Out in the grounds of Hogwarts, lying in a peaceful white marble tomb, Albus Dumbledore opened his eyes. Surprise was the supreme emotion in the whole caterwauling range he was experiencing. He had absolutely no idea how he suddenly had come to be back in his body. It was all rather odd, he thought.
Taking his time to once again reacquaint himself with his limbs he slowly sat up and stretched. It was a very good thing his tomb had been cracked open, though if he remembered correctly it was Tom Riddle who had done that. Upon remembering he didn't have a wand, Albus Dumbledore realized he was left to an extended wait, because he had no way to contact the outside world.
Deep in the Ministry of Magic, past the atrium, the manic lifts, the door that said Department of Mysteries, was a room with a platform. This particular platform held two things, which was unusual because it was only supposed to have one. Of course, that was the veil, the very same that the teenagers had fought around in Harry's fifth year.
The extra addition that was so surprising went by the name of Sirius Black. Who, upon realizing that he was once again alive collapsed to the ground and sobbed with uncontrolled happiness.
In the village near Hogwarts, was the Shrieking Shack. And in the Shrieking Shack was one of the bravest men Harry Potter had ever known. His name, Severus Snape. As Snape opened his eyes, the most miraculous thing was he was completely healed. There were no snake bites anywhere on his body. Severus grimaced as he remembered giving his memories to Lily's boy, and he hoped in his death he hadn't given too much away.
Somewhere, outside the planes of reality, unnaffected by time or space, a young man opened his eyes to a strangely familiar sight. Chuckling to himself about the absurdity of it all, he found himself a comfortable seat, and sat down to wait. Not that he was sure what he was waiting for, a train, or another chat with Dumbledore.
It was quite a while before Harry decided to take matters into his own hands and thought he'd try to call someone.
"Mum, Dad, Sirius, Remus, um can you guys come visit me."
Harry felt foolish speaking out loud but no sooner had he finished the sentence two bright patches of the white nothingness that surrounded him, formed into people, specifically, his mum and dad.
Harry ran to hug them and for the first time in over 15 years the Potter family shared a group hug. No words were spoken but many tears were shed in happiness on Harry's part and sadness that their son had joined them so early. When at last he could speak Harry asked,
"Where are Sirius and Remus? Couldn't they come?"
His parents looked at each other and then back at Harry. Lily answered,
"They aren't here, because well they aren't here anymore. Just a little while ago, they disappeared. It was like they were called. And it wasn't just them, others disappeared as well."
To their extreme surprise Harry was not even remotely upset or confused by this, instead he jumped into the air and shouted
"Wahoo! It worked!" Harry began to dance around like an idiot, celebrating that he had fixed his mistakes, once and for all.
After a while the trio of Potter's made themselves comfortable on the plush armchairs that had suddenly and very conveniently appeared. His parents sat and listened as Harry told them his amazing life story. Lily gasped, screamed and cried at all the appropriate parts while James sat amazed and very, very proud of his son.
It seemed like an age, although in the place they were in, it could have been no time at all before lily finally dared to ask the question,
"Why are you here? Why did the others disappear?"
Harry tensed, and then shockingly he felt two tears roll down his cheeks. Rubbing then quickly, ashamed to show weakness in front of his family he explained haltingly,
"It was all my fault. All those people in the final battle, they died because I wasn't quick enough to save them. I just.. I don't know how to say it… made atonement for my mistakes, by switching my life for theirs."
Lily pulled her darling son onto her lap and surrounded him with her loving arms.
"Those deaths were never you fault Harry." She said quietly.
"Yes they were, Ginny said so." With at last the final admission made, the one that had managed to break Harry beyond repair he began to sob uncontrollably in his mother's comforting embrace. In all his life, the suffering he endured with the Dursley's, the torment at Hogwarts, the betrayal by Dumbledore at the very end, all seemed insignificant with losing the approval and love of the girl who was his everything.
When at last, or again, maybe it was straight away, one can never be completely sure when time doesn't exist, Harry had calmed down, James spoke.
"But Harry, the thing is, you aren't dead."
That statement was enough for Harry to jerk out of his mothers embrace, resulting in an ungainly fall to the floor. His parents would have laughed if the situation were not so heartbreaking.
"I'm not dead?" Harry questioned shakily, when he had righted himself on the floor.
"No you aren't, if you were dead we would be in a different place entirely. We have no idea what is going on, but you definitely aren't dead." James answered once again.
This explanation sent Harry reeling, not dead?! But he had sacrificed himself once again to fix his stupid mistakes. If he wasn't dead, then how did his crazy plan have a chance of working? And if he went back like he did in the forest, would everyone die again? Harry realized he really needed to talk to someone who knew what was going on.
He sat on the floor in silence for a while longer before remembering the story of the three brothers.
"That's it," he breathed,
"What's it Harry?" Lily asked, truly afraid of the situation.
"The hallows, I have all three. That makes me the master of death. That must be why I was able to even do what I did in the first place."
Lily looked confused, as only a muggleborn could. James however, brought up on a diet of Beedle the Bard and other stories understood straight away,
"The story of the Three Brothers, the items are real?"
It seemed laughable to Harry that James had never realized he owned one of them. And then Harry remembered that he had never explained the Hallows to his parents when he told them about his final year. Taking his chair once more, he corrected that oversight.
"But if you're the master of death does that mean you can't die, ever?"
"I think it means that I have a choice of whether or not I want to die. I just wish I could see death and speak to him, find out whether if I went back all the others would die again." Harry said fervently.
Suddenly the air around them began to swirl. Its comforting whiteness gathered into a tight ball and it became darker and darker, drawing the light from its surrounds until it was blacker then a dementor. Harry knew instantly what he was seeing, the personification of death. It really did remind him of a dementor, but without all the sadness attached.
If he thought about it, Harry would have realized that death and dementors are not all that different, they both take the soul from the body, just one holds it in eternal torture and the other releases it and the body into the next life.
Unsure of any sort of protocol when one is brought face to face with death, Harry decided to just be polite.
"Uh hi, I'm Harry."
"I know who you are master." The voice that resonated around the space was deep and comforting. Harry supposed that if anyone it reminded him of Kingsley Shacklebolt.
"Master?" Harry questioned, uneasy about the answer he was about to receive.
"Yes Master. When you claimed ownership of the Deathly Hallows you became my master. You will always have a choice to live again."
Harry was shocked, he was the master of death after all. It was a truly weird position to find yourself. Deep down Harry knew he didn't want to stop living just yet. After all he had managed to bring back Sirius and Remus and Dumbledore and so many others.
Moving back to the comfortable plush chairs, Harry sat down shakily and addressed death with his questions,
"I swapped my life for everyone else's, does that mean that if I go back they die again?"
Death was silent for a few moments, although it seemed as if an interminable age had passed.
"No. If you die their deaths, the deaths count. Then they will survive."
"Die their deaths? What do you mean?"
"Every curse and injury that you absorbed that would normally kill someone must be paid for with you life." Death replied calmly.
"But I did do that, that's the reason I'm here in the first place." Harry answered bewildered.
"No you have so far died for one curse, a simple killing curse that went astray and hit the castle. Each fatal curse and injury must be died for separately."
Harry was completely blown away. He had absorbed hundreds of beams of light and who knew how many of those would be fatal.
"So you're saying that I go back and die once for each fatal injury and then everyone lives?"
"Yes, although you will still suffer from every injury. And you must make certain that no one heals you before you have died for every injury as that will cause the spells to revert. Once you have died for the final injury you can be healed. I am afraid you will have many scars." Death answered, a tinge of regret for this fine young man colouring his tone.
Harry sat silently, with James and Lily by his side. Harry didn't have a choice, not really. He knew what he was going to do, he had to go back, once for each injury, to fix his mistakes.
"How many times will I need to die?" Harry asked in a small voice, unsure if Death could even answer him,
"158 times." Came the short but severely shocking answer.
Harry realized that many of the deaths he would have to die would be so that the castle would stay fixed, it would be supremely dangerous if the castle suddenly collapsed.
Harry sat staring at nothing for a long while, well what he thought was a long while, before a thought came to him.
"Is there a time limit to how long I can stay in this in-between world?" Harry asked.
"For you? No. And as you have already seen you may call others from beyond to visit you."
A plan began to form in Harry's mind and he grinned. James and Lily relaxed, happier now, knowing that their son would once again be rejoining the land of the living.
Harry, James, Lily and Death chatted for some time longer, discussing Harry's brilliant plan and the side effects. One extremely helpful piece of information that they learnt from death was that if anyone was touching Harry at the time of a death they would be killed as well, because of the nature of the magic Harry had invoked. Harry could however safely and easily bring them back again, although they would suffer whichever injury he had died for that time. Harry knew he could bring Ron and Hermione to meet his parents, he just hoped it wasn't a horrible injury like a werewolf bite they had to suffer.
Harry stayed with his parents for only a short conversation after that, deciding he may as well start the process. He said good bye and focused on his body back in Hogwarts.
Silence had overtaken the Great Hall in Hogrwarts. Shock was permeating throughout everyone, as the loss of their savior was too hard to comprehend. Ron and Hermione were sitting inconsolably beside him, refusing to move, each holding a limp hand. Hermione silently cursed Ginny for her words to Harry that made his hero complex guilt trip him into exchanging his life for everyone else's.
It was to this silent crowd of mourners that Harry opened his eyes. Everything hurt, the injuries were so numerous that all of Harry was just one giant hurt. Unable to move properly he groaned softly, alerting everyone to his survival.
"Harry!" Hermion nearly flung herself at Harry but she kept herself in check at the last minute and instead asked questions in her uniquely Hermione way.
"How did you survive? Why did you sacrifice yourself? What will happen now that you're awake? Oh we simply must get you healed." She started to pull her wand out to heal him but Harry spoke quietly and stopped her.
"No, Mione don't…. don't heal me."
Ron spoke up. "Harry if you still feel that everything was your fault you are so wrong mate. Nobody blames you for anything." Ron glared at the group daring them to contradict him.
But they had all misunderstood Harry, who interrupted once again,
"No if you heal me people will die again. When I've died for all the injuries then you can heal me."
Shocked silence followed this statement as no one could even begin to understand what he was talking about. Eventually Hermione ventured to ask and Harry began to explain but was cut off by a sudden bout of coughing and he knew that the next death would happen soon. In a sudden realization Harry knew what injury would cause the next death and he couldn't allow Ron and Hermione to be touching him. Her jerked his arms feebly and said,
"Don't touch me!" Even though his voice was hoarse the two instantly obeyed, years of following his directions being ingrained as a habit. As soon as they let go Harry relaxed and felt himself slip into the comforting arms of death once more. As he did, he felt the blasting hex that was placed squarely in his chest twinge and solidify.
Two down, he thought to himself.
Harry gradually woke up in the place he decided was limbo and then decided to put his plan into action. Death had said he could call anyone for a chat and that he had no time limit. For once in his life Harry decided he was going to learn, and he knew just the people to teach him, he started with…. Merlin.
Merlin was a magnificent man, his power and stature even in death were so awe-inspiring that at first Harry didn't know how to speak to him. Merlin seemed aware of the affect and waited patiently for the one who had called him to speak.
"Uh hi, I'm Harry Potter"
"It is good to meet you, I see you have become the master" the gravelly voice replied.
"the master? Oh of death, yeah that's me", Harry twirled his hands experimentally, not really liking the title. "So anyway I have to die 156 more times and time doesn't exist here so I'm going to learn as much as I possibly can. I was um sort of wondering if you could teach me?" Harry realized that his request was slightly ridiculous but he was truly curious about the secrets the old warlock was famous for.
Merlin of course agreed to teach Harry everything he knew which unsurprisingly was a very large amount. Harry thought that his head would have exploded with all the new knowledge but for some reason he was able to soak it up like a sponge, his mind cataloguing and ordering every new spell and potion.
Eventually when Merlin deemed he had passed on all he could Harry decided that he might as well go back, hopefully he would have a chance to explain to the others what was going on. Merlin had taught him a way to spell his thoughts onto paper so he didn't have to talk which would make the process quicker.
Opening his eyes once more in the great hall, Harry saw everyone's alarmed faces, the most prominent being Ron and Hermione. He knew better than to try to make his throat work and instead wandlessly created the parchment with the explanation on it. Hermione instantly grabbed it and read furiously, gasping in absolute horror, her face white. Ron ripped it from her hands and read as fast as he could. Hermione just mumbled,
"Oh Harry, you stupid, noble, fantastic man."
The explanation that Harry had written read,
"Hey guys can't really talk right now, courtesy of Naigini, I healed Snape, oh and Dumbledore, someone should go get him. And guess who else? SIRIUS! He is in the ministry can someone get him out? Oh yeah, so um I redirected all the spells to me, and every fatal injury has to be died for before I can be healed or they will revert. It's okay though I only have to die 157 more times. Oh and I found out that I can come back and stuff because I'm the master of death, and I can chat to dead people while I'm in limbo and stuff. I can also bring someone with me if you touch my body when I die, you'll be safe and I'll bring you back but you'll suffer that injury. I can tell just before I die what it is, so if you guys want to meet my parents I'll find a killing curse or something and that way you'll only end up with a lightning bolt. SO in summary, don't heal me. I'll be dying for a while so get comfortable and feel free to come with me if you want, by the way I can talk to any dead person. Just spent the last five years or so with Merlin, are you jealous Hermione? All my love, Harry.
Hermione and Ron were dumbstruck by this playful letter that had appeared. They sat staring at each other for a while longer but then Ron's leadership side kicked in and he stood up and faced the spectators.
"Right everyone back off." When no one moved he added loudly, "NOW!" Those who had been brought back to life where the ones who least wanted to move but Ron would not take no for and answer. Once everyone was a suitable distance away to give Harry some privacy he put his wand to his throat and announced over the general hubbub,
"Harry has performed some extraordinary magic tonight. However it has come at great personal cost. He has taken every injury to yourselves and the castle and redirected it to himself. Luckily though, cos he's Harry freaking Potter he is going to live through all this." Cheers interrupted him and Hermione silenced them with a loud bang from her wand, standing angrily.
"How can you cheer? You have no idea what Harry has just committed to. In order to keep you from re-dying, or the castle collapsing Harry has to die once for each fatal injury, and we can't even heal him." Silence met this incredible outburst, stunned faces remembering just how many people had been dead.
Ron smiled at Hermione before placing a hand on her shoulder,
"Now the good news is that Harry, being Harry didn't just raise everyone who died in this hall. If someone wants to play fetch, Dumbledore should be in his tomb waiting for help." Another cheer rang though the audience, before quieting quickly,
"If Shacklebolt wants to make a trip to the ministry he will find that Sirius Black is in the department of mysteries." Students screamed at this announcement and Hermione opened her mouth once more,
"QUIET! Sirius Black is not a death eater, Sirius Black is not a traitor. Sirius Black is Harry's Godfather and he was put into Azkaban without even so much of a trial by the ridiculous excuse we had for a minister, Fudge. When he arrives, if anyone, and I mean anyone, tries to interfere with his wellbeing you will have the full weight of the Order of the Phoenix to face." The students audibly gulped before Ron once more announced.
"And the final, probably the most surprising un-death tonight is that of someone we all thought traitor. It wasn't until after the battle that Harry informed us of his true nature and when he arrives as I am sure he will if anyone touches him they will be in trouble." Realising that not everyone knew he had died, Ron decided to spill a little of their secrets.
"Snape was once a death eater, but he turned before the end of the last war. He became Dumbledore's right hand man, so much so that when Dumbledore was cursed at the beginning of last year that he had Snape promise to kill him before the year was out." Angry murmurs of outrage met this statement but Ron persisted.
"Severus Snape took the position of Headmaster at Hogwarts this year to keep you all safe. Don't you remember finding baskets of food from the house elves and they never said who sent them? Severus saved Harry's life while we were on the run. He sent us the sword of Gryffindor and without that Voldemort would still be alive. So if any of you dare hurt him you will face the wrath of Harry, Hermione and I, and we just killed Voldemort so…." He trailed off his voice menacing.
Remus and Shacklebolt moved towards the door, intent on heading to the ministry. Hermione nodded at them and waved goodbye. She then stood, mentally thanking Harry for healing her and pulled out her wand.
A few people thought she was going to curse them to prove what Ron said and rapidly backpedaled. But she weakly smiled and created some red curtains to surround Harry's body. The she levitated him and slid him onto a transfigured low bed, which was surrounded by Gryffindor red bean bags.
Ron walked to the entrance of the curtains and organised a guard to stand outside. The only people he gave permission to enter were McGonnagall, Dumbledore, Snape, Remus and Sirius. Ron and Hermione dropped into the bean bags on either side of Harry before they spoke again,
"So… master of death then?" Ron said, bemused but feeling like he had had too many recent surprises to let this one affect him too much.
"Yes and Harry said that he could talk to anyone from any time! And he'd already spoken to Merlin. That must've been amazing. I should look up a list of famous people for him to meet." Hermione actually started struggling to her feet but Ron stopped her with a laugh.
"Mione dear, I reckon we've done enough today, besides don't you want to wait for Harry to wake up."
The looked down at his prone form and noticed signs of life returning. Obviously he had died again while they were talking. His breathing began, but was very laboured and his fingers twitched. Automatically the two grabbed his hands and held them tight reassuring him of their presence and he cracked open an eyelid.
"Hey again" Hermione said softly. "Do you reckon we can come with you next time?"
A piece of paper appeared to the right of Harry's head,
"Sure thing honeybunch. I'm getting pretty good at predicting what comes next, it's a killing curse on my left shoulder, so that means we'll all have matching lightning bolts. If you get comfortable we can meet my parents."
Ron and Hermione exchanged glances, drew deep breaths and nodded,
"Okay we're ready."