A/N: OKAY! Going with Tom/Harry (Tarry? LOL)! Taking requests for any other pairings, however. I am doing Sirius/Remus in the past and current Remus/Tonks, but unsure if I'll leave them together. Still wondering if I want to bring Sirius back or not. Because I freaking LOVE Sirius. And I've decided to go the marriage contract for peace route with it. I know, it has been done SOOO many times, but I figured I should at least do one of these.

Chapter Three

Dark Lord's Unbidden Desire

Voldemort looked over the scrolls around him. He sighed frustrated. Ever since the Death Eater meeting had ended, he'd been thinking. How could he use the situation to his benefit? Harry Potter was closer than ever to his control, but he had been in the boy's mind. He knew he would never turn dark. There was simply no way the child could bring himself to do so. However, the boy had a hero complex and wanted to save everyone in the entire world if he could. He knew he was possibly being manipulated, yet allowed it, careening ever closer to his own demise despite that fact. The dark lord smirked. Yes. He could use this to his advantage. Maybe a trade. A trade that would shock the wizarding world to its core and stop the war. They would agree, of course, the life of one versus years of bloodshed? How could the deny him? The answer was they couldn't.

Despite his love of violence and pain, Voldemort wasn't keen on losing his best people to lucky shots from baby wizards, as he lovingly called the students at Hogwarts. No, no, people like Lucius and Severus had great minds and great power…and could be used effectively. No, if there was a way to get what he wanted, as well as keep the wizarding world on its toes, yes. This could work.

He picked up the transfiguration potion he'd had Severus make. It wasn't perfect, he couldn't return to his body perfectly, but it would at least give him his youth back. The botched resurrection had left him with a body that incited fear, surely, but was ill suited to being a political figure and his desire to appeal to the delicate sensibilities of the young one. No, it would behoove him to have his youthful body back. Oh, to see the look on Dumbledore's face when he showed up as young Tom. With of course, all Voldemort's power intact. So he swigged back the potion and the burning sensation of permanent transfiguration ripped through him. He thought the pain rivaled the cruciatus curse…

The next morning Harry woke feeling surprisingly good. Then he remembered he was in Malfoy Manor. With Severus Snape and the Malfoys and who knows who else. He groaned and rubbed his hand over his aching scar. Why was it acting up right now? He hadn't had any visions. Unless…Voldemort was close. He felt tears prickle in his eyes. Had the betrayed him anyway? They'd said he wasn't going to be killed. He didn't think he could take another betrayal of his trust right now. He heard a soft knock and the door open, footsteps nearing to him. He blinked wearily to see Severus standing over him.

"Harry, come, you must dress now," he said softly, an almost pained look in his face.

Harry swallowed, standing shakily, soreness sweeping through his body until a potion was tipped into his mouth. "He's here, isn't he?" he said as he was stood up and a robe placed over his otherwise naked body. His stomach flipped at the thought.

"I'm sorry, Harry, he wouldn't wait. He's promised not to kill you, so don't worry," Severus said quietly, leading him up the stairs from the basement where his rooms were into the brighter sitting area.

Narcissa, Lucius and Draco all sat about the room in various armed chairs, and a man that looked like the Tom Riddle from the diary except for the bright, piercing red eyes sat in the center chair. The three Malfoys looked up with concern as Harry eased himself into the chair closest to where he came in. His need to sit was equal parts fear, pain and nervousness. At least Voldemort didn't look like the noseless bald snake creature he had looked like in the graveyard and the Ministry. Harry felt fear run like a shock up his spine when he locked eyes with him.

Voldemort was taken in immediately. Maybe it was the fragments of his sanity that had been returning over the time since his encounter with Harry in the Ministry (he still wasn't sure what exactly happened there, but since then his sanity had slowly begun to return). Maybe he was truly lonely in a way, but he knew that he would indeed make the offer to Harry and then to the Light.

"Harry, I am glad to see you are well," he said with a smile.

Harry nodded. "As well as I can be," he said softly. "I'm still sore and confused as to why I'm here."

Voldemort nodded. "I imagine you are. After some consideration, I have decided I do not wish to kill you at all. You've been through far too much, as have so many of your friends. So, I've come with a proposition. Severus and Lucius will present it to Dumbledore and Fudge this afternoon as well, provided you are willing to agree to it."

"I don't understand, what could I offer you?" he said quietly, absently rubbing the throbbing scar on his head.

"Why, that's the whole thing, isn't it? No one has had a bargaining chip with me, of course. But now…now I have incentive to bargain. So here is what I will do. I'm going to offer a truce, within reason, where I leave the Light alone, and they leave me alone, and I refrain from Muggle hunting, but I'm given full control over the Ministry of Magic. There are other concessions, but those are some of the highlights. All in exchange for one thing, will I make this deal with the Light. And the bloodshed stops, this war stops, your friends are safe and the whole of the wizarding world rejoices. As long as they allow me to make the desired changes."

Harry frowned, looking up to him. "What could make you want to deal with them? You've never wanted anything other than complete control and destruction of your enemies?"

Voldemort smiled again, and Harry was reminded of the snake-like man he'd met for the first time in the Graveyard. "Why in exchange for you, the boy-who-lived."

There was a brief silence followed by Harry's gasp and his head shaking. "I don't understand, I…"

Voldemort smiled again. "It's quite simple. You seem to be the one they believe can destroy me. Instead, you will bond with me, and they will see the Light united with the Dark, and they will fall at my feet. You will submit yourself to my control, and they will live. Quite a deal, don't you think, little one?" he said, tipping his head to the side, wavy dark brown hair sweeping over his shoulders, and red eyes boring into him.

"My Lord, are you sure that it is wise…" began Severus, looking from Harry's panicked face to the dark lord's boyish one.

"Severus, do not press me. I may look like my twenty year old self, but I have not changed underneath at all. So unless you want me to curse you for your impertinence…" he said, glaring at him.

"No, please, don't hurt him," Harry said, eyes wide and impossibly green in the light. "I'll do it…I'll do whatever you want, just spare the ones I love, and…and stop the war…whatever it takes, I'll do it…"

Draco's eyes widened. "Harry, you can't just…"

Harry shook his head. "No, I have to do this. Before it gets worse. Don't you see? I've lost Sirius already! I can't…I can't lose anyone else. I won't! If I can stop them from dying I will. This whole thing, it is my own fight, so let me fight it. I'll do it."

Voldemort smiled and nodded. "Severus, Lucius," he said, and a pair of sealed missives appeared in his hands which he handed one to each of them. "Lucius, take this to Fudge, and Severus, to Dumbledore. I'll await you in Riddle Manor for their response."

The dark lord stood and apparated away from the room. As soon as he did, he looked up with frightened eyes, tears already brimming. "I have to," he whispered, starting to shake. "I'll do anything…"

Narcissa was there in a moment, sitting beside him in the large chair, pulling him close to her and stroking his hair. "Shh, child, shh. I know, I know."

He buried his head in her robes and held tightly and sobbed. It was a release of so many things. "I know I'm trading one horror for another…" he whispered. "But…but then my life will mean something…" he said almost hollowly.

Lucius and Draco exchanged a pained look as his sobs tapered off and he fell into an exhaustion induced sleep. Narcissa gathered him up and headed up to the room she'd prepared for him. Severus nodded to Lucius and then they both apparated away with a pop, leaving Draco to stare into the fire. His mom came back down and sat down in the chair that Harry had just vacated.

"Mother…how does he do that?" he said softly.

"What do you mean, my dragon?" she asked, smiling softly at her son.

"I mean, after everything, he's willing to give in so easily to the dark lord just to save people that let him suffer so much…" he continued.

Narcissa sighed. "Little dragon, that is why he is special. He's saving his friends, but also his enemies, and he knows that. I just pray to Merlin that he can withstand what the dark lord has planned for him."

Draco nodded. "He said bonded. He means to force him into a marriage contract."

"Yes, it would be the most effective way to seal his power over him."

"But after what his uncle…" Draco said. "Will the dark lord take him like that?"

Narcissa closed her eyes softly, biting back tears. "I hope not, Drake, I hope not. But he is cruel, and will not be denied whatever he desires. I just hope that Harry can take whatever happens."

Severus exhaled and spoke the password, peppermint, and headed up the stairs to rap softly on the door to the headmaster's office.

"Enter," he called. He looked up with wide eyes. "Severus! It seems that Harry is missing from his aunt and uncles, do you know of it? Someone had destroyed the blood wards, the alarms went off, but by the time the order arrived, he was gone, and there appeared to have been a struggle. His uncle clamed a wizard had tortured him."

Severus nodded. "I do sir. He is at the Malfoy's residence currently and I have a missive from the dark lord for you specifically that should explain his intent. Lucius has been sent with one for Minister Fudge."

Dumbledore frowned and took the paper, breaking the seal and reading over it. He looked up at Severus with wide eyes. "He's serious about this?"

Severus nodded. "Harry has already agreed that if it is accepted by you and the minister, he will agree to the dark lord's terms to save the lives of those he loves."

"I'll call a meeting of the Order and the Ministry. Can you remain or are you to return immediately?"

"I'm to stay and return with your response," he said stoicly.

Dumbledore nodded. "Please, head down to the great hall, we'll meet there once I summon everyone from both places."

Severus nodded and did as he was requested. Less than an hour later, Fudge walked in with Percy Weasley and several others from the Ministry office. The rest of the Order had also arrived, including all the Weasleys and Hermione. Dumbledore summoned a large round table and everyone took seats around it. He heard the idle chatter as Lucius sat down beside Severus in the remaining seat. They exchanged knowing glances as they were glared at almost universally.

"Why is a known Death Eater among this meeting?" asked Mad Eye.

Lucius arched a perfectly sculpted blond brow. "I am one of the two emissaries the dark lord sent to this meeting."

"And I the other," Severus finished, daring anyone to question him.

"Please, please, I have called you together because the dark lord has offered a truce," Dumbledore said, speaking over anyone who was still chattering. Everyone stilled and gaped.

"What?" asked Remus, leaning forward. "A truce?"

"He has agreed to bargain with us on the terms of a truce, with neither side subjugating the other," Dumbledore continued, glancing beside him at the Minister that nodded for him to continue.

"Obviously, the terms of this truce are questionable or this meeting would nto have been called," Arthur said from beside his wife.

Dumbledore nodded. "That is what we are here to discuss. He has agreed to enter into a magically binding truce contract with the Light and Ministry if we agree to his terms. He has given us the option to negotiate if we wish to change anything, however there are a few that he claims are non-negotiable and he will not change anything on."

There was a nod around the table. "Well, get on it, Albus," Minerva McGonagall said with a huff.

Dumbledore opened the parchment. "Tom has demanded that the dark be left alone, not persecuted for any reason. In exchange, he will impose a blanket ban on the unforgivable curses among all those trained in the dark arts except in use of self-defense. He wants to be in the position of Special Minister of Magic, a position with equal power to the Minister of Magic, and with the ability to veto bills that come across. Likewise the Minister of Magic can veto bills that he sends across. The two positions will work in tandem, though he will use Lucius Malfoy as his proxy," he said nodding toward Lucius. "He demands that all restrictions on learning of dark arts be eliminated, and he be given a position to teach knowledge of dark arts at Hogwarts beginning this fall. In exchange, he will assume a professor and advisory only position, and will allow Hogwarts to remain as it has been."

There was a bit of murmured discussion before he continued. "He also requests that previously labeled dark creatures, such as werewolves, vampires, and others be judged based on their actions and not their blood, and these creatures given free access to potions to make their lives more bearable for themselves and those around them."

Remus arched a brow at that. He was quite surprised at that one. "In exchange, he agrees to end persecution of muggle born wizards, provided they choose to remain only in the wizarding world once they enter it. He will also stay completely out of the affairs of the muggle world completely."

Hermione coughed. "So he wants those of us with muggle parents to abandon them and never return?"

"It says that muggle parents of muggleborns would be able to choose to be obliviated to remove knowledge of the wizarding world, or may choose to move into the wizarding world to be near their child. He suggests negotiations in the future about the subject of muggleborn witches and wizards. This section is marked to be negotiated further."

"And what of his non-negotiable items?" asked Molly tentatively.

Dumbledore nodded, sighing. "His Death Eaters will be permitted to act as his personal guards and servants; his inner circle will act on his words. None will be permitted to accost anyone without cause, and no one will be permitted to accost them without equal due cause. Should any marked Death Eater be caught in some sort of unlawful activity, the dark lord will see to their punishment himself."

There was a bit of murmured conversation before he went on. "All libraries will contain books on dark, light, and grey magic, with equal access. And the last…" Dumbledore's throat tightened and he closed his eyes. "And the last is perhaps the most difficult, and in no uncertain terms, it is non-negotiable."

Everyone turned to face Albus, noting the emotions going across his face. He swallowed but couldn't make himself form the words. Lucius rolled his eyes at Severus before he spoke instead.

"The dark lord demands an official bonding to Harry Potter, in which he will attain complete control over him from that day forward," he said with a shrug.

The room erupted at that point, bringing a small smile, very small, to the lips of Severus Snape. And he thought to himself these were the people that left Harry with those horrible muggles, those that beat him, starved him, abused him so severely that he would give himself up on the slightest chance that Voldemort would save the people he loved from death.

"You can't seriously be considering this!" Molly said, looking between Dumbledore and Fudge. "You can't just trade Harry for peace."

Fudge sighed. "We can, and we will. The rest we will negotiate, but this could save thousands of lives."

Remus was reminding everyone that there was a werewolf under his skin, but he glared daggers at Severus. "How could you…" he growled.

Severus glared in return. "How could you?"

Everyone at the table was suddenly quiet, and even Remus was taken aback. Beside Severus Lucius smirked. "Indeed, I would like to know that as well. So concerned over Harry, are we? Suddenly? I'm surprised you choose to worry over his well-being now rather than when he could have used it."

Hermione and Ron's faces both fell, and Severus and Lucius both knew that they knew exactly what the blond Malfoy Lord spoke of, or at least some of it. "You leave him with magic hating muggles, and wonder when he would willingly give himself to the hands of the dark lord? I would hate you all so much, I would want you all to die after much torture, in fact," Lucius said. "But not Harry, even after this, he still sacrifices himself for you, though I daresay you do not deserve it at all. He already agreed to these terms no matter what you negotiate. He is willing to give up his life, freedom, everything, if it saves the rest of you from this war."

Remus frowned now. "I don't understand." He turned and looked at Dumbledore. "You said he was safest there with his aunt and uncle that he had to stay there for his protection."

Severus looked at him, and around the table, and he knew who knew and who was ignorant. The shining guilt in the eyes of several gave them away. "Remus, I think you truly did not know what has happened to him, so I will not hold it against you, and I'll suggest that you be allowed to visit Harry. Perhaps the dark lord will allow those that truly care about him to visit him, but I do not know the dark lord's mind."

"Severus, what…what are you talking about? What has happened to him? Tell me what happened to my cub…" he said, leaning over the table, a desperate look in his eyes. Since Sirius had died, Remus had been out of sorts, mourning for the man like no other. They had, after all, been together before Sirius had gone to Azkaban, and again once he escaped. He thought of Harry almost as his own.

Dumbledore looked at the werewolf. "Remus, everything we did was to ensure Harry's well-being."

Lucius snorted, locking eyes with Dumbledore and then Fudge. There was a flame lit in the depths of those cold eyes that most around the table had never seen on the pureblood. "Perhaps when Draco and I drug the boy out of his poor excuse for a bed two nights ago bleeding to death as the blood wards drained of power, you should have thought of his well-being. Perhaps as he was being beaten until he couldn't breathe for the broken ribs and collapsed lung, you should have thought of that well-being. Perhaps when he was being starved to the point that he couldn't stand, you should have thought of his well-being. And perhaps when you ask his pathetic excuse for an uncle whether he thought being crucioed into unconsciousness by me equaled the amount of pain he put Harry through every time he violated the boy, then we can discuss who had his well-being in mind.

"If you'll excuse me and Severus, your oh so important Harry Potter is in my house, and requires another round of blood replacement and pain potions. Fortunately, my wife has dealt with victims of sexual assault and child abuse before, so he will definitely have his well-being taken into account while he stays there. Draco has also agreed to help him recover from the events. And please, feel free to disbelieve what I say. But you go to the boy's room, and you read the memories, and then we may discuss what you 'light' wizards have allowed to happen to a child under your watch. Good day."

He stood, waiting a moment for Severus to follow him. Severus stood up and then turned. "I'll return for your answer within the hour, Albus, Cornelius. The dark lord will not abide much longer than that."

Both walked out, Severus's robes billowing about him, and Lucius's cane tapping an insistent rhythm on the floor, leaving an entirely stunned and silent group around a round table. The only sound to be heard was the sound of soft sobs from those around the table who came to realize what had happened before their own eyes that they had missed with their own selfish blindness.