Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. If I did, Dumbledore would've died a lot more violently. But I don't. So.

Warnings: Slash. Torture (not right now, but eventually...). Character Bashing.

Pairings: Tom Riddle Jr./Harry Potter, Lord Voldemort/Harry Potter.

Prologue: For the Greater Good

Albus Dumbledore stared down at the infant in his arms. The babe's skin was ivory, contrasting sharply with the shock of baby-fine ebony hair atop his head, and his eyes were the most startling shade of green. They glared out of his lovely face, as green as the Killing Curse that orphaned him.

Albus sighed. It was unfortunate that it had to come to this. He was truly fond of James and Lily; it was such a shame that they'd had to die the way they had. As much as he mourned the loss of two of his most faithful, he knew that it had been unavoidable. Their deaths had been necessary for the fulfillment of the prophecy, for the forging of the Light side's greatest weapon.

Glancing down at the child in his arms, Albus suppressed a grimace of distaste. Avada Kedavra eyes glared at him, far too intelligent for his liking. One year old infants were not supposed to be as…quiet as young Harry was. No infant should have eyes that judgmental, that knowledgeable. It was one of the many reasons why Albus was about to do what he was.

Of course, that uncanny gaze was not the only reason. The main reason had less to do with young Harry's eyes as much as the results of his mother's blood tests. Lily Potter, born Lily Evans, was a magically weak individual, gifted in Charms and Potions, but not much else. In a way, this was a blessing in disguise. Without the magical power to support it, Lily Potter's creature blood lay completely dormant, undetectable by the average witch or wizard. Albus himself hadn't realized what Lily Potter had the potential to be until that fateful Gringott's blood test almost half a year ago.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for her child. Young Harry James Potter had inherited his mother's creature blood, and had enough magic, even as an infant, for the blood to awaken. And that simply would not do.

Binding the child's magical core was an exceptionally dangerous thing to do; the ritual was intended to be used on the most dangerous of criminals; full-grown adult witches and wizards whose magical cores were already stabilized. No one had ever attempted a ritual of this magnitude on a child before. It would undoubtedly be very painful, and Albus felt what might have been a twinge of regret—but this was necessary.

Albus carefully dipped the fingers of his left hand into the potion mixture next to him, allowing them to soak a moment before he brought them up to Harry's forehead. He quickly sketched a rune against the skin in the middle of the child's forehead, ignoring the babe's indignant squalling. When the child made to squirm, possibly smearing the rune in the process, Albus petrified him. He carefully set the child in the center of a runic circle, sketched in Albus's own blood, and took a moment to ensure that he hadn't mistranslated anything before taking his place at the southernmost point of the circle. Placing his hand gently against the runes, Albus Dumbledore began to chant.

Harry James Potter would never know love, or kindness, or happiness. He would never be able to access the true extent of his magical abilities or intelligence. His Lamia blood would be forever suppressed.

For the Greater Good.

So, I swear that this is the last fic I'm posting until I finish my other ones. I SWEAR. However, I've been reading a lot of Harry Potter creature fics, and I needed to attempt one.

Can I tell you guys a secret? I really hate Dumbledore. Like, seriously, he is my LEAST favorite character EVER, in all the books I've ever read. And I've read some messed up books. Honestly, who leaves a BABY on someone's doorstep in NOVEMBER. In ENGLAND. IT GETS REALLY FRICKIN' COLD IN ENGLAND IN NOVEMBER. And his whole "my boy" thing. GAAAHH. I literally almost screamed my happiness to the world when he died.