The door to Snape's office opened with a bang as Voldemort stalked in, Harry carried limply in his arms. Snape looked up in surprise and quickly stood. From the look on the Dark Lord's face, he could tell things had not gone as planned.

"Severus," Voldemort hissed, "Take Harry to my quarters and stay with him. Give him no potions except a Calming Draught if he awakens." Severus bowed and walked over quickly to take the boy. "Be careful, he is fragile at the moment."

Severus bowed once more and very slowly removed the boy from Voldemort. "I will take good care of him, My Lord." And as Snape looked down at the boy's pale face, he knew that he meant what he said. The boy had come to mean something to him. Just what, he wasn't yet sure.

Voldemort watched the stoic man move through the secret door to his private quarters. Once the door closed, he moved quickly to stand in front of Dumbledore's portrait.

"Dumbledore," he greeted with an angry hiss, "Even in death you are still a meddlesome fool."

Dumbledore merely stared at him, an expression of complete innocence on his face. "Why Tom, I am merely a portrait. How can I meddle in anything?"

A large, sinister smile split Voldemort's face and Dumbledore's serene expression faltered. "You overplayed your hand this time, old man. It didn't work!" He laughed loudly, something he usually reserved for times alone with Harry. "Your phoenix is dead!" He reveled in the feeling of satisfaction that washed through him at the horrified look in the old fool's eyes.

"No." Dumbledore spoke so softly that Voldemort could hardly hear him. "No, it can't be."

"You sent Fawkes to his death and my plan was still successful." Voldemort scratched his chin. "I wonder what affect that had on the magic."

"And Harry, is he well?" Dumbledore questioned weakly.

Voldemort shrugged. "As well as can be expected. You saw what condition he is in now. I suspect it will take a few days for him to recover."

"And if he doesn't recover?" Dumbledore asked and a dark glare was the only reply. "I hope you understand the risks you take with young Mr. Potter. Perhaps he will not appreciate it when he is older and understands exactly what you've made him."

"O, but he will understand. He'll understand because I will explain it and I'll explain why. I'm not going to coddle him, I never have and I never will. Did Severus tell you that I even explained why I killed his parents?"

"You told him that you killed James and Lily? You told him and he's not bothered by it?"

Voldemort chuckled at the surprised look on the old man's weathered face. "Of course he's not bothered by it. He doesn't even remember them, so why would it bother him? The only family he's ever known is Miss Fallow and the only friend he's ever had is me, and to him, that's much better then memories of two people who are cold in the ground."

"You took his memories!" Dumbledore accused.

"And if I did?" Voldemort questioned, spreading his arms out wide. "Will you strike me down Dumbledore? Perhaps you don't understand. Yes, I'm quite sure you don't. You are a painting and I am the ruler of wizarding Britain. And eventually, with Harry's help, I will rise to the level of god."

"You go to far," Dumbledore whispered in a pained voice.

"And you never went far enough," Voldemort replied matter-of-factly, before sweeping out of the room.

DSz

Severus glanced worriedly at the small figure lying comatose on Voldemort's large bed. Harry looked so small among the pillows and blankets. He worried his bottom lip as he stared at the boy's chest. Shaking his head, he turned away. If the Dark Lord wasn't worried about the boy, then surely he shouldn't be either.

"How is Harry?" Voldemort questioned as he strode toward the bed.

Severus looked up, surprised that he hadn't heard the man enter the room. "He appears quite distressed, but he hasn't woken. My Lord…I don't wish to be impertinent…"

"But you're worried about the boy," Voldemort stated, finished Severus' thought. He laid a pale hand gently on the Harry's forehead. "It's alright Severus, I know you care about him and I believe I even understand why you care."

"You do?"

Voldemort nodded, his eyes never leaving Harry's face. "Yes, but if I tried to explain, you wouldn't understand." He turned to look at Severus, red eyes deep and knowledgeable. "I want you to care for him Severus, as he gets older, he will need more protection. In this, I can only trust you Severus, no one else."

"My Lord," Severus sputtered, "Surely you have other followers that…"

Voldemort held up a hand. "No Severus, there is no one else."

Severus bowed his head and clasped his hands behind his back. Embarrassingly enough, he felt a slight heat rise in his cheeks. Before he could embarrass himself further, he turned away.

"I will be returning home tomorrow, but I may need potions for Harry over the next few days." Severus heard the Dark Lord's robes rustle, as if he were pulling something from a very deep pocket. "Take this."

Severus turned to find Voldemort holding out a small dagger. He took it without question.

"If I send for you, cut your hand with that dagger and it will bring you to my castle. A small knick on any finger will do." Voldemort clapped him on the shoulder. "You have earned this, my friend. The only other Death Eater with access to my castle is Lucius."

Severus bowed and then slipped the dagger into an inside pocket. "I am honored by your trust, My Lord."

"I know," Voldemort stated sincerely, "and that is why you deserve it. Now go. You have a school to run. I will stay with Harry."

Once the man was gone, Voldemort lay down on the bed and merely stared at his young charge. He thought he'd feel some uncertainty about his actions, much like he had that night he went to Godric's Hollow, but this time there was none. Even though he had no idea what would happen next, he knew he'd taken the correct course. The world would open for them now and there was nothing to stop them.

He took one of Harry's tiny hands into his own, the old centaur's words repeating in his mind. Harry was the way to greatness, a fact Voldemort had known for quite some time.

DSz

"Keep up Weasley," Lucius hissed angrily. "There are many dark creatures lingering about in the forest and I have no problem leaving you behind."

Arthur nearly tripped over his feet as he attempted to keep up. "Are you certain that I should have come with you? Won't the Dark Lord be angry?"

Lucius rolled his eyes. "Of course he'll be angry. He'll be angry with this whole great mess, which is why I brought you along. Why would our Lord curse me when he has a perfectly good Weasley at his disposal?"

Arthur remained silent after that, allowing Lucius to lead the way to the castle door. He swallowed hard as Lucius knocked. If Molly knew he was here she'd be irate. Actually, if she ever finds out…

"Straighten your robes Weasley," Lucius commanded, "We're here to see the Dark Lord, not your pub friends."

Arthur grimaced, but did what he was told, too nervous to argue with the snotty aristocrat. His breath caught in his throat as the door began to open. He released it with a soft sigh when a kind looking woman came into view.

"Lord Malfoy," she greeted politely, "It is good to see you again. But who is this you've brought with you?" Her voice had a wary tone, as if it was a bad thing that Arthur was standing on the Dark Lord's front step.

"Miss Fallow," Lucius greeted smoothly, "Please allow me to introduce Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office."

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Weasley," she greeted, her tone polite, but still a bit wary. "If you've come to see the Dark Lord, I'm afraid he's out at the moment. I just got word now that he won't be back until tomorrow."

Lucius' brow furrowed slightly. "This could be a problem," he mulled.

"What could be?" Arthur questioned nervously.

"We have no way to get back," he explained. "I have no portkey and the anti-apparition wards here are much too strong to break through. It looks like we'll have to spend the night, if it wouldn't be too much of a bother."

Miss Fallow's eyes lit up. "No bother, no bother. Please, come right in. This old place gets quite lonely when the boys are out."

"Boys?" Arthur mouthed silently at Lucius and the blonde fought down a grin.

The sound of barking caught everyone's attention. Lucius and Arthur both pulled their wands as a large black dog came racing around the corner.

"Don't worry, that's just Blacky," Miss Fallow explained as the mutt stopped at her feet, tongue lolling happily. "He likes to sneak into the kitchens and our house-elves love to chase him out. It's become quite the game."

Arthur stared at the black dog, his heart beating hard against his chest. The dog looked up at him with familiar eyes.

"Shall we have supper now or would you like to wait?" Questioned Miss Fallow.

"I cannot speak for Arthur, but I am quite famished."

They both looked to Arthur and he fought to regain his composure. "Yes," he stammered, "That sounds just fine."

Miss Fallow clapped her hands together. "Perfect. Let me show you to the sitting room and then I'll go to the kitchens and inform the house-elves."

Lucius moved to walk next to Miss Fallow, questioning her about the castle and weaseling for information regarding the Dark Lord and his protégé. Arthur lagged behind, the large black dog close at his side. When the other two turned the corner, he quickly bent down and grabbed the mutt by the scruff of the neck.

"Bad dog," he whispered. He tried to sound stern, but he couldn't keep a small grin from forming on his lips. "I hope you know what you're doing." The dog yipped and wagged its tail forcefully. Arthur rolled his eyes. "What am I thinking, of course you don't."