If I remember correctly this was one of the first prompts I've written! It still has a special spot in my heart. :D
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Written for jupimako!
This one's for you, darling!
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters of Harry Potter or the Rise of the Guardians. The song featuring in this story is 'Beauty and the Tragedy' owned by Trading Yesterday. I claim no rights to the song.
Warnings: This will be OOC and slash, so if you don't like it, don't read!
Enjoy!
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Jack whooped as he flew over the vast fields of Scotland with snow dancing around him and covering the world. He laughed as he dove towards the ground and danced between trees and under treetops.
It was his time of the year again and he could hardly believe the year passed by so quickly, but with him helping Tooth all the time, it didn't surprise him all that much.
He flew high in the air again and stopped, and a moment later a grin almost split his face. Spreading beneath him was a dark forest and beyond it he could see a big castle with a lake just begging to be frozen right beside it. He swooped down towards it and laughed as he dipped the end of his staff into the lake and it started to freeze while Jack flew towards the shore.
His grinned when he saw children running around and cheering as snow fell, and Jack cheered as he reached the shore and shot up into the sky, making snow fall harder. He crossed his legs and placed his staff across his lap before he threw his arms over his head and entwined his fingers on the back of his neck. The view was amazing. Children ran around playing in the snow, and Jack saw the teachers walking among them, enjoying the first snow of the season while keeping an eye out for the younger students.
He was about to fly off when he caught sight of something that seemed a bit odd. In the middle of the field stood a man seemingly unnoticed by anyone. Children ran right beside him without even looking at him, and the professors didn't seem to pay any attention to him either. As a matter of fact, it seemed as though no one even knew he was there.
Jack's eyebrows met the line of his hair when the man looked up, and Jack fell threw the air and yelped when he realized the man was looking straight at him even though Jack made an effort to make himself invisible.
In the next moment the man bowed his head and turned around to walk away, and Jack's breath hitched in his throat when a child ran straight through him.
Jack took a hold of his staff and flew after the man keeping his distance. He followed him through the forest as night started to fall, dressing everything into darkness. He hid behind a tree when the man reached a clearing with a small pond in the middle of it and stopped right in front of it. He crossed his arms over a strong chest and tilted his head back to look at the sky. He was dressed in black trousers and a black tunic which fell to the middle of his thighs following the lines of his strong torso, and his raven black hair fell to his chin in wild tresses which curled slightly at the tips in every-which direction.
"I know you're there, Jack. Why don't you come out? It's been a while since we've last seen each other."
Jack's breath hitched in his throat as the man allowed his arms to fall to his sides and slowly turned around to face him. In the next moment Jack's eyes met orbs of out-worldly green and a shiver passed down his spine.
He knew those eyes.
Only, last time he saw them, they were full of childish innocence and pain.
"Harry?"
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Jack snickered as he watched the boys running around in the freshly fallen snow. He was sitting on top of a swing set, making sure that he couldn't be seen because there were some adults there. Sure, being a Guardian had its perks, but there were also rules, and one of them was, while they were allowed to make themselves known, they should avoid showing themselves to adults. He didn't know why and he honestly didn't care.
Children were more fun anyway.
He swung his legs back and forth while parents called their children over as night started to fall and they had to go home. He was about to fly away when he saw a slight form peaking out from behind a tree. It was a child not older than 7 winters, and in Jack's eyes he looked small and fragile.
His raven black hair was tussled and there were snowflakes scattered through it, and his small frame was dressed in clothes too big for him and too thin for this time of year.
Jack frowned as he settled on top of the swing-set again while the child walked over to it and took a seat in a swing. His small hands were trembling and he wrapped his arms around his waist as he swung his legs back and forth. A small sniff escaped him and Jack felt a pang of something in his chest which made him shiver. He hopped off of the swing-set and landed in front of the child.
"Hey there, kiddo; what's wrong?" he asked only to remember that he made himself invisible, but his eyes widened when the child looked up and frowned at him.
"Who – who are you?" he hiccupped and Jack decided to ignore it thinking he probably instinctively made himself visible for the child.
"I'm Jack," he grinned, "Jack Frost." The kid's eyes widened for a second and Jack snickered.
"Really?" he asked in a small voice.
"Yeah; really!" Jack took a seat in the swing beside the child and grinned at him. "What's your name?"
The kid blushed and ducked his head. "H-Harry," he stuttered out, "Harry Potter."
"Well, nice to meet you, Harry Potter! What are you doing outside alone? It's getting dark and it'll only get colder." Harry blushed and ducked his head so that his fringe covered his eyes. Jack leaned closer to try and look at his face and the child only bowed his head more.
"I can't go home. I was a bad boy and I made Aunt Petunia angry," he murmured and Jack frowned.
"Now, that can't be true. You seem like good kid to me, Harry Potter."
"No!" Harry cried out and Jack recoiled. "I'm a bad boy! I can't do anything right!"
"What makes you say that, Harry?" Jack asked as he hopped off of the swing and floated up to hang upside down in front of Harry who still refused to raise his head. "I know for a fact that you're a good boy."
"How?" the child whimpered as he wiped his tears away with his small fists and looked at Jack from under messy bangs.
"You're on Santa's Nice List." Now, Jack wasn't sure that was true, but he honestly couldn't picture this young, fragile kid as anything but the nicest, sweetest boy in the world. For once he didn't stare at him like he was insane when he introduced himself, and he seemed to be honestly sad, and if Jack hated anything it was to see a sad child.
"Even – even though I'm clumsy and stupid and I can't do anything right and I make my Aunt and Uncle angry all the time?" he asked weakly and Jack frowned.
"Why are they angry with you all the time?" he asked and Harry shrugged weakly.
"Sometimes it's because I mess up breakfast and sometimes because I don't do all my chores, or I do better than my cousin Dudley at school." Jack frowned again. A child cooking? Doing chores? Just what kind of relatives did this kid have? Sure, he understood that children needed to have obligations, but who made a 7 year old cook?
And they were angry with him for doing better at school than his cousin?
Something smelled foul there.
"I don't like where this is going, kiddo. Sounds to me like your relatives aren't the best of people," he drawled and Harry jumped up with wide eyes full of fear.
"No! They took me in when my parents died! They give me food and a roof over my head! They are good and honest people who have nothing to do with a freak like me!" Jack's frown only deepened, and he felt something akin to anger fill his heart.
"You're not a freak, Harry," he muttered and Harry's eyes filled with tears. Jack kneeled in front of him and looked up at Harry's face. "You're not a freak."
"I am! I make things happen when they're not supposed to happen!" Jack's eyebrows rose in confusion for a moment when a thought hit him. The child could be a Muggle-born wizard. He took a deep breath and placed his staff on the ground before he gently took Harry's small hands in his and smiled at him tenderly.
"Harry, I need you to listen to me very carefully," he spoke and Harry choked up as his eyes widened, and Jack couldn't help but think that they were the most beautiful, expressive pair of eyes he has ever seen. "You're not a freak," he whispered as he raised his right hand and gently wiped Harry's tears away with the back of his fingers. "One day it will all be clear to you. One day it will all make sense. For now, be a good boy, and I'll make sure North brings you something nice for Christmas." He winked at the child and a furious blush colored Harry's cheeks, even though his lips twitched into a small, shy smile. Jack grinned at him brightly and floated up in the air. "Gotta go now, kiddo!"
The child nodded at him and took a step forward.
"Will I ever see you again, Jack?" he asked and Jack's grin widened.
"I'm sure you will, Harry. I'm sure you will." He waved at the child as he flew off, not knowing that it would take a long, long time for him to see Harry again.
He knew even less that by then a lot of things would change.
But he knew one thing though.
He knew that he would never be able to forget that pair of amazing emerald eyes.
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Those amazing emerald orbs filled with something Jack couldn't name, and a small, sad smile stretched thin lips.
"Not exactly," he said, shifted his weight and pushed his hands between the cuts on either sides of his tunic to dig them into the pockets of his pants. He shrugged his strong shoulders and bowed his head a bit while Jack landed on the ground and took a few tentative steps towards Harry.
"Harry, what happened to you?" he breathed out as he stopped a few feet in front of the taller man. The child was gone, buried under years and years of something so dark and heavy it made Jack shiver.
Where was the child he remembered?
"It's Death now, Jack," he spoke bitterly and Jack's breath hitched in his throat. Harry's eyes were glowing with power. His whole stance was in a way frightening. Jack thought he would never face anything as horrible as the Nightmare, but he was wrong.
Harry – Death – he was terrifying.
"How did this-…" he couldn't even finish the question.
Harry shrugged and looked to the side. "I mastered the Deathly Hallows," he answered. "I died." He looked at Jack again, and the Guardian shivered at the intensity of that stare.
"But – but how?!" Jack took an unconscious step forward as his heart started to beat faster and his breath started coming out in short gasps. "You – you were so…"
"I was a child when we last met, Jack. A lot of things happened. A lot of things have changed." Harry chuckled, closed his eyes, bowed his head a little and tilted his head to the side. "I changed."
"It hasn't been so long!" Jack insisted and Harry looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"It's been 15 years, Jack. That's quite a lot of time for humans," he said dryly and Jack's mouth dried as he recoiled.
"But-"
"I waited for you, Jack," Harry murmured as he took a step towards Jack. "You said I'd see you again. Every winter I would wait outside for the first snow hoping to see you, and yet I never did." Jack took a step back for each step forward Harry took. "You were the first person ever to talk to me; to acknowledge me. You were the first one who told me that I wasn't a freak." Harry's eyes darkened and Jack gasped when his back met a tree and Harry loomed over him with unnamed shadows in his eyes. "You were right about one thing though, Jack. Everything does make sense now. It makes perfect sense."
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Watch your step, love is broken.
I am every tear you cry.
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"Harry," Jack choked on his words when Harry raised his right hand and cupped Jack's cheek almost lovingly. A small smile stretched Harry's lips while his eyes filled with something Jack couldn't discern.
"You haven't changed at all, Guardian," Harry murmured as he studied Jack's face, caressing his cheek with his thumb, "you haven't changed at all," Death whispered and Jack's eyes widened when an expression of tenderness covered Harry's face.
Jack breathed out and trembled as Harry took another step closer and rested his forehead on Jack's. His eyes slipped closed and Jack felt something he never experienced before pool in his stomach, warmth such as he never felt before. He stopped breathing when he felt Harry's lips brush against his and Harry chuckled darkly.
"I never even knew snow could be so warm," Harry's voice broke and Jack's eyes widened almost impossibly so.
"Harry, what are you-"
All of a sudden Harry disappeared only to appear beside the small pond with a smile on his lips which made Jack shiver.
"See you later, Jack." Harry winked at him and disappeared in a swirl of black sand. Jack breathed in sharply and fell on his knees.
"What – What was that?" he murmured and looked up at the dark sky. Only then did he realize that snow stopped falling. He raised his right hand almost unconsciously and touched his lips with the tips of his fingers.
Harry…
Jack closed his eyes as he envisioned the strong form of Death standing right in front of him. Those emerald eyes were filled with endless knowledge and something Jack couldn't name. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself.
He never felt such power.
He never felt so terrified.
All of a sudden, he felt warmth envelop him and he opened his eyes to look up at the sky. The Moon shone through the clouds and Jack let go of the breath he was unconsciously holding.
"What do I do?" he whispered brokenly before he bowed his head and looked at his hands which rested in his lap. "That's not the Harry I remember. He's not the child I remember."
"No, Jack. He is a man," a whisper danced in the wind and Jack trembled. "He is Death." Jack swallowed and nodded weakly.
"Is he like – like-…?"
"He is Death, Guardian," the whisper caressed his ears and Jack closed his eyes.
"Is he like us? Is he like me?" he asked.
"He is Death."
Jack frowned at the vague answer. "What does that mean?" he asked as he felt annoyance building in his heart. "I already know he's not a child anymore. I know he's not as innocent and pure as he was when I last saw him. Can't you just answer a question when asked?" he snapped and the Moon glimmered merrily. Jack frowned and his lips jutted out in a pout. "I guess that was a stupid question," he grumbled. He heard laughter in the wind and felt a gentle caress against his brow.
"He is Death."
"What does that mean?!" Jack shouted as he jumped up to his feet. In the next moment clouds covered the Moon and Jack huffed in annoyance. "Fine; I'll find the answers myself!" He summoned his staff in his hand and jumped into the sky.
He would find the answers he was looking for no matter what, with or without the help from the Man in the Moon.
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"Tooth, stop it!" Jack managed to escape his fellow Guardian and she grinned at him brightly.
"I just can't help it, Jack!" she spoke excitedly. "You' have the most beautiful teeth in the world!" Jack rolled his eyes while Tooth tried to get a hold of him again.
"I didn't come here so you could stare at my teeth, Tooth," he said and she raised an eyebrow at him.
"I am offended, Jack. I hadn't seen you in a while," she chastised and Jack winced.
"Sorry, I just – I was a bit busy." She frowned in worry and flew over to him to look into his eyes.
"Something happened," she concluded and Jack resisted the need to roll his eyes at her.
"Yeah," he murmured and took a few steps back before he took a seat on the floor, crossed his legs and placed his staff across his lap before he rested his forearms on it. "Something happened."
Tooth took a seat beside him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You know you can tell me everything, right?" she spoke comfortingly and Jack sighed.
"I know," he muttered and she leaned forward to look into his eyes. "I just – I don't know how."
"Well, start from the beginning and finish at the end!" she chirped and Jack shot her through with a dull stare.
"That's not really helpful, Tooth," he drawled and she blushed furiously. "But I guess you're right." He sighed and looked at the ground. Tooth observed him quietly waiting for him to speak. "There's – A little while after we defeated Pitch I – I met someone," he spoke and Tooth leaned a bit closer. "I met a young boy. He couldn't be older than 7 winters. He was alone and when I talked to him, he – he told me some things that didn't sound good. His name was Harry Potter. It was Snow day so I couldn't stay long, but I – I talked to him for a bit. From what he told me I figured out he was a Muggle-born Wizard. His relatives didn't like him all that much, but – but I knew there was nothing I could do without putting us all in danger so – so I told him that everything would make sense one day. I told him that he wasn't a freak his relatives told him he was. Before I left, I promised I would see him again. A few days ago I – I did." His mouth dried and he swallowed with slight difficulties. "He's – He's not Harry anymore."
"Well of course he's not Harry anymore," Jack looked at Tooth with wide eyes, "he grew up."
"You don't get it, Tooth," Jack spoke weakly and she frowned at him. "When I say that he's not Harry anymore, I don't mean that he grew up. He's not Harry anymore. He's Death." This time Tooth's eyes widened as she realized what Jack was trying to tell her.
"Oh, dear!" she whispered and covered her lips with her right hand. "That poor darling." Jack frowned in confusion as Tooth shook her head with an expression of sympathy on her face.
"How do you mean that?" he asked and she looked at him.
"Why, he must be so very lonely!" she cried out and Jack's frown deepened.
"Why do you say that?" he asked and she raised her eyebrows at him.
"Oh!" a moment later she rolled her eyes and smiled at Jack. "I keep forgetting that you haven't been a Guardian for as long as we were." She shook her head before she looked at him again.
"Tell me then." He shifted closer to her and Tooth hummed.
"Well, I don't know much about Death either. I do know that there hasn't been a specific Embodiment of Death in a long, long time."
"Why?" Tooth sighed and shrugged her shoulders.
"Because Death is the loneliest of all Creations." She said and Jack's mouth opened a bit. "To become Death you have to lose everything you hold dear. To become Death you have to really want it. That darling boy must have really been lonely or he suffered great loss to actually welcome Death with open arms." Jack's eyes opened wide at Tooth's words.
"But – But he mentioned something called the Deathly Hallows." He spoke in a wavering, broken voice and she nodded.
"The Deathly Hallows are also known as the Three Markings of Death; the Elder Wand which is the most powerful weapon in the world, the Resurrection Stone which can bring the Dead back into the world of the living and the Invisibility Cloak, because Death cannot be seen. They were left in the world of the living when the last Death found comfort in a mortal's embrace." Jack swallowed difficultly and looked at his hands. "Jack?" he looked at her and frowned when he saw that pained expression on her face. "If your Harry became Death then he experienced more pain and strife than any other human being. The Deathly Hallows wouldn't choose just anyone to be Death, just like the Man in the Moon wouldn't choose just anyone to be a Guardian. He must have really believed that he would find salvation in Death." Jack bowed his head and nodded weakly.
"So, what should I do?" he murmured only to raise his head when Tooth touched his chin with the tips of his fingers. She smiled at him and caressed his right cheek with the back of her left hand.
"What do you want to do, Jack?" she asked and he opened his mouth to answer, only to find himself lacking words to push past the pile of something he couldn't name which appeared in his throat.
"I – I don't know." She sighed and shrugged.
"Then I can't help you, Jack. I'm sorry, but you'll have to figure that out on your own."
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Jack sighed and wrapped his arms around his legs as he pulled them to his chest. He was sitting on the roof of a small house and watched as children played in front of it. Snow was slowly falling and Jack had a feeling its almost lethargic swaying in the light breeze was reflecting his mood quite well.
"I didn't think I would see you so soon, Jack."
Jack jumped on his feet and his breath hitched in his throat when Harry materialized beside him from a burst of black sand. "Harry!" he cried out as he caught his balance, stopping himself from falling off of the roof, and Harry chuckled at him with amusement coloring his eyes.
"Hi," he answered shortly and Jack blushed furiously. Harry chuckled again and looked at the children, and Jack took that as his chance to get a hold of himself. He stopped right beside Harry and looked at the children as well, but he couldn't stop himself from glancing at the slightly taller man.
"So!" Jack cleared his throat. "What – What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you! I just – What I meant…" Jack stopped rambling when Harry laughed at him, and Jack's mouth opened wide.
"It's alright," Harry glanced at him with lips tilted into a small smirk. He sighed as he looked down the street at a small house in which the lights were dimmed. "I'm here on official business actually," he drawled and Jack frowned as he looked at that same house. "There is an old lady in that house. Her time has come."
Jack looked at Harry with wide eyes full of horror. He frowned a second later when he looked in Harry's eyes and saw in them something he hadn't expected to see. Harry's eyes glowed with warmth, and there was a small, sympathetic smile on his lips. "Harry?"
"She lived a long, good life," Harry murmured and looked at Jack. "It's her time to join her husband on the other side." Jack swallowed difficultly and looked at the house. "Do you want to go with me?" he asked and Jack tensed up.
He looked at Harry and nodded before thinking it through when he saw the small smile on Harry's lips and the warmth in his eyes. "Sure," Jack spoke in a strangely wavering voice.
Harry placed his right hand on Jack's left shoulder and the Guardian gasped when darkness enveloped him and a moment later he was standing in a small, dimly lit room with Harry right beside him. An old woman was lying in a comfortable bed while a younger woman sat beside her with a book in her hands. She was reading in a quiet voice, and the old lady was smiling lovingly at her. Jack let go of a wavering breath and looked at Harry when he breathed in deeply and sighed.
"It's time." He murmured and slowly walked over to the bed. Jack stared in wonder as time seemed to slow down as Harry took a seat on the bed. The younger woman froze mid sentence while the older woman looked at Harry in wonder. "Hello, Elizabeth." He greeted her warmly.
"I don't know your face," she whispered in confusion. Harry chuckled and placed his right hand on her right shoulder.
"It's time to go, Elizabeth. George is waiting for you." Her eyes widened for a second before a beautiful smile tugged on her aged face and her eyes filled with tears of happiness.
"Okay," she breathed out and closed her eyes.
Harry smiled and touched her forehead with the tips of his right hand index and middle finger. A breath of warm air passed over the room and Jack shivered as time seemed to move on.
"Granny?" the young woman called out and looked up at Elizabeth's smiling face while Harry appeared beside Jack again.
"Let's go," Harry whispered and before Jack could say anything they appeared in the middle of a forest. Jack's eyes widened when he realized where they were. It was the lake where he went ice-skating with his little sister. It was the lake in which he drowned; the lake in which he died.
Harry walked over to the lake as he pushed his hands in his pockets while Jack stared at his broad back.
Jack didn't know what to say. He didn't know how to word the things he felt because he honestly didn't know what he felt.
Earlier he was terrified of Harry, but just a few minutes ago Harry showed him something that was beautiful in its own way. He showed him the good side of Death.
"Jack be nimble, Jack be quick;
Jack forgot to check if the ice was thick." The Guardian froze up when Harry started to whisper into the wind.
"Emma was still, Emma was late,
Emma's brother is now part of the lake.
Time has passed, Time has gone,
Time brought Jack back wrong.
He was solemn, he was brave,
he left his coat on Emma's grave."
Jack stared at the back of Harry's head with bated breath and eyes wide with shock.
"Emma was sad, Emma was scared,
but she knew inside that Jack really cared.
Jack was lost, Jack had forgot,
that he had a story before the plot.
Jack had wondered, Jack had fought,
Jack had remembered what he had forgot."
The Guardian took a small step forwards when Harry bowed his head and his shoulders sagged.
"I hope you dream. I hope you wonder.
I hope you have fun because this is done.
Keep believing everyone."
Jack raised one shivering hand as he reached for Harry's shoulder.
"Jack be fearless, Jack be bold,
Jack drowned when he was 17 years old." (1)
Harry stopped speaking and Jack's hand hovered right above Harry's shoulder. He swallowed difficultly and was about to lower his hand when Harry slowly turned around and Jack hopped into the air and hovered a few meters away from Harry.
"How – How do you know that?" he spoke in a tight, strained voice and Harry shrugged.
"I am Death," he said. "I know everything about everyone who died." Jack nodded minutely and landed on the ground. He looked around trying to find something to say, but Harry beat him to it again. "I wanted to apologize." Jack's eyes widened when he looked at Harry, and Death sighed and bowed his head. "I must have frightened you last time we've seen each other. That wasn't my intention. I apologize." Jack frowned and took a step closer to Harry.
"What happened?" he asked and Harry shrugged his right shoulder as he looked to the side.
"Before I became Death – before I died," he took a deep breath through his nose and tilted his head back a little to look at the sky, "I was in a war. I fought against the most powerful Dark Wizard in the past 200 years. We won, but I – I lost so many people; my parents, my godfather, my friends. So many people," he closed his eyes and bowed his head. "The war took almost everything from me. It came to the point where I greeted Death with open arms. All of that, everything that happened, everything I lived through – it made the Deathly Hallows accept me as their Master. After the war two of my friends and I joined the Aurors to hunt down the remaining Death Eaters. We could find no peace knowing they were still out there. I saw them both die." He looked at Jack and the Guardian stopped breathing. "It was the third time I died; the third and the final. I became Death because I was Death. I brought it to so many people. It was only logical for me to continue doing it."
"Harry, no-…"
"You were right about one thing, Jack. Everything does make sense now," Harry spoke in a broken voice. "But you were also wrong. I was a freak. I was always a freak."
"NO!" Jack snapped. "You were never a freak, Harry. You were – You are good!" Harry chuckled and shook his head.
"Death isn't good, Jack."
"It is!" Jack cried out. "You just showed me how good you are! You brought peace to that old woman! What isn't good about that?" Harry's eyes darkened and he looked at the ground. Jack sighed and brushed his right hand through his hair. "I admit that you frightened me last time we met, Harry, but you have to understand that I didn't know Death existed in this form. I didn't know you – I – I remembered you. I always remembered you whether you want to believe it or not, and I always hoped that you found happiness! I always hoped that you found what you were looking for; that you weren't alone." Harry snorted and Jack felt something bitter settle in his throat.
"Loneliness comes in many forms, Jack. You could be surrounded by people and yet feel as though you're the only human in the world." Jack snorted and rolled his eyes.
"I know. Believe me, I know," he bit out bitterly before he looked in Harry's eyes again, "but you don't have to be alone anymore, Harry. Sure, the humans can't see you, but I see you. And there's Bunny, and Sandy, and North and Tooth! They'd be so happy to meet you!" Harry snorted and smirked.
"I sincerely doubt that," he drawled.
"Why?! Just because you're Death doesn't mean-…"
"Just because I am Death, Jack!" Harry interrupted him and Jack flinched back. "Death isn't beautiful! Death is dark and sickening and terrifying!"
"But-…"
"No, Jack!" Harry interrupted him again and Jack felt like crying when Harry's eyes filled with sadness and pain. "Just because you've seen one good ending doesn't mean every single one is like that. I've taken children and adults alike, so trust me when I tell you that no one is happy to meet Death." Jack found himself speechless yet again and his hands twitched when Harry huffed and shook his head. "I don't know what came over me when I sought you out. I'm sorry. I won't bother you again."
"Harry, wait!" Jack cried out just as Harry turned his back on him. He opened and closed his mouth several times trying to think of something to say. "Why – why were you so angry last time we met?" he blurted out and Harry's eyes darkened and he fisted his hands by his sides.
"I took the souls of those who killed my friends. I went back to Hogwarts because I remembered. I remembered their screams as they died. I wanted to remind myself of what we fought for. That's why I was angry. That's why I was there." Jack licked his suddenly dry lips and swallowed.
"Harry-…"
"Goodbye, Jack."
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Save your breath, your heart has spoken.
You already have my heart.
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Harry vanished before Jack could speak and the Guardian was left alone. He let go of the breath he was unconsciously holding and bowed his head.
He closed his eyes as Harry's eyes flashed through his mind and his heart clenched when he finally found the words to describe the shadows in Harry's eyes.
Loneliness, sorrow and pain were just a few.
"If your Harry became Death then he experienced more pain and strife than any other human being. The Deathly Hallows wouldn't choose just anyone to be Death, just like the Man in the Moon wouldn't choose just anyone to be a Guardian. He must have really believed that he would find salvation in Death."
Tooth's words echoed through his mind, and Jack finally understood.
He finally understood.
"What do you want to do, Jack?"
He smiled a small smile and brushed his fingers through his hair.
I know exactly what I want to do.
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For I am finding out that love will kill and save me;
taking the dreams that made me up
-tearing them away.
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He knew exactly what he wanted – no, needed to do. He knew because he finally understood.
He finally understood what turned Harry into Death. He finally saw what happened to the child he met. He finally knew why his heart remembered those emerald eyes.
He knew, because he saw himself in them. He saw himself in the child asking to be accepted. He saw his past in little Harry's present.
And now he knew what Harry's future had to be like.
Jack found his place among the Guardians.
It was time for Harry to find his place as well.
And Jack knew just where his place would be.
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But the same love will take this heart that's barely beating
and fill it with hope beyond the stars
- only love.
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"Thought I'd find you here eventually." Jack couldn't help but smirk when Harry turned around sharply and looked at him. Jack found Death on top of a hospital building and in all honesty, he felt quite smug about it. Harry sighed and shook his head.
"What do you want, Jack?" he asked as he looked at the rising sun. Jack hummed and walked over to stand beside Harry.
"You're an idiot, you know that?" Jack heard Harry choke up and looked at him finding Harry staring at him with wide eyes filled with shock.
"What?"
"Just because you had a shitty life, doesn't mean you have to have an equally shitty afterlife, or whatever." Harry's eyes widened even more if possible.
"What in the bloody hell are you talking about?" he murmured in wonder and Jack rolled his eyes with an annoyed huff.
"I never took you for an idiot, Mr. Death." Jack smirked at Harry and Death blushed when Jack's eyes glimmered mischievously. "I'm saying that you don't have to be alone. I know for a fact that there are four other people who're absolutely dying to meet you." Harry choked up and a furious blush covered his cheeks when Jack hopped up to hover in the air with his face an inch away from Harry's. "I told North, Tooth, Bunny and Sandy all about you, and they can't wait to meet you in person. North even said he has a whole package of neatly wrapped presents for you, which he, for some reason, never managed to deliver to you!" Harry's mouth opened as he tried to find something to say.
"What are you-…"
"So, you see? You're not alone. And not everyone fears Death as much as you think they do."
"Jack-…" the emerald eyed man breathed out and Jack grinned at him.
"What?" Harry opened his mouth several times, trying to find the right words to say only to gape when Jack tilted his head to the side and smiled brightly.
"Hey there, kiddo," Jack spoke in a teasing and yet strangely warm voice, "what's wrong?" Harry's breath hitched in his throat and his whole body froze.
"Harry, I need you to listen to me very carefully," he spoke and Harry choked up as his eyes widened, and Jack couldn't help but think that they were the most beautiful, expressive pair of eyes he has ever seen. "You're not a freak," he whispered as he raised his right hand and gently wiped Harry's tears away with the back of his fingers. "One day it will all be clear to you. One day it will all make sense. For now, be a good boy, and I'll make sure North brings you something nice for Christmas."
Harry let go of a wavering breath and his whole body shivered when Jack raised his right hand and caressed his left cheek with the back of his fingers. He caught sight of a single glimmering drop and his heart clenched when he realized that he was crying.
"You're not alone, Harry." Jack whispered. "Just because you're Death doesn't mean that you have to be alone. You have me, and I know the others will love you. I just know it."
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In this time love will be mine
- the beauty and the tragedy.
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"You're an idiot, Jack Frost, you know that; right?" Harry spoke in a wavering, broken voice and Jack snickered. He cupped Harry's face between his chilly hands and rested his forehead against Harry's.
"I think we both know which one of us is the bigger idiot," he murmured and Harry huffed sharply and his whole body shook with suppressed laughter.
Jack trembled when Harry wrapped his arms around his waist and pulled him into a tight hug.
"I don't have to be alone?" he whispered as he buried his face in Jack's neck, and the Guardian smiled as he wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders and flattened his body with Harry's.
"You don't have to be alone," he answered and rested his head on Harry's shoulder. A wave of warmth passed over him and something in his chest burst. He moved back a little and looked in Harry's eyes. "Neither one of us will ever have to be alone again." He smiled when Harry raised his left hand and cupped his right cheek tenderly. He looked deep in Jack's eyes as though he was searching for something, and Jack knew he found it when Harry smiled and his eyes filled with warmth.
"I don't have to be alone," he murmured and Jack chuckled.
"No, Harry. You don't have to be alone." Harry let go of the breath he was unconsciously holding and Jack shivered when Harry leaned closer and pressed his lips against his in a light, loving, tender touch.
I don't have to be alone.
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But the same love will take this heart that's barely beating
and fill it with hope beyond the stars.
Only love.
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(1)The poem about Jack Frost was written by alicelove03. I found it so beautiful that I wanted to implement it in this story. As for aliceloveo3 go find her on Tumblr; she's a beautiful, beautiful person!