AN: About my plans for this story, it's going to be a long one, so bear with me. Please leave some constructive criticism in the reviews, I crave it more than I do double fudge brownies (and boy, do I crave double fudge brownies).
Enjoy!
'Is this a joke?' Harry's palms were clammy, his heart racing. 'Is this some kind of elaborate prank?'
Mortis barked out a bitter laugh. "Oh Harry, I wish it was. There's nothing we can do to change things, I'm afraid. You did what everyone thought to be impossible and this is your reward. "
The man patted Harry on the back and turned his attention away from him, giving the boy a moment to digest that. After all, he remembered how scared he'd been at first.
'Who are you?' Harry asked. Mortis hummed, the same sound that the elder wand had made, and Harry knew.
"My name is Mortis Hatt, and I am Death. But before that, I was just like you."
Mortis told Harry about how he was once in Harry's shoes, sitting on the very same bench, listening to a strange man with black eyes explain the way life truly worked. There were countless worlds that existed in countless dimensions. Some of them were similar to the one Harry knew, most of them were unrecognizable. Mortis told Harry stories about worlds where the oceans had dried up and the people lived off of what they called cloud matter. He told him stories about a world where there were no humans and magic was wild and free to do as she pleased. He told stories of gods and demons, of spaceships and distant planets, of peaceful warriors that fought without ever harming anyone and child soldiers whose clothes were stained with blood. They sat on the bench for a whole day; Mortis told his stories and Harry listened.
'I'm either completely bonkers or this is really happening, and I'm inclined to believe it's the second one.' Harry thought.
"Don't worry Harry, you're just as sane as I am." Mortis said. Harry glared at the man, at Death.
'A friend of mine once said that to me. It was not much of a comfort back then either.'
"Luna Lovegood, I believe? A delightful girl. Best poker player I've ever had the pleasure of losing from." Harry blinked at that. Somehow he was not at all surprised.
"Reality is weird," Mortis said, "it's so much more than any one person can comprehend. But there is always one constant; there is always Death."
The waves crashed in the background. The kitten was playing in the sand, darting away from incoming water and pouncing after small crabs. It looked up at Harry, and for the first time, he noticed its eyes. They were as green as his own, maybe even greener. As green as the curse of Death.
"Am I your master, then?" The kitten had caught a crab. It had bitten straight through the shell, and Harry wondered what kind of cat it was.
"Not in the way you'd think. You see, mastering death does not give you eternal life. You'll die, everything does, but when you do you won't be going where other souls go. You are my heir. Your death will be your ascension, and I will finally have my chance to rest."
He clasped his hand on Harry's shoulder. It felt strange - warm, yet freezing at the same time. "Don't worry, this does not mean I expect you to take over right away. That would involve you dying, and you still have a long and fulfilling life to live.'
Harry let that all sink in. 'I don't think I'd mind dying. I've been ready for a while.'
"I know." Mortis smiled sadly. "As I said, I've been watching you. You've been hiding away in that god awful house. Not speaking with anyone, not contacting those friends of yours. Not even - what's her name? Ah, yes. Hermione."
Harry ducked his head. 'She doesn't need me. None of them do. I've served my purpose, what else is left?'
"Why, my dear boy, a whole lot of life! And what a fantastic one it could be, too." Mortis gestured to the ocean. The sun was just setting, lighting up the horizon in a blaze of colors. "Don't you ever wonder what's out there? I know I did when I was your age."
'Sometimes,' Harry admitted. 'I used to dream about it when I was younger. My relatives, they weren't always kind to me. I used to imagine what it would be like to be out there.'
"Then why don't you go and find out?" Mortis stood up and conjured another door. He smiled at Harry and tilted his head toward the door. "Go on, then. I believe there are some people waiting for you. And take this mongrel with you."
The black kitten was dropped into Harry's arms, caked in sand and paws wet with ocean water. With a quick wave of Mortis' hand it was clean again. Harry opened the door and stepped through, but paused before closing it. 'Is it hard? Being Death, I mean.'
A faraway look entered Mortis' eyes. For a moment he looked like just a man. "No, but it can be very lonely."
The door swung closed by itself.
Harry breathed in sharply. There was a crowd of people mingling with each other on the other side. A kind of jazzy music played in the background and laughter filled the space. Bottles of Butterbeer and Firewhiskey being passed around. It looked just like Gryffindor common room during a party, except there were non-Gryffindors mixed in. They were all familiar faces.
Cedric Diggory stood by the fireplace where he'd been in a heated debate with Tonks, whose hair was cycling through all colors of the rainbow. Remus and Fred were not far away, obviously in the midst of planning a prank. Colin Creevey was fiddling with his camera by the refreshment table, while Moody was sniffing at his glass of punch suspiciously. Last but not least, the seats where Ron, Hermione and Harry used to sit were occupied by three people. Lilly Potter, James Potter and Severus Snape were sipping on Firewhiskey and laughing at one joke or another.
Harry tried to swallow around the lump in his throat. The kitten pressed its head firmly to his cheek.
"Hey guys, Harry's here!" The music stopped and they all turned to Harry.