To Err is Human, to Forgive Divine, but Trust Honored Above All

Written by Chibikan

Chapter 2:

Harry was sitting on the stone cold cot in the prison, shaking from the last dementor visit. He was trying to keep the smallest bit of hope inside him. Long ago he had discovered that hope belonged to him and that no creature, however they may try, could take it away if he really desired to keep it. He remembered a song from a movie he'd watched through his cupboard when the Dursley's weren't aware.

"Come on Harry," He pep talked himself. "Never say never, if you give up hope you'll never get out of here, so never say never." He began humming to himself the song to keep the awful chill of the dementors off of him.

"That's right boy," a familiar voice snapped into his reverie.

Harry stood up and backed to the farthest wall as a snaky-man, cloaked in black, with frightening red eyes appeared, having obviously conquered the apparition barriers. "You, what are you doing here?"

"I always knew you were made of stronger stuff than the ministry claimed." The Dark Lord told him. "It's good to see, you know, less shameful to have lost to you so many times you know." He smirked and looked at Harry closely. His mouth was hanging open in fear and eyes wider than silver dollars. "Close your mouth, boy, it is bad manners."

"Answer my question…..what are you doing here?" Harry recovered and stifled his fear, and entered into a muggle-fighting stance, after all he had no wand with which to fight.

Voldemort laughed in amusement. "I have heard of your predicament, and I have come to get you out of here."

Not moving from his position Harry asked him. "Why?"

"Well, I don't know, maybe because in my infinite insanity I thought perhaps this wasn't the proper place for one of the world's most powerful wizards. I also thought perhaps you did not like it here and would wish to leave as soon as possible. Was I wrong? Because if I was, I'll leave, far be it for me to tamper with your desires." The snake-man replied sarcastically.

"No, I mean, why do you want to help me! Don't give me that 'I just want to be nice' crap because you don't have a nice bone in your body."

"Well, then I won't say that. I will say that this incident has shown me a few things. And I think you should join with me." Voldemort stated as if it were the most obvious solution.

Harry shook his head. "Now why would I go and do something like that? I'm not quite that insane yet."

"Because I am your only hope for leaving this place. And because at the moment I am the only one you can trust."

"Liar! Dumbledore'll come for me! And if not him then Sirius, or one of my friends. They'll come." He insisted.

Voldemort laughed again. This time with a pity-filled tone. "Oh, you poor little delusional child, what have they done to you? They've got you leaning on every word of promise they ever gave you, even when you've been here for six weeks. And even when you know that if Dumbledore had any intention on rescuing, he would have been here within an hour of learning you were here." Voldemort came and petted the boy's hair.

Harry pulled away, shuddering from the cold touch. "Stop that! I'm not a child, and I'm not delusional. They'll come." Although, at the moment, he was saying more to convince himself. "They'll come. They'll rescue me, they know I wasn't responsible! That I'm innocent."

Voldemort sighed. "I can see you're going to be stubborn. Listen, boy, it'll be much easier to accept it if you just stop lying to yourself now. Your "friends" have abandoned you. To them, you are nothing more than a figure head to lead the battle. They'll use you then dump you! And that's just what they've done." He wasn't exactly lying. He'd been through the same thing with the same type of so called friends. "So open your eyes boy! Open your eyes!"

Harry shook his head in denial, trying to fight angry tears. He didn't want to show any sort of weakness. "And what makes you the only one I can trust huh? How do I know you're not just lying to me, to get me on your side."

"Because our situations are the same. We've always been in the same boat, Potter. The only difference is that you were raised in a real home, and I in an orphanage. We've both been abused as children and as adults. Neither of us ever had friends until Hogwarts. Both of us were sent back to places we didn't want to go at the end of the school year. And both of us were sent there by the same man who thought to keep us isolated from the rest of the wizarding world. The only reason we're always at each other's throats is because of that one man! The same man who has abandoned you to a lifetime in this hell. Now, I can get you out of here. All you have to do is take it. We'd be better as allies then as enemies and you know it."

Harry looked away and thought. He was right, their lives were parallel from each others. Voldemort had always been honest with him, he never doubted once how the man felt about him. He had always been the one constant in Harry's life. And maybe, although the rest of his friends didn't deserve it, maybe he could protect them this way. "Well, can you give me your word that you'll leave their fates to me. Ron's, Hermione's, Sirius', and the rest of my friends. You can have Dumbledore, but swear that you'll let me decide the fate of my other friends."

Voldemort smirked. "And here I'd thought you'd have a foolish condition such as end the war. If that is your only condition, you have it as well as a promise that you will never feel pain from me. We shall be equals boy, you at my left side. Is it a deal?" He offered a skeletal hand to the child, also promising to himself that the boy would also see many many meals in future, he was far too thin. Nagini would like that challenge.

Harry considered again. Was it worth it? Could he really betray his parents? But then was he really? Who had betrayed who here? He had wanted to defeat Voldemort for their sakes, but surely they would understand his situation. Finally after many moments of deliberation he began to put out his hand to take the proffered one. He hesitated twice, no three times before setting the hand inside the pale palm of the Dark Lord. It was a deal. And with another smirk from said Dark Lord, the two of them vanished from Azkaban.

AN: Yes, another chapter in one day. I hope you enjoy this. I enjoyed writing it.

Coming Soon: Harry's innocence is found out but is it too late to save him from the Dark Side?