A/N: Hey guys, this is my first Harry Potter fanfiction so please take it easy on me. The basis for this story is an AU where Harry Potter was never born to Lily and James Potter. Instead, we have someone else who is the focus of the prophecy.
I have taken inspiration from fanfics such as I'm Still Here by kathryn518, Stepping Back by TheBlack'sResurgence, and others which I have read. I will probably use concepts from other fanfics as well and will try to give credit where possible. I apologise in advance if I miss out someone's story in the A/N but it probably means that I once read the story and liked the idea, so I borrowed it but can't remember where the idea came from. Names for AU characters will sometimes be taken from other fanfics as I'm not the best at naming characters.
Anyway, this Harry is not going to be a god, but he is still going to be pretty overpowered in the long run. Hopefully my villains will manage to live up to it so that Harry doesn't have too easy a time.
I will be using some characters who are not in canon but again, as I've said, this is going to be AU.
Disclaimer - Unfortunately, I am not rich enough to own Harry Potter and any characters from his world. They all belong to J. K. Rowling.
23 June 2007 - Somewhere in Britain
A figure, about 7 feet in height, stood completely covered in a black cloak. The grass around his feet seemed to grow older and die as the seconds passed, then grew fresh and died, an endless cycle of rebirth and death. In front of him stood a man, somewhere between 20 and 30, the scars on his face making it hard to truly judge, but his eyes, eyes of the brightest emerald, glowing with restrained power. Eyes which showed pain, loss, grief, experience and resolve.
"Is it time?" His voice flat and expressionless. "Have I finished what I needed to do? Is it time for me to die?" He asked the figure that stood in front of him.
The figure shook its head. 'You, my young master, have a choice. To fade, as the rest of the magicals will in this world, or to carry your fight onwards. There is another world, one where victory is not assured, where a warrior such as yourself will truly have a chance to change things. Where time has not yet reached this point. You will arrive alone, unknown, with neither allies nor enemies. You will have a chance at life, one which you have not been afforded for so long. You can reduce the pointless destruction, and have a chance to save the Wizarding world from a slow descent to its annihilation. You have a choice. One that only you can make.' The words echoed directly into Harry's head as around them you could only make out the sound of the breeze rustling through the grass.
As he looked at Death who stood in front of him, Harry asked, "Why? Why give me a choice when you could take me as your own?"
'You do not fear to meet me and so I do not have to fear that you will run. 10 minutes, or 3000 years, you will never seek to run from me. But others, Riddle, Herpo, even Dumbledore. They have tried to run. I will only chase those who try to escape from the inevitable, never those who truly understand. And as my Master, the one who holds the three Hallows, as well as the magic of the Peverell's, you are the only one who may enjoy such a chance. Oh, and that damnable phoenix wants to help you one final time. It is ready to pass, and is willing to offer its magic for the ritual.'
Shock appeared on Harry's face. "Fawkes? I've barely seen him since Dumbledore's death. Why does he want to help."
'It is tired. It has seen too much, lived too long. It does not wish to watch the fall of the magical races as well. It has decided it would rather the rest of its power goes towards something useful. I will miss it.' A feeling of melancholy transmitted along with the words.
"You speak as if I have already made my decision to leave."
'We all know your character. You may be the Master of Death, but there is a reason the inhabitants of this world know you best as the 'God of War'. They may still refer to you by other names, but they never truly forget what you are capable of. Of what you have done since the day you turned 21. You single handedly sent over 2000 of Riddle's men to me in the following years, then you took out Riddle himself. Anti-climatic maybe, but you will never turn down a chance to fight him again if you can save another life falling because of him. Especially, when those that are already dead here, may still be alive over there.'
With a shake of his head, Death carried on. 'I know you child. I have been walking with you since the day you received that scar on your head. The day you became the final Peverell. The day the gifts I gave the Peverell brothers joined to become one. And no matter what he says, Riddle died that day. The second he lost his body you became the sole Heir of the three Peverell brothers. The culmination of fate. The decisions that were made against you may have damned this timeline, but you will not allow yourself to be constrained by those fools again. The deities will enjoy watching what you do to those that wronged you. You have two weeks to prepare yourself for the jump. Put everything you want to take in that trunk of yours. You can experiment with subdimensional storage later.'
As Death seemed to fade away, Harry could only shake his head while muttering, "I hate how that fucker just reads my mind. That's what I get for being on friendly terms with a deity."
2 weeks later - Stonehenge - 07/07/07
The figure of Harry Potter could be seen in the middle of the standing stones. In front of him stood Death, still in his faceless black robes, and hovering in the air was Fawkes, the phoenix.
"Are you sure you want to do this Fawkes. You have a long time left to live. I get that you're tired, but this seems a bit sudden."
As Harry kept trying to persuade Fawkes, the only response he would get is a solemn trill. The meaning once again, sent straight to his mind.
'It is my time hatchling. I have lived longer than any of my kind, and in this ritual, I may at least put my power to a better use.'
Resigned to what Fawkes wanted to do, Harry could only pet the phoenix and hope to see him as well in the new world he would be entering.
'Harry, child, remember that I will always be with you. For I am eternal. Life cannot exist without Death to balance the equation. I may not come to your beck and call, the hallows may no longer go with you for the world you enter has its own, but the gifts that you have received as their owner are yours to keep. Most of the rituals you have performed will also stay with you.'
As Harry stood in the middle of the ritual circle, Death strode around the perimeter activating runes that lay hidden, prepared for this one ritual. Finally finishing his circuit, Death was facing Harry.
'It is time, I shall see you on the other side.'
"Thank you. I hope I do not have to see you too soon Death. Goodbye Fawkes. I will always remember you old friend. I hope you find happiness wherever you end up."
With a final trill, Fawkes exploded into flames. Unlike the other times that Harry had seen this occur, the flames did not die out but increased in size till a 20 foot tall phoenix made of flames was visible in front of him. The flames then split into runes that incorporated themselves into the ritual circle seamlessly.
Harry just had time to see Death start to fade away as he lost consciousness and all he knew was the sweet embrace of nothingness.
On the seventh second, of the seventh minute, of the seventh hour, on the seventh day, of the seventh month, of the seventh year of the new millennium, Harry James Potter, Master of Death, the Boy-Who-Lived, God of War, ceased to exist on the world he was born in.
A/N: Fawkes is referred to as it by Death as it is genderless, just like Death. Harry on the other hand, refer to both as male as that is how he personally views them. Seven being one of the most magical numbers in Arithmancy, makes the ritual more effective due to when it was performed. Anyway, remember to follow, favourite and review please.