DISCLAIMER: If you recognise anything here, I clearly do not own it. Principal ownership resides with the relevant individuals and associated entities. I assert no ownership to anything except the arrangement of the words used herein into sentences.
Even Death Bows To Fate
Hadrian Peverell raised his head as the nearby grass crackled like straw. 'Odd' he thought 'the grass in the orchard is green and lush. The elves will be moving the sheep in for grazing soon. Why does it sound... dead?'
He looked up from his book on ritual magics. There was a figure standing between two apple trees. The figure was about seven feet tall, and was clad entirely in black. Hadrian couldn't even see their face. "Hello" he said tentatively "Are you a guest here?"
"No" the figure said in an odd voice. Odd in that it sounded like a chorus of voices "I am never a guest anywhere"
Hadrian looked puzzled "If you are not a guest, then how did you walk through the wards?"
The figure chuckled. Again, it sounded like a chorus "No one has ever built wards against me. Many have tried, none have succeeded"
Hadrian snorted "Well, you're not a house elf or a phoenix, then, are you?"
"No, but I am a lot closer to a phoenix than I am a house elf"
"Immortal?"
"Most definitely"
"Hmm, immortal being, dressed in black? You're not a dementor, since I feel fine"
"I am the closest thing that your kind has categorised as Death"
Hadrian looked at it. 'Ah, that's where I read it' he thought to himself. Looking up at the figure, he said casually "Well that's a party-stopper. They say Death knows all"
"Not all, but certainly vastly more than a mere mortal"
"A mere mortal like myself." Hadrian said. He stuck out his hand "I'm Hadrian Peverell"
The figure recoiled from his hand "You should not touch me, infant. And I already knew your name"
"Why, what happens if I do? Touch you, I mean?"
"Death. Do you not see the grass I stand upon?"
Hadrian looked. The figure was standing on a withered patch of grass. Surrounded on all sides by lush green grass of the orchard "I do now," he said with a calmness he didn't really feel. "Perenelle would prefer that you not kill her plants. She would let you do so 'over her dead body', if you'll excuse the awful phrase"
"I have heard it before. Generally, I accept the challenge" the figure, Death said in his chorus-voice.
"Are you here to kill anyone? Today?"
"No, child now known as Hadrian Peverell. You are a descendent of Ignotus?"
"Yes, through his granddaughter"
"An excellent mind, that boy. He wasn't afraid of me, either"
"Interesting" Hadrian said carefully.
"What?" Death asked.
"That Death can be wrong. Ignotus was afraid of you. Prudent of him. He sought to hide from you. I have read about you in the Peverell Grimoire. About his encounter with you. About his brothers. About the three objects. His last entry said he was going to meet you. He was no longer afraid."
"Are you afraid?"
"Less than I was. You're not here to collect me today. That was my great fear. You're not here for Nick or Penny, either. So I'm not afraid of that any more. But what you are, I'd be a fool not to be a little afraid of you"
"Indeed?"
"Everyone dies eventually. I know of nine ways to delay Death, but none to escape you entirely. If you were here for me today, I would come with you. But I would do so with regret, for all the things that I have not done and wished to do"
"A wise attitude from one so young. The Ancient Egyptians had the practice of displaying a skeleton at feasts"
"Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow you may die? Seize the day? That sort of thing?" Hadrian asked.
"Yes. For no one truly knows if today is their last day. Unless they plan suicide"
"But if today was my last day, that would be dreadful. I'm old enough that I can see the flower of so many possibilities opening up for me, but not old enough to do them"
"Be at peace, Hadrian Ignotus Peverell, born Harry James Potter. Today you shall not die. Today I am here to talk with the Flamels"
"But not to kill them"
"I rarely kill people. People just die without my need to interfere. I simply ensure their soul gets where it needs to go"
"Wherever that is" Hadrian muttered.
Death looked at him curiously.
"What?" Hadrian demanded sharply "I figured that whenever you decide to talk to mortals, they probably want to ask you about eschatology. Not that I'm not curious, but I'm not asking"
"Oh" Death nodded "A correct assumption. I can't even make jokes about it. Mortals take everything so seriously. I made a spurious comment, and people blather on about The Judgement of Ma'at for the next two thousand years. And they seem to think I like chess"
"Mortals do make jokes about Death. Just not to Death. When death is simply a fact of life, they can glibly dismiss it like every other uncomfortable aspect of life. Dead baby jokes alleviate the fear of infant mortality. But you are Death. You are a present and imminent reminder of the inescapability of death. No, only a lunatic would make a joke to you. A fool would challenge you"
"Death jokes? Interesting, where would I find more about them?"
"Because of what you are, you'll have difficulty. You inspire fear and horror, not amusement. But you're going to talk to two immortals. Perhaps they could help. Or find a dying comedian and talk with them"
~o*o*o*o*o*o~
"Where are Nicholas and Perenelle Flamel?"
"Wouldn't Death be able to find them?"
"If they were about to die, certainly. But as they are hale and hearty, no. I found the estate. Legwork is required for more a precise location."
"I believe both are in the house" Hadrian told him "I can guide you to the door, but I cannot invite you inside. You are not my guest, nor are you theirs. Courtesy dictates-"
"Courtesy dictates that one be bid enter before entering a dwelling, lest one be viewed as an enemy"
"Yes. Of course, you're immortal. You're probably acutely aware of the etiquettes involved"
"Yes"
Hadrian looked suspiciously at Death "Are you trans-temporally omniscient?"
"Sorry?"
"Do you, strictly speaking, exist outside the linearity of time"
"I suppose so. It's not something I've ever thought about. At least not in those terms."
Hadrian goggled "Never thought about it?"
"Do fish think about water?"
Hadrian sighed "I suppose not. Follow me"
~o*o*o*o*o*o~
"Nick! Penny! We have a visitor!" Hadrian shouted as he stepped into the hallway.
Perenelle appeared from the library and frowned. "Hadrian, what have I told you about yelling?"
Hadrian sighed "That such behaviour is best used outside or in emergencies"
"And is it either?"
The boy looked downwards, and adopted a bashful mien. "No, not particularly. I'm sorry, Penny"
Perenelle smiled "That's better. Now, this visitor? I didn't feel the wards flicker at all"
Hadrian grimaced "They probably haven't registered his presence yet"
Perenelle frowned "Someone who can walk through wards undetected? That is an emergency. Does your visitor have a name?"
"Death"
Perenelle frowned "That's a terrible name"
"But an accurate description for what he is. He says he is here to talk to you and Nick. But no one will die today"
"Well" Perenelle said stiffly "We should be courteous to our unannounced visitor. Where is he?"
"In the peristyle, where I left him. Probably examining the mosaics"
"Well, I shall invite him in. you shall go fetch Nicholas. He's in the potting shed"
"Don't touch him, or you might die" Hadrian told her as he wandered away.
Nick was indeed in the potting shed, spreading dragon dung fertiliser in seedling trays. Hadrian coughed and the alchemist looked up. "Hadrian! What are you doing? Come to help me with the seeds?"
"Ah, no. I shall not help you with your cattle feed"
"Parsnips, boy. It's not like they're mangolds"
"Your wife makes no such distinctions. But I came to tell you that we have a visitor"
"Oh. Who dropped by uninvited?"
"Death. He wants a chat, not your soul" Hadrian said, as Nick's face fell.
"Oh, well I'd better get changed, make myself more presentable"
"I wouldn't bother. It's Death, he's probably seen worse. What are you going to do, wash your hands? Shaking his hand is a good way to die. Death comes to us all, as we are at the time. Just grin and bare it"
Nick shrugged in resignation "So you've seen him, then? Or has Penny just told you"
"Seen him. Tall, dark, mysterious. Interesting person to chat with. We talked about Ignotus Peverell, he knew who I was previously, I told him about dead baby jokes"
"Dead baby jokes?" Nick looked at the boy oddly "Why?"
"He didn't know they existed. Apparently people don't tell jokes to Death. Defy, yes. Challenge, yes. Curse, definitely. But not jokes."
"Interesting" Nick said, brushing his hands on his jeans "What's your wager on the topic for discussion?"
Hadrian rolled his eyes "Your stone, most likely. He's Death, you're immortal. You're immortal because of the stone, ergo he's here to tell you your hourglass is running low"
Nick groaned "Then he and I agree on something"
"Nick?" Hadrian asked quizzically.
"The Stone is running down. It won't last forever" Nick told the boy. "I spent two hundred years trying to recreate the Stone and failed"
"Oh. How long do you have?"
"A few years"
"How long have you known?"
"We knew long before we took you in. But we thought we had longer. We'll be gone before you're twenty"
Hadrian was quiet for a while. "I see" he finally said.
"Hadrian?"
"I don't want to ask, but I need to know. I probably can't phrase it politely, anyway"
"Go ahead anyway"
"You knew you were dying. So most likely, you're getting everything in order. Organising your affairs, writing down all your thoughts. Six hundred years of accumulated knowledge. So what about me? How do I fit in here? Am I a project? Are you trying to lighten your soul for its judgement against the feather?"
"Feather?"
Hadrian snorted "Death made a reference to the Judgement of Ma'at. It must have lingered in my mind"
~o*o*o*o*o*o~
Hadrian and Nick found Perenelle and Death in the drawing room. Both of them looked vaguely uncomfortable. Perenelle because Death was in her house. Death because it seemed incongruously out of place on the blue and red chintz settee.
"Do you want to talk to us all, or us alone?" Perenelle asked.
Death sighed "It matters little. Death has few mysteries. The infant can stay"
"Thank you so much" Hadrian remarked with a touch of sarcasm. "I do like how edifying it is to be called an infant, however true it is in present company"
Nick smiled at Hadrian, then turned to Death "Are you going to tell us the Stone is running out?"
"Not really," Death replied bluntly.
"Pardon?" Nick asked sharply
"Your stone is running out, but that is not why I am here. I am here about the infant"
Hadrian narrowed his eyes at Death "Am I going to die young?"
"Possibly. You are what in Greece they used to call born of winter" Death told him nonchalantly.
"I was born in July" replied Hadrian.
Death chuckled. It was a harsh sound. "It is a euphemism for cursed. Cursed by divine forces"
"Now that is interesting" Perenelle said "How much can you tell us?"
"I am limited in what I can say. I am merely Death. Fate is far more powerful"
"Fate? A prophecy?" Nick asked.
"You might say that. I can't interfere. Officially I am only reminding you that your stone is running out and I will visit soon. It's what I do to the difficult ones" Death told them.
"Difficult ones?" Hadrian asked.
"Those who seek to evade Death. Earlier, infant, you said you knew nine ways to avoid Death"
"Yes. The most benign ways are the Peverell Cloak and the Philosopher's Stone. They get less pleasant after that" Hadrian told Death.
"What's the least pleasant way" Nick asked.
"Soul anchors. Until the soul anchor is destroyed, you can't collect them" Hadrian told him.
"Soul anchors?" Nick asked, looking at his wife.
"Horcruxes" Perenelle spat the word out in disgust.
Nick grimaced, and Death nodded "Yes. That topic is also relevant today, but I can't tell you much"
"You can only hint?" Perenelle asked.
"Correct"
"Then we will ask questions. Can you do yes or no answers?"
"Yes"
"There is a prophecy?" Nick asked.
"Yes"
"Concerning Hadrian?" pressed Nick.
"Yes"
"Not his brother?" Nick asked.
"Yes. Correct"
"Is it fulfilled?" Nick asked.
"I do not know the answer"
"But since you are so constrained, is it possible the answer is no?" Perenelle clarified.
"Yes"
"Will Hadrian encounter soul anchors?"
"Yes. Probably"
"Is it relevant to the prophecy?"
"Yes"
"Is Albus Dumbledore a good person?" Hadrian asked.
"No. Did you really need me to answer that?" Death responded with what might be called amusement. Amusement in Death turned out to be quite a horrifying thing.
Hadrian smiled grimly as he thought of something. "Are the three items you gave to the Peverell brothers still around?"
"Yes"
"What happens if they are held by one person?"
"I could answer that if you held them all. But you don't, so I am constrained by higher powers"
"An interesting non-answer" Nick said. "Did you collect the one calling himself Voldemort?"
"No, I have not collected Tom Marvolo Riddle"
"Is he a difficult one?" Perenelle asked.
"Yes"
"Because of soul anchors?" Perenelle followed up.
"Yes"
"He made one?" Perenelle pressed the matter.
"Yes"
"Only one?" Perenelle asked
"No"
"Is there a prophecy about Riddle?" Hadrian asked.
"Yes"
"Is it the same one about me?"
"Yes"
"Did he make less than ten soul anchors?" Perenelle asked.
"Yes"
"More than five?" Perenelle asked
"No"
"Less than five?" Perenelle clarified.
"No"
"So five then. Do you know where they are located?"
"No"
"Have you obliquely given us all the information that you think we should have?" Nick asked.
"Today, yes"
"Then that's the important thing. Will you be visiting again?" Nick asked
"Of course I will. The Peverell infant is somewhat important" Death replied.
Hadrian looked at Death "Are there negative consequences for me personally or for mine, if I unite the three items?"
"No, not from me. Other wizards might be a problem though"
"Because of the unbeatable wand, no doubt" Perenelle commented acerbically.
"Magic is not a cure for the human condition. Rather it exacerbates human flaws." Nick said with a grand gesture. "Penny and I have been around long enough to know that"