground, his wrists still in the manacles which were then burning into his skin, a rather unpleasant affect of the binding curse on them. He cursed them off immediately, wincing slightly at the deep painful burnings circling the frail wrists then. Potter's emerald eyes looked up at him.
"You're coming with me now. Why did you throw everything away for me?" He asked quietly.
Harry coughed, grimacing in pain and discomfort.
"I was hoping you would save me in time."
He was shocked.
"What if I hadn't?! You would be just as dead, you stupid child!"
"Then it still would have been worth it. I'm the only person in the world that would mourn you if you were gone, I think."
Voldemort shook his head, thoroughly astounded by the boy in his arms. He was crazy! Crazy and brilliant.
"That's so…Slytherin."
His only reply was a cheeky grin as he picked the boy up and carried him through the screaming confusion.
Fin.
