A.N. I know I should concentrate on my other story but I just couldn't get this idea out of my head. What would happen if the Horcrux was removed from Harry at early age? How will Harry's school life progress if he was a brilliant musician? How will Harry fare against his enemies if he had a blessings of death in the form a black leatherbound book.
The Fallen Angel
"Music, once admitted to the soul, becomes a sort of spirit, and never dies."– Edward Bulwar Lytton
A slap connected to his face and he was sprawled on the floor. He sniffled. Why? Why don't they ever stop? Can't they see he was crying? Can't they see his bleary eyes, his sorrowful tears? Why wouldn't they stop?
Petunia Dursley stood by the downed figure of seven years old Harry. Her face was set in an angry scowl. Her hands were on her hips, her eyes trying to erase him from existence as if he was a mere stain on a sparkling white floor.
Harry had accidentally broken a plate earlier, which was why he got slapped.
"Get up and clean this mess." she yelled, her hands twitching, wanting to be used again. Harry slowly stood up, cradling his red cheek. He stared at her eyes which just couldn't see his misery or if did then ignored it. He broke the eye contact and picked up the broken pieces of the plate. He bowed his head as a good little servant and went to the dustbin. He could still feel her hateful eyes on the back of his head.
Harry was in his cupboard, crying, sobbing. Why didn't Aunt Petunia love him like she loved Dudley? Why was she so unfair? He rubbed his bleary eyes. Why didn't they care if he cried? Why was he so alone? Why did his parents have to die? Why was it necessary for him to be beaten regularly?
His little mind was filled with so much hatred and loneliness that he didn't see his body heating up. Smoke curling around him.
"I don't want to live! I don't want to feel pain anymore! I just want to die." he whispered tiredly to himself, giving up, not realising how sad it was for a little child to want to die. His accidental magic reacted to his wish and stopped his heartbeat. Harry clutched his chest and fell on the floor. A pained gasp was the last sound he made.
Little Harry suddenly found himself in a vast room. The floor, the ceiling, the walls everything was pristine white. He looked around but there was nothing except a wooden bench thirty feet ahead of him. A woman with red fiery hair sat there. She smiled sadly at him and beckoned him towards her. He complied and started walking towards her, he didn't know why he started running for her when the woman stood up. He didn't know why he was crying as he crashed into her open arms. He didn't know why he felt so safe and loved at her bosom. He didn't know why he wrapped his little arms around her and broke down in heart wrenching sobs. It just felt right. The woman also started crying, holding him tight in her warm embrace. They remained pressed together, trying to fill the cavity of physical intimacy which he never had with a parental figure.
She finally pulled away, holding him by his shoulders. He saw her eyes. Same as his. Emerald. But he saw something unique in them which he had never seen before in anyone else's eyes for him. Love. Ample of love.
"Mum?" he asked tentatively. It felt right to call her that. It was instinctive. It was the same instinct which tells him it was stupid to put your hand on fire or not to walk infront of speeding vehicle. She nodded hysterically and pulled him in another hug. Harry was happy to oblige and put his skinny little arms around her neck. She cried on his little shoulders. She felt so angry and sad at seeing him here so early. Harry let her hug him. He liked it. He loved it.
"My Harry. I am so sad that you had to be hurt enough that you wanted to die." she sobbed, feeling miserable, feeling pathetic. Harry sniffled against his bosson. He was happy. He was finally free of that wretched life. He was with his mother. He was glad that he died. She pulled away and looked at him so lovingly that he wanted to break down again in another fit of sobs.
"Listen Harry, I don't have much time. You have to go back." she said, caressing his cheek. He gave her a betrayed look and stepped back from her. His body was trembling. He was shaking his head insistently.
"NO! I will not go back. I want to be with you. I want to be with you forever."
Lily seemed as if was going to break down in tears again. She quickly explained to him that he was a wizard and a dark wizard by the name of Voldemort tried to kill him after killing her and his father. She revealed the secret of his scar. She revealed that there was a part of Voldemort's soul latched in his scar. She informed him that the horcrux wasn't there anymore. She was going to reveal more about Horcruxes when a thunderous sound filled the room. It was a warning from lady Death. Lily seemed enraged but complied with Death's wish. She had given her a chance to be with her Harry even though it was only for a few moments, she wasn't going to be an ungrateful human. She couldn't tell him anything necessary and it appeared that her time to go back was near. She quickly pulled out a book from nowhere and placed it in his hands. Lady Death had asked her to give him that. She had consoled her that it would help Harry. That it will make him strong enough to protect himself.
"Treasure it Harry. Learn everything from it. It will help you to survive. It is the only thing I can give you right now." she said cupping his face and gazing at those sad green eyes. Harry looked reluctant, suddenly he smiled. His smile was the brightest thing she had ever seen. It was full of hope and confidence. It looked so damn cute on his face. But the next words out of his mouth caused her heart to break in a million pieces.
"What if I kill myself again? Then I will be able to be with you." he said hopefully. She felt her arms shaking, for an instance she thought to just forget everything else and agree with him so she could capture him in an eternal hug, never let him go, never let him get hurt again. She shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks. She couldn't do that to him. She shouldn't be selfish and take away his chance to live a long life.
"No my dear. Don't do that. Don't let others defeat you. Don't let others take away your will to live. There is so much to see in the beautiful world. There is so much to experience. Please don't lose to those bastards." she pleaded to him.
"But I want to be with you." he said childishly. It was so hard to push down the selfish desire to agree with him. She also wanted to be with him. She also wanted to whisk him away to James and live happily forever as a family in the afterlife. She placed a kiss on his forehead.
"I will always be with you Harry. I will be always watching over you." she said, pulling him in her arms. She touched his chest. "I will be here Harry. So close to you. Forever." her lips curved into a teary smile.
Harry reluctantly nodded. She half laughed and half cried as she hugged him again tightly. A small part of her was sad that he agreed. She wanted him to protest more and maybe her vile, selfish heart would have won over her conscience. Maybe she would have carried him in her arms back to James where her family wouldn't be separated again.
"You are strong, Harry. You will grow more strong. And please don't cry all the time. It hurts me so much seeing you cry. Try to smile more. You have a very beautiful smile. Don't let anyone take away your smile. Don't let anyone take away your will to live. Your smile is your hope, never let anybody snuff it." she patted his head. Harry nodded. She ruffled his hair, trying very hard not to pull him in another crushing hug.
"It is time to wake up my dear. Always remember Harry that I, Lily Potter and your father James Potter love you very much. We love you more than anyone or anything. You are our greatest treasure. You are our most precious thing. Always remember that. You are loved, Harry, more than you can imagine." she said, her voice trembling. She placed a sweet kiss on his cheek and then Harry was suddenly yanked away from the realm of death.
Harry was lying in his cupboard. A book was on the floor, beside him. A hollow feeling was subsiding in his body. It felt like waking after years of sleeping. His body was relaxed and rejuvenated. He removed his glasses and he was surprised to see the world more sharply than he ever did. His vision was perfect. He touched his scar but there was nothing on his forehead, not even a faded line. It was free of any blemish. A grim smile appeared on his face. He recalled the meeting with his mother and the tears freely fell from his eyes. He was happy, the happiest he had ever been but then why was he crying? Why did it feel as if someone was squeezing his heart? He hid his face in his palms and let his sorrow out. How amazing it felt to be in his mother's presence. How soft and warm her body was when he hugged her. How her encompassing love made him feel the best he ever felt but it was gone now. At least for now. He shook his head. He won't cry, at least not all the time. He knew that sometimes you had to cry to ease the pain but he won't be that kind of boy who cries every time even at the slightest misfortune. He curled his lips into a smile. His hope. He will follow his mother's advice and will try to smile most of the time. He will remember her beautiful face every time he smiled. He will recall her teary warm smile while doing it. He slowly sat up and put the book on his lap. The book was a black leatherbound book. 'BOOK OF DEATH' was written in cursive red letters over the smooth black cover.
The next few weeks passed as it did before. He had to do chores, he had to hide away from Dudley and his gang at school, he was subject to some minor physical abuse when he made some mistake. But everyone around him noticed a change. Harry Potter never cried. His lips were always set in a smile, no matter what. Some people found it extremely disturbing and creepy.
Harry meanwhile was reading the book everynight in the cupboard.
Death point, the specific point from which the soul escapes the body after death. Every living being has this point. But it is different for every being. For some it may be on their forehead and for others it may be on their chest. It is not specific. It can be anywhere on the body. There is a way to eject the soul from a body forcefully. To make it leave its body. To make it die. To kill.
Harry at first had been shocked to find that the book taught different ways to kill. Then he had decided he would learn it, his mother has advised him to treasure the book and he will follow his mother's wish like a good boy.
Currently, Harry was walking around the playground, enjoying his free time. His lips were pulled into a content smile as he watched the sun dipping down the horizon. It was beautiful, he thought innocently. He had never realised that before but there was beauty everywhere and in everyone. You just had to look patiently and closely. The way the crimson faded into the darkness, the way the sun lost its heat was gorgeous. Aesthetic. He had started to see goodness in everything since his talk with his mother. He would have thought that all of it was a dream if not for the solid proof of the book. He was in a conundrum regarding the book. He was pretty sure that killing was a bad thing, and most probably the opposite of beauty. Then, why did his mother give him something so strange to him, something so contradictive to her views? He had learned a few things from the book, mostly about killing in different ways. But he had decided against using it on anybody. He would be lying if he said that the thought of killing his relatives never crossed his mind. But were their actions evil enough to be sentenced to death. He didn't think so. They were bad, obviously. But death was too unfair for them. He would like to hurt them...only a little but the book only had ways to kill and he wasn't going to use that on anybody without any good reason. He was so lost in his daydreaming that he didn't see Dudley and his friends coming towards his direction.
A friend of Dudley pushed him back. Harry was caught unaware and fell down on his butt. Dudley and his gang laughed. Harry tried to repress his fear and anger as he slowly stood up with a bowed head and tried to walk past them but Dudley was in a mood today.
"Whoever punches the freak first gets a chocolate bar from me." Dudley announced giddily. Harry didn't wait for them to advance on him and ran away the way he came from. He ran as fast as he could with the yellings and laughter following him. But unexpectedly, he slipped on a plastic wrapper on the road and fell down on his stomach. He fumbled to get back on his feet but a kick from behind threw him forward on the stony road. Harry winced, pain radiating through his stomach.
"Freak!" "Freak!" "Freak!" Dudley and his friends chanted and laughed, forming a circle around him, trapping him inside. Harry pulled his knees inward, making his already small body as small as he could. Trying not to cry, he closed his eyes. He grunted when they started kicking him. He bit his lip, stifling a scream of frustration. Why couldn't they just leave him alone? Why did they always have to make him suffer? His helplessness and anger overcame his sense and he started the first step to kill. His fingers were suddenly enveloped by dark...light, more like shadows. The kicks abruptly stopped. A haunting melody suddenly started playing around them. Harry gasped as he felt himself lost in the strange otherworldly music. The melody was so beautiful yet so sad that he felt himself tearing up. He tentatively rose to his feet, his emerald eyes alight, black shadows dancing on his fingers. He looked at the sky, hoping to see angels bestowing him with this unique melody. All the children were looking horrified, they all had taken a step back. Their eyes were wide with fear, though they were unaware why they were scared. They couldn't see the black flames which radiated death, they couldn't hear the death music but they could at least feel the danger. The atmosphere surrounding them turned chilly. Their bodies froze from the fear of the unknown.
"Ha..arry!" Dudley gasped. Harry turned his head, looking at Dudley who was on his knees, his face pale, his eyes brimming with tears.
'I can kill them. Step two will show me their death points, then step three will be just to touch that point with this shadow flame. They will die instantly, their souls ejected from the body. But I don't want to kill them. They haven't done anything bad enough to deserve death yet.' He thought absent-mindedly as he hummed the angelic tune.
Harry closed his eyes, stopping the sequence of action. The air was warm again, his eyes were again back to normal. The shadow flame was gone. Unfortunately the music was also gone. Harry felt the jarring absence. The children ran away quickly, giving him frightened looks. Harry meanwhile sat on his butt, gazing at the evening sky, he again started step one of the death point method but this time not in a fit of anger but in the hope of hearing that strange melody again. His lips stretched into a wide smile as the music came back. The strange, cruel music which only he could hear. He stared at the shadows dancing on his fingers while getting drowned in the haunting melody.
He had for the first time used the method from the book, though he had stopped at step one only. He didn't want to kill anybody yet and hopefully he never has to kill anyone in future. But he was at least going to use it to hear the hypnotising tune. His eyes gleamed at a new thought.
'A new discovery. Activating step one can scare others. I can use that to my advantage. No need to ignore opportunities.' The selfish thought brought joy to his heart.
Harry stopped the step one as the darkness reigned in the sky. How many minutes or hours had passed while he was lost in this angelic melody? Night was finally here. The Durselys won't appreciate getting their dinner late. He absolutely hated the absence of the strange melody but he knew he couldn't continue the step one of death point method all day. He sighed and got on his feet, preparing to go home.
In the moonlight of the full moon, dozens of female figures were arranged into a circle, inside the Stonehenge. They were chanting in their own language, praying and singing, showing their gratitude to these lands which had housed them for millennia before they had their own realm. Tonight was 'Féile na Gealaí', a festival the fairies celebrated once in every twenty years. For only this festival, the fairies along with their queen left Elphame to visit this very site, where once they resided, when the humans were few and far away from this place.
The fairies were beautiful with their identical snow white hair and crimson translucent wings. The unique thing about them was that there was no male fairy or an old fairy. There were fairy children but every adult fairy looked no older than 20. It appeared as if they stopped aging after that. Except their facial structure and their eyes, all had similar body build.
They all had their eyes closed as they waved their hands in particular motion while chanting and singing. Maybe that was why they didn't see the danger approaching them. A group of 10 wizards were closing on them with their wands raised.
"Incarcerous." one whispered and the rope flew towards the queen of fairies. The rope wrapped around her torso and propelled her backward. She fell down with a surprised yelp which warned other fairies.
"Queen!" they yelled. The ten wizards were running towards them and trying to apprehend them with the same spell. There were screaming and running around her. Some fairies dodged the ropes but some fell to that spell. The queen kept her calm and muttered something in her language, all the fairies suddenly disappeared in a silver flash of light, transported to their world, safe and sound. Though one fairy, the youngest one was captured by a wizard.
The queen looked at her sadly. Unlike others, this child fairy was too young to be marked with her magic. She was less than ten years old and not old enough to be marked by her magic. There was no way to save her. The young child looked at her, asking for help, struggling in the hold of a wizard. Her leaf green eyes dripping tears on her chubby cheeks.
The thing about fairies was that they were very weak creatures compared to wizards. They were creatures of pure magic but didn't have the power to wield it. They were just beautiful exotic species who excelled in healing magic and were brilliant in hiding themselves.
The gateway which connected their world with the Stonehenge was destroyed the moment the wizards entered the ward created by the queen. The secrecy of their world was the top priority for every fairy. The ward was created such that even if an animal entered inside it, the gateway would be blocked temporarily so to keep their realm a secret and out of reach to any other species.
The queen had used most of her power to teleport and save her people but one fairy child was still in danger. The queen needed to make a hard decision as she dodged the Wizard's spells. She could either leave the child behind and teleport to her realm or she could open the gateway and bring the wizards to their realm and deal with them there. However much she wanted to kill these arrogant wizards, she wasn't going to bring them to her world and taint it. And fighting the wizards here was going to be a failure as she wasn't powerful enough to fight them all. The queen was now in her true form, gone was the human sized woman with red wings, now she was a small ten inches fairy, dancing in the mid-air, avoiding the spells, her small stature helping her very much.
"Fly away child when I give you this prized power. I don't have the power to bring you back home. Survive, dear child. Survive twenty years and come here again, then when our world is connected to this place again, you will be able to return home." the queen yelled in her native language.
"Sorry, child." the queen murmured, looking at her damp eyes and nodded in farewell. With a silver flash, she was gone.
The child who was captured by the wizard suddenly shrunk. The seven year old fairy was given the true form by the queen.
"What-" the wizard yelled in surprise as the fairy child flew away.
"Catch her!" the others yelled. The crying small fairy barely dodged the spells as she flew higher and higher. She flew so high that the Stonehenge looked like a tiny dot from this height. The child hung in the air and sobbed, she was stranded in this unfamiliar world.
With tears still spilling from her eyes, she flew away with no destination in her mind.
Harry was watching the girl with childish wonder as she played the piano in the music classroom. He was standing by the door as he stared at her. He didn't really know why but he was attracted to this class when he heard the soft piano music. Since he had heard the evangelical melody while starting the three steps to death method, his appreciation for music had increased tenfold. He didn't know why he was smiling and bobbing his head to the soft tune. Suddenly, the music stopped and he opened his eyes to see the girl staring at him curiously.
"Who are you?" she asked, not rudely. Harry sheepishly entered the class where she was sitting on a stool, in front of the piano.
"I am Harry Potter. Sorry, I was just listening to your music. I didn't mean to disturb you." Harry said, scratching his head nervously.
"Oh? How was my music?" she asked, pressing the bridge of her glasses.
"You were brilliant. It was very good." Harry said enthusiastically and honestly. This brought a huge smile on the girl's face.
"Thank you. My name is Ella Johnson. I am a Piano prodigy. At least that's what my parents and teachers say." she said proudly, standing up and pushing her right arm forward.
"Ah, nice to meet you." Harry said, grabbing her hand in a quick handshake.
"Take a seat and you can listen comfortably. The break is going to be over in just five minutes anyway." she said to him, pointing to a chair. Harry mumbled a thank you and sat on the chair and enjoyed the soft piano melody she played. After break they both went to their respective classes. They both were in the same grade but different classes.
"See you tomorrow, Harry." she said waving her hand. Harry nodded happily and waved back.
A.N. Hope you enjoyed it. The angelic melody which Harry hears at starting of 'Three steps to death' method is a song named 'Lilium' by Kumiko Numa from Elfen Lied. Check it out, it is really a strange and beautiful song.
Unfortunately, this story is in its beginning stage so there will be no updates in near future. Consider it as a trailer. I am not going to make the same mistake of instantly updating chapters as I write it. I will only start uploading when I have many chapters already written and ending planned.