Chapter 3: A Birthday Surprise

The sound of his bedroom door flying open woke Voldemort from his much-needed rest. He could have only gotten a few hours of sleep considering how late he had returned from the Ministry. The Unspeakables had wanted to run a new project by him in order to gain more funding. The idea of connected doorways for instantaneous travel had been quite intriguing, and he hadn't expected to stay as long as he had to look over the progress they had made so far.

The door flying open was soon followed by the sound of tiny little feet pitter-pattering over the floor.

"Dad! Wake up! Daddy!"

Voldemort took a moment to prepare himself by reinforcing his Occlumency barriers. The tactic had come in handy these last few years when dealing with his subjects and his child. Raising a child while trying to establish his kingdom had proven to be a challenge. Voldemort couldn't quite say which was the more challenging task of the two. Harry was oftentimes more mature and intelligent than some of the full-grown wizards Voldemort was forced to interact with. However, his son was infinitely more mischievous, and was now capable of bouts of accidental magic.

The bedframe rattled slightly as Harry climbed up the side. Voldemort could feel the bed shake as his child bounced across the surface to reach him where he lay in the center of his massive bed.

"Daddy," Harry whispered directly into his ear.

Feeling sufficiently ready to deal with Harry he opened his eyes only to find Harry's face inches away from his own. Voldemort didn't jerk back. This was an occurrence he had unfortunately become accustomed to. Instead the Dark Lord took a deep breath. Raising a child had certainly expanded his level of tolerance.

"Harry, do you remember what I told you about entering my room?" he gently steered the boy away from the close proximity to his face, and pulled himself into a sitting position with his back against the headboard.

"I need to ask permission," Harry answered dutifully, settling down beside him.

"Then why are you in my room when I have not given you my permission?" Voldemort regarded the still pajama-clad boy.

His son had grown in the last four years into a precocious and intelligent little boy. Voldemort had grown surprisingly fond of the boy, and blamed the connection between their souls in addition to the genetic connection they shared. The fondness was certainly not something he had anticipated occurring in the process of raising Harry.

Harry's black curls were a mess at the moment as he must have jumped out of bed and run directly to Voldemort's room. Baby fat still clung to his small face. However, his features were becoming more prominent. Due to the mix of features he had gained from Voldemort in combination with the features he had inherited from his birth parents Harry was no longer instantly recognizable as the child of Lily and James Potter.

The inherited features from the Dark Lord altered his appearance just enough to disguise him, which pleased Voldemort. He didn't want anyone to identify the boy.

Voldemort had made sure to list Harry Potter as one of the deceased from the Samhain day attack on the Order of the Phoenix. He didn't want anyone making a connection between Harry Potter and his own son. Not when the members of the Order of the Phoenix were still currently at large four years later.

The Gryffindor idiots would stop at nothing to get Harry if they believed he still lived. Voldemort would never let that happen. He had put too much time and effort in to Harry to lose him to those who still dared to oppose him. Voldemort would never let them have his horcrux.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, but it's my birthday! I'm five now," Harry shoved his hand into Voldemort's face as if the ruler of wizarding Britain needed a reminder of what the number 5 was.

Harry's birthday was the reason he hadn't wanted to remain at the Ministry as late as he had. He knew how excited his son would be on his birthday, and such milestones were important to observe. August 14thwasn't truly Harry's birthday even the boy thought it was. It was two weeks after his true birthday. Voldemort had chosen a different date to further distance his son from who he had been before.

"You are indeed. Happy 5thBirthday, Harry," Voldemort gently steered Harry's hand away from its close proximity to his face.

Having a child had forced him to get used to having another person frequently encroach into his personal space. Voldemort did not enjoy having others touch him, and therefore did not allow others to touch him. The exception being Harry. He had come to learn children were highly tactile creatures.

When Harry was young Voldemort had no choice but to carry him or cradle him. As he grew older Voldemort started to put more boundaries between them, boundaries Harry completely ignored despite repeated corrections. Voldemort could have responded more harshly, however, he didn't want to resort to such tactics unless absolutely necessary.

The goal was to nurture and instill loyalty in Harry not to alienate his child.

"Are we going to have cake and presents?" Harry asked brightly, no doubt remembering previous birthdays.

"We are going to do something even better than cake and presents," Voldemort informed him.

Harry's emerald eyes widened comically. "What?"

"We are going to perform some magic," well, Voldemort was going to perform some magic but Harry was going to take part in the ritual as well.

Voldemort observed all of the traditional wizarding celebrations, and had been teaching Harry to as well. They celebrated the solstice rituals, Samhain and Beltane celebrations, among several others. Voldemort had prepared a small ritual for Harry to assist in on his birthday. At the end of it Harry would even have a new surprise.

"Really?" Harry practically began vibrating in his excitement.

Harry had a deep love of magic. One that Voldemort continued to instill and nurture within him.

"Yes," Voldemort nodded. "First you must get dressed, and have your breakfast."

"Okay," Harry quickly began scrambling off the bed.

"I will meet you in the dining room," Voldemort told the boy as Harry raced out of his room.

Voldemort dressed in simple but elegant black robes with silver trim before going to the dining room. The house elves swiftly delivered his breakfast, his morning cup of tea, and the paper. The Daily Prophet didn't contain anything he didn't already know about. There was some praise about the smooth running of the two muggleborn boarding houses Lucius had successfully set up.

The Malfoy Home for Youth had been set up for muggleborn children 10 and older. The Florian Children's Home contained muggleborn children 9 and younger. Voldemort had decided it was best to separate the age groups. The older generation had still gotten a bit of influence from Dumbledore and his supporters. Many were also not pleased about the forced separation from their muggle parents. It had caused a bit of a stir among the public initially but they had eventually settled down. The younger muggleborns weren't a problem at all. A few of his Death Eaters had admitted to being surprised at how quickly the children adjusted to their new lives and to the wizarding world.

The muggleborn removal division and the boarding homes were just a couple of the many policy changes that Voldemort was pleased to have accomplished within the few short years of his rule.

Hogwarts was his biggest point of pride. Voldemort had done what should have been done years ago. He added more staff and subjects. The wizarding population was growing. Witches and wizards were having more children due to Lucius's successful campaign. The general population was growing more comfortable with his reign. Their economy was thriving and growing.

Voldemort had implemented faster paced Hogwarts classes for those who could handle them. Harsh punishments were put in place for those students who didn't put forth their best effort. Extra tutoring sessions were mandatory for those who were struggling. Voldemort would not abide the lazy in his new world.

Voldemort didn't have to wait long for Harry to join him. The boy was presentable in emerald green robes, and his curls were now neatly brushed. His son knew the consequences of not dressing appropriately. He also had house elves to help dress and groom him so there really was no excuse for slovenliness.

Once Harry was seated Voldemort signaled to the house elves. The elves immediately popped in with a plate of waffles. Voldemort only allowed Harry the sweet treat for breakfast on special occasions.

The beaming smile Harry produced as he stared at the stack of waffles proved just how much the boy enjoyed them.

"What kind of magic are we going to do, Daddy?" Harry asked between bites of his waffles.

Voldemort had finally taught him proper table manners. His son certainly no longer spread his meals across the table.

"I have a ritual set up for us to do together," Voldemort answered without taking his eyes from the paper.

"What kind of ritual?"

"You will just have to wait and see," Voldemort smirked at the boy.

Harry quickly finished up his waffles, and did his best to wait patiently while Voldemort finished his.

Voldemort took his time but eventually took pity on the boy. "Come along."

Harry didn't need to be told twice. His son swiftly adhered himself to his side as the two of them made their way through Slytherin Manor to one of the smaller ritual rooms. Voldemort had already set up the rune circle for their ritual. While Voldemort had been teaching Harry the ancient runes symbols right alongside the English alphabet, configuring a runic circle was well beyond the five-year-old's abilities.

"I know that one. It's…ehwaz," Harry exclaimed pointing to the central symbol of the configuration.

"And what does it mean?" Voldemort was proud Harry had remembered that much.

"It means friends?" Harry glanced questioningly at him.

"Close, it means partnership," Voldemort removed his outer robe, and directed Harry to do the same.

"Now you must stand on the north point of the circle. Right on ehwaz," Voldemort instructed.

Harry eagerly did as he was told. "Now what?"

"You will prick your finger and let three drops of blood no more no less fall upon the rune. Then you mustn't move or speak until the ritual is complete. I will chant the spell, and use my own magic to activate the ritual," Voldemort handed Harry a silver needle.

"How will I know it's all done?" Harry asked.

"You will know," Voldemort assured him.

Harry pricked his finger without hesitation and let the appropriate amount of blood fall onto the rune. Voldemort chanted the words and his magic eagerly responded. Instantly the circle lit up, and a thrum of magic sparked through the air.

This particular ritual had been outlawed despite its harmless nature due to the use of blood. It had been one of the many things that Voldemort saw as a detriment to wizarding culture. It had deprived wizarding children of the chance to have true a familiar rather than the limited choice pets Hogwarts had once permitted.

The magic slowly trickled away, and the light dimmed to reveal a small white snake curled in the inner circle of the runes. Voldemort instantly recognized the breed, and couldn't believe his son's good fortune. The tiny white opalescent snake had a pair of tiny gold horn to go along with their golden eyes and the amber jewel on their forehead.

"A snake," Harry gasped.

"A horned serpent. They are quite rare. They were hunted to extinction in Europe. Their horns and the gems on their foreheads are quiet valuable. You are lucky to have one be your familiar," Voldemort was pleased with this outcome.

"The ritual was to find a familiar?" Harry questioned.

Voldemort had taught Harry exactly what a familiar was a week earlier in preparation for the ritual.

"It is, the ritual was meant to find the familiar who would best suit your own needs and personality. Now why don't you introduce yourself to them?" Voldemort motioned to the tiny snake peering around the chamber with obvious curiosity.

"Hello, I'm Herakles, but everyone calls me, Harry," Harry introduced himself.

Voldemort was still displeased that despite all odds Harry's nickname had survived. He had grown too used to it.

"Hello, I am pleased to have been called to become the familiar of a speaker," the little snake spoke up with a lyrical, childlike voice.

"What's your name?" Harry crouched down beside the tiny snake.

"I don't have one. I only hatched a few moon turns ago," the young horned serpent replied.

"How about Aurelia? It means gold right, Daddy?" Harry glanced at him for confirmation.

The Dark Lord inclined his head, "It does."

"What do you think?" Harry returned his attention to the infant horned serpent.

"I like it," the tiny serpent shimmied closer to Harry's crouched form.

Harry carefully scooped up his new familiar. The newly named Aurelia curled around the young boy's arm. His son scratched the top of the little snake's head a huge smile on his face.

"Thank you, Dad. This is the best birthday present in the whole world!" Harry's eyes shone brightly.

Voldemort felt an unexpected spark of happiness at seeing Harry so happy. "You are welcome. Now we have some research to do. You need to learn about your familiar in order to properly take care of her."

"Okay," the younger wizard agreed all the while continuing to stroke his tiny familiar.

"Let us head up to the library, and I will help you," Voldemort laid a hand on his son's shoulder.

He steered the boy up to Slytherin Manor's vast library. The boy hardly paid attention as he was too busy chattering away to Aurelia. Voldemort was pleased Harry had chosen an appropriate name. He'd feared the boy would choose some cutesy name, and then he would have to step in to provide a more appropriate name.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the library. There were several different texts containing information on horned serpents. Voldemort chose the most basic to read to Harry who did an admiral job of listening and asking questions about his new familiar.

In general Voldemort was impressed with Harry's ability to listen for extending periods of time and retain information at his young age. His research into child development had suggested children had the attention span slightly above that of a goldfish. Again Voldemort attributed this to his own parenting ability. He held high expectations for Harry, and he had equally high consequences if Harry didn't follow his rules. Voldemort also provided high praise and reward when his son succeeded.

He introduced Harry to material others would say was above the child's head. However, Voldemort never thought it was too early to start educating him. While he allowed Harry time to play he did not think it was appropriate for his son to waste his days on frivolous activities when he could be doing something productive.

After gathering information on the horned serpent Voldemort gave Harry the presents he had purchased for his birthday. He only gave him a few gifts not wanting to spoil him. The majority of the gifts were practical. This year Voldemort had given him a few sets of new clothes, a few more children's books to continue building his reading skills, and a wooden three-dimensional puzzle to improve his cognitive and problem solving skills. The puzzle was charmed to take a new shape with a new way to solve it every time Harry solved the previous configuration.

Voldemort was reviewing the Unspeakable project in his office. Harry sat on the rug in front of the fireplace working on his new puzzle with his new familiar curled around his neck. Nagini was observing the proceedings. The larger and older snake was still a bit put out at having to share her 'hatchling' with another snake. Once realizing Aurelia was also a babe she quickly took to the little serpent.

The Unspeakables had crafted mirrors that once enchanted and connected to other mirrors who were similarly enchanted would allow wizards and witches to communicate through them. Voldemort believed it to be a much more effective communication method than owls or the floo. The mirrors provided instance communication unlike owls but the view was perfectly clear unlike the distorted vision from the floo. The upkeep was minimum was enchanted and connected they wouldn't require anything further than calling the name of the person they wanted to speak with.

Voldemort had pressed them to take the mirrors a step further and try to enhance them to become means of travel as well. Voldemort had even offered them a few ideas on to accomplish such a thing. It was a matter Voldemort could have solved himself if he didn't have more important things to consider.

A small pop announced Tilly's arrival. "Master, Lady and Lord Lestrange is being here with birthday gifts for young master."

"Aunt Bella and Uncle Rodolphus?" Harry perked up.

Bellatrix had taken the task of helping Voldemort raise Harry very seriously just as he knew she would. The witch didn't have a maternal bone in her body nevertheless she did try to be kind to Harry, and was eager to start teaching him curses. She seemed to genuinely care for him especially when she discovered Harry was technically his son, and began fawning over him.

The early days of Bellatrix's interactions with the boy had amused Voldemort to no end. Put the witch in a life or death battle and she would face down the greatest of foes without hesitation. Hand her a giggling two year-old-child and she looked ready to flee in the opposite direction. She was a bit better now that Harry was older, and Harry did adore her. Considering she was one of three people Harry actually had contact with it really didn't mean much.

Voldemort had decided to share Harry's existence with Bellatrix's husband. The man was utterly loyal just as his father and brother were. Rodolphus knowing about Harry meant that Voldemort could leave his son with the Lestranges when he had to be away for more than a few days. Voldemort could trust them to look after him. Rodolphus clearly cared for the boy. The dark wizard had always wanted to be a father, and he doted on Harry.

"Send them up, Tilly," Voldemort had something he wanted to discuss with the two of them.

"Right away, Master," the little elf popped away.

Only moments later Bellatrix and Rodolphus entered the office, they were each holding small, brightly wrapped packages in their hands.

"Happy Birthday, Harry," Rodolphus greeted.

Bellatrix echoed the statement.

"Thank you, Aunt Bella and Uncle Rodolphus. Look at my familiar," Harry was quick to shove Aurelia towards the pair.

"Oh how lovely," Rodolphus crouched down to properly examine the horned serpent.

"They look quite fierce," Bellatrix agreed peering down at the tiny serpent.

The compliments were the only opening Harry needed to provide an in depth retelling of how he had acquired his new companion, and just what his new familiar was.

Eventually he got around to opening the presents that Bellatrix and Rodolphus had brought him. Rodolphus had gotten him a set of magical building blocks that Harry seemed suitably impressed with, and Voldemort approved of. Bellatrix had give him a book of dark curses that Harry wouldn't be able to read let alone practice at his current age. Nevertheless Harry thanked her, and began leafing through the book.

"I know he can't quite read yet, however, this particular book has a lot of impressive drawings in it I thought he could look at," Bellatrix stated proudly while Rodolphus wore a long-suffering look.

"Ew, that man doesn't have any eyeballs," Harry's face scrunched up as he looked over the surprisingly detailed drawing.

"The eye removal curse. The incantation is Oculi Auferio. Your Uncle Rodolphus used that curse on Mad Eye Moody," Bellatrix informed him.

"Wow," Harry looked quite impressed.

"I can tell you all about it you'd like," Rodolphus looked to Voldemort for permission.

Voldemort inclined his head.

Rodolphus easily settled beside Harry to tell him of the battle against the mad former Auror embellishing the story a bit to entertain Harry. Voldemort was just displeased that Moody had managed to escape with his fellow Order of the Phoenix members. The overly paranoid wizard was someone Voldemort would have liked to see eviscerated. One day he was sure it would happen.

Once the story was over Voldemort had Nagini take Harry for a walk around the grounds in order to speak privately to the Lestranges.

"I would like to discuss something with the two of you," Voldemort informed them once the two of them had seated themselves in the chairs in front of his desk.

"Certainly, my Lord," Bellatrix quickly agreed.

"Harry is getting older, and I would like to start exposing him to the world. He will be introduced as my son, and undoubtedly this will cause questions about who his mother is. I don't want the general public knowing of his true origins thus I would ask that Bellatrix play that part. I will state that I wanted an heir, and asked for Bellatrix's aid. I have already developed a spell that will temporally turn his eyes the same shade of grey as yours when he is out in public. This will effectively disguise him, and further distance him from his previous parents. Would this be acceptable to both of you?"

"I would be willing to do anything to aid in the protection of Harry," Rodolphus nodded resolutely.

Bellatrix looked stunned, and only barely managed to stutter out an affirmative answer.

Voldemort knew of Bellatrix's love for him. How could he not? Her love made her easily malleable to his suggestions, and ensured her utter and complete loyalty. It also wasn't public knowledge that Bellatrix was infertile. No one would question the possibility of her being Harry's biological mother.

"Wonderful, I also wanted to offer you a position, Rodolphus," Voldemort regarded the other wizard.

"My Lord?" Rodolphus's eyes widened.

"There have only been interim headmasters for Hogwarts these last few years. Mostly due to the fact that I have been overseeing Hogwarts. I have implemented the majority of the changes I wish to have taken place now, and I want to turn over the reigns to someone else. I have been trying to find the right person, and I believe you are it. What do you think?"

Voldemort truly did think Rodolphus was the right fit. The wizard was good with children. He liked them unlike many of his Death Eaters. The older Lestrange brother was strict yet fair and nurturing. He would keep staff in line, and ensure the children were given a well-rounded education.

"I would be honored, my Lord," Rodolphus bowed his head.

The position of headmaster of Hogwarts was always a prestigious title. Any position at Hogwarts were generally prestigious, which was why several Death Eaters were now professors there. All of his Death Eaters held powerful positions in his new government. Voldemort knew the importance of rewarding his followers. He doled out harsh punishment when they failed him, and provided equally high rewards when they succeeded. It ensured their loyalty, and improved their overall success rate.

"Wonderful, you'll start this fall," Voldemort smiled.

Rodolphus thanked him profusely for the opportunity. Voldemort laid out the plan of revealing Harry's existence to the general public. He planned on releasing a statement that would be published in the Daily Prophet. Voldemort would then wait for the upheaval to die down before he started bringing Harry to public places alongside him.