Voldemort smirked as they all arrived at the meeting place safely. The apparation after leaving had been purposefully set up as a multi-stop trip with short walks in between to keep anyone from following them. Their final destination had been Riddle Manor from the start. While the manor wasn't really habitable any more it was still a good staging point and meeting spot. If the Dark Lord bothered to put any effort into it the estate would be habitable in a short time, thanks to the muggle caretaker that he had killed late last summer while still inhabiting the golem.
Snape, knowing how the Dark Lord typically worked, hustled himself and Harry forward to stand in front of the man that was his sworn lord. He didn't want them dragged forwards and thrown at the man's feet after all. Harry, on the other hand, was trying to look stoic but he was also clearly wary as to what was going to happen to him. Severus really couldn't blame him.
"Relax," Voldemort smirked at the pair of them. "I agreed to your conditions and you have no need to fear my wand while you are both my captives beyond basic containment. As Severus is now bound as your guard those conditions also extend to him and it would be... counter productive to allow otherwise."
"So, what happens now?" Harry asked cautiously.
"Now, Narcissa Malfoy gets to check you both over as a healer," Voldemort smirked. Severus' groan just made his smirk grow wider. It was common knowledge among the dark faction that she was a certified healer and that she frequently went after Severus over his lack of self care. Placing the pair in her hands, after a quick Gringotts certified health check, would ensure they both stayed basically healthy. Any medical complications would be dealt with swiftly and firmly under Narcissa's care.
"She's a terror," Severus groused. "Almost as bad as Pomphrey on a tare."
"If you would simply eat regularly she would be less likely to hound you," Voldemort countered smugly.
"You are evil," Severus shot back, clearly pouting at this point. Neither of them had forgotten about his precarious position but the deal Harry had made combined with the oath given had provided Severus a safety margin. A safety margin that the potions master planed to take full advantage of to keep his charge alive and sane.
"~I am tempted to simply make you blood adopt him and have you take a permanent gender swapping potion... Should I consider something worse?~" Voldemort hissed evilly. The Cruciartus, after all, was more of a short term severe punishment. It acted like a properly deserved smack to the bottom of a disobedient child, depending on the power and control levels used, but it also kept some of the more... extreme Death Eaters under control. Lesser punishments were usually along the lines of less trust, an unpleasant task, or the surrendering of a family heirloom. For Inner Circle members punishment was performed privately out of respect so that those in the lower ranks didn't see it as an under cut to their authority in the ranks.
"No! No, thank you," Severus answered nervously. He didn't know what could be worse than the current proposal but judging by the creativity of this one he really didn't want to find out. Even if he did wind up blood adopting Harry and being turned female it still beat out actual torture to insanity and beyond or something like it that was normal for traitors. Hopefully his "good behavior" would get him a less traumatizing punishment... hopefully.
"You had best resign yourselves to staying with me for the rest of your natural lives, longer if I can manage it," Voldemort told them bluntly. Teasing Severus was fun, whether or not he had been serious about his threat (he was), but there was a time and a place for it.
"Why?" Harry asked warily.
"Parselmouths are rare," was the only answer Voldemort gave before turning and officially dismissing the others in the raiding party. Harry and Severus found themselves being magically tugged along on an invisible leash as he lead them into the decrepit manor.
"~Tom?~" Nagini hissed in open interest as she slithered out of what might have once been the dining room to greet her wizard.
"~Nagini!~" Voldemort greeted his familiar with great affection.
"~Why have your brought these ones?~" Nagini asked suspiciously. She could sense the leash spell just fine and wanted to know if the pair were to be pets or food for her. It didn't happen often but it wasn't unheard of for her Tom to gift her a human as a meal.
"~They are speakers. I have secured them for now but they have yet to learn that they will not be leaving my nest without permission. I thought you would like the chance to look them over and meet them, especially as the young one is Harry Potter,~" Voldemort explained with an evil chuckle.
"~You are not going to let me eat the Potter now that you know he is a speaker?~" Nagini questioned with careful suspicion.
"~Hardly, he must be taught proper speaker things and Severus must be punished for hiding things from me such as his speaking,~" Voldemort explained with a smirk tossed towards the pair. "~They are mine to protect now.~"
"~Good,~" Nagini said emphatically. "~The young one smells of venom from the King Snake and eye water of the flaming bird. He will grow strong and help defend the nest once taught properly. For now I will accept them as speaker hatchlings in our nest. You have established dominance with the older one?~"
"~I have,~" Voldemort agreed. Venom of the King Snake? Eye water of the Flaming Bird? "~I will need to do so again in the future but for now they will both listen to me.~"
"~Than return us to the temporary nest in the blond one's territory,~" Nagini ordered regally. "~There I will check the newest additions to our nest and you, my first speaker hatchling, will rest. I will not have you exhausting yourself again especially as I now know why you hurt as the King Snake's Venom and the Firebird's tears wander your blood. You are not done healing and having the youngest hatchling nearby will aid in your return to strength!~"
Voldemort whipped around to stare at Harry in shock as he finally mentally translated King Snake as Basilisk and Firebird as Phoenix with Severus Snape not far behind. Harry just looked at them both somewhat sheepishly, having realized that the magical serpent familiar was referring to the mess he had faced in the Chamber of Secrets. He supposed that the venom and tears must have merged with his blood and it showed up in his scent.
"You will be explaining that," Snape said severely as Nagini made her way up Voldemort's body to rest wrapped around the wizard's torso and laid her head on his shoulder.
"Honestly? It will be slightly easier with a pensive or if you both would like to look at my memories directly without trying to rip into my mind this time if you please," Harry said pointedly with a grimace. "It... will take awhile no matter what method we use to catch you both up on things as I'm sure you will both insist on going over everything and not just the Chamber mess. Although, that one will take awhile just on its own... most of them will."
"Potter, you are a menace!" Severus declared, giving the impression of wanting to throw up his hands in the air in exasperation.
"You may be exempt from torture and death at my hands for the moment but that does not stop me from punishing you if I decide you disobeyed or crossed a line," Voldemort warned them both flatly. "I have claimed the right to monitor your health and thus how much you risk your life is now very much my concern. How often did you nearly die since returning to the Wizarding World?"
"Er, I'd really rather not answer that," Harry admitted nervously. He honestly thought that these two would celebrate any time he nearly died, like the Dursleys. The fact that they were angry over the thought even without proof or the full story as to his previous near death experiences hadn't even crossed his mind as a possibility.
Harry was now mentally cursing whoever had been supposed to make sure he was well schooled in everything wizarding. He deeply suspected by this point in his day that his complete ignorance was very intentional on someone's part. He would have to try and fix this if didn't want to find himself dead. A fact that these two older wizards were making very clear they were upset over. Maybe he could talk them into helping or at least allowing him to learn?
"A complete review of all your schooling, including manners, basic culture, and history of our people. We can cover family obligations, contracts, and finances later," Voldemort declared, obviously displeased at what he was learning today about his young nemesis.
"I only agreed to be your willing captive for a month and control over health stuff!" Harry protested quickly. "The negotiation stuff hasn't happened yet!"
"And anything affecting your health, such as misreading a magical contract which could kill you, any insult you might make to someone which could spark a very legal deadly duel doesn't count? Not to mention seeing that you have the money to care for yourself or if I will need to supply such care in some fashion?" Voldemort demanded archly as he ushered them back out of the old house. "There is a great deal that can affect your health!"
"I! You!... Arg!" Harry spluttered. He was so focused on the discussion he barely realized what was happening until the Dark Lord ruthlessly grabbed both of his captives by the upper arm and apparated away with them, without warning. They arrived at their new location, a hall practically covered in white and grey patterned marble that was lined with rich tapestries, with a sharp snap of magic. Harry and Severus were fighting not to get sick from the purposefully ungentle side-along apparation as they hung almost limply in his grip.
Nagini hissed with displeasure and slid down off of her wizard to move along under her own power as they traveled the marble clad halls. She knew what her first hatchling speaker was doing to the pair, ruthlessly establishing his dominance. She approved, after a fashion, but she did not appreciate getting caught in the backlash even a little bit.
"You would do best to get used to my manhandling," Voldemort smirked evilly as he dragged the sick feeling pair through the halls of Malfoy Manor. "No one but those I authorize will ever touch either of you again from this day forwards. I take care of my things and you both now qualify. Expect Lady Malfoy later today or tomorrow with a Gringotts healer to help her and certify everything for your health checks."
"Bastard!" Harry groused, still trying not to be sick.
Voldemort just chuckled evilly. As far as he was concerned the pair were his. He would be officially adding them to his family later in the month as wards of the family. As much as he had been serious about accepting a war ending marriage truce to the brash young wizard he wasn't particularly considering marrying either of his fellow parselmouths. Perhaps Severus if the feelings blossomed? Either way Harry was very firmly going in the adoptive son category if they got that far.
For the moment he would be manhandling them and insisting on platonic cuddling as well as platonic sleeping arrangements in the same bed. He did not trust the pair out of his sight. Both were powerful and had previously escaped his ire. He could not afford to lose them now that he knew they were parselmouths.
As the head of the family he would also eventually see them married with children. The Dark Lord no longer had that luxury. He could no longer sire children and carry on the Slytherin line. A fact that Severus might be able to change with his more complex healing potions or a blood adoption potion but it was not something that could be looked into as of yet. Voldemort's own health had to finish stabilizing along with his magic. He wasn't yet done healing from his rebirth and would have to satisfy his need for family with his two captives and any other future family members.
Harry and Severus were placed on an oversized bed in a bedroom they only belatedly realized belonged to the Dark Lord as Nagini settled down surrounding them on the bed. Plucking the ebony wand from the grasp of its snarky owner said Dark Lord slipped it into his robe pocket next to a familiar holly and phoenix feather wand. Several parsel wards and monitoring enchantment assured the safety and security of his two captives. The last thing the pair heard was his casting of a sleeping spell, sending them into the depths of dreams.
"~Guard them well, mother,~" Voldemort said softly, indulging in acknowledging his familiar's true role in the quiet of their rooms.
"~No more magic for you today, hatchling,~" Nagini hissed in open displeasure, using her tail to point at him sternly.
~I can't. I need to summon the goblin healer to check them for past harms and have them help Narcissa heal them,~" Voldemort said regretfully. "~I must also deal with Bellatrix... the one you call the crazy black female. Severus is still shaking from what she did to him when trying to hit Harry earlier.~"
Indeed the slight shaking that was the Cruciartus after effects were yet still making the snarky wizard shiver uncontrollably in his sleep. Nagini hissed her displeasure but didn't object again. Voldemort just knew that when he finally came to bed that night she would make him sleep in the next morning or even take a full day to rest. Sighing he headed for his desk in the next room of the suite. He had plans to revise and a punishment for Bellatrix to work out that would keep her away from his two prizes. Not to mention health checks to arrange for those two prize wizards sleeping on his bed.
Still, things were looking up.
*+ovo+*
A/n: Ideas are welcome people. I have an idea where to go next but I also plan for lots of platonic cuddling and for Voldy to like manhandling and touching them a lot, just because. This is not going to be a deeply thought out fic at least at first. It might change as things develop so I'm leaving it in the General Fic section for now.
For anyone who follows me over on AO3 - I'm on suspension until Oct. 21st 2019 A.D. because they decided something based on the Bible and the Left Behind series around the Rapture that I never expanded on didn't qualify as fiction. This action prompted me to flatly place the version of that on this site in public domain. So, yes, I am getting your comments I just can't respond to them or do anything except read. Literally nothing to do with posting or editing is open to me. I am not ignoring you. As for the comment on my things getting stolen and posted to non-english sites... I can't do a bloody thing about it as I am strictly english speaking. As long as they cite me as the originator on those sites I wont argue about it. Frankly? I never worried about things getting stolen all that much because I don't think my stories are good enough to be stolen in the first place. Officially? I, personally, only post here on FFN, AO3, or on TtH.