AN: I think my favorite pairing is Harry/Tom. This story allowed me to write about them because it's freaking taking forever to get them together in The Dark Lord's Equal and I don't want to deviate from the plot in my head to get them together faster because then things will be ruined!

JK owns EVERYTHING!

"Congratulations, Tom, you're going to be a father."

There was complete and utter silence in the grand ballroom of Malfoy Manor. Everyone, including Lord Voldemort himself, seemed to have been frozen by those words.

The silence lasted for about three seconds, or until Bellatrix Lestrange fully and completely lost her mind; her insane devotion to her Lord and Master left her simply unwilling to believe that He would bless anyone besides her to carry his heir.

"How dare you!" she screeched.

There was murder in her eyes.

"Like the Dark Lord would ever consider you worthy to carry … his … his heir!" her voice trembled with nearly uncontrollable rage.

Her fragile mind couldn't accept that the seed of her master was in another; it had to be a lie, and one that she would punish with death.

Harry had only a fraction of a section to register the sudden change in her stance that was accompanied by the vicious slashing of her wand through the air; however, before she could complete the specific and complex wand motion that accompanied her intended, and quite deadly curse, Voldemort's hand reached out to the side and clamped down on her wand arm.

"Bella," was all he needed to say to still her into inaction while he continued to glare at the boy.

His dark red eyes had an unreadable expression behind them. As if he were waking from a terrible dream his eyes looked up and down the boy, trying to make sense of reality again.

Surely there had to be a mistake? The Dark Lord was quite sure he would have remembered bedding the Boy Who Lived. Or performing any of the other dark and arcane alternatives necessary to result in a pregnancy between two males.

The Dark Lord needed to get to the bottom of this mystery.

In a swift motion, it was now his wand that was pointed at the young wizard's stomach. Harry hadn't yet recovered from Bellatrix's attempted assault and so his eyes had only a fraction of a second to register the new threat.

In fact, the fear in his eyes left over from Bellatrix only grew as he wondered what sort of spell was about to be cast, a spell that he would again be defenseless from stopping. His heart was beating so forcefully that he was sure it was going to burst.

'Fetus revelio!' The Dark Lord commanded in a near whisper.

Both Harry and Hermione recognized the familiar shape Voldemort's wand had drawn and so by the time that the familiar-colored spell hit his stomach he breathed a sigh of relief. He should have expected that the Dark Lord would want to see for himself whether or not his words had been true.

The pounding in his chest lessened as the image of his tiny child appeared in front of his chest. Harry was so fixated on that image that he missed the sharp intake of air from the others in the room.

Apparently, they had expected his statement to have been an attempt to unbalance them.

Which told Harry what the next likely spell to be wordlessly cast would be. Indeed, seconds later and the Paternity Charm confirmed loud and clear the completely unexpected turn of events.

Voldemort's mouth uncharacteristically parted in disbelief in response to the appearance of a side-by-side image of himself and the Boy Who Lived where only moments before the see-through likeness of his fetus had been. Even the man's wand was stilled in a frozen silence in response to seeing what he hadn't believed was possible.

But somehow, the impossible had been achieved: he, Lord Voldemort, was going to be a father. And with Harry Potter of all people. The Dark Lord needed a moment – or several – to take it all in.

Nagini's tongue, meanwhile, licked at the air from were she was coiled next her master.

"How is this possible?" The quivering voice of Lucius Malfoy sounded from he stood next to his wife.

Both of them had identical looks of shocks that had completely broken through their otherwise perfect and aristocratic features.

But no one answered him.

"What kind of dark magic is this?" Bellatrix hissed out, seemingly unaware of the supreme irony of her words.

No one answered her, either.

Amidst the silence, Harry's tired eyes focused on searching for the slightest sign of trouble. Not that he could have done much but it gave him something to occupy his mind, making him feel like he was making up for his earlier lapse in concentration where Bellatrix had almost cursed him.

Then, as if Voldemort had made up his mind, his wand arm stirred again, and this time Harry was prepared to launch Plan Gryffindor; but the sound of his intended pleading died on his lips when the Dark Lord's spell shot off to the side and behind him. Clearly, it was not meant for him.

Instantly, Bellatrix, Lucius, and Narcissa dropped to the floor, unconscious.

At this point, Harry congratulated himself on making it through the first round unscathed. Unfortunately, he was now firmly in what he considered to be round two, which meant that for his baby to have a chance, he needed to now convince the greatest Dark Lord who had ever lived to show mercy and let them live. One that in Harry's experience was not known for his sanity or rational thinking.

"Explain!" Commanded the Dark Lord, like he was reading his mind.

His crimson eyes bore deeply in the verdant green of how Harry saw the world.

Harry swallowed the bile rising in his throat, his thoughts instead centering on needing to protect his baby in an attempt to control his emotions.

It was now or never: Operation Slytherin to start with Plan Gryffindor as a fallback.

"I have no idea how this happened… I can assure you that this wasn't planned," Harry began quickly.

"I'd been feeling off for the last few weeks; not being able to keep much food down or having all that much of an appetite, really. Then, earlier today or yesterday… we don't really know how long we've been here…"

Harry paused to see if Voldemort would add anything but the man just looked at him, and Harry had the distinct impression that if the man had eyebrows that one of them would have been raised dramatically.

So Harry just got back right to the salient points, lest he risk annoying Voldemort with unwanted details.

"But then something happened, my stomach began to hurt terribly; the pain was unlike anything I'd ever felt before."

Harry gave a quick glance to Hermione.

"And she was the one that gave me a look over and ultimately put two and two together and discovered that I was pregnant."

Harry said the next part slowly, for emphasis.

"After the initial shock – because it sure as hell came as one to us – our first priority was in making sure the baby was healthy, which it is you'll be happy to know. Then we discovered that I'm three months along, again with no idea as to how any of this happened. And then we found out who the other parent was and that's where you come in. To think, the baby is a descendant of both Salazar Slytherin and the mighty Lord Voldemort."

Harry was laying it on thick and he didn't care that the Dark Lord remained apparently unaffected and silent.

"And then the Snatchers came and caught us and now you know as much about the baby as we do."

But Harry wasn't finished; far from it, in fact.

Maybe he was caught up in the moment and his Gryffindor side was bored; or, maybe, his Slytherin side knew that to be the most effective, he wanted to make sure that he got a chance to say everything that he wanted to say. Merlin knew if he would ever get this opportunity again.

"And don't you think for a moment that I will let you do anything to the baby. I don't care that your wand is pointed at me and I am defenseless and tied down. As you… very… well… remember, my mum didn't need one either the night you came for me in Godric's Hallow."

At his side, Hermione could hardly believe the sudden change in Harry's demeanor. As time had gone on since awaking in Malfoy Manor and her nerves calmed she began to understand the angle that Harry was playing to give them a chance at leaving here alive. But now Harry was threatening He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and she didn't know why. She could only continue to watch with a gaped expression. Though, since she was only watching Harry from the side, she wasn't getting the full effect of his performance.

But the Dark Lord was looking directly at Harry and could practically taste the magic swirling in the air. Aside from the young man's forceful words, green eyes the color of death began to bore into his soul. It was strangely erotic and his skin began to tingle.

"I will not let you harm this child!" Harry's voice continued with a steely certainty, a voice that Voldemort knew from prior experience was laced with magic. In fact, it brought him back to that infamous night nearly sixteen years ago.

"I invoke whatever my mum did, I offer myself in the child's place. And so help me that if you strike me down you will lose your body once more. So if you take me, you will take yourself. I swear that on my life and magic!"

And Voldemort believed him. How could he not when the color of Harry's eyes, so much like his favorite curse reminded him of the worse night of his life. For the second time in a few short minutes, this young wizard had given him pause.

Not that finding out he was suddenly in the position to be a father hadn't already had him proceeding with caution. But now he had even more of a reason to take things slower and fully consider the options before him.

It wasn't like the brat would be going anywhere.

During the Dark Lord's internal deliberation, Harry's eyes settled back into their normal color. Even though his main thoughts were to protect his child; he was unusually weak from the lack of sustenance over the past weeks and was quickly reaching the limit of what his magic could support or accomplish.

It made him tired, and also very hungry.

So hungry, in fact, that after knowing he had done everything he could have possibly done to save his unborn child he was cranky, otherwise known as hangry.

Thankfully, before Harry had a chance to say anything that would have negated his masterful performance in staying Lord Voldemort's wand, the Dark Lord had come to a decision.

"Very well, Potter," he stated simply.

The next moment a swish of his wand had freed Harry and Hermione from their bonds. Though, they didn't fall to the floor as gravity would have like but rather gently floated down until their feet had found a proper footing.

Curious at the rare thoughtfulness that her master had just showed, Nagini looked from her Lord to the vessel that housed her master's youngling. There was something going on there and after a few flicks of her tongue, what counted as an amused expression settled onto her face. The great serpent was most definitely intrigued if she were reading her master correctly, and she was sure that she was. After all, she knew him better than anyone.

Harry and Hermione barely had the opportunity to consider their freeing when seconds later Nagini's suspicions were confirmed as all four of them suddenly Apparated to a spot just outside of the wards of the Dark Lord's home.

Of course, Harry and Hermione didn't know this. They were still reeling from not being killed inside Malfoy Manor and the sudden and distinct smell of being outside was something that they certainly hadn't expected to experience again.

"Watch them," the Dark Lord commanded Nagini before he turned and disappeared on the spot.

Before either Harry or Hermione knew what hit them they felt the heavy scales of the giant serpent coiling around their bodies.

"Nagini will make sure the bearer of Master's youngling and his… friend… remain right where master left them…" the snake purred in a hiss that only Harry understood.

The sound of Parseltongue from someone other than Harry caused the hairs on Hermione's arm to stand straight up. Which didn't help her current attempts at not panicking over the powerful hold from the snake's thick body that held her firmly in place. As it was she was dangerously close to falling off the proverbial edge; the only sound that kept her rooted was the calm and rhythmic breathing from Harry.

He at least wasn't outwardly freaking out and she held onto that.

In fact, she was just about to force Harry to distract her with mindless chatter when the Dark Lord reappeared with a distinct pop.

He smiled at Nagini and she began to unwrap herself from her hostages, freeing Harry and Hermione to more easily hold onto one another for support.

"Now then," Voldemort said to the pair, pointing his wand at each of them in turn.

A faint red light began to glow when it connected with them and then the Dark Lord waved his wand to a spot on the other side of him. The red light then dissipated into the air, causing a distinct set of ripples to appear beside them that Hermione realized at once signaled the presence of wards.

Wards that they had just been keyed into.

"If you'll follow me."

The Dark Lord turned after his clipped statement, trusting that Nagini would take up the rear without a single glance.

The young witch and wizard followed cautiously, continuing to hold hands with the deadly snake slithering behind.

"Where are you taking …" the words died on Harry's lips as they entered a clearing and gazed upon Hogwarts.

Only, it was much too small to be the castle that Harry had considered to be the first place that had become more than simply somewhere to sleep.

"Hogwarts?" Hermione gasped upon catching her breath.

"No, this is my home. My personal place of residence."

The Dark Lord looked fondly on that which he had used his extraordinary magic to raise from the ground.

At the same time, he couldn't believe that he had revealed such a thing to the Boy Who Lived… and his Muggleborn associate. Then again, he didn't have anywhere else to put them that would keep them hidden, that would keep his heir…

"Do the Death Eaters know this place exists?" Harry asked without thought, making Voldemort narrow his eyes at the boy.

If it had been anyone else they would have been dead by now, but there was some part of the Dark Lord that valued the boy's brazenness. He always had, to be honest.

"No one aside from myself and Nagini are aware of this place or can enter… not with the wards that I have set up. Speaking of which," he again pointed his wand at each of them, causing a dark black bracelet to appear on their wrists.

"You are now unable to leave." He finished with a deadly grin before turning and walking toward the castle.

Harry and Hermione could only stare after him, fingering the bracelets that now made them prisoners.

Though, with an encouraging hiss from Nagini they quickly found their footing again and hurried off after the Dark Lord.

Nothing else was said until they walked through an exact replica – albeit much smaller – of the main Hogwarts' entrance.

"The precision to detail is amazing; such exquisite spell work!" Hermione gushed out-loud with what had intended to be a silent observation.

And then she realized she had in fact complimented her captor and the killer of her best friend's parents and her face reddened.

But Harry was right there with her as his gaze noticed that the inside was as much the same as the outside; the resemblance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was uncanny.

It was clear to Harry that Albus Dumbledore had severely underestimated how attached Tom Riddle had been to the castle. Suddenly, an uncomfortable feeling, one that had nothing to do with the baby, hit Harry's stomach.

It was too complex for him to put into words but Harry understood the Dark Lord's attachment, his inability to let go with the warm and comforting nostalgia of the past.

Of course, Harry kept his observation to himself and simply followed quietly as Voldemort led them up along an all too familiar path. Soon, they were standing outside what had to be this place's version of the Gryffindor dorms.

"These will be your accommodations while you are here." The person formerly known as Tom Riddle gestured.

"Inside, you will find everything you need for the next few months. Tizzy!" He summoned with a serious if not bored expression.

An elf popped into view and immediately knelt down in front of her master.

"Yes, Master, what can Tizzy do for you."

The obsequious elf was bowing so low her nose was touching the floor.

"You will watch over these two, making sure they have everything they need over the next few months. You are to obey them as you would me with the exception that they cannot leave the boundaries of the wards or inform anyone as to where they are or what happened to them. In fact, they are not to contact the outside world."

"Yes, Master, Tizzy will be a good elf and carry out Master's wishes."

Hermione looked like she wanted to say something about SPEW but she kept her mouth shut when the Dark Lord gave her a look.

"And you, Miss Granger… you will be responsible for the health of the baby, the health of my heir. Do I even need to inform you what would happen should harm come to my heir… or the one carrying it?"

His glare was deadly and it was quite clear in her mind that failure was not an option.

"No," she squeaked.

Then the Dark Lord turned and began to walk away, Nagini sliding smoothly over the stone floor at his side.

"This way masters," the elf spoke quickly, leading them inside.

Harry wasn't surprised that the identical resemblance continued on; his main thoughts were simply focused on the fact that Voldemort, his mortal enemy, had not struck him down. Somehow, him and his baby had been allowed to keep living.

It didn't matter that he was now a prisoner in the Dark Lord's home. His baby had a chance and that was the only thing that mattered.

Reviews are appreciated. Hope that was satisfying. Next chapter will see Harry and Hermione exploring their new digs. Oh, and Tom makes an appearance too!