Dark Lord's Pet

Of Course

Harry

He bolted up from the pile of ashes he was seated in and launched himself into Voldemort's arms.

"Uncles Theseus!" he cried, tears rolling down his cheeks are he buried his face into the older man's sternum (still under glamour, he was only 5, 2").

"Harry, Harry I'm so sorry, I would've come sooner, but I didn't get the message! I only got buzzed by your panic button an hour ago. It frightened me half to death, I hadn't expected you to need it, especially not so soon. I only sent it last night. Are you okay sweetheart?"

Harry's body was shuddering with sobs, "I-I am. Now that you're here."

"Oh, there there honey. What happened?"

"My-my uncle- he was- he was hurting me-" Harry's voice hitched, stumbling through words messily, hiccupping with sobs.

"Your uncle? I thought you said it was only your cousin who hurt you sometimes!" Voldemort exclaimed, aghast.

Harry had to give the man credit, he was a great actor.

Squeezing the man tighter, Harry tried to hide his face.

Softly, so softly, he whispered brokenly, "No. . . My uncle- he hurts me all the time. So do my aunt and cousin. . ."

"Oh my darling boy," Voldemort said mournfully, picking him up like a child against his chest, Harry's legs dangling by his waist with an arm beneath his bottom and another cradling Harry's head to the crook of his neck, "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, brokenheartedly.

"I-I didn't want you to know. . . For-for you t-to think that-that I was a freak too. . ." the end trailed off very quietly, as if Harry hadn't wanted anyone else to hear it, though of course loud enough that everyone could. They were putting on a show after all.

"Did you tell Dumbledore? He's your magical guardian."

"I-I told him my relatives hurt me, asked if-if I could stay at Hogwarts. . . asked every year. He always said no. Said I had to go bad to them because of blood wards on the house. . . For protection against Voldemort."

"I see," Voldemort said, rage in his voice, as if this was his first time hearing about it, "Harry, I had planned to put the final touches on your room before asking, but would you want me to adopt you."

Harry froze. Tears stopped flowing from his eyes, and he leaned back in the older man's arms to meet his pale blue eyes.

"R-really? Do you mean it? You would actually want me?"

"Yes, dear heart. Of course I do. My lawyer just finished drafting the official papers, all we need is to sign before witnesses."

Harry burst into tears, but for a different purpose. His smile could have set the entire would in sunshine, and his bright green eyes had lost most of the former haunted quality.

"Of course I want you to adopt me! Of course! Yesyesyesyesyes!"

The blue eyes softened, and he kissed the younger man's forehead.

Taken out of context, it would look quite the scandal, a small fifteen year old boy with his legs wrapped around a very handsome and muscular twenty-something, crying, but the hospital staff shamelessly eavesdropping didn't notice that aspect at all.

One of the women sniffed, and wiped her hand quickly against her eye to make sure no tears appeared to make her eyes puffy.

"I have the papers here Harry," turning his attention at last to the other people in the room, "Will you please serve as witness?"

"Yes," came the general chorus of the five wizards in the room.

Five names scrawled themselves onto the paper in Voldemort's hand, presumably those of the witnesses who'd just agreed, and Voldemort took out a special quill and signed 'his' name, Theseus Maximillian Slytherin-Gaunt in a bold and loopy signature. Harry's name was smaller, though somehow his signature had changed, become elegant and refined, very easy to read and beautiful to look out.

Harry frowned in confusion at the paper for a microsecond before smoothing his face back into joy, and he said, "Can we go home now Uncle?"

"Of course sweet heart."

"He can't leave," a young Latino man said, stepping forward, "He's not cleared yet. It might not be safe-"

Voldemort glared at the man, though Harry could see it was toned back to make the older wizard less recognizable to his true self, and said, "My son just incinerated a bed and has had, from what I gather, at least two panic attacks since you picked him up. Harry, would you like to stay here?"

"No, it-it reminds me of all the injuries that brought me here, it reminds me of them," Harry sniffled, tears beginning to well in eyes that cleared as he signed his name, "I just want to go home with you Uncle Theseus."

"You don't have to call me uncle if you do not wish to, you may use whatever name feels comfortable for you," Voldemort said, smoothing a wild lock of black hair from Harry's forehead.

Harry almost grinned. He liked that idea, but it could wait.

"Okay- C-can I call you Dad?" he said, feeling artificial stars in his eyes as he looked up into the face of the other man.

"Of course sweetheart. Let's get you home."

With that, Voldemort apparated away, the Dark Lord stealing away the savior of the wizarding world before the doctor and nurses in the room had a chance to protest.

A/N: I have to do schoolwork again, been pushing it off 'cuz it's break week. . . sad to say updates will slow down and when I return to school, stop. I'm just too addicted to Wattpad that I can't take it in small doses.