The first chapter of the Harry Potter the Master of Death story, and it's a short one.
Last modification: 2nd of June 2015
All characters are owned by J.K. Rowling. No copyright infringement was intended, but more to advertise the official saga.
Please review!
The battle of Hogwarts has ended only few hours ago. Fighters can still feel their feet shacking from the tremor of the castle during the attack. The atmosphered itself feels energised from all the magic. The morning sun engulfs everything, shedding light over the incredible damages Hogwarts has bravely withstood.
The nightmare has finally ended. But nightmares never come alone. The night is long and one dream always follows another.
The Dark Lord is gone, killed by his own Unforgivable curse casted at the prophesied chosen one, but at what cost? Ultimately, Dumbledore, Lupin, Sirius, Dobby, one of the Weasley brothers and many, many others have sacrificed themselves in order to defeat the Death Eaters, protect Harry and kill the one who must not be named, the darkest force of all magic time, for the greater good. All these deaths only to kill a coward, hiding behind his own powers, mighty as they might have been. Tom was afraid of death and for good reason. Harry didn't wish much for the man in his afterlife.
Now, Harry is feeling more alone than ever even if his friends are as always here by his side, ready to comfort him, ready to make the greatest of sacrifices for him. They have given up their lives and they have destroyed the Horocruxes and defeated Voldemort and yet why wasn't he feeling happiness, why wasn't Harry Potter content with the outcome of this story?
He has lost so much and so many, he's been through so much pain, he's seen and felt a great deal of suffering, so many died for him, so many died because of the man he had killed merely a couple of hours ago. His parents are still dead, Dumbledore is still dead, Sirius, Ron's brother are….. still… dead. All the people Voldemort has ever killed will never again see the light of day, will never hold their dear ones, they will never walk on this earth again. No, it doesn't feel like a victory. To Harry it feels as if Voldemort has won even in death, prolonging their suffering to eternity.
The trio was standing in the highest tower of Hogwarts, the Astronomy tower. The same one in which they spent the morning after Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of all times, died. And the same one the Headmaster had been thrown from by Snape to fulfil their mysterious scheme.
In the middle of the tower, the strange mechanism representing the planets of our Solar System still shines in the sun, with outstanding endurance as if defying the rest of the castle resting in pieces. A strange fog is raising above the Black Lake while the yellow light of the sun reflects on its surface.
The wind is blowing slowly, without making any noise. Harry is looking at the mountains behind which the sun was raising. The ownerless Phoenix bird could be seen flying high above the castle. She was singing, this time a happier song than the one singed when Dumbledore died, a song of victory, slightly filled with sorrow, the pain of losing the people you love the most. Harry had a strange feeling of emptiness and he knew this would be the last time Fawkes will reveal its existence to the mortal world.
"Harry... ?" said Hermione, approaching carefully and standing beside him patiently, looking in the same direction he was, towards the mountains, listening to the song of the fire bird, beginning to worry for the boy she cared for the most. The warm light sank into her newly cold eyes.
Hermione always stood with Harry and Ron. She remained with Harry when their friend had decided to leave them, but he eventually came back as well, the trio reunited. Always the smart girl that had all the answers, completing the trio, always saving them in their hardest times. Now she was worried for her best friend. They've all been through hell, but Harry has returned from it, having been through even more than her and Ron, more than the two of them combined...
"Yes?" answered Harry emotionless, turning his head slightly towards Hermione but still thinking, asking himself... His face was calm and unreadable. Hermione couldn't make out what his thoughts were and that server only to increase her concern.
"Are you.. ok, Harry?" Hermione continued.
He didn't answer, he didn't want to talk with them right now, he had to think this thoroughly, what was he going to do now. Should he go ahead with this idea that began to take deep roots into his very being? It wasn't what Dumbledore wanted him to do but it was what he had once tried to do himself when he was a teenager, making an alliance with his friend Grindewald who eventually turned into his enemy, and planning to ...
If they attempted this, he was scared he'll lose the few friends he still had. He looked up at Ron and then turned to Hermione. He felt exactly like he did when heading towards Voldemort to be killed like a goat in a sacrifice. He felt he had to look at them as if he won't see them again, to enjoy every breath he could muster, every glimpse, every detail.
"What are you thinking about buddy?" Ron asked from the other side of the tower, admiring the silent Black Lake which was in the shadows of what remained of the castle, interrupting Harry's thoughts once again.
Ron's tired and sad because of losing his bigger brother and some of his dearest friends in the battle for Hogwarts. But he is where he needs to be, he is where he knows he has to be, close to the people he loves the most, without him... the tripod would be broken. They all know they belong together united not only by bonds of friendship, but by destinies intertwined.
"The Deathly Hallows, Hermione," whispered Harry, loud enough for his words to reach his red haired friend as well.
"I am ... I am the Master of Death".
And with that, silence fell over the three. Undoubtably, Harry's statement will change everything.
In other parts of the castle people were still morning their family and friends in the Great Hall, teachers cleaning the mess from the corridors, getting ready to start rebuilding Hogwarts while others were resting in the common rooms or healed in the Hospital wing.
The sun's light was covering the entirety of Hogwarts's grounds. Even in this state, it looked as majestic as ever. To Harry's mind this castle seemed a part of heaven.
"What now, Potter?"
They turned around to face the circular stairwell. Making the last few steps to reach the upper platform was none other than Draco Malfoy.
It's a new beginning, the beginning of another end.