~ Prologue ~
The End
The wind rustled as I stood alone by Dumbledore's tomb. I had come to place the elder wand back here in hopes that no one would ever find it again. I had come using my faithful invisibility cloak. I had to do this unaccompanied. "I did it, Professor, I defeated him. He is gone. The wizarding world is safe."
I quickly looked down, fighting back the range of emotions that I was feeling, as I took out the elder wand. There were times that I was so angry at the dead wizard, but there were also times when I simply missed him. Just as I was about to place the wand down when something to left caught my attention. It was an oddly shining object which caught my eye. I cautiously moved towards it and picked up a ring. I slowly stared at it. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. There in the centre of the ring was a simple obsidian stone… the Resurrection Stone. I was so sure that I had lost it back in the forest.
"That is because you did lose it in the forest, Mr Potter," a deep voice said from behind me.
I suddenly whipped around and saw a man standing there. The man looked stern and not someone that was to be crossed. The man was tall with dark black hair, but he was a handsome man. I cautiously asked, "Who are you?"
"Who I am is not important, Mr Potter. What I am here for, well, that is a completely different matter altogether," the man replied. "I was sent by my brothers and sisters to make you an offer."
"If you will not tell me your name, why should I trust you or listen to your offer," I said, keeping the elder wand in a tight fist, just in case it was needed.
"My name is Mandos, Judge of the Dead, a member of the Valar, and you would do well to remember that we do not offer lightly, especially the kind we are making to you."
"Who are the Valar? And why would the judge of the dead be sent to me?"
"I was sent because you are the Master of Death, the keeper of the Deathly Hallows, here in this world. The Valar are the powers of Arda, we create the order of the world."
I had no idea what he was talking about and wished Hermione was here. "What is the offer you have for me?"
"We have watched your pain, Mr Potter, and the life you have led here on Earth. We have bared witness to your bravery and the love you have for your friends and family. We have seen your losses and your victories. We wish to honour you with the chance at a new life, with a family that loves you and will do all in their power to protect you. We have also seen the trials to come and wish to spare you from this continued suffering. We wish to give you the life of the Eldar," Mandos said. "We wish to give you the immortal life of the Elves and give you a new home in Middle Earth, as an elfling."
I stared at the man. "Elves? Like house elves?" I asked incredulously.
"No, not like your house elves. Elves in Middle Earth look much more like men, but they have a beauty and grace not found in the race of men."
"What do you mean trials to come?"
Mandos looked sad. "You will not believe me, but your friends will betray you, thinking you will rise to be a Dark Lord. They will try to kill you. Even now they are plotting. Only death awaits you here"
I felt shock run throughout my entire body. I didn't want to believe him I couldn't, but something within me felt as though Mandos was telling him the truth. "If I accepted your offer, what would happen to my magic."
"Everything you are here, you will be in Middle Earth."
I nodded in relief, I would not lose my magic. "When do you need my decision? I would like to see if your words about my friends are true."
"They plot now in the Potions Lab, only your Godson and his grandmother can you trust. I will give you two days to think it through, Mr Potter. I will find you then, no matter where you go," Mandos said. "Do nothing with the Hallows, keep them with you."
I agreed with Mandos and watched as Mandos slowly faded away. I sighed as I looked back up at Hogwarts. Now was as good as any to see if the man was speaking the truth. I didn't look back at the old professor's grave.
I slowly moved towards the potions classroom and I could hear the muffled voices from inside. The door was closed, how to get in without being noticed.
"Kreacher," I whispered.
"Master called," the aged house elf said.
I smiled gently at the old black elf "I need to get inside this classroom without being seen. I will be using my cloak but I need you to open the door and wait for me to get in. Don't tell them I am coming in; see if they need drinks or anything else."
~ P.O.V Change ~
"Yes master," Kreacher said as he waited for his master to disappear from view and moved to do as he ordered.
Kreacher opened the door and Harry slipped in and went to the corner. He saw that all of the Weasleys, Hermione, and all the remaining members of the Order, were in the room.
"What do you want elf," Hermione sneered at the elf, happy that she could be herself.
"I am seeing if the masters and mistresses need any refreshments. You is being in here for a long time," Kreacher said.
"If we needed anything we would have called. Now get out," Ron said, contempt ringing in his voice.
Kreacher left, knowing his master would now find out the truth about those he called friends. How he wished he could have told him all about it. But his Old Master told him to keep all Order information private and only tell those who the Headmaster told him. He was ordered by Headmaster never tell and he couldn't. He smiled and knew his New Master was smart. He will figure it out.
"What a horrible elf. It is too bad that the idiot grew to like it. We could have put his head on the wall." Ron said as the door closed. "Now what were we talking about?"
"We need to find a way to get rid of Harry Bloody Potter," Ginny said. "We just need a way to persuade everyone that he is untrustworthy. And in the process get his money."
"What about one of us marring him and get the girl pregnant and then killing him off," Molly said. "Ginny, wouldn't that be wonderful for you. You would only need to put up with him for a few months and then we'd off him. It would be a perfectly legal way to get the deed done."
Ginny gave a disgusted look. "You mean I would have to have sex with him. I am not sure I am that good of an actress."
"It is for the greater good, Ginny," Arthur said. "If he had died like he was supposed to, it would have all worked out with that marriage contract that Dumbledore and I signed. But he didn't die. If he does, we have the contract as back up."
Ginny gave a small huff. "I don't want to marry him! He is so scrawny and has scars all over the place. I want a real handsome man."
"Don't worry Ginny," her mother said. "You will. We just need to get through this rough patch."
"And make sure he doesn't suspect anything," Ron put in. "Like us being paid to be nice to him and stuff. It could cause a lot of problems for us. Any other ideas?"
"There may be other ways. Why don't we all think about it and meet again in three days. Until then let's just go on like nothing is wrong," Percy said. The rest of his family and the Order agreed with him and they all began to leave.
~ P.O.V Change ~
I stood there for what felt like hours after they left. What Mandos told him was true. My friends were never really my friends and they hated him, despised him even. I felt so broken… so lost, but I couldn't let them win. I had to do something I simply needed to do something and so I decided what I was going to do. I needed to see the Goblins…
I stood patiently waiting for Mandos to appear. I had done much thinking in the last two days and had done a lot of planning. Firstly I had gone to Gringotts and made my will. I had named my godson Teddy Lupin, my only sole heir and adopted him as my firstborn son, and placed everything in a trust for him. No other children I had could lay claim on the Black and Potter fortunes.
I hadn't put it past the traitors to either try to or claim to have my biological child after I had succumbed to death in this world. Neither would I place it past them to have my blood or daddy making stuff somewhere in storage, just in case they "needed it". No, Teddy would inherit when he was 21 years old.
I'd placed Andromeda as the trustee, and after her, the goblins would take care of the estate, if anything were to happen to Andromeda. I also put stipulations on it. Andromeda couldn't let Hermione or any of the order members or Weasleys come near Teddy. If Teddy married any of their children or into their families, he would forfeit his inheritance, and the House of Black and House of Potter would be dissolved and the money would go to muggle charities.
Teddy would be informed of the whole history of me and the betrayal I had from my friends, as well as his inheritance and the conditions of it, a month before his first year at Hogwarts or whatever magical school he went too. Andromeda agreed to all of it and was happy that Harry had found out the truth. Dumbledore had made all the order members swear an unbreakable vow not to reveal the betrayal to Harry.
There was so much more that the goblins and I had come up with. After all, that was done I just packed up all my belongings and placed them in an expandable bag, much like the one Hermione had used.
I was sad that I was going to be leaving Teddy and Andromeda, but they wouldn't have him anyways if I had stayed. I knew that they would find a way to kill him. So I had made my choice, I was going to travel to Middle Earth. Maybe then I would have a better and safer life. I just wished that I would have been able to see their reactions to the surprises that I had left. Oh, they were so good.
"You have made your choice, Mr Potter," Mandos said from behind him.
"I have, Mandos. I accept the offer of the Valar. I want to go to Middle Earth," I said solemnly. "There is nothing here for me anymore."
"You will be an elfling, then, with all of the rights and privileges that entails. The Elves of Rivendell will help you. Now the remaining question I have for you, do you wish to remember your life that you have lived here or to forget it completely?"
I tilted my head stared at Mandos. "I had not realized I would have that choice. I don't think I would want to forget everything about this world. It may make it tougher for me to begin to trust those I meet, but I want to keep my memories so I am not completely naïve to the world or have to learn how to use my magic again."
"Very well, Mr Potter, you memories you will keep. You have everything you need. Now take my hand, when you awaken you will be in Middle Earth in your new form. Find the elves of Rivendell. From there the elves will take care of you. I will bring you as close as I can. Stay hidden and only approach other elves. You will need to tell them a story about how you came to be there. Stick close to the truth, but never tell them you are from a new world or what the Valar has done. They will give you a new name and a new home. Trust them, Harry Potter, for they will be your family. You will find it difficult, at first, with the emotions you will have as an elfling, but in time, you will overcome them."
Harry reached out and took Mandos' offered hand and knew no more. At Gringotts, they received word of Harry Potter's death, so to speak.
