Chapter 2- A deal with Death
When Harry came to consciousness, the first thing he felt was that the place was very beautiful. It felt so peaceful here.
Harry knew that he was dead. In the short life he lead he knew that no place could be so beautiful especially to him . Other than the fact that he felt a great weight lifted was feeling a bit wobbly. His eyes had healed and his glasses were not there but he could see very clearly. He looked down and saw that he was looking emaciated rather than short and scruffy image he had come to know of himself. He had put on a bit of mass and had grown three inches.
He was bought out of his musings when he heard a whimper. He turned and was horrified to see a weird baby thingy .
" You cannot do much for him my Lord" , a voice said. Harry turned around to see a motherly looking women looking at him with a kind smile on her face. He didn't know why but he felt instantly at ease with her.
" Hm hello??" said Harry .
The women laughed a tinkling laugh and he suddenly felt silly. "You are too sweet for your own liking my Lord. Walk with me will you??" she pointed towards an arch.
" Huh, forgive me for asking madam but who are you?? And why are you calling me my Lord??", questioned Harry .
"Oh , I think you can identify me my lord. An old friend of every living entity".
Harry frowned thoughtfully and realisation dawned on him. "You are death aren't you??" he asked. Death smiled a beautiful smile and clapped happily. "Right in one my Lord". " Why on earth are you calling me a lord Mrs uhm miss ahm...".
Death giggles prettily to his awkward fumbling. "I am calling you my Lord is because you are my Lord Harry. You are the descendent of the Peverells".
"Peverells??"
"Oh I think you don't know. Long ago Harry your ancestors the three Peverell brothers Cadmus, Antioch And Ignotus invoked an ancient sacrifice to bring prosperity and well being to their villages. They were highly respected people and practical royalty. They were very powerful arch mages Harry. They wielded magic that others didn't even know of Harry. Such was their abilities. During the draughts they performed a sacrificial ritual to bring prosperity to the beings there. What they sacrificed was something that even I the one being invoked couldn't have expected it. They were willing to sacrifice their entire line to the prosperity of their people. But you know that it is I that will decide who will leave the mortal world at what time and my sisters fate and time. So I decided that I will only claim the Peverell line when it is time but I gave them a new title ' The Potters' and gave them certain trinkets of my essence . The one who will survive the longest will claim that name and carry on the legacy of the Peverell as Potters. And the lordship of Peverell will only belong to a Potter. The one that is a true Peverell in all aspects.
There had never been a Potter who could claim that lordship and that's saying something because your ancestors , I mean the Potter ones were no slouches. Your forefathers Hardwin, Jameson, Adrian, Thomas and Fleamont they were wizards that you must never cross. You know that your family are the best battle mages ever seen. You cross your wand with a Potter you are as good as dead. But the one that came very close , closer than your other grandfathers to claim the lordship was your grandfather Charlus Potter who is a true devil on the battlefield. Righteous to a fault. The wizard who no one will ever think of crossing on the battlefield. Let me tell you this Harry that Dumbledore and Voldemort will think twice before they cross your grandfather. You can find that out from Dumbledore himself you know. Grindelwald found that out the hard way. Put in your great uncle Arcturus in the picture and those two can slaughter armies together."
"Arcturus??" questioned Harry. He was overwhelmed. Such a rich history and a proud history and he knew nothing of it. He didn't even know his grandfathers name for god's sake.
Death raises a neat eyebrow." You real don't know about them do you Harry." Harry shook his head a bit downcast ." Don't worry Harry. We will solve it all in sometime."
Harry nodded and perked up a bit knowing that he will be learning about them soon.
"Going on your grand uncle Arcturus Black..."
"Black.. As in Sirius Black Black??" questioned Harry.
"Yes Harry you are related to Sirius as more than a godson. He is your cousin. Going on then Arcturus and Charlus were as thick as brothers even though they came from very different backgrounds and different houses".
"The relationship only improved after Charlus married your grandmother Dorea Black. It was only due to certain circumstances that the Blacks and Potters were broken down to their last remnants. Two of the greatest houses to exist. But now lets get back to the lordship.
Your grandfather came very close to it but couldn't claim it Harry. The trend remained the same until now" she looked pointedly towards Harry.
"Me " sputtered Harry . "You must be joking. I mean how can ... I .. no it.."
"Trust me when I tell you Harry. I must know . It was I that gave that boon right. "
Harry sighed and nodded.
"What should I do now??" he asked . Death sighed and rubbed her eyes.
" You will be given a chance Harry . A new chance. To have what you have sorely missed Harry . I will be sending you back in time Harry. To the time when your family was strong and had more than one surviving member . To when Both the Potters and the Blacks were around and respected. I will be sending you back to when your father , grandfather and grandmother and your aunt were alive Harry. "
Harry was shocked. He was internally very happy but he thought all this was a dream. He was conflicted. " But I am dead aren't I ??" he questioned. Death smiled and shook her head.
" No Harry you were not dead. Do you know that 'baby thingy ' as you called over there . That is a piece of Voldemort s soul in your forehead Harry . That thing, that abomination is called as a horcrux."
"Horcrux??" questioned Harry.
" Yes Harry. Horcrux is a vilest bit of magic. It is a process of splitting the soul of a person and storing it in a container to evade death. The soul container should be destroyed to kill the person. And yes Harry you were a horcrux too" , death replied sadly.
Harry was as white as sheet. He was devastated. He was ashamed.
"It is nothing to be afraid of my Lord . It was a mistake. But the sheer willpower of your own you have survived and faced death every single day. You have survived his possession for fourteen years of your life Harry . That is what made you a true Peverell. That is what made you one of the most powerful wizards to ever be born Harry. An archmage. A person who will remain true to righteousness and noble even among all the difficulties however severe they may be".
Harry was flabbergasted. He was utterly shocked. It made sense now he thought.
" I want you to bring me Tom Harry . I want you to destroy all his anchors and bring him to me my lord. I will consider the payment of the Peverell in the fullest of their sacrifice and the line will continue along with the Potter line."
Harry nodded his head. He didn't want his family line to disappear without a trace. He wanted both the Potter and the Peverell line to flourish. But most importantly he wanted to save lots of families from being wiped out , and save wizarding Britain from Voldemort's tyranny.
His decision was made and he looked over to death and nodded with determination. Death smiled at his confidence and continued" I will be giving the locations of the horcruxes now Harry . He created a diary of his younger self and left it with the Malfoys, which you destroyed. He then created a second one with the Peverell ring which is in his father's mansion in little Hangleton. The third one is Helga Hufflepuff's cup which he is yet to give out where you are yet to go. And then there is Rowena Ravenclawsodt diadem in the Room of Requirment."
Harry was taking it all in carefully. He really would not like to mess up.
Death continued" There are certain items that you must have for your journey Harry. There is the Elder wand which rests in the hands of your headmaster. The resurrection stone present in the Peverell ring Voldemort's horcrux. The third is your very own invisibility cloak. Acquire them Harry, they will help you immensely in your journey. It's a part of your heritage afterall".
"I will" , he replied.
"I have certain requests Death. I want a time zone container so that I can practice for the next three months. I have hell lot to cover for facing that bastard. I need to prepare. The time must not run in this room. I would have asked for a time turner but my age may vary on using it a lot".
" I can do that my Lord" Death replied.
"I had made several investments from my trust vault when I started Hogwarts Death, I want that amount to be transferred to the Peverell riches when I go back but kept as a separate vault." Harry requested.
"But Harry the Peverell vault itself is huge and has not been used for centuries. The interest gathered has taken it to somewhere around fourty million galleons. Adding your own investment will take it to a whole new level".
"I know but there may be times where I need to spend money for war purposes. I don't want to waste my ancestors hard earned money, when I have earned enough from my investments" Harry said thoughtfully.
Death sighed and gave him a wry smile. " You truly are noble for your own good Harry ".
Harry rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a sheepish grin.
He sobered up a bit. " I have a last request death. I won't be cheating death. I know for Merlin's sake that it's not possible. But I want to live a full life. I want a boon that I will be able to seek you when I have had enough of my life. I will have to make sure that there will be no problems for the younger generation to come and I have to make certain changes so that kids don't grow up the way I did.
I want me and certain others , it won't be much mind you , to live a life bit longer than other long living wizards like Dumbledore. I want to see my family grow and prosper."
Death looked at him strangely." You truly are different Harry . How you remain so humble yet defiant I will never understand. You are my master now Harry . You can demand your and some others death from me."
"That is one thing I really want to change Death. The' master of death' title is never a fitting one. It should be Companion if Death. Never the master. We can'tn master you death. Who ever it is must have to die someday or the other. It's the rule of life."
" Alright Harry. But thank you. You are certainly very thoughtful."
"Are you ready to go back Harry".
Harry felt nerves building in his body. He will be going back in time to his parents time. He will have a family. He will have many families to save.
But thinking of all the abuse he suffers and not wanting many others to suffer as he did, save hell lot of families from becoming extinct and leave lots of orphans, he steeled his resolve.
" Yes . I am ready", he replied.
" Ok then. You will be sent to the Peverell manor along with your phoenix Hedwig and another companion who will join you when you wake up there Harry .
I want you to go to gringotts and claim your Potter heir ring and Peverell lord ring. When you go back to the manor, you will be meeting two masters to who you will be an apprentice. They will be coming to the manor and that manor will be a timeless zone till you go back to Hogwarts. Contact your family at your own time and when you are ready. I will be giving you all the information pertaining to your timeline. This timeline will be erased now that you are going back."
"Who will be the masters death??" questioned Harry.
"The Flamels and Samuel Thurringen . Master alchemists and a weapon master. You won't be needing anyone for teaching magic Harry. Trust me. Between the Potter and the Peverell grimoire along with your natural intuition and sensitivity and ability to bend the magic to your intent you will be literally unstoppable Harry".
Harry nods his head . He was feeling a little overwhelmed .
" You will be going as the eldest son of Charlus and Dorea and elder twin of James Potter. You will also have a younger sister Katherine Potter. You had been sent abroad to study privately and the mentors had taken an oath to not reveal the fact that you are studying with them. Your close family will know but other than that you will be coming as a new entity to the wizarding world. But that won't be a problem. The Potters and the Peverells before them were notorius for their secrets. So no one will bat an eyelid to that . But if anyone calls you as a bastard or tell you otherwise show them. You can give them a blood verification. You will be the son of Charlus and Dorea , Lord Hadrian Jameson Potter Peverell , heir and the lord of the most ancient and noble house of Potter and Peverell".
Harry nodded again. "I am ready death. I will make sure that the bastard will be sent to you in a gift box for you to unravel. I will also make sure that such bastards won't be making a big issue for some time".
Harry got up and rushed forward and hugged death with all his might.
Death was shocked. Slowly a small smile crept upon her face and she hugged him back." Thank you Death. Thank you for everything. I will forever be indebted to you for giving me this huge chance. I will always be in your death."
" It's alright Harry. You are not in my debt. It's time that you enjoy something good in your life. Take care Harry" she said and indicated towards the arch.
Harry nodded gave her another chaste hug and moved through the arch.
Death watched him go and gave a sad smile and shake of her head.
" You really messed up fate. You give bastards all the chances and happiness but you take away any little happiness from people like him. It's really not fair you know."
Another womanly figure stepped out from behind death.
" It's not about fair sister. It's about their fate. But people who face hardship line Harry will have a peaceful prosperous and happy life . That's the way of life sister . The people who know the true value of difficulty will thrive in life and will get happiness ".
"I really hope so sister. I really hope so." Death sighed and disappeared along with her sister.
TBC
Hello guys. This is the next chapter in my story. I hope it's upto your expectations. I don't like the idea of Harry getting insanely powerful just because he has the horcrux removed. Training to become powerful is the right idea. It give me a sense of fulfillment to write about perfection after training.
Tiwa Vol- thanks for telling me your opinion mate. I understood what you were telling when I reviewed it properly . I will work towards rectifying it. And your opinion of pairings is considered wholeheartedly. Please keep giving your honest reviews.