A white boy moved like pale shadow against the darkness of the forest. His hair was a mess of white clouds with two curved silvery grey horns adorned the sides of his skull. He was light of foot, seeming to skip as he moved. In one hand he held a thick black stake made of black iron and connected to the iron was thick chains. In his other hand and the other end of the chain was a black, iron wrought lantern that held unnatural flames inside. There was no glass to hinder the wind as it passed through iron caging of the lantern, making the flames within flicker and flare rebelliously. Green and blue lighted the way for the pale boy.
Behind the boy was a dark shadow shrouded in smokes. It followed the boy as smokes trailed after flames. It never speaks but it never left the boy's side. The boy broke through the trees and entered the large clearing of a backyard of a rather quaint house. An elderly man moved inside in the kitchen and smiled at the sight of white child followed by something akin to an invisible smoke, "Harry! Dinner's ready!"
The child entered the house; his feet bare but clean as though it has not touch the ground outside with bare soles. The lantern clang as he greeted the man, "Evening Grandpa Albus,"
Albus Dumbledore grinned but as the boy passed him by to clean up in his room, he sighed with sad blue eyes. He took out the baked mac and cheese from the oven, one of his specialties. Six years ago, a shadow came to him with a dead child. He has been running ragged for a week looking for the boy only to find the he has left this world. He was destroyed that day, emotionally and lost his confidence in making decisions. So he decided to leave the Magical World and take in the child; Death's Kindred or rather, the child once known as Harry Potter.
He left his influential behind though many days and years since letters came by the hundred begging and trying to blackmail him into making a comeback. He refused for he does not trust his decision making. He failed one child, how many others would he fail after?
Albus lived far from any magical civilization and lived on a ranch, enjoying life as a retired gentleman with his grandson…although the quaint community that he lived with has never met the 'sweet, young Harry' who spent his day according to his wanderlust. They had tried to talk to the eccentric Old Man Wulfric, as he was known to introduce himself as; Albus Wulfric, a retired English teacher and a World War Veteran. At their first introduction to the Wulfric, they tried to tell him to make the child go to school with the rest of the community's children or at least take him to Sunday Church to mingle with his peers.
Old Man Wulfric insisted to home school the boy and at one point, the community's gossip club that was disguised as a book club, believed that he was delusional about 'sweet, young Harry' and that perhaps it was because the child died a long time ago. Since he never denies this theory, they ended up pitying him for his unfortunate 'condition'.
Albus won't correct them because it worked for him and Harry as well as Harry's 'friend'. The three of them had gotten tired of neighbours coming to their door insisting to meet Harry who can become invisible and intangible whenever and wherever he wanted. But after his retirement, Albus did have one constant visitor that he enjoyed the company of; his brother Aberforth.
He sought his brother after receiving Harry from Death himself, dead and unmoving. He may have been relieved that the Horcrux within the scar has dissipated, but it broke him utterly that it cost the boy his very life. He went to his brother, feeling deserving of his remaining's family disgust of him. At first, his younger brother berated him and revealed all his frustration and anger of Albus for the last century of their long life. It took them a full month to patch up things between them at the same time helping Death of all things to bring back Harry Potter.
The boy no longer needed to be burdened by the Horcrux that will become the cancer that stole his life and future. Death has strike a bargain with whatever it was the created him and Life; God, Deity, the Universe, Destiny and Fate. But all they know was that Death call it, them, as the One. So with a stasis potion from a book of necromancy and a strong preservation spell, he and Aberforth sought out the last Hallow; the Stone or rather as it was originally known; Death's Eye.
Imagine Albus's surprise that it was not only the stone of the Master's ring for the House of Slytherin but also another Horcrux! This alone broke his heart for it soon came clear to him that Tom Riddle, Voldemort, does not only create a Horcrux and used Harry as one but also made several of them. How many he does not know but he and Aberforth came to the conclusion that Voldemort have more than just the two. If it wasn't because of Death's presence, the curse would have consumed Albus as it was enchanted with a very strong compulsion charm that would have forced him to wear the cursed ring.
As it was, the Stone or the Eye belonged to Death and Death wasn't one to be affected by anything of the living and thus the curse have no hold in him. Or rather, it was destroyed upon Death's touch as was everything that was of the Living. Even Necromagic has no hold over Death's realm. True Necromagic can only be done by Death himself and even though those who attempt Necromagic managed to strike a deal with Death, its price was also Death to their Life.
There was no escaping the Greeter of All…
And there was no imitating Death for even if Life came by the millions, Death remained but one…
Albus shook his head, feeling the presence of Death…or rather what remained of Death's physical translation. Albus still do not understand how Death could remain by his Kindred when many still die every turning of the clock's hand and still managed to be in a thousand places in a single breath. Death did mention that Time and the World has no rule over him but the very idea that Death can be in a million places while not moving from Kindred's side was something that Albus can never truly grasp. He supposed it's true that nothing travel faster than Death, not even light.
Harry appeared beside him, "Grandpa Albus? Are you alright?"
Harry could not recall anything beyond awakening to Grandpa Albus's and Grandpa Aberforth's face as well as the serpent-like living shadow which he instinctually called Kindred. Albus was always sad whenever he thought Harry wasn't looking but Harry wanted Albus to be happy. He told this to Aberforth and his other Grandpa told him that Albus was taking the time to come to term to his many mistakes. He also told Harry to give Albus time.
Harry knew from Kindred that Albus has a long time ahead of him and Harry never question his Kindred on such matters. Kindred know best about this, this Harry's surer than he knew the sun rising in the East…
Albus beamed and his blue eyes twinkled. He cupped the boy's snow white cheek, "Let us eat and also, Harry…" He pointed at the boy blindfold. The boy has been practicing with Death to hone his senses, one that goes beyond sensing simply what was around him or magic, but rather a sense that went into sensing who will live for tomorrow and who will pass his final breath that very second.
Grey cloth came off; bright blue iris with glowing cyan green around his pupils looked back. Gone the famed eyes of Lily Potter and gone the famous facial feature of James Potter. The boy who stood before him stand a pale as ashes on snow, his skin lily white and his hair as white as Albus's, perhaps whiter. But Albus knew that the eyes were no longer of his living eyes but the Eye of Death, his skins no longer human skin but the Skin of Death and his bones no longer the brittle bone of human but the Bone of Death. Harry was made from bone to flesh to hair all out of Death. All living colour has washed out of him, leaving a pale canvas behind and the only colour was the colour of his eyes.
He smiled serenely at Albus with an equally serene voice with a dream-like quality, "The Cress had a new babe today…"
Albus nodded, "Well, I guess I must go visit them, hmm?"
Harry nodded in that serene way before turning to his meal. Albus watched the boy, recalling Death's words, "My Kindred; my Master; my other Half. He is alive among the dead and dead among the living, a curse to me; a curse to all; a curse to himself. Your decision cost him his life and so by your decision also he will return to the living. He will grow but he will not grow old and frail. He will grow until his power come to its peak, he fade from this world and forever be by my side, my eternal company,"
