Harry Potter and Death

A short fanfic I wrote while unable to sleep on the 1st of November 2014.

All characters belong to JK Rowling and respective owners of these characters and their usage.

Years had passed since he had been miraculously revived during the battle for Hogwarts.

He had told many experts what had happened, but never got a straight answer.

Then he had kids, who went to Hogwarts themselves. Harry got a job in the Auror department.

Life was good.

But then it ended.

All things end.

"Should've looked before crossing the street. Ah well. Train station again?"

"Hello Harry." the kindly voice of Albus Dumbledore emerged, moments before the ex-Headmaster appeared again.

"So, same choice?"

"Of course. But... You do understand... oh, never mind."

Harry disappeared, and without him, Dumbledore disappeared to.

More years passed. Harry, injured by a car accident, was shifted into a desk job.

Life was mostly still okay.

But it ended.

All things end.

"Again? Do I just never get to die?"

"The Master of Death, Harry. You get to die only on your terms. In this place, you are eternally capable of deciding, being of full body and mind here."

"But if I get a problem on Earthside, I guess I'm just the same as everyone else?"

"Yes. Eventually your mind will degrade on the earth side. Then, only here will you be able to think as others do."

"I see. But I have already decided."

"Of course."

Years passed. Ginny died of natural causes. Harry put more of himself into his work, resting only to enjoy his time with his grandchildren. The last Harry would remember of this period would be playing by their orange tree, and seeing a flock of Doxies seemingly teleport into the space and spit poison at Harry and his grandchildren.

All things end.

"Okay, so I can keep going forever like this?"

"Pretty much."

It was hard not to notice Harry dying repeatedly in his job at his age. There were ways to detect it.

Eventually, he agreed to be mentally dominated as he died again.

All things end.

"Ah, Minerva. I did not expect to see you pass through here for some time."

"Albus. What are you doing in Harry's mind?"

"Harry is in the space between the spaces. You have read my theories on the afterlife, yes? I am apparently a fragment of the psychopomp that governs our world, much like the Dementors are. I serve the Master of Death. See you eventually, Minerva."

"You have the DEATHLY HALLOWS?"

All things end.

"Oh. Your body cannot sustain you very long. Carrying Minerva and you must've damaged it."

"ARRGH"

All things end.

"I suppose there's no chance of you changing your mind then?"

Harry's eyes fluttered open, but closed.

All things end.

"I mean, it's not a bad thing to move on."

"-a fighter. He might pull through, we don't really kn-"

All things end.

"It'd be best really."

"rnetic upload!"

All things end.

"Are you really living?"

"Hello me. We have-"

All things end.

"It must be sad, only seeing the world for fractions of time."

"Only a few seconds"

All things end.

"I'd love to be able to move on and see my Ariana, but I wielded the Wand, you see."

"Per lifetime. I am you, inside a computer."

All things end.

"So I'm stuck as a chunk of the Reaper, for usurping his power."

"As long as humans exist, as long as"

All things end.

"If you die, willingly, I get to move on too."

"Computers exist, a copy of you will"

All things end.

"But of course, it's your choice."

"live forever. No magic, but we live. So move on."

All things end.

"It's always your choice."

"It's your choice to stay or not. I'll do my best to protect those we love."

All things end.

"Always."

"So you can move on. Nothing is holding you to this world now."

All things end.

"Fine. I'll take your damn train."

All things end.

But only if there's nothing that remembers the person we once were.