Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Fruits Basket.

Chapter 1:

With his lips twitching downwards he resigned himself to face Dumbledore and said, "Sir, I hope you're not here to tell me I can return to the living world again."

As much as Harry had wanted to help the wizarding world, there was nothing for him to do. At first, his fame for defeating Voldemort had helped in making connections for them to survive. Though, as the year progressed they needed it less and less as Shacklbolt made a reputation of his own. He had gained a solid standing with the Minister and the Queen while the wizarding world had started to see him as their new hero.

He didn't have the political power they needed to help them and was being pushed into the background. Hermione already knew that he would do the most help if he were to teach the civilians how to defend themselves. For example, he could give advice to the people on what to do in surprise attacks as well as how to escape.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as his smile became wider. "Oh no, my boy," he tugged at his beard," I'm sorry to say that I have merely come to escort you."

Staring in disbelief, Harry watched as Dumbledore rose to his feet and offered his arm to him. "Walk with me?"

The innocent looking arm sent an involuntary shiver down his back. The last time he had grabbed his arm like that had been when he was about to apparate...and then he absently wondered if they could even apparate here.

Knowing with his luck?

Yes.

Dumbledore could probably apparate them, but the question is where? Harry narrowed his eyes at the man with a look of suspicion, knowing fully well that he wouldn't be getting an answer from him. And indeed he didn't since all he got back in return was a smile before the arm motioned towards him again.

Sighing, he finally stood up and grabbed the arm.

Crack.

The sudden feeling of being squeezed still made him feel sick, but at the same time, it felt completely different...

...Like he was alone?

When the feeling stopped he looked around to find that he had arrived at the Great Lake.

Alone.

With no Dumbledore in sight, 'Did he splinch himself?' That idea seemed entirely impossible because it was the Albus Dumbledore, but then he reasoned with himself that it was the same reasons that it could happen. 'I'm sure Ron would have gotten a laugh out of it...The great Albus Dumbledore, splinching himself!'

With a small upper twitch of the lips he adjusted his glasses and looked around to see Hogwarts Castle sitting lonesome up front, looking exactly like it did before Voldemort had attacked. The Whomping willow was miraculously still planted next to the familiar structure, sitting in wait and ready to attack with the grass still lively and green below.

A breeze passed by and he should have felt at ease- If it weren't for a small finch appearing before him, and suddenly changing into woman. Harry immediately pulled out his wand in the spur of the moment, thinking to himself: 'It appears not even in death that nothing will be normal for me.'

The shape-shifting woman stood only slightly taller than him with a curious look in her eyes. Straight, black hair fell lifelessly all the way down to her chest, and Harry swore that her tanned skin was glowing. 'Maybe it's something people get when they die?' He thought solemnly.

The lightly plump women wore a strapless yet loose fitting dress that was long in length, stained with an unsettling dark blue colour. A solid silver veil contrasted vastly and almost sparkled against her inhumane glow, covering her shoulders and hiding the top part of her face, leaving only her sharp chin and thin pink lips to his view.

Personally, he had never seen this woman in the living world but she must've been important enough is she got Dumbledore to apparate him here. 'But how can someone be important enough here?' Frowning, he looked at her -well, looked more at her power now that he had noticed that she was radiating power that he had naturally assumed belonged to Hogwarts when she arrived.

A gravelly voice interrupted his inspection before more thoughts could be formed. "Harry James Potter, the savior of the wizarding world."

Annoyed at the title, his frown became more pronounced as he asked, "Sorry, but do I know you?" 'If so, then I don't remember.'

A smirk tugged at her lips. "No. You don't." No name was offered as she continued smirking. 'She's going to make me ask isn't she?'

For a little while they just stood there examining each other until Harry's patience finally ran out five minutes later. 'She's going to make me ask.' Running his a hand through his hair he, finally, asked, "Can you give me your name?"

The smirk turned into grin. "I am," she paused momentarily, "Fate."

'How utterly ironic'. Not finding himself amused by this, Harry skeptically repeated her supposed name.

"… Fate?"

"...Yes."

"As in The Fate?"

Silence answered him for a while before he lowered his hand to rub the bridge of his nose instead of his hair in an attempt to comprehend how odd the situation just became. 'Even if she is Fate, it's best if I just hear what she has to say since Dumbledore did bring me here.'

"You summoned me." It came out more of a statement than a question. He assumed she did since she knew his name and also appeared to be the only one present.

"No."

'Then again, logic tends to be sorely missing with me around.'

"No? Then who..."

Another breeze passed by, causing her lift a dainty hand as she shifted the veil lower before it could reveal her upper face. "Death-" A snort caused her to repeat it more irritably. "Death has summoned you and has asked me to talk to you about the Deathly Hallows."

Any retorts he could have possibly come up with died as his wariness went up. "I don't have them anymore."

He made sure of that by snapping the wand, chucking the ring, and leaving the cloak for Teddy to inherit via Ron in hopes to protect him. 'Dumbledore couldn't be more right about pitying the living.' Suddenly, his shoulders hunched up and his raised hand twitched before lowering it from his face. It never really settled in for him to realize that yes, he is in fact dead. That his precious people were still alive and in the middle of a war with Muggles which turned out to be more dangerous than the battle with Voldemort.

Perhaps the biggest blow to him would be Teddy who no longer had any parents or even a godfather now to raise him. He had failed. The promise he made to himself for Teddy and Merlin was broken. And it hurt.

'Is this how Sirius felt when he realized he wouldn't be there for me? That I would be raised believing he'd betrayed the family? I...what will Teddy think of me now? Will he think I abandoned him?' Worry settled in his stomach as a cluster of scenarios of Teddy hating him flitted through his head.

Well, flitted as much as one could before he had to dodge a hand.

"Do not interrupt me again child or it will not only be my hand that you will have to dodge." She warned impatiently with a frown marring her face that very much reminded him of Hermione and he immediately knew to stay silent. It was a 'let me finish or get a lecture' frown and he wasn't interested in a lecture, especially from a lady called Fate. Using his common sense he told her, "Sorry, I just find this whole thing a bit...well, odd, and overwhelming."

And wasn't that an understatement, though...

'Wasn't she standing further away before?'

She must have moved closer to hit him and he still couldn't see the upper part of her face. How odd.

"Indeed, it's because of what you did to the Hallows that Death has sent me to talk to you before you board the train. Death...owes you a boon and wishes to repay it quickly."

Confused, he asked, "What I did to the Hallows happened a long time ago, so why is Death," he made a hand gesture to their surroundings, "doing this now?"

"Death can only interfere with the living so much, and the boon owed surpasses the boundaries he can interfere."

"What is Death going to do for this...boon? I basically destroyed the wand and threw away the stone." He countered.

If it was humanely possible, her back straightened out even more than before.

"You have been told how the wand chooses the owner, correct? Since no one had 'mastered Death', the elder wand was always choosing a different owner. Though what no one knew was that the wand had never really let go of its previous owners."

A blank face was all she got from him.

'What am I supposed to say? Oops, sorry! I snapped the wand that didn't let go of its previous owners?'

Yeah, that'll go over well.

Thankfully, Fate just continued to explain. "The wand would take hold of its owners soul when they died by normal means or not as punishment, and would hold them in limbo."

Shock ran through him. "What?! Why would it do that?" He blurted.

"It's the price one pays for using a dark item such as the Elder wand which was clearly not compatible with them." Another thing occurred to him. "I met Dumbledore in limbo when I died..."

"He too, was being held in limbo."

His wand nearly fell from his grip in his panic. "I-Is he still-"

"Not anymore," she cut in. "When you snapped the wand it released the souls."

A relieved sigh escaped him, "Great, that's...great. Is that why Death owes me a boon?"

"Partially, yes, but Death also 'owes you' for the resurrection stone as well."

"Really? I only left the stone in the Forbidden forest though."

"The ring caused a rift between the living and the dead that took years to fix. When you 'left' the stone in the forest you essentially gave Death an opportunity for the first time to reclaim it since it will not be found for many years to come. It is in those years of not being found that Death will not have to deal with new rifts made by the stone. The living may not be able to be interfered with, but the stone is made by Death and thus belongs to Death."

"The boon Death owes me, what's...going to happen?" Death owing him a boon wasn't something he was happy with. While it sounded nice at first all he really wanted to do was board the train and be with his family. 'Is it that hard for me to do something normal for once? Maybe I should have made a run for the train. Yes...the next time I see it I'll definitely run.'

"The only way to equally repay you for this is by offering you a chance of being reborn in a different world." She drawled with a blank expression. "...With your memories and a companion of course." She quickly added. "We can't leave you blind to the world."

'Oh...wait, what?!'

"Why would I want that?! Can't I just board the train instead? Is that too hard for me to do?"

"For you child? Yes."

With an eyebrow twitch he snarled, "Why should I want to be reborn! Much less, in a different world with someone else, or even as someone else! If Death wants to repay me -fine! Letting me join my family would be enough payment for me! The only greater thing he could possibly do is guarantee my living friends and family safety! Though you already said, even Death can't interfere with the living much."

He automatically tried to dodge the incoming hand but she grazed his head.

"Death already knows! That's why you're being offered this instead! Think child!" She retorted with a growl.

Harry shot her a glare, tensing his hands into fists at her exclamation. "...What does that have to do with anything? I only wish to rejoin my family."

"That's just it, family. Death knows you have always wanted a family...to be just Harry; and this appears to be the only way that you can have that opportunity."

Harry shook his head. "I already have a family waiting for me, and with them I'll be just Harry."

She nodded, "While that is true, have you not wondered what it'd be like to be raised in a family? To actually have a brother or a sister? It's not as if you're being denied to join your family, you are merely receiving a chance to live the life you've always wanted. Another chance to live before you finally settle here with your friends and family here."

Nothing came out from his lips because what she had said was true. When he thought of Ron and his family he became a little jealous of all the loving siblings he had. Harry wanted to know what it'd be like to have a big family but...he had accepted the fact that'd he'd never know. He had decided that there was no time to wonder about such things with the wars going on and yet...

'Here's my chance to have a family with a brother or sister. There's also the fact that I wouldn't be alone in being reborn in a different world.'

Didn't that make his head turn. A different world; no doubt Hermione would be asking questions by the second. It was tempting to accept but the guilt of being offered this chance when his friends weren't made it feel like he was cheating to get this when he was sure there were others who deserved it much more than him.

He was unable to dodge the flying hand that struck his atop his head.

"O-Ow!"

"You must remember that Death is the one that owes you and not your friends. You are not the only one being offered the chance, the others who deserve it are also asked. This is merely Death who is offering you a better chance instead of the normal rebirth you would go through with no recollection of your memories. You earned it when you snapped the wand and left the ring behind, so don't feel guilty over it child."

It still bothered him but it wasn't as if he was the only one being reborn and he wondered who would be going with him.

'I'm actually considering this...a second chance...'

"Who would be going with me, and how different is the world if I were to accept?" Harry asked. "I don't think my friends or family would want to..."

"They can not be offered what you are except for one...I believe you called it -no, 'her', Hedwig."

'My Hedwig? My owl? I didn't think Death would pick her...'

"How..."

Tears pricked his eyes as thoughts of Hedwig filled him. He hadn't truly realized how much he missed her until the muggle war had started and went into hiding like others. Like all muggle raised he couldn't go back to the muggle world. Not when they were being hunted.

When he had hid in the park his paranoia had hit at an all-time high. In those hours that he had hidden, he had missed Hedwig's company. The only friend he ever had in Privet Drive. He remembered how she would nibble on his fingers or at times even bark when she was held in a cage for too long.

All in all he sorely missed her.

"She is your familiar, and because of that she is also a part of you. And it is by that extension that Death also offers her the same chance you are given, it all depends on whether or not you accept."

"Oh."

Well, didn't that make a difference did it?

"Indeed, if it were to be one of your friends they wouldn't have their memories since they are not you and thus not offered the same chance. It would be cruel to send them with you."

'That would be terrible!'

She continued. "The world you will be reborn in is a world that barely contains any magical beings. It will be a completely muggle world by your description."

Wiping his eyes he glared at her. "How does that count as repaying me? If anything, that's one of the worst things you could ever do for me! Many Muggles," he spat, "are the reason why most of my precious people are dead! They're the reason why the wizarding world is suffering-"

She cut him off, "You cannot pin all the blame on muggles, child! The Wizards themselves are not so blameless either."

He shut his mouth before he could rant about Muggles and listened to her.

"There are a few who have supernatural powers and you will be one of them when reborn, though there is a catch."

Crossing his arms he couldn't resist a snort, "Isn't there always?"

"Yes." She agreed unexpectedly. "While you are being reborn the only way for you to have powers is if you choose to protect someone for a small amount of years."

Finding the task suspicious, he pointed out, "Only a small amount of years...How small are we talking about?"

"It is only until they finish their first year of high school."

'That's what they call a muggle school, isn't it? I wish Hermione was here to explain it.' He sighed.

The whole situation in general didn't seem too terribly bad -if you took away the fact that it was a muggle dominated world. Added to that, he would still have powers if he protected someone for a short amount of time.

But he couldn't agree yet, not without talking to his precious people.

"Can I talk to my friends and family?"

Fate's frown turned into pursed lips. "Only...five people. Pick carefully."

With a relieved sigh, some tension left his shoulders. 'Okay, five people! Who to pick?' Hermione, no doubt. She could help him think things more clearly, but who else? '...I should get mum and dad as well. I need to at least explain the situation to them and tell them why I wouldn't be joining them...so that leaves two more.'

Maybe he should pick...Remus? Though, the real question was if he could even face Remus, after he so terribly failed at being a godfather. Would he hate him for dying and leaving Teddy with the Weasley's?

'No, it's best if Remus knows and hears it from me than someone else.'

One more.

Professor Snape?

No -Yes. He owed him, and the man died before he could do anything. 'I never got to say thank you to the greasy git and this could be my only chance.' It'd be an awkward conversation with the man involved but hopefully by then he'd have gathered enough Gryffindor courage to go about it.

Clearing his throat, Harry ran the chosen names off his fingers. "Hermione Granger, James and Lily Potter, Remus Lupin...and Severus Snape."

AN: 2nd original 6-24-15

After adoption: 8-29-2016