An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Summer after the traumatic end of the Triwizard Tournament, instead of Harry Potter getting visions of the latest evil plot from the Dark Lord, it is Voldemort who gets visions of The-Boy-Who-Lived’s childhood.
And they’re not pleasant.
When Newt accepted to become one of Harry Potter's secret guard as a favor to Albus Dumbledore, he hadn't anticipated being faced with a choice concerning the welfare and safety of a child: obey Albus Dumbledore's orders or stay at Voldemort's side to protect Harry.
Though difficult, the right choice was clear.
“What’s wrong?” asked Harry. “Why’re you looking so serious?”
The prominent Adam’s apple in Voldemort’s throat contracted. Newt waved the magic in the air away and took a seat next to Harry.
Voldemort nodded. “It is. Harry—” His grip on Harry’s knees flexed. “I have sworn to you that you will never return to your muggle relatives, you know this, correct?”
Harry slowly straightened in his seat. “Yes, sir,” he said.
“Are you prepared to aid me in securing this?”
“I need your consent,” whispered Voldemort. “You must choose whether or not you’ll allow yourself to be bound to your enemy.”
Harry tilted his head. “I don’t follow.”
“The only way I can ensure you never return to your relatives is… is to…” Voldemort shifted his weight; his lips pressed together briefly. “I must adopt you.”
“But your approval of this is required.”
Harry stared at him, at this man kneeling on the floor in front of him—hang on, Voldemort was… kneeling. Harry’s eyes drifted downwards; his gaze traced the line of the man’s arm to his wrist to his hand to the pale fingers as they curled into his trousers.
I… I misheard him, didn’t I?
Voldemort cleared his throat. “I realize that I am wholly unworthy to ask this of you,” he said in a low tone. “I am the one who put you in this position in the first place. There are others more adept to handling a child in their care; however, I will protect you. I have sworn this to you and I have zero intention of going back on my word.”
He’s… He’s having me on, isn’t he? Is he serious? He can’t be…
“Is this real?” whispered Harry. He rubbed at his eyes, quickly wiping away the tears in the corners. “Is this real?”
A hand rested on his leg. “Poppet, look at me.” Harry lowered his hands and glanced over at Newt. “Yes, it’s real. We’d like to adopt you, if you’ll have us.”
“Hang on, you, too?” asked Harry. “You’re both…”
“Both of us,” said Voldemort, nodding. “A single parent adopting a child is nigh impossible. This is why we would both adopt you.”
Bloody hell, what is even happening?
“Adopting you is the only way to protect you. Dumbledore is trying everything he can to send you back and I refuse to allow that.”
“If I say yes, you both adopt me and then…”
And then what? Were Voldemort and Newt going to be his parents or guardians? Was there a difference? What did it mean?
Am I really considering this?
Sure, the Dursleys are really bad, but does that mean I should…
He should go back to the Dursleys. He should go back to them and beg their forgiveness and then maybe they’d accept him. Going back was the right thing, right? Staying with Voldemort, of all people, had to be the wrong choice.
But he couldn’t go back. He couldn’t do that. Every part of his soul resisted the idea. Crazy as this was… I rather stay with Voldemort than go back to the life I had before.
“I won’t have to go back to the Dursleys, right?” asked Harry softly. “If you adopt me, Dumbledore can’t make me go back, right?”
The unknown was terrifying. Though Voldemort had proven himself thus far, he could always change his mind. He could always go back to being the villain of Harry’s story and there’d be nothing he could do to stop the man.
Yet… it was a risk Harry was willing to make.
He didn’t want to leave this place. If there was even the tiniest of chances that this was all real, that Voldemort had changed, Harry wanted to see it through.
“Whether you agree or not, that does not change the fact that I will never allow you to return to such disgusting muggles who dared to lay a hand on a magical child.”
Newt wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders and tugged him into a hug. “Adopting you makes it easier, legally speaking. But if you don’t want this, then we will still protect you from Albus.”
God, I want this so much.
