Chapter Text
It wasn’t that James was unhappy. Except he sort of was. After marrying the woman of his dreams and having a child together, one would think that James should be on top of the world, but before Lily had fallen pregnant, James had been starting to realise that dreams aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. The day Lily had told him about Harry, James had been gearing up to break her heart. But he couldn’t. His parents had taught him to honour his duty, and honour it he did.
They were married before Lily had even started showing.
Then the baby came and for one brilliant moment, as James held his son in his arms, he thought their marriage might be saved. Voldemort stopped that. The prophecy. The war. All of it stacked up, building a cage around James until he was trapped in his house, unable to leave, stuck with a woman he no longer loved and a child that was the cause of his imprisonment.
No one could blame him for running. He was careful, using the cloak to sneak out the house, and he made sure to use muggle transportation as he headed towards London. The Leaky Cauldron called to James, but he stayed in muggle pubs. Muggle this. Muggle that. All so he wouldn’t be found by Lord Voldemort. All to protect a family he didn’t love.
But he loved living.
He’d adored Hogwarts with his friends and his pranks and his maybe illegal studies. Magic gave him life, spurred him on through the darkness. Summers with his parents and flying around the fields on his broom were some of his happiest memories. Nothing could be better than living. There was a whole world out there just waiting to be explored, two if you count the muggle world, and James had always dreamed of seeing it all, but instead he was cornered, trapped, caged. He felt like a dragon, chained in the dungeons.
Breaking free was the only way he could feel like himself again. The first breath of fresh air felt like heaven, better than sex… better than quidditch. He laughed and danced and ran through the streets with nothing to hold him back. By the time he reached London, he almost felt like himself again. Almost.
And then he saw them.
The cloaked figure lurking in the back of the bar. In the midst of war, James really should have been more scared by a mysterious being in the very pub he’d chosen for his refuge, but his Gryffindor spirit had not subsided one ounce since Hogwarts, and he found himself drawn to them instead. Beneath their hood, their skin was grey, dark contours under their cheekbones and around their eyes, giving them a skeletal appearance. Their neck was similarly two-toned, highlighting their spine. On closer inspection, James noticed their hood was unlike any cloak he’d seen before. It wasn’t pinned shut around their neck, and the shirt they were wearing underneath was completely unbuttoned, revealing what looked like bone-like tattoos, dark against their pale skin.
James was completely entranced.
No one else seemed to be paying the stranger any attention as they took a long drag from their cigarette. The smoke billowed around them. James’ feet moved towards the cloaked figure on their own accord and he slipped into the chair opposite them.
“Hi,” he whispered, unashamedly staring, his eyes roaming over the expanse of bare skin. “I’m James.”
“I know.”
Silver eyes flashed a vibrant pink as they smirked. Utterly gorgeous. How could anyone resist such beauty? James noticed that the heart shaped tattoo on their chest glowed pink as their eyes changed colour, but it faded back to silver just as quickly.
“Do I not get a name?” James pressed.
The stranger’s laugh rang out, melodic and ethereal. “Darling, you shouldn’t even be able to see me.”
“Why?”
“It’s bad luck to meet a reaper before you’re due to die.”
A reaper? Oh. That would explain the odd contouring on their face. Skeletal really had been the correct assessment. Again, there was a niggle in the back of James’ mind which told him he should be afraid, or at the very least cautious, but of course, he wasn’t. He wanted to know more about the reaper. Why were they here? Was he going to die? It would make sense if he was. There was a war on and he had snuck out from behind the shields that were meant to keep him alive, so really if Voldemort was going to kill him then it would be the opportune moment… unless Peter betrayed them, which was laughable, Peter wouldn’t hurt a fly.
“Meeting someone so beautiful could never be bad luck,” James said, leaning forward on the table and resting his chin on his hands. “Are all reapers this attractive or did I just get lucky?”
“You’re brave and charming… I love it,” the reaper winked, their eyes and heart once again burning pink. This time James noticed their finger nails also changed colour. It was fascinating. “But I’m not here for you. Not today.”
“Will you tell me when?”
The reaper cocked their head, eyes studying James cautiously. “I shouldn’t, but something tells me that you’ll get the most out of your life if you were to find out.”
“Exactly! Come on, love, help a man in need out.”
Suddenly, the reaper’s eyes glowed blue as they stared over James’ shoulder. “Hold that thought, duty calls.”
They stood up. James watched as they glided over to a man just as he collapsed to the floor, clutching at his chest. A crowd of onlookers gathered around, shock and despair on their faces. One person was yelling for someone to call an ambulance, and another desperately trying to give the man CPR, but it was too late. James knew that. The reaper held out their hand, and spoke quietly to a soul that James couldn’t see before their outstretched fingers dropped down to their side. The man was dead.
“Seems like a tough gig,” James muttered as the reaper slunk back into their seat.
For the first time, they pulled their hood down. Underneath was a shock of long black hair, falling in waves around their shoulders. Just another part of them that was unreasonably stunning. Their long fingers wrapped around their glass and they shrugged.
“I don’t mind it. In fact, it’s quite rewarding in its own right. As an immortal being, I find comfort in being able to guide souls in their most vulnerable moments. It’s the closest I get to understanding what it’s like to be human,” the reaper sighed, their eyes and heart glowing blue once more as they ran a hand through their hair. “It’s been so long that I’ve forgotten.”
“You were human?”
“A wizard, like you, but when I died I was reborn. The reaper who met me realised I wasn’t done living, and so he offered me a chance to live forever.”
James couldn’t help but smile at his new friend, placing his hands over the reaper's cold ones. “Was it worth it?”
“Without a shadow of a doubt. I get to live and love and laugh every day, plus scaring the arseholes and murderers is a fun perk. We’re supposed to make the transition to death easy for everyone, but, Merlin , it’s just too easy to mess with them, and after the life they lead, I think they deserve it.”
James grinned. “Oh absolutely. What about me? You gonna mess with me?”
The reaper winked again, making James’ heart flutter in his chest. “Oh I’d certainly enjoy that.”
“And yet you still won’t give me a name,” James whined with a pout.
Long fingers caressed James’ cheek, nails blooming a rose pink. “Maybe next time. I suspect I’ll be seeing you soon, James.”
For a few seconds, James could do nothing except stare blankly at the reaper, all thoughts leaving his brain except “ Oh no they’re hot”. He was a mess. It took all of James’ willpower not to lean in and press his lips against theirs, wondering what it would be like to kiss them. Would they be cold? What would they taste like?
And then they were gone.
James was left alone in a muggle pub, feeling like his entire world had just been turned upside down.