"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
1st Target:
She could remember dying. It was a bitter moment filled with memories of all that she had given up, all that she had lost (a family she had never known, Sirius, a childhood). When Voldemort asked her to walk to her death, she hadn't even been surprised. It was more a feeling of deep acceptance.
She had known for years that she was going to die. Everyone does, they just forget it until the moment hits them in the face and gives them whiplash. She, on the other hand, had always known her life was finite, transient and most likely going to end in the hands of the dark lord. Which it totally was (in your face, bad divination grade).
She merely watched as the man raised his wand and sent a green bolt at her (It was eye-searing, branded in her mind like the brief memories of her parents that was scarred by their murder). But she stood with her head held high and she waited for it to come. Everyone thinks that when you die, your life flashes before your eyes. It doesn't.
One moment she was breathing softly… the next she wasn't.
2nd Target:
It was cold and misty, an echo of king's cross station. Her eyes tried to pinpoint something to look at when a cold hand gripped onto her shoulder. Spinning swiftly, she saw Dumbledore smiling kindly at her in his usual manipulative smile. She glowered at him as his smile grew.
"Do you not like this form?"
"On the off chance you're not him, what is there to like? This is the body of the man that designed me to be a martyr. To have myself killed because he made everyone think I was a saviour. Him and hs damn prophecy." she grumbled, glaring as the elderly man took the form of a much younger man in a tailored suit.
"Does this suit your tastes more?" he asked.
"Who are you?"
"I am the concept of death. A figment of existence. I am the embodiment of transience," he explained with a flamboyant raise of his hands "And this is Limbo. The place between life and death. What happens from here is your choice."
3rd Target:
She walked down a single path with him, their heels echoing against the unknown floor. An enigmatic smile rested on his face as he stared at his pocket watch before putting it away. He watched as her hands clenched and unclenched over and over. "Does the scenery not please you? I could change it if you wish," he told her as the cold expanse turned into a warm, lush scenery of a mountain heel at sunrise.
"Stop it!" she yelled, pointing a finger at him "Stop trying to be so accommodating, you are here to remind me of my inevitable end!" His hands reached out and took hers in a gentle hold, stroking the back of it. "Harriet… Death is neither good nor bad. I simply exist. My existence is a reminder for people to celebrate their lives for it cannot be appreciated without an unknown end."
"You… you collected my hallows. My wand, my stone and my cloak. You are the first to do so, the first to prove a good heart despite it all, even after the fact that you were made into a martyr by people who could have protected themselves. So the very least I could do would be to be accommodating."
4th Target:
He gave a sad smile as she began to cry. "Why are you the first person to say that? A man that wasn't even a part of the war?"
"I was a part of it. Just… not in the conventional way." he replied wryly. She let out a choked laugh, wiping away her tears. "There is something I must tell you though. Despite the stories saying that you would be my mistress after collecting the hallows… it is not true, rather, you would be my champion instead. I can give you a boon, an early reward for this contract so to speak."
"I can give you two choices. "You can go onto your next adventure and begin your duties… or you may return to your life as Harriet Potter."
"Next adventure?"
"Yes, a new trip. I can't promise it will be nice however…"
"I'll take it. I don't want to go back. They can deal with Voldemort on his own. I'm not gonna give up my chance at freedom for people who refused to stand up for themselves."
"I want a life." she cried
"Very well, my champion. Just remember, I can still grant you a boon."
5th Target:
Taking her hand, he took her down the grassy hill. The wind shook her black hair as it went by. The birds sang and for the first time in her life, she could pause to listen (it was sad she had to wait for her death for it to happen in the end). Closing her eyes, she let Death guide her through nature before coming to a halt.
Opening her eyes, she saw a large door wrapped in ivy and growth. The sun streamed through overhanging leaves and small squirrels jumped from try to tree. A peace she had never seen before, the closest she had ever come to it was in the Forbidden Forest which suffocated the joy she saw with malice and a cloak of cruelty that ensnared the forest.
"Step through this door, and you will enter another world. One where there is no magic, but evil nevertheless. One which is much further ahead in time. You will be a newborn and you will have the memories of this world, the perks of being my champion. You will be free."
"How do I act as your champion, exactly?"
"You maintain balance, of course. At any given moment, there is an equal amount of living souls as there are of the departed souls. Every time a living soul dies, a departed soul reincarnates to maintain balance. But a disturbance is coming. One that will destabilise this delicate balance we have. One that you, as my champion, must aid to stop."
Nodding, she turned away from him and went towards the door. Placing her hand on the cool metal handle, she couldn't help but smile as he said:
"Don't worry, by the way, you aren't the protagonist. This time, you will be the assisting side character that people expect little from."
Pushing the creaking door open, she walked into the black expanse ahead and her eyelids closed once more and began to fall.
TADA! I love Mass Effect, it's amazing. Sadly we don't have enough crossovers for it, which is what I live for! So I decided to make this, it encorporates ideas from Assassin's Creed and Hitman (mostly just how they do targets and the reason behind the sisterhood). Also, Thane will live hands down. My heart was too weak to watch the cutscene let alone write it. No, heellll no!
Enjoy!