Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight

Author's Note: Okay, so here it is though I still consider this more of a prologue. Now don't be expecting updates to be this frequent all the time. I tend to lack motivation which leads to sporadic updates. And as promised I cleaned up the first chapter and may have changed a few things. I was also of the same mind as you Jayden. So as of right now there won't be any pairings. Thinking of ditching the cannon pairings for Twilight as well since I now have a vague outline of how I want this to go. And I'm quite excited for the outcome. Do you hate the changes? Do you love them? Go ahead and critique away.

The Void of Judgment

With a gasp for air he bolted up. Darkness. Nothing more; nothing less. Shaking hands reached out and searched his surroundings. Though try as he might the man found nothing tangible in the darkness. He squinted his eyes as if that would make his environment more clear. When he was unable to make out any shapes he brought his hands to his eyes to rub them. His efforts brought no change to the nothingness around him. Suddenly the feeling of isolation burned fiercely in the back of his throat and he found himself lost in long forgotten memories from his childhood. He forced them away and moved to stand up on shaky legs. He couldn't stay here; wherever here was anyway. This wasn't right and it was destroying everything he thought he knew. All that he had seen and was ever told had spoken about an afterlife of some kind. The ghost that appeared when his wand connected with it's brother, as well as those who never truly passed on; anchored in reality after their time had long since gone.

"Next great adventure, huh?" He whispered to himself. If that's what this was meant to be then he was most definitely disappointed. After the war life had gone on. He had gotten married and his wife had given him children and the man grew old as time passed. The wizard had the fleeting thought that perhaps this was a side effect to his recent illness and he was having a fevered dream right now. Mumbling to himself, he had almost convinced himself that this was surely the case when a voice came through the darkness.

"Forgive me my child for this is anything but a dream."

The voice echoed around him as if the speaker was intangible and a billow of fear wrapped around the man as he searched through the darkness. His eyes picked up nothing and he moved on to other tactics. The old wizard closed his eyes and pushed out his magic. Searching the surroundings for any sign of another presence. His eyes widened as his magic snapped harshly back into him with such a force that he stumbled back. Whoever was here was powerful, so much more powerful than any force he'd ever met before. The man took a deep breath and willed his voice to remain steady as he spoke, "Who are you? If this is not a dream then what is this place and why am I here?"

"Calm yourself child. You are in the Void of all realms. Every soul materializes here once their connection is severed from the physical plane. You are here for judgement as was every soul before you and so will every soul after you."

The man frowned at the solemn tone the other held in it's voice. Why that was the man had no clue. Perhaps it was taxing to judge souls. Yet, in the end all that mattered was that he was mortal and judgement was far above his station. He was a good man, but war had a way of twisting you. He knew that though he was light it did not make him pure. He had done things he wasn't proud of in order to keep his friends alive and had never spared a thought to their enemies when someone he loved was in danger. That was when the rest of what it said sunk in. The wizard frowned as he tried to put the pieces together. "What do you mean by void? Is this the Veil of Death?"

"Yes, this is what the mortal's referred to as the Veil of Death though that is not it's true name nor it's purpose. The Void does not kill souls on its own. Their end depends on the judgment."

And he was here to be judge wasn't he? The man felt odd as panic swelled within him. It had been so long since he'd felt threatened in such a way. His eyes once more began a fruitless attempt to see beyond the darkness. Though when his efforts failed like before his desperation grew. He didn't know why he suddenly feared the thought of his soul being judged. There was something the being wasn't telling him and it was putting him on edge. In a moment of hysterics the man spread his arms out wide and looked up into this so called Void of Judgment. A mocking tone colored his voice as he spoke, "What's the verdict then, oh wise God of Judgment? Suffrage or salvation?"

The being did not respond right away and the silence almost seamed to surge up. It was deafening in some ways and the man felt regret well up inside him and slowly his arms fell back down to his side. The wizard grimaced. Perhaps it wasn't the brightest idea to antagonize the one who held his fate.

When the darkness finally spoke up once more it was with a soft tone and a hint of sorrow. "My child you are mistaken. While I did allude that you were here for judgment I am afraid you will not be judge in the way you are thinking. Not once have I given you a name to call me and though I find it slightly amusing that you would bestow the title of 'God of Judgment' upon me, you are wrong. I am not typically the one who judges souls, but you my dear child are a special case. With death flowing heavily within your veins, I was summoned into the Void of Judgment to hand you your fate. You are only the second to draw me here for such."

So this being was not the God of Judgement. Why was it drawn here for him? What did it mean by saying he wasn't going to be judged in the same way? It was the last part of it's sentences that finally put the pieces together for him. "Death flows heavily within me? That's what you said isn't it?". The being didn't respond, but the man didn't need it to. He stared blankly into darkness as it dawned on him just who this being was. Why was it always be him? That even in death he had no control. Dread filled him and weighed him down. The wizard knew that he wasn't going to like the answers he would receive from his next few questions, but he would not allow himself to hesitate. "Why does death flow within me and how will I be judged because of this? Tell me, Lord Death, how even in your somber embrace I am to be given no peace? How much of myself must I sacrifice before the Gods are satisfied?"

The darkness felt suffocating in such a way that it almost broke him. There were many times in his life that he'd almost broken down, many times that he'd struggled to pull himself back together, and many times where he thought he would fail to do such. He'd always felt like every time he'd reached this point that whenever he would tried to piece himself back together, he always overlooked something and left parts of himself behind. The wizard sometimes hated the hand fate had dealt him and how so much of his life had felt beyond his control. It was only the thoughts of what came after the war that allowed him to accept his hand and move on. For all that had happened, he was glad to have the family he'd built for himself. And yet it seemed he was about to experience another thing outside of his control. First the fates had ruled him in life and now it felt as if he had gained a new master in death.

"It pained me greatly child to see you suffer in life. I realize your want for peace and to be reunited with your loved ones. Though you must understand that you were born with my gift and I have waited for the day that it would awaken within you. With your soul now in the Void it finally has and with it you are meant for more. I have watched over you whenever I could and though you do not wish it, you will once more breathe the Breath of Life."

The words were delivered calmly and with same underling tone of sorrow. He found them completely enraging, but before he lost his temper completely there was a thought lingering in the back of his mind. "Do you have to die in the physical plane to reach this place?" The man waited impatiently for an answer. If that was true than this so called "gift" would have awaken long before. There was something missing from this being's story and he wasn't going to let it slide by unscathed.

"Yes, my child. The souls must be unattached to the physical realm to be ferried here."

The man narrowed his eyes at that and his stance turned challenging. This was looking like a fevered dream after all. His voice was taunt with rage when he next spoke though he managed to keep his tone civil. "Then this gift would have awaken in me when I died before." The wizard grabbed his head and tugged on his hair in frustration. What was with these riddles he received as answers anyway? He always hated being kept in the dark on things. The man paused to snort at the irony of that statement. He was going crazy in this darkness, wasn't he? "I mean I appeared in an altered version of King's Cross Station and was told I could move on or go back. I believe, Lord Death, that you have left out somethings that I cannot easily overlook."

The being seemed grow irritated with his doubts and let out and sigh. The sound startled him as it seemed odd for a God to do something so human. "Child the Void always looks like this. It does not change appearances. Whatever you saw was not what you are believing it to be. This is your first time here and I know this for a fact as this is the only death you have experienced." The God suddenly seemed to lose it's restraint and a hint of anger coated it's voice as it's tone grew in volume. It appeared the being would no longer stand by and listen to his impudence nor would it play along with this farce of an interrogation any longer. "Do you think I would not be aware of when one of my souls died? Did you presume I would overlook you when you have Death's essence? A gift that I myself gave to you. I am a God, child! Such a thing would never occur. What you saw was something else entirely. A curse of Death could never kill you. Death can not be extinguished by Death."

The man froze as the words repeated in his mind over and over again and left him feeling haunted. What did that mean? If that wasn't death then what had it been. The wizard clenched his fingers into fist as he thought about that time so long ago. With a small shake of his head he sighed and closed his eyes. Allowing his anger to fade out as his mind cleared. It didn't matter anymore. He doubted the being would explain things further with it's seemingly reluctance to give straight answers. This was a nightmare. He knew he had no say in this matter from the sound of the God's voice. He wanted peace and yet he knew Death would not grant him such since this being had plans for him. The man wanted to rage and scream and allow the magic sizzling under his skin to be set loose, and yet he felt so weary. What would be the point? The one before him was a God. What could he ever hope to accomplish when his fate was already set in stone? With resignation soaking his voice, the wizard whispered the last few words he ever would speak in the Void of Judgment, "Then divulge to me, Lord Death, of what this means and what sort of obligation I will be filling."

Last Edited: 1/24/18