Annette Haynie
BUTTERFLIES AND CHAOS
Hello! This is my first fanfic, so bear with me as I get the hang of it! This will be a do-over fic, but this chapter may be used in several stories to explore the different options- see form MOD-1A below:)
Chapter 1
It had started the first time Harry slept after the battle of Hogwarts. Harry woke every morning with dreams filled with flashes of the ghostly Kings Cross station and the Deathly Hallows' symbol enflamed, burning brightly across his eyes. On the seventh minute of the seventh hour of the seventh day that this occurred, Harry woke up with a start and was suddenly holding the Elder Wand in his right hand, the Resurrection Stone in his left, with the Cloak of Invisibility floating around his shoulders. Suddenly, the Wand and Stone burst into dust, which shimmered as it floated to rest along his skin, and the cloak melted into his back until all he knew were the flames consuming his very soul and pain pain pain-
And his sweet release came in the form of the shadows, which had slowly crept up from the corners and coalesced into one tall, skeletal presence.
Death
In a discordant, sibilant voice that defied identity and yet was everyone in existence, the being spoke.
"Hello, my darling Master." The shadows melted into the background until there stood an androgynous figure, slim and willowy with smooth black hair and translucent skin, and eyes that were completely blackened throughout and stared into Harry's soul-
And then suddenly they stood on a dais in an underground room, of which the centerpiece was a large set of gleaming silver scales. On one side of the scale was a feather, the other side was a mass of green, silver, and black, with small red strands interspersed throughout./p
"Death?" Harry asked uncertainly, brain working furiously to explain the situation in which he found himself./p
"Very good, Master. Now, calm down. The scales have no bearing on you yet." Death soothed.
"But I-" Harry took a deep breath. "I thought the whole "Master of Death" thing was just part of the legend, I mean- what does that even mean? Why am I here? Wait, wait, wait, what even is here?" Harry spewed in a stream of consciousness.
With a wave of their hand, two soft chairs popped into existence, and Death took the one closest to them. "Well, now that your transformation is complete, it means a great many things, most of which will take a very long time to explain. For now, only the immediate is your concern." With that, Death snapped their fingers and a scroll appeared, long spidery fingers carefully unrolling it, then re-rolling it and sealing it with the wax that had appeared atop the table next to Death's arm. They extended the scroll to Harry, who, after a moment's consideration, carefully took the scroll and held it with both hands.
"I shall return you to your space now, darling Master. Consider your options, then we shall meet again." And then Harry's vision went black, and-
pain pain pain-
come to die? -
Itty Bitty Baby Potter –
kill the spate –
the boy, use the boy -
Not Harry, please, not my baby –
And then the world stopped. Harry's eyes flew open, and instead of the blobs he saw without his glasses, everything appeared in bright colors, crystal clear as he had never seen before- and then he saw the scroll still clutched in his hands. Curiosity won out among exhaustion and phantom pain and shaking hands and the parchment went crick crick crack as it was rolled out and smoothed atop Harry's bed.
FORM MOD-1A
SUBJECT ID – HJP31071980-D182
NAME – Harrison James Potter
b. 31 July 1980
d. N/A
w. Universe D-182
As Master of Death, your first decision will help you acclimatize to the duties that come with the position./p
select ONE of the following options for your future. Remember, the form will accept you answer as soon as you sign, so make sure you have picked the right option! Further forms may be required based on your choice, and Death is available via telepathic communication for any questions you may have./p
_ Continue in current life, make another choice at next death
_ Time Travel 1A – 4B (further forms required)
_ Death 1A – 1B (further forms/instruction may be required)
_ Other (only available after 3 lifetimes or Death 1B)
Subject Signature Date
Deity Signature - 𝕯𝖊𝖆𝖙𝖍
Harry stared, stared, and stared some more before blinking and rubbing a hand down his face. He shook his head, then rolled the scroll back up and set it on his desk. For once, he was able to choose, and he didn't quite know what to do with these options. After all, he was only seventeen, and now he was supposed to make a major decision like this? He needed Hermione, but it was about 4 am and he knew she hadn't slept well since their sixth year. Not to mention, she was at the Burrow with Ron, and planned to go find her parents and reverse her memory charm in a few days.
For the past week, Harry had been holed up in 12 Grimmauld Place, cleaning with Kreacher (who cooperated well enough now that his final task from Regulus had been completed) and slowly redecorating from the most useful room to the most useless. Walburga's curtains were sealed shut with a permanent sticking charm and the wall was then removed and replaced. The bathrooms were all cleaned and de-infested, so Harry stumbled his way into one, suddenly finding his center of gravity off. After splashing his face with cold water, he looked up into the mirror and gasped.
"So, this is what they meant by "transformation." Harry mused.
to be continued...