Rated R

Pairings: HP/DM HP/TR

Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger paced the aisles of the Hogwarts Express searching for their friend, Harry Potter. "He's not here, Ron. Something's happened to him, I know it." Hermione said as she grasped Ron's arm.

"Look! There's Malfoy. Let's go ask him." Ron replied.

Hermione nodded and followed Ron into Draco's compartment.

"What do you want, Weasel?" Snapped Draco, looking up from the book he had just opened.

"Umm, I was hoping maybe you saw Harry, or knew where he might be." Ron replied.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Sure I have, he's sitting right here next to me under an invisibility cloak."

Ron snarled.

"Honestly you two, I'm not the golden boy's keeper. Isn't that what you keep the mudblood around for?" Draco said, pointing to Hermione.

Ron gripped the edges of the compartment door tightly. "Don't you call her that, you disgusting ferret!" He shouted.

Hermione turned to Ron and placed her hand on his arm. "Let's go, Ron. He doesn't know anything. We'll just see Dumbledore after the Sorting Ceremony.

Draco smirked at Ron. Ron snarled back and left. The blond Slytherin leaned back into his seat and let out a deep sigh. He then smiled to himself at a job well done.

*************************************

Harry quietly walked up the steps of # 4 Privet drive and slowly opened his bedroom door. He tried to make as little noise as possible, after sneaking outside to let Hedwig out to deliver a letter to Ron. He knew his uncle had been drinking heavily that evening, and knowing how he gets when he's drunk, it was best to be as quiet as possible.

As the latch clicked into place, he heard a loud creak from his mattress behind him, He whirled around and saw Uncle Vernon sitting on his bed.

"Where have you been, boy?" He shouted.

Harry flinched and reached behind him for the door handle. "I umm... I had to go out for a moment, that's all, uncle. I didn't do anything bad."

Vernon stood up as best he could and pushed his large frame towards Harry, as the boy attempted to pull the door open behind him. Slamming into him with all his weight, he crushed the small boy between himself and the door, oddly trapping his arm behind his back causing him to cry out in pain.

Vernon pulled the boy away from the door and dragged him to the bed. He held Harry up to him by his arms and shook him until Harry's glasses fell noiselessly to the floor. "Listen to me, freak! You will not send that owl off from this house again! The neighbors will see it. Do you understand me?" He let one of Harry's arms go and slapped him hard across his face with fury.

Harry's hand flew up to his cheek and he cringed, knowing the beating was coming again. Vernon looked down at the boy, through drunken eyes and noticed how pretty he looked without his glasses on.

Vernon licked his fat, purple lips as Harry squinted up at him. "Come on, boy. Give uncle a kiss."

Harry pulled back. "What? Are you mad?" he asked loudly.

Vernon narrowed his brow and punched Harry square in the gut, knocking the wind from him and doubling him over. He took this opportunity to turn the boy around and shove him onto his bed.

Harry could feel Vernon's hands on his back, pulling his shirt up, scratching and biting him roughly. He could feel Vernon's tongue rubbing over the painful cuts, lapping up the blood flowing from them. He struggled to pull himself up by the headboard of his bed, but Vernon was straddling his hips by now, crushing him down into the mattress.

"Uncle Vernon, please get off me!" he cried.

He felt Vernon's hands leave his back and heard the sounds of a belt being unbuckled and panicked, flailing and kicking his legs, pounding the walls with his fists and screaming as loud as he could. Vernon quickly unfastened his belt and unzipped his large trousers with one hand, and used the other hand to shove Harry's face deep into his pillow.

Harry clawed at the hand holding his head down desperately. He could feel his uncle shifting over him, jerking his hips, and thrusting his other arm back and forth.

Harry began to lose his will to breath and slowly his arms and legs fell down onto the bed. The knock at the bedroom door caused Vernon to jerk the boy’s head up quickly, and he gasped hard, sucking in much needed air. He screamed at the door as loudly as he could through deep breaths. "Help me!”

He woke up screaming, loudly, tearing at his sheets. "Harry! Calm down, it was a dream, boy!" He heard someone say. His eyes instantly scanned the room and found Voldemort seated at his chair at the side of his bed. He put his hand to his heart and willed it to slow down. His breathing was ragged and heavy. As the panic subsided, he mustered the courage to speak. "When are you going to kill me, Voldemort?" he said sternly. "I can't take this anymore."

Voldemort laughed hard. Harry kept his eyes locked onto Voldemort's. "Harry, my dear, sweet boy. I hardly think it's worth killing you, anymore. I don't intend to kill you at all, as a matter of fact."

Harry tilted his head to the side, as a small curious puppy would. "Why not? I thought..."

Voldemort silenced him with his finger over his lips. "Harry, you're going live with me now. I ask nothing of you, except for you to give yourself to me, like you did in your letter. I won't ask you to be on my side, I won't punish anyone you love anymore. I will send Peter to the Ministry for you. All I ask is that you give yourself to me fully. I will take care of you from now on."

Harry stared in disbelief at these words. "You really mean that? You'll get Sirius cleared? You won’t hurt anyone else? Please tell me if you really mean that!" He shouted. "I won't have to be a death eater? I won't have to go back to uncle Vernon or have visions anymore?"

Voldemort nodded. "That's correct, Harry. I won't humiliate you, nor parade you around, as you might think I'd do. I won't let anyone else touch you. I won't mark you. You just stay here with me, and never worry again about anything."

Harry inhaled deeply. How could an offer that sounded so good, feel so bad? "I want to say yes so badly. I want to, but.. I .. feel.. guilty." He said softly.

"That's Dumbledore talking in your head. That old fool used you like a tool. Can't you see that, Harry? He made me hate you as he made you hate me!"

Harry shook his head. "No, I hate you because you killed my parents."

Voldemort cringed. "Touche‘. Harry, don't let your pride interfere this time. You are a very brave boy who has been through too many bad things. Isn't it time you had a life? Isn't it time Sirius had a life? I'll spare the Weasley's and your mudblood friend Draco always tells me about if you just say 'Yes'."

Harry looked down at his hands resting in his lap. "You won't let anyone else touch me? You swear?" he asked softly.

"Harry, if anyone even tries to touch you, they will be dead before they can pull their hand back."

Harry closed his eyes. "Even Severus and Lucius?"

Voldemort smirked. "Even Severus and Lucius. Harry, say it. You know you want to. Just say it."

Harry looked back into Voldemort's eyes. He was trembling so hard the bed began to vibrate. "Yes, I'll do it, Voldemort." he replied in a small voice. "I'll do it."

Tears rolled down his cheeks and Voldemort reached up to brush them away. Harry flinched for a second, but relaxed into the touch. "You made the right choice, Harry. Never feel bad about that. You deserve a life too. How dare they ask a child to save them from me. How dare they think you could handle the pressure. I'll take this very slowly, kitten. I won't hurt you. Not unless you deserve it. But I think you'll be a good boy for me."

Voldemort reached into his robes and pulled out a bottle. Handing it to Harry, he said "Drink this, kitten. I want you to relax right now."

Harry took the bottle in his trembling fingers and pulled the cork out. He drank the potion down and realized it was a calming potion, although it tasted much stronger. He winced at the taste, but managed to swallow the whole thing.

Voldemort helped Harry from his bed and sent him to the lavatory to clean up. When he returned, Voldemort pulled Harry into his arms, and Harry leaned into the touch, placing his head in Voldemort's chest.

Voldemort cupped Harry's chin and lifted his head up. He leaned in and placed his full lips over Harry's for a chaste kiss. Harry swallowed hard despite the potion. The lips were soft and warm and the boy closed his eyes, allowing it to happen as best he could.

The Dark Lord broke the kiss and smiled down at his boy. "You did very good, Harry. I'm very proud of your bravery. I think that will be all for right now though, you must be starving. Lucius told me you refused to eat yesterday."

Harry breathed in deeply. He was hungry, very hungry. He looked up at Voldemort and nodded. "I am, umm Voldemort."

Voldemort frowned. "You may call me Tom, kitten. Only you may call me that. I prefer the name Voldemort being associated with fear and destruction, not here."

"Ok then, Tom." Harry said quietly.

"Get dressed, there are robes in the lavatory for you to wear. Then we'll go have some breakfast."

Harry backed away from Tom and walked into the lavatory.

Tom smiled and touched his lips. The boy was so willing to have a decent life, he'd kiss the man who killed his parents. How utterly unbelievable.

Harry dressed quickly, and ran his fingers over his lips. The man wasn't the monster he saw in the graveyard. It couldn't be him. He looked so much more like the boy he met in the diary. Beautiful in all his evil. Only his eyes could give him away. Those filthy, red eyes. Nothing like Draco’s eyes, nothing.

Harry shook off his nervousness and exited the restroom. Tom held out his hand and Harry took it. He led the boy up to the dining room area of the mansion.

Harry looked around in awe of his new surroundings. The place was exquisite. He felt if he touched anything, he’d probably break something, and opted never to touch a single thing in the home.

As they sat down in the dining room, Gilly appeared next to Tom and informed him that Master Lucius was here to see him. "Oh, do ask Lucius to join us, Gilly."

Gilly bowed and disappeared. Harry's heart sank. His fear of Lucius rivaled his of Voldemort. Even under the heavy calming potion, his hand shook nervously in his lap.

Tom leaned over to Harry and whispered in his ear. "Do calm yourself, kitten. Lucius is one of my servants, and will show nothing but respect to you from now on. Do you understand?"

Harry nodded but kept his eyes in his lap. Tom sighed, and looked up as the elder Malfoy entered the dining room. "Ah Lucius, please have a seat." He bowed to his master then spotted Harry seated next to him, turning a curious gaze to Tom.

He sat down as Tom smirked at him. "Lucius, I believe you've met Harry before, have you not?"

Lucius smirked back in a way that made Harry think of Draco. "Of course we've met. I'm only too happy to say I'm glad to reacquaint myself with him this time under these circumstances."

Harry fidgeted around and bit his lower lip, hearing the sarcasm in the man‘s voice.

Tom looked over to Harry and lightly tapped his hands. "Stop that, kitten. It's improper in front of guests."

Lucius bit his tongue to stop the giggles threatening to escape.

Harry sat up and put his hands to his sides, no good upsetting things worse.

As breakfast arrived, Lucius and Tom began discussing their plans, and Harry tuned them out, not wanting to know for the first time in his life, what could happen. He ate as much as he could, which wasn't very much, and rested his fork on his plate quietly.

"About what we talked about last evening, my Lord. It is being arranged, and Draco has agreed to assist me. He seems quite enthusiastic about it, in fact." Tom smiled. He always knew Draco would take after his father.