Carina looked in fear as her husband stood in the doorway, frozen in shock or fear. Her son, Harrison, who was only one-year-old but could walk perfectly and he could form small sentences, levitated a toy horse and making it fly around his head.
"Don't look now, but someone has caught you and it's not your mum," Death appeared next to the small boy, unseen by the other two adults in the room.
Harry turned around and saw his father whose face had now turned red in anger. The horse dropped to the ground with a clatter. This seemed to break his father out of his trance and he was shaking in fury.
"What demon has possessed my boy," Harry's father hissed. "In the name of God, leave."
"Father, -" Harry tried to plead but his small; child's body restricted him from speaking much more.
"Silence, demon, begone," his father cut him off and Harry considered crying to help win his father over.
"No, crying won't win him over, act like you're possessed, it'll sway him over, maybe," Death appeared again beside Harry and sat down. Only Harry could see it but he made sure not to make that obvious.
"Listen, Jonathan, Harrison might not be possessed," Carina quickly stepped between Harry and his father. She could sense her son's rising magic that was reacting to his fear, or that was what she thought was happening, and knew that if she didn't act quickly, Jonathan could harm Harry.
"Move, woman, you'll be possessed too," Jonathan stared past her and into Harry's green eyes. Harry looked rather different now, however, his eyes remained the same Killing Curse green.
"Jonathan, listen to me," Carina said with such ferocity that he turned to look at her.
"You know how there has been a supposed wizard wandering this area, maybe he could have passed this house and cursed it," Carina knew this was a weak argument but it gave her something to work with.
"I know that, Carina," Jonathan hissed and moved towards her and raised his hand.
Harry flashed back to his uncle hitting him and how he could only stand there, helpless. Now, he could still do magic even if he could never perform non-verbal spells properly and Harry's vision blanked for a split second. He blinked spots and saw his 'father' had stopped suddenly.
Jonathan shuddered slightly when the magic affected him and he staggered forward. His arm that was raised went limp and looked at Carina in confusion.
"What's going on, why am I here?" he asked, his voice was faintly slurred.
"You just came in to watch Harrison play," Carina lied smoothly. She had been raised a pureblood witch until her parents found out she was a squib and she knew how to lie smoothly.
"Okay, okay then," Jonathan turned around frowning faintly. He walked off slowly as if he wasn't quite sure where he was supposed to be going.
"Harrison, come over here," Harry's mother knelt down to his level. Harry walked over to her and slowly wrapped his small arms around her.
"I did nothing wrong?" Harry questioned quietly into his mother's arms.
"No, Harrison you did something remarkable," Carina smiled down at the small child in her arms. "You've done magic now."
Death looked at Harry from the corner of the room and smiled slightly at the little boy who had such a tragic life before and now was happy, more or less, in his childhood.
"Harrison, concentrate on the book," Carina caught her son sneaking looks at her cooking.
"I'm sorry but I'm so hungry," Harry whined. His mother smiled at him but then pointed her rolling pin at him in mock anger.
"Young man, if you don't finish reading that chapter, no dinner for you," Carina said jokingly.
Harry burst out laughing at his mother who now had some flour in her hair. He was supposed to be reading a book on the history of England but he already knew most of it.
"But mother, I know most of it already, can't I just get some food." Harry grinned and stood up. He stretched his arms and padded over to his mother who was making bread.
"I'm sure you know most of it," his mother remarked sarcastically. "I'm also the Queen of England."
Harry huffed and tugged on her apron. "Please let me have some bread, I'm starving."
Death chuckled. "Harrison, stop whining," it appeared beside Harry who started.
"What's wrong Harrison?" His mother looked at him in concern. Harry was a strange child, he would talk to a being that wasn't there when he thought no one was watching, and he could summon things to him easily. It had happened so often that Carina couldn't help but think that it wasn't just accidental magic.
"Nothing mother, I'm just cold," Harry smiled up at his mother.
"If you're sure," Harry's mother agreed hesitantly. She set down her rolling pin and washed her hands in the pail of water at the side. "Harrison, how would you like to hear another story?" Carina smiled fondly at the little boy whose face lit up when she said that.
"Of course, anything to stop reading that book," Harry grabbed his mother's arm and led her to a chair. He knew exactly what the stories she told him were about as Death had told him a little about Carina's life when it dropped by to visit him.
"This story is set in a huge house in a far, far away land. The house was so big, it could easily fit all the people in this village with some extra space but the house was empty, it only had three people living in it: a young girl, her mother and her father." his mother had a distant look in her eye.
"She lived near Arkhangelsk in northern Russia, I think," Death chimed in sitting next to Harry on the cold floor. Today, it didn't look like a skeleton but a pale young boy and his signature scythe was now a small sickle at his hip. "Like what you see?" Death grinned at Harry.
Carina stared at Harry, who seemed to have an unusually short attention span on this particular day. She coughed to catch his attention and continued,
"Harrison, you're looking at things that aren't there again," Carina gently shook her son's arm. She found it strange how he would smile randomly or let out a small snicker. She loved her child wholeheartedly but actions like this made her fear for his sanity.
"Hmm, yeah, I'm fine," Harry quickly recovered from having to justify Death with a response. His imaginary friend stood next to him and laughed.
"I still want to know what you think of me," Death was smirking at Harry. Harry stared ahead at his mother and ignored the nagging thought that told him to punch the entity.
"Alright then, the young girl loved to explore but her parents pressured her to act like a proper young lady," Carina stared at her son, trying to figure out why he was staring so intently at her.
"Mother, tell me more about the house and where it was," Harry grew more interested when he remembered where his mom was born. Harry saw his mother's eyes darken slightly and hurried to amend his mistake. "I mean, only if you want to, you don't have to if you don't want to."
"No, it's fine Harrison." Carina shook her head as if to clear her thoughts. "The house was alone, and it was surrounded by a huge field of flowers. In the distance, you could see a huge river of water bluer than anything else. There were many trees surrounding the house, the leaves left shadows across the windows and lightly brushed your cheek if you opened a window."
"It sounds beautiful," Harry stared out of the dirty window, imagining the mansion. He remembered the house where the Malfoys lived with peacocks roaming the gardens. He remembered Albus' face lighting up with joy whenever Harry mentioned they would visit the Malfoys and how nervous he was when he introduced his boyfriend, Scorpius Malfoy, to him. Now, he would never be able to relive the moments.
"Harrison, are you alright," Carina looked at her son with concern. She knew the look on his face, she would see it every day for the five years she would see her aunt whenever she could stay with her.
"Harry, you look traumatised again," the boy, Death, reached out and patted Harry's arm lightly. "Also, I'm a-" Death looked down at its appearance, "he, not an it, got it." He glared at Harry playfully, who just gave a half-hearted smile before Harry registered the fact that his mother had also spoken to him.
"Yes mot-" Harry cut himself off and his hand went to his opposite arm as if he was summoning a wand from a holster.
"Oh, father is home now," Harry didn't miss his mother's face tightening and how she stiffened when the silhouette of the man drew closer to the door. He hated the man much more now after the time when he walked in on Harry levitating the toy horse.
"Be gentle around him." Carina drilled the phrase into Harry's head, making sure that he would not try to do any magic around him again.
The door creaked open, and the man known as Harry's father stepped through the threshold of the small house. "Carina, what have you made?" the man gruffly asked as he marched forwards and set down a dirty brown bag roughly onto the table. Harry's mother flinched.
"Bread, Jonathan, I've made bread and there is soup," Harry noticed how his mother stiffly stood up and slowly and subconsciously backed away towards the kitchen counter.
"I've had enough bread and soup to last a lifetime. Woman, can you cook anything else," Jonathan just glared at a pot with a grey liquid inside.
Harry stood up from his place at the foot of the chair and picked up his history book and followed his mother and leaned against the counter and he hoped that his father wouldn't notice him. Beside him, Death also shuffled over soundlessly and casually hopped on top of the counter.
"Why is the boy reading a book?" Jonathan sneered at Harry's history book before turning his glare to Carina. "He should be helping me out in the docks and not sitting around doing nothing but reading."
Harry tightened his grip on his book and tried seem undeterred. Inside, he was fuming, Harry was reminded of his uncle Vernon and how he had refused to let Harry do any schoolwork and left him behind in most of his classes in Hogwarts.
"When we leave, I'll make sure he pays," Death muttered quietly and placed his small hand onto Harry's shoulder. Harry nodded imperceptibly.
"I feel that Harry should know of history and the sciences along with manual labour," Carina smiled coolly at her husband, she remembered her aunt and how she had stood up to her own husband. "Run along Harrison, play outside now," Carina saw the dark look in her husband's eye and she didn't want her son seeing anything that Jonathan could do.
"But-" Harry started to protest but one look from his mother made him falter. He clutched his book tighter as he quickly walked out of the house, avoiding Jonathan all costs. Once out of the house, Harry started to run. He ran down the old, worn down road past the other houses with men returning home and children running up to greet their fathers. Harry glanced at them and quickly looked away, his cheeks were damp and tears blurred his vision.
Harry only slowed down when he was out of breath. He stumbled along the rocky path and leant against a tree and looked down. At his feet, a small snake emerged from behind the tree. It looked up at Harry and cocked its head sideways and poked out a forked tongue, tasting the air.
"Child is upset, child is fearful. Child is strange," the snake hissed at Harry. "Child is also envious, humans are very envious creatures. Oh, yes they are, they would kill and maim and destroy and-," the snake paused; it looked directly behind Harry, up at a branch on the tree.
Harry also looked up and then sighed. "So, Death, what are you doing here?" Harry wasn't in the mood for its jokes.
"Honestly you wound me, I do not joke around, I just like to have a little bit of fun now and again," Death was still a four year-old boy and was perched on a branch like a bird ready to take flight. "Also, I'm a 'he' not an 'it'." Death stuck its, no, his nose into the air and sniffed lightly.
"Go away, you're just going to make me look insane in front of people," Harry slid down the tree and he let the rough bark scratch his back through the flimsy material of his shirt. He closed his eyes and buried his head in his hands.
"Actually, I'm real," Death exclaimed from the branch loudly. People walking past the tree shot Death dark looks. "Oh, that was a bit loud," Death hopped down from the branch and landed on the ground. He came and sat down beside Harry and opened his hand for the snake to slither into.
Harry opened his eyes slowly and stared at the boy sitting next to him. The said boy smiled widely at him.
"You see, I've been begging Fate and Magic and Life to let me have a corporeal body on Earth but they always refused," Harry just nodded. "And, now, after lots of begging and bargaining, they agreed so look at me now, I'm human," Death looked so pleased even Harry smiled slightly.
"How exactly are you human?" Harry pulled up some grass from the ground and fiddled with the blades.
"Well, I'm not exactly human but I've got the body of a human," Death looked down at his lap. "I've always wanted to see life through your eyes you know and I can now." Death cheered loudly. In his palm, the snake hissed at him and bared its fangs.
"Stupid creatures disturb me from my sleep and then they be loud," the snake wriggled out of Death's hand and tried to slither away.
"Oh no you don't," Death slammed his hand down on the ground in front of the snake which reared its head back and fixed its beady eyes on Death. "This is a rather pretty snake, I got it just for you Harry," Death was trying to coax the snake into his palm but it wouldn't listen. "You know the snake is a rather rare Synx Snake right," Death didn't look up but knew he had peaked Harry's interest.
"What's a Synx Snake?" Harry, who was watching the snake spit curses at Death amusedly, also opened out his palm.
"Well, they're a really rare species that are hunted for their venom and their skin," Death stared at the snake as it slithered away from him and towards Harry's outstretched palm and tasted his skin.
Harry hummed as the snake slithered up onto his arm and coiled itself on his shoulder. "Anything else," Harry looked back at Death.
"Yeah, they're incredibly dark creatures, the opposite of a phoenix actually and they only like wizards with dark cores," Death said. "This particular snake was meant to be your familiar in your past life," Death looked at the snake grimly.
"I've never seen this snake before though." Harry cocked his head to the side and looked at the boy sitting beside him.
"It's not my place to tell you why," Death just replied mysteriously at Harry's questioning look. "Synx Snakes are also very loyal, they stay with their bonded till they die and if the bonded dies, then the snake could also die," Death smiled when he was talking about death.
"A fact that is guarded, how would a boy know that," the snake hissed at Death.
"But he is no ordinary boy, you know that much," Harry stroked the snake's head. "I suppose I am your new master," Harry hissed at the snake.
"We'll see," the snake hissed back at Harry calmly. "But you are a special child, and you smell very rich, like unicorn blood, oh unicorn blood is a specialt-," before the snake could finish the sentence Death interrupted it.
"Well you can see why they're considered dark. They'd also feed on phoenixes but that's rather rare," Death hopped up and conjured up a pocket watch. "I guess I'd be late if I stayed any longer, take care of the snake Harry," and with the parting words, Death disappeared.
"Do you have a name?" Harry hissed quietly at the snake, he hadn't realised that the snake could change its appearance to blend in with its surroundings. Before, it looked like a garden snake when it emerged from the grass but now it looked more like a coil of black rope on Harry's shoulder, blending in with the dark fabric of his shirt.
"I have a name but it is not spoken to humans," the snake opened it's eyes to reveal a startling shade of green which was uncanny to Harry's own eyes. "You choose a name."
Harry, who was still startled by the snake's eyes, looked down at the history book beside him. He opened the book to a random page and looked at the names of the past kings and queens of England. "Are you a male or a female?" Harry still scanned the page while he asked the question.
"I do not lay eggs," the snake looked at the book from Harry's shoulder, the snake peered curiously at the pictures in the book.
"You would be male then." Harry hummed as he turned the page. "How do you like the name Napoleon, he was a French military leader, he fought in many wars and was revered throughout France," Harry kept looking at the names and he remembered the history books he had read in his past life.
"Do not name me after the mundane rulers, they are pathetic in searching for power and wouldn't hesitate to stab their own kin in the back for it. But then it if they survived, they go for revenge and it leads to marvellous, marvellous anger and-" the snake seemed to swoon at the thought.
"Can you, can you feed of emotions?" Harry questioned the snake apprehensively. He had only ever heard of dementors feeding of emotions and nothing else.
"We do not feed of emotions but they we can taste them in a way and they are simply delightful," the snake seemed amused at Harry's reaction.
"Well, I've only ever heard of dementors doing anything like that so you know…" Harry trailed off.
"Dementors foul creatures, never compare me to one, it is the highest form of disrespect to a Synx Snake," the snake seemed to sniff in disdain.
"I think that Riel would make a good name for you," Harry looked at a drawing of Oliver Cromwell in the book and how his coat of arms was depicted as having snakes and devils on it.
"Riel? It sounds familiar," the snake, Riel, turned his head and looked at Harry thoughtfully. "I do not mind the name," Riel hissed something that Harry didn't understand and slithered towards his collar.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Harry wriggled in discomfort as Riel settled for wrapping himself around Harry's arm.
"You are warm and until you find a suitable habitat for me, I will have to settle for body heat," Riel didn't seem pleased with the thought but settled down anyway.
The sun was setting so Harry decided to return home. On the way back, Harry couldn't help but worry about what could have happened to his mother. When he saw her, he struggled to keep his magic from lashing out. His mother had a purpling bruise on her wrist and a long, shallow cut across her cheek that had a thin line of dried blood on it.
"Mother, what happened to your face," Harry glared at the opposite room.
"Nothing, I simply," Carina sighed, "I didn't realise I was still holding a knife and scratched my face," She smiled thinly and looked at the book that Harry was holding loosely in his hand. "How about you put that away and have something to eat," she said pleasantly yet Harry didn't protest and sat down at the table. Carina set down a simple wooden bowl of warm, red liquid with small chunks of carrots floating around. Harry saw multiple shallow cuts on her hand.
"I thought you made mushroom soup," Harry had a suspicion about what had happened.
"I'm afraid it was spilt," Carina stood behind Harry with her hands hidden behind her fraying apron, hiding the small, overflowing container that was used as the bin.
"It must have taken some time to remake dinner," Harry continued to pry, seeing if his mother would say anything. She remained silent. "Mother, what will I be reading tomorrow?"
"You won't be reading," a voice spoke from the doorway it was Jonathan. "I'm taking you to the docks, you're helping me out."
Harry nodded stiffly. His eyes were drawn to Jonathan's hand, especially his marriage ring that looked like it had some blood on it. "Father, it appears there is something on your ring," Harry said coolly between eating his soup. He didn't miss how his mother flinched slightly and how Jonathan casually wiped his hand on his trousers.
That night, Harry slept unusually.
He appeared to be in a room full of portraits. In the middle, there was a table with a chess set laid out.
"My guest has arrived," a figure spoke from behind Harry. He turned around and a saw a man dressed richly with a thin smile on his lips. "Please take a seat," the man gestured to a chair that materialised right when Harry looked towards the spot.
"Who are you?" Harry didn't move from his position at what seemed to be the doorway of the room. He was sceptical of people randomly appearing in his dreams and this man seemed suspicious.
"Oh, I'm sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Fate." the man walked over and sat on a chair that wasn't there before. "Do join me Harry."
"WHAT!" Harry spluttered at the casual remark. "You can't be Fate, it's just a concept like Luck." Harry glared at the man who looked up.
"Harry, if you can believe that death can be personified and if you can believe that magic can be personified, then why not fate," Fate said it in a very matter-of-fact tone and Harry blushed.
"Right, but y'know, it's hard to grasp," Harry walked over to the chair and sat down heavily, his cheeks were still red.
"It is for many humans, I expected the Master of Death to be unlike the others," Fate looked down at the chessboard with an expressionless face. He had pale hair, it was bordering on white, and his eyes were an icy blue that seemed to pick apart Harry like a vulture to its dead prey. Harry couldn't help but feel ashamed he had disappointed him. "Although, you are but a child compared to me so how about we play a game," he gestured towards the chess set.
"Chess isn't a child's game," Harry commented lightly as he tried to squash his hostility.
"I suppose chess is a game of conquest and conflict to an ordinary human." Fate picked up a pawn and twirled it around in his thin fingers, which, disturbingly, looked like the claws of an animal toying with its prey. "Personally, I think chess is more of a reflection of life with the player as the Queen."
Harry said nothing.
"See, the common assumption is that the player is automatically the King, but why have the weakest link on the board as the one controlling the entire game." Fate seemed to be speaking to himself rather than talking to Harry. "It leaves one to wonder, who is their King, the person they will have to sacrifice everything to keep that one piece alive." Fate looked up at Harry sharply and a sinister smile crept onto his face. "Let's begin the game, Whites start so that's me."
Harry watched as Fate moved the pawn at the far left of the board two squares forward. The pawn seemed to have a veil lifted from over it and a small Jonathan Lewis replaced the white marble figure. Harry gasped loudly and almost fell out of his chair when he saw the sneering face looking towards Harry's own pieces.
"What is," Harry shook his head, "How…" Harry tried to touch the piece but a barrier seemed to encase it, preventing anyone from moving it.
"Tsk, tsk, Harry didn't you know that the past is set in stone for a human. You can't undo any of my moves child." Fate sent Harry a small smile and cocked his head to the side. "Come on Harry, Time doesn't wait for anyone."
Harry remembered Ron coaching him in Wizarding Chess in the Gryffindor Common Room in front of the fireplace and laughing over how Harry would fail dramatically in the beginning but when he went back to the Dursleys, he had picked up books on chess in the library. Harry fondly remembered coming back to Hogwarts in his second year and almost beating Ron in a game and finally in his fourth year, Harry officially beat Ron. Harry smiled at the memory and Ron's gobsmacked expression as he looked down at the chessboard and up at Harry's smirking face.
"Chop, chop Harry, bring a pawn forward," Fate's eyes glittered at Harry as his hand hovered his pieces. Finally, Harry picked up his pawn that was in the adjacent column to the pawn that Fate had moved. The pawn, like the one before it, also disappeared and in its place stood Carina Lewis, his mother.
"Nice choice Harry but I'm afraid my time with you ends here," Fate stood up and tipped an imaginary hat to Harry. "Until next time," with a final smile, Fate disappeared.
Harry didn't look up at the entity as he disappeared; he was staring at the chessboard with his mother who was smiling serenely while looking ahead. Then, with a jolt, Harry realised that he was referring to Carina as his mother and he had been throughout his life with her. Death had given Harry strange looks whenever that would happen and before Harry couldn't understand why.
I suppose it's because she's the only mother figure I've ever had for the entirety of my life, Harry thought sadly as he remembered Molly Weasley and how kind she had been even in her last moments as she gave up her own life to make sure Harry left the Burrow unharmed by the muggles.
That wasn't the last time Harry saw Fate. Harry would only ever appear in the room when his mother had had a 'talk' with his father and Fate would move his piece to try and take Carina but Harry would evade him until the game of cat-and-mouse got boring. Then, Fate moved another pawn forwards.
Author's Note: Right so this chapter was originally longer but then I saw that I hadn't updated in two or so weeks so I but the length down. Anyways, I'll try to update every two weeks and the next chapter will be interesting(ish).
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