Disclaimers: Harry Potter does not belong to me.

Warning: Shonen-ai/Yaoi/Slash. You've been warned.

"Rise!" A voice ordered authoritatively in the grand hall. "I call you here today because I have news to share with you." Voldemort gazed at his inner circle which consisted of only 12 people - all from upstanding families. His gaze lingered a second longer on one; Severus Snape was a spy without true loyalties to any sides. He was one that he, Lord Voldemort, couldn't control. Many believed him to be a Death Eater, a spy for the Light or Dark, but those were all false. In truth, Severus Snape was probably one of the most powerful being in the world. Perhaps even more powerful than himself, but he was never sure. Tonight, if his plan succeeded, he would secure this ever elusive Severus Snape's loyalty, maybe not to him but definitely not against him.

"My Lord, may we know what news you have?" Lucius Malfoy asked cautiously.

"I have decided to tell you, my loyal comrades, os a secret I have kept for nearly sixteen years." When there were only him and the inner circle, he did not keep up the appearance of a cruel Dark Lord. "Sixteen years ago, my dear departed wife had died giving me a son."

Shocked gasps could be heard. Those present did not know how to react. They decided to wait for what their Lord would say next.

"However, because of the war going on, I deciced it was unsafe for my son to remain with me. Thus, I switched him with another baby that was born dead around the same time without anyone's knowledge. My son will turn sixteen in another fortnight."

"Is the young Lord going to be your heir, Master?" Bellatrix Lestrange asked excitedly.

"It is regrettable that as strong as my son is magically, he does not care about our goal," Voldemort said but this tone did not show any of his disappointment. He had known it since seven years ago. Thus, he had plenty of time to get used to the idea. Besides, his plan would be better.

Another round of gasps rung through the dungeon - to think that their Lord's son was not interested; it was incomprehensible.

"Thus, I have come up with a solution. I will choose a husband for my son. My son-in-law will be my heir," he dropped the true news and delighted at the expressions his inner circle showed. When his eyes rested on the impassive face of Severus Snape, he resisted the urge to frown. Truly, he did not understand him. "I will not be telling you who my son is, nor the identity of the heir I have chosen until everything is settled.You are dismissed. Severus, stay for a while."

One by one the inner circle disappeared, leaving only Severus Snape and Lord Voldemort.

"What can I do for you, My Lord?" Severus asked.

"You can drop the act, Severus. We both know that you are not a Death Eater nor do you consider me as you Master."

Severus immediately lost all the acts of submission. He was intrigued. In all these years, Voldemort never pointed out this fact although they both knew the other knew. They just continued the charade.

Like always, Voldemort had to admire Severus Snape. Nothing seemed to be able to ruffle his feathers. "Perhaps we should retire to my study. "He led the other to the room where two cups of tea were already waiting for them on the desk. As they were seated, he said, "I have a proposal for you."

Severus raised his eyebrows. He had a suspicion he knew what the proposal was.

"I offer you my son's hand in marriage," Voldemort went straight to the point.

Having his suspicion confirmed, Severus immediately rejected. "I already have someone in mind." His tone was cold. He did not care if he had offended the Dark Lord. He only wanted that person.

"Aa…" Now was the true negotiation. "May I know the identity of that person?"

Severus remained silent.

"One Mr. Harry Potter if I'm not mistaken?" Voldemort continued, ignoring his lack of response. When he saw the slight twitch, he knew he had guessed right. "I do offer his hand of marriage to you, Severus." He watched in satisfaction as the interested gleam in the Potions Master's eyes brightened.

Severus was truly intrigued and curious now. If what the Dark Lord was implying now was true, then he….

"You see, James and Lily Potter had given birth to a still-born baby two days after my son was born. I decided that they were the perfect couple. With Pettigrew's unknowing help, I switched the babies. Harry Potter is actually my son."

A smirk slowly appeared on Severus' face. He knew the Dark Lord was not lying. Detecting lies was one of his abiolity. He was tempted to agree straight away; but he was not a Slytherine for nothing. "What will it entail?"

Voldemort smiled a genuine smile. "As my son-in-law, you will be my heir. You will be the next Dark Lord and continue what I have started. Aside from that, you will bring happiness to my son." His smile turned frosty. "Make no mistake; I love my son. Before, I had hoped that he would be my heir but he refused."

"So he knew?" That came as a surprise.

"He knew since our first encounter in his first year. I told him the truth. I offered him to become my heir but he refused, saying that he had no interest."

"Then why the encounters?"

"Those are staged. His exact words, I believe, were 'giving the world what they want'. He will play the role of their saviour until he was ready to disappear. However, I cannot allow him to simply vanish." He stared at Severus. "That's where you come in."

"Why me?" Severus asked.

"Although you did not show it, I know you're powerful. Maybe even more so than Dumbledore or me. And I have suspected your obsession with my son. Those are reasons enough."

Severus contemplated the option. Finally he came to a decision. "How do you plan to go about this?"

Voldemort relaxed a little. A smile lingered. He took out a small vial of red liquid from his robe. "Through the old tradition – Domma Bond."

Severus's eyes raised at this. Domma Bond was the oldest and purest marriage bond ever. In the ancient time, it was used to bind two people together but the Ministry had banned it a couple of decades back. It was considered the darkest of Dark Arts since it bound two souls together and it was unbreakable, not even by death. The submissive partner did not have to be present let alone agree for the bond to be done. All that were needed were the consent of the blood father and the groom, and a vial of the submissive's blood. The dominant partner would have all powers over the submissive after the bond. This had to be done before the submissive's sixteenth birthday.

"If you agree, we will do it now," Voldemort prompted.

"Of course." How could he not agree? If he had to kill everyone, he would. This way, the boy would be completely his. He licked his lips eagerly at the thought. "What did he actually look like? He looks so much like Potter. And his true name?"

"I did not put any glamour on him. Without the glasses he liked to wear so much and if he grows his hair a bit longer, you will find that he looks nothing like the Potters. He has my eyes before mine turn red and his messy hair was actually inherited from his mother. If he wears it long, it will be more manageable. And his name is Harold Citrus Slytherin Voldemort."

Severus nodde. He would make sure his Harry had his eyes corrected and grew his hair longer. "Let's perform the ritual."

Both of them apparated to a deep magical forest. With the blood, they drew the runes required and started the ritual. It was a long and strenuous. It used up a lot of their magic.

As Severus uttered the agreement, "I accept", a blinding light enclosed him. He felt his soul tied to another and he knew that was his Harry. A satisfied smirk appeared on his face. As the light faded, he stood with his eyes closed, savouring the feelings.

"It is done. You are now my son's husband. And also my heir."

Far away from the forest, a boy was encased in a cocoon of light. Since he was asleep in the locked room, nobody saw it. The boy stirred but only to change position and continued to sleep. A mark shaped like four black petals of a flower appeared in the centre of his forehead slightly above his eyes. Then it seemed to sink into his skin and disappeared.

Back in the study, Voldemort and Severus were sitting in the more comfortable sofas.

"What do you plan to do now?" Voldemort asked.

"Wait till school starts, which is only a month away. Then I'm sure Dumbledore will 'persuade' me to continue Occlumency with Harry. I will seduce him and consummate our marriage."

"Doing this right under Dumbledore's nose is risky," Voldemort warned his new heir.

"But danger is so intoxicating, isn't it? Besides, it isn't necessary for me to remain in his good graces. No one stand in between my Harry and me." A dangerous glint appeared in his dark eyes that could scare even the bravest warrior shitless.

A shiver that had nothing to do with the cold ran across the Dark Lord's skin. He wondered if his new heir was sane. "There is an information that I need to inform you about the bond."

This immediately caught Severus' attention. "What?"

"I have modified the runes a bit. Although Harry said that he does not care about the others, I was still worried. Thus the modification. After you have consummated the bond, you will also be able to control his magic. In other words, you will become the gatekeeper of his magic."

"Why do think tha's necessary?" Severus asked.

"I just want to prevent him from overtaxing his magic reserve to do something stupid like saving others. His hero complex, I'm afraid, is a part of him. It is better to prevent that from ever happening. However, the modification has a couple of side effects."

"What are they?"

"The first is thelink between you will strengthen. As the dominant partner, you will be able to connect to his mind. You will be able sense his feeling as well. The second is the lust between you will be intensified tenfold. And the third is the emotional effect. Both of you will care for each other no matter if you hated the other. You will not be able to hurt each other."

Severus relaxed. That was acceptable. In fact, the effects were welcomed. Just thinking about the possible explosive sex with his Harry was enough to get him hard. Luckily the robe covered his erection. Perhaps he should start sending dreams to his husband. They would certainly let Harry get used to the idea faster.

To be continued...

A/N: Please tell me what you think about it.