As Harry Potter stared down Fate, he could not but help feel cheated. His entire life had been but a means to an end of old madmen, a tool of prophesy, of those who believed they knew better.
"We merely see the destination, young Potter, it is the freedom of mortals that plots the course. Even so, we of Fate apologise nonetheless, never before had a member of Fate's Chosen being so powerless to the machinations surrounding them. We feel uneasy that others claim themselves to have power over us, we are unchained, unbound."
Fate shuddered at the thought of chains, of being bound to the will of anyone. Fate had existed free from the beginning and would remain so to the end of all things.
"Uh, yeah, I understand where you're coming from." Harry had the strangest feeling to comfort the being taking the form of his mother, "Learning most, if not all, of my life since I arrived at Hogwarts was some sort of giant experiment kind of makes me feel like something less than human." Harry shrugged his shoulders, at least now that he was dead he could finally be reunited with those he considered family. "I can't wait to meet my mum, no offence" Harry quickly added with a glance at Fate.
"It is if no concern to us, we only take this shape because it is the most soothing to your mind" assured Fate, a faint whisper of a smile gracing their lips at Harry's ever present trait of fearing coming across as insulting. It was endearing to Fate, it had been a long time since one of their Chosen had engaged them as if they were human, and while they were certainly not human, and it always bemused Fate when they did so.
"Good, good" muttered Harry, "It is probably bad practise, offending the person waylaying ones passage to the Beyond, after all."
Fate's smile grew to a full-fledged smile as Harry Potter's nervous spiel continued.
"Calm yourself, young Potter. This is not the office of that Pink creature, we are merely here to offer you a choice." Fate's words had the desired effect and all the anxiety fled Harry's body like air out a deflated balloon.
"Um, thanks?" Harry was not sure what to do with any possible option offered by an entity such as Fate. Harry Potter had already had enough of his life being manipulated by mortal souls and Headmasters. Now that he was seemingly dead, he knew that any rules of non-interference by powerful entities were void and if they wished Fate could probably play him like a fiddle.
"You are most welcome" exclaimed Fate, almost childlike, "You have such a very kind soul, young Potter, and it is basically an anomaly." Fate poked Harry on the forehead with a giggle, "So pure and filled with good, unseen in almost a millennia you understand. Humans are intrinsically flawed creatures through no fault of their own, everything has its darkness, even we. But you, your soul contains an almost infinite amount of good that it overshadows any darkness in you. You should not exist. A soul only remains pure if it had not lived life."
Harry's face, once filled with happiness having entertained the Fate-Lilly, fell into a deep frown. Had he truly not lived his life, or any life for that matter? Had the existence he had once called his life been only that just being, not actually living? He had slain a basilisk, faced down a Dark Lord and an irate Molly Weasley, fended of a hundred dementors and survived the Tri-Wizard Tournament. He had been a true Gryffindor.
"Hmm," said a small voice in his ear. "Difficult. Very difficult. Plenty of courage, I see. Not a bad mind either. There's talent, oh my goodness, yes — and a nice thirst to prove yourself, now that's interesting. . . . So where shall I put you?"
Harry gripped the edges of the stool and thought, 'Not Slytherin, not Slytherin.'
"Not Slytherin, eh?" said the small voice. "Are you sure? You could be great, you know, it's all here in your head, and Slytherin will help you on the way to greatness, no doubt about that — no? Well, if you're sure — better be GRYFFINDOR!"
Harry Potter would always be proud to have ended up in Gryffindor for having met true friends such as the Weasley Twins, his best friend Hermione Granger, and Neville Longbottom. But after the War against Riddle, the House of Slytherin had been hunted down and slain, so manic was the British Wizarding World's belief that all in Slytherin were Dark and Evil and by salting the earth of such a stain to Magic, they could prevent another Lord Voldemort from rising from that House. After the cleansing, the four Houses of Hogwarts became Three and Slytherin became a tool of mothers to discipline unruly children.
How differently would that future have been if Harry had accepted the Sorting Hat's placement in Slytherin? How many innocent lives would have been spared if the Vanquisher of Voldemort, the Man-Who-Conquered, had come from the same house as his rival? Would the cleansing had still occurred?
"A-and what's this choice? Do I get to go back and do it all over or something, bringing the accumulated knowledge of my schooling years and the future with me?" Harry laughed nervously, visibly swallowing as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"No." Fate said blandly.
"Oh thank Magic" Harry let out a breath he did not know he was holding, "To be perfectly honest Hermione would be the one you'd be looking for if you were. I forgotten most of the stuff to do with Riddle, and the school stuff?" Harry just giggled before composing himself.
"There is no Power, commanding enough to meddle permanently with Time on that scale, and even if there were, you are in no way special enough to allow such an advantage."
"Ah, no Boy-Who-Lived fans up here is there? That's good to know." Chuckled Harry.
"No, you are mistaken, young Potter, Love cannot wait to get their hands on you, nor can Death wait to reap your soul permanently. You have been flirting with them since your first encounter with Tom Riddle Jr." Fate responded seriously, the corners of her lips curling ever slightly upwards.
"Wait, wait, wait. As in 'them' both? Or 'them' Death?" Harry asked, his face losing all colour at the connotation that Love wanted something of him and Riddle.
"Death" Fate answered simply with a short chortle.
"Right" Harry meeked out awkwardly, clearing his throat, "What's this choice I have?"
Fate's face takes back on its childlike appearance, "You get to change one thing."
Harry blinked and blinked again, not quite sure what Fate meant by 'change'.
"Excuse me?"
"You can change one moment in your life prior to obtaining your letter to Hogwarts." Fate spun around, dancing circles around Harry Potter, "You see young Potter, your life was not your own, but your selfless actions were. As I said your soul is filled with an abundance of good. So much good Karma, shall we say, allows for a boon of sorts. Three seconds worth to be exact."
"And three seconds would be enough?" Harry asked sceptically, three seconds could not really change anything substantial could it?
"Oh yes, butterfly, hurricane, all that jazz and whatnot." Fate responded jovially to a blank stare. "Three seconds can be a difference between a life living or dying."
From high above his head, he heard a high, cold voice say, "kill the spare."
A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night: "Avada Kedavra!" A blast of green light blazed through Harry's eyelids, and he heard something heavy fall to ground beside him. Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him.
He was dead.
"So I could save my parents?" Harry's face was filled with hope, each word leaving his lips as if spoken in a dream.
"I'm sorry, young Potter" And not for the first time that night, Harry's hope was dashed, "You would have to wrestle their very souls from Death themselves. Their passage is what begins your path."
Harry Potter felt whatever remained of his heart shatter in that moment, he had always wanted to have a happy childhood with his family. A mother and father that loved him, cared for him, encouraged him. Harry wanted a family as far removed from the 'tender loving care' the Dursleys had shown him for sixteen years.
He wanted Birthdays that were not celebrated with a broken bone, or an extended stay in his cupboard. Harry wanted childhood friends, getting up to mischief and coming home from primary school to a bright smile from his mother and a conspiratorial wink from his father.
Harry had not fathered any children himself, a part of his subconscious always questioning his right: what did he know of happy childhoods? Of raising healthy children? Harry feared, no matter how irrational, that he would be another Vernon and that fear had ruined any relationship he had begun.
And it was in that second, Harry knew which moment of his life he could change, or try to.
"I could escape the Dursleys!" Harry exclaimed, bouncing on his feet.
"A lot can happen in three seconds" Fate agreed, bobbing her head at Harry's exuberance, Fate never liked the Dursleys. Fate found them the worst kind of mortal.
"When I was five the Dursleys went on holidays and Mrs. Figg was away for the week, so the Dursleys locked me in my cupboard with a bucket and two loafs of bread…"
Four Privet Drive in Little Whinging, Surrey was quiet, the occupants of the house, a Vernon Dursley, Petunia Dursley and Dudley Dursley having left four days earlier for their annual trip abroad to the Isle of Wight, a most normal holiday the Dursleys could ever ask for.
The house was silent and dark, the Dursleys having locked up the house nice and tight in triplicate, nothing was getting in and more importantly nothing inside the house was getting out. No dirty little secret was escaping from within.
A five year old Harry Potter was currently sleeping in his small and dusty cupboard under the stairs he was sharing with several spiders. This would not be the first time that Harry had spent an extended stay locked in his cupboard, but it was the first time with the Dursleys gone, usually the Dursleys had sent him to stay with Mrs. Figg, she had lots of cats and smelt funny, nor was she really that nice, but she treated Harry better than the Dursleys ever had or probably would.
Harry was sleeping soundly, having grown used to sleeping in the cupboard under the stairs after four years of calling it his own.
Magic coalesced around Harry's body, cocooning him in a pure, bright and powerful light. The very air of the cupboard hummed with living magic of emerald, violet and azure, tendrils reaching out unseen across all of Magical Britain. The pulsing of magic steadily increased reaching a crescendo power, audible to any attuned to the magics of the world.
The tendrils of pure magic pulled in on themselves creating another layer of protection around the sleeping boy. And magic, having reached a decision, pulsed out one final time, shredding the cupboard under the stairs and bypassing the Blood Wards surrounding the property. The Boy-Who-Lived had vanished from number four Privet Drive. The entire spectacle only lasting two seconds.
"Well who knew, huh, young Potter didn't even need the whole three" echoed the Fate from where it was watching in the Beyond, as the future they had occupied began to shift and change all around them, "Hmm, interesting Hallowe'en there."
Fate shook their head, rapidly blinking, before tapping their forehead trying to recall a lost thought. They felt younger, but older at the same time. Strange. Maybe they would visit Death, they always seemed to know what was going on. And maybe she could visit James and see if anything interesting had occurred in the Death Department, not for the first time did Lily lament choosing to work for the Department of Fate, all you really did was watch, where was the fun in that?
Amelia Bones knew what she was doing could be considered wrong or unethical, and if discovered would destroy any chance she had of ever making it out of her position as Senior Auror and becoming Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when the current Head Coutts Marjoribanks retired in two years' time.
Amelia's lips pressed against her partners' as she let out a throaty growl, fire dancing across the exposed flesh where they held one another.
It was seldom Amelia and her paramour Narcissa Malfoy could steal away time for one another and continue the relationship they had begun in the summer of their fourth year. Many things had separated them, House lines: it was not often a Hufflepuff was left alone in the company of a Slytherin back then, family ethos: the Bones' were firmly aligned with the Light, while the Blacks' were Dark, their sexuality: two prominent female members of so-called Pureblood Elite families openly stating their love for one another would have seen them disowned and destitute, and a marriage contract, highly unusual as it were, but nonetheless, Narcissa Black was promised to Lucius Malfoy and only with the mutual backing of both families Head of House could it be dissolved. No, Amelia Bones and Narcissa Malfoy seldom had time alone and pounced on any and all opportunities afforded.
"I've missed you" muttered Narcissa against Amelia's cheek, sliding her hands further up the front of Amelia's evening wear.
"And I've missed you, Cissa."
Amelia trailed kisses along Narcissa's neck and collarbone, smirking at the lustful sigh she elicited from her love, continuing Amelia peppered kisses and bites across Narcissa's neckline, pulling her towards the couch in the study. Narcissa eagerly followed, her hands never leaving the front of Amelia's dress.
Gently pushing Amelia's back onto the couch, Narcissa straddled Amelia's waist.
Dipping down Narcissa chastely placed kiss after teasing kiss on Amelia's lips, rocking gently forward and back with a smile.
"I love you Amelia" Narcissa whispers pressing her forehead against Amelia's, trailing her hand down along Amelia's stomach.
Amelia shuddered at the fiery touch, breathlessly telling Narcissa of her love as her Amelia's own hands worked their way up Narcissa's dress.
Sadly, the wards had been breached and Amelia scrambled as the perimeter alarm went off full blast throughout the house. Whoever had intruded on their rare moment together was in for the hexing of a lifetime mused Ameila.