Chapter Text
Voldemort had raised his wand. His head was still tilted to one side, like a curious child, wondering what would happen if he proceeded. Harry looked back into the red eyes, and wanted it to happen now, quickly, while he could still stand, before he lost control, before he betrayed fear —He saw the mouth move and a flash of green light, and everything was gone.
When Harry awoke, he found himself in an impossibly infinite, blank space. Pillars lined in perfect rows, leading a rail track as far as the eye could see. There were no lights but the strange mist that covered where a ceiling should be glowed a cold, yet comforting luster.
He was dead; that much was clear. Harry knew he should have felt lost and lonely, but he took this as a moment to breathe. There was no more war he had to fight in, no more shouting or pain. He did realize that his newfound solitude meant no more friends, he wouldn’t see the man Neville became after the war or feel the comfort of his adopted Weasley family. He wouldn’t get to hear Hermione’s brilliant rambling or play Ron in wizarding chess... And he wouldn’t see Ginny. They hadn’t even had time to figure out this newfound relationship between them, and the thought twinged a little in his heart.
Too busy thinking about who and what he would or wouldn't miss about his life, Harry missed the appearance of something behind him. A cough startled him out of his thoughts, his hand swiping with lightning quick reflexes to his wand. But, his hand held no wand once he pointed it at the figure.
“Unfortunately for you, your wand didn’t die with you. It’s still there with your body.” Harry took in the intruder, (could he call her an intruder? Harry didn’t know if this place belonged to him... or even where he was), trying to figure out who they were. It was woman dressed in void black robes that covered most of her body. Her face, the only visible part of her, was deathly pale with familiar piercing green eyes. Her frame, though mostly hidden, was large, tall, and imposing. She watched as Harry tried to take her in, posed like a queen used to being adored and feared by her people.
The woman spoke again, “I mean you no harm, dearest Harry.” Though his name said out of those lips seemed to cause the very foundations of this place to vibrate. “No harm could come to you here. This is my domain and therefore it is part of yours too.” Then, the woman smiled, something warm and soft even if her teeth were just slightly too sharp, once Harry seemed to completely blank.
He felt stuck under the woman’s gaze. Those eyes he saw reflected to him in the mirror, the ones that connected him to his mother. Harry managed to collect enough brain cells to ask the first question that popped up in his head. “W-who are you?” He tried to stand taller to cover the fact that they both just heard his voice crack.
Unfortunately for Harry’s pride, the woman almost doubled over in laughter. While watching in mortification at the woman’s absurd reaction, Harry nearly missed the changes happening to the woman. Her robes, though they remained ever dark, changed into a flowing, elegant gown that perfectly hugged her body. Her hair, now revealed from the robe, swam down to the floor with the same pitch-black color so, that you could barely tell where the hair started, and the dress ended if it wasn’t for the small, glowing specks of white that now doted across the gown. The woman herself seemed to shrink down, just enough to still be taller than Harry but, only by a few centimeters.
Wiping the tears from her eyes, she seemed to compose herself again. “I do apologize, dear Harry. I simply haven’t talked to a human in so long. All the gods can get so serious and stoic, and you are simply so cute!” Within a blink, she had crossed the space between them and started pinching Harry’s cheeks.
Harry allowed the attack to go on for a little longer, too busy trying to wrap his head around what she had just shared. As if the woman could read his thoughts, her hands snapped down. “Sorry again,” Giving Harry a small smile, “I suppose it’s time for proper introductions. I am Death.” And with that simple and quite logical sentence considering everything, Harry’s brain stopped working.
The woman, 'Death' Harry supposed, waited till he snapped out of his daze then continued, “You are my last remaining descendant. The Peverell’s were gifted the deathly hallows from me. Honestly, I can’t believe how conniving that children’s book makes me seem, they were my family! Anyways, every living creature comes to me eventually, I’m patient. I didn’t need to trick them into joining me early... Though I should have known the unfortunate tale that would become each of them.” Death paused her ramblings when she saw the puzzled look on his face. “It really has been a long time since I talked to humans, you do have to forgive me. Back to what I was trying to say. Ignotus Peverell, the one I granted the Invisibility cloak, is your ancestor on your dad’s side-”
“Why do you have my mum’s eyes?” The question had been eating at Harry, jumping from his lips before Death could finish.
A split-second reaction raced across Death’s face before she gave Harry a small smile. Did he say something wrong? Was he going to be sent to damnation for interrupting a god? Right as Harry open his mouth to rush out an apology, Death let out a sigh. “Lily...” Sadness plagued Death’s features, and the space around them seemed to sag, as if gravity itself was mourning with her. “Your mother was a wickedly smart and kind soul. She truly was a genius in her own right, and she was just as beautiful inside as she was out. Her magic was powerful and true; she laced every spell with her entire being, her soul.”
Death glanced passed Harry, seemly not with him anymore but, remembering something long passed. And Harry realized that Death knew his mother. Her gaze snapped to Harry like she heard his thoughts again. “...She was a follower of mine. Lily was always curious and after finding out magic was real, she dove into studying and questioning. The old families, including your father’s, followed pagan traditions and he introduced her to that world. And she fell in love with it all, the connection to nature and all that was around it. But, Lily more than anything, valued the simplistic, ever-connecting factor of all living things, death.”
“Over the years, I watched her learn, practice, pray, and question, I celebrated her victories and found myself saddened when she was. She created intricate spells and crafts as offerings and sang such beautiful hymns. Her voice was just heavenly!” Death gave Harry a sad smile, the look in her eyes Harry thought would match a general remembering the soldiers he had lost in a long forgotten war. “I wear your mother’s eyes as a reminder of my favorite follower.”
And wasn’t that a huge revelation for Harry. Why had no one told him this? Why did no one tell him anything about his parents! This was the first time that someone told him something besides how smart and pretty his mum was. And his dad! They both followed pagan traditions! Harry felt a tug in his chest, knowing something more personal about his parents. He wanted to know more; he needed to know more!
Words and half-baked questions flooded from his mouth. No one sentence finished before another started. “What exactly was she like, my mum, cause obviously you knew her? And you said you watched her so does that mean you can watch everyone or just your followers. And how did she exactly become your follower in the first place? And how long did she follow you? What did she do? What were the holidays like for them, since I assume my parents did it together? And you said she sang? What did she sing? What did she sound like? What kind of spells did she make and where are-”
“I know you have questions, Harry, and I’m sorry I won’t be able to answer them right now. I need to tell you about something more important, and I need you to listen.” She took his hand and guided them to a bench Harry could swear wasn’t there two seconds ago. “All of this, the unfortunate, cruel world you’ve been forced to live with, it isn’t right.” Before Harry could even ask what she could mean, she continued, "This was never the fates design, he interfered, changed the narrative completely.”
Harry winced at the hatred laced in her words. He knew firsthand how evil and powerful Voldemort was and just how much destruction and devastation he had caused. Death looked caught off guard then put her hand on Harry’s shoulder, “No Harry, Voldemort wasn’t the cause of this deviation. He was powerful, yes, but young. His ambitions as grand and cruel as they were, followed the plan. The plan deviated the night you were dropped off at the Dursleys.”
The shadowless version of King’s Cross fell away, and a city nightscape came into view. Buildings moved passed him, as if the Earth was rotating to find where Death wanted to take them. Then Harry saw a familiar neighborhood, could see the primary school he and Dudley attended, the local park, and finally his childhood home, if he could call it that.
But, this seemed to be Death’s final stop, as the two came to float just a few paces from the front door. It looked almost the same as he had last left it aside from vines that used to climb the side of the house was now only a few meters off the ground and their old Ford Sierra that Uncle Vernon had sold once Harry entered year two was now sitting in the driveway. “What is this?...What year is this? Uncle Vernon got rid of that car years ago!?”
“You’ll see in a moment.” Death made a grand gesture to the side of the street where Harry could start to make out three figures approaching from the distance. As they got closer, Harry recognized the large figure of Hagrid, the slightly less old but still distinguished Professor McGonagall and the old, gentle frame of Professor Dumbledore. Harry knew what night it was then, especially once he saw the small bundle of blankets held by the half-giant. This was the night he was dropped off at the Dursley’s and, apparently, the night that changed fate.
Harry wanted to ask more, to hurry and figure out why this was so important. He was about to but, Death simply gave him a look that told him to be patient and watch. Harry witnessed what he was told happened that night, with Hagrid leaving him on the doorstep (and not even knocking on the door, what if he had caught a cold?) and Dumbledore casting the Bond of Blood charm on the home. Then, he watched the trio board their brooms, or motorcycle in Hagrid’s case, and take off into the night. “I don’t get it, why is this important?”
Death didn’t look at Harry but, stared at the spot the trio had vanished from sight. “It’s important for what happens...” And Harry saw the street around him speed up, bushes bouncing from a light breeze suddenly shaking and clouds lazing by now soaring away in the sky. “A few hours later.” And the street went back to normal.
A figure appeared on the horizon again, this time alone. Albus Dumbledore landed on the grass lawn but, made no move to the sleeping baby on the doorstep. He instead began to chant, a spell so old, in a language Harry thought even Hermione would have a hard time translating. Three burning red, angry tangles of light shot into the air before diving through the walls of the home where bright red flashes could be seen in the Dursley’s bedrooms. Harry made to move closer to the house but, a hand on his shoulder stopped him.
Dumbledore then made his way to the infant and bent down to look at him. “And to think, you’re supposed to one of the greatest wizards to ever live.” The words were spat out with such hatred and disgust that if Harry hadn’t watch him say it, he would never have believe the kind, twinkling headmaster was capable of such malice. Especially towards a baby! Harry’s head swam as every piece of comfort and guidance he was ever given by the man was instantly tainted in a black, oily feeling. “You will be great alright, my greatest pawn.”
Harry stood, paralyzed as he watched his headmaster point the elder wand at a younger him. He didn’t understand the words spoken, but he saw the magic red-hot chains, wrapping around himself, choking and restraining him. The more Albus chanted, the tighter the chains got, twisting over itself like a pit of snakes. Then it all stopped, the chains faded into the baby and the old man smiled. Not the kind, warm smiles Harry had come to expect from the man or even the sad smiles he rarely saw. No, this was rotten and evil, the same smile Harry figured the Dark Lord was wearing once he killed him.
Harry was too busy rethinking every interaction he had with the wizard to even notice his departure. It could have been hours or seconds before he heard his name called. “-arry! We don’t have time for this. I assure you; you will have plenty of time to think this through but right now I need to tell you some final things.” Harry found himself nodding before he could fully process the last sentence. What did she mean, ‘final things’?
“As per my deal with the fates, I will undo the spell cast on the Dursleys. You should’ve always found this place to be a home to you Harry, they should’ve been your family. Dumbledore’s spell was complex, layering hatred spells for you with spells that made them the worst version of themselves.” Death raised her slender arm in the air, and the very sky seemed to want to bend to her command. The red tendrils Harry had seen earlier raced out of the house, into the palm of her hand. “Nasty little things. He had been working on this spell since he heard the prophecy.” With a flick of her wrist, the tendrils disappeared. “Now, the more pressing part...”
Harry didn’t understand. This was all too much and there was supposed to be more? He didn’t want to hear any more but, Death pressed on. “You must go back. I know this a lot for me to place on you but, I can’t interfere with the mortal realm. The only reason I was able to was from the deal the fates struck with me.”
“The spell placed on you confined and changed you, locked away most of your magical potential and altered your personality. You were supposed to have such grand power and a bigger destiny than this but, you were reduced to a reckless, over-trusting pawn. This spell is so engraved in you, I can’t fully break it without you dying, the power flow back would be too much.”
And what was Harry supposed to think. He wasn’t himself, everything he thought made him himself was caused by someone trying to control him, someone he once thought he could trust. But, he was designed to trust, to rush into things, to never think about things for more than a passing second. It was too much. Everything, absolutely everything he had done throughout his life was made to be that way. And what now? He was supposed to do it all again, through all the loss and pain and suffering?
“I fear so, dear Harry.” He was starting to get pretty ticked off with Death reading his mind. She simply chuckled. “I can, however, 'crack' the spell around your core. With time the cracks will widen more and more, allowing you to slowly acclimate to your new powers. You should have full access by the time you turn 17 again.”
The air around them started to push and pull at him, forcing him toward the sleeping form of his younger self. Harry couldn’t fight against it, like being swept out to sea by a riptide. “Oh stars, my time is running out!” Death seemed worried, her words sped up to catch up to the supposed deadline before..? Before Harry went back, he supposed. “For your protection, you won’t quite remember this life.”
Seeing the panic in his eyes over another spell being placed over him, Death rushed to explain faster. “You will act as you wish, just trust yourself. I promise this is for the best. Now what else do I need to tell you before you must go...” Death snapped her fingers, trying to summon all the knowledge he needed to the tip of her tongue. “Oh yes! Do not underestimate Dumbledore. He is used to playing the character he has made for himself but, he is far more powerful and cunning than he lets on. Stay away from him as long as you can, I fear what he will do once he finds out his control on you is gone.”
If Death said anymore, it was washed away as Harry was pulled under the waves. Warmth filled his body and he felt smaller than before. Harry fought himself to look around more, search his surroundings for Death and her cold comfort but, his eyes wouldn’t stay open. He wanted to ask more, know more but, that could all wait until he had a nap. He would get his answers, just... in the...morning.
~
Death looked over the sleeping infant and smiled. "Be safe, Harry. I will be with you, watching."