The air was horribly thick, almost sufficating, as Harry stared out into the Hogwarts courtyard. Dead mangled bodies where dropped around, some half covered underneath rubble while people tried to recover them. Blood matted onto their poor dirty faces, tears tracking down their cheeks. Harry felt a tightening in his throat, a tremble running down his hands and through his body.
Only moments ago had he seen Fred, Remus and Tonks dead bodies along with more rows of the deceased. He couldn't handle the screams of pain from the families of those now passed. He watched them kneel down shaking almost in agony, calling their names over and over again.
"Harry, we're bringing in the rest of the bodies. Shacklebolt tried getting professor Snapes, but it wasn't there anymore." Hermione placed a tentative hand on his shoulder, bruises already forming on her knuckles.
"What do you meant it wasn't there, we left his body. Its not like it could've have gotten up and disappeared into the forbidden forest Hermione!" Harry turned noticing how her hair was much more wilder than usual.
"Well go look for yourself than Harry." She became irritated and tired. "I'm not going to stand here and argue with you whether we got his body or not." Harry was about to apologize but instead Hermione turned and left to find Ron again. Everyone was exhausted from the battle, he couldn't blame her annoyance.
Instead Harry slowly made his way down to the shrieking shack through the whomping willow. The old tree had gotten a few hits from the fight but made it through. As Harry climbed to the inside of the shrieking shack, he looked around carefully for any blood stains. How could you not find a dead body in the middle of a room?
"Well of course anything would be made easier for you wouldn't it Mister Potter?" Harry had slipped out his wand faster than he had turned around to find the voice. There leaning against the door frame, stood a lanky man Cloaked in the darkest black enough the rival the professors. He raised up a pale, long bony finger, up until it was at Harry's eye level. "Harry Potter, the boy who lived."
"Who...who are you, if you're a death eater you better not get any closer!" Harry stepped back, eying the man closely.
"Me a death eater? That truly is an insult Mister Potter! It seems that you never remember me, I AM DEATH!" He said dramatically, the cloak twisting in the air, Harry noticed the inside swirled like dark clouds.
"Death? Like the actual death." Harry raised a brow.
"No, death like a bowl of soup-OF COURSE LIKE DEATH YOU DUNCE!" The thing sighed resting his head in the palm if his hand. "You little snake, you've escaped me twice now! Do you know how badly you and that bloody professor have messed up my order? None of this was supposed to happen and now I have to go back in time and fix it, that takes years..." a light bulb flickered in the things mind, he looked back up at an awfully confused Harry.
"Not to be rude really, but I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." Harry wanted to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation he was currently stuck in. "Now please tell me, what are you?" The corners of the things eyes crinkled as a twitching smile appeared upon his face.
"Alright Mister Potter, I shall tell you what I really am, I am death. The one who cleans humanities messes, I claimed all the souls of those lined up in your little main hall at Hogwarts. All of them where destined to die tonight, I even have their clocks to prove it. But you Mister Potter, always you seem to find a way to reverse it. Unlike your professor who was meant to live longer, I had no choice but to take his soul. But I still have plans for them! Which Is why you will listen to me! Right now I could cause many disasters to try and kill you but I know you desperately don't want that." He made a swishing sign with his finger, Harry's wand disappearing on sight. Harry's jaw tightened, his knuckles balling up into a sharp fist.
"Than what is it you want!" He crossed his arms glaring at the thing in front of him.
"I want you to go back in time and fix things for me, you see I am very busy person so I just can't go back in time! It can take up to years which is why you're going to bring back what once was mine. You will lead Professor Snape through the correct path so he can die properly, you do know what happens to a soul if they do not die correctly?" Harry shook his head.
"No, I don't."
"Well their soul becomes disorientated, lost in its own being. I can't properly handle it so most times the soul itself ceases to exist completely...it suffers before it disappears." Death somehow looked saddened by this, a frown twisted onto his face. "But either way let us not worry about that for now, I will send you back in time, you should not worry about any paradoxes I will fix them for you."
"Well than how am I supposed to go back in time? Do I use like a time turner or-" He at least had some few seconds to realize that he was rapidly falling down to earth before he let a blood curdling scream escape his throat.
"I am telling you Headmaster Dumbledore, she told me she foresaw a new defense against the dark arts professor fall down to earth." spoke to Albus as they walked towards the castle. They had just finished having tea with Hagrid. "My daughter told me to warn you and she rarely is ever wrong, just look at what happened to Hagrid's pumpkins, I came to tell him that he shouldn't use thestral dung because they would shrivel up and die and you must guess what happend next." The headmasters eyes twinkled.
"Let me guess, they shriveled up and died?" nodded vigourasly.
"Exactly! Exactly!"
"Now I know you have told me about your daughters gifts, but many wizards and witches alike can have such v-" There was an ear piercing scream before a loud splash could be heard upon the lake. Both men turned to look as a moment passed an a dripping man came crawling out of the water holding a suitcase.
"Mr. Trelawney could we perhaps set up a small meeting with your daughter, say, Saturday?" Dumbledore spoke in amazement.
"I told you! I TOLD YOU!" The other man laughed loudly before shaking Dumbledores hand and rushing off to find hogsmeades road.
Dumbledore on the other hand quickly made his way to the lake where the man was doubled over coughing up water.
"Couldn't he have given me a small heads up before he flung me back in time, annoying bugger he is." He mumbled to himself as he coughed out the last of the seaweed he had swallowed. Taking out his wand, Harry cast a drying charm on himself. As he tucked it back into his pocket, Potter looked up and realized Dumbledore was staring at him curiously and coming straight at him. It almost gave him a heart attack. The strangeness of seeing him again, seeing him so alive. It made his stomach churn, Harry didn't know whether it was his surprise at seeing him or his nervousness.
"He-headmaster Dumbledore!" Harry strode forward. Suit case in one hand while the other was outstretched.
"My what a surprise, if I may guess, have you arrived at Hogwarts for the position of Defense against the dark arts professor?" He shook Harry's hand before clasping it behind his back.
"Oh, um." Through the suitcases slit, a thin piece or parchment paper slide out flying into the air before gently floating down onto the headmasters awaiting hand. It took the Headmaster a minute to read the slip before the older mans face broke into a smile and looked up at him. The blue twinkle in his eyes, they where like a warm blanket being placed on Harry's shoulders.
"I think, professor Burke, you will be a wonderful addition to the Hogwarts staff." A deep breath escaped Harry, not even knowing he had been holding it in. "Now lets discuss how you feel down from the sky." He wanted to scream.