Disclaimer: I own nothing and never will (unfortunately...)

WOW! I can't believe this is the last chapter! This story has been so much fun to write and has taken up most of my summer vacation, which it was definitely worth! I'm so, so happy for all your kind reviews and comments every week! Also, NightRain1077, you got the challenge of last chapter right! The line if from 'North and South' by Elizabeth Gaskell correct! Here you go, a huge tray of cyber-cookies of your choice!

Also, a huge thanks, again, to SinoPrisca for the idea behind this story! I never would've written it without the discussions we've had, throwing story ideas around like crazy!

Hope you all enjoy this last chapter! There is an explicit scene at the end, for those of you who don't like that stuff, so if you don't want to read it, you can just skip it. :)

The fated union! The Boy-Who-Lived and the Dark Lord Voldemort tie the knot!

Dear reader

It is with the utmost excitement I write this article! Today yours truly, through a private source, found out that the rumours that have been gaining strength over the last couple of years, of a marriage between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort (formerly simply known as You-Know-Who), are true! The legacy of Albus Dumbledore, whose wish it was for the young, handsome Mr Potter to defeat the leader of the Dark side, seems to have now finally been cast aside. Now, the Wizarding world faces a new era, a time of peace and union between our two sides.

As you are all probably well aware, Lord Voldemort ceased control of the Ministry of Magic soon after the death of Dumbledore. Despite several protests, he has led the country with a strong, but just, hand. For the first time in history we can now proudly say that muggleborn are now on an equal footing with children from pureblood families, as Lucius Malfoy, current Minister of Magic, has made sure to track and inform both children and their parents in the important years during which the children grow up. Now, when they side by side enter the Great Hall at Hogwarts, both muggleborn and pureblood alike are proudly able to say that they are a part of our wonderful society.

Though not much has been said of Mr Potter himself, the young man having chosen to rather avoid your trusted journalist, he has been dutifully worked on his studies and now, as graduation has come and passed, just two weeks ago, that young man now faces yet another milestone in his life. From what I could ascertain, a marriage contract between young Potter and the Dark Lord Voldemort was drawn up, waiting for the signature of both parties, when Harry Potter was adopted by Lucius Malfoy and his family. However, there seems to have been no attempt at forcing the young boy into this union, to the confusion of many. With a reputation as a ruthless Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort showing a patient, compassionate human side to him was, undoubtedly, a shock to many. It is, however, quite the case. During these last six years, Harry Potter has spent most of his time at Hogwarts and, as he stated the few times yours truly was actually able to obtain an interview, that his primary focus was to live as a regular teenage boy.

Today, nonetheless, marks the day when Harry Potter will once again be forced to discard his adopted role as 'regular teenage boy' and take up the new title of Lord Voldemort's consort. The wedding is to take place in one week and, from what I could find out, it is going to be a small, private ceremony with only the closest of family present.

For now, all we can do is anxiously await that day, silently celebrating such a promising match. This union essentially shows that the former struggle between Light and Dark has been abolished and that now, in their stead, a prospering new society is taking form. Only the future will show what is in store for us, but this author, at least, is certainly left very hopeful and impatiently waiting to bring you all the words of both Mr Potter and Lord Voldemort on that fateful day, just one week from now.

Rita Skeeter

Harry smiled slowly as he put the paper down. Of course Rita would write an article like that, he thought, but somehow he didn't mind it at all.

'Let them all wonder and make up silly theories. None of them can get close to the truth anyway.' He mused as he quietly folded the Prophet together and laid it on a nearby coffee table. He was sitting in his favourite living room in Malfoy Manor, and he found himself looking out of the large French windows. The article had made him nostalgic and contemplative, and Harry thought back on the last six years and what had happened in that, to him, brief span of time.

Voldemort had been true to his promise. Never once had he pressured Harry into thinking about any future beyond his seventeenth birthday. Instead, he had diligently helped the young boy with his studies, always pressing him whenever Voldemort thought Harry wasn't trying hard enough.

Grinning slightly, Harry especially remembered one episode in particular, where he had been trying to master the Expecto Patronum charm, which he repeatedly failed at.

"You're not trying hard enough" Voldemort growled as he threw his hands up in exasperation. "Simply focus on a strong memory, usually a happy one. Purge everything but that memory from your mind."

Throwing his wand down on the chair, Harry spun around to face Voldemort, who had made himself Harry's teacher for the afternoon. "Well, if you're so bloody brilliant, why don't you show me, then?"

Voldemort didn't even deign to reply. He simply arched an eyebrow at Harry, before haughtily procured a silvery Patronus in the shape of a snake. Wandlessly. Harry was too upset to notice how the snake's eyes were a curious silvery-green, and when Voldemort still didn't say anything, his already fiery temper was fuelled even more.

"Urgh, why do you have to be like that, huh?!" he shouted and almost stomped his foot against the floor. "Why do you have to look down on me, tease me, and humiliate me for being what you think is a failure?"

Before he had time to draw his breath to continue his tirade, Voldemort had crossed the floor in two long strides, and drawn Harry into a tight hug, which effectively cut off whatever the boy had wanted to say.

"Harry, I don't think of you as a failure. Don't you every think so. I apologize if I can sometimes be impatient when teaching you, but I mean well. From now on, tell me when you feel that you need some more guidance, and I will do my best to explain how to perform the spell better."

His voice was calm and Harry slowly felt his heartbeat slow down and his eyes closed as he rested his head against Voldemort's strong chest.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have exploded like that, it was uncalled for." Pulling away, he picked his wand up once more and rolled the sleeves of his robe up so that they were out of the way. "Let me try one more time."

Voldemort nodded and sat down in the armchair he had been using earlier. Closing his eyes, Harry fixed his mind on a memory that might've seemed too weak, but was very important to him. It was simply of one time where Voldemort and he had been sitting in the garden of Malfoy Manor during a lovely summer evening. Neither of them spoke, but Harry had rested his head against the man's shoulder and Voldemort had simply smiled softly and let him stay like that. No words, no touch except that of his head against Voldemort's shoulder, but somehow that memory seemed to fill his heart so much that it was curious it didn't overflow.

"Expecto Patronum!" Harry shouted, and, to his amazement, a large silver snake coiled out of his wand and slithered around his feet for a few moments before it disappeared.

Harry looked up and met Voldemort's eyes, which were slightly wider than usual and filled with something that seemed like a mixture of shock, amazement and pride.

"I told you I could do it if you just gave me some time."

Laughing to himself, Harry shook his head at his younger self. There had been so many of those scenes, where Voldemort and he would get into a huge argument about something small and insignificant. They quickly realized they both had a rather short fuse, and when they disagreed on something, it usually ended in a screaming match. However, this quickly passed and it usually never took longer than a couple of days for them to make up. Somehow, Harry really appreciated these moments of heated discussion. It made Voldemort seem very human, so much like himself. The man had changed so much. When they had first met, the man had just regained his body and his emotions, which he struggled to come to terms with. Now, however, Voldemort had finally grown to accept, and even appreciate, being able to feel anything other than hate and rage again. It still surprised Harry though, when sometimes the man would hug him or kiss him, seemingly on a whim and just smile slyly when Harry looked to him for an explanation for these random shows of affection.

Yes, though Harry recognized that a life with a Dark Lord would never be easy, he had fully committed himself to a future together with Voldemort. He had grown so used to his presence that simply being separated for a few days felt strange and uncomfortable, and it was always with eager anticipation he longed to be reunited with the man again.

Harry was brought out of his musings by a quiet knock on the door, which was opened to reveal Hermione and Sirius. Hermione was dressed in a dark blue dress, with narrow white bands encircling her waist and some of them braided into her hair. Sirius looked slightly uncomfortable in his dark, formal dress robes, but the proud grin he sported when his eyes met Harry's was not to be mistaken.

"Are you ready, Harry?" Hermione asked, her voice comforting.

Harry nodded and rose, allowing his robes to fall into place. Sirius' eyes warmed at the sight of him and Hermione beamed, and for good reason. Narcissa had eagerly grabbed the opportunity to find Harry's wedding robes, and the young man dreaded to think of how many hours he had spent during the last two weeks, trying on robe after robe without her ever being satisfied. However, they finally found some that they were both completely smitten with, a set of black robes with a dark green, almost black, trimming along the hems. On the front, over his heart, the Black family crest was embroidered, as Sirius had insisted that Harry was now adopted into his own family, and on the other side, Voldemort's own crest, the ancient crest of Salazar Slytherin, proudly shone.

"Yes, I'm ready." He replied and walked over to them, linking his arm with the arm Sirius offered him. "Let's go."

As they walked down the long, grave corridors of Malfoy Manor, Harry found it hard to believe that this was the day he had been looking forward to for the last year or so. When he was younger, he had been insecure and uncertain about even marrying the Dark Lord at all, despite feeling a certain amount of friendly affection towards the man, but as he grew older, his feelings matured as well. Some people say that love at first sight does not exist, that love only comes with time and patiently getting to know one another. For Harry, this was very much the case. Somewhere along the way, he had fallen deeply in love with Voldemort, and now, as he was walking towards what would finally unite them, he couldn't be happier.

They stopped before a pair of large, black double doors. Sirius cast a questioning glance at Harry, who nodded, feeling the knot in his stomach tighten almost painfully. Hermione smiled and kissed his cheek.

"I'm very, very happy for you, Harry." She whispered, before pressing the door handles down and pushing the doors open. Giving him a little nudge, Sirius started walking and Harry had no choice but to keep up. The eyes of what felt like a horde of people turned towards them and the raven-haired teenager unconsciously tightened his grip on his godfather's arm. However, he seen relaxed as he saw the love and happiness all these people seemed to emit, like a tangible something in the air. Wherever he looked, a friendly glance or smile met him, and Harry couldn't help a large grin from spreading across his face.

The yellow eyes of Remus Lupin, who was sitting in the front row, seemed to glow the brightest of all. It was only two years ago that Sirius and Remus had finally gotten their act together, and now they lived together in a small cottage on the outskirts of Remus' territory. That way, Remus could still retain control of his pack, while also spending most of his time with his husband. Though this meant that Harry only saw them a few times a month, when they all had time, he was very happy that Sirius had finally owned up to his feelings for the man and proposed.

All thoughts of others were, however, wiped from his mind when his eyes fastened upon the man standing up at the podium, face towards him and piercing red eyes seemingly penetrating him unto the very core of his being. Voldemort was dressed in similar robes to himself, except that the crests on his were reversed, so that the Black crest rested on the right side of his robes, while the Slytherin crest proudly shone on the left side. A small flicker of emotion passed over his face when their eyes met, but other than that, the Dark Lord looked perfectly stoic.

Sirius let go of his arm as they reached him, leaving Harry facing his soon-to-be husband. Voldemort reached out his hands, and Harry quickly took them, feeling a sense of security as those strong fingers wrapped around his slightly smaller ones.

Lucius, who had been chosen to oversee the ritual, stepped up, cleared his throat, and held his wand a few inches above their interlinked hands.

"We are all gathered here today to witness the bonding of Lord Voldemort and Harry James Potter Black, as a fulfilment of that agreement made so many years ago. Together they have gone through the period of bonding and now, after fully knowing what this union entails, they have both committed to stand by the other's side in whatever happiness or misfortune they might face."

Harry heard a loud sniffle from the crowd, and when he looked, he saw Hermione, sitting next to Draco, wipe a tear from her eye. Draco, however, looked rather pleased, as his arm lay casually around her shoulders and she leaned slightly towards him for comfort. The blond met Harry's eye and winked slyly at him, making Harry smile and shake his head almost imperceptibly.

"This ritual is now the final step towards a union of body, soul and magic, and as such, I ask you both to give each other your vows, as they will be the symbol of your future life together."

Lucius stepped back a few steps, giving them some room. Voldemort stepped closer to Harry, and without breaking eye contact, slowly recited his vows in a clear, strong voice.

"I, Lord Voldemort, vow to always be there for you, Harry James Potter Black, whenever you may need me. You have shown me what goodness, faith and trust can be found in humanity, something which I had given up as an impossibility. You have shown me sides of myself I thought were fully lost. You have stood by me, even in times where any other person would have abandoned me. As you have shown me how to truly care for another human being, I will do whatever is in my power to always honour you, care for you, and treasure you, until the end of days."

Sometime during this speech, Harry had started crying. He hadn't noticed until Voldemort stopped speaking, but when the man carefully lifted his hand to wipe away the tears, Harry sharply drew his breath, and tried to control his beating heart. It took him a few moments to regain the power of speech, but then he shakily began to recite his own vows, his voice growing stronger and more confident as he went on.

"I, Harry James Potter Black, vow to you, Lord Voldemort, to support you, cherish you, and trust you, as you have supported, cherished and trusted me these last six years. You have taught me patience, strength and the ability to believe in myself, even during the darkest of times. You have stood by my side, silently pushing me on to become better, to become stronger and more confident. And now, as I stand here, ready to start my life by your side, I can confidently say that I now have the strength and the confidence to be your husband and to proudly stand by your side until the end of days."

As if reacting to their words, the air slowly started to shimmer and tremble, as if it was made of thin glass, and a soft breeze seemed to blow through the assembled crowd, as the magic concentrated upon the two people facing each other, their eyes never straying from each other and their hands tightly linked.

As the magic died down, Lucius stepped forward and put a hand on each of Harry and Voldemort's shoulders. "Congratulations, you both have my most sincere well-wishes!" Then, turning towards Voldemort, he added in a quieter voice "My Lord, I happily leave Harry in your hands from now on. I still see him as my son, just as much as Draco, from now on, he is free to live his own life by your side."

Voldemort only nodded, but they both knew that he appreciated his friend's words. Harry tightly hugged the blond, not saying anything, however no words were needed as they both knew what the other felt.

Turning back to his now husband, Harry reached out his hand, which Voldemort instantly took. "Are you ready to suffer through Sirius' antics for the rest of the day?" he asked playfully, and Voldemort rolled his eyes.

"Anything for you, Harry. Anything for you."

The party didn't end until early the next morning. However, neither Voldemort nor Harry was there to bid their guests farewell. They were far more preoccupied with something slightly more interesting.

"You know, these robes look absolutely stunning on you, but I have come to the conclusion that they will have to go." Voldemort growled, as he slammed the door to his bedroom shut, staring hungrily at Harry, who playfully winked at him from beside the bed.

"Oh? And I went through so much trouble to get them too! I rather think I want to keep them on for as long as possible. Don't want to get Narcissa mad at me for ruining them, you know?" he teased, but Voldemort seemed to be in no mood for playful banter tonight.

Before Harry had time to react, he was picked up and almost thrown unto the bed, with Voldemort hovering over him. "Now I've got you right where I want you, Harry. I dare you to get away from me now!"

Harry just laughed, before he reached up and pulled Voldemort's head towards him, effectively crashing their lips together in a hungry kiss. This was far from the first time they had been intimate with each other, but somehow, tonight was different. Perhaps the knowledge that they now were officially and magically bound together heightened the pleasure that seemed to permeate though Harry's body as Voldemort's long, thin fingers traced over his chest and playfully lingered just at the hem of his boxers, perhaps it was simply a matter of pent up desire. Whatever it was, Harry couldn't get enough of it.

"Ugh, T-Tom, please! You're being mean!" he whined, as Voldemort pinned his hands above his head while planting small, butterfly kisses all along Harry's jaw and throat.

Looking up into Harry's eyes, Voldemort smirked, making his red eyes sparkle with mirth. "Oh, I'm sorry, Harry. Let me make it up to you." With one, quick movement, he pulled Harry's boxers down, revealing the already dripping hard-on Harry sported. "Well, well, someone's impatient tonight?"

However, Voldemort now having removed his hold on Harry's wrists, Harry grabbed the opportunity to turn the situation around. He quickly slipped out from underneath the other man and pushed him so that he landed on his back on the soft bed. Straddling his chest, Harry triumphantly looked down on him.

"Seems like you're not the only one who gets all the fun tonight, my dear Tom!" he exclaimed, before quickly tearing off the only halfway unbuttoned white shirt Voldemort wore. The man made no attempt to hinder him, he simply watched Harry as the teenager impatiently threw the garment unto the floor. However, when the shirt was discarded, Voldemort decided that he had waited long enough. With a quick movement of his wrist, they were both fully naked, and Harry gasped as the other man's erection rubbed against his own.

Flipping them over again, Voldemort softly brushed a stray strand of hair away from Harry's face, before he reached down and kissed him. This was completely different from the heated, passionate kiss just moments earlier. Now every emotion, everything Voldemort felt impossible to convey in just words, was poured into this one action, and Harry wrapped his fingers in the man's long, black tresses to deepen the kiss.

While still kissing him, Voldemort reached down and positioned one of Harry's legs over his shoulder, carefully pushing one finger into his husband. Harry arched his back and tightly fisted the sheets in his hands as Voldemort hit that one spot within him that made stars dance before his eyes. Seeing Harry's eyes light up with pleasure and a needy moan escape from those delicious lips, Voldemort inserted one more finger to further prepare his young husband. Despite this not being their first time, Voldemort was always cautious whenever they had sex, scared that he might hurt Harry, who seemed so small and delicate as he lay under him like that.

"Are you ready, Harry?" Voldemort whispered, while he lightly kissed the corner of Harry's eye. Receiving only an impatient thrust of the hips, Voldemort promptly took the hint.

They both moaned deeply as the older man slowly pushed inside, and Voldemort had to restrain himself from loosing himself there and then. When Harry gave him a shaky nod, he pulled out again until just the tip was inside, before he slammed back in, making Harry cry out in a mixture of both pleasure and pain, and he wrapped his arms around Voldemort's back, scraping his fingernails across the man's ribcage. However, Voldemort neither noticed nor cared. He was too far lost in the intense feeling of being inside Harry, of feeling the muscles clench around his dick, to see those glorious green eyes light up with pleasure every time he thrust into him…

It didn't take either of them long to reach their climax, Harry coming just seconds before Voldemort did. The Dark Lord collapsed next to his young husband, drawing him into his arms and softly placing a kiss on the unruly mop of black hair.

"Harry, I love you." He whispered softly, almost inaudibly.

Harry, who had almost dozed off, stiffened and his seemed to widen almost comically. Though he had known for a long time the extent of Voldemort's feelings, he had never expected the man to ever commit to acknowledge that he could feel an emotion such as love. Voldemort, who had used to scorn anything and everything that could be counted as love, had now finally admitted, both to himself and to Harry, that he was now able to face up to his own emotions and embrace them, no matter if they might be seen as a weakness or flaw. They both now knew that love, whatever pain it might bring, was stronger than anything and that whatever trials they might face in the future, they would stand side by side and face it all together.

"I love you too, Tom." Harry whispered, snuggling deeper into the embrace.

Awwwww! I can't help but be über-creepily fluffy at the end of my stories... It's just... It's just so CUTE! How can I not?! And also, everyone loves a happy ending, so it's all good ;)

Hope you all enjoyed and thanks so much for sticking with this story!