Disclaimers: If I owned HP series Severus Snape wouldn't have died and Voldemort would fell in love with Harry. Alas, I do not own Harry Potter series or any of characters, JKR does.

Warnings: May contain violence, mentions of child abuse, crude language and cursing, bashing, OOC, occasional rudeness, silliness and general oddness.

Pairing(s): SS/HP, (LV/?), DM/HrG, and some others may come up later on...

SLASH depiction of homoerotic relationship, meaning guy on guy action.

You do not like it - don't read. Consider yourself to be warned.

Keys: "Normal Speech", 'Thoughts', :: Parseltongue ::, Spells

/Mental link between Harry and Voldemort\

Books names, letters, notes, news articles, essays etc...

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Summary: In his 16th birthday Harry sends Voldemort letter, asking to come kill him, Voldemort arrives to Little Whinging. Voldemort AK'd Harry, but he survived again, and this time Dark Lord decided to give up killing the boy, and he takes the boy with him to Little Hangleton... And certain Potions Master learns unexpected things about the Boy Who Lived...

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Helen Stillnight

Presents

THE NEW BEGINNING

CHAPTER 1 - THE NEW LIFE

It was July 31 in 1996, weather was warm in that late evening when pure white snowy owl swooped down on desk in study of Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton, stretching her leg out hooting, to give letter.

Recipient of letter eyed owl suspiciously and owl glared back with her amber eyes and gave dignified hoot. Man took letter, scanned it for any spells and finally opened it. As he unfold the short letter, owl gave last hoot and gracefully she flew away. Shaking his head to owl's behavior he started to read short, hastily scribbled letter.

Tonight, nearby park in Magnolia Court in Surrey, at the twilight. I will be there alone. I have no reason to live anymore. Kill me swiftly and painlessly if possible, it is my 16th birthday. I will give you Prophecy. HJP

He blinked and read short note again, and again, about dozen times, and the note still stayed the same. Nothing changed, so it had to be true. He scowled and folded note again, and hid it in his robes sleeve, along with his wand. He calmly pulled dark cloak over his robes and walked outside of his wards around the Manor and Disapparated to mentioned location.

It was already nearing the twilight and weather cooling down as the Sun begin to set. Tall man in midnight black robes and cloak, hood covering his face, walked down shadowy and empty Magnolia Court, alone, towards nearby park. He saw a lone boy sitting in swing, with serene expression on his face he watched as red, orange, pink and purple clouds slowly drifted by. Boy seemed to sense his arrival, because he slowly stood up and turned his killing curse green eyes to arriving man.

Serene smile graced his face, his eyes looking as old as life itself and too much seen in his short years. Swing creaked as he walked away from it and to man. He too, was wearing midnight black robes, his holly wand in his right hand.

"Good evening, Voldemort. It seems that, you have decided to grant me my only wish I have for. But before you grant me my death, allow me tell you the Prophecy..." Harry said with serene voice, like nothing in the world could disturb him.

"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have the power the Dark Lord knows not... And either must die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives... The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..."

"The full Prophecy..." hooded man whispered with hiss. "Ah, yes, yes... I see it now", he muttered softly and looked now directly to the boy. "Tell me, Harry, why do you wish to die for?" he asked and slowly glided closer.

"Because, Voldemort... I have nothing live for", Harry answered as serenely as before, his green eyes gently looking to Dark Lord. "As you grant me wish, I shall be freed from everything. From my burdens, expectations of the Wizarding world, physical and emotional abuse I have been forced to go through of my whole life. When I die, I shall ultimately be free from everything, in whole meaning of the word."

"And I will win", Voldemort hissed, crimson eyes curiously peering into teen.

"Perhaps so", Harry answered serenely and gave another unearthly serene smile. "But I shall have a peace. I do not have to follow Prophecy, listen empty promises of peace and deceits of old foolish man or partake this unnecessarily brewing war. It is I who shall ultimately win, not you, dear Voldemort."

Voldemort gave hissed curse, and Harry's lips twitched a bit in faint amusement. :: Do what ever you wish for, but only after my death :: Harry hissed back in parseltongue.

Voldemort's crimson eyes widened in surprise for a fraction and he lifted his yew wand pointing it to teens chest. Boy dropped his own holly wand to ground with soft clatter.

:: Do it! :: Harry hissed, softly.

"Avada... Kedavra..." Voldemort whispered and bright green light erupted from his wand. Just before the Killing curse hit the boy, he saw serene and grateful smile gracing the green-eyed teen's face and he heard barely above the whisper words from boy.

"Thank you, Tom Riddle, for killing me", and then the killing curse hit boy squarely to chest and his eyes closed and he crumbled to ground, lifelessly.

Voldemort let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding during this time. He glided closer, kneeled next to Harry, picked up the wand hiding it in his robes sleeve, and then he pressed his long, pale, delicate fingers to boy's neck, searching for the pulse. At first he didn't feel anything, and he thought that he had finally killed the boy, and it left hollow, painfully empty feeling inside him.

But then, after few long moments he felt it. Weak, slow, slightly erratic, nearly non-existent heart beat.

Voldemort was genuinely surprised. "How does he survive it, yet again...?" he asked out loud, but there was no answer for him. He let out deep sigh, before deciding to scoop boy in his arms from ground. "He survived it again, for a second time. For that, if for nothing else, he deserves to live", he muttered before Apparating back to his Manor in Little Hangleton.

In Manor he placed the boy in bed and magically removed his clothes. At this point he noticed boy's physical condition and with resigned sigh he started to mend his injuries and wounds. He re-set few broken bones, healed some infected wounds, gently rubbed burn salve to sunburns and the ones from cooking and carefully rubbed bruise paste into numerous new and already fading bruises around teen's body. He spelled several potions straight to boy's stomach, including pain reliever, nutrition potion, mild numbing potion... Other wise boy was clean, so he spelled some pyjamas on him and let him to sleep.

And then he seated himself into plush armchair next to bed, watching as boy slept, hanging onto his life even when he wanted nothing more than just let it go. He watched and hoped that he would survive, for once...

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Harry was floating in vast emptiness. There was nothing. No life, no death, no warmth, no cold, no light or darkness. Emptiness was surrounding him, gently embracing like a parent would for one's child.

Harryy... faint woman's voice called him. My sweetheart...

Harry recognized the voice calling him. It belonged to his mother. He had seen her apparition about a year ago, and even briefly spoken to her, in midst of duel with Voldemort after Dark Lord's resurrection. That had happened when he had been forcefully whisked away by portkey after TriWizard tournament's Third Task from Maze to Little Hangleton's Graveyeard where afore-mentioned resurrection happened.

"Mother..." he whispered. "I have finally come to meet you, and father too..."

No, my sweetheart... This is just in between, the borderland, this is merely in dream, woman's voice spoke. It is not yet your time to go, Harry... There too much for you to do before you can cross the over.

"But I asked especially Voldemort kill me, mother, so that I can have a peace and rest. I can't hold, carry those burdens any longer on my shoulders... The war...", Harry pleaded the voice, tears threatening to leak from his eyes. "Mother, I'm so tired of everything."

I know, sweetheart, I know, voice said gently and warmth surrounded Harry. Dark Lord was merciful enough to grant your plea, but you are not dead yet - your heart still beats, and Dark Lord himself guards your sleep. He isn't your enemy anymore, sweetheart.

Harry was slightly surprised. "If Voldemort is not my enemy anymore, then who is?" he questioned, worried but also slightly relieved. He wouldn't have to fight Dark Lord anymore.

Man of Light, so intense in his beliefs to vanquish all 'evil' and 'dark' that is borders insanity. A man who let you unjustly suffer most worst kind of life and childhood, pretending to be your Saviour. A man who placed all those burdens to your shoulders to carry on his behalf. Albus Dumbledore, the WORST kind of man, WORST kind of human in very long time seen...

And Harry knew instantly that voice spoke words of truth, they could not be denied. "What of Snape? He serves as his spy in Order of Phoenix, but whose side he truly is?"

Voice sighed ruefully. He was once my most treasured and precious friend, until the day I died. His loyalties always have lied within me, and now within you. He never served wholeheartedly either Light or Dark Order. He swore to protect your life, voice said sadly and Harry felt surge of sadness in embrace surrounding him. My death was truly devastating for him, and it changed him so.

"He is so bitter and cruel man to this day. He hates me, mother. He is so unfair towards me because of what father and other Marauders did to him", Harry said real despair in his voice and he buried his face in his hands. "How can I change him? How can I get him let go of his bitterness and cruel words?"

I'll visit him in his dreams later, before your school term starts again, Voice spoke again and this time Harry could hear glint of fierceness in it.

"Don't be too hard on him. This spy business is very stressing and taxing to him, not mention Dumbledore with his constant lemon drops", Harry said. "And Voldemort has bad habit torturing his followers, including Snape."

I know, dear. It's for you to time to go now. You can't forever cling to this vast darkness residing in between the worlds, Voice said gently. Remember, we will always be very proud of you, no matter what the path you may take in your life. Even if you embraced your Darkness and use Dark Arts.

"I love you mom, and dad and Sirius, despite that they were a such gits to Snape", Harry said and his tears finally broke free as he heard gently chuckle and gently, kind and warm embrace and final, whispered words. I love you too, my little Harry.

Voldemort was startled out his light sleep he had fallen a while waiting for Harry to awake. He had heard faint, murmured words through his sleep. It was Harry speaking in his comatose sleep.

It seemed that the boy was talking to someone in his dream he was seeing at the moment. At first Voldemort didn't pay too much attention to his words, but when he uttered the words 'If Voldemort is not my enemy anymore, then who is?' Needless to say that caught his undivided attention instantly. What ever the boy was dreaming was very intense and he was going through very interesting conversation if it was anything to go by what he was hearing of Harry's mutterings. About him, Voldemort, Snape - his most trusted Death Eater and apparently Dumbledore too.

He barely caught the boy's last words as he fall into silence once more, tear sliding down his cheeks, killing curse green eyes now wide open and staring at ceiling silently.

"You really are here, sitting and waiting me to awaken", Harry said, sounding slightly awed and surprised. "Mom, was right."

Dark Lord's non-existent brows shot up in infinite surprise. "You spoke to your mother? What it just a dream or something more?", he asked curiosity coloring his voice.

"In between the life and death, the crossroad that I wasn't allowed to enter yet. Mom told me that it wasn't my to go yet, that you are waiting me... That you are not my enemy, that there is someone else who is greater evil than you will ever be", Harry explained, his earlier serenity back to his features. He recited the words his mom had spoken about the Dumbledore.

Voldemort listened every single word with intense concentration. "I knew Dumbledore was evil and utterly insane. I know that I am reasonably Dark and evil, even I am not at the level Dumbledore reaches. I knew there was reason that he was so fiercely denying that he was even slightest bit dark and claims to be Light and Good, when he in fact is NOT. He's evil, more evil that I ever will be", he said sounding very thoughtful, after a while.

"But what you will do now, Harry Potter?", Dark Lord asked curiously, which looked odd on his face.

Harry laid out in Dark Lord's bed, thinking, frown marring his face, making him seemingly look older than his 16 years. "I don't know, I'm utterly lost what to do", he said finally after good five minutes of silence. "But... Since you are no longer my enemy and actively trying to kill me... Perhaps I could band together with you and become one of your Death Eaters", he mused quietly. "But I have to do something about Snape... He is in my side after all, I can't have Dumbledore fuck him over. And speaking about the old goat..."

Voldemort watched silently the boy as he planned something. He had to hand it to the boy, to bounce back so quickly from his subsequent death. As it was, boy's heart had stopped for the moment, before it had started to beat again miraculously when he had felt his pulse after hitting him with Avada Kedavra.

"... Killing Dumbledore will be on my the things to do list, and I will accomplish it even if it kills me", Harry finally decided resolutely. "I will kill him with something dark, ancient, irreversible curse that will kill him slowly, painfully and rendering a mere squib and insane before his death."

Voldemort raised his non-existent brows again, quite accepting of his decision. "You know, Potter, I approve that wholeheartedly your initiative plan", he said and tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Alrighty then, I will take you as my Death Eater if you really wish to join into my ranks", he nodded.

Harry grinned weakly from his bed and saluted. "What shall be my role, Voldemort?", he asked. "White Masked grunt?" he questioned curiously. "Surely not Silver Mask in Inner circle..."

Voldemort gave wicked, wicked grin. "As Prophecy states, you are my equal in everything, I shall make you my 'body guard' as my trusted, surpassing everyone else in power and rank, my right hand man", he said. "My equal. Only I will surpass you in rank."

Harry shook his head with amusement and grinned. "Only you would do that to your former enemy, Voldemort..." he mumbled and his eyes drooped close and he then promptly fell asleep.

Voldemort eyed now sleeping boy and carded his long, spidery finger through his dark messy hair.

"Indeed so, my young Harry... As prophecy states, you are my equal now. Welcome, my dear child...", he said softly and caressed the sleeping boy's cheek, marveling how soft it felt under his fingers. "Welcome to the Dark Side."