Disclaimer:Harry Potter is not mine. I do not own the copyrights to the books, movies, or any other random Harry Potter merchandise that is floating around. If I did, this stuff would be published, 100 times better written, and the epilogue wouldn't be as crappy.
Author's Note: This was written for NanoWriMo, but due to lack of time, I was only able to get half of the needed word count. However, this story is still in progress, albeit very, very slowly. I'm doing my best to avoid most of the clichés found in the typical Harry Potter fanfiction. Therefore, I will add the list of clichés that are not present as I think of them.
This story first started as a parody of the typical Boy-Who-Lived cliché, but now it's not really a parody anymore. However, I can honestly tell you that this is vastly different from most stories where Harry is not believed to be the Savior of the Wizarding World.
Many of the names, places, and even some of the phrases have an important significance or meaning
I don't know if this is going to be a lot of slash (read: not all of the relationships will be between a girl and a guy). I'm still debating it, to be honest. I have a couple possible storylines promoting certain undecided relationships at the moment. However, there will be at least one surprise slash pairing that only my beta and I know at the moment. Neither my beta nor I can decide, and she keeps coming up with good pairing ideas that are counterproductive tomy pairing ideas.
Beta: Shower's Inc
Decided Pairings: James/Lily, Ron/Hermione, Petunia/OC, OC/OC
Warnings:AU, Character Death, Language, Possible Blood and Gore, Slash, Non-Slash, Manipulative Dumbledore, Independent!Harry, OOC-ness (out of character-ness), OC's (original characters), Mild to Severe Spoilers (Books 1-7)
Summary: On that fateful Halloween night, something went terribly wrong. Now Harry is dead to the Wizarding World and Voldemort is believed to be dead at another's hand...er...paw. An old legend has resurfaced, and it is only a matter of time before the Wizarding World is reintroduced to...The Dealer of Fate. Nothing will ever be the same again.
Dealer of Fate
Chapter One
So It Begins
October 31, 1981
"James! James, do you have the keys?" a voice yelled from the back of the two-story house.
A man with messy black hair dressed in a sharp-looking tux waved a blue wizard's-hat key chain around, making it tinkle. "Right here, honey; hurry up! We're going to be late!"
"I know, James! James, have you seen my necklace? The one with the emerald?"
"Dresser, third drawer on the left. Come on, Lily, we've got to go!" James shifted his weight from side to side, impatiently waiting for his beloved wife.
"It's not there!"
"Are you sure?"
There was silence from the back of the room, bar the sound of various items being moved and shuffled through.
"Aha! Found it! Somehow it ended up under a pillow. Next to your Quidditch porn." A beautiful woman with long red hair hustled out into the living room where James was waiting. She was wearing a shimmering red gown and her hair was in an elegant updo. Her missing necklace dangled in her left hand.
"My Quidditch magazines are most certainly not porn, Mrs. I-Read-Soft-Core-Porn-Disguised-As-Literary-Classics."
"That was one time. One time!" Lily turned her back to James, offering him the necklace. He undid the clasp, and it promptly slipped from his fingers.
"Damn things," he grumbled, trying to reopen the clasp only to have it slip from his fingers once again. On the third try he finally managed to get the necklace around her neck.
"How do I look?" Lily asked, smoothing down her dress.
James smiled and leaned in, kissing her on the cheek. "Gorgeous. Now let's go, they're expecting us in half an hour tops."
Lily rolled her eyes, but grinned nonetheless. "If I recall, Mr. Potter, you and your ragtag bunch of friends were tardy every single day of your lives during Hogwarts, with the exception of Remus, of course."
"Of course," James laughed. "Shall we go then, Mrs. Potter?"
She smiled up at him before turning to the quiet figure standing in the corner of the room. "Are you sure you don't mind keeping an eye on them, Peter? Harry's a doll, but Roscoe can be a bit of a pain. Their bottles are in the fridge; the milk carton with the green lid is breast milk, so don't drink that. Toys are in the green toy box; Harry prefers the dog and wolf toys, Roscoe prefers the deer ones."
"Stag!" James interjected.
"Right, Roscoe prefers the deer toys. They should go to bed in about an hour, but Roscoe won't fall asleep in the crib so you'll have to rock him to sleep. Emergency numbers are next to the phone."
"Lily! We've got to go!"
Lily glared at her husband. "Hold on, I'm not quite through. Thanos's dog food is kept on the porch. He's already been fed, so you'll just have to let him out in about half an hour. He likes to sleep in the boys' room, so let him. His toys are in the red toy box, just keep the lid open and he'll be fine."
"Lily!"
"There's been a strange dog lurking around, so keep an eye out for it. We haven't been able to get a good look at it, but be careful. Don't let any strangers in the house—"
"Lily, we're under the Fidelius. The boys will be fine, the dog will be fine, the house will be fine, and Peter will be fine. Let's go!"
She rounded on her husband. "Merlin help me, James, be patient for just one minute before I hex you!"
"Lily, I'm sure I'll be fine. You left me with a list, so I'm sure we'll be okay for a couple of hours. Go, have fun." Peter smiled, ushering the couple out the door.
"But Peter, there's one last thing! Thanos—"
It was too late, because the door had already shut in her face.
"Let's go, Lilyflower, we're expected to arrive soon."
Lily sighed. "I hope this muggle Policemen's Ball is worth it, James, because if Peter—"
James smiled disarmingly. "Of course it's worth it, Lils. We'll be able to have fun, and Old Mad Eye asked we be there personally. Something about intercultural relations. Peter will be able to handle them fine, Lily, don't worry."
Lily sighed, looking at the house worriedly before climbing into their blue 1978 Triumph. "I hope you're right, James. I hope you're right…"
"Damn mutt," Peter cursed, kicking the small Keeshond puppy. Contrary to its breed's temperament, the tiny canine growled aggressively, baring its teeth.
Peter stuck his head into the babies' room. Little Harry with his messy black hair and vivid emerald eyes stared at him solemnly, while Roscoe with his bright red hair and hazel eyes screamed loudly, his face beet red and tears streaming down his face. Peter scowled.
"One of you is my master's prophesied downfall. Nothing personal."
His face twisted into a sneer, and he walked back to the living room, kicking Thanos again as he walked by. Thanos yelped, but latched onto Peter's trouser leg, growling menacingly. Peter kicked him off, and Thanos retreated to the babies' nursery, glowering at the man.
Peter traversed the living room, looking at all of the pictures hanging on the walls and placed on various surfaces. Lily and James frowned at him from a large picture on the wall, cradling a wide-eyed Harry and a bawling Roscoe. James Potter's parents silently cursed at him from a picture balanced on top of the television, and Lily's family stared blankly from a muggle picture also balanced on the television. All around him were unhappy, scowling faces glaring at him from photographs.
Peter sneered at them and at the predominantly red-themed room.
The doorbell rang, and Peter hurried to the door, opening it for a tall man in a black cloak. Peter's manner changed from confident to sniveling in .003 seconds.
"Master! You're here; the brats are in the crib, and no one is home, just as you ordered, my lord. An excellent deception, my lord, making the Potters leave the house."
The figure's glowing red eyes locked onto the pitiful man before him. "And the Dragon Eye?"
"Gone, my lord. I tried to hide it in the short space of time I had, but it was discovered."
"Fool!" Lord Voldemort backhanded Peter. Peter fell back on the stand behind him, breaking the lamp standing on it. "That Eye is crucial to my plans! Is there any sign of the Guardian?"
"None, my lord. Just their damn Keeshond dog, and that is most certainly not the Guardian. He was purchased only a short time ago, and the Potters have had no other pets or animals before him."
Lord Voldemort's eyes flashed, but his mouth curled into a nasty smile. "Of all of my followers, you are the most incompetent, foolish,Gryffindor of them all!" he roared, withdrawing his wand. "Avada Ked—"
Peter's eyes widened, and he latched onto Lord Voldemort's arm, cutting the Dark Lord's curse off partway. "My lord, please, reconsider! We agreed on a stunning spell!"
Lord Voldemort's eyes narrowed, and he pushed the man off of him. "I would have expected better of a Gryffindor. Avada Kedavra!"
A beam of green light shot from Lord Voldemort's wand, hitting Peter in the chest and killing him instantly. Peter fell into a heap on the ground where he kneeled at Voldemort's feet.
The man sneered, and nudged his former follower's body with one foot, putting his wand back into his cloak. "Pathetic."
The cloaked man entered the house, but left the door wide open. He strode purposefully towards the nursery, where he could hear a child wailing. The closer he got to the room, the louder the wailing became.
The wailing came from a dark yellow room where the nursery was kept. The Dark Lord paused at the doorway for a moment before entering the room. He came to a stop in front of the older twin, Roscoe. He eyed the wailing child before a low growling caught his attention. Eyes flashing and teeth bared, a small black and cream bundle of fluff growled at him menacingly, placing itself between him and the crib.
Lord Voldemort simply laughed, ignoring the sound of picture frames falling to the ground as someone knocked them down in their rush to get to the nursery. He withdrew his wand.
Thanos promptly went berserk, launching himself at the Dark Lord and barking madly. The sounds of an approaching person increased in speed.
The Dark Lord wrenched the dog off of him, sending it flying through the air.
"Avada Kedavra!" As soon as he uttered the last syllable of the spell, something plowed into him, causing his wand to turn at the last minute and shooting the beam of green light away from Roscoe. Instead, it passed Thanos's flying body, grazing up against his fur only and leaving the cursed fur black and shriveled. The curse continued on and hit young Harry on the chest, directly over the heart.
Harry's eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the floor of his crib, limp.
"Turn this car around, James, turn it back right now!" Lily screamed.
James's arm on the wheel jerked involuntarily and he narrowly avoided an accident with an oncoming semi. "What's wrong?" He glanced over, and saw Lily clutching the emerald on her necklace.
She turned worried eyes to her husband. "Turn around now, James."
"But—"
"Do it!" she screamed.
James obediently turned the car around and started to drive home.
"What's wrong Lily?" he asked, growing worried despite himself.
"There's always been this…legend…in my family on my mother's side, about eight emeralds passed on from generation to generation. It is said each emerald has the ability to detect a family member in danger. If the threat is small, the emeralds will glow. If the threat is moderate, the emeralds will heat up slightly. If the threat is high, the emeralds will become unbearably hot to the touch and glow even brighter. If the family member is killed by the threat, then the emeralds turn black. I was given my emerald necklace when I was ten, and Petunia was given a pair of emerald earrings when she was also ten. My mother wore her emerald bracelet until her death, and it was placed in our vault. Never have the emeralds shown any change, not even when Voldemort murdered my parents, but around the time of Harry and Roscoe's birth, my emerald seemed to glow a little brighter. When I put on my necklace today, it seemed warm to the touch…and right before I told you to turn the car around, my emerald burned me."
Lily moved the hand clutching her emerald to show James a bright red burn on her skin the same shape and size as the emerald.
She turned sad eyes to James. "And shortly before the car turned around…James, my emerald is black."
A loud roar echoed throughout the nursery. Lord Voldemort brought his wand up to fire at his opponent when Thanos leapt up and snatched his wand out of his hand, snapping it into pieces. The little Keeshond barked at him angrily, splinters spraying from his mouth.
While Lord Voldemort was distracted, Harry's body began to glow a shining silver. The glow slowly grew in intensity.
Lord Voldemort was wandless. However, he was not weaponless. Thanos leapt at him and promptly yelped, a silver-handled dagger embedded in his side. The little dog wheezed, and fell to the ground dead. Lord Voldemort wrenched his dagger from the Keeshond's cooling corpse, and turned to face his other opponent.
Harry's silver glow began to increase even more, seeping out through the nursery's window.
Lord Voldemort kicked Thanos's body to the side and hefted his dagger expertly, preparing to throw it at his adversary.
Harry's body arched off of the floor of the crib.
Lord Voldemort drew his arm back.
A silver light erupted from Harry's body, filling the house and leaking into the night sky. When it struck Voldemort, he screamed and his body began to emit a black steam. His body withered and crumbled to dust, his cloak and robes falling around a scorch mark that was the only sign of Voldemort's passing. The silver dagger fell to the floor.
Thanos's body arched off of the carpeted floor, his mouth opening slightly. The light leeched into his body, filling his lungs with air and recirculating his blood. His eyes slowly opened, and his tail wagged weakly.
The creature that had faced off against Lord Voldemort breathed in deeply, its eyes briefly turning an echoing silver before abruptly turning and running out of the house.
Peter's body at the front of the house glowed a brief silver. The light entered his body and black steam leaked from his body, purifying it. His body did not wake. He still lay on the floor, dead.
As the last of the light left Harry's body, he fell limp but his chest was now moving. He was alive, but unconscious.
The light grew brighter and brighter in intensity, increasing Roscoe's wails. The house began to shake, and pieces of the ceiling began to fall to the floor. Cracks splintered the wall and the carpet began to smolder. The crib fell apart, a piece of it falling and striking Roscoe on the head. He fell unconscious.
Thanos stumbled over to Roscoe and began to lick his forehead clean of blood, revealing a cut shaped like a scythe, Death's weapon of choice. Another chunk of ceiling fell, landing on Thanos and pinning him to the floor.
The house continued to fall to pieces over their heads.
The gas pedal was pressed all the way to the floor, and they were whipping past cars at an unbelievable speed. James whipped the steering wheel hard to the left, and the car let out a screech of protest as it whipped around the corner.
"Oh Merlin," Lily gasped in horror as she caught the first glimpse of the house. Bright silver light could be seen leaking out of the windows and through the door. A dark motionless shape lay in front of the door.
The car squealed to a stop and Lily ripped open her door and ran to the house, James on her heels.
"Peter!" Lily cried as she stumbled over his body. She quickly kneeled and checked his pulse.
"Did he make it?" James asked as he reached her side. Lily shook her head before standing back up and hurrying inside the house towards the nursery.
They quickly fought through the dust and silver light to the nursery, where the light was the brightest. Lily was the one to find Voldemort's robes, dagger, and cloak on the floor. She paled drastically and picked up the dagger, turning it over in her hands briefly before continuing to look for her missing family members. James was searching for his children, sick with panic.
"Did you find them?"
"Not yet, you?"
"No sign of them!"
A soft whine came from a pile of debris near James.
"Lils, I think I found Thanos!" James began to shift the debris, eventually revealing the puppy, whose tail wagged weakly. Next to him lay Roscoe, and Harry lay on the other side of Roscoe.
James grabbed Roscoe and Thanos, while Lily gently picked up Harry. She had left her purse in the car, so she slipped the dagger in his blankets, making sure the blade would not cut him. The group quickly made their way to the exit, the silver light now quickly dissipating.
They stumbled out of the door into the night sky. Lily reached over with one hand and covered Thanos's eyes while James produced his wand and sent a patronus soaring out towards Hogwarts, and another towards the Aurors in the Ministry.
Lily gently placed Harry under a tree, sweeping a lock of hair out of his eyes and settled down next to him. James sat next to her and placed Roscoe next to his brother, cradling Thanos in his lap.
As they watched, their beloved home in Godric's Hollow fell to the ground.
Dumbledore sat at his desk sucking on a lemon drop, gently petting the head of his phoenix, Fawkes. Before him sat a pile of paperwork, all of it details concerning Voldemort's latest movements. It was a silent night, and all of the students were in bed. Therefore, Dumbledore was quite shocked when a familiar stag patronus leaped into his office through his window.
"Dumbledore…Voldemort…At our home! Peter's dead, our house…destroyed. Come quickly!"
Dumbledore's constantly twinkling eyes stopped twinkling. He quickly raised his wand and sent patroni leaping off to summon the other Hogwarts professors before grabbing Fawkes's talons and flashing to Godric's Hollow.
What Dumbledore saw made him momentarily lose his balance. The Potter house lay in a heap, still shimmering silver slightly. Beside him Fawkes shivered before opening his beak and singing in a manner the Dumbledore had never heard before. It was happier than any of Fawkes's previous songs, more joyful and hopeful.
Unbeknownst to Dumbledore, Fawkes had detected the scent of death and the scent of life at the site of the attack. The silver light still visible buoyed the flame-colored phoenix and filled him with life. The light was a distinguishable sign to all magic creatures, and soon they would all know that one of the dealers of fate had awakened. Fawkes knew, and rejoiced.
Fawkes could smell the dealer of fate, but gave no indication towards it. Dealers of fate were rare, and there was no specific term for them. The name 'dealer of fate' was just one of many names given to them. The line was thought to have died out, after having disappeared so many centuries ago. Wizards had once known of them, but now only a few rare texts even mentioned the dealers of fate. The only ones who knew of the dealers of fate were those with magical creature blood flowing through their veins, and even then most weren't aware of the dealers' existence, just that something powerful once gone is now returned. Fawkes knew that if Dumbledore suspected something even remotely suspicious about the Potter sons, such as rare abilities, then the son in question would be claimed and groomed quicker than you could say 'lumos.'
Fawkes led the way to the Potters, the scent of the last dealer of fate growing ever stronger. Fawkes perched on James's shoulder, tears falling down his face to land on Roscoe's cut. It healed, leaving only a scar in the shape of a scythe.
Dumbledore crouched near the four Potters, their dog, and his phoenix, looking them all over carefully. His eyes widened when he saw the newly healed scar on Roscoe and the odd scorch mark on Thanos.
"Your dog…your dog is the Savior of the Wizarding World!"
James and Lily both gave Dumbledore incredulous looks, while Fawkes gave a phoenix equivalent of a snicker.
"See this scorch mark here?" Dumbledore asked, running one finger over the fur. "This was caused by the Killing Curse. See the scar on your son's forehead? This must be where the Killing Curse struck him. It must have killed him, but Thanos crawled over to his body and used a hitherto unknown type of magic—his love for the boy—to save his life!"
Dumbledore was getting increasingly excited over his theory. "He absorbed it into his body, and expelled it towards Voldemort, killing him instantly. This scorch mark in his fur is where the Killing Curse must have entered his body and this large gash is where it must have left his body. The backlash of the magically-empowered curse caused the house to cave in on itself, and it was pure luck you managed to get them out in time."
James and Lily's expressions were becoming increasingly skeptical. "But Dumbledore, where did the silver light come from?"
"It was the animal's inner magic. All animals living with wizards and witches have some sort of magic; they would never stay otherwise. The charge of magic in the air would terrify any normal creature away in a matter of hours. Thanos' magic must have been released at the same time he expelled the Killing Curse."
The pair still looked skeptical. "But sir, what about Harry? He still hasn't woken up!" cried Lily.
"The charge of magic in the air must have been overwhelming to his system, causing it to overload and force a state of unconsciousness upon his body. He'll be fine. However, I must ask that you send him somewhere else, to Lily's relatives, perhaps?"
"What?!" gasped Lily.
"Why the hell would we do something like that?" demanded James.
Fawkes let out an unhappy-sounding trill.
"Your dog needs training. Obviously, he is the key to Voldemort's defeat. Voldemort may be gone now, but there is always a chance he will return. He was born around the same time as the twins, according to his breeder, correct? And he is a member of your family, which means he is a perfectly valid candidate for the prophecy. However, because Roscoe was hit with the Killing Curse and still bears its scar, he too shall have to be trained for he is also a perfectly valid candidate. I believe it would be best that the boy and dog not be parted, and since the dog is clearly attached to you, I believe it would be best that Roscoe and Thanos stay with you while Harry goes somewhere else in order to not interrupt the training."
"What! That's insane!" Lily spat out.
"We'll never agree, there is no way in hell we are splitting up this family!" James hissed.
"Then I am afraid I have no choice but to force you. Obliviate!"
Thanos growled at the sight of the wand as James and Lily's faces went blank. "You arrived here in time to save Thanos and Roscoe, but Harry had died from a magic overdose received when Thanos's magic flooded the house. I am taking Harry's body to prepare for burial while you grieve and prepare for Thanos and Roscoe's training, for Thanos is the Dog-Who-Lived and Roscoe is the Boy-Who-Was-Reborn. Harry is gone, and he is never coming back. Your youngest son is dead."
There was a short pause and then Lily promptly burst into tears, burying her face into her husband's neck while tears silently flowed down his face. Dumbledore picked up the bundle that was Harry and left the couple in their anguish.
Dumbledore walked a short distance away before apparating outside the Hogwarts grounds.
A pair of eyes watching from the branches of the tree that James, Lily, Roscoe, and Thanos were under narrowed before turning to blink at the phoenix staring up at him. The phoenix blinked back. The two stared at each other until the phoenix gave a tiny nod. The eyes blinked once again, before suddenly turning smug. That blasted old codger would never know what hit him.