Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Death was not having a good day. He never really liked Halloween. Samhain had been a bit better, but Halloween was just too commercialized. Now, Day of the Dead, that he supported. He believed it was very respectful, and he made sure to attend celebrations every year. Halloween now, he just thought that was annoying. He'd basically become a caricature over the years. Then, on this already annoying day, he is pulled to the house of a young family, all murdered before their time. Murder irritated him more than anything else in his job. It was just disrespectful to him and threw nature out of balance. It made a mockery of the natural order of things by disregarding his List and when someone was scheduled to die.

What lead him to furious rage though was the “man” who committed this murder, if he could even be called a man. He was an abomination. Though his killing curse had rebounded onto himself, Death could not take his soul into the next realm. He had anchored his soul to the mortal realm through a vile twisting of dark magic, giving dark practitioners a bad name when they were already discriminated against. Death had seen this before, but he had hoped the knowledge had been lost over the years. It seemed he was wrong.

Death took the young father first. He was sad and afraid, but Death assured him that he would see his family soon. The young mother was next. She was more resigned than the father. She had died to save her son and didn't regret it for a moment; she only regretted that it hadn't worked. She pleaded with Death to not take her Harry. She wanted him to live and be happy. Death calmed her as much as he could, knowing that the baby would be joining her soon. He didn't have a soothing presence, but he tried his best for those who were crossing over.

He then sadly went back for the baby. He took the young child into his arms and carried him into what he called his waiting room. He had heard others refer to it as purgatory or even limbo. Currently it looked like Kings Cross Station in London. He always liked to have travel related locations to emulate; it gave him joy and much amusement for some reason. It had been a shipping port from New Zealand before Kings Cross, and it was O’Hare Airport in Chicago before then. He only used O’Hare for a couple years though. For some reason, it tended to make the dead more anxious, go figure.

The baby had stopped crying when they crossed into the waiting room and was looking at Death with huge, green eyes. “E’wow. I A’wey,” the baby said, pointing at himself with a teary smile. “Oo, you?”

Death smiled at him. He stopped himself, knowing this tended to freak people out when he smiled, but the baby amazed him by just smiling back broader. Now, Death didn’t look terrifying in his current chosen form, he actually looked pretty good, if he could say so himself. He looked to be around early 20s; with strong, masculine features; usually wore muggle clothes to put them at ease; had long-ish, jet-black hair that he always tied back; dark, obsidian eyes; he was taller than average at about 6’4;” and well-muscled. It wasn’t his appearance, per se, that tended to put people on edge, but his general aura. His aura was…well…Death. Those who feared death would fear the manifestation of it. No one chatted with him, even children who really didn’t know what was going on were inherently afraid of him. Everyone either pleaded to go back or go on, which means they always went on. By the time you made it to the waiting room, there was no going back.

“Well, little one,” Death smiled again happily, since it didn’t seem to terrify the boy. He sat on one of the benches, still holding the baby who he rearranged to make more comfortable on his lap. “I have been called by many names over the millennia. Death is the most straight-forward. I’ve also been called Hades, Pluto, Dis Pater, Osiris, Yama, and many others. Can you pronounce any of those?”

The boy seemed to give it a lot of very serious thought. Which of the names could he pronounce? “Dis!” he said proudly, finding one he could easily say.

Death laughed. It was the first time he had laughed in the presence of a mortal and the mortal hadn’t started crying. This strange mortal giggled as well to his surprise. “You may call me Dis then, little one,” he said. Something about this child called to him. Something stirred in his heart when he looked into those green eyes. Maybe he would visit this child in the next realm. Yes, he would like that very much.

Then, the child hugged him and he thought he must have gone into shock or something. No one had ever hugged Death in his entire existence. “Oo my fwend meester Dis,” Harry informed him as if it were a very serious proclamation that was extremely important.

There were rules that Death followed that had been in place since the beginning of time, and as he hugged the small child back, he knew he was about to break all of them. The boy had been hit with the killing curse, he had made it to the waiting room, he was supposed to go on. He was supposed to join his parents. Death realized though that this small, strange child fascinated him. He wanted to see this child grow up, develop into a mature person, have a family, spread his joy within the world of the living. There wasn’t enough joy in that world, and he wasn’t about to take this bright light of joy out of it. He would later claim temporary insanity, but really he knew, Fate wanted this child back in the world; he wanted this child back in the world of the living.

There was something he desperately needed to do before sending the child back though. Death placed his hand on Harry’s forehead, over the lightning bolt cut there. He could feel a piece of the abomination there. He needed to remove the parasitic soul-piece before returning the child so that it couldn’t have a corrupting influence on the child’s own beautiful soul. He knew there would be residue left, a link to the abomination, but the child would at least be free from the evil soul, and the abomination couldn’t use that soul-piece to remain anchored to the world. Death pulled his hand away dragging a dark wraith with it and pulling it from the child’s body. He cast the soul-piece away and under another of the benches. He would handle it later.

Harry’s face screwed up in pain and a single tear ran down his cheek. “I’m so sorry, child,” Death said, hugging him close, hurting himself at the pain he'd caused in his new friend. “I had to remove it though. You wouldn’t want to keep it with you.”

“Tank you,” the boy sniffed in understanding beyond his years.

“Harry,” Death said seriously as he held the child on his lap. “I’m taking you back to your world. I know you don’t understand right now, but I want to see you live. I want you to be happy and grow old. I had better not see you again until you’re 150-years-old and have 30 grandchildren. Ok?”

“Kay,” Harry smiled and nodded, not really understanding.

“Now, you won’t remember me,” Death said and raised a hand as the small boy started to protest. “It’s just the way things are, and I can’t change it. Even though you won’t remember me, I’ll remember you, and I’ll be watching out for you, ok?”

“Kay, meester Dis,” Harry smiled. “I ‘member you though. I pwomise. You my fwend.”

Death laughed and stood up to return his Harry to the mortal world. “Well, do try to remember, no returning here until you’re at least 150.”

Harry was not 150 the next time Death saw him. He was 3-years-old.

Chapter Text

“Hello again, Mr. Dis,” Harry said as Death led him by the hand into the Kings Cross waiting room. After Harry’s first visit, Death decided to never use Kings Cross again until Harry returned. It would be their place. He was seething that he was having to use it again just over a year and a half later.

Death stopped by their same bench from before and his jaw dropped open in shock. “You remember me?” he asked as he crouched down and looked into the eyes of the much too thin 3-year-old.

“Of course. You’re my fwend,” Harry smiled broadly. “You’re my only fwend,” he added even more quietly.

If Death was allowed to murder, he would have killed Harry’s entire family at that moment. He had never desired his very nature to be changed so that he could kill before, but right now, he finally understood why someone would wish to end another's existence. They had starved their nephew to death, and he just said that Death was his only friend. He didn’t know why this child inspired him to break every single rule he had, but he snapped his fingers and a table, chairs, and a large feast appeared before them. “When was the last time you ate Harry?” Death asked with a deep sigh.

“Erm…” Harry thought and then just shrugged his shoulders. “Can’t ‘member.”

Death led him to the table. “Please eat whatever you would like, as much as you would like.”

Harry’s green eyes got huge in shock as he scrambled up on a chair. He looked back questioningly at Death like he was waiting to be told it was just a cruel joke, but Death just nodded for him to go ahead and eat. Harry filled his plate but ate much less than Death would have liked. His stomach just couldn’t support the food even if Death was surreptitiously healing him enough for the child not to become nauseous. “How have you been, Mr. Dis?” Harry asked as he pushed food around his plate, not being able to eat another bite. “Do you have fwends you play with?”

Death didn’t think this child could shock him any more than he already had, but he just asked about how he had been and if he had any friends, after he had just died himself. What was wrong with this child? “I’ve been well, Harry,” Death smiled. He was happy to see that Harry made himself take another bite of mashed potatoes. “You are my only friend though as well. I’ve missed you, but I was still hoping it would be much longer before I saw you again.”

Harry seemed to think for a bit. Death knew that the child couldn’t understand what was happening. “It’s because I died again, right?” Harry asked, a serious expression on his young face. “You wanted me to live longer? You told me to not come back ‘til I was 150.”

And, once again, Death’s jaw dropped. How did a 3-year-old understand that he had died and passed into the next realm twice? How did he actually understand that his Mr. Dis was really and truly Death? “Yes, Harry,” Death said quietly, trying to shake himself out of his shock. “I’m surprised you remembered.”

Harry smiled proudly. “I have a rweally good memory.”

“Yes, you do,” Death smiled at him and nodded. “I do believe you will not remember me this time though. I don’t know why you did before, but it’s just not the way things are. You’ll forget as soon as I take you back.”

“You’re taking me back?” Harry asked, shocked and a little saddened. There was so much food here, and he had a friend. Even if he was dead, this was so much better than his aunt and uncle’s house.

Death had subconsciously made the decision and shocked himself when he told Harry. “Yes,” he said. “I want you to live though, so if you remember anything, remember to take care of yourself. You can make things happen around you, like magic. If you think about what you want hard enough, you can make it happen. Use this to get food. Steal it from your relatives, whatever you need to do to get food, do it. Ok?”

Harry nodded slowly. “Kay, if I have to. I’ll miss you Mr. Dis,” Harry said, taking Death’s hand as they headed back to the mortal would again.

“I’ll miss you too, Harry,” Death said, patting the messy black hair. “Please don’t see me for a very long time though.”

“Kay.”

It was not a very long time before Death was visiting with Harry again. It was only four years later.

Chapter Text

Death led a bruised and bleeding 7-year-old into the Kings Cross Station waiting room. Death’s very human form he mostly preferred to wear blinking slightly to show his more traditional cloaked and skeletal form in his intense anger. A beating from his favorite child’s uncle had gone too far.

“Hey Dis?” Harry asked smiling at his friend happily through a split lip. “You had chocolate last time I was here. Do you think we could have some more of that before we move on?”

Death stopped in his tracks at almost the same place he did the last time he collected Harry. “You remembered?” he almost whispered in stunned awe, laying a hand on the dirty mop of dark hair.

“Of course,” Harry smiled broadly, not seeming to pay attention to any of his many injuries. “I toooold you I have a great memory. And, this is the only time I’ve ever had chocolate before. It’s hard to forget your only friend and your favorite food.”

Death promptly waved a hand over the boy, healing the worst of his injuries before he conjured the table of food once more. This time he had already decided he was returning the boy, so he couldn’t heal all the injuries, or it would raise questions. This child was too precious and was too intriguing for him to take the boy into the next realm where he would no longer grow and develop. He watched as Harry jumped into one of the chairs and reached first for the chocolate cake. Death cleared his throat with a stern but fond look. “Eat something healthy first, little one,” he said as Harry just chuckled at him and reached for the chicken instead.

Death decided to keep Harry a little longer this time and actually spend some time with him. Time moved differently in his waiting room than it did in the mortal world, so he could keep the child as long as he wanted and return him to the same time he left. So, he chatted with Harry over the food, even eating a little chocolate with him. Death then decided to teach Harry how to play Mancala, Go Fish, and Solitaire. He figured Harry could play Solitaire by himself when he returned and was locked in his cupboard for long hours. Death of course won at Mancala every time, but Harry won in Go Fish, though Death was pretty sure he was somehow cheating even if he couldn't figure out how.

After a while, Harry looked at Death with a confused expression on his face. “Erm, Dis? Are we moving on sometime soon?” He asked. “Not that I’m not having the most fun I’ve had my entire life,” Harry quickly added to not offend his friend. “I just thought that people normally move on, right? See their families and all on the other side.”

“Do you want to move on?” Death asked, genuinely curious.

Harry smiled at him. “I just admitted that the most fun I’ve had in my entire life was when I was dead, so yeah, I’m thinking moving on might not be a bad thing,” Harry laughed.

Death looked at him sadly. A 7-year-old shouldn’t want to move on. “I’m not ready for you to move on, Harry,” Death admitted honestly, shocking himself at how honest he was being with his young friend. “I don’t understand you, and that fascinates me. And, I want you to grow up and be happy. Things will get better for you, I promise. I can’t tell you much, but do know that at least in four years, you’ll be able to get away from your relatives for a while anyway.” Death knew the young wizard boy would eventually be able to go to Hogwarts; he just wished it came sooner.

“I don’t want to lose you again,” Harry said sadly, pushing the glass beads from the mancala game around distractedly.

Death looked at him in deep thought. “Well, I think we’ve established at this point that you will actually remember me, as strange as that is,” Death mused, and offered, a little hesitantly, expecting rejection at any moment, “I could visit you occasionally in the mortal world, if you would like.”

This offer made Harry’s face light up around the still visible bruises. “I’d love that, Dis!” he exclaimed and clapped his hands together excitedly.

After another thought, Death pulled an ancient-looking coin from out of his pocket. Yes, Death had pockets in the jeans he wore, not creepy black robes this time anyway, though his dress shirt was black. “This is a ferryman’s coin,” Death explained as he handed the coin to Harry. “In myth, it’s to pay Charon, the ferryman, to get into the underworld. For us, it’ll call me if you hold it and think of me. I will come to you whenever you call me no matter what time it is.”

Harry studied the ancient coin in his hand that looked Greek in origin. He looked at it like it was the only gift he had ever received; Death sadly knew that it probably was. “Thank you,” Harry said in an awed whisper before rushing over and wrapping Death in a tight hug.

Death closed his eyes and hugged the small child back. He didn’t know how this child had wormed his way into his heart, but he was firmly there to stay. “I must return you now, but call me if your uncle beats you again. I can heal the worst of the injuries.”

“Yes, Dis,” Harry said a little sadly...maybe he wasn’t allowed to call his friend if he wasn’t in trouble.

Death frowned at the sad tone and then realized what it was for. “And, call me if you just want to talk or play cards, anytime,” he added. He also handed the pack of cards to Harry so that he could continue playing Solitaire when he was alone.

Harry’s face beamed as Death took his hand one more time and led him back to the mortal world.

Chapter Text

Death did get called a few more times over the years to heal injuries, but thankfully, not as many times as he had feared from his earlier interactions with his favorite mortal child. Harry called him about once a month just to chat and play card games, and Death always visited (without being called) at midnight on Harry’s birthday to spend it with his friend.

Death breathed a deep sigh of relief when Harry’s eleventh birthday rolled around. He would be going to Hogwarts, and he would be safe for most of the year away from those horrible excuses for humans that had killed his favorite human twice now. It was a little irritating that Death couldn’t visit with his Harry at midnight on his birthday like we was accustomed to because the half-giant, Hagrid, showed up then. But, Death was thankfully able to visit him the next night.

“Dis! I’m a wizard and going to a school to learn magic!” Harry exclaimed when Death appeared in a dark cloud as usual in Harry’s small bedroom.

Death laughed as he sat on Harry’s small, uncomfortable bed and leaned in for a quick hug from the one person who allowed him that. This was so much better than visiting him in the cramped cupboard, Death noted. He had to shrink himself down in order to fit in there with Harry. “You will love Hogwarts!” Death smiled. "It is a place where you can make friends and learn so much. I hear the house elves make wonderful desserts as well."

“You knew!” Harry exclaimed, accusingly poking his friend in the chest. “And, you didn’t tell me?!”

Death just pulled him into another hug. As the only person ever to welcome hugs from Death, he made sure to get in a least a couple with Harry each visit. “I felt it safer for you not knowing you were a wizard while you had to live with your relatives,” Death explained.

Harry rolled his eyes. “Over-protective much?” He complained with another glare.

“Considering how many times you’ve died so far, yes,” Death snorted indignantly.

“Oh yeah, on that,” Harry said, pulling away to look his friend in his dark eyes. “They all call me the Boy-Who-Lived. Isn’t that funny? I almost laughed when Hagrid explained it. If anything, I should be the Boy-Who-Just-Keeps-Dying-But-Who-Death-Keeps-Sending-Back.”

“The name would be too long,” Death laughed dryly.

“I didn’t know what to say to Hagrid, so I just didn’t say anything,” Harry explained. “What should I say? Should I say anything?”

Death thought for a minute. “I don’t think you should tell people about us,” he decided. “I don’t think anyone would understand. Frankly, I don’t understand myself.”

Harry laughed. “Well, my relatives do always call me a freak.”

“Harry,” Death chided with a dark glower. “What have I told you about that name?”

“I know, I know,” Harry said in a well-rehearsed tone. “I’m not a freak, and you never want to hear that word again. Dis, you do have to admit that I’m a little strange though. You’ve said yourself that being friends with Death is not something that happens. I’m your only friend as you are mine. Something is strange about that.”

“You’ll make many more friends when you get to Hogwarts,” Death smiled at him, congratulating himself on keeping the jealousy out of his tone, even though he definitely felt it. “You’ll live and be happy and forget all about hanging out with little old Death.”

Harry laughed. “You need to heed your own advice, mate,” Harry said, pulling Death back into a hug. “You know I’ll never forget you and you’ll always be my first and best friend,” Harry assured him. “Stop with all the self-deprecating crap.”

“It tends to stick around when people run screaming from you for millennia,” Death said from where his face was in the dark, messy locks.

“Well, I don’t know what’s wrong with them,” Harry assured him vehemently. “I’ve never run screaming and never will. Want to meet my new owl?”

Death laughed as Harry introduced Hedwig to Dis. The owl seemed a little uncomfortable for a couple minutes until Harry explained that Dis was his friend, and then she seemed to settle down, accepting Death as a member of the family. She gave Death a look, clearly communicating that she would never be delivering a letter to the underworld though.  

Death was so happy at how excited his Harry was for Hogwarts. Death just knew his favorite human would finally be safe now. Harry agreed to not tell anyone of their friendship, and Death agreed to visit him occasionally at Hogwarts. It seemed things were finally looking up for his young friend.

When the Hogwarts Express pulled out from the real Kings Cross Station, Death appeared briefly at the end of the platform and waved to his young friend as Harry smiled and waved back from the retreating window. Now, he could trust his friend to stay safe and out of trouble.

Chapter Text

Death was not happy. No, he was completely livid! Hogwarts was supposed to be safe for his young friend, but the abomination showed up and took up residence in the castle. He visited his friend frequently over the year, showing up in a dark cloud on Harry’s bed and casting a silencing spell on the curtains so they could talk and play cards or wizard’s chess well into the night. He seethed every time Harry explained another of his near misses with the abomination. Death was also not happy that the residue from the soul-piece was causing Harry pain in his scar. He couldn’t help him though as long as the abomination was still tied to the land of the living.

And then, Harry died, again. The confrontation with Quirrelmort over the Philosopher’s Stone drained Harry’s magic too much, and Death found himself once again leading his young friend into his Kings Cross Station waiting room. “I’m staying with you this time, right?” Harry asked, almost hopefully.

“No, you idiot boy!” Death exclaimed iritatedly, reminding Harry very much of his Professor Snape. “It serves you right to have to go back. Think of it as punishment if you will for being an idiot and going after a dark wizard all on your own!”

“Ron and Hermione were with me,” Harry said under his breath as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Doesn’t count!” Death yelled in exasperation. “I know you don’t trust adults, and for good reason, but just tell one of them and let them handle it next time! If the world burns around you, then let it! It's not your problem.”

“We tried to tell McGonagall,” Harry almost whined. “She didn’t believe us though!”

Death pinched the bridge of his nose and sat on their normal bench. It was ridiculous that they had a normal bench in the afterlife. “As soon as that old lady dies, I’m giving her an earful,” he said under his breath.

Harry snorted. “You really shouldn’t be calling anyone old, Dis.”

“Not. The. Point.” Death snarled. “Up!”

“Hey, there’s a Cerberus in a hallway guarding a trapdoor on the third floor,” Harry quickly remembered as Death pulled him to his feet. “I’m not sure if it’s myth or not, but I thought you’d like to know. He goes by Fluffy.”

Death stared at him anger steadily increasing once again. “Someone put one of my dogs in a tiny hallway and made them guard something!! My beautiful, noble creature, is a guard dog?!”

“It didn’t seem super humane to me,” Harry nodded. “The room was pretty small.”

Death sighed and almost shoved Harry back to the mortal world, muttering curses under his breath the whole way. When did he start not even questioning his decision to return Harry, he wondered at some point later, but not until Harry was safely recovering in a bed in the infirmary. That very night, Fluffy also went missing, to the confusion and worry of everyone who knew of his existence.

The only bright spot (well to Death anyway) in the entire situation is that one Quirinus Quirrell was now in Death's domain for him to do with as he would. Yes, that was a definite bright spot in Death's opinion.

Chapter Text

Death was stressed out Harry’s entire second year because of course there was a basilisk loose in the castle. Harry just couldn't have a safe and uneventful year. Death just knew he would be coming for all of the children, or at least Harry, knowing his luck. They were playing poker with chocolate frog cards as the chips in Harry’s four-poster bed one night part-way through the year. “Why can I speak to snakes?” Harry asked as he considered his hand. “You got rid of that piece of Voldemort in me back when we first met.”

“You remember that?!” Death almost shrieked, glad he always put up a silencing spell. He could count on one hand how many times he'd been surprised in his entire existence up until he'd met Harry. Since then, it seemed almost constantly there was something new that surprised Death and seemed to go against everything he believed to be true in the world.

“Yeah, must be some weird thing about the waiting room, but I always remember what happens there, even though the rest of my early childhood is really fuzzy,” Harry shrugged, not really concerned at all. That was just how his life was; it's not like he knew any differently.

Death took a couple deep, steadying breaths. “Yes, I got rid of the piece of that abomination, but there will always be some residue left behind though since it was embedded in your soul, even though it was only a short time. There is a link between you, that’s what caused your scar to hurt last year, and you will always be able to talk to snakes.”

“Are there any other surprises I should prepare myself for?” Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Who knows?!” Death snorted, feeling completely out of his depth. He may be an immortal being that had existed since the beginning of time, but he felt like a child still learning where Harry was concerned. “You are one of a kind, my love.” Death’s eyes widened as he realized what he just said.

Harry looked at his friend and slowly placed his cards on the bed. He took in Death’s shock, his confusion, and, most importantly, his fear. “I love you too, Dis,” he said with a smile to calm his friend.

Death breathed out a sigh of relief. He cleared his throat uncomfortably. “Right, now that we got that established. I should go,” he said putting the cards up and taking a couple of the chocolate frogs, Harry had gotten him hooked on chocolate. It had only taken millennia and one persistent child, but he was addicted now. “Remember…”

“Yeah, yeah,” Harry said interrupting him. “150 and 30 grandkids. I got it.”

For once, Death wasn’t coming for Harry. He blessed that Phoenix and promised to send him and entire busload of treats. It had been very close, but Harry wouldn’t be seeing Kings Cross that day. Death was amazed though when Harry looked over at him and gave him a weak smile and wave when Death grabbed the piece of the abomination’s soul to take to the other side. Harry shouldn’t have been able to see him when he was performing his normal duties, but when had Harry ever been normal. As the only person ever to cross into the afterlife and return, it must have left some mark on him and connection to Death. Death pushed the thought aside though, promising to analyze it later. He gave his friend a smile and wave back before violently yanking the shrieking soul-piece into the afterlife.

A few days later, Harry called him to his bed in Gryffindor Tower, it was right before his favorite would be heading back to those horrible people. “I bet you’re glad you weren’t there for me this time!” Harry exclaimed, giving Death a hug.

It bothered Death consistently that Harry didn’t say that he was glad Death hadn’t been there for him. “I am, love,” Death sighed, leaving it for now. The subject came up often and both of them were too stubborn to convince the other to their point of view.

“And…I suppose you didn’t have anything to do with an enormous bag of Phoenix treats showing up at the head table this morning?” Harry asked with an amused twinkle in his eye. "Fawkes looked like he was in heaven and Dumbledore was already talking about putting him on a diet."

“Fawkes earned those treats, and he should be allowed to do what he wants with them,” Death sniffed indignantly. “Though that owner of his could do well to learn to care for his students more.”

“Dumbledore didn’t open the Chamber of Secrets,” Harry protested with a frown.

“No, but he could have hired competent staff and closed the school when the danger became real. I was expecting to take away a student’s soul all year. And, this is the second time a professor has tried to seriously harm you! I will have words with that old man when he dies,” Death seethed with a snarl.

“It sounds like you are planning to ‘have words’ with all the adults in my life once they kick the bucket,” Harry laughed, though he was a bit concerned what Death's version of 'words' really meant.

“And…?” Death just said with a challenging raise of his eyebrow. “That Snape person is also on my list,” he continued to grumble about bullies of professors.

Harry laughed and pulled his chess board out from under the bed. “I’m sure you want to be black as always,” he said, and Death just nodded and settled in for the game. Harry was still terrible at chess, no matter how much they played. “How’s Fluffy by the way? I haven’t asked in a while. Still settling in?”

“Turns out he actually likes the name Fluffy,” Death grumbled with a grimace. “I tried to change it, but he protested…vehemently. He’s having a good time though. He has much more room to run now. He and a grim of mine have become fast friends and keep causing mischief. Fate loves them, but my imps are all stressed out since the two of them like to sneak up behind them and bark.”

“Good,” Harry said with a smile as he moved a pawn forward. "I hated seeing him stuck in that small corridor. He deserves a friend."

Chapter Text

“So, the Divination professor predicted my death today,” Harry laughed as he pulled a tile. They were playing Mahjong on an evening where Harry was just settling into this third year after an eventful summer at the Dursleys and then the Burrow.

Death snorted. “She’s probably right,” he agreed. “Your teacups and crystal balls and tarot cards and whatever will always have symbols of mine in them though. Even those who’ve had near-death experiences and return retain some of the essence of death. Since you have actually crossed over and returned, I would assume you have my mark on you. Get used to any seer, real or a quack, telling you that you’ll die soon. Do please try to stay alive this year though.”

“Hey, I didn’t die last year,” Harry said with fake indignation. “What does it mean that I have your mark?”

“Not dying for a year isn’t normally something to boast about,” Death said with a smirk. “As for my mark, I don’t really know. You’re the only one that I’ve ever brought back. You’ve always been able to see the thestrals, right?”

“Yeah, it was a shock, but you prepared me for it, so I pretended I couldn’t see them so people wouldn't ask questions.”

“I would guess that other creatures that are within my realm will have varying reactions to you,” Death considered while he waited on Harry to make the next move in their game.

“What are some of the other creatures that identify with your realm?”

“Well, phoenixes are of my realm, and Fawkes has taken quite the interest in you. Also, dementors, though their reaction is not pleasing to me at all. Them being attracted to you is not a good thing. Erm, ravens, owls, grims, frankly there’s a lot.”

“Yeah, I guess I’ll never be normal,” Harry laughed. “Normal’s overrated though, right Dis?”

“I think you want to die,” Death said quietly, bringing up the subject again that had bothered him since Harry was seven. He wondered frequently if he'd done the right thing in bringing Harry back to the living when he had already crossed over. He couldn't bring himself to regret it at all though.

Harry just shrugged. “I’d get to stay with you,” he said without elaboration.

Death sighed. “I’m with you now,” he said in a pained tone. “I want…”

“I know,” Harry interrupted. “You want me to grow old and be happy. I’m happy with you though.”

Death didn’t know how to respond. He wanted Harry to decide that Ron and Hermione were more important than his old friend Dis. He wanted Harry to find someone, a nice girl or guy, and settle down. He wanted Harry to be one of the people who walked into the other realm at peace, and not because the mortal realm was so bad, but because they had lived a good and full life. He wanted Harry to forget about him, but he also desperately wanted, so much that it physically hurt him, for Harry to never forget about him and stay with him always.

“Just be careful, ok?” Death said softly, not being able, or knowing how, to say any of the things he was thinking.

“Yeah, yeah, 150 and 30 grandkids, I got it,” Harry said with a snort.

“Dis?” Harry asked a few months later, not quite being able to meet his friend's eye. “Can I ask you something? I’m not sure if it’s against the rules.”

Death just raised an eyebrow. “All the rules kind of went out the window with you, kid,” he said simply. “What is it?”

Harry paused for a minute, trying to figure out how best to phrase his question. “How are my parents?” he asked. “Every time I’m around the dementors, I hear them die. I was just wondering, how are they now? Are they happy?”

Death was already irate at the dementors being around the school. He had no personal feelings about the creatures even though they were from his realm, but when they hurt his Harry, they were on his bad list. He didn’t know Harry heard his parents when they were around though. “Your mother was pissed when I went back to get you originally. She wanted you to live. That one is a force of nature,” Death answered in good humor, remembering the redheaded woman's ire well.

Harry smiled at the description of his mother. “Anyway,” Death continued. “I kept sending you back, so the both of them are probably my biggest supporters right now. Your mum keeps giving me this weird knowing look though. I don’t know what to make of it. Your dad is still awkward around me, but your mum actually hugged me the last time I sent you back. It was very uncomfortable. I don’t know what to do with two of you mortals hugging me now.”

“So…you hang out with them a lot?” Harry asked, fascinated and kicking himself for never asking before. He was also having a blast picturing his mother hugging his awkward friend. He knew that Death was old...literally as old as dirt, but the man knew so little about human emotions and interactions that he seemed so young, younger than Harry even sometimes. Harry could picture his mother hopefully taking on the deity as a sort-of son.

“I didn’t used to,” Death explained. “Your parents were just there like everyone else in the other realm, which I definitely can’t talk about, so don’t ask. When I kept sending you back, I would go and tell them. Then, I just kept them updated on how you were doing since they asked. Now, we have tea. Your mum is happy you’re friends with Ron and Hermione, and your dad gets a kick out of all the mischief you get up to with his old invisibility cloak. I don’t think I share his opinion on the matter though.”

Harry had a weird expression on his face. Death was very confused. “You…have…tea…with my parents…in the afterlife,” Harry broke down laughing.

“It’s not funny,” Death grumbled as he looked on fondly at the boy rolling around in laughter in front of him.

“That’s the third one!” Death raged in Harry’s empty dorm room while Harry packed. He had shown up in the middle of day, weirdly, when the rest of Harry’s dormmates were out and getting ready to head back to their homes.

“The third what?” Harry asked confused.

“The third DADA professor to try to harm and/or kill you!” Death shouted in anger.

Harry looked at him, still confused. “But…Professor Lupin likes me,” Harry responded.

“He still tried to kill you!” Death said, dramatically flopping on Harry’s bed. Yes, Death flopped.

“It was an accident though,” Harry explained, sitting beside him. “He was actually a good teacher, unlike the others.”

“He’s still on my list for words once he dies,” Death definitely didn't pout. Immortal deities didn't pout, no matter what Harry said.

“You know, you could just show up and start yelling at some of these people before they die,” Harry laughed. “You’d probably give them a heart attack and move it on quicker.”

“Don’t give me any ideas,” Death warned. “By the way, I’ve put the dementors on notice. They’re not to bother you again. If they do, they’ll answer directly to me.”

Harry breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you! I never want to see another dementor again!”

Chapter Text

"I didn't put my name in the bloody cup!" Harry exclaimed as soon as Death appeared on Harry's bed the night after the Triwizard Tournament champions were selected.

"Of course, you didn't," Death responded, confused. "Who in Hecate's name thought you did?"

"Everyone!" Harry exclaimed, completely frustrated. "Ron, Dumbledore, Snape…everyone!"

"They're idiots, and I'll haunt their nightmares if you ask me to," Death said ominously, and obviously more than serious. It was a simple decision; if Harry asked, he'd be more than happy to cause the worst nightmares any of them had ever experienced.

Harry ignored him as he leaned against the headboard. "I just won't compete…that's right. They can't make me. Maybe I can transfer to a different school..."

Death hissed, remembering the Triwizard Tournaments of the past. He'd been very involved...which meant nothing good for his Harry. "You'll die. It's the idiotic contract," he seethed. Death had been keeping an eye on the school (since Harry first stepped off the train in first year, really) especially when they announced the tournament was taking place there. Just one other thing to bring Death to the school in an official capacity. It didn't shock Death that somehow Harry found himself having to compete. It was just the way things were with the boy that seemed to attract danger.

"Wouldn't be too bad," Harry grumbled petulantly.

"We are not talking about this again," Death sighed and rolled his eyes. It was a recurring argument with them. "You will compete, and you will do well. I'll help you and be in the audience for every task."

"Really?!" Harry asked, sitting up and looking at his friend in disbelief. "You would actually come to the tasks? Like a normal human-person?"

"Of course," Death scoffed. "I'll probably have to take some poor soul on anyway, it's just expedient to already be on hand. And, I spent a long time coming up with this form," he motioned to the look he always wore around the mortals when he was trying to put them at ease. "I might as well get some use out of it."

"That's the spirit!" Harry made fun of him. "Want to borrow my invisibility cloak just in case people decide to talk to you and it gets uncomfortable?"

Death rolled his eyes. "First of all, I'm not completely in-adept at social interaction. I talk to you all the time anyway. Secondly, I'm Death, why in the world would you think I'd need an invisibility cloak?"

"It's a good cloak," Harry shrugged, but a little put out. "I've never seen you around other people, and I've always been able to see you, so don't look at me like it was a stupid question. Besides, it's always you who says that people tend to scream and run rather than sit down for a nice chat."

Death gave him a fond glare. "I'll just hide in the back like I'm sure your godfather will be doing as well. I'll tone down my aura in case anyone sees me, but I don't plan on being there invisible. I can't really step in to influence things, but I would like to hopefully be a comforting presence for you."

"Feel free to scare any of the judges. I'm still a little sore about the whole competing thing."

"Maybe I'll bring Fluffy along with me," Death mused with a mischievous grin.

"Hagrid would love to see him again," Harry smiled. "He might cause some panic though...not that I'm super against that."

Death just shrugged. That had been the point.

They might not have been some of his creatures, but Death felt for the dragons in the first task. He fully believed it was inhumane to transport nesting mothers to a new location just for a game. He checked, and Harry had a good plan with summoning his broom, but Death still made sure each dragon got a good look at him as a warning and they seemed more subdued than normal after that. He almost stepped in to have words with Harry's friend Ron until he saw the young man apologizing to Harry after the task. Death always felt just a little jealousy around Harry's other friends, but he was very happy he had them regardless.

As Christmas neared, Death visited Harry a couple times, and both times, Harry seemed overly amped up or nervous. It was the second time, after Harry threw two hands in poker, which he was actually really good at, that Death had enough. "Just tell me!" He almost exploded in frustration. "What is it?!"

Harry jumped and looked at him. "Erm…" He started, nervously. "You see…there's this ball-thing at Christmas…"

"And, you have to ask someone out," Death nodded in understanding, finally getting why Harry was on edge. "So, who's the lucky person?"

"Erm…well…I was…" Harry seemed to get stuck halfway through. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I was wondering if you'd come with me?" Harry rushed out and then cracked open one eye to look at his friend questioningly.

Death's jaw dropped open and he just stared at Harry. He did not see that one coming. "I can't," Death finally breathed out. "Not that I don't want to," he rushed to add, seeing the sad look on Harry's face.

"It's fine…" Harry started.

"No, let me explain," Death jumped in. "I look in my early 20s and you're only 14," he explained. "I can't go with you. Besides, I really creep people out, for lack of a better term."

"You look good, not creepy," Harry said, turning a bright red.

Death smiled, his dark eyes crinkling happily at the corners. "I may look normal, but I don't feel normal to people," Death explained once again. "My presence upsets, well…everyone besides you. Even the dragons in the first task were frightened."

Harry gave it some thought, but he didn't seem happy about it. Death wasn't sure what was going on, but something seemed to be changing in their relationship that he just didn't understand. Bloody human emotions! Maybe he'd discuss it with Lily later; she might be able to explain it to him. He just didn't understand mortals at all!

Harry behaved admirably in the second task, Death thought as he looked on the wet young man in pride from where he was hiding by the stands. Death knew Harry would make sure all the hostages were safe, even if it was just game; there was just too much at stake. He had been very worried for his friend though when he took longer than expected to surface. Death had made sure to give the little house elf the gillyweed Harry would need for the task. The elf had been planning to steal it from Snape's stores, but Death didn't want the elf or Harry to get in trouble with that git of a potions master. He felt bad for terrifying the little elf, but he'd been happy to help his Mr. Harry Potter, sir in the end. Just one last task to go, Death reminded himself as he watched Harry laughing with his friends. They were almost at the end.

Death never did bring Fluffy to the school, but he did have "words" with Barty Crouch after he died. He wasn't one of the main ones on Death's "You Hurt Harry List," but he'd have to do as the first one he was able to actually yell at besides Quirrell who'd been receiving all of his negative attention so far. It was a little cathartic, but still frustrating.

Death waved from beside the stands at Harry as he got ready for the third task. Harry happily waved back to the shadowed spot Death was standing in to avoid the humans. Death smiled broadly at his friend. He had finally talked to Lily about what she thought was going on with him and Harry, but it hadn't cleared anything up for him. Actually, he was more confused now than ever. She'd just patted him on the hand and said he'd figure it out for himself, probably in a year or two. He had no clue what that meant. He really should stop hanging out with humans so much, he scoffed.

It didn't take long before Death knew something was very wrong. He was being summoned. He appeared in a graveyard beside the Hufflepuff champion, Cedric Diggory, Death remembered. Harry stared right at him from where he was secured to a headstone and looking injured and traumatized. Death looked at him sadly as Harry just gave him a small, sad smile back. Death couldn't do anything to help his friend, and Harry knew that he was the only one who saw Death when he was fulfilling his duties. It pained him, but he wasn't of this world, so he shouldn't interact with it. He didn't leave with Cedric just yet though. He would stay and wait and hopefully only leave with one soul.

Death felt like he was having a panic attack. He'd never experienced one before, didn't even know he could have one being an immortal deity, but here he was. The abomination was back. His Harry was in danger, yet again, and he could only watch. He watched the minions show up (he refused to call them Death Eaters, so disrespectful!). Then the suffered through the duel. When the echoes of the abomination's victims returned with Priori Incantatem, Death looked on in awe at the power and maturity of his Harry. Lily and James both glanced over at Death before they disappeared, and Harry grabbed Cedric's body and the portkey to rush to safety.

Death welcomed the kind boy's spirit and they had a nice chat in a lounge of Singapore's Changi airport (Death's current waiting room). Cedric was understandably terrified of Harry's friend and upset about dying, but he treated Death kindly and asked him to pass along to Harry that he didn't blame him for what happened. Death appreciated Cedric's thoughtfulness and introduced him to James and Lily once he ushered him on to the next realm. They would look out him and get him settled.

That night, Death held Harry as he cried himself to sleep. They didn't talk or play games or anything. Death just held him and told him what Cedric said and told him his parents were so proud of him.

Chapter Text

That night was the first of many where Harry had trouble sleeping. Between the visions he received from the abomination now that he was returned and his own nightmares, Death spent most nights checking on Harry at some point. He didn't have anyone at his relatives. They were at least less violent now that they were concerned a wizard would find out what they did to Harry, but they still would never be kind or supportive to him. Needless to say, they were at the very top of Death's "List."

And then, it happened again. He had warned the dementors, but they stubbornly didn't listen and instead pledged support to the abomination. In Death's mind, this was treason of the utmost severity against himself and against even the dementors' nature. Two of them went after his Harry on Voldemort's orders, and Death joined Harry on their normal bench in Kings Cross Station with an angry cloud around him.

"Why did they kill me instead of taking my soul?" Harry shuddered at the memory. He had been too busy trying to save his very unhelpful cousin, and they were on him before he could conjure a patronus. "I saw them try, they really did, but instead of my soul, they sucked the life out of me."

Death sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "It would seem that your soul is bonded to me in some form or fashion. They can't take your soul because it's already claimed."

"What is a soul bond? It sounds like a marriage?" Harry tilted his head, confused. He wasn't upset about it, but it sounded like something he really should know about.

"I'll have to do some research. I'm not exactly sure, and I don't like not knowing things," Death grumbled irritably. "I've been around since the beginning of time, but every time I interact with you, I feel like I know nothing and am little more than a child. Fate told me something a long time ago…by chance, have you ever heard of the Deathly Hallows?" He asked, studying the teen beside him.

"No…why?" Harry asked, even more confused.

"It's probably nothing, especially if you haven't heard of them before," Death mused with an exasperated look. "I'll ask around and try to find out what's happening. Don't worry about it right now though; you've had enough to worry about for a lifetime. I can handle this one."

Harry was silent for a while. "Am I going to get to see my parents this time?"

Death sighed yet again. He just wasn't sure what to do with his Harry. It seemed he was fated to die, but Death just couldn't see him stop growing and maturing yet. He wanted to see how the boy would change as he got older and see him find happiness among the living. He'd never felt that someone should have the chance to live more than he did with his Harry. "Not this time."

"Tell them I said 'hi' then and that I miss them and love them, ok?" Harry said with a resigned nod.

"Of course," Death said, reaching out a hand to his friend. "You're returning to the same place I took you from, so you'll need to cast a patronus as soon as you get back. Can you do that? Do you have a happy memory?"

Harry smiled. He remembered the first time Death called him love. That was always his happy memory. "I'm good," he said confidently as they crossed over to the land of the living once again.

"Is there a reason why all the dementors seem to have disappeared?" Harry asked Death from where they were sitting in the library in Grimmauld Place late one night after his trial. "They mentioned it at the hearing. Everyone has been concerned that they've just…gone."

"Let's just say they are in time out and leave it at that," Death said darkly from where he was sprawled in the armchair in front of the fire, looking for all the world like he belonged there and wasn't an immortal deity masquerading as a human. "They might be there for forever if they don't learn to respect their true master and do some very intensive groveling."

"You know you don't have to come see me every night. I'm not with my relatives anymore," Harry said, not too concerned about the dementors at all. He had no clue what Death's version of time out was, but he was sure they deserved it, however bad it might be.

"I'll check in on you every night until you return to Hogwarts. You had a good streak going with staying alive, and I want to start that back up again. I don't trust these so-called 'adults' in your life to look out for you."

Harry just walked over and wrapped his friend in a hug. He could feel Death smile into his hair.

It was a good thing that time was relative to Death or he would be very behind in his normal duties, but time really meant nothing to him. He could stretch and bend it as he needed in order to spend time with his Harry. Lily was still giving him those strange looks every time he saw her, and James was also starting to as well. It was all very confusing. Maybe he would talk to Cedric next time. Cedric might tell him what Lily and James were up to.

Cedric was in on it with the Potters, and Death was not happy. Now he had three of them all looking at him like they knew something he didn't. He didn't like it. He was the immortal being after all and the ruler of the world they lived in. It wasn't fair that he didn't understand something. He asked Harry about it one night over chess, but Harry seemed just as confused as he was. Harry was very happy that Cedric was hanging out with his parents though.

Harry had dark circles under his eyes and had lost some weight. Death was thinking of dosing him with some Dreamless Sleep if he didn't get a good night's rest soon. It was after Christmas and Harry had just gotten back to Hogwarts from Grimmauld Place after having saved Arthur Weasley's life. "I think I'm going dark, Dis," Harry said quietly, obviously very worried.

"Why would you think that, Love?" Death asked as he leaned against one of the bedposts to look at Harry better.

"Everything I see in Voldemort's head...I was the snake, Dis. I think I'm going crazy."

Death shook his head confidently. "No, I removed the piece of the evil one, his soul will not feed on yours," Death explained. "Yes, you are connected to him, which is why you saw from his eyes as he was looking through the snake's. It makes it easier for him to get into your head, but you are neither going crazy nor evil. Dark is different from evil. As the Lord of Darkness, I take offense that people equate the two as equal. They are definitely not."

"So...I am going dark?" Harry asked, but less concerned this time.

"Probably," Death nodded. "Most likely you already are. I think you are closer to a creature of darkness now, like me, than a normal human. You've experienced too much of my realm."

"But this isn't a bad thing? I'm not going evil?"

"Of course not! You are the farthest thing from evil I have ever seen! For the love of Tartarus! You died this summer because you were too busy trying to save your bully of a cousin to save yourself," Death rolled his eyes. "If I could die, I'd say you'd be the death of me. But, regardless, I never want to hear you thinking you're going evil again. You're my Harry, and I like you just the way you are."

"Uh huh," Harry smiled. "I love you too, Dis."

Death snorted and crossed his arms in a huff. "So, what's going on with school now?"

"Dumbledore wants me to learn Occlumency with Snape," Harry said with a sigh. "Our first session didn't go well at all. Also, I'm afraid he'll learn about you…or the Dursley's."

Death looked thoughtfully at Harry. "Occlumency is probably a good idea. It may stop the abomination from sending you as many visions or even sending you false information."

"What about you though?" Harry asked almost frantically. "What if he sees Kings Cross?"

Death had an idea. "Would you mind if I take a look in your memories? I promise to be respectful?" Death asked tentatively.

Harry sighed, not looking forward to the pain. "Of course, Dis. You are not the one I'm worried about in my head."

"Thank you for your trust, my love," Death said. He placed his hands on Harry's temples and closed his eyes.

Instead of the blinding pain of legilimancy when he was with Snape, it felt like the brush of a feather when Death entered Harry's mind. He carefully and respectfully sifted through Harry's memories and helped construct occlumency shields just around anything dealing with himself and Harry. He then, just as carefully removed himself from Harry's mind.

"Wow, that was…that was," Harry was at a loss for words. He wanted to say something like 'hot' or even 'erotic,' but knew that was a bad idea. "It wasn't bad," is what he lamely settled on as he awkwardly cleared his throat, feeling stronger feelings for his friend than he had in the past.

"I'm glad I didn't cause you undue pain," Death said with his hand still resting comfortingly on the back of Harry's neck.

"Why can't you just put up shields around the rest of my mind?" He asked, very aware of the hand caressing his neck.

"You wouldn't be able to maintain them," Death explained, sitting back against the bedpost again. Harry missed the warmth of his touch already. "Full shields must be actively maintained; these were just small ones that you were already trying to construct yourself since it was what you most wanted Snape to avoid seeing. You can maintain these easily just with your desire to keep him out. You will have to work to construct full shields for yourself though, unfortunately."

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Death hissed and had grabbed Harry's hand in a movement so quick that Harry hadn't even seen him move. Harry just blinked at him in confusion. "Who did this?!" Death asked in a low and extremely dangerous voice.

Death's tone also made Harry shiver in excitement like when he had felt their minds touch. What was wrong with him, Harry wondered, trying to pull himself back to the conversation. "Erm, Umbridge's detentions. She makes me write with this weird quill."

"How dare she use a blood quill on my Harry!" Death seethed with darkness starting to pull around him like a cloak. Harry had never seen his friend this angry, but his brain seemed to short-circuit once he heard Death refer to him as "his" Harry again.

"Did you tell one of those incompetent authority figures?" Death asked.

"Erm, I tried to tell McGonagall, but she said to keep my head down," Harry shrugged. "Honestly, I've had worse. At least this isn't going to kill me." Knowing Death as well as he did, Harry knew Umbridge had just been added to the "List" and McGonagall had probably moved up on it. He didn't really feel bad about either one though. Umbridge was just plain evil, but McGonagall had let him down more than once by either not believing him or not hearing him out.

Death tenderly brought Harry's hand to his lips and kissed the raw, injured hand. The pain immediately left Harry's hand and the redness and inflammation went down. The scar remained, but it looked old instead of brand new. "Thank you," Harry gasped, breathlessly.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take," Death said tiredly, rubbing his temples.

"How much of what?" Harry asked, confused.

"People hurting you," Death said with an intense look in his eyes. "I'm not supposed to be involved in this world. I'm not human, a mortal, I'm outside of this realm, but I can't just watch you be hurt and killed over and over again. I feel a change coming. I feel myself changing unlike I have ever done in my existence. I don't know how to describe it."

Harry just laced his fingers through Death's and held his hand. He didn't know what was happening either, but he agreed. If nothing else, his feelings for his friend were different. He wasn't sure what to do with them. Harry may never have known it, but Dolores Umbridge had nightmares every night for the rest of her life after that conversation and had much to fear when she finally did cross over into Death's realm. Death firmly decided he was no longer sitting on the sidelines. He had to make people realize, they couldn't mess with his Harry.

"We need to talk," Death said with a sneer as he sat Sirius Black down on the same chair in the Singapore airport waiting room that Cedric had sat in a year earlier. He was extremely upset at everything that had happened. The worst of it though was that his Harry hadn't called him to get help...not that he could directly interfere anyway, but still...

"Erm, yes, sir," Sirius said, beyond terrified as he looked at the angry face of Death.

"You aren't on my 'List,'" Death assured him with what he hoped was a reassuring tone...it was not.

"Your list?" Sirius asked, wondering what in the world, or rather afterlife, was going on.

"Yes, my 'You've Harmed My Harry List,'" Death explained. "You treated Harry well and tried to care for him, even when you weren't mentally able to care for yourself. You did the best you could under the terrible circumstances."

"Your Harry?" Sirius stared at the entity blankly.

"Yes, my Harry," Death said in irritation. "Who do you think keeps bringing him back to life?"

"Back to life? Harry's died?!" Sirius stood, more concerned for his godson than the terrifying man in front of him at that comment.

"Yes, five times now, and we were lucky it wasn't more," Death almost growled. "I keep telling him to be careful, but it's everyone else that's the problem. And he's learned to not ask for help, and that's just unacceptable!"

"You…talk with Harry?" Sirius sunk into the seat again.

Death waved his hand dismissively. "Kind of my best friend," he almost mumbled.

"Your WHAT!?" Sirius bellowed and he stood yet again in surprise.

"This is besides the point," Death rolled his eyes, trying to get them back on track. "How do I protect him when everyone wants to hurt and/or kill him? How do I put myself in a place where he knows he can come to me when he needs me? I need your advice."

Sirius gaped at the pleading figure of Death sitting beside him. "Kill Voldemort," Sirius shrugged as he sunk back into his chair dazedly.

"I can't kill," Death shook his head. "I have broken many rules for Harry, but I cannot break that one. It is against my very nature. My very being is to preserve the balance between life and the afterlife. I cannot upset that balance."

"Then, can you make sure a competent Defense Against the Dark Arts professor gets hired at the school so Harry can learn to protect himself?" Sirius asked with another shrug.

Death looked off into the airport with unseeing eyes. He gave it some thought. "Every DADA professor up until this point has tried to seriously injure or kill Harry."

"Wait? All of them?" Sirius asked. "Surely not all. Moony was there for a year, and the second-year guy didn't do anything, right?"

"Quirrelmort tried to kill Harry, Lockhart tried to Obliviate all his memories, your friend, Lupin, almost killed him, even though it was an accident, Fake Moody tried to have him killed, and Umbridge tortured him with a blood quill," Death rattled off.

Sirius stared at him in shock. "How did Harry die so many times? Did they kill him? Remus didn't actually kill him, right?"

"No," Death assured him. "That abomination killed him when he cast the killing curse at Harry as a baby, his relatives killed him twice, he died in his first year when he tried to protect himself from the abomination again, and the dementors actually killed him this past summer."

Sirius looked like he would have a stroke if he wasn't already dead. "TWICE!" He bellowed. "His relatives killed him TWICE!"

Death nodded, feeling the same anger as Sirius. "Starvation and then they beat him to death. I gave him some ideas for how to get food and healed his injuries, but I couldn't take him away from them. It would mean that he had to move on to the next realm. I wanted him to get a chance to grow up."

Sirius ran his hands through his hair. "Why do you care so much? Why do you keep sending him back?"

Death opened his mouth and then closed it again. He cared because he loved Harry. It was so simple. Those words immediately took on so much more meaning though than they ever had before. He finally recognized and understood the looks Lily, James, and Cedric had been giving him. He didn't just love Harry, he was in love with Harry. No, he thought, it can't be…but….

"Sirius?" Death asked, clearing his throat. "Harry has an invisibility cloak. He's mentioned it before, but I always thought it was such a long shot, but maybe it isn't. Can you tell me…this cloak…would you describe it as an above average cloak, a really good cloak, or a surprisingly perfect cloak?"

Sirius looked at Death like he had lost all his marbles. And they say I'm crazy, he thought. "Surprisingly perfect," Sirius answered. "It never failed us in a prank when James had it, and he got it from his father who said it had always worked for him. Why do you ask?"

Instead of answering, Death's eyes just got wider. "Harry doesn't happen to have an old elder wand lying around or a magical stone…right?"

"You mean like the children's story?" Sirius laughed and then stilled mid-laugh. "Wait…is that real? Is Harry's cloak the cloak?"

"I'm starting to think it might be." Death looked at Sirius stunned and cleared his throat. He was only going to talk about this once, so he couldn't do it here. "It's time for tea; we should head on," he stood. "I know a couple of people who would really like to see you."

"Did you come up with an idea for what to do about the DADA professors?" Sirius asked as he stood and followed Death.

"Of course…I'll just have to teach it myself next year," Death nodded as they crossed into the next realm, a shocked Sirius followed him, but the shock quickly turned into the most mischievous grin that any marauder had ever sported.

Chapter Text

“How is he?” Harry asked anxiously when Death was able to visit him again at Privet Drive. “Did he find my parents? Are they all getting along?”

Death pulled Harry’s desk chair over to the bed, now suddenly no longer comfortable sitting on the bed beside Harry after his surprising realization and the subsequent stern warnings from Harry's parents, friend, and godfather (as well as their blessing for once Harry was a little older). “Yes, Harry,” Death smiled. “He’s doing well, and they are having a grand time. I left him at tea where he and your father were regaling Cedric with stories from their marauder days. Your mother was trying to get him to eat more and take better care of himself,” Death snorted. “I swear she doesn’t realize they’re all dead. It’s not like he can die again.”

Harry let out a long breath and smiled for the first time in a long time. Being best friends with Death understandably led him to having a very different perspective on the afterlife than others, but he was still mourning his godfather and not being able to see him in this life. “Did you hear about the prophesy?” Harry asked.

“No, that was what that thing wanted from the ministry, right?” Death asked. He refused to call Voldemort by his name, his real one or chosen one, not because he had any fear of it but because he believed the abomination didn’t deserve a name. He lost that privilege when he gave up his humanity, and this was a judgement coming from someone who wasn’t a human himself.

Harry explained the prophesy and how one of them would have to kill the other. Death just scoffed. “So?” he asked.

“What do you mean, so?” Harry felt his anger rising. “I will not become a murder. I refuse! And, then Dumbledore goes and tells me that I have to, or Voldemort can’t be stopped! And, all you can say is ‘so?’”

“What I meant,” Death said, moving to sit beside Harry and wrap his distraught friend in a hug. “Is that the prophesy didn't say you had to kill him, only that one of you had to die. It has obviously already been fulfilled. It’s unfortunate he caused you so much pain in attempting to get it, but it means nothing now if you don’t want it to.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked, leaning into the hug and taking calming breaths.

“Well, the abomination has unfortunately killed you three times already, but more importantly, he killed the part of his soul that lived within you, meaning you have already killed two parts of his soul by default, the piece in you and the diary your second year.”

“I call that good enough,” Death shrugged, unconcerned about the bloody prophesy that caused his Harry distress.

“What about the power he knows not?” Harry asked. “Dumbledore waxed poetic on some crap about love.”

Death snorted at Dumbledore's interpretation. “I’m guessing it’s whatever connection the two of us have,” he laughed. “I have brought you back those three times when he caused your death.”

“So…your advice is to not worry about it?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Well, he’s probably going to keep trying to kill you, so we do have to kind-of worry about it. And, if you would like to help send a few more soul-pieces to me, I’d really appreciate it. He’s leaving quite a black mark on my register. However, if you don’t want to kill him, then don’t. I would prefer you didn’t become a murderer actually. It’s a bit problematic for me,” Death commented, though he really didn't believe killing the abomination would actually be murder at this point. He wasn't a human anymore.

Harry finally released all the pent-up worry he carried around since Dumbledore put that weight on his shoulders. “So, I can send the rest of his soul to you, and I don’t have the kill the main piece and become a murderer, and I’m still fulfilling the prophesy?”

“I’m not a seer and, frankly, I don’t care for them one bit, but it seems fine to me,” Death said lightly. “Fate I understand, but prophesy is all how you interpret it. I know I may seem dismissive to the prophesy, but what I’ve learned over the years is that these things tend to be self-fulfilling. It’s best if you don’t worry about it and just live your life. Be as safe and as smart as you can in your interactions, but I wouldn’t put much anxiety or faith in something that can be interpreted in many different ways.”

“How many pieces are there? Do you know?” Harry asked, ready to start plotting and be done with this. He believed and trusted Death, but he also thought it wouldn’t hurt to get rid of all the soul-pieces to be extra certain.

“I know how many pieces there are, but where they are and what they are in, well, that I don’t know, and that’s the problem,” Death warned. “The nature of the magic keeps them off my radar (using a muggle metaphor) to some extent.”

“Well, let’s start with what we have anyway. Obviously, there were at least three.”

“All totaled, there were eight,” Death said sensing the earth for the soul pieces. He could sense the soul, but it was so fragmented, he just couldn’t place where they all were. “You and the diary are taken care of, so you are down to five and the main piece.”

“That’s a lot,” Harry shook his head. “How did he do it, by the way?”

“Murder,” Death said sadly. “Beyond that, I will not speak of it. It is best the knowledge passes out of this world. I had hoped it had before that abomination fractured his soul, but I plan for him to be the last that follows that path.”

“Well, at least I have something to spend my time figuring out sixth year,” Harry said lightly. “You know, around trying to not get killed or tortured by Old Voldy or the new DADA professor.”

“About that…” Death started with a smile. “Sirius and I came up with a plan.”

“Really?” Harry said, excited at whatever a marauder and Death himself might come up with.

“That’s what took me so long to get back to you after Sirius died,” Death explained with a thrill in his heart he hadn't had in centuries...it might be excitement, he wasn't sure though. “I’ve basically been haunting Dumbledore’s office and trying to figure out his plans for next year.”

“Who’s he hiring?”

“Originally, he planned to get back some guy named Slughorn to teach Potions and move Snape to DADA.”

Harry groaned dramatically. “Well, he may have saved my life a couple times, but if he gets moved to DADA, then Snape will definitely kill me this year. Start getting ready to visit Kings Cross again.”

Death just laughed. “I gave him an alternative plan; one he couldn’t refuse.”

“And…please get to the point,” Harry rolled his eyes.

“I submitted an application for the most qualified Defense teacher the world over,” Death smiled proudly. “Professor Dis Osiris.”

“You?” Harry coughed out in surprise. “You are going to teach DADA next year? I thought you didn’t want to be around humans because you creep them out?”

“Luckily, Professor Osiris is currently out of the country and so qualified that Dumbledore was willing to hire him without an interview. I can’t be worse than Umbridge, right? So, they’ll just have to all deal with the creepy new DADA instructor,” he was less than apologetic about that.

“We’re all going to live to regret this, aren’t we,” Harry smiled happily.

“If you all live,” Death laughed.

A week before school was scheduled to start, Death met Harry at the Burrow after everyone went to sleep and shifted him (what Death called his version of apparition) to the DADA classroom at Hogwarts to get an opinion on how it was set up. He'd never decorated for humans before, and was a little unsure what was appropriate and what would scare the children, so he needed some help from his friend.

“Wow, that was so much better than portkey or floo,” Harry laughed since he didn’t even stumble or feel like he needed to throw up (not to mention it was nice to be held in his friend’s arms).

“What do you think?” Death asked, self-consciously motioning to the classroom.

“Well, erm, it’s graphic,” Harry said with a grimace at the posters.

“Too much?” Death asked.

“Yeah, a bit,” Harry agreed.

With a wave of his hand, Death vanished all the posters of tortures and gruesome deaths caused by dark curses. “How about now?”

“Brilliant!” Harry smiled at Death’s obvious relief. The room was set up with a dueling platform across the back for practicals and desks at the front for theory lectures. The only pictures now were very tasteful and of some of the more interesting “dark” creatures.

“Great! Follow me,” Death said as he went to the back of the classroom and through a fairly bare office to a portrait of a large raven. “Fluffy,” he said.

“Aww, your password is your dog,” Harry laughed teasingly. “I think that ranks up there with 1, 2, 3 and ‘password.’”

Death playfully smacked the back of Harry’s head as he followed the young man into his personal chambers. “I’ve never had a home in the mortal world before,” Death said looking around. “So, I didn’t really know how to make it look welcoming.”

Harry’s impression was that the room as very comfortable. There was a light gray, overstuffed couch with black throw pillows and a low coffee table in front of the fireplace. Beside the fireplace was a tall bookshelf, filled with ancient looking books. A few of which were probably older than Hogwarts. A kitchenette was in a corner with a small table for two. And, a couple doors led off the main room that Harry assumed went to the bedroom and bathroom. “I like it,” Harry smiled as he crashed down onto the couch. “It’s calming.”

“Something has to off-set my aura, not that I think anyone will be visiting my quarters except you,” Death said, happy that Harry liked the rooms.

“Met with anyone in-person yet?”

“Yes, but only the headmaster,” Death smiled, remembering his shock at the ring on the headmaster’s hand and the elder wand he carried. That would not do, no that would be rectified very soon. “There’s a faculty meeting tomorrow night where I’ll meet the rest. I plan to send as much creepiness Snape’s way as possible because of how he’s treated you. That's inexcusable.”

“Just don’t go overboard. He’s had a rough life,” Harry said, bravely taking Death’s hand in his own. “How did Dumbledore take meeting you?”

“He very obviously doesn’t like me. That’s plain,” Death shrugged. “Part of that is probably because he’s clearly dying and can sense the end with me.”

“Dumbledore’s dying?!” Harry exclaimed, squeezing Death’s hand tighter.

Death held up his other hand as a visual aid. “Look at his hand next time you see him,” he said. “It looks like he was playing around with a very dark object. Probably one of the soul-pieces we’re looking for.”

“Of course, Dumbledore would figure out the soul-pieces, but why wouldn’t he take care around one of them?” Harry said with some sadness at the man’s condition.

“I don’t know,” Death shrugged, not really caring. “I’ll ask him…at the end. He’s still on my ‘List’ though, so it’ll be a long chat.”

Harry shook his head in exasperation. He figured it was time to change the subject. He didn’t want to discuss Dumbledore’s imminent demise right now. “So, how’s school going to go with you here? Do you even have a wand? I’m supposed to call you Professor Osiris, right? That's weird.”

Death just smiled at the questions and tangled his fingers within Harry’s more. “I have a stick I grabbed off a tree out back,” Death laughed. “I’ll just wave it around when I do magic. I’ll need to use it to show you all the correct wand movements even if I don’t need it myself. I plan to stick to dark creatures as much as possible; though I do plan to disabuse you all of the notion that dark magic equals evil when light magic can maim and kill just as easily.”

Harry outright laughed at the thought of Death just waving a useless stick around. “And, for what to call me and all, do you think I really care anything about what people think of me? I’m Death. Call me Dis, like you always have. I plan to call you Harry, the whole Mr. Potter thing is silly when I’ve known you since you were a baby. And, if you want to see me, stop by here any time. You know the password.”

“Won’t people ask questions though?” Harry asked with a smile, fully planning on dropping by all the time.

“So,” Death smirked. “Like I really care about keeping this job. I’m only here to protect you. I already have a pretty demanding job. We’ll say I’m an old friend of your family’s and that Sirius asked me to keep an eye on you. All true of course.”

“Conveniently not mentioning you all have tea together regularly in the afterlife,” Harry snorted in laughter.

“Yes, very conveniently,” Death smiled as he played with Harry’s fingers. “Have you ever noticed just how many ghosts there are in this castle?” Death changed the subject.

Harry raised an eyebrow at him. “Are you planning on forcing all the ghosts to move on?”

Death thought for a minute. “No, but I’d like to have a chat with them, make sure they still have unfinished business. Some are quite old and really should be getting on along. It does bother me when they hold on past their time.”

“Please talk to Professor Binns first!” Harry laughed.

“Anything for you,” Death smiled indulgently. “Oh, by the way. You’ll be needing this,” Dis handed Harry the potions textbook for sixth years.

“I made an E on my potions OWL, and Snape only takes O students for his NEWT class,” Harry corrected, not too unhappily.

“I heard them talking in the hallway, loudly I might add, but Dumbledore made him lower it. There were only three O students and the headmaster said that wasn’t enough for a class.”

Harry grumbled as he flipped through the new textbook. “And this year was going to be so good.”

Harry closed his eyes and sighed, summoning all his Gryffindor courage. “There’s something I’d like to do…before you’re my professor and I'm not supposed to anymore,” Harry said quickly, taking Death’s hand again.

Death looked at him confused, not sure what he couldn’t do when he was a professor. “Sure…what?” he asked.

Harry extracted his hand from Death’s and instead moved to where he was straddling his lap. Death’s eyes widened, and he slowly moved his hands to rest on Harry’s hips. “This,” Harry said as he slowly bent forward and kissed his friend. “Is that ok?” he pulled back.

Death looked at him, his eyes still wide in shock. “It’s fine if it isn’t,” Harry said moving away quickly and turning red.

Death’s hands stopped him and held him in place. Death looked deep in Harry’s emerald, green eyes. He slid his hands around Harry’s back and pulled him forward into a deeper kiss. Harry moaned softly into his lips. “That’s ok,” he finally answered as they stopped for air.

“Now, as you are still only 16 and about to be my student. I probably should return you to the Burrow before I’m tempted to do anything else,” Death laughed, but still placed another kiss on Harry’s lips. “Your mother would kill me. Even if I don't technically have an age, she said she'd prefer we wait until you're a bit older.”

“Umm, don’t tell her,” Harry mumbled.

“I may be Death, but that lady scares me,” Death laughed as he shifted Harry off his lap and pulled the frustrated young man up.

“Fine, but I'm over the age of consent now, and I’ll be 17  and a legal adult in less than a year, so absolutely no arguments then,” Harry grumbled as Death shifted them both back to the living room at the Burrow.

Death pulled him into one more deep kiss before releasing Harry, both of them regretting the separation. “See you in a week,” he said, disappearing into a dark cloud.

Chapter Text

Harry was getting a great deal of enjoyment out of the welcoming feast. Hermione and Ron kept glancing at him worriedly, not sure why he was smiling so broadly. Harry, however, was watching the head table. It was obvious the other professors were very uncomfortable around Professor Osiris, especially Professor Snape who Dis had sat beside and kept smiling at and trying to engage in conversation. The headmaster seemed even less enthused introducing the new DADA professor than he had Umbridge, but all the students clapped loudly for the handsome, young, and well-dressed professor since they were too far away to feel Death’s unique aura.

“At least he’s nicer to look at than Umbridge,” Hermione said with a smile, accompanied by a jealous look from both Ron and Harry (for different reasons of course).

“I have one last announcement,” Dumbledore rumbled out to the hall. “Unfortunately, Professor Binns has recently decided to pass on into the next life unexpectedly. Therefore, I will temporarily be teaching History of Magic until we find a more permanent replacement.” Harry glanced at Dis and they both shared a knowing look and a laugh.

When everyone started heading back to their dormitories after the feast, Harry waved up to the head table. “Dis! Come meet my friends,” he called. Harry couldn’t stop a laugh when both Snape and Dumbledore’s heads whipped around to him so fast they could have whiplash.

Death just smiled and strode over to Harry, putting an arm around his shoulders. “Meet Ron, Hermione, and Neville,” Harry said motioning to his nervous friends in front of him that looked like they were going into a fight or flight response.

“Pleased to meet you all. I’m Professor Osiris as the man with the beard said,” Death offered them his hand.

Now that they were getting the full impact of Death’s aura at this point, it was a moment before Hermione gathered her courage to reach out and shake Death’s hand, surprisingly followed by Neville, then Ron. “Dis is an old friend of my family’s,” Harry explained. “He and Sirius were good friends, and he asked Dis to stop by and look out for me this year.”

“Why didn’t Sirius mention you before?” Hermione asked, always the curious type.

“I’ve been traveling for most my life and hard to pin down. I only accepted this job after hearing about all the insanity of the last few DADA professors,” Death laughed, causing Harry’s friends to shiver unconsciously.

About that time Professor Dumbledore walked over, trailed by Snape. “Ah, I see you know each other,” Dumbledore said (eye distinctly missing that twinkle) as he pointedly glanced at the arm around Harry’s shoulder.

“Dis and my mum were friends,” Harry smiled, figuring Snape would assume the new professor was a marauder in the making if he said he was friends with his dad. “Sirius asked him to look after me if anything happened to him.”

“I don’t remember you from school,” Snape replied coldly.

“I didn’t go here, homeschooled. Did the headmaster not tell you?” Death answered with a broad smile that affected only Harry positively. “Besides, I’m obviously much younger than Harry’s parent’s crew. I was just a kid down the street from them when Harry was a baby.”

“We should get back, curfew and all,” Neville squeaked out. It seemed his nerves had enough.

“Sure, see you in class Professor,” Harry smiled at Death and gave Dumbledore and Snape both a nod.

“See you in class,” Hermione mumbled as she followed the guys quickly out of the Great Hall.

It was Thursday before the sixth year Gryffindors and Slytherins had DADA with the new professor. Harry listened raptly to all the rumors and opinions going around the school. It seemed the consensus was that the lessons were just as good and interesting as Lupin’s, the professor was definitely hot, and he was undeniably creepy, more so than Fake-Moody even. Many swore they’d believe he was a Death Eater if he didn’t regularly roll up his sleeves to demonstrate something in class. Harry was pretty sure he was showing his unmarked left arm on purpose to put the students a little more at ease.

Harry happily sat between Ron and Hermione in their first DADA class of the semester. He couldn’t help thinking that this was finally a year when the DADA professor wouldn’t try to kill him, and if he did, then he could just bring him back again. Not that Harry actually had strong feelings on the bringing back bit, but it was the principle of the matter.

“I’ve been asking around, and it seems your experiences in this subject have been a bit sketchy to say the least,” Death smiled at the class, causing a couple students to pale. “I would like to see your comfort levels with some simple and then some more complex spells today. We will start with the Protego shield spell. I’ll pair you off and one partner will cast mild jinxes, nothing stronger than jelly-legs, and the other will shield it. Then, I would like to see where you are with the Patronus charm. I understand that some of you were in a fairly effective study-group last year and can cast corporeal ones.

Death paired everyone off, Ron and Hermione were together, and Harry unfortunately ended up with Malfoy. Harry was pretty certain Death did it on purpose. The professor demonstrated the shield charm with his ‘fake’ wand and turned them loose to start working. Malfoy was casting jinxes well above jelly-legs for Harry to block when Death came around to their group. “Five points from Slytherin for not following directions, Mr. Malfoy,” Death said as he walked up behind Malfoy, causing the boy to shiver. “Good shield, Harry,” Death said as he continued on.

“Teacher’s pet aren’t we this year, Potter,” Malfoy sneered.

It was worth the look of sheer confusion on Malfoy’s face when Harry sighed dramatically and said, “Man, I wish. Wouldn’t that be great?”

Death then called the class back together where, after intentionally rolling up his sleeves for the new class to show the lack of a Dark Mark, he demonstrated the Patronus charm, and a large, silver Cerberus erupted from his wand (read hand). Harry was proud that all the students from Dumbledore’s Army were able to produce a corporeal patronus, and also several of the Slytherins. Malfoy was only able to get some silver vapor to Harry’s amusement. Overall, Harry left the class proud of the students he tutored and elated from a good lesson, as everyone else left shivering and feeling uncomfortable.

Friday evening, Harry pushed through Death’s doorway and crashed onto his couch as he removed his invisibility cloak. “I’m so tired!” He exclaimed to the room in general as Death looked up from the book he was reading in the armchair.

“Hello to you too,” Death smirked. “Even as a 15-month-old you greeted me with better manners.”

“I did?” Harry asked, trying to remember back.

“Yep, you said in your cute little way ‘Hello my name is Harry, who are you?’”

“Eh, must have grown out of them,” Harry grinned over at Death. “You’ve been the most stable influence in my life, so it’s probably your fault anyway.”

“Oh gods, what’ve I done?!” Death dramatically exclaimed, draping one hand over his forehead.

“Hey,” Harry said, sitting up and getting serious. “Dumbledore wants me to start coming to his office for some lessons. Something to do with the crap prophesy. Do you know anything about this?”

“No...I don't. Take your coin. Summon me if you need me,” Death said with a concerned look. “I don’t really like his focus on you. If he truly believed you were the only way to kill that abomination, then why hasn’t he taken more time to train you and get you ready? Something isn’t quite right about his interactions with you.”

“Any ideas?”

Death walked over and picked up Harry’s invisibility cloak, to Harry’s confusion. “I think the headmaster has a dangerous obsession with the Deathly Hallows.”

“The what?!”

Death walked over to his bookcase and pulled what looked like the first edition of a children’s book off the self, which he handed to Harry. The front cover was stamped with a gold Tales of Beadle the Bard. “Read the story of the three brothers please and let me know what you think.”

As Harry read the story, Death watch his expression go from mild curiosity, to interest, to confusion, and then questioning eyes looked from the invisibility cloak Death was holding to Death himself. “Is this actually true? Is my cloak…?”

“It’s mostly true...very overly dramatized though, and I don’t know where the bridge metaphor came from.” Death held up the cloak. “This was a pretty good piece of magic, if I do say so myself.”

“You made my cloak?”

“One of your ancestors must have been Ignotus Peverell.”

“What about the other hallows? The wand and the stone?”

“Dumbledore has them both. His wand is the elder wand and the ring on his finger is the resurrection stone,” Death mused as he ran the cloak through his fingers. He hadn't held the cloak since he made it centuries ago, and it felt like a friend returned to him. “I need you to be vigilant with this. If the headmaster asks you to meet him and bring your cloak, come to me first and don’t give it to him.”

“What would happened if he got them all?” Harry asked, concerned for his friend. “What does it mean to be the Master of Death?”

“Frankly, not much at all. That was a bit of a liberty taken by the story,” Death smiled with a wry laugh. “It is an actual position, but not achieved by just finding all three objects. I’ll need to explain that to you at some point, but I’m not sure you’re ready. It has to do with the soul bond we talked about after the dementors. For now, I’ll just tell you that I made the three hallows for the Peverell brothers after they did a great service for me. I consulted Fate on the gift before I made the items, and she said they would return to me one day through my interactions with someone very important. That’s all I feel like I should tell you now though, or your mum would probably have my head, and it would add even more onto your already over-burdened shoulders.”

After a minute of studying Death’s face, Harry decided. “I’ll trust you for now,” he warned. “You know I don’t like being kept in the dark though, but I will watch out for Dumbledore.”

“Thank you,” Death handed back the cloak. “This belongs to you.” Harry frowned at an extra note of meaning Death seemed to infuse that statement with. He figured it had to do with whatever his friend wasn’t ready to tell him yet though.

“Another thing,” Harry smiled. “You need to start saying Voldemort. I understand why you don’t, but ‘the abomination’ is a little strong, don’t you think?”

“I’ll not glorify that creature with a name,” Death sniffed. “How about I go with the standard You-Know-Who?”

Harry shrugged, “Suit yourself, but avoid abomination.”

“I refuse to call his followers anything besides minions though. Their name is too disrespectful.”

Harry laughed. “Please do, and right in front of Malfoy too!”

“Imp!” Death laughed as Harry collected his bag off the floor. “Keep me updated on Dumbledore.”

“Kiss goodnight?” Harry asked with a smile and a bat of his eyelashes.

“Out demon!” Death laughed and threw a throw pillow at Harry’s retreating back.

Chapter Text

The next DADA class was even more gossip-worthy than the first of the semester. The sixth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins sat down for a lecture class with a serious looking professor at the chalkboard. “Welcome class. Today I want to talk with you about classifications in our world of creatures and magic. Can anyone tell me what classifies magic as Dark or Light?”

Hermione, of course, raised her hand. “Yes, Ms. Granger?”

“Light magic pulls on nature or the elements but dark magic deals with ritual, blood, soul, or mind magics.”

“Very good! 5 points to Gryffindor!” Professor Osiris smiled kindly, which didn’t cause Hermione to beam as she normally would. “Now that we know the classifications, I would like to start talking about a very powerful dark creature. This dark creature deals in soul magics, similar to the magic that dementors draw on though they use it differently. Would anyone like to guess which creature I’m talking about?”

Blaize Zabini raised his hand. “A boggart, sir?”

“Wonderful guess, Mr. Zabini. You are right, boggarts do use soul magic, though many believe them to use mind magic and are mistaken in that, 5 points to Slytherin. However, that is not the creature we are discussing. This creature is much more powerful than a boggart. This is the creature…”

Death waved his hand over the chalkboard and a cartoon-style image of Hedwig appeared. “Um, sir, that’s an owl,” Hermione tentatively said as several others snickered behind their hands throughout the room.

“That’s correct, Ms. Granger,” Death smiled at her. “Owls use soul magic to identify and track those they deliver letters to. How do you think an owl can find someone when we constantly are moving and traveling? Let’s look at a light creature next to help you see my point…”

Death waved his hand once more and another cartoon-style image of a basilisk appeared on the chalkboard beside the owl. “Magical snakes solely use light magic of nature to interact with the world around them. The basilisk uses magic from the earth and the air almost exclusively.”

Harry raised his hand. “So, you’re saying the classifications are crap?” He asked his friend with an amused smile, already having had this lecture before many times over the years.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying, Harry,” Death returned the smile. “Classifications change and are based on many arbitrary rules. Mostly, it seems that creatures are labeled dark if the person doing the labeling is scared of them and light if that person thinks they are cute. Where creatures are concerned, I would like us all to face our misconceptions this year and learn the abilities and the traits of the creatures we study instead of their classifications. Knowing that a creature uses light magic, will not save you if the basilisk is staring you in the eyes.”

“Spells are different though, right?” Ron spoke up, actually interested in a class lesson, surprisingly. “Dark spells are dark for a reason.”

“Thank you for the transition, Mr. Weasley,” Death laughed. “Our next subject is definitely spells. Can anyone tell me a dark spell that could kill someone?”

Hermione’s hand shot up again. “The killing curse!” She stated.

“Of course, Ms. Granger,” Death agreed. “The Avada Kedavra is a dark spell than can kill a person. Can someone tell me a light spell that could kill someone?”

The class was quiet for several seconds before Harry raised a hand, remembering a story Death had told him once that was definitely not appropriate as a kid’s bedtime story. “Yes, Harry?”

“Stricta viverra,” Harry smirked, a little gruesomely.

“The wrinkle removing spell?” Pansy Parkinson snorted from behind Harry.

“Yes, Harry; Ms. Parkinson, he is actually correct. Though the wrinkle removing spell works wonders on your clothes, you do realize that your intestines are folded over each other within you in many, many folds. If they were all suddenly straightened at once…well, it would be a horrible way to die. Much worse than Avada Kedavra,” Death explained, with a sideways glance to Harry who actually knew Avada Kedavra wasn’t really a good way to go, no matter what anyone said.

“What I will be teaching you this semester is defense against intent, not just against dark spells. Even light spells with enough power and intent behind them can maim and kill. Just because a spell is light, like scourgify, doesn’t mean it can’t harm you. A powerful enough scourgify can skin you alive. And, just because a spell is dark, doesn’t mean it’s dangerous. For instance, there is a blood magic spell that helps plants to grow faster and stronger. That is all it will do. It cannot maim, kill, or affect anything besides the plant it is cast on. If this spell had been used in your second year on the mandrakes, those who were petrified would have been healed from their statue state in a fraction of the time. We are at war, and I feel it is important for you all to know how to defend yourselves against others, no matter what kind of spells they are using.”

“So, you are saying that the spell itself, or the type of magic, isn’t evil by nature, but the intent behind it is what makes it dangerous or not?” Harry asked, knowing this was something Death cared a lot about, especially that they were not being taught this at Hogwarts.

“Exactly, Harry,” Death agreed. “Witches and wizards have magic that leans towards either light or dark by the nature of their magical core. They can use all kinds of magic, but they will find either light spells or dark spells easier. So, a light wizard would need stronger intent and more magic to make a dark spell work for them, even though it is possible. As an example, Dumbledore is one of the most powerful light wizards of our day. He has enough power, and with the intent, he could easily kill someone with a scourgify spell. It would be harder, not impossible, but harder for Dumbledore to kill someone with Avada Kedavra.”

Malfoy snorted. “So, you’re saying it’d be easier for the headmaster to kill someone with a cleaning charm than with the killing curse?”

“As a light wizard, yes,” Death nodded. “Now, I have a talent that I’ve developed over the years where I can see the leanings of a person’s magic. As you are all sixth years, and we are in a war, I will always be upfront with you about spells that will work better for you than others."

Death paused for emphasis and crossed his arms. "For instance, you probably will all be unsurprised to learn that Ms. Granger here is a very light witch.”

Death nodded at Hermione and no one looked surprised at all. “Also, unsurprisingly, as her family has historically been dark, Ms. Parkinson is a dark witch.” Pansy smirked at those around her and Zabini just rolled his eyes. “I would wager your owl is very loyal to you, Ms. Parkinson?”

“She’s my best friend,” Pansy agreed with the professor.

“Now, to be frank, there are some of you that are less stereotypical in this class. For you, I would suggest talking with your family or an advisor about approaches to magic to best use your natural tendencies to your advantage. Unfortunately, we do not teach dark magic at Hogwarts, but there are approaches that you can use to help boost your magic and intent with light spells if you are dark. So, a couple of you that should probably consider this, Mr. Malfoy, you are a light wizard.”

Draco Malfoy paled and sputtered in denial. “You are, and I would suggest maybe reaching out to Professor Flitwick as a powerful light wizard and world class dueling champion as one to give you pointers. The spells you learned as a child in your dark family will never be as powerful as light spells could be for you.”

The Slytherins in the room looked over at Malfoy in confusion as Harry smiled from behind his hand and quietly snickered.

“Also,” the professor continued. “Mr. Longbottom, you are a dark wizard. I doubt you will have learned the necessary approaches to take for light magic in our family for one who is working against his natural talents. If you ever want to succeed in Charms or Transfiguration, I recommend getting help from another dark wizard like Ms. Parkinson…or Mr. Filch is a strong dark wizard here at the school.”

“Erm, Filch is a squib,” Theodore Nott laughed with several others joining in. “I think you need to work on that talent of yours.”

Death glared at Nott, making him abruptly stop laughing, almost choking off the sound. “Mr. Nott, I think you are the one misinformed. The house elves here at Hogwarts only work in the kitchens and the dorms. Mr. Filch is the caretaker for the entire rest of this enormous castle and has a powerful, dark familiar in Mrs. Norris. There is no way, one man without magic can care for this entire castle, inside and outside, cleaning, repairing, updating, and preserving without constantly using magic. I don’t know how the squib rumor got started, but I would wager Mr. Filch encourages the rumor as it helps to have you students underestimate a person sometimes. So, I may have just outed him, but he would be a good one to talk to about using your dark core most effectively in a light environment.”

“What are you professor?” Ron asked, still seemingly stunned about Filch though genuinely interested in the professor.

“I’m dark,” the professor said simply. “I, however, and not a good one to teach you to use light magic more effectively as it is something I have less experience with.”

“So, you’re saying you actually use dark magic?” Malfoy said through narrowed eyes.

“Indeed, but the administration will not let me teach that to you at this school, so we will be staying on the light side, though I disagree with this policy,” Death sighed.

“Well, I think there’s one question that we’d all like to know the answer to,” Malfoy spoke up again pompously. “What is Harry Potter?”

Death smiled at Malfoy, knowing this question would be coming and having already talked it over with Harry. “Oh, Harry is dark,” Death said nonchalantly with a dismissive wave of his hand before smiling at him again as if having a thought. “I think that your father would be very interested to know that his son is a light wizard and the Boy-Who-Lived is dark. It does break down some of the normal misconceptions and prejudices, right?”

“Nah, they all have thought I’m dark multiple times, but they always equate it with evil,” Harry laughed. “I can assure you all, you are all more in danger of Malfoy trying to scourgify you all to death than of anything I would do though.”

“Well said, 5 points to Gryffindor,” Death smiled with a chuckle. “Now, for homework, I would like 3 feet on what you believe your magic core to be and your advantages and disadvantages in a duel with a light wizard using the intent to kill and one with a dark wizard also using the intent to kill.”

The students all began packing up, looking more dazed than usual at the end of the class. “Mr. Longbottom, if you would give me a minute,” the professor called as the rest of the students started leaving, though Harry was slowly packing his bag in order to hang back.

“Professor? Is that true? Is my magic dark?” Neville asked as Death sat on the desk in front of the concerned looking student.

“Yes, Mr. Longbottom,” Death said with a kind and sympathetic look on his face, usually only used when someone died most unexpectedly, he was still working on the human emotions thing. “You are a powerful wizard, but I’d wager no one is helping you meet your potential here with Hogwarts’ prejudice towards solely light magic. Your family may be able to help. I seem to remember your great-grandmother was a dark witch.”

“I’d never heard that,” Neville said, looking slightly more reassured that a member of his family also had a dark core.

“I hear you have a talent for Herbology?”

Neville finally had a smile cross his face. “Yes, sir. I love Herbology.”

“Then, you didn’t get this from me,” Death said, taking an ancient book from a pocket in his robes. The title across the front said The Dark Gardener in large, gold letters. Judging by its age, the book was probably worth its weight in galleons.

Neville looked at the book as if he was afraid of it. “There are no evil spells in there,” Death assured him. “I’m sure you could do some damage with your intent using a few of them, but nothing is inherently evil about what is in that book.”

Neville smiled again. “Thank you, sir,” he said as he put the book in his bag and left the classroom.

“That was very nice of you,” Harry said, sitting on Death’s desk at the front of the room.

Death propped his feet up on the desk beside Harry. “I’ve heard countless professors complain about that boy’s spellwork ability, but not a single one of them have tried to help him connect to light magic more easily. He’s a powerful wizard, but this school is failing him.”

“Filch is going to be so mad at you,” Harry laughed. “I can guarantee it’s going to spread across the school by lunch.”

Death scowled. “This is a war, and he’s a powerful wizard. If the castle is attacked, he’d best be planning to help protect the students, or he’s going on my List.”

Sure enough, on his way to lunch, Harry passed a grumbling caretaker growling to himself about meddling DADA professors and interfering Death Eater kids who wouldn’t know dark magic if it bit them. Harry just laughed as he rushed forward to join Ron and Hermione in the Great Hall.

Chapter Text

Harry and Death both stayed at Hogwarts for Christmas break. Ron had tried to get Harry to go to the Burrow, but Harry pleaded study time; he really just wanted to stay with Dis. After a full semester of being exposed to Death’s aura, Dumbledore and Snape both seemed to be at their wit’s end. The students were starting to get used to the aura since Death pulled it back as much as possible in their presence instead of flooding them like the two older men. Overall, the students were really starting to enjoy DADA classes and Death’s novel approach to light vs. dark magic. However, Death really enjoyed messing with Dumbledore and Snape, so they weren’t so fortunate to have Death’s aura tempered for them. Death had done absolutely nothing he could be fired over though. He had only spoken the truth to the students throughout the term and wasn’t teaching dark magic, but Dumbledore was still abnormally interested in asking the students just what had been taught each day in the DADA classes. Harry guessed it was probably Dumbledore that broke first and called in Remus Lupin when Harry saw him enter through the main doors of the castle on Christmas Day.

Harry quickly ducked back around a pillar and ran up a few flights of stairs and through a secret passage until he reached Death’s quarters. “Fluffy!” He called as he quickly pushed inside.

“Didn’t you just leave? I was about to go to work for a bit and do my real job,” Death sighed, it was tiring having to bend time as much as he was having to do in order to stay with Harry, but he would never say it wasn’t worth it.

“Remus…castle,” Harry gasped, clutching the stitch in his side.

“Take a breath,” Death said, leading him to the couch. “Do you mean Remus Lupin is here?”

Harry nodded. “Probably called in because you’re supposedly a friend of the family. He’ll know you aren’t.”

Death just waved a hand dismissively. “He wouldn’t have known every friend of your family, especially since we’re claiming I was just a kid at the time. In this form, I can really only pass for 20-25ish, so I would have been around 6 or 7 maybe when your parents died, and we’ll say I met Sirius after Azkaban when he was on the run.”

“I think either Dumbledore or Snape is trying to cause problems,” Harry explained his reasoning. “You’ve been turning the aura on pretty strong for both of them.”

“It’s not my fault I just love hanging out with them,” Death said with a smirk as he stroked the red and gold plumage of the phoenix Harry just noticed was dozing on the armrest.

“What’s Fawkes doing here? You give him one bag of treats and he’s your best friend? Aren’t you concerned he’s somehow spying for Dumbledore?” Harry frowned at the bird suspiciously.

“I told you, the phoenix is of my realm. We have an understanding. Also, I do keep the good treats on hand.” Fawkes preened in agreement.

It was then that the wards alerted them to someone at the door to Death’s office. “Show time!” He said gleefully, careful not to disturb the bird as he stood.

“You’re enjoying playing human way too much,” Harry rolled his eyes and followed the immortal.

Death settled himself in the chair behind his desk while Harry went and opened the door to a tired looking Remus Lupin. “Moony!” Harry exclaimed as he hugged the werewolf.

“Good to see you, cub! Happy Christmas!” He hugged Harry back.

“You must be Professor Lupin,” Death said walking over to them and offering a hand to Remus.

“Call me Remus, this isn’t my office anymore,” Remus took Death’s hand with an uncomfortable look on his face.

“Nonsense,” Death scoffed, motioning them inside and to the chairs. “Once a teacher, always a teacher.”

“I hear from the headmaster you were a friend of Sirius’s?” Remus asked Death as he sat beside Harry and glanced around the office wistfully. Harry shot a look to Death communicating a nonverbal “I told you so.”

Death smiled and launched into the story he and Harry had worked on earlier in the semester. “I was a kid down the street from the Potters when Harry was very small. I enjoyed playing with the baby and was sad when the family disappeared and went under the Fidelus Charm. I was distraught when I heard of their deaths. It took me a while, but I was finally able to get back in touch with Harry after all those years to see how he was doing. When was that Harry? Your first year at Hogwarts?”

“Summer between first and second,” Harry corrected their fictitious story. Truth was he didn’t get any letters that summer because of Dobby’s well-meaning interference.

“Ah, anyway, we kept in touch, and I reached out to Sirius when Harry told me his godfather was back in the picture and innocent. I was really hoping he would get to take Harry in and keep him away from those horrible people he calls relatives.”

“Sirius would have liked that,” Remus agreed sadly, but really didn't seem suspicious thankfully. “I wonder why he never mentioned you though.”

“I was never in the country. I was very busy working on my defense mastery abroad, so I wasn’t here to be a major part of any of your lives. However, Sirius mentioned last year in a letter about all the troubles with the DADA position, and well, when he was no longer here to look after Harry, I decided to stop by for a year or so, just to be a friendly face,” Death said with his smile that tended to turn people’s blood to ice.

Remus shivered. Harry saw and rolled his eyes. “Come on he isn’t that creepy! I swear everyone’s a wimp at this school,” Harry said exasperatedly. He really didn’t understand everyone’s adverse reaction to his friend.

“Unfortunately, it’s not just the school,” Death laughed. “You really are unique in not finding me terrifying.”

Remus looked at them confused. “May I ask why everyone thinks you’re terrifying?”

“I’m like you, not quite human,” Death shrugged, downplaying that he really wasn’t human at all. “I’m much less dangerous than a werewolf though, really I’m all fluff, but I have an aura that tends to set people on edge.”

“Mum didn’t think you were creepy,” Harry corrected him, remembering something he said. “You said she hugged you.”

“She originally was affected. I think it was exposure that helped. Lily can be terrifying in her own right though, so maybe she’s just a kindred spirit,” Death mused.

“What are you then?” Remus asked, silently agreeing about Lily Potter.

“I’m not dangerous, that’s what I am, and I plan to leave it at that,” Death said with a tone of finality.

“Don’t worry Moony. I know all about him, and he’s really not dangerous. There’s just a lot of prejudice as you well know,” Harry assured him. “We wouldn’t want a repeat of what happened when you were outed, would we?”

Remus was still concerned about whatever creature the new professor might be, so he stayed for dinner in the Great Hall and flew with Harry around the Quidditch pitch for a bit before taking his leave. Harry and Death both were positive he would be reporting to a certain headmaster before he left the castle. It seemed he bought their story, but Harry knew the headmaster would now be researching all magical creatures with auras, not that he was going to find anything written about Death more than myths. Death had made sure of that over the years.

It was just after New Year’s when Harry pushed into Death’s quarters, visibly shaken. “I think I know why Dumbledore hasn’t trained me up until this point,” Harry said, sitting on the couch and putting his head in his hands dejectedly.

Death immediately joined him on the couch, concerned for his love. “What happened?” He asked as he traced comforting circles on Harry’s back. “I thought he was just showing you Tom Riddle’s past, before he became what he is now.”

“Can…can you just look and see if you agree?” Harry asked, motioning at his head.

“If you are ok with me doing that?” Death waited for consent.

Harry nodded and Death placed his hands on Harry’s temples. “Just think about what happened, Love, and I’ll see it too.”

Harry felt the feather-light brush of Death entering his mind as he thought through the evening. Harry showed his friend the memory of Morfin Gaunt and then the tampered memory of the old Potions Master, Slughorn. Harry moved into Dumbledore explaining that he was trying to get the real memory from the old man, but that he was very paranoid or ashamed or something. They finally talked about horcruxes, and Dumbledore showed him the ring that used to house a piece of soul, the one he conveniently didn’t mention was the resurrection stone.  

Death left Harry’s mind just as delicately as he entered. “So, Dumbledore knows about the horcruxes, and probably has for a while. Why do you think he hasn’t outright told you about them? Why this round-about method?”

“That was my first question,” Harry said darkly. “Then I started thinking, what if Dumbledore knows I used to be a horcrux? What if he hasn’t trained me because he needs me to die when I face Voldemort? What if he wants me to die? All of these round-about explanations are just to ease me into the idea that I have to sacrifice myself for the greater good.”

“It makes a kind of sick sense, but why wouldn’t he try to remove the piece of soul from you instead of just condemning you to die?” Death asked, anger creeping into this voice.

Harry shrugged. “Maybe he assumes there isn’t a way to remove it?”

“I would be very interested to learn if he even tried asking around and researching,” Death frowned angrily. “When will you see the man again?”

“Dumbledore said that even without Slughorn’s original memory, he assumes there are several horcruxes (as we both already know to be true) and that they are probably important things from Hogwarts’ history since Riddle was obsessed with the school. He said he has a lead on one and he’ll take me with him.”

Death scoffed. “You will not be leaving campus with that man. I plan on you actually reaching your 17^th birthday without me having to bring you back to life again so that I can court you properly.”

Harry smiled at the immortal, suddenly feeling much lighter. “A little old fashioned, but I can live with that.”

“I wonder if Snape knows about Dumbledore’s plans to let you die?” Death mused, thinking. If he did, then they were going to have 'words' even before he died.

“I doubt he’d care,” Harry snorted skeptically.

“Dumbledore’s dying and Snape invariably knows since he would have to brew the potions to keep him alive this long. That’s probably why he agreed to help young Mr. Malfoy as you overheard a while back. I might not be a seer, but I can read souls pretty well. Snape is a scarred soul. He has a very strong sense of duty and responsibility. He’s just let the horrors of his past cause him the bitterness he meets the world with now. I think he’s as much on the side of right as is possible for him to be,” Death surmised. “Your mother told me once, when I was complaining about his treatment of you, that they used to be friends and grew up together.”

“Snape was friends with my mother?!” Harry scoffed. He could not believe that at all.

“Best friends according to her,” Death nodded. “They had a falling out at some point in school, but even so, I doubt he would be ok with anyone wanting her son to die. I don't know what the headmaster and Snape have planned, but they both seem to be working from insufficient information.”

“Well, I could go up to him and tell him I know Dumbledore’s dying and that Malfoy’s supposed to be killing him or something and that I know Snape promised to help. I can tell him that I know I’m supposed to die because I’m a horcrux but really my friend Death took care of that for me,” Harry paced, close to ranting at this point. “I could put his mind at ease and tell him that I don’t really need to die for the war to end and that I frankly don’t really care about living through all this anyway as long as my friends are happy.”

He took a breath and continued. “I could explain all this to them and tell them it’s all going to be ok, but why should I?” Harry asked angrily. “They’re supposedly the ones in charge and the 'adults.' Why should I be the one taking care of them? Why should I tell them information when they don’t tell me anything? It’s beside the point that I already know a lot of this. Do I owe them the information I know at all?!"

Death pulled him into a hug to stop his pacing. “No, of course you don't. I know it’s not fair. None of this is fair,” he said pulling Harry to the couch and sitting him down, still holding him close. “I just want you to be happy, but so many people won’t let you. It is absolutely not your job to take care of Snape or Dumbledore or this entire ridiculous society!”

“I'm so glad I have you, Dis,” Harry finally said after a shaky breath. “I have you and Ron and Hermione, and even Neville and Luna. It could be so much worse. I really am happy, most of the time anyway. I even get to hear about tea with my parents and how they’re doing with Sirius. No one else gets that. In some ways, I’m very lucky.”

“About not living through all this, I really would like you to live,” Death complained for the millionth time.

“I’m not planning on living to 150 and having 30 grandkids, you do realize that,” Harry raised an eyebrow at him with a look that said he should have figured this out before now. “I don’t want 30 grandkids; I just want you. And the birds and the bees talk didn’t really cover relationships with Death, but I’m guessing kids aren’t one of the options.”

Death shifted awkwardly. “No, I don’t suppose so,” he finally admitted. “Um, Harry…?”

“What, Dis?” Harry asked, comfortably leaning against his friend.

“What is the birds and the bees talk?”

“Ask Sirius,” Harry laughed with a mischievous twinkle in his eye. “He was the one that told me.”

Nope, never again! He could never show his face at tea again. Harry should have warned him. No, he definitely did it on purpose! He was going to make the little imp pay. He had no clue what he was getting himself into when he asked Sirius why Harry told him to ask about the birds and the bees. He realized it was a euphemism for something, but not that. He should have seen it coming though when Sirius got a devilish grin on his face, James turned bright red, Cedric spit his tea everywhere, and Lily just started giggling behind her hand.

It was even more confusing when Sirius refused to tell him anything. He said that he told Harry, so it was either James or Lily’s turn. James seemed to think that Cedric should give it a go, which had the boy stuttering and talking about his dad’s sock puppets until Lily saved him. Lily then bravely poured Death another cup of tea and calmly explained everything. Death already knew most of it, not that he ever had a desire to do any of it before Harry, he didn’t care much for humans and human emotions before then. But still, sitting through that lecture given to you by the mother of the man you loved. Well, he could never show his face at tea again. It was decided.

Death frowned sternly at Harry when he did his oh-so-familiar stroll through the portrait hole and crash onto the couch. “That was not funny. You could have warned me.”

Harry laughed, clutching his sides. “So, you asked him?! Oh, Merlin, I wish I could have seen that. He was so awkward when he told me. It had to have been ten times worse! Imagine giving Death the sex talk?!!”

Death glowered. “No, he refused to tell me. They kept passing the responsibility. And, someone really needs to explain to Mr. Diggory the correct and incorrect usage of sock puppets.”

At that, Harry just rolled off the couch. “I can’t…I just can’t…!”

“I’m glad you’re amused. I can never show my face at tea again.”

After calming down slightly, Harry pulled himself back onto the couch. “Who finally told you? Cedric?”

Death grimaced. “Your mother.” Harry turned pale. “And, frankly, she knows way too much about all of this and was comfortable talking in far too many details. I didn't even know some of what she said was anatomically possible!”

“Well, now I have a lot more incentive to live until they all forget about that,” Harry said with eyes going huge. “That should get Snape off my back for a while.”

Death frowned at the connection he didn’t see. “Snape thinks I’m suicidal,” Harry explained with an unconcerned wave of his hand. “He’s probably going to march me to Madam Pomfrey any time now.”

“And why would he think that?” Death asked sternly. He could just see Harry pulling some crazy stunt that would lead to Snape’s assumption.

Harry shifted awkwardly. “It’s not my fault he’s a suspicious git and decided to invade my mind during class. He didn’t go deep, so I didn’t catch the intrusion quickly enough. He must have heard me daydreaming about looking forward to seeing Death (you by the way) and wondering how tea with my parents would be in the afterlife.”

“What was his reaction?” Death nodded. It was very suspicious out of context.

“He just stopped in the middle of a sentence, turned all pale, and told me I had detention tonight at 7. I have no clue what he’s going to do then.”

“I’ll come with you, invisible of course,” Death decided. “We may have to tell him about me if you can’t come up with a good story. We don’t want you to be sent to St. Mungo’s or something like that.”

“Thanks,” Harry perked up. “On the note of death and all, Sir Nicholas wanted me to pass on to you that the ghosts appreciate you helping Myrtle move on. They would like you to speak to Peeves at some point as well if you haven’t already.”

“He keeps running from me,” Death grumbled. “I’m loath to use too much of my particular brand of magic in the castle to trap him since I’m not sure how it’d react to the wards. I think it’d be ok, but I’m not willing to chance being thrown out of the castle if it perceives me as being too dark. Of course I could get back in, but the headmaster would probably know about it. I know for a fact, the Bloody Baron would move on, but not until Peeves does. He isn't technically a ghost either, so it's a bit of a fudge with my magic. It’s all very frustrating.”

“Just let me know if you want to use the map. I’m happy to go ghost hunting with you...or rather poltergeist hunting.”

“Another time. There’s something I need your help with right now though, before your detention. Follow me?”

“Anywhere,” Harry smiled with a raise of his eyebrow, suggestively.

Death led Harry to a familiar stretch of wall on the seventh floor by the painting of Barnabas the Barmy. “You want to do something in the Room of Requirement?”

“Ah, is that what this place is?” Death said, an understanding look on his face.

“You didn’t know?”

“I can feel a piece of the soul somewhere behind this wall, but I couldn’t understand how to get to it.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “There’s a horcrux in the Room of Requirement?”

“Yes, do you know how to access it?”

“Not sure how to get it exactly, but we could always just ask.” Harry paced three times in front of the blank space of wall muttering that he needed the room with the horcrux in it.

After a door appeared on the third time, Death’s face lit up. “Brilliant!” he exclaimed. “This room is an excellent piece of magic. I haven’t seen the like in centuries. Merlin would love to hear about this. I’ll have to have a chat with him.”

Harry opened the door and walked into the most cluttered room he had ever seen in his life. “How in the nine circles of Hell are we going to find the horcrux in his mess?!”

Death snorted. “There aren’t nine circles, and just follow me.” Death strolled through the piles with his hands in his robes like he was antiquing on a weekend.

“There,” he finally said, pointing at a diadem precariously perched on an ugly wig. “Must be Ravenclaw’s diadem.”

“Ok, so how do we destroy it?” Harry asked, casting several dark curse detection spells Death had taught him at the crown to see if it was safe to pick up. “Can you just pull the soul out like you did with me?”

“I can’t pull it out when it is still in this realm, yours was already in the other realm. The spell that created the horcrux prevents me from taking it while it’s in its vessel. Fiendfyre or Basilisk venom are the most effective means. As I’m not trusting a 6^th year to cast fiendfyre, how about we go visit our dead basilisk friend in the Chamber of Secrets?”

Harry picked up the diadem, confirming it was safe to hold temporarily. He wrapped his arms around Death. “Onward, noble steed!” He exclaimed.

Death sneered at being reduced to a mode of transportation, but still shifted both of them to the chamber. “If you call me a steed again, I’ll refuse to ever let you stay in the afterlife. You’ll just have to wait until you’re 150.”

“We have a messed-up relationship when your threat is that you won’t let me die,” Harry laughed. “Don’t mention this to Snape or he’ll really think I’m suicidal.”

“You’ll have to do it,” Death motioned to the basilisk fang still on the floor. “Keep one in case we need it later.”

“Yeah, yeah, just get ready to grab the old bugger.”

“Can you get yourself back up when I’m gone?” Death wondered if he’d need to hurry back or if he could take care of some more of his regular business.

“Yeah, I can levitate myself back up to the entrance. See you at 7 though?”

“Of course.”

Harry quickly stabbed the diadem, very anticlimactically, until the soul rushed out screaming. Death grabbed onto it and immediately vanished with the cloud of evilness.

Harry stood at the door to Snape’s office at 6:58pm with a very visible Death. “You going to go invisible, mate?”

“I am invisible, Love, you can always see me though. Courtesy of the weird soul bond thingy. If anyone walks by, you’ll look crazier than you already are talking to the air.”

Harry playfully punched Death in the shoulder before knocking on Snape’s door. “Enter!” was called from inside.

Harry took a deep breath and entered with Death following behind. “You wanted to see me, Professor?” Harry asked as he walked up to the man marking papers at his desk.

“Have a seat Potter,” Snape snarled, looking much more out of sorts than normal.

Harry sat in front of the desk with Death standing encouragingly behind him. “Is this about my grade, sir?” Harry asked, knowing full well it had nothing to do with his grade.

“Look…Potter,” Snape began, looking for all the world like he would rather be somewhere else. “I’m worried about your mental state. I’m afraid you may be contemplating taking your own life. You can’t…well…you have people who care…Weasley and Granger and that Lovegood girl.”

“Oh, I’m not planning to take my own life, professor,” Harry smiled. “There’re plenty of people out there who would rather do that for me, if I was so inclined. You know full well I’m not going to make it out of this war alive though.”

Though he hid it well, Death could see that, yes, Snape did know something of Dumbledore’s plans for Harry’s imminent demise, and he was not happy. “And…you are just…ok with that?” Snape asked incredulously.

“Let’s just say that I have a different…relationship with death than most people,” Harry explained. “I’m not suicidal, but it’s not something I fear either.”

“That is very…” Snape couldn’t seem to come up with what it was.

“I do really appreciate your concern though,” Harry said, surprising himself that he did actually really appreciate Snape’s concern. “I promised a good friend that I’d do my best to make it out of all this alive, so that’s my plan, regardless of the plans of others.” Death gave Harry’s shoulder a little squeeze of appreciation.

Snape’s eyes crinkled in confusion and also a little sadness. “If that’s all, professor…” Harry said turning to the door.

Snape cleared his throat and went back to grading. “Yes, that’ll be all, Potter.”

Chapter Text

Harry pushed into Death’s office just a few days after his meeting with Snape, out of breath. “It took me forever to sneak away from Ron and Hermione,” Harry gasped. He still hadn’t told his friends anything more about Death than what he had at the welcoming feast. He loved his friends dearly but didn’t think they could handle his relationship with the actual embodiment of death.

“What’s so urgent?” Death asked, pushing the papers he had been marking aside.

Harry collapsed into the chair in front of the desk. “Dumbledore asked me to meet him in the entry hall tonight and to, in his words, ‘bring my invisibility cloak.’ He says he’s found another horcrux.”

Death’s face got dark and the shadows seemed to be wrapping themselves around him. “I know you don’t want me to leave campus with him, but if he’s found a horcrux, then I think it’s worth it,” Harry continued. “I don’t know what you want to do about the hallows. You said it didn’t really mean anything if he got them, right?”

“That’s right, they don’t belong to him. That doesn’t mean I want him to have all three though,” Death glowered.

“Well? Can I go? Do I take my cloak?” Harry asked, confused.

Death just looked at Harry for a minute, trying to decide something. He nodded and then snapped his fingers. On the desk between them appeared Harry’s invisibility cloak, a ring, and what could only be Dumbledore’s wand.

“What…?” Harry started, but Death just waved his hand over the items and they seemed to melt together until they shrunk into a small, completely black stone that looked more black hole than actual stone. It had on it the etched symbol of a triangle bisected with a line and containing a circle. Death waved his hand one more time and the stone set itself into a silver ring with protection runes etched around the metal.

Death held the ring in the palm of his hand. “You, my love, are the true owner of the hallows,” Death explained as he turned the ring over in his hand. “It took me a while to realize this as the implications of our relationship were beyond my understanding at the time. I’m not ready to take you from this world yet, and as much as you may say otherwise, I don’t think you’re ready to leave the land of the living.”

Death was encouraged when Harry didn’t contradict him. He placed the ring on the table between them. “This is yours when you are ready for it,” Death said motioning to the ring. “The ring contains the power of all three hallows to use as you will. However, it is also the final piece to our bond. When I made the hallows originally, Fate told me that I would encounter them once again when I found the one who would make me whole, my soulmate. She said that when I found that person, the hallows would belong to them and they would rule the underworld by my side. You will become like me if you put this on. You will be neither alive nor dead and able to cross the realms. That being said, if you decide you never want it, that you want to live to 150 and have 30 grandkids, I’ll rejoice with you in your happiness, but I will miss you dearly. This is beyond just your idea of a marriage as it is even more binding, so you need to think about it, and please, at least wait until you’re 17 so your mum won’t try to kill me even though I'm immortal.”

Harry grinned at him. “So…you are asking me to marry you?”

“That’s what you got from all that?” Death laughed, but it was cut off as Harry walked around the desk and kissed him so deeply, he could feel it in his soul. Death waved his hand, locking and warding his office.

Harry’s hands tangled in Death’s long, black locks, pulling his hair from the ponytail. Death pulled the younger man into his lap and ran his hands under Harry’s shirt and over the scarred back of his love. “I love you,” Death whispered as Harry started kissing down his jawline and neck.

“I love you, too,” Harry kissed him again, more urgently.

They lost themselves for a few minutes until Death finally collected himself enough to push Harry back some and breathe. “We have to wait, just a little longer. You have to have time to think…to decide. You’re still young.”

“I may be young, but I’ve never been a child,” Harry said looking at the ring on the table. “I’ll wait for now because you want me to, but it’ll not be for long. I’ll put that ring on and we’ll finish what we started here in the near future…maybe not in that order,” Harry looked Death’s body over suggestively.

Death picked up the ring and conjured a silver chain he slid it on before putting it over Harry’s head. “If you hold onto the ring and wish to be invisible, it’ll work like your cloak. You will be able to turn whoever else you are touching invisible as well. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to access the other hallows while it isn’t on your finger since they weren’t in your possession originally. Just don’t put it on while you wish to remain as you are and part of the world of the living.”

“Won’t Dumbledore be missing his wand and ring?” Harry asked speculatively.

Death grinned as a plume of fire appeared in his office and Fawkes squawked in irritation on the back of one of the chairs. “I’m assuming he’s getting a bit annoying up there?” Death asked Fawkes who trilled in the affirmative. “He does have another wand right, his original maybe?” Fawkes again, trilled the affirmative.

“Well, sounds like you are still on for your trip tonight then,” Death said to Harry, who was seated on his lap. “I would mention that you can’t find your invisibility cloak. He can disillusion you if he really needs you invisible.”

“You’re letting me go?!” Harry smiled, giving Death another quick kiss.

“Keep the coin on you at all times,” Death warned. “Call if anything happens. I might not be able to kill anyone, but I can protect you as you are my bonded.”

“Well, almost bonded,” Harry corrected with a suggestive wriggle of his eyebrows.

“Regardless, you are an exception to the rules,” Death said, poking Harry in the gut.

“Urf,” Harry grunted and then grinned, jumping off Death’s lap. “I’ve always been an exception to the rules, Dis, you know that!”

Harry held onto his ring, turning himself invisible before leaving Death’s office. He grinned at the convenience; it was much better than having to worry about if the cloak was covering him completely all the time. Upon exiting the door, Harry was almost bowled over by an angry Filch. Harry smirked as he heard the old caretaker’s grumblings to Mrs. Norris. “Bloody old fool asking me to summon a bloody dark object knowing bloody well it can’t be summoned…” was all Harry heard before they turned the corner. It seemed Dumbledore wasn’t taking the loss of his wand and ring very well if he was resorting to asking Filch to use dark magic to find them.

A couple corridors away and Harry turned himself visible again. He regretted it as soon as he was spotted by an irritated Potions professor. “Ten points from Gryffindor!” Snape snarled at him.

“Why Professor?” Harry asked, knowing he really shouldn’t be confused since Snape loved to take out any inconvenience on him.

“For breathing!” Snape exclaimed. Harry smiled though as he heard a grumbled “old coot lost his last marble…” It seems that Snape hadn’t escaped Dumbledore’s wrath either. Harry vowed to himself to avoid every professor the rest of the day. He really didn’t want to lose any more points for existing.

Harry met with an uncharacteristically irritated Dumbledore that evening who immediately asked where Harry’s cloak was. “I can’t seem to find it professor,” Harry said innocently with surprised, wide eyes. “I really looked everywhere and even asked Ron and Hermione if they borrowed it. I can’t imagine I’ve just lost it.” Dumbledore’s frown deepened, but he just pulled out an old wand made of ash and led Harry from the castle, grumbling under his breath.

Harry dipped the shell into the black water of the underground lake. “Just hold on, Professor! I’m getting you water!”

Harry yelled and jumped back as the slimy, white hand of an inferius tried to grab his wrist. As the dead started to rise from the water, Harry pushed Dumbledore back down and grabbed the ferryman’s coin from his pocket thinking of Death as much as he could, which definitely wasn’t hard at all as dead bodies crawled towards him.

Just as Dumbledore tried to rise again and Harry pushed him back down, a column of smoke appeared in front of them, blocking the living from the dead. The cloud never dissipated, and Harry was expecting the deep ominous voice Death would sometimes use when angry, but was confused, and also slightly amused to hear, “Oi! You lot. Get back down there. What do you think you’re doing?”

The inferi shrunk down and seemed ashamed as they slunk back into the water. The column of smoke was grumbling about the natural order being thrown off and stupid idiot wizards calling themselves Dark Lords. Dumbledore tried to sit up, but Harry once again pushed the man back down, not wanting him to injure himself or try to attack Harry’s friend. “You ok?” the column of smoke addressed them.

“Yeah,” Harry breathed. “I think I need to get the headmaster to Madam Pomfrey though. Can you shift us to Hogwarts?”

“Um...I can put you on the Astronomy Tower. I’m a little out of range to get you to a specific room in the castle without going with you,” the column said after a minute of thought. “It’ll take me a while to clear out this mess; I can’t just leave them here. Please try to stay out of trouble. Only you would stumble upon a lake of inferi!”

“Yep, that's my luck, and thanks,” Harry said as a white hand emerged from the column and Harry and Dumbledore appeared in a cloud of smoke on the Astronomy Tower, right under the glowing image of the Dark Mark.

After clearing out the inferi, Death was summoned to carry the soul of one of the abomination’s minions on to the other realm from Hogwarts. Death was fuming; he had sent his Harry right into a battle while he was away taking care of that bloody inferi infestation. So, it was probably with a little more force than necessary that Death pulled Dumbledore’s soul into the Changi airport waiting room he was still using (it really was a very calming airport).

“And, what do you have to say for yourself?!” Death paced as he forcefully shoved Dumbledore down on a bench.

“Professor Osiris?” Dumbledore looked at him confused. “Did we both die, my boy? That’s very unfortunate. I had hoped I would be the only casualty.”

“Don’t you ‘my boy’ me. I’m NOT your boy, and I’m older than you by millennia,” Death pointed a long finger at Dumbledore. “You’ve been on my list for years. Where do you get off putting my Harry with those horrible people when he was a baby, and then hiding something you knew Voldemort wanted inside the castle, then you didn’t close down the school when a BASILISK was roaming the halls, not to mention the dementors, a werewolf, a Death Eater professor, a tournament known to kill people, another professor torturing her students, and you obviously wanting my Harry to die! What do you have to say for yourself?! And, it’d better be good.”

“Your Harry?” Dumbledore asked. Getting stuck on the same phrase as Sirius had before.

“Yes, my Harry,” Death growled. “You deliberately put him in situations that either got him killed or almost got him killed.”

“Got him killed…?” Dumbledore stumbled over his words, no twinkle in his eyes. “Wait, who are you?”

Death growled in anger. “Wizards really are very obtuse. You had a professor at the school called Remus Lupin, basically Wolfy McWolferson and no one realizes he’s a werewolf. So, I don’t even try to be subtle and call myself Dis Osiris, basically Death Lord of Death, and you ask who I am?!”

“You’re Death,” Dumbledore said, a horrified statement, not a question. “You took the hallows.”

“Of course, I did! They don’t belong to you; they belong to Harry!”

“They…belong to Harry?”

“Yes, as the soulmate of Death, me, he is the born master of the hallows. They are his and have always been and will always be his. You still haven’t answered my question though. Why did you put Harry with people who hate him, why all the tests, why do you not care about that sweet, kind man at all?” At this, Death’s rage turned from a boil to more of a simmer, which was frankly much scarier.

“Harry must be kept safe. I put him with his relatives because of the blood wards. Even if they weren’t the nicest people, he would at least be safe there,” Dumbledore explained, as if to a child.

Death was running out of patience. “You mean the people who killed him twice.”

Dumbledore paled. “Killed?”

“Yes, those people you put him with to keep him safe killed him twice. Also, that abomination found him there with those dementors last summer and killed him then as well. Harry has died a total of 5 times, 4 of which I lay directly at your feet for negligence on your part. That is what I hold you accountable for.”

“But how?...Why is he still alive?”

“Because I keep bringing him back! Because he’s mine. He’s the owner of the hallows, the master of death, my bonded soulmate, have you not been listening?! And, you hurt him!” Death seethed.

“The prophesy,” Dumbledore started and frowned at Death’s snort.

“You mean the prophesy that basically means nothing.”

“It says that Harry is the one who must kill Voldemort,” Dumbledore contradicted.

“No, it says one must die at the hand of the other for either to live, and that thing has killed him three times already. I think that one has officially died at the hand of the other. Don’t you?”

Dumbledore put his head in his hands dejectedly. “You don’t understand, he’s a horcrux…”

“Yes, and I took that piece of soul out of him when he was 15 months old! I wasn’t going to let that parasite leech off my Harry’s soul and magic,” Death started pacing in front of him. “If you truly believed he was a horcrux, did you even attempt to find a way to remove the soul or did you just condemn him to die?!”

“I just…I didn’t understand anything did I?” Dumbledore looked at Death, with a lost look in his eyes. “I thought I knew, but I knew nothing…”

Death just snorted. He was tired of dealing with the old man now. He had all eternity to deal with him...oh, and he had plans. For now though, he’d turn him over to the one person that scared even him. “I don’t have time for you right now. I need to get back to Harry. Come, it’s teatime. There’s a lady who wants to talk with you.”

Dumbledore followed Death into the next realm, not knowing what he was about to get himself into.

Death held Harry in his quarters as he cried into the night. Even though Dumbledore had hurt him and manipulated his life, Harry still mourned his loss. He was sad to see him hurt and fall to his death. He knew from what he had worked out with Death that Snape and Malfoy were just pawns and weren’t entirely responsible for their actions, but he was still angry with them. It was a miracle none of the students at the school were killed. Bill was badly injured, but only a Death Eater had died besides the headmaster.

“The horcrux was a fake,” Harry finally told Death once he cried himself out and passed the fake locket over. “It wasn’t even real.”

“So, we still have three and the main soul piece out there,” Death sighed.

“You weren’t too mean to him, were you?” Harry asked from where his face was buried in Death’s chest.

“I admit I did yell a bit, but nothing too horrible,” Death continued to rub circles on Harry’s back. “I turned him over to your mother, no telling what she’s done to him. Nothing he didn’t deserve in my opinion though.”

Harry just gave a sniffle from where he was clinging.

“What are your plans now? I would prefer you to not return to your relatives.”

“I will for just a little while, but I need to find the rest of the horcruxes and destroy them. Then, we can be free. I’m not returning to Hogwarts next year.”

Death nodded. “I figured as much. I’ll help as much as I can, but the soul pieces are so small, I can’t find them until I’m very close to them.”

“We’ll come up with a plan. We have a few weeks at my relatives’. I’ll see you there?”

“Of course, I’ll never leave you, especially with them,” Death assured as he tilted Harry’s face up and kissed his lips, the tears on his cheeks, his eyelids, and his lips again.

Harry pushed back on Death until he was laying on top of him. “Dis, the school’s closed; you’re no longer my professor, and I’m not your student. I know I’m not quite 17, and I haven’t put the ring on yet, but I’d like to be with you tonight, completely.” Harry started unbuttoning Death’s shirt to get his point across and kissing down the smooth chest to the waistband of Dis’s trousers. Death sucked in a startled breath.

“Oh,” he breathed, finally catching on. “Are you sure?”

“Completely,” Harry said, unbuckling Death’s belt.

“Is…is this your first time?” Death asked.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Harry said pulling the belt out slowly. He seemed to catch himself at the way that sounded and looked at Death concerned. “I didn’t mean…I know I’m not your first, and that’s fine…I just…Oh, bloody hell! I’m so not good at this!”

Death laughed. “Well, you’d have assumed incorrectly,” he said reaching up and removing Harry’s shirt, admiring the toned physique marred by scars that showed the hard life the man had led. “You’re the only human I’ve ever been attracted to. I’ve never really understood human emotions until I met you. So, I wouldn’t know if you were bad at this, but based on what you’re doing to my body right now, I think you’re excellent!”

With the happiest look on his face Death had ever seen, Harry continued to kiss down Death’s stomach, this time removing the trousers as he went. Death let out a moan as he waved his hand and set up every lock and ward he’d ever heard of to keep out the living and the dead from his quarters, making sure they’d never be interrupted.

Chapter Text

It was a couple weeks before Harry’s birthday when Death appeared in his room at Privet Drive looking very guilty of something. Harry’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How are you?” He asked in a sing-song tone when Death didn’t immediately come sit with him or start speaking.

“I’m fine, and you?” Death shuffled his feet a bit before sitting awkwardly on the bed beside Harry.

“Alright, out with it,” Harry’s patience was running thin, and he was also a bit amused at his lover’s antics. “What did you do, and how mad am I going to be?”

“Well…I might have (indistinct mumbling).”

“Uh huh, yeah, I completely understood what you just said,” Harry said, his words dripping with sarcasm.

“I may have sent one of my mares to visit someone…” Death began but paused when he saw confusion on Harry’s face. “Also, called Night-Mares, they cause bad dreams.”

“There’s a being that causes bad dreams?” Harry asked incredulously.

“Among other things,” Death nodded with a dark smirk. “They don’t cause all bad dreams, but that is one thing they can do.”

“And you sent one of these mares to someone…Might I ask who?” Harry raised an eyebrow, realizing it was probably someone on Death’s ‘List.’

“Umbridge,” Death said with pride instead of regret in his eyes.

“Uh huh, and why are you coming to me about this now?” Harry wasn’t too sure what he felt about Death causing nightmares for someone, but also couldn’t bring himself to feel sorry for the evil b-witch.

Death’s lips tweaked up just a little in relief when Harry didn’t seem angry at him. “When my mare reported in last, he mentioned Umbridge had recently acquired a most interesting locket.”

Harry sat up straighter at that and grabbed Death’s hand. “Really, is it the locket? Where did she get it?”

“It wasn’t like my mare could have a nice conversation with her over tea,” Death rolled his eyes, but instead just pulled a golden locket out of his pocket. “I sent an imp to steal it once the mare told me about it. It’s definitely the one we’ve been looking for.”

Harry quickly pulled the basilisk fang from the loose floorboards under his bed. He wasn’t about to chance his family doing anything with it if they decided to go on an anti-magic rampage again. “Well, what’re we waiting for?”

Death held a hand up. “You can’t just stab it here in your relatives’ house. The stupid wards would have the Order down on us in seconds.”

“Oh right, can you shift me somewhere remote?”

Death got a positively devilish gleam in his eye. “I can do you one better than that,” he said reaching for Harry.

“I’m definitely not going to like this,” Harry groaned as he was engulfed in a dark cloud.

Harry looked around the comfortable but old-fashioned sitting room he stood in as the cloud around him and Death dissipated. “Where…?” he asked before he heard a crash and running steps. He had his wand pulled and trained on his least favorite professor before he even registered the wand pointed back at him. Death just chuckled and sank elegantly into one of the armchairs in the room, looking between the two men in a stand-off.

“Potter, Osiris, what are you doing here?” Snape asked without taking his eyes off of either or lowering his wand. “Come to kill me to avenge the old man?”

“Oh please,” Harry rolled his eyes. “I know you worked out Dumbledore’s death with him ahead of time. It’s the only logical reason for you vowing to help Malfoy and covering up the headmaster’s condition all year.”

At this, Snape visibly started and paled. “As for why I’m here…Why are we here?” Harry turned to ask Death who seemed to be enjoying the drama.

“You needed a place where a flare of dark magic wouldn’t raise any questions and he already knows about a lot of what’s going on. It might be advantageous for the future to get some help from him. We still need to find the non-snake horcrux,” Death looked to the potion master with a gleam in his eye. “It might also be to his advantage to move down or even off my ‘List.’”

“I think I liked you better when you refused to meddle,” Harry pouted, but with a sly smile.

Death just waved a hand dismissively. “It got old.”

“What in the name of Morgana, Mordred, and Merlin is going on here?!” Snape exclaimed, exasperatedly. “And, how did you apparate past my wards?”

Harry pulled out the basilisk fang and held a hand out as Death placed the locket in it. Harry ignored the second question. “We’re going to destroy a horcrux. You in, Professor?”

Snape slowly lowered the wand he still had trained on Harry. “That’s a horcrux?” He stared at the locket in Harry’s hand.

“Yep,” Harry said with a pop of his lips. “Might want to stand back Professor; it tends to get a little messy when it realizes what’s happening.”

Snape took a couple cautious steps back, but Death leaned forward and stared at him. “I’ll only be gone a few minutes once Harry stabs the soul-piece. I expect him to be unharmed and in the same condition I left him in when I return,” he warned Snape.

Before Snape could respond, Harry had already placed the locket on the low, coffee table and hissed for it to open. A dark, screaming whirlwind emerged that pushed Snape into the wall. Snape glanced over seeing the DADA professor unconcernedly picking at his fingernails while Harry Bloody Potter growled as he stabbed the locket multiple times with a bloody long snake fang.

Snape blinked. Everything was calm in his sitting room once again. Harry was magically repairing the holes in Snape’s coffee table and Osiris was nowhere to be seen. “Where did he go?” Snape asked, looking around the room.

“Remember,” Harry said with a raise of his eyebrow. “He said he’d be gone for a few minutes after I destroyed the horcrux.”

“But…where did he go?” Snape looked around in complete bewilderment.

Harry just shrugged. “The underworld, the afterlife, the next realm, whatever you want to call it. He’s getting rid of the soul bit, but he’ll be back in a minute unless he gets caught up by my mum or Sirius or something.”

“Your…mum…?” Snape collapsed into the armchair behind him as Harry curled up on his couch like it was no big deal he was hanging out in his least favorite professor’s sitting room. At this point, Harry just kind-of rolled with all the crazy that happened to him, so a late-night trip to his Potions professor’s house was nothing.

“Yeah, she’s a little irritated with you by the way,” Harry said with mock sternness. “Something about holding a grudge and unwarranted detentions.”

Snape looked at Harry like he was about to have either a heart attack or a stroke, whatever was most final to his life and nerves.

A dark cloud formed in the room and Death reappeared. “Any trouble, Love?” Harry asked as Death sat beside him on the couch and put an arm around his shoulders.

“No,” Death replied while obviously looking over Harry to make sure he was exactly the same as he left him. “Dumbledore tried to stop me. He’s still attempting to get away from Lily, but he’ll find no sympathy from me. He’ll be dealing with my wrath once Lily’s done with him anyway.”

“Who are you?” Snape asked, almost apoplectic at this point.

Death rolled his eyes and looked at Harry. “I swear, Dear, I didn’t even try with the name. It almost literally translates to Death the Lord of Death and I keep getting people asking me who I am. Present company excepted, are all wizards really this dense?”

Harry snickered at Death calling Snape dense when the potions master called his students that and worse all the time. “You know no one believes that Death is an actual being; you’ve made sure of that over the years. You shouldn’t fault them for being confused. It really isn’t fair.”

“You’re…Death?” Snape’s eyes widened more than Harry had ever seen in the man, all masks of indifference gone.

“I’d say pleased to meet you, but I still have a few bones to pick with you about how you’ve treated my Harry,” Death said dryly. “We need to get down to business though. How many horcruxes do we have left, Love?”

Snape sputtered at Death calling Harry ‘Love’ even though they had been using endearments since they appeared in the sitting room. “Well, we’ve destroyed the diary, the crown, Dumbledore got the ring, and we took care of the locket. We just have Nagini and possibly something of Hufflepuff’s besides the main soul-piece left. So, two and then the main one.”

Snape looked at the two of them amazed. “There’s something you should probably know…” Snape started.

“Oh yeah, and the piece in me has already been taken care of,” Harry waved him off, knowing what he was about to say.

“But...how?” Snape leaned forward, his normally impassive face showing shock and interest. “You have to kill the vessel to destroy the piece of soul.”

“Yeah well, I’m not the Boy-Who-Lived,” Harry laughed to Snape’s utter confusion. “I’m the Boy-Who-Just-Keeps-Dying.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!” Snape hissed.

“I’ve lost track, Dis,” Harry said lightly to Death, clearly making light of the matter, not actually having lost track. “How many times have I died so far?”

Death huffed in irritation. “Five times and counting. We took care of that parasitic bit of soul the first time though,” Death informed Snape.

 “Five?!” Snape almost yelled as he ran his hands through his hair. “Your mother’s going to kill me! I promised to keep you safe!”

“Yeah, as I said before, she’s not super happy with you right now, or so I hear,” Harry agreed.

“She’s a little angrier with Dumbledore,” Death agreed as he played with the hair at the nape of Harry’s neck. “But, you are definitely not in her good graces.”

“How?” Snape asked, eyes wide.

“How did I die, or how am I still here?” Harry chuckled at Snape’s dumbfounded look.

“Both?”

“As for why I’m still here, apparently, I’m Death’s soulmate or something, so he just ignores all the rules where I’m concerned, right?” Harry looked to Death. Death just planted a kiss on Harry’s temple in agreement, causing Snape to pale more if that was even possible.

“As for how he died,” Death cut in with a sneer. “The abomination was successful in killing him as a baby, then his relatives killed him twice, he died protecting that stupid stone in his first year, and the dementors couldn’t take his soul since it’s mine two summers ago, so they just killed him then instead.”

“And, that’s why no one’s seen a dementor since,” Harry finished. “Don’t get on Death’s bad side, especially if you’re one of his creatures.”

Snape gaped. “Your relatives killed you TWICE?!”

“Those do seem to be the ones most people land on,” Death grumbled. “They were the most preventable in my opinion. If someone had just checked on the baby they left on a doorstep, problem solved!”

“I did tell everyone they hated me, but they’d already killed me by then,” Harry shrugged nonchalantly. “It really is very unpleasant to die by starvation, worse than being beaten to death. I really don’t recommend it. Well, either really, but starvation was the worst.”

And, that was the last straw. Snape collapsed in his chair unconscious.

Harry and Death didn’t stay much longer at Snape’s home. After, bringing him back around, they waved off his questions and apologies to sternly tell him that it was his job now to find out what of Hufflepuff’s the abomination/Dark Lord/Voldy might have made into a horcrux. Snape told them he’d been assigned as the new headmaster of Hogwarts on the Dark Lord’s orders, so he was to look around the castle and discreetly sound out what the other Death Eaters (minions, Death corrected vehemently) knew about any Hufflepuff artifacts.

Death promptly returned Harry back to his room after that where they snuggled down into Harry’s uncomfortable bed. “When are you leaving this place for good?” Death asked with a sneer at the room. “I’m looking forward to your relatives being unprotected and having no one to miss them.”

“You’re not allowed to kill people,” Harry reminded Death as he snuggled closer and pulled Death’s arms around him.

“Torture doesn’t have to lead to death,” he growled in response.

“Please be good. You haven’t had to heal me in a couple summers now. They’ve been a little better.”

Death snorted. “The bar was so low from horrific abuse to just severe abuse isn’t better as you say only less horrible.”

“Whatever,” Harry shrugged, too tired to bring himself to care at the moment, though he knew he’d revisit this subject again later. “I’m leaving next week, well before my birthday when the wards fall.”

“So, if you’re staying with the Weasleys, we can’t do our tradition and be together at midnight on your birthday,” Death mock pouted.

“No, but you can come by the Burrow for my birthday the next evening. And, maybe be my date for Bill and Fleur’s wedding as well?” Harry asked, hopefully.

Death hummed for a minute. “I can’t do the wedding,” he started. “No one wants Death at their wedding. It’d be rude for me to attend.”

“Not if you were my guest…”

“Yes, even then,” Death sighed. It amazed Death to no end how Harry just couldn’t understand other people’s reactions to his aura. “I could maybe do the birthday party though.”

“As long as you come as my date,” Harry grinned up at him, knowing he was pushing his luck.

“Do you really think that wise?”

“No, but I haven’t dated a single person in the whole time they’ve known me, and I’d appreciate it if Hermione and Ginny would stop trying to set me up with people. I understand Cho and even Seamus, but Draco?” Harry grimaced. “They must be getting desperate.”

Death growled quietly, thinking, and honestly a little jealous. “It would be nice for others you know you’re spoken for…”

“And, you’re no longer my professor, so…will you?”

“Of course, you imp.” Death tangled his leg between Harry’s and settled down to get comfortable for the night. Work could wait.

“I feel that’s probably an insult to imps,” Harry chuckled, causing Death to snort in laughter.

Death was concerned as he made his way up the lane to the Weasleys’ house on Harry’s birthday. He had recently taken Mad-Eye Moody on to the other realm, and he wasn’t sure how Harry was handling it. He got the impression they weren’t very close, but he had died protecting Harry, so he must be taking it hard. His frown deepened as he passed the Minister of Magic walking back down the lane who seemed irritated when he disapparated at the gate.

Death breathed a sigh of relief when Harry came out the front door (looking uninjured and healthy) and ran to meet him halfway from the gate to the house. After almost being bowled over by the slightly smaller man, Death pulled him tightly into a hug. “How are you, Love?”

“I’m ok; is he doing well?”

Knowing exactly what he meant, Death nodded. “Yes, he’s settling in nicely. Seems to be resting for the first time in a long while. No need for CONSTANT VIGILANCE when you’re already dead.”

“That’s good,” Harry said, finally pulling away.

“How’s your birthday so far? And, was that the Minister I saw?” Death asked shoving his thumb towards the gate where the Minister had disapparated.

“Yeah, he came to read Dumbledore’s will. Dumbledore tried to leave me Gryffindor’s sword, but the Minister said it belonged to the school. He also left Ron his Deluminator and Hermione that children’s book you showed me last year. He’s probably trying to get us to look into the hallows since he was obsessed. No telling about the Deluminator though. Any ideas why he’d leave me the sword?”

Death thought for a minute. “You stabbed the basilisk with it, so it’d have the venom imbued in the blade. It could probably destroy a horcrux.”

“I have a fang though.”

“Yes, but Dumbledore didn’t know that,” Death said with no clues about the Deluminator either.

“Oh,” Harry laughed remembering. “Ron gave me Twelve Fail-Safe Ways to Charm Witches! I’m so looking forward to seeing his face when you walk through the door!”

Death chuckled as well. “Well…shall we?”

Harry took Death’s hand in his own and finished the walk up to the door, pushing it open with a smile. Hermione was currently the only one in the sitting room when they entered. “Professor Osiris!” Hermione exclaimed looking between Harry and Death and taking in their clasped hands.

Death just smiled at her. “I’m just Dis now. No DADA professor lasts longer than a year, so I figured I wouldn’t even try since you lot aren’t coming back.”

“You told him?!” Hermione hissed.

“Yes, Hermione,” Harry said, sliding his arm around Death’s waist. “I figured my…what are you? Boyfriend? Partner? Anyway, I figured he should know I won’t be hanging around Hogwarts next year. I didn’t tell him where we’d be though.” Not that they had really decided where they were going anyway just that they needed to hide out for a bit until they found the last, non-living horcrux and figured out how to get to Nagini.

“Erm, how about significant other?” Death suggested for a title.

Harry wrinkled his nose. “That’s too long. I’m going with boyfriend, so deal.”

Death laughed and planted a kiss in Harry’s hair. “In answer to your unasked question, Ms. Granger, I’ll not be joining you on your little jaunt, but Harry does know how to get in touch with me if you ever find yourselves in a sticky situation.”

Hermione frowned for a minute and then smiled. “You’re a bit creepy, sir, but at least you make Harry happy. He was happier this past year than he has been since I’ve known him. Ron and I figured it had something to do with you when Harry kept disappearing in the evenings last year and you weren’t anywhere to be found either.”

Harry looked a little irritated for a minute, but Death just chuckled and tasseled his hair. “I told you everyone thinks I’m creepy, and you never believe me.”

Harry pulled Death and Hermione out to the backyard to join the Weasleys, Hagrid, Lupin, Tonks, and the Delacours. Everyone looked up at the new arrival in confusion, except for Remus who had a knowing look on his face. “Everyone, meet my boyfriend, Dis Osiris, Dis, this is everyone,” Harry called, hanging onto Death’s hand.

“Professor Osiris?” Hagrid rumbled questioningly.

“Professor?” Mrs. Weasley looked to Hagrid with a slightly disapproving look on her face.

“Yes, yes,” Harry waved away their concerns and pulled Death to the table where he sat him by the very uncomfortable looking Delacours. “He was the DADA professor, but I knew him before then and nothing happened while he was a professor. Clear?”

“Thank you for allowing me to celebrate Harry’s birthday, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley,” Death smiled at them as he passed a small, wrapped parcel to Harry. “I’ll explain it later,” Death whispered to him.

Though still looking disapprovingly at the former professor, Mrs. Weasley levitated over a large snitch cake and began passing out pieces to everyone. The tension at the table started dissipating after a while. Death even seemed to get along well with the Delacours once they learned he spoke perfect French.

About halfway through the dinner, Ron leaned over to Harry. “Hey, mate, I still have the receipt to that book if you want to return it,” Ron looked at him a little regretfully.

Harry looked back with mock indignation. “Don’t you dare, Ron Weasley,” Harry scoffed. “I plan on getting a lot of enjoyment out of trying all of those fail-safe ways to charm witches out on Dis.” Ron laughed and shot his former professor a sympathetic look to Death’s confusion, but Ron just went back to eating cake with a new self-satisfied smirk on his face.

Harry held off unwrapping his present until he was saying goodbye to Death at the gate. He unwrapped what looked to be a tiny, and very ancient whistle. “Thaaanks?” Harry said with a raise of his eyebrow, trying to figure out what exactly it was.

“It’s a dog whistle,” Death chuckled at his confusion. “I’m, in a way, giving you a dog.”

Harry looked around, expecting a puppy with a bow around its neck to appear. “Did he get lost?”

“No Phobos will never get lost,” Death pulled Harry into his arms. “I’m assigning you one of my grims. He’ll stay in the underworld until you need him, but if you ever want to get a quick message to me but don’t want to or aren’t in a place you can call me with the coin, call for Phobos and he’ll deliver any message. He’s also good company if you never need it.”

“But does he play fetch?” Harry asked very seriously but with a small smirk on his lips.

“Considering he’s Fluffy’s best friend, yes, he actually does,” Death chuckled and kissed Harry, exploring his mouth, not wanting to ever pull away. When Harry finally needed air, Death looked him in the eyes lovingly. “Call for me when you are able, and send messages by Phobos when you aren’t.”

“I will, and I love you,” Harry said, giving Death one last kiss.

“I love you too, my Harry,” and with that, Death disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Chapter Text

Just after Christmas Day, Harry stood dejectedly inside a heavily warded grove within a forest somewhere within England, he wasn’t even sure where he was at this point. A deceptively small tent was behind him and an equally dejected Hermione Granger and a limping Ron Weasley emerged from it. Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry’s shoulders causing him to breathe in a sharp breath of pain. “Sorry,” Hermione said, but didn’t pull away.

Harry touched his split lip with a wince as Hermione took in his black eye. “I’m fine ‘Mione. How are you and Ron?”

Hermione pulled back as he inspected the small cuts and bruises on his friend. Ron just waved him off when he came over. “It looks worse than it is I’m sure, mate,” Ron tried to laugh, but only succeeded in a dark chuckle and a glare to his still bleeding leg.

“Do we still have any more Dittany, ‘Mione?” Harry asked as he knelt to take in Ron’s leg, who was now heavily leaning on Hermione’s shoulder.

“No, we ran out after taking care of Ron’s shoulder when I splinched him,” she sighed as she lowered her boyfriend to the ground instead of holding him up. “I’m sorry.”

Harry scoffed. “You have nothing to apologize for! If it wasn’t for you even thinking to bring it, we’d have been lost well before now. And, if you think you’re apologizing for splinching Ron, then I would like to remind you, we’d all be dead if you hadn’t apparated us out of there.”

“It’s just disheartening that we’ve only succeeded in staying alive. We haven’t actually done anything,” Hermione now ran her fingers through Ron’s hair that definitely needed a cut soon. “Plus, we lost the fang. How’re we supposed to take out the last horcrux if we do manage to find it.”

“Don’t forget that you’re now missing a wand as well, mate,” Ron added on to the pity-party.

They had been wondering around the forests and hiding from snatchers for months. Since they had left the Burrow in August, the trio had succeeded in finding and rescuing several of their classmates and muggleborns who were on the run to safety at Grimmauld Place, which had been set up as a safe house with a much healthier Kreature and Andromeda Tonks’s husband Ted in charge of running things there. The trio refused to stay as they continued to find those who needed to be ushered to safety, and they wanted to keep looking for the last horcrux (besides Nagini).

Harry looked with lost eyes out into the woods. “We’ve gotten a lot of people to safety; I wouldn’t call that nothing. However, I know how you’re feeling. I wish we could end all this,” he said sadly. “I think it’s time to get some help.”

“From who?” Hermione agreed, but everyone they knew who could help was either in hiding or at Hogwarts, which was under control of the Carrows. They didn’t even have a means to get a message to anyone since Hedwig hadn’t survived Harry’s escape from Privet Drive and Pig had been left at Grimmauld Place to be used for emergencies.

Harry pulled a small whistle out of his pocket. “There’s something I haven’t been very straightforward about with the two of you,” Harry nervously played with the whistle in his hands. “It was for a good reason, but I still hope you can forgive me. I just don’t know how you’re going to take it. And I didn't tell you before...well, for the same reason, and that I would sound completely barmy.”

“I think we’ve been through enough together at this point for us to go on a little faith,” Ron said, struggling to stand. “I know we’ve all had our arguments and shouting matches since we’ve been cooped up together, but after fighting off Death Eaters, Snatchers, and that bloody huge snake yesterday, I don’t think anything you tell us will break apart this family. If you haven’t figured it out in the last seven years, we’re in this together to the end.”

Harry and Hermione both looked at Ron like he’d grown a second head. “What?” He looked at them confused.

“That’s just, probably the most mature thing I’ve ever heard you say,” Hermione said, quickly kissing Ron solidly on the mouth.

After a very awkward few moments, Harry cleared his throat to remind them of his presence. “Well, I can actually get in touch with Dis, that’s what I was going to tell you. You’re not going to like how though.”

Hermione finally pulled away from Ron with a smile on her face. “Oh, Harry! A DADA professor could at least get us some more Dittany if not help with getting you a new wand. You should have mentioned this earlier!”

“Yeah, well, I’ve been sending him messages since we went on the run, but this is the first time I think we actually need him to come to us, and I doubt you all will like my messenger.”

“Hey, if he brings food with him, I’ll kiss your creepy Professor Osiris and the messenger on the mouth,” Ron laughed, but was surprisingly serious about it. Hermione and Harry both punched him in the arms. “Hey, injured here!”

“At least he’s back to normal,” Harry nervously looked at the whistle and his two friends. “Well, here goes nothing. Please don’t freak out.”

Harry blew the dog whistle to the confusion of his two friends who looked around them. “Nothing can find us in these wards,” Hermione reminded him.

“Just wait…” Harry said as he saw a cloud of dark smoke appear just at the tree line.

A large, shaggy, black dog the size of a mastiff looked around catching sight of Harry. “Sirius?” Hermione gasped in shock as the dog let out a happy bark and started gamboling over to them.

“NOT Sirius!” Ron exclaimed as he pushed Hermione behind him. He had just caught sight of the dog’s eyes. Instead of eyes, the dog had burning flames illuminating dark caverns. “That’s a real grim!!”

“And, that’s why I said not to freak out,” Harry rolled his eyes at them and started scratching the grim under its chin. To Ron and Hermione’s surprise, the grim flopped over and presented its belly for Harry to start scratching. “Guys, meet Phobos. He’s just a big softy, yes you are,” Harry said with some definite hints of baby talk.

“Phobos? Fear? You have a grim named Fear…as a pet?” Hermione squeaked, but she and Ron did stop slowly backing towards the tent. They didn’t move forward any though.

“You hear that, you’re terrifying. The scariest pup in the whole world,” Harry said in full baby talk mode as he kept scratching the belly while Phobos’s back paw started kicking.

“Um, mate, you know you’re baby-talking a grim, right? We just need to check,” Ron said as if talking to someone who’d completely lost their mind.

“Yeah, Ron, I haven’t gone mental,” Harry stood as the grim whined for him to continue.

“And, how is a grim going to carry a message for you?” Hermione asked, now actually coming out from behind Ron even as he shot her a warning look.

“Like this,” Harry laid his hand on the grim’s head and looked into his fiery eyes. “Hey, boy, tell your master that we need help. We’ve lost the basilisk fang and my wand was broken when we were attacked by Nagini in Godric’s Hollow. We’re fine, but we need another way to destroy a horcrux, and I would really like another wand.”

“Food too!” Ron bravely added.

“Yes, and we would really like some food if that’s possible,” Harry patted Phobos’s head one more time. “Thanks boy!” The grim immediately disappeared into a dark cloud.

“According to legend, the grim’s master would be death itself,” Hermione contemplated from behind Harry. Harry raised an eyebrow at her seeming to tell her to continue her line of reasoning. “And, Dis is the name of the Roman underworld, and they called Death Dis Pater.”

“Uh huh, and Osiris is the Egyptian god of the underworld, figure that,” Harry said with a smile and a shrug as settled himself on the ground to wait the return of his grim.

“Harry…” Hermione began with a look towards Ron and nervousness in her voice. “Are you dating Death?”

“More like engaged,” Harry corrected as he pulled the necklace with the bonding ring of hallows out from under his shirt. “You have to admit, of our DADA professors, he was the least murderous. So…point in his favor?”

“Er, and how long have you been on speaking terms with Death?” Ron said with a look that spoke of him trying to decide between fight or flight.

“Since old Voldy killed me the first time,” Harry smiled at him reassuringly. Before he could continue, the grim reappeared in front of Harry, holding a rolled-up piece of parchment in its mouth this time.

Harry read it quickly and then passed it to his friends as he scratched behind Phobos’s ears. “You’re such a good boy, yes, you are!”

Hermione unrolled the parchment so that she and Ron could read it:

Harry, Love,

You can’t just say you were attacked and leave it at that!! What happened?! You know I don’t actually believe you’re ok! How bad is it? Are you bleeding? Any bones visible from the outside?

Never mind, I’m on my way. Give me about an hour. I need to round up something you can use to destroy a horcrux. I have an idea, but it’ll necessitate me tracking down an old git (I know ha, ha no one is old compared to me).

If you are currently knocking on my door, proverbially speaking, from your injuries send Phobos back, and I’ll forget it and hurry faster. If you die again, I swear I’ll make you put on that bonding ring whether you’ve destroyed that abomination’s horcruxes yet or not!

Miss you!

Love,

Dis

“Erm, what does he mean ‘if you die again?’” Hermione asked after she read the letter about three times.

Harry shrugged, “It’s just a thing I do. No worries. Now, Phobos,” He said addressing the dog. “You and Fluffy be good, but don't let those imps become complacent, ok? I’ll see you soon!”

The grim barked an eerily echoing bark and disappeared in the dark cloud once again. “I have too many questions,” Ron said, sinking to the ground beside Harry and stretching out his injured leg with a wince. “I’m too hungry to process all of this,” he waved his hand up and down in front of Harry.

So, the next hour had Harry explaining his relationship with Death as best as he could while his friends kept asking over and over again if he, Harry, was actually alive or not. “For the final time, yes! I’m alive!” Harry huffed as he finished telling how Sirius and Death plotted for Death to follow him to Hogwarts in sixth year to keep him safe from the DADA professors.

“And…he has tea with your parents?” Hermione asked, for the third time.

Harry rubbed his scar out of habit. “Yes, my parents, Sirius, and Cedric have a standing tea date with him.”

“Not Dumbledore?”

“No, I’m pretty sure my mum’s tormenting him right now in some form or fashion and Dis plans to have a go when she’s done,” Harry said nonchalantly. “They aren’t really happy with him for putting me with the Dursleys and not keeping me safe and all.”

Ron shivered, not wanting to know what Death tormenting you would be like. He screamed like a little girl (not that he would ever admit it) when another dark cloud appeared in front of them.

Death had a grip on the arm of none other than Severus Snape who collapsed on the ground as soon as Death let go. “Are you ok Professor?” Harry asked rushing over since Snape looked to be having a panic attack.

“I’m…fine,” he breathed out in gasps, trying to slow down his heart.

“And, that’s the normal reaction to people shifting with me,” Death explained to Harry as he pulled him into a hug followed by a long kiss.

“Never again,” Snape said from the ground as he finally started breathing normally. “I’d say ‘over my dead body’ but you might take that literally.”

Death laughed. “Yes, one day, we will do that again over your dead body.”

“You know he’s evil, right?” Ron asked in a deadpan pointing to Snape. After a grim and Death himself, Ron was a little numb to everything going on, so he couldn’t bring himself to really get up the right amount of reaction to the Death Eater recovering from a panic attack in front of him.

“Nah, he worked it out with Dumbledore ahead of time, who was already dying by the way,” Harry said, finally coming up for air.

Death waved his hands over Harry’s face and it was immediately healed. “Please look at Ron’s leg and shoulder too,” Harry said, giving Death a peck on the lips in thanks.

“What happened?” Death asked as he slowly approached Ron who looked like he might try to run away, injured leg and all.

“We went to Godric’s Hollow and ran into Bathilda Bagshot, only it was Nagini in disguise. She tried to eat us, but Hermione apparated us out just in time. We used all our Dittany on Ron’s shoulder because he got slightly splinched in the escape. My wand got broken in the struggle, and the pocket the basilisk fang was in got ripped, so we lost it too,” Harry explained as Death finally was able to get a hold of Ron’s leg and start healing it.

“Ms. Granger, are you injured?” Death asked Hermione.

Hermione looked at him uncomfortably. “I’m fine, just a couple scrapes. Nothing bad.”

“If you are sure,” he said, striding back to Harry who he put his arm around the waist of.

Snape cleared his throat. “Yes, and that’s why I’m here,” he said as he pulled something that looked like a silver toothpick out of his pocket. He enlarged it to Gryffindor’s sword. “Osiris assured me this would destroy a horcrux,” he said, handing the sword to Harry. 

“Thanks professor,” Harry said experimentally slashing the sword a few times.

“And,” Snape said, holding a wand out to him. “This is my back-up wand. It won’t serve you as well as your original, but hopefully it will help you until you can get one better.”

Harry tried a quick Lumos spell, and it lit the wand but disappointingly not as well as his normal wand. “It’ll do for now. Thank you, Professor,” he nodded to Snape.

“Um…didn’t we ask for some food?” Ron said bravely out of the corner of his mouth to Harry.

Death laughed, hearing Ron’s stage whisper. “Let’s go inside your tent, and I’ll summon some from the Hogwarts kitchens. Distance means less to my spells than it does to yours.”

After they were all sitting comfortably at the enlarged table in the trio’s tent, Death summoned a large meal from the Hogwarts kitchens. Without a second thought, Ron dug into a piece of chicken.

“Thank you, Professor, for the sword and wand, but may I ask, why did you come?” Harry asked Snape as he filled a plate with mashed potatoes and broccoli. “You could have just sent the items with Dis.”

“Now that I know what traveling with him is like, I guarantee you, I will not make that mistake again,” Snape grimaced in a dark tone. “I do have news for you as well though.”

“So…Snape is a spy for us now?” Ron asked between bites.

Snape rolled his eyes but couldn’t really disagree with him. “Before, I tell you, I want you, Osiris, to guarantee me you will tell her that I helped Harry.”

“It depends on how useful the information is,” Death said, leaning back and glaring at Snape.

Harry sighed and put his hand over Death’s mouth. “Quiet you,” he warned. “Don’t listen to him, of course he’ll tell Mum you helped us. He’s just being grumpy because I won’t invite him over for any ‘extracurricular’ activities since I’m sleeping in the same room with Ron and Hermione.”

“That’s what silencing charms were invented for,” Death said, pulling Harry’s hand away from his mouth.

“Oh, please no!” Ron exclaimed with a shudder as both Snape and Hermione sputtered into their tea.

“Anyway,” Harry said pointedly at Ron and Death. “What do you have to tell us, Professor?”

Snape wiped the tea from the table in front of him. “I figured if the Dark Lord were to hide something, it would either be with Lucius or Bellatrix. Since we all now know what happened with the diary, I decided to give Bellatrix a go and cornered her after the last meeting to break into her mind and then obliviate her,” Snape shuddered like Ron had moments before. “Which, by the way, necessitated me taking three showers to even remotely recover from her insanity.”

“Understandable,” Ron nodded sympathetically, probably the first time he had ever looked sympathetically at Snape before.

“Well…she has something in her Gringotts vault. I think it might be Hufflepuff’s cup, but I am not sure. The Dark Lord gave it to her to keep safe,” Snape told them. “It may be what you are looking for.”

Harry groaned. “Between, Nagini, the main soul-piece, and Gringotts, I’m thinking Gringotts might be the most difficult one to get.”

“Yeah, you can’t just stand out in the open and say come get me to a bank,” Ron laughed.

“Which you will not be doing,” Death glared at Ron who nervously cleared his throat before going back to his peas.

“Well, what do you plan to do to get into a secure vault at the most secure wizarding bank in the world?” Snape asked with a raised eyebrow as he poured himself some more tea.

“We could polyjuice ourselves to look like Bellatrix,” Hermione suggested. “We might need to break into Malfoy Manor to get a hair though.”

“Why don’t I just ask for it?” Death suggested while looking at Hermione like she’d gone completely crazy.

“The goblins will never turn over something that has been entrusted to them,” Snape snorted in disagreement.

“Even if it doesn’t belong to the vault’s owner but does belong to me?”

Snape looked at him confused. “It belongs to you?”

“It’s a piece of a soul not in a body. I think that constitutes belonging to me,” Death said thoughtfully. “Besides, who’s going to say no to Death when he asks for something? I've had pretty good luck with that over the years,” he said with a wicked grin.

Harry still looked doubtful. “The goblins are pretty strict."

“Harry, Love, your friends are scared of me, and I’m doing my absolute best to project calm and happiness. What do you think the response would be if I actually try to act scary? Huh?” Death raised a questioning eyebrow at the teen before stealing a pinch of the chocolate biscuit off Harry's plate.

“He’s got a point, mate,” Ron interjected. “I’d do anything he asks, and apparently he isn’t trying.”

“You said you’d kiss him if he brought food, so I don’t think you count,” Harry scoffed with an eye roll for good measure.

“Is that so?” Death asked with a mischievous grin to the redhead.

“It was a joke!” Ron squeaked and looked for a place to hide.

“It would be worth a try,” Snape reluctantly agreed with Death and blatantly ignored Ron. “What about Nagini and the Dark Lord though?”

“We need to get them together in the same place. Maybe at one of the meetings?” Harry asked Snape.

The potions master shook his head. “The Dark Lord has been obsessed with finding some wand. He kidnapped Ollivander to get information about it. We haven’t been having as many meetings while he’s on his search. That is why it took so long for me to corner Bellatrix.”

“What do you know about the wand?” Death asked, with a glance over at Harry.

“Not much,” Snape shrugged. “I think he mentioned it was made of elder wood at some point.”

“The Elder Wand?” Ron asked with a frown. “Like in the fairy tale?”

“Like the Three Brothers?” Hermione looked at him confused.

“Yeah, The Tales of Beadle the Bard,” Harry answered to Ron’s surprise.

“The muggles have those too?”

“No, Dis showed me the story a while ago,” Harry said touching the ring under his shirt.

“That was the book Dumbledore willed to me,” Hermione added. She then went on to tell the story of the three brothers to Snape who wasn’t familiar with the children’s story.

“So, the Dark Lord is after a fairy tale?” Snape obviously disagreed with their theory.

“Only, it’s not a fairy tale, or at least the items aren’t,” Death explained. “Unlike the story, the Peverell brothers did me a great service long ago. There was a bit of very dark magic that was honestly worse than the horcruxes, and they helped me get rid of it. Don't ask...I won't tell you. Anyway, I asked Fate what I could do to repay them and cancel my debt. She instructed me to make the hallows and give them to the brothers. I was told they would return to me again one day, when their true owner was found.”

Harry pulled the ring from under his shirt. “These are the Deathly Hallows,” Harry showed them. “They’re combined into my bonding ring.”

“Harry is the true owner,” Death kissed the side of Harry’s head.

“I’m having a really hard time grasping that you are actually Death, mate,” Ron said rubbing his neck. “It’s just so…out there. That you made the hallows, that you’re some sort of immortal deity, and that you graded my essays all last year. And then, I have to process that you’re shagging my best friend on top of all that.”

Death shrugged. “I don’t know what to tell you. A bit crudely said, but essentially true. Most people don’t meet me until they’re already dead, so I don’t have much experience with living people knowing who I am, well, besides Harry.”

“It helps that I’ve known him almost my whole life,” Harry said. “Just think of him as the eccentric DADA professor if that helps.”

“Ok,” Ron sighed and shook his head, seeming to physically shake a new kind of thinking into his mind. “So, Harry has the wand?” Ron asked in awe. “Why did we need Snape to bring you a wand then?”

“When Harry puts the ring on and has access to all the hallows, he will no longer be a part of this world,” Death explained. “He may come and go, but he will cease to be a resident of this realm. So, I’ve instructed him to only put on the ring when he is absolutely certain he is ready.”

“And, he keeps telling me I’m not ready,” Harry added with a narrowed eye towards Death. “Even though I disagree.”

“So, we pick a place and we get the word to You-Know-Who that the wand is there. Then we just need a plan that takes advantage of our element of surprise,” Hermione planned.

“That sounds like a good idea, Ms. Granger,” Snape agreed, looking very surprised. “Who had the wand before Harry? That might help with location.”

“Dumbledore,” Harry said simply. “We are not letting Old Moldy anywhere near Hogwarts though.”

“Agreed,” Snape said quickly. “Let me give it some thought. How can I communicate with you all?”

“I could send Phobos once we get the cup, and you could send anything you’ve thought of back with him,” Harry said appreciatively.

“I assume Phobos is an owl?” Snape asked, already knowing it probably wasn’t with all the crazy that was Harry Potter.

“It’s a bloody grim,” Ron grumbled.

“He likes his belly scratched though,” Hermione laughed.

Snape stood to walk out of the tent. “I will under no circumstances scratch a grim’s belly. However, I’ll try not to die of a stroke if one shows up bearing a letter,” He said with a sneer. “Now, if you will excuse me, I must return to the school and will certainly be apparating myself there.”

After Snape left, Harry pulled over a large slice of cheesecake and smiled. “So, Gringotts tomorrow?”

“Can I stay the night?” Death asked with a wide smile.

“Oi, no funny business,” Ron waved the bone to his chicken leg threateningly.

“Of course not,” Death said, but wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at Harry who chuckled.

Ron looked off into the dark of the tent. “Hey, Harry, what if the goblins refuse tomorrow? Do we have a back-up plan?...Harry?...Harry?” Ron turned over and waited, listening for any sound.

“Oh, bloody hell, Hermione! They’ve put up a silencing charm!”

“Shhh, go to sleep, Ron,” Hermione called soothingly from her cot.

Chapter Text

Early the next morning, the trio plus Death breakfasted on the leftovers from the night before and sleepily packed up all their things. After the tent and all their supplies, as well as the leftover food, were packed away into Hermione’s wonderful beaded bag, Death had the trio gather together. He looked at them all, then waved a hand over their heads. “There, now no one will recognize you. When they look at you, they’ll think you’re someone they’ve never seen before.”

“Brilliant!” Harry exclaimed. “I need to know how to do that in the future.”

“Of course. I’ll teach you later. It won’t work for the goblins though. They have their own ways of knowing who you are based on magical signatures, but I doubt they’ll care since they’re neutral in the war,” Death explained, vowing silently that the goblins would regret it if they did try anything regardless. “If they make a fuss, just grab onto me, and I’ll get us all out of there.”

“Erm, not that I’m complaining, Dis,” Harry began. “But, aren’t you supposed to be a neutral party as well? You haven’t been acting very neutral lately.”

“And, I’ll act much less neutral once all the horcruxes are destroyed,” Death growled angrily. “That abomination has basically declared war on me. He sends countless people to me before their time and has made a mockery of the balance of nature through those horcruxes of his. That’s not to mention his desire to kill my soulmate. Once all the horcruxes are destroyed, he’ll find I’m no longer a neutral party! My hands are only tied as long as that vile magic is anchoring him to this plane.”

Harry cackled, yes cackled, gleefully, “I’m so looking forward to that day!”

“After he’s destroyed, I then plan to spend the next however long it takes to make sure all documentation and knowledge of how to make a horcrux is erased from this world,” Death continued with an ominous look in his eyes. He took a deep breath and looked back at the group of mortals. “Shall we?” Death smiled, offering his arm to Harry.

“We’ll just meet you there, at the apparition point outside Gringotts,” Hermione spoke up, remembering Snape’s reaction to Death's shifting from the day before.

“Suit yourself,” Death said as he and Harry disappeared in a dark cloud.

They weren’t in Diagon Alley for two minutes before Harry’s head was accosted by a chattering ball of feathers. “Aaah!” He yelled as he danced around, trying to get away from the crazy owl that wanted to nest in his hair. “Pig! Ron, calm your owl!” Death unhelpfully just chucking as he watched.

After grabbing the tiny owl from Harry’s head, Ron pulled the letter off the bird’s foot. “We just left our wards. He’s probably been trying to find you to deliver this for a while,” Ron said, handing over the letter as he tried to calm the hyper owl in his fist. “Is everything ok at the safe house?” He asked concernedly as Harry read it over.

Harry laughed and smiled at them. “Everything is fine! I have a new godson, Theodore Lupin! Remus and Tonks had their baby!” He handed the letter over to Ron and Hermione to read.

“Does this mean I have a step-godson? Or a godson-in-law?” Death inquired with an odd look on his face.

“I guess it does,” Harry smiled as Death’s look changed into a large grin.

“I must figure out how to spoil a child properly. You were not good practice for that,” Death said pulling Harry into a happy hug.

“Well, at least you know all the good card games to teach him!”

“Shall we get this show on the road?” Hermione asked, nervously looking at the bank as she handed Harry’s letter back to him.

Harry summoned a piece of parchment and a quill out of Hermione’s bag and wrote a quick reply back to Remus. “I’m telling him we’ll stop by as soon as we’re able,” Harry said, attaching the letter to Pig and sending him off again. “Well, let’s go! We have goblins to terrify!”

Death paused at the doors to the bank. “Harry, pull the ring out from your shirt so the goblins can see it. They’ll recognize what it means since you’ll be with me. It may give you a little more protection.”

Harry pulled the ring out. “You both know you don’t need to come with us,” He told Ron and Hermione, giving them a serious look. “Especially if you’re going to scream and run when Dis gets all scary. If you don’t think you can hold it together, you should probably wait out here for us.”

“We’re in this together, mate,” Ron assured him after a quick glance over to Hermione.

“All right then,” Death said, instantly transforming into his true form. His kind, chocolate-colored eyes resembled a grim’s where they were windows to flickering flames. His aura darkened even more to where there were visible shadows surrounding him as his skin took on a deathly pallor. Lastly, his usual jeans and dress shirt attire changed to black robes with tattered edges that moved by themselves like tendrils around him culminating in a hood covering most of his face, pale, skeletal skin barely showing in the shadow.

“Merlin! You’re terrifying!” Ron gasped as Hermione slightly paled and trembled.

Harry laughed. “Merlin! You’re hot!” He corrected, planting a kiss on the pale cheek under the hood.

“I appreciate both,” Death answered in a disembodied voice since his lips didn’t move to his words anymore. He turned and the doors to the bank opened by themselves as the trio followed behind him into the warm lobby.

It was early in the morning, so there were very few customers in the bank, just a witch and wizard who seemed to be a couple. They quickly scurried out a side door as soon as Death entered, forgetting all about their business. The goblins at the desks visibly backed away from their counters, none offering to help.

Finally, when Death and the trio reached the center of the large, completely silent lobby, one brave goblin walked towards them, his footsteps eerily echoing. “How may we serve you, my Lord Hel?” The goblin asked in a shaky voice and with a low bow. “I’m Ragnok, the manager here at Gringotts. I do not believe we have had direct dealings with you before.”

“Translation, Hel is basically the same as Dis, just Norse,” Hermione whispered to Ron and Harry who nodded to her thankfully.

“There is an object in the vault of one Bellatrix Lestrange that belongs to me,” Death said as he led the brave goblin over to the side of the lobby for more privacy. “I request this object to be handed over to me immediately.”

Ragnok’s gaze flickered over to the trio and came to a surprised rest on Harry’s ring. “Of course, my lords,” he said, now including Harry in the conversation. “I will need to know what the item is and how it belongs to you before taking it from a customer’s vault though. We do not take items from our customers without exceptionally good reasons. It’s bad business, you must understand.”

Death raised an approving eyebrow at the courage of the goblin who was still trying to follow procedure even as he was visibly shaking. “It’s a horcrux.” The goblin visible started, and a look of anger crossed his face. “As deemed by magic and nature herself, souls not residing in a living body are my property, regardless of the vile magic hiding it. I have the right to do with these souls as I will. I also warn you; I'm only asking as a courtesy to your great nation. As you well know, I will take what is mine. I trust your people will help me respect the laws of magic and nature though.”

“I apologize my lords. If we had known we had such a repulsive and profane object here at Gringotts, we would not have allowed it past the doors. What will it look like?”

“It’ll look like a cup, the cup of Helga Hufflepuff,” Harry explained to Ragnok.

Ragnok called over another goblin who Harry was surprised to recognize as Griphook, the one who had originally taken him to his vault. He spoke to Griphook in the goblin language for a minute before Griphook hurriedly left towards the vaults. “He will only be a minute,” Ragnok assured them.

As they waited, Harry looked around, noticing that the goblins had closed the bank for them. The doors were shut and locked, and most of the goblin tellers were no longer in the lobby. He had never heard of the bank ever closing before, this had to be a noteworthy occurrence.

Griphook returned shortly carrying a leather bag, carefully not touching the horcrux. Death took the proffered bag and looked into it. “Thank you, most worthy Ragnok,” Death said, recognizing it was what they were looking for. “I appreciate and will remember your service this day. Do not tell anyone of our business here, especially the Lestrange woman or her master. I will take care of them myself. May it be a long time before we meet again.”

Ragnok bowed low to them again and scurried off as Death and the trio turned to leave. Harry was surprised when a long-fingered hand grabbed onto his arm to hold him back. “Griphook?” Harry asked, wondering why the goblin stopped him.

“You remembered me?” Griphook smiled a toothy smile at Harry.

“Of course. How can I help you?”

“I noticed your ring, my lord,” Griphook said, motioning to the hallows tentatively. “It’s not yet on your finger, but I assume it will be soon?”

Harry looked at the goblin in confusion but inclined his head in agreement. “Ah, then I must ask if you have a will made out. Your vaults will no longer be attached to you in the event of your death, or rather, exit from this realm.”

Harry smiled at Griphook in gratitude for the information. “Could you set it up where everything goes to my godson, Theodore Lupin?”

“Of course, my lord,” Griphook bowed slightly. “I will take care of it for you.”

“Thank you, Griphook,” Harry said as he joined his friends in leaving the bank.

Ron and Hermione regrouped with Harry and Death on the shores of a lake Hermione had remembered traveling to with her parents years before. Harry tossed the horcrux out of the leather bag and enlarged the silver toothpick into Gryffindor’s sword again. “Well, no time like the present,” he said as he unceremoniously slammed the sword into the cup releasing a screaming dark cloud that Death immediately grabbed onto and disappeared with.

“That was a little anticlimactic,” Ron complained.

“Well, I could have played around with it for a bit and made it fight back, but I didn’t really see the point in any of us getting injured just to make it more exciting,” Harry grinned over at his friend.

“So, what now?” Hermione asked Harry. “Nagini is always with You-Know-Who. I don’t think you can get them separated easily.”

“Maybe Snape’s come up with something?” Harry suggested as he pulled out the dog whistle. “I did tell him we’d let him know when the horcrux was destroyed.”

“He probably didn’t think it would be the next day though, mate,” Ron said with a chuckle.

“The longer we wait, the more people are hurt and killed,” Harry said as he blew the whistle and Phobos happily appeared and ran over to them.

Just as Harry had summoned parchment and a quill from Hermione’s bag again, he collapsed to the ground clutching his scar and writhing in pain. “What’s wrong Harry?! What’s he doing?” Hermione pulled Harry into her arms as he clutched at his head.

After a minute, Harry’s brow unfurrowed, and he looked up at his two friends. He blinked a couple times, processing what he’d just seen. “He was talking with an old man in a cell. Grindelwald maybe? He knows the wand was Dumbledore’s. I think he’s headed to Hogwarts!”

“What happens when he realizes the wand Dumbledore was buried with is ash instead of elder wood?” Hermione gasped.

“I would guess…nothing good.”

“And, he’ll be right beside a school with children in it,” Ron groaned. “With my sister in it.”

Harry quickly wrote a note to Snape telling him the cup was destroyed and the Dark Lord was on his way to Hogwarts (Harry wasn’t sure if writing the name was taboo as well, so he wasn’t going to chance it). “I’m asking if he knows of a way we can get to the castle without alerting the Death Eaters,” Harry explained when he rolled up the parchment and put it in Phobos’s mouth. “Take this to Severus Snape at Hogwarts. Only deliver it when he’s alone, ok? And, please wait for a reply.” Phobos barked his eerily echoing bark and disappeared into the shadows.

The trio impatiently waited for a reply as Harry paced along the shore of the lake. It was only about thirty minutes before Phobos once again appeared with a new roll of parchment in his mouth. Harry unrolled it to read:

Potter,

Your grim stared at me from the shadows until I dismissed Flitwick who was in my office for a meeting. Please instruct him not to do that again. It was quite…disconcerting.

I was contacted by the Dark Lord right after receiving your letter to meet him at the Shrieking Shack in two hours’ time in order to escort him to Dumbledore’s tomb. I share your concern that he will be most upset when the wand is not as he expected.

You cannot come anywhere near Hogwarts without Death Eaters being alerted. New wards have been constructed specifically to track your magical signature. I implore you to think this through. If you show up here, this war will be brought to a head here and now.

Regardless, I believe my time as a Death Eater has come to an end. I must alert the faculty to protect the school and incapacitate the Carrows. Whatever you decide, I believe this is the end of my usefulness as a spy.

Notify me if we should be expecting a war or only a very murderous Dark Lord.

Preparing for tea with your mother,

Severus Snape

“Well isn’t he just a ray of sunshine,” Ron grumbled.

“Do we leave him to deal with You-Know-Who alone?” Hermione said, reading through the letter again.

“I don’t think we can,” Harry slowly replied as he took Snape’s advice and actually thought it through. “This is an opportunity to get Old Moldy alone and away from his Death Eaters. He goes nowhere without Nagini, so it’s just him and the last horcrux. When else will we get that chance? And, are you really willing to risk a murderous psychopath that close to the school? It may end up being war whether we’re there or not.”

“I, for one, am not willing to risk Ginny anywhere near him,” Ron agreed vehemently.

“Plus, Mum hasn’t been informed about company for tea, and it’s never polite to show up unannounced,” Harry smiled at his friends.

“You have such a weird relationship with death,” Hermione rolled her eyes.

“Tell me about it!” Death laughed as he appeared behind them in his normal dark cloud but looking like their old professor again. “What’d I miss?”

“How accurately can you shift me somewhere?” Harry asked as he squeezed Death’s hand for comfort.

“If I’m with you, I can get you anywhere you want to go,” Death answered questioningly. “If I’m not, I can shift you accurately wherever it isn’t heavily warded, like Hogwarts. Then I would only feel comfortable setting you somewhere outside or high, like the Astronomy Tower or the courtyard since I’m more blind as to the layout. I’d hate to set you down inside a wall on accident.”

“Ok, so Dis, Moldy is heading to Hogwarts right now. Here’s my plan…You shift me to the Shrieking Shack, right inside the tunnel heading to Hogwarts. Moldy is meeting up with Snape there. The three of you shift directly inside Hogwarts and help prepare the faculty and students for an invasion since the Death Eaters will apparently be notified as soon as I appear in Hogsmeade.”

“We’re not separating from you!” Ron indignantly disagreed.

“Wait, hear me out,” Harry continued with a raised hand. “I’m not going after Moldy. I’ll only attack the snake. Since the shack isn't inside the wards, I can still apparate, remember. So, I invisibly sneak up on the snake and stab it with the sword. If I disapparate immediately afterwards to Honeydukes (preferably with Snape as well), we can go through the tunnel to meet up with you all inside the castle’s wards. We’ll then all be in a fortified position to take on Moldy’s army without all his horcruxes. Hopefully, we could do this quickly enough I’d be gone before Moldy even realizes Nagini’s dead.”

“It’s not the safest plan,” Death interjected. “I dislike not being with you.”

“I need you to get Ron and Hermione past the wards into Hogwarts. They can’t apparate in,” Harry explained. “And, the more people in the shack, the longer it’ll take for me to get out again.”

“Splitting up is never a good idea, mate,” Ron said shaking his head.

“Do you have a better plan?” Harry asked with a raise of his eyebrow, really hoping that Ron actually did.

When none of them could come up with another plan quickly, Harry flipped over Snape’s letter and wrote:

Prepare for war. I’ll see you in the shack.

He gave the note back to Phobos who obediently returned to the headmaster.

The trio planned several ways for Ron and Hermione to help the occupants as soon as they entered the castle and hugged each other, no one admitting this might be the last time they were all together in the living realm. Finally, it was time to go and split up for the first time since the summer. Death pulled Harry into a tight hug. “You ready, Love?” He asked.

“As I’ll ever be,” Harry kissed him lovingly.

“Ok, you two need to prepare yourselves,” Death told Ron and Hermione. “I’ll take you as soon as I send Harry. This will be very unpleasant for you.”

Ron and Hermione just nodded as Harry disappeared in a dark cloud and they each felt Death grip one of their arms.

Harry knew none of his plans ever went the way they were supposed to. Therefore, he was unsurprised when he looked into the main room of the Shrieking Shack and saw Nagini encased in a protective bubble. He was sure the sword could pierce the bubble, being infused with basilisk venom, but it would also take away some of the element of surprise.

“My lord, welcome back to Hogwarts,” Snape was saying as Harry crept around the two of them, pulling invisibility from his ring of hallows.

Voldemort’s head snapped up, looking around the room. “The boy is here, the wards have been activated,” he told Snape with almost a gleeful sneer.

“I assume the others are on the way?” Snape asked with a small smile in return.

Voldemort forcefully grabbed Snape’s left arm and touched the Dark Mark, eliciting a wince from Snape. “They are now,” he replied in a hissed tone.

Harry had reached Nagini by this point. It was only the matter of one strike of the sword to break the protective bubble and one more strike to sever Nagini’s head. It was one strike too many though since the bubble breaking alerted Voldemort to his presence. As Nagini’s head left her body, Harry sighed when a green light slammed into him following a screamed “Avada Kedavra!” from Voldemort.

Death shifted Ron and Hermione to directly in front of Professor McGonagall in the Hogwarts castle. As they both recovered from their Death-induced panic attack, McGonagall looked the three over. “Professor Osiris? How did you all get here?”

“No time,” he said, helping Hermione up from the ground. “Are you all ready for the attack? How can we help?”

“We’ve sealed all the younger students in their dorms. You can join the others in front of the castle to strengthen the wards,” McGonagall nodded to them before she hurried to the front of the castle herself.

Death closed his eyes and then raised his hands slowly until they reached over his head. “There, that should do it,” he nodded, opening his eyes again.

“Do what?” Hermione asked, still catching her breath.

“I raised soul wards around the dormitories. Nothing living will be able to enter or exit until I lower them,” Death explained. “The only way the abomination could get around them are inferi, and he would find that the dead will not serve him if I’m around.”

“Brilliant!” Hermione responded with an interested look in her eyes, wanting to know more about the wards.

“We should get moving now if you are recovered,” Death motioned to where McGonagall had run off a moment before. They hurried after her until Ron was bowled over by a familiar redhead. “Ginny! What are you doing outside the tower?!”

“There’s no way I’m staying behind,” she exclaimed giving her brother and Hermione quick hugs. “I’ve just as much right to fight for those I love as the seventh years.”

“Mum will kill you if the Death Eaters don’t,” Ron warned her, knowing he wouldn’t be able to stop her though.

All three of them turned quickly around as Death let out heart-wrenching soft sob behind them. He gave a sad look to Ron and Hermione before he disappeared. “No! Oh No!” Hermione gasped, understanding why he had left them.

They all took off running through the castle. “What happened?” Ginny asked, following them.

Neither answered as they ran toward the front entrance to the castle. It seemed to take forever before they reached the doors and pushed out to join the crowd of seventh year students, faculty, and Order members who were standing behind the wards, ready to protect the castle and the younger children. “No!” Hermione shrieked again and ran forward, thankfully being caught by Neville Longbottom before she could run outside the wards.

Approaching the castle was Voldemort, flanked by an army of Death Eaters, giants, and werewolves, outnumbering the small army in front of the castle by almost five to one. Snape was reluctantly walking to the right of Voldemort beside the levitating dead body of one Harry Potter.

Death sighed as he sat beside Harry on their bench in Kings Cross Station. “That wasn’t the plan,” he said putting an arm around his love.

“The last horcrux is gone though,” Harry said as he leaned his head into Death’s shoulder. “It’s just Voldemort left.”

“I’m so sorry for your pain,” Death said. Though it was commonly believed the killing curse caused no pain when the body died, it was untrue, but it was only Harry Potter who would ever be able to correct that misconception.

“I’m so tired, Dis,” Harry said, pulling the necklace from around his neck and holding the bonding ring of hallows in his hand. “I’ve died six times now. Five more times than anyone should ever die. I feel the death in my soul.”

“I know, Love,” Death said, kissing Harry’s temple.

“I can’t do it again,” he said softly. “I don’t know if I can leave the ones I love to handle Voldemort on their own though. They deserve a life before their afterlife.”

Death took the ring from Harry and slid it off the chain. He stood and then knelt down before his soulmate. “War has been declared on the very balance of nature, Harry,” Death began, looking deep into his soulmate's eyes. “Death is no longer a neutral party in this war as I’ve said before. Now that the last horcrux is gone, I have no intention to leave the living to handle my problem on their own. Will you stand beside me, Harry James Potter, soulmate of Death and Master of the Hallows? Would you bond with me for eternity? Would you lead the armies of Hell into battle to protect the living?”

Harry looked from the ring to Death and a relieved smile lit up his face. “Hell yes!” He said as he held out his left hand for Death to slide the ring onto his finger. As soon as the ring was on his hand, Harry had the strangest feeling. He felt his body merging once more with his soul, but then he felt them both change. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, but it felt of permanence, of eternity, of strength and power. Harry gasped as Death smiled and pulled him into an embrace.

“We should return,” Harry finally said, stopping Death who had started kissing a trail down his neck. “They need us back at the school.”

Death snorted. “We’re in the waiting room, my beloved; we can stay as long as we want and return to whenever we want,” he said with a mischievous grin. Death waved his hand and a large, four-poster bed appeared right in the middle of the station. “Care to make this marriage extremely official before we return?”

Harry wrapped his arms and legs around Death who carried him to the bed where they both collapsed in laughter and kisses.

Voldemort and the army of Death Eaters marched towards the group in front of the castle with Voldemort waving his wand and dismantling wards as they progressed, almost not even being slowed down at all. As they got closer and closer, a thin, disheveled form pushed his way to the front of the castle defenders from where he had been standing in the back. One Argus Filch stood sternly before the castle and stared at the oncoming Death Eaters. He quickly pulled a silver knife from his belt and made cuts on both his palms before raising them in front of him and closing his eyes while chanting in Latin. A powerful blood ward sprang from the caretaker’s hands, enveloping the castle and keeping out any who wished to harm the castle or its occupants.

“I am caretaker of this castle and these people. I refuse you entrance,” Filch ended his chant as the ward snapped into place, integrating itself into the castle's main wards.  

Voldemort stopped when the ward refused to budge to his magic and sneered at the dark magic coming from the caretaker in confusion. The ward wouldn’t hold for long, but it did temporarily stop the oncoming Death Eaters, and Filch smirked back at the confused dark army in front of him that were stopped in their tracks by dark magic cast from the light army. Voldemort glowered from just outside the blood ward and cast a Sonorus charm on himself. “Your savior is dead. These wards are temporary and will eventually fall to my magic. I will be merciful if you surrender to me. If you do not, I will kill without regards to blood status or age.”

No one moved from their places in front of the castle. However, several Death Eaters gasped when Severus Snape strode from beside Voldemort, through the blood ward, which recognized his allegiances, to stand next to McGonagall and the weeping Hermione Granger still being held in Neville’s arms.

“Traitor!” Voldemort angrily sneered. “No matter, you will die like the rest, though I will take great pleasure in seeing you die a slow and painful death, begging for mercy!”

Both armies gasped and started muttering amongst themselves when, suddenly, the body of the Boy-Who-Lived disappeared in a dark cloud. Everyone turned and looked questioningly at Ron Weasley who had been crying a moment before, but now started laughing uncontrollably and who was quickly joined by a relieved Hermione Granger. To everyone’s surprise and confusion, Severus Snape also snorted and tried to stifle a little chuckle. The three of them had finally realized that the Boy-Who-Kept-Dying wasn’t finished with them all yet. Both armies looked on at the three as if they had finally lost their minds.

“I demand to know what’s happening!” Voldemort screamed out in frustration.

“Oh, they all remembered that I have a strange relationship with Death. He just likes me a little too much,” Harry Potter said calmly as he appeared in a dark cloud in front of Hogwarts’ small army. Those on both sides of the ward line gasped. “Right, Love?” Harry asked as Death appeared in his black, tattered robes, fiery eyes, and pale skin beside him.

“Of course, my dear,” Death agreed in his booming, disembodied voice.

Both armies took a couple steps back from the pair. “Who are you?” Voldemort questioned Death, horror creeping into his red eyes.

“I’m of no consequence at this time, though I imagine I will be very soon. You should worry more about the commander of my armies,” Death said motioning to Harry.

“Oh yes,” Harry said, with a smile as if he had forgotten something. “Why don’t you all join us?” He yelled out to seemingly no one in particular.

Suddenly, behind the blood ward and surrounding the small army of the light appeared all the creatures of the dark. Several packs of grims snarled from behind Phobos and his brother Deimos; the herd of thestrals galloped to the castle from the forest; flocks of ravens, vultures, and owls flew overhead; circling with the birds were hundreds of dementors (who were desperately hoping to get back on their master’s good side); two phoenixes perched on either side of the castle entryway (one of which was Fawkes); numerous imps; a pack of night-mares; a group of sharp toothed and clawed spirits of death called Keres; and one large, angry Cerberus stood protectively over Hagrid.

“I have some demons waiting in the wings too if I need them. Do I need them?” Harry asked Voldemort’s army. Immediately, well over half of the army of the dark either disapparated or started running away. The rest looked like they were ready to leave at a moment’s notice. The army of the light were all having a collective panic attack surrounded by Hell's army, but the two phoenixes were singing calming and protective magic over the group of mortals to keep them from completely losing it.

“Who are you?” Voldemort asked this time of Harry, looking at him as if he had never seen the boy before.

“I’m Harry Potter,” Harry smiled at him with a twinkle in his eye worthy of Dumbledore. “The bonded soulmate of Death.”

“I have defeated Death!” Voldemort laughed, in a not extremely sane manner.

“You mean your horcruxes?” Harry asked incredulously. “They’re all gone and only served to directly declare war on Death himself, who was neutral before then by the way. Not a smart move, mate. You can try to surrender if you want. The grims might be hard to convince to leave you alone though, they’re a little over-protective of me. I think the dementors actually called dibs though since you got them in trouble with their master.”

Voldemort growled in frustration and anger. “Avada Kedavra!” He cast towards the bane of his existence, Harry Potter. The curse broke the blood wards, but fizzled having spent its power in destroying the wards.

“That’s not a smart idea,” Harry unconcernedly warned the insane Dark Lord.

“Crucio!” Voldemort screamed, causing the curse to streak towards Harry.

Harry raised his hand with the ring of hallows and batted away the curse as one would a fly. The curse careened back towards the Death Eaters, striking Bellatrix Lestrange squarely in the chest. The woman fell screaming to the ground.

“Wow, that was some impressive aim,” the disembodied voice beside Harry chuckled.

“Uhm, actually that was a lucky accident,” Harry grinned. “I wasn’t particularly aiming. Pretty sweet though.”

“Crucio!!” Voldemort screamed again, ignoring the two chatting calmly in front of him as the curse shot towards Severus Snape this time.

This time, Death reached out and the curse dispelled into a dark, cloud-like shield in front of Snape. “He might not be my favorite person, but you are not allowed to torture him,” Death warned. “I promised Lily first crack at him.”

“What?!” Snape snarled, indignantly.

Death shrugged. “You’re still a git.”

Harry crossed his arms and stood firm in front of the Dark Lord. “Last chance Tom. Azkaban isn’t that bad without the Dementors. Though, if you’re there, I may consider sending them back,” Harry said contemplatively. “So, still, it’s your decision. Take your chances with the ministry or with Death’s armies.”

The Dark Lord growled and shouted “Avada Kedavra!” once more, for the fourth time in his short life, at Harry Potter. This time, Harry stood his ground and raised the hand with the bonding ring on it as if to catch the jet of green light instead of deflecting it. The light impacted with his hand where it ricocheted directly back to its caster, hitting Voldemort squarely in the chest as he collapsed to the ground. 

Harry shook his head and glanced over to Death. “I just told him I was bonded to Death and he shot a killing curse at me. How does that make any sense at all? I really did try.”

“You gave him more of a chance than he deserved,” Death assured him. Death then put a hand on Harry’s shoulder before he disappeared to take the last piece of Voldemort’s soul to the underworld. He had a nice little cell set aside for all the pieces of the abomination's soul. He was very much looking forward to eternity with the monster in his realm.

“You have five seconds before I turn the armies of Hell loose on you,” Harry yelled to the remaining Death Eaters. “One…two…”

By the time Harry made it to five, Death’s army were only able to get the Lestranges, Fenrir Greyback, and a couple of giants. The rest of Voldemort’s army disbanded, fleeing for their lives.

As the army returned to the underworld and the mortal protectors of Hogwarts started celebrating a victory with no losses on their side, Hermione and Ron grabbed their friend in long hug. “I guess we should ask again now,” Hermione said hesitantly. “Are you alive?”

“No, I’m not, Hermione,” Harry said with a smile, knowing nothing was going to be quite the same again. “But, I’m much better and happier than before. My soul feels healed and alive once more, even if I'm not.”

“Will we still get to see you some?” Ron asked, holding onto Harry’s arm like he was trying to keep him from leaving them.

“Of course!” Harry laughed. “You can ask Dis, but I’m not that easy to get rid of. I’ve never let death stop me before, and I’m not planning on letting it now.”

“Oi! Fluffy! Phobos! Leave him alone!” Harry yelled as he ran over to rescue Hagrid who was on the ground and being licked by the three large heads of a Cerberus and nuzzled by a grim. Thankfully, the half-giant seemed to be taking it in stride and not freaking out.

“Harry!” Death called as he appeared again and walked over to where his love was trying to pull a several hundred-pound Cerberus off Hagrid and being massively unsuccessful. “It’s time for tea. You ready?”

Epilogue:

From that day on, Fluffy and Phobos visited Hagrid often, especially during the first Care of Magical Creatures lesson every year where they had to go show off. They also made a point to terrorize the new students (and Mrs. Norris) when they weren't playing with Harry and Dis in the underworld.

Harry never did let death or even Death stop him from doing what he wanted. He visited Ron and Hermione, as well as their eventual children and grandchildren often. When they finally reached 150 and had 30 grandkids (you know, metaphorically speaking), they happily joined Harry and Death’s standing tea date.

Remus and Tonks were beyond shocked when the Potter fortune was willed to their son Teddy, especially since Harry still visited them and babysat Teddy often. They never quite understood the fact that he was no longer alive. Harry and Death did their very best to spoil little Teddy rotten, but he was just too smart and kind to ever be rotten. Death did send him off to Hogwarts with his own invisibility cloak though, so that he could get into just as much mischief as his father and godfather before him. Having grown up with Death and Death’s husband (aka Uncle Harry and Uncle Dis), Teddy never developed the fear and aversion to the two of them, and death in general, as most people did. Death was beyond giddy the first time Teddy reached up for a hug with only love and no fear in his eyes.

It didn’t take too long for the aurors to round up the known Death Eaters (minions) who were on the run. Most seemed remarkably less than sane by the time they were captured though. Death’s mares were a little unhappy with the lack of action at the battle and had asked permission to visit the dreams of those who had gotten away. Death was only too happy to give permission.

Many, many years after the largely anti-climactic Battle of Hogwarts, Harry and Death walked arm in arm over to the large table where tea was set for their family. James, Sirius, and Remus were off to the side planning some prank on Dumbledore, who had eventually been slightly forgiven, on a trial basis, after Harry had spoken up on his behalf. Lily and Severus were chatting as they sliced up fruit for everyone and argued over the properties of aconite and its usefulness to harm ratio in potions. Ron, Neville, the twins, and Cedric were arguing over some quidditch move they wanted to try. And, Hermione, Ginny, and Luna were putting together the sandwiches while laughing over the marauder’s plans for Dumbledore while coming up with their own prank to try on the marauders.

“It’s good to be home,” Harry smiled at his family as he leaned over and gave his husband a kiss.

“Forever, my Love,” Death responded and kissed him in return.