The street was very quiet leading up to number 4 privet drive, no one was around everyone was tucked into bed; no sound was heard save for the chittering chatter of cicadas and the occasional bark of a dog from a neighbor's yard.
The thick humid heat of late July coiled in the air like a vast smothering fog.
In the second bedroom adorning the right of the house closest to Dudley's but far smaller in size he turned over on his cot, his overly large blue hand me down number seven sports tee stuck stickily to his chest and underarms as he shifted on the bed.
His lower half was fairing no better as sweat soaked matching loose navy shorts hung long on his narrow hips exposing tan skin to the eye of any on looker.
At least they had taken the bloody bars off his window this summer, so he could finally open the damned thing for hopes of even the inkling of a breeze of wind to flow through it.
Wiping the back of his hand over his raven fringe he rubbed messily at the throbbing of his famous scar. His fingers tapped aimlessly against his bedspread which really only consisted of a thin scratchy sheet thrown over an old dusty twin sized mattress that uncle Vernon had found at a garage sale somewhere.
Wishing he could cast a wandless tempus charm he groaned, it should be only more than a minute more. He could be patient after all he'd spent most of his life waiting for something more, anything at all and where had that lead him?
You're a bloody fucking wizard Harry! Oh and by the way, you have to defeat an evil dark lord who has a legion of bat shit crazy followers. But no rush really, I mean you're only a teenager. No one really asked if he'd wanted to defeat anyone either. This wasn't Star Wars or the Lord of the Rings damn it.
All the evil dark lords of the world could go bugger them selves with their wands for all he cared.
He blew out a frustrated sigh making Hedwig let out a curious but sleepy hoot from the corner of the room in her cage. Smiling gently to her she crooned before shifting on her perch and falling back asleep.
Things seemed to slow down and speed up all at the same time. The sweat coating his body suddenly chilled as more beads of sweat sprung forth and beaded on his skin making him shiver. His heart sped up ricocheting against his rib cage as if wishing to leap right out of his chest.
When Ron had briefly spoke in passing conversation that some witches and wizards went into a weird magical inheritance on their sixteenth birthday he hadn't really been paying much mind to it. Hermione on the other hand had been listening in rapt attentions jotting down anything she could get out of the conversation that proved to be useful.
He let out a soft whimper as his blood lit in his veins feeling like molten lava pulsing throughout his body.
"Fuck..." He bit his lip drawing blood.
Dark splotches were encroaching on his already bad vision as he desperately squinted his eyes blinking them as wetness leaked out the sides of them down his temples.
His head felt like it was going to explode, his scar pulsed unhappily as if in time with his distress.
He felt something tingling, a building at his very core. Then suddenly everything was swallowed up in an inky blackness and he knew no more and let go.
Wild flowers bloomed every which way in the valley, as crisp white clouds filtered in over head. A soft warm enchanting breeze is felt as the twinkling of a bell is heard.
A tall inky black cloaked figure appears in the middle of the field of flowers standing out like a sore thumb.
A woman with floor length hair seemingly spun of pure gold sits before the odd figure. Her skin the color of the rich earth, her eyes the color of the greenest leaves. She wore a simple white sundress.
She smiled up at him as she wiggled her bare toes in the soil "So what do you think? Do you think he can do it?"
"Well you know me, I do love my bets. What would you wager on this mortal's venture?" Spoke the cloaked figure.
"Tisk, I don't dare bet on my poor magi! But perhaps, just this once. This one seems especially interesting wouldn't you say?" Giggled the girl her voice sounded bemused.
"I don't know what you see in your little magi, they are killing you as time goes by." Growled the male.
She lets out a soft sigh her eyes soften taking on a sad look, "Oh, but they are worth every bit of the pain that I go through. I love my children, you should too. After all you had your favorites, those brothers for instance. You gave them treasures did you not?"
"And I regret it to this day, no magi has tried to collect all three artifacts since. I fear the outcome if they dared to try, no magi has even come close to being worthy of my gifts." The male sniffs indignantly.
"I bet that Harry James Potter, can reforge Tom Marvolo Riddle anew sane and whole; thus changing the course and the flow of time and outcome of the withering wizarding world so says I so mote it be."
Letting out a choked noise of shock the male snorts, "And if he does not you wager too much."
"Then I give you both Tom Marvolo Riddle and Harry James Potter to reap for your own benefits, consuming their souls would bring you joy would it not brother?"
"Gaia you are too generous, you know not what you offer." He frowned.
"Or perhaps I know what you do not know, and will not see hmm?"
Death chuckles softly, "Very well my beloved sister, I agree to your terms."
"Oh good, I thought you would be a stick in the mud about it." She giggled again.
"So what will you do with him?" He murmured watching the glow of the blue soul, marred only by a tinge of blackish red that pulsed in the very center of it.
Gaia cupped the soul gently in her small hands, "For one I think Tom deserves a gift."
Death snorted yet again, "A gift? Of what sort?"
Smiling wickedly Gaia blows on the soul and the blackish red tinge pulsing in the center dislodges and floats into the air, "Now you wicked thing you, go back to your owner won't you?"
The partial glowing piece of blackish red soul emits a low garble of hisses before zooming out of sight.
"Did you just do what I think you did?"
"If you mean to ask if I just sent a sliver of Tom's soul back to him? Then yes, yes I did." She grinned, "He won't be completely insane now at least, and that should help the poor dear see that Harry isn't trying to harm him."
"That was not part of our bargain sister."
"Oh, dear are you afraid of losing already?" She chortled before leaning down to kiss the blue soul still cupped in her palms.
"Hmph...I would think not."
"Good then, now Harry will have a fair chance where as before he would not have." Letting go of the blue soul she whistles softly, "Go home now Harry may you follow your heart and not be afraid of where it leads you."
The blue orb floats lazily in the air unsure as first before like the one before it zooming off to it's body and owner.
"Let the games begin." Smirks Death.