Discalimer Notice: I don't own anything you recognize. The rest belongs to J.K. Rowling. (lucky girl)

Warning: This does have slash (male/male relationships) My advice: Don't like, don't read.

Chapter 1 – A Possible Flaw

A month had passed since Voldemort and Harry Potter had battled in the graveyard. Harry had gone back to his relatives for the summer and Voldemort had relocated to a mansion that had been left to him in one of his most faithful death eater's wills.

The Dark Lord was making his way to the library. He had found a possible flaw in one of his plans. He glanced down at the book in his hands for what seemed like the hundredth time. This book contained the ritual that had given him back his body, which had finally and fully restored itself. His body was now that of a twenty-five year old, well muscled with fair skin. He had black hair covering what had previously been a bald cranium. His nose had decided to make an appearance. And his eyes…they were still red and looked like a snake's. But he was fine with that. The eyes, he believed, added an edge.

He kept staring at the book. The possible glitch he had found was a missing page. Voldemort realized now that the information given in the book on the restoration ritual had been short and brief. That was why he was heading to the library. He knew there would be a copy of this book there.

Voldemort opened the library doors and, being an impatient man, used a summoning spell to bring the book to him. He then found a leather chair by the windows and sat down to read…

XXX

Harry felt himself getting weaker and weaker day after day. He kept feeling something or someone pulling on his mind. Garnet eyes kept surfacing to the front of his mind and haunted his dreams.

He was lying on the floor of his room beaten and bloodied by his uncle for not completing his chores, which were unreasonable in and of themselves, especially considering he was only fed once every three days.

He started to cough up blood and then fell unconscious, his fever worsening…

XXX

Voldemort flipped through the pages and found the ritual. He read through the paragraph that summed up what it was to be used for, then started to read through the steps. He had done everything correctly; the Dark Lord was pleased to see. Then he saw the next page: The After Effects (In Detail) –

Voldemort's eyes narrowed as he read on. The book said, to sum it up, that yes, this would restore the body, but it would also bond him and the person's whose blood he used together. Shortly after the bond both people would start to feel its effects. The Submissive Partner would start to feel sick and get a fever, dizziness was also possible. The Dominant Partner would be fiercely in tune with the Submissive Partner's emotions and would become extremely protective of and attracted to the person. If the bond could not be completed through intimate means, then the Submissive Partner would die of the sickness and the Dominant Partner would follow right after…

Voldemort was horrified, to say the least, but continued to read about the history of the ritual, which reads as follows: 'This ritual was used in wars to bring peace between the nations by bonding the leaders of the warring sides with this ritual.'

The Dark Lord recalled then that it had specifically asked for his enemy's blood…

He now knew what he had to do, he didn't much like the idea, but he also didn't like the idea of dying either. Harry Potter would have to be brought to him, one way or the other. But first he had to find him. He was going to need some assistance…

XXX

Severus Snape was reluctant to answer his master's summons at first, but he knew from experience that if he was to avoid punishment he would come immediately.

First he let Albus know that he had been called then he strode briskly to the apparation point outside of the Hogwarts' wards. From there he apparated to the mansion of the Dark Lord.

He didn't stop walking until he reached the inside of the mansion in the large Entrance Hall. And there waited as instructed.

His mind started filling up with dread of what was to come. There was many things he had done that he wasn't proud of when he had been in Voldemort's service the first time…

Soon he saw his master and bowed to him.

Voldemort waved his hand rather hastily, "Yes, yes. You may rise, Severus. I have something interesting to tell you…"

Snape's eyes widened as the Dark Lord admitted his blindness in his greed for a body more suited to his needs. And that now, because of that greed, he was bound to his enemy for life and possibly death if he did not find him soon.

"There is a potion that I know of that will allow me to find him, but it is complicated, that is why I need your help to brew it. Come with me."

Voldemort led him to the mansion's dungeons where the ingredients and a cauldron were all set up.

Snape looked over the ingredients while Voldemort looked at a list checking off things as he went.

The Potion Master's eyes narrowed as he realized what potion the Dark Lord was intending to make. "This is a type of Locator Potion, am I right?" Snape looked over at his master.

"Yes." Voldemort locked eyes with his servant's.

Snape willed himself not to shudder and looked away quickly. "I was under the impression that this particular Locator Potion needs the target's blood."

"That's correct."

"Then why is it not here, my lord?"

"Oh, but it is here." And at Snape's puzzled look he added. "It is here running through my veins. It may be deluded but this potion will still work."

Snape was even more unnerved by this. Soon Voldemort would know where the Potter boy lived. There was no way he could warn Dumbledore, none at all. He couldn't help fearing for his safety even though he hated the brat. Snape didn't question his Lord's words of him being bound to Potter, the Dark Lord rarely admitted mistakes even false one's, what he did question, however, was what would happen when Voldemort had him. The Dark Lord couldn't kill him, but what would stop him from forcing Potter to his bed?

Snape tried again to hold in a shudder.

"Alright let us start."

At that, a shot of dread came through him, but again he couldn't go against orders…

In what seemed like no time at all, the potion was nearly finished. All it needed now was the blood.

"Good evening."

Snape practically jumped out of his skin. Both he and Voldemort turned to see Lucius Malfoy and Draco Malfoy standing in the doorway.

"Ah, Lucius. Right on time, as usual."

Lucius strode forward, Draco trailing along behind. "Have you found him yet?"

Snape shot a questioning look at his old school friend's direction. Lucius caught it and waved an envelope under his nose.

"Our Lord wrote me this morning about his…complication, and requested that I come with Draco at nine o'clock."

At that moment Voldemort called all three of them over. He had already added his blood while they had been talking and the potion was beginning to churn and bubble. Then, inside the cauldron, a picture of the mansion formed briefly before taking a path through the woods, then a field, then a city…It kept going faster and faster, picturing many other cities and woods, until coming to a stop at a neighborhood and inching closer to one house that mirrored the others. But the one thing that separated this house from all the rest was a brass number 4 on the door.

They had found him.

XXX

Snape, Lucius, and Draco were observing the house from a car for cover should the neighbors get suspicious, performing certain spells to see what wards were on it. Surprisingly enough there were very little. It seemed Dumbledore had been relying on the protection in Potter's aunt's blood.

"It seems all we have to do is just walk in there grab him and then walk out, as long as we don't use magic we should be fine." Lucius said. "We also have the advantage of it being in the evening, therefore his relatives should be going to bed soon."

The fact that the living room light was still on and it was ten in the evening led the Death Eater to this conclusion.

"Then I guess all we have to do is wait for the light to go out." Draco stated, while lounging in the back seat.

Suddenly without warning, shouting from inside the house punctuated the night air. The trio couldn't understand what was being said but they knew it wasn't good.

XXX

Harry had just woken up. He looked at the clock, it read 9:30. He groaned in anguish, he had hoped that he was going to at least sleep until midnight, but it wasn't meant to be.

He tried to sit up but it felt like his bones were on fire. His face felt so strange.

He reached up to feel it and found that it was covered in dry blood.

I have to wash this off. He thought, a little dazed.

He crawled to the door and used the handle to lift himself up. He tried the handle and was shocked to find that the door was unlocked. He opened it up and walked slowly to the bathroom. Harry turned on the taps and began to use the water to wash off the blood.

He was almost finished when he heard heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. It was then that he began to panic.

"BOY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!"

Harry dived back into his room but his uncle had seen. He stomped into the room, face contorted with fury, but the thing that really frightened Harry was the bat his uncle held.

"YOU FREAK! MAYBE ONE PUNISHMENT WASN'T GOOD ENOUGH?"

His uncle came at him. Then, suddenly, something clicked in Harry's mind. I don't have to take this! I can just run away, granted a Death Eater or Voldemort himself might find me. But I refuse to die here!

That idea set into his mind he, with great difficulty because of his wounds and bruises, dashed past his uncle and leapt down the stairs. He was in the hallway leading to the door and his freedom when his uncle's voice rang out:

"STOP HIM!"

Then he found Dudley blocking his path, but Harry wasn't about to be deterred. He pulled back his arm balled his hand into a fist and then preceded to slam it into his cousin's face. He wasn't sure but he thought he had broken something. He then jumped over Dudley's large body and out the door…

XXX

Almost seconds after the shout of anger Snape, Lucius, and Draco saw Harry Potter burst through the door and start to race off down the street.

Was that blood on his face?" Draco asked, slightly shocked.

"Time to go." Snape said, and got out of the car, Lucius and Draco followed suit.

Snape saw Harry running to some nearby woods. "We'll never catch him on foot." Then he had an idea. "Lucius, apparate behind him."

"Fine."

They both apparated at the same time. Lucius, doing as Snape instructed, and Snape apparated in front of him.

Harry skidded to a stop when his potion's professor appeared in front of him. He backpedaled quickly but then felt himself bump into something hard. Arms encircled him immediately, keeping him from making any chance of escape. And when he did try to move the arms tightened more forcefully, making him cry out pain.

"Let me go, damn it!" But the words that left his mouth was a barrage of hissing sounds.

By this time Draco had caught up. "Potter, stop strug – What happened to you?" He was shocked to find his school enemy bruised with blood on his body. Snape and Lucius were also unnerved that the famous and cherished Boy-Who-Lived was in this condition.

Harry tired of struggling and his adrenaline spike leaving him, hung limp in Lucius' arms. He was breathing heavily and then started to cough, blood began to dribble out of the sides of his mouth.

At this, Lucius laid him down on the grass. Snape knelt with him.

"If I had known he was going to be in this condition I would have brought some healing potions."

"We must leave, quickly."

Snape agreed, he took Draco's arm and Lucius kept a firm hold on Harry and then they apparated to Voldemort's mansion.

XXX

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