Disclaimer: The definition of fanfiction is that it is AU in some fashion from the primary established timeline and probably being written by someone who isn't the owner of the original timeline. I do not own the Harry Potter universe. I just happen to like playing in it!

This will be the only chapter to hold the disclaimer unless we wind up with cameos later on.

Enjoy my madness!

*+ovo+* Hatchlings *+ovo+*

Voldemort eyed the students wandering Hogsmeade during the first Hogsmeade weekend trip of the year thoughtfully. He was currently wandering around with slightly patrician features, honey blond hair that edged more towards a brown gold, and hazel eyes. His green robes were embroidered with silver but of an open style he didn't typically favor. Underneath he wore black slacks and a dove grey shirt. The only thing that might give him away to those who knew him or had faced him was his wand, which was currently in its holster up his left sleeve.

The Dark Lord had an entire raid of people either hidden in the nearby forest or wandering around under disillusionment and invisibility spells. The goal for this raid was to tweak Dumbledore, possibly capture the available students, and hopefully grab Potter. Presuming they got a decent number of students he had plans to force an open discussion with the Wizengamot and Dumbledore. Potter would need to be present too if he was right in his guess.

"Remember, capture but do as little harm to the children as possible and try not to kill anyone," Voldemort murmured into the pin on his collar. His mind was clear for once and he wanted things to go smoothly.

They struck.

The students were being herded into an empty lot before they realized what had happened, their wands quickly stripped from them and the supervising teachers openly at wand point. Severus Snape scowled fiercely. He had been given no warning of this raid before hand and had no idea what today's objective was. Minerva McGonagall berated a few of the raiders she recognized as former students until her colleague managed to get her to be quiet. No warning had made it out to the school and it would take little for the raiders to whisk the entire group of captives away.

"Ity bitty baby Potter!" Bellatrix cried in open glee.

"Oh god," Severus whispered as he bolted, putting himself between Bellatrix's spell and Potter without thought. He got hit with the Cruciartus Curse for his pains.

"Bella!" the Dark Lord snapped, stopping the curse and drawing her up short, as he approached the area of the captives. He had seen the entire thing and didn't like what it implied.

"Don't," Harry warned those around him as he checked on Snape. "Its Voldemort."

"And how would you know that?" the Dark Lord asked sharply as he allowed the pretty boy glamor to fade away, confirming Potter's assessment.

"You always make my scar burn when you get close," Harry explained carefully. It wasn't like it was a secret or anything.

"Stupid boy," Snape hissed as he weakly forced himself into a sitting position. He had collapsed under the effects of the pain curse and knew he had to get back to his feet if he didn't want to die. His cover was already blown but he might be able to salvage something out of this mess even if it cost him his life.

"Tell me Severus, as much as I disapprove of Bella's attempt to curse Potter, why did you jump in front of him? Hmm? Why did you protect him?" Voldemort asked ominously. His ruby eye gleamed in interest rather than malice.

Severus just looked away, refusing to answer. The sudden grip in his hair as his head was wrenched around to look at his sworn lord told him for certain that he was found out. There was going to be no denying that had deliberately protected the teen who was supposed to be his lord's downfall.

"You now have some very difficult questions to answer my slippery snake," Voldemort hissed. A wordless spell had Snape's wrists bound tightly against each other behind his back even as he continued hanging from the Dark Lord's grip in his hair.

"Don't!" Harry said. He suddenly felt desperate to protect the potions master and he wasn't sure why.

"And why should I listen to you Potter?" Voldemort asked with interest, choosing to continue looking over his captive rather than the young man quickly becoming a dangerous opponent as he grew.

"I... don't know," Harry admitted uncertainly. "I'll trade... something."

"~And what would you have to trade?~" Voldemort hissed in parseltongue, not expecting any answer due to a lack of understanding of the language. After all, he was the only Parselmouth that he was aware of.

"~Cooperation? At least for now?~" Harry offered back in the same language.

"You are a parselmouth?" Voldemort asked slowly, speaking once more in english as he turned his head to look at his young prophesied foe. His grip in Severus' hair tightened, causing the helpless potions master to wince.

"Dumbledore said you gave it to me," Harry answered warily. "I'm not sure how you gave me a piece of yourself but Dumbledore seems to think its to do with the scar you gave me the night my parents died. Why did you come after us any way?"

"Harry?" the bushy haired girl at his side, Hermione Granger, asked carefully.

"I don't think I'll get a calmer or safer time to ask," Harry answered her with a shrug. "Its not like Dumbledore really answers my questions and he's been avoiding me this year. I just want some clear answers and its not like we can do much just now."

"An answer for an answer then?" Voldemort offered after a moment of thought. A piece of himself? How would that even work? Unless... best to check but not now. If necessary he could always have someone else get close to the teen and cast the various special diagnostic spells or do so during the more regular near yearly confrontations. The current situation was too delicate, too risky on the off chance someone else realized what casting those spells might mean. It might reveal the existence of his Horcruxes. No, the risk was too great as yet.

"Plans for either side of the war, barring this particular situation, should be off-limits," Hermione insisted quickly. "Same with anything that you can use against us."

"Interesting but no. I want to know how true certain rumors are and your offer wont help me any. You are in the lesser position but as your audacity amuses me for the moment there will be no punishment," Voldemort smirked. Harry had known he wouldn't go for it but Hermione hadn't given him the chance to stop her.

"If you let everyone else go I will come with you willingly and refrain from any escape attempts for at least a month. Additionally, if you agree not to kill or torture me while in your care I will submit to two sessions where I will answer anything you want under Veritaserum. You can always go back to trying to kill me after I'm rescued, escape, or you let me go," Harry offered quickly. He couldn't see any downsides beyond his own humiliation. It wasn't like he would actively resist being rescued and the lack of torture or death would give him a chance to just rest from everything. He didn't know why the Dark Lord had broken his cover so soon but he was going to take advantage of what he could in this situation.

"You offer me much," Voldemort commented thoughtfully, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "~I will be able to claim the Veritaserum sessions at any time even after you happen to no longer be my protected captive. A fact that you will speak of to no one.~"

"~You can not use those sessions to capture me without my agreement and permission, barring weird circumstances. I get safe passage afterwards to any location I please and a further 24 hours of immunity from your people coming after me,~" Harry insisted in the same language. "~Self defense, if I'm doing something stupid like attacking them or their homes and families, is exempt but I would prefer they try to capture me rather than kill me even if it means handing me straight back to you with no protections on my end.~"

"A Slytherin hiding in the lion's den!" Voldemort laughed uproariously. Snape's eyes widened in shock as he looked askance at his green-eyed stubborn charge. "The Loyalty of a Hufflepuff, the Courage of a Gryffindor, the Cunning of a Slytherin... do you also have the Wit of a Ravenclaw?"

"The hat said I did. Its part of why he had so much trouble placing me," Harry admitted warily.

"Oh? And I suppose the hat thought that your courage was your strongest attribute?" Voldemort smirked, finally releasing Snape's hair after shoving the man to his knees at the Dark Lord's feet.

Harry didn't answer. He knew that to preserve his Gryffindor reputation he should say something snarky back but his inner Slytherin warned him to stay quiet. It was usually his inner Slytherin that kept him alive so he obeyed, hoping that this once it wasn't a mistake.

Voldemort's eyes narrowed in though at the lack of an answer.

"~That wasn't a rhetorical question,~" Voldemort warned in parsel.

"~No, the hat wanted me in Slytherin but I had met Draco Malfoy and wasn't fond of the risk of him setting me on fire as I slept. I begged to go anywhere else,~" Harry quietly hissed his answer. "~I didn't know I was a wizard until after I turned eleven and I honestly can't get my hands on answers to my questions. I don't care about the fame or the war. I simply wasn't given a choice in fighting it. Between the light side forcing me to fight and your side attacking me it looks very much like nobody cares enough to even ask.~"

"~And where do you wish to stand?~" a hiss of parseltongue came from the kneeling potions master, drawing their immediate attention.

"~I don't know enough to pick anything but it would be really nice to not have to worry about anything except school work for a year. No Dark Lords, no giant snakes, no evil ministry trying to get me executed for reporting truth, no guilt trips from any of the light side, no being forced to write in my own blood... Just school and maybe a Quidditch game or two,~" Harry hissed back quietly before swapping back to english. "Is that so much to ask? Three meals a day, a safe bed, and a chance to actually do my school work without fighting for my life or having to discover some deadly plot before it comes after me or the other students. No one hounding me for being famous or not even asking what I might like when picking things on my behalf. Just school. Being just Harry. Eventually a family, maybe?"

"Show me," Voldemort ordered, instinctively knowing that whoever had made Harry write in his own blood had left marks.

Harry hesitated but finally extended his blood quill scarred hand for the Dark Lord to examine. As soon as he touched the teen he knew that there were glamours hiding something over the majority of his body. He could also tell that the glamor attempts to hide the marks made by the blood quill had failed every single time. Looking down at the battered, wounded hand he knew that his enemy had had been tortured and felt his possessiveness flare. Potter was his. No one was to touch him with harm in mind but the Dark Lord himself!

"You have your agreement with a few changes. One, I will not be releasing anyone until certain negotiations have taken place. Two, I will be in charge of any and all medical decisions for you until you reach twenty unless I assign them to someone else. As a concession on the medical proxy Severus or Lucius may act as my stand in so that the school isn't terrified every time you get hurt because it might mean that I will show up. Additionally Dumbledore and his sworn people are to have as little say in your life as possible, which includes medical decisions. Three, you will abide by any agreement made within the negotiations barring something which would cause you harm. To that end if something is agreed upon that will, in fact, cause you harm you are to immediately report it and explain why. This," Voldemort said, tapping the injured hand with one forefinger. "Is unacceptable. Even if we continue attempting to kill each other my attempts are generally very purposefully at the end of the school year or on Halloween for very important reasons. No one but I should be causing you any harm. Unless you are in an active magic feud with another family?"

"Not that I know of," Harry shook his head no. "My fights with Draco are school stuff even when he tries to make it bigger and he almost always starts it. I wouldn't even know how to start or end a magical feud and as far as I know both sides have to say its a feud before its an actual feud. I don't really know anything about my family either so any feuds they started don't mean anything to me."

"What?" Snape whispered in shock.

"How much do you know about the Wizarding World?" Voldemort demanded harshly, dragging Harry closer by using the captured, wounded hand as a tether.

"Nothing we don't learn in class," Harry stammered. "No one bothered to teach me. They just assume I know stuff but Hermione and Dean both know more than I do and they were raised muggle too."

Voldemort hissed in fury and Harry winced, clutching at his scar with his free hand.

"If what you say is true..." Snape trailed off into horrified silence. Voldemort used his free hand to drag the Professor to his feet by his robes. He let go of Harry who backed a bit away as he eyed both of them warily, unsure as to what would happen next.

"You will give me an oath, in Parseltongue, that until this is sorted out Potter will be your priority and primary charge," Voldemort ordered flatly. "Depending upon how deep your betrayal went and how well you discharge this oath will affect your punishment. Do not think to actually escape as I will have answers from both of you. Have I made myself clear?"

"Yes, my lord," Severus agreed quickly. Harry looked at the Dark Lord oddly but gave his own agreement.

"My lord? Madam Bones has arrived," a lower level Death Eater informed them quickly. Bellatrix was scowling at the back of the masked man's head but it was clear she wasn't going to interfere in official business.

"The oath," Voldemort ordered, ignoring the messenger for the moment.

"~I, Severus Tobias Snape, vow to protect Harry James Potter as my primary charge and priority to the best of my ability until such time as the...~" Snape started only to be interrupted.

"Until such time as his status is clear and he is no longer in need of protection or both I and your charge release you from your oath," Voldemort corrected in English with a flat tone of voice. He wanted to eventually be able to assign Severus to other duties after all, once his loyalty had been reaffirmed by action or spell work.

"~Until such time as his status is clear and he is no longer in need of protection or both Harry James Potter and the one known as the Dark Lord Voldemort release me from my oath,~" Severus hissed, correcting his wording promptly. He was still tied up after all and this neatly added on to the already existing unbreakable vow to protect Harry.

Everyone felt the magic surge as the binding briefly manifested as a blue ribbon of power merging with an existing gold ribbon of power that flashed into existence between the three wizards.

"And what unbreakable vow are you under in concern with Potter?" the Dark Lord asked ominously. "Wait, don't bother. The way they merged it must also be a vow of protection in some form. I will want a copy of the exact wording at some point. For now you will stand guard over Potter and neither of you will be released with the others. The rest can be sorted out later."

"Too many bloody questions that need answering," Severus muttered as he was freed and his wand returned to him. Harry eyed his surly Professor a bit warily but didn't object to the man standing at his back, recognizing the futility of fighting any of this.

"I will inform Madam Bones and the Headmaster, vouching as witness to the oath," Minerva McGonagall offered carefully.

"By all means Minerva, by all means," Voldemort agreed. He was just glad that his old schoolmate was taking this all so well. He wasn't quite sure she knew who he was from their joint past but the fact that she wasn't going all out to fight the situation helped greatly in keeping things calm.

"Shall I lead you to the meeting area my lord?" the messenger asked quietly.

"Yes, come Bella," Voldemort ordered, following the messenger without waiting. Bellatrix, who had been quietly waiting off to one side, sneered at them all before following after the Dark Lord.

"What happens now?" a third year Hufflepuff asked fearfully.

"We wait," Snape answered shortly.

*+ovo+*

Voldemort walked away from their captives, pondering what he had learned. The newly discovered Parsel ability in the other two wizards made them more valuable to him than they could ever realize. Before anything could be done with the pair he had to know the particulars of their situation. It was also clear to him that he had to keep Bellatrix away from the pair or he may just find them "accidentally" dead one day. Also, if his outlandish fears were correct and the "piece of himself" was in fact a piece of his very soul...

A quiet order not to harm the captives was passed around as he approached the group of Aurors led by Madam Bones at the perimeter of the area of their control.

"Ah, Madam Bones! How good of you to join us," Voldemort said charmingly. He had wanted to do all of this under that pretty boy glamour but Potter outing him could also be worked to his advantage. His current bald, nose less, red-eyed appearance would need to be enough. Although, if he could regain enough trust with Severus that might change.

"Who might you be?" Madam Amelia Bones asked levelly. Her jaw and hand tightening as her nose flared in anger.

Deciding to take everything up a notch Voldemort smiled evilly and gave her a brief bow as he introduced himself. "Lord Voldemort, at your service."

The way the entire group of negotiating Aurors paled was quite gratifying, causing the Dark Lord to mentally chuckle.

"I happen to have acquired a good number of students and a few staff members. Of those captured I am willing to return all but two as things stand now, including your niece," Voldemort expounded. "Potter offered a deal, you see, witnessed by the Deputy Headmistress. He is mine for the next month, without resistance, at minimum even if he did take torture and death off the table. Its quite possible that more than one person now owes him a life debt for his generous negotiation."

"You bastard," one Auror whispered angrily.

"What exactly do you want?" Madam Bones asked carefully. Getting the children back was the most important goal right now, especially with Fudge still burying his head in the sand.

"Safe passage for us out of Hogsmeade, a meeting to discuss grievances under a Truce Ward or a Peace Ward with the Wizengamot and a representative of Gringotts, Dumbledore out of Hogwarts and away from the children in any form..." Voldemort offered quickly. "There are a few others but Potter's actions today tell me that I may not need to resort to drastic action. That there is a chance for peace, if only a small one."

"And if Mr. Potter hadn't offered a deal?" Madam Bones asked with a sinking sense of dread.

"Then we would have seen if loosing a portion of the children would make the Wizarding World wake up enough to see at least some danger as an actual threat with the hope of seeing the real danger and handling it correctly," Voldemort answered. His voice echoing with soft menace. "If our world can not respond appropriately to a threat of this size I will have to re-work everything in my plans to save even a small portion of our people from what is coming."

"And what," Shacklebolt asked abruptly. "Is coming?"

"I would say ask your precious Headmaster but it is clear he wont answer honestly," Voldemort practically spat at the man. "The fall of the Statute and war with the Muggles. If you can prove that the muggleborns are not of tainted blood, say if they happen to be of lost Squib lines, or give me a solid reason to accept them then I will make it clear they are to be accepted. If, however, you can not prove that they are human without a risk to magic its self and thus our people then I can only assume they are the first wave of attack against us, attempting to corrupt our children. Halfbloods at least have enough magic to consistently overpower the taint."

"Why do you steal children?" Madam Bones asked carefully. It was always in the reports of the raids, hidden as things transfigured into the child's corpse but there. The children didn't usually die unless Dumbledore's vigilante group got involved even if the rest of their families died during the raid.

"Noticed that did you?" Voldemort asked with sudden amusement. "Blood adoption of the highest order allows us to save many of the children... but not all. It is especially effective on those who have been abused, thus they are our first priority when retrieving any children. The lack of our customs and celebrations being taught loses more children than anything else. You have no idea how many are killed or maimed for lack of knowledge and respect to the magic they wield. Dumbledore's insistence that the muggles will accept us will instead get us all killed down to the last babe."

"May I quote you on that?" Rita Skeeter asked eagerly. She was quickly scribbling down the conversation and no one was quite sure when she had arrived or how.

"If you are doing so verbatim," Voldemort said cautiously. "No exaggeration or swapping around words. No attempts to make the story more interesting in any fashion. Please me with the truthfulness of your article and I might invite you to interview Mr. Potter while he is in my care with a promise of safe passage."

"May I ask? Why do you see war with the muggles as a danger? Aren't they just muggles?" Rita asked rabidly. She was practically salivating at this interview opportunity.

"Tell me, would you wish to fight someone with the ability to wipe out all of London with a single explosion? Or the touch of a button?" Voldemort asked flatly.

"Wha? But they are just muggles!" Rita responded in surprise. A surprise that was mirrored by many of the people around them and occasionally mixed with heavy skepticism.

"And that view is part of the problem," Voldemort shot back. "The muggles have already gotten and used weapons that have wiped out entire cities. Or did it not ever occur to you to look up what essentially wiped out all of Japan's Magical Ministry in the 40's? The war with Grindelwald might have been present but it was only half of the war that was happening. The muggles fought their side against Hitler and we fought ours against Grindelwald but it was all the same war. They were acting in concert. When Grindelwald's forces couldn't reach Japan just yet to force them into submission some overly clever idiot set the Japanese Ministry as one of the targets for the American's devastating new bombs. There weren't even bodies to bury after that."

The sudden shock that engulfed the area told Madam Bones, through her own numb shock, that even the people of the dark faction hadn't been privy to that information yet. You could have heard a pin drop in the street at that moment.

"If our world can not handle the relatively small mess that I am making then I need to come up with something else to save our people. Even with nearly 15 years to rest and to prepare from my first attempt you have all fallen short. With Potter actually willing to talk to me, despite our past, we may yet still have some hope," Voldemort's words echoed strongly in the silence. "As things stand now... I might as well kill all of the children to spare them from the disaster that is coming."

"You wouldn't!" Someone protested in horrified shock.

"It is my hope that I wont have to... if Potter is able to see reason we may yet be able to avert disaster..." Voldemort responded to the horrified voice blandly.

"Are you going to return the children?" Madam Bones asked shakily.

"If you are concerned for their safety... Potter already bought that," Voldemort reassured her with grim amusement. "If you doubt my words walk into any muggle book store and look at their history section. Specifically, look at the history of warfare or a book on World War 2, what we term the war with Grindelwald. Take that book and compare the battles and actions in the muggle side of the war with the ones on our side as Europe fought against Grindelwald. For myself, look at the London Bombings also known as the London Blitz. Look at what the muggles did during that time and explain to me why more than 30 of my classmates never returned to Hogwarts after the holidays. Explain to me why I was sent back into a war zone with the use of magic forbidden on pain of my magic being bound and dropping me right back into that very same war zone. Because I am a Slytherin? Because I can speak to serpents? Because I defended myself as a child with controlled bursts of accidental magic before Hogwarts when my life was threatened at the orphanage? No, if our world can not handle my raids then the next best thing is to take those who will listen to me and disappear with every single magical child I can get my hands on in the hope of at least saving them."

"And Potter?" Skeeter stuttered, clearly in shock as her quill dutifully recorded every word.

"Potter? Who do you think leads the children? Our next generation?" Voldemort snorted. "If I am to save any of us than Potter either needs to co-operate or be removed irregardless of the Prophecy that sent me after his family. A prophecy, I might add, that has been proven to be false as certified by the goblins. I will enter into a binding marriage peace agreement with Potter if that is what it takes to preserve our people. I draw the line at marrying Dumbledore."

"Of the demands what are non-negotiable?" Madam Bones asked, taking a deep breath to calm herself. This was not the psychotic madman of the last war. Whatever had happened it was clear to her that the man was fully sane and might have reasonable concerns. That wasn't to say she wasn't going to check his claims but if he was right... dear god she hoped he wasn't right.

"Dumbledore out of Hogwarts and away from our people's children," Voldemort said instantly. "A meeting with the whole Wizengamot, the goblins, and any other sentient being ruler or council willing to listen under a Peace Ward or a Truce Ward. This needs to be done jointly if at all possible. Safe passage both from here as well as to and from the Wizengamot meeting."

"Potter and whoever else you are keeping from this mess attends that meeting after getting checked over by Gringotts healers to certify lack of harm under your care. If they fail the health check not only will it speak against you but you don't get them back," Madam Bones countered. She figured if he was on the level then they would be fine but if he wasn't they would only have to wait a short time under his care before she got them free. She also swore to herself that once Potter and the other person were free from the Dark Lord she was tagging them with trackers and giving them an Auror detail.

"That... may not be feasible. I don't object to the health check but Severus was one of mine originally and has possibly proven himself to be a traitor unless he had a damnable good reason for his actions. I will need to punish him depending upon the severity of his actions," Voldemort explained cautiously. "Potter can't be vouched for yet on the grounds that we are actively in a magical family feud. Until that feud is resolved in some fashion the family magic wont let me make an oath to that effect. A Gringotts certified check in and health check might work, as long as you understand there are possibly extenuating circumstances and that I will do my best under those restrictions."

"Done," Madam Bones agreed. She hoped that she had just sacrificed her career for a chance at peace but she would settle for saving the children and her niece if that was what it took.

Less than 20 minutes later the raid group left peaceably, escorting Harry Potter and Severus Snape away as prisoners. Voldemort looked over the captive pair with ruby eyes glowing in satisfaction. Not only did he have the promise of a meeting to present his case he had also acquired two parselmouths while neutralizing two enemies. If he was lucky Potter and Snape would be turned fully to his side before long. Not only that the pair couldn't try to leave for at least a month. A month he would put to good use.

With a spattering crack of a group apparating away they were gone, leaving behind a shocked audience fearing the return of the Dark Lord and what it might mean.