Harry Potter sat on the train across from Ron Weasley on their way to their first year at Hogwarts. Both boys sat quietly eating the sweets Harry had bought only moments ago, when a strange green light wrapped itself around him.
It felt cold and familiar, like he had been here before. Wait, Here! He didn't think he was on the express anymore. The atmosphere was wet and clammy. He sat on a soft lounge chair in what appeared to be someone's sitting room. In front of him was a soft fire that glowed green like the light that had surrounded him moments ago. It was eerie when he thought about it.
Then a soft disembodied voice broke his train of thought, "Hello, Harry, it has been quiet for some time since I last saw you. I hope you are well?" The voice came from the skeleton wearing a black dress that looked like it belonged in the Victorian era.
"Ah... err... we- we've met?" Harry asked looking at the lady, or at least he figured it was a lady, seeing how it was a skeleton wearing a dress.
"Oh yes, dear. I am Death and your mother gave her life on the night of All Hallows Eve to grant you amenity to the spell known as the killing curse. Child, it was neither her nor your time to die. She hoped to give you a leg up on the big bads of your world and as a mother myself I granted her wish. They cannot kill you through the means of my spell, but other ways do still apply." Lady Death told him as she fixed him a cup of tea from the tea tray he hadn't noticed earlier.
"So, I can die, but not by the Killing curse? Okay, neat, but why the heck did you bring me here? I mean, why not let me figure it out on my own?" Harry said he was really confused about the whole situation. He took a sip of the tea she had given him. It was lemon ginger with honey. At least she knew how to make excellent tea.
She nodded her head at his questions and pushed a tin of biscuits his way. "Well, every so often the person who is Death, becomes exhausted of just existing and stirs the pot so to speak. I will help you out and in the meantime I get adequate entertainment." She told him so matter of fact, as if she were discussing the weather, not messing with humanity.
"Okay, so can you keep me from going back to the Dursley's this summer?" Harry asked. She gave him a low laugh that made his skin crawl.
"No my dear, return to keep that meddling old man from having an anxiety attack and then placing himself so far up your rear you can't see straight. But I can make sure they leave you alone and you get what you need during your scheduled holiday. I will also teach you some magic they wouldn't dream of teaching you at that school of yours. What do you say, Harry, want to be the next best wizard in history? Do you want to change the world and mold it into something better than it was yesterday?"
Harry looked at his tea and half eaten biscuit, "I don't have to hurt anyone right? I can still be friends with Ron and be a normal wizard, right?"
She leaned forward and placed her boney hand on his shoulder, "Of course you can be friends with Ron and no you don't have to hurt anyone, but you must understand you have never been and never can be normal, my dear." He wasn't expecting that to be her answer, but it relieved him he could finally count on someone on his side.
"Yeah, okay. I'll let you teach me and help me be great, but we gotta take Ron with us." He said because obviously Ron would be his friend no matter what and he would do the same for him.
"Well, with that settled I believe you should get back before your missed." She said, and he was back on the express sitting across from Ron who was snoring lightly.