Happy Friday!

Chapter 81

The eve of Jasmine's birthday was a loud affair. Euphemia invited most of Jasmine's friends from school, along with Petunia, Mikhail, Theo and Blaise, though Blaise couldn't make it due to familial obligations back in the states, for a small party. The party started in the early afternoon and was due to end close to seven. Jasmine had told her guardians that she didn't want any kind of celebration. Though, she didn't go into details. Her family's ritual was supposed to be a secret and she didn't want James or Sirius attempting to figure out it before she could actually get to her casting grounds at midnight.

Euphemia had ignored her plea for a quiet evening, which at its core was fine, but she had to know that Jasmine was going to come into some kind of inheritance tonight. Though, her guardian might have been trying to distract her from worrying about it. She didn't get to see all of her friends together in one place very often. It was nice to see everyone laughing and having a good time before the war really started. Jasmine didn't even know if everyone was going to survive the war. She was going to do her best to make sure that happened, but there was never any guarantee.

Her Slytherin friends, and Mikhail had congregated to a window seat as they chatted. Marianna had come from France just for the occasion, her engagement ring was resting on her fourth finger proudly. She was planning to marry the Zabini Heir in December. Regulus was next to Mikhail, who had his arm around the younger Black brother. Severus was making various motions with his arms as he explained something to group their full attention on him. The future potions master had really started to come out of his shell. Rumor had it that he was going take an apprenticeship with one of Monty's contacts after Hogwarts. Jasmine couldn't remember her name, but she was a very successful Irish potions master with multiple patents for her creations. Monty tended to work with her directly when he'd run into a problem with his experimental brews.

Lily, Petunia, Pandora and Alice had been at the table with Jasmine and Theo for last hour. Sadly, Pandora had to leave early due to some familial obligations. Her seer friend winked to Jasmine on her way out, wishing her good luck.

Theo was sitting next to her, signing away as he ate. "You do realize that the rest of your family is just as curious as your cousin to see your inheritance ritual?" Theo teased as he brought a fork full of cake to his mouth. He had mentioned that this was one of the few perks to not being able to speak. He never had to worry about talking with his mouth full.

That thought hadn't really crossed her mind…then again even as Harriet, she had never been curious about other family's inheritance rituals. They weren't her problem. But, she had come to realize that most Noble Houses wanted to know what secrets the other families were hiding.

Jasmine put her fork down. She had been playing with the last bit of icing left on her plate for nearly ten minutes. "You could be right. The Peverell Family has kept this ritual secret for hundreds of years."

"Do you have everything prepared?"

Jasmine raised an eyebrow and he shrugged, his long hair spilling over his shoulder, unapologetically. He had to ask. Theo always asked, in every life she made it to seventeen if she was ready to take the official mantel of Master of Death. It wasn't that she wasn't already the Master of Death in spirit, this is just made it official in the current timeline, but with this body it theoretically would be different since she had direct Peverell blood.

"I like to think so. Death is very excited." She signed back, not wanting her friends and family to really know what she was saying. It would cause far too much trouble.

"It is never a good thing if that creature is excited. It almost killed you a couple months ago."

She was about to reply when Sirius, James and Remus came bounding into the room, excitement rolling off of them in waves. "Jazz! Come on! We have a surprise for you! It's finally dark enough for it!"

Jasmine rolled her eyes and mumbled an apology to Theo, who saluted her with his fork, as she left the table. He made no move to follow her outside.

Traitor.

Naturally, the Marauders made something loud and obnoxious for her surprise. They had created a lovely display of homemade fireworks. The boys ushered everyone outside, even the Slytherins came to watch, grumbling as they settled outside. Jasmine took a seat on the grass and watched as James had Lily light one, his arms around her waist and his head on her shoulder as she brought the tip of her wand to the end of wick. She was laughing as he pulled her back as the firework shot into the air, zigzagging around and creating patterns as it exploded.

Remus brought Petunia up to light the next one, which was kind of him. Sirius was glaring at Mikhail, who was ignoring him while whispering something to Regulus that had him blushing. The grass rustled next to her and Jasmine looked up to see Euphemia settling in next to her. Monty was supervising the Marauders by the fireworks. "Are you enjoying your party? I know that you would rather have nothing at all, but this is my last time to spoil you as a minor," Euphemia explained, tucking a stray grey hair behind her ear. "I've been able to make James' life as carefree as possible. Monty and I grew up during wars and we never wanted James to experience the loss we did, and yet another one is on the horizon. On the other hand, you spent most of your life suffering loss after loss. I doubt there was much to smile about when you were captive."

Jasmine let out a small sigh as one of the larger fireworks flew into the air and created a rather impressive Hungarian Horntail out of the sparks. Jasmine turned to look at Euphemia, she had a few more wrinkles around her mouth than she remembered being there at the start of the year. The poor woman didn't need any more stress added onto her shoulders. She should at least know the fantastic job she did of making Jasmine's transition easier.

"The Chesters didn't allow for much celebration. It wasn't something they would have approved of. Only the thrill of battle was supposed to bring me joy. You and Monty have made me feel at home here, which is something I will never be able to repay you enough for. I have always felt a part of this family, which isn't something I say lightly. Thank you," Jasmine replied, a small smile gracing her lips as the final couple of fireworks went off, signaling the end of the show and also the end of the party.

"You never need to thank us, Jasmine. You are as much a part of this family as James is. I think of you as my daughter."

Which was the best gift that Jasmine could honestly ever ask for.

Guest started to either file out or go up to the second floor to stay the night. Theo would be staying for the night before he started his year abroad for a personal healer's journey sponsored by his tribe's elders. He was also planning on using this time to look for horcruxes as well as study. Which was nice, since Jasmine was going to all over the world for the next year. There was no way that she was going to have time to hunt them all down. She would give him some of the basilisk venom to use on the cursed items that he'd find. Jasmine knew that he also wanted to watch a true Peverell inheritance, he'd never say it out loud, but that was something that he definitely wanted to witness. Jasmine wouldn't be surprised if he also wanted to see Death, just to tell the deity to jump off a cliff.

Mikhail would be spending the night as well, he had a portkey to catch in the morning and didn't feel like renting a room out somewhere else, when there was plenty of space at Potter Manor for him. He had also mentioned that he wanted to see her after her inheritance, since he'd never seen her magic act out. Jasmine wasn't sure if anything was even going to happen in that regard, it hadn't occurred in her other lives, but she had a feeling that this time it would be more potent of an inheritance.

Unsurprisingly, Sirius was staying the night because he's codependent and needs James' constant attention. Not to mention that he was also nosy little shit. Remus wouldn't be joining the boys for a sleepover this evening, but then again, he wasn't staying because he had an appointment with a private healer in the morning.

Petunia and Lily were leaving, though Petunia would be back in two days for their trip. From what Jasmine understood her friend still had a lot of packing to do.

The evening quickly turned to night and slowly but surely, the witching hour was slowly creeping up on Jasmine. She knew that she was going to need to head out to the grounds without an audience following. Jasmine had already changed into her ceremonial robes that she had special ordered months ago. They were pure white, and Jasmine could only describe the material as flowy as it swished with every movement she made. She wasn't wearing shoes and her hair was loose, long waves spilling down to her midback. Jasmine would prefer to have it tied up or in a braid, but Death was particular about this.

She could sense James and Sirius hiding in the hall under the invisibility cloak outside of her room. Jasmine flopped onto her bed, the quilt she had sitting at the bottom of the bed spread out under her, as she let out a quiet huff.

Jasmine was not letting those two follow her out or let them try to break into her room at midnight. She searched her room for a better way out. This was something that she needed to do on her own.

A small scratching noise drew Jasmine's gaze to the window. Ro was pacing across her windowsill, nudging her nose against the glass, her paw near the latch. She pulled herself off the bed and opened the window. Ro meowed and jumped down her mischievous eyes lighting up as she hopped down out of the third story and onto the balcony below. Jasmine swore the cat grinned at her as it pranced on the railing.

Clever cat…

Jasmine hiked her dress robe up and pushed herself onto the sill. The drop wasn't that far…she slowly lowered herself down the outer wall and let herself drop. She quietly landed on the balcony, knees bent deep to avoid hurting her legs. Her bare feet making a small, but audible pat on the stone below.

She still had another floor to go before she reached the ground level. She repeated this process one more time, landing just as softly. Jasmine peered over the edge of the second balcony and noticed that the landing below was just the backyard, so at least her fall would be cushioned. Jasmine took one look to the area above her and saw Theo watching her from his room a few balconies down, he was dressed in muggle sleepwear. Loose fitting sweats and some kind of faded t-shirt, hair loose. He waved with a wink as she rolled her eyes.

Ro hissed, brining her attention back to the matter at hand. Her cat took another leap and Jasmine followed closely behind, going into a roll to kill some of the momentum from the fall. She dusted some of the grass off her knees and stood up. Jasmine looked up to her room and found the widow open, but no one was peering out, so for now, she was alone as she made her way towards the side of the pitch she had built her casting grounds on.

Jasmine imaged she looked like a phantom crossing the grounds of the Manor in a pure white dress in the middle of the night. She silently walked past the pitch and made it to her ritual grounds. She could feel the moment she stepped over the wards, her foot brushing one of the stones, activating them. Each stone in the carefully laid circle began to glow as midnight approached, a wall of light stretching higher and higher as seconds ticked away.

Jasmine watched the walls climb past her with a detached fascination as she looked towards the sky, the waning crescent moon becoming visible as the clouds blew past it. Crickets and various creatures of the night were chirping and rustling about, not knowing what was about to come. She almost felt bad for animals of the Manor, almost.

She could feel the moment the air began to change.

It wouldn't be long now.

Jasmine knelt on the ground, her dress pooling around her as the wind began to pick up and the humid summer air began to chill.

As frost started to cover the grass around her, the animals grew silent, it was then that she heard the rush of footsteps approaching.

They were fairly far off, but there was nothing they could do to help or stop what was about to happen. They wouldn't even be able to see what was about to occur. Inside the circle below her the Peverell Family Crest appeared, the symbol of the Deathly Hallows, and in the center of it was Jasmine and the slowly defining form of Death.

The air temperature continued to drop as the figure in front of Jasmine formed, creating the Deity before her. Death's black hooded robe was pulled up and the scythe was nowhere to be found today.

Death knelt before her, their knees essentially touching through the fabric of their contrasting robes. The Deity took a pale finger and slid it under Jasmine's chin, tipping her head up. He brought his face towards hers and whispered only loud enough for her to hear. "You have been chosen once more to wield a fraction of my power as your own. I have once again been chosen to accept a piece of your humanity in exchange to maintain the balance that magic desperately needs. Do you accept this boon, Heir Peverell?"

He allowed her a modicum of movement, but never removed his hand from her face. The scene must look odd to an outsider. Theo had mentioned that this was odd to watch since no one outside of the Heir inside could see Death. It just looked like she was kneeling the glowing center of a ritual circle staring up at the sky.

"I do. Do you Death, accept the boon of humanity by bestowing a mortal the title Master of Death, and allowing you to feel and understand the souls you reap?" She asked back, just ask quietly.

Jasmine could see the grin on Death's chalky lips as the Deity leaned forward, pressing them against Jasmine's for the briefest of moments. They were ice cold and completely unfeeling. She felt a piece of herself tear, a piece of her very soul rip, and something cold, foreign and inhuman was knitted in its place. Jasmine's magic pulsed for the briefest of moments as Death's magic completely integrated with hers.

The light in the circle began to steadily grow brighter and brighter to the point Jasmine could no longer see the details outside of the circle. Death pulled away his finger lingering on Jasmine's chin. There was an added warmth to the tips that hadn't been there a moment ago. "The deal is set, and our souls are bound fully once more, my Master. I expect great things from you. Don't disappoint me. I will check in with you soon."

In a flash of light, the Deity was gone, and Jasmine felt herself crumple under the weight of the new magic settling into her skin. She was breathing heavily as the wards slowly lowered. Jasmine was sprawled out on the grass, her magic still pulsing every now and again as her body adjusted to the change. She wouldn't be surprised if her eyes were glowing. She finally felt right. Her magic was finally leveling off properly.

The walls around her slowly lowered, the ritual coming to an end. She could hear the noise from the outside world again. The nightlife in the area resuming its normal cacophony of sounds.

"Jazz!"

Ah, she had forgotten about her audience. Jasmine wasn't even sure how many people were watching.

James and Sirius came into view first, their concerned faces obscuring her view of the night sky. Sirius was a horrific shade of white, he looked close to passing out as he loomed over her. James had a hand on Sirius' arm, but didn't seem nearly as distressed.

"I told you not to worry. I'm not dead."

She wasn't even sure if she could properly stand yet. In the past it had taken a few hours of laying on the ground before she could gather the strength to do so. Theo and Blaise were usually there to help her out. Though, Theo was still more than likely hiding in the manor, letting the Marauders take his place.

Sirius' arms wrapped around her shoulders and under her knees and lifted her up, easily carrying her.

She grumbled as they walked back across the yard. "It was a wicked looking ritual. I will give you that, Jazz. It was quite the light show. Mum and dad more than likely watched from their room. Padfoot was panicking the entire time."

Jasmine could feel his pulse quicken as his arms tightened around her. "A lot of things can go wrong during these rituals. Jazz doesn't have a family to back her up in case something happened that she wasn't expecting. Someone needed to be concerned about the magic she was playing with."

James nudged his friend, "You can just admit you were worried about her, Padfoot. No one is going to fault you for that."

Sirius muttered something under his breath. "Go back to your room Prongs, I'll drop Jazz off at hers."

James grumbled a goodnight, they were all only a door or so down from each other. Sirius had his own room next to James' and Jasmine's was nearby. It wasn't necessarily proper for someone who wasn't family to enter Jasmine's room unaccompanied, but James trusted Sirius and had no idea they were seeing each other.

Poor bastard.

Sirius entered her room and sat her down on the bed before drawing his wand on her. "I'm only going to ask this once. Who are you and why are you wearing the face of Jasmine Peverell?"

And the plot thickens! I've been so excited to share this chapter with you! Death is one of my favorite characters and now we are finally getting to see just how much Sirius knows. =3

Anyway, how have all of you been? It has been a crazy past two weeks in the especially in the US, but all around the world as well. I hope everyone is staying safe or at least taking some time for themselves every now and then. Protests and standing up for your rights is important, but so is making sure that you're staying healthy to continue toppling insufficient, racist social structures! Small moments of escape are okay. Mental health is important! Fight for change everyone! =D

Thank you so much for your reviews, favorites and follows.

I will see you all again soon,
~Animerocker