It was hot.
Actually that was probably a bad word for it.
The heat positively reeked.
Sweat dripped down his face in a rough parody of tears, his breaths coming in harsh pants as he forced his magic down his wand. The large pieces of stone lifted around his body and with a careful twitch of the holly tip, they slotted easily into the walls like they had never been damaged. Breathing heavily, Harry bent over with his hands on his knees. Whoever said that repairing highly magical buildings was easy was a moron, he decided. It probably wouldn't be any easier if they had resorted to using muggle methods to repair Hogwarts.
Not for the last time, he gently ran his fingers across the stonework of the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. A bitter swell of sorrow and frustration rose up in his chest, a harsh breath escaping him as he tried to stop his eyes from burning. Harry's entire body ached from both magical and physical exertion. Dark bags under his eyes accentuated the rough stubble arching across his jawline, cheekbones sharp. His pale face was sallow, cheeks hollowing out to show how thin he was getting.
Harry couldn't afford to lose weight, but his already thin frame through the years was even skinnier than usual. His sweat-soaked shirt clung to his shoulders and arms, not even disguising his small build. With how much he had been working on Hogwarts in the past few months, Harry was surprised that he hadn't collapsed yet.
His mouth thinned bitterly as he turned his gaze to his beloved holly wand. These days it was hard for her to listen to him; he had to literally beg his magic to filter through and even then he could feel it sluggishly push through.
"You're exhausted, my dear." they rasped softly in his ear, a chilly presence wrapping around him like a cool balm to his soul and magic.
"I have to finish this," he whispered, his voice hoarse from disuse throughout the days. The same bitter grief welled up in his chest, to the point where he stumbled forward and pointed his wand at another cluster of broken stone.
"They're almost done; you need to go home and rest, my chosen." Their concern was endearing, but he couldn't stop. Every day they had this conversation, and every day onwards they would repeat it.
"I have to," he stubbornly jutted out his jaw, bright green eyes gleaming in determination. "They need my help."
"This self-blame and harm is hurting you," they murmured, their blissfully cold aura departing from his own to manifest physically nearby. Their physical form was a damn near carbon copy, long stringy black hair writhing around their head like shadows come to life. This was new, Harry decided. Death hadn't manifested physically for awhile.
Pausing in mid-wand wave, he watched in muted bemusement as the being stared at him with fathomless, blank eyes. Deliberately slowly, Harry lifted his wand and was about to flick it at the arrangement of cracked stone, but a bony hand whipped out and snagged the tip of his wand.
"Wh-" he spluttered, but was abruptly cut off.
"You need a vacation," Death declared, absinthe eyes glittering wickedly. Harry eyed them warily, not bothering to rip his wand away from the powerful being. If they wanted to, they could rip out several of his vital organs and play hockey with them while barely keeping him alive just because they were bored. It really sucked when you were an immortal's plaything and companion for eternity.
"A vacation?" Harry echoed uncertainly, leaning back instinctively as Death positively leered at him with a wide smile dripping with predatory intent. Their other hand swung out to grasp the soaked cloth of his shirt and pull him in.
"A vacation, my dearest. Wouldn't you love to be somewhere where you are loved simply for who you are? With others who would do anything and everything for you?" They whispered to him, their greengreengreen eyes beseeching and imploring. "No personal betrayal, no leaving you behind like you're dirt in the dust. You would be healed and heal others."
Harry had to admit, the offer was utterly intoxicating. A vacation to anywhere? One personally offered by his eternal friend. The being in front of him was still gripping the front of him, peering curiously into his face. It was utterly impossible to not notice their pretty green eyes glittering out of their triangular face. Briefly, he wondered why Death looked like a mirror image of himself and just as quickly as he thought of it he brushed it aside. It wasn't his place to question their whims and fancies. Nor was it appropriate to practically ogle himself.
"I need to think for a bit," he breathed out in reply. "Then we'll talk." The slow smile spreading across their face and the faint chilly wisp of their breath had Harry involuntarily shiver. He didn't notice that the being's shape was changing, misting in an out of him like a ghost as they gripped at him. Nor did he notice that he was being pushed against the wall until the sharp, hot stone pressed into his back with a twinge of pain.
"And if I convince you?" their shape was changing before his very eyes, jaw bones lengthening and widening, shoulder size and height increasing until they towered over him by over a foot. Their eyes softened and warmed to a light amber color that could be mistaken for topaz.
"I-" he wasn't really given a chance to think before their face descended onto his, cool lips covering his own. He was startled into closing his eyes at the contact, instinctively wrapping his arms around the being's neck as they wrapped his legs around their waist. The kiss was just as intoxicating as their whiskey eyes, both cool and warm as their chilly aura wrapped around his own protectively. They gently nibbled at his lower lip, swiping their tongue over it.
Harry surrendered with a sigh, fondness for the entity warming his chest. He had suspected that they would have done this eventually, though he had thought they would do it in a slightly different way. His fingers tightened in the being's hair, his own mouth pressing firmly back and opening slightly for them to thoroughly own. He shuddered slightly as they swept their tongue over his own demandingly, the muscles entwining. Harry couldn't help the soft groan that emitted from him as they sucked lightly on his tongue, before slowly lifting from him as if reluctant to do so.
He blinked dazedly into amused, light golden eyes.
"You look thoroughly debauched," they mused aloud, their tone teasing. "Hope that convinced you enough. Tell me soon, I'll even go with you."
Harry couldn't help but whimper slightly as they swiftly bent down to deliver a quick, if just as passionate kiss before dissipating into mist just as Neville Longbottom came into the room to drag the other man home.
The square-faced man blinked bemusedly at his friend, taking in Harry's rather stunned face and swollen mouth. "You okay, Harry? Your mouth is a little swollen there," he queried curiously, slightly amused as the black-haired man gave a belated jolt.
"Uh." his face reddened blotchily at the appearance of his tall friend, spluttering inelegantly as Neville grinned at him.
"If you have a lover, just say so," the brown-haired man said in clear amusement, light eyes gleaming darkly. Harry blinked dazedly at the other man, hand half-way up to his mouth. What a kiss. Now what was he supposed to do with the offer? Take it? It would be rude to not take Death up on their offer. Plus, they could potentially take it the wrong way.
Well nothing to it, he supposed. He grimaced slightly, staring at the crumbling stone in front of him-
"Harry?" Neville's voice was full of concern, and as the messy-haired man's head snapped over with an audible crack (making them both wince), Harry blinked at the mild concern in the other's face.
"I'm sorry?" he queried softly, wondering at the brief exasperation and familiar frustration that flitted over Neville's face.
"Never mind," the other man sighed, rubbing a dirty hand over his neck. He visibly heaved with the sigh, hazel eyes flicking back over to his small friend. "Ready to go back?"
"Not really," Harry grimaced at the the thought of his cluttered small home As the other man grasped his shoulder, the air twisted before them and coalesced with a loud crack of displacement. It took maybe seconds to appear before his dingy little house.