Chapter 2
Disclaimer ~ I do not own Katekyo or Harry Potter
Harry wasn't sure what he had expected when he stepped through the Veil of Death but a tea party certainly wasn't it. Okay so tea party was a stretch. There was tea involved, but Harry definitely wouldn't call this a party.
The room was...plain. Grey wallpaper with a skull pattern, grey carpeted floor, black table and chairs, white tea set on the table, and one white lamp in each corner of the room for light. The table was in the center of the room, with only two chairs facing the other. One was occupied by a cloaked figure that was drinking tea. The figure motioned for Harry to take a seat at the other chair, which he did cautiously.
"You defied my expectations once again," the figure said, breaking the silence of the room. "You came looking for me this time. What changed?"
"Anything that tied me to that world is gone. I see no point staying," Harry answered quietly.
"I see," the figure sighed. The tea set on the table began to make a glass for Harry, three sugars and no cream just how he preferred. But Harry didn't touch the drink, instead silently studying the person in front of him. What wasn't covered by the cloak was very pale skin, and he could see faintly glowing golden eyes looking at him through the hood. Something about him seemed familiar to Harry, but he couldn't figure out where he knew this person. He wasn't sure he had ever met him before.
"Why am I here? Shouldn't I be dead?" Harry asked the primary question running through his head. He'd have time to figure out who the person was later. His instincts were telling him that he had nothing to fear from him so Harry trusted them.
"The Veil is merely a gateway into my domain. A door if you will. Most that pass through it are dealt with as needed. Their souls are judged and they are sent to the afterlife. You however, are different," here he paused to sip his tea. "You and I have a close connection after you returned my belongings," the figure said. Suddenly all the pieces snapped into place for Harry. The figure in front of him...was Death.
"I gave up the hallows. I shouldn't have any connection to you," Harry said calmly. Talking with the literal Death didn't even register as a three on his weirdness scale.
"You gave up the hallows yes, however you are still their wielder. You possessed all three hallows and became their master by not falling into the temptation of their powers. The master of death as the mortals call it," Death seemed amused by this. Harry wasn't keen on figuring out what was funny.
"And what does being the master of death entail?" Harry asked sighing. He thought he had finally gotten rid of all these ridiculous titles and responsibilities when he moved to America.
"Immortality for as long as I desire you alive. And for you to complete the occasional task for me if I request it," Death answered calmly. "Of course, you do get full control of my hallows, and some additional powers but those are not important at the current moment."
"It sounds more like I am Death's Bitch than his master," Harry grumbled under his breath. Though based on the sudden laughter from the being across from him he was still heard.
"It could be interpreted like that, however it's more like you will act as my proxy every so often when needed. Otherwise you are free to do whatever you desire," Death explained.
"And what if I don't want to be your master? What if I'd rather go to the afterlife and not suffer as an immortal?" Harry asked. It was, after all, the reason he even entered the veil in the first place.
"Then I will allow you to be judged and move on. However, I would like to request that you hear me out before you make a decision," Death was suddenly serious, gazing at him with eyes that almost seemed to look through Harry.
"Alright," Harry nodded and drank the remainder of tea in his cup. It refilled itself immediately after he placed it back on the plate. Death placed three folders on the table and slid them over to Harry. He opened the first one and was met with an image of himself when he was a teenager.
"There are many alternate universes out there. My domain reaches them all. These three children are all you from a different reality," Death said. Harry opened the other two folders and saw the other two 'versions' of himself. A four year old boy and an eleven year old girl.
"The first one, Harry James Potter age 15, has just lost his godfather. Dumbledore plans to manipulate him in this fragile state and turn him into a martyr. He will have much the same journey you yourself did, up until he is hit with the killing curse a second time. He meets Dumbledore at the train station and is told it's his choice to move on or return to the living. Because of the manipulations, he believes the only way for the horcrux inside him to die is for him to pick the afterlife. His death allows the dark side to win the war," Harry winced at that. He didn't need to be told that Voldemort winning was very bad. When he went to King's Cross, he had met his mother. They talked for awhile and she also gave him the choice to stay or go back. He chose to go back, because he needed to be there for his friends and knew that he would see her again when it was time. He didn't know that his friends would all die. He wasn't sure if his answer would have been the same if he had known.
Death gave him a moment to absorb the information before motioning to the next folder. "Evelyn Rose Potter, age 11. She comes from a world where she was born with a twin brother, Charles. Both her parents were out of the house when Riddle attacked. He fired the killing curse but Evelyn's desire to protect her brother resulted in the curse backfiring onto Voldemort. Charles was left with only a scar while Evelyn didn't have a mark on her. She had simply exhausted her magic, going to sleep while Charles cried. Lily and James returned home seconds later. Dumbledore came at their call and he declared Charles as the boy-who-lived. He warned Lily and James that Voldemort would return someday and that they would need to train Charles to fight him. He also said that Evelyn didn't have much magic and wouldn't be more than a hedgewitch when she grew up. With this information, the Potters decided to send Evelyn to live with Petunia Dursley. Evelyn has been treated much the same as you were when you lived there. When it is time for her to turn up at Hogwarts, her family will shun her, Charles even going so far to bully her because she is a Slytherin. She is set to die from the basilisk venom, Fawkes just having a burning day and unable to come to her rescue," Death explained. Harry nodded in understanding and Death moved to the last one.
"Harry James Potter, age 4. The Dursley family has decided to physically beat the magic out of him. He is abused to put it simply. At the moment it is not that life threatening. The occasional punch or slap for failure to complete his chores on time, along with being locked in his cupboard with no meals. However, in two years when he does his first accidental magic, the beating will be so severe that his magic cannot keep him alive. He dies because of a broken neck after being thrown down the stairs," Death told him. It took everything Harry had not to allow his magic to lash out and break something. Children had always been his soft spot and any abuse towards a child made him angry, even more so after he became a father himself.
"What do you want me to do with this information?" Harry asked taking a deep breath.
"To put it simply, I want you to take them away. Give them the life they deserve and not what Fate has planned for them. I can even send you to a world where Harry Potter never existed. You could have just as easily been in any of their situations. That is why I believe you, the one who has been through the most pain but still came out with a pure soul, have the best chance at healing these children," Death said. Harry scoffed.
"Pure soul? In case you weren't paying attention, I just spent the last four years hunting down and killing the bastards that killed Teddy. How does that equate to a pure soul? And while I'm on the topic, how am I even remotely considered a good guardian? Any time I care about someone they end up dead," Harry told Death, barely refraining from shouting at the being.
"Did you feel enjoyment when you killed those people? Did you prolong their deaths just so they could suffer at your hands?" Death asked. Harry shook his head. "That's right. You didn't. You killed them quickly and as painlessly as possible. You didn't enjoy it but it was necessary. You even spared those who were innocent of the crimes. Because despite the rage and grief you felt, you didn't take it out on those who didn't deserve it. That is why your soul is still pure," Death explained calmly. "As for your second concern, I cannot promise that things will be easy. You were supposed to have a happy ending. You would have married Miss Lovegood and had three children of your own alongside Teddy. You would have died peacefully in your sleep at the age of one hundred thirty-seven with no regrets about your life. I wish I knew why things turned out the way they did for you. Someone ruined my plans for you and when I discover who it was, they will pay," Death never lost the relaxed posture he had but the aura surrounding him grew darker as he spoke. It pressed against Harry, suffocating and filling him with fear, until it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. Harry needed a few moments to catch his breath and calm down from the feeling. Death coughed awkwardly as Harry shot him a glare after regaining his composure.
"Uhh...Sorry about that. I forgot that you are still mortal," Death hid his embarrassment behind his cup of tea. Harry sighed deeply but in the end just brushed it off. He could understand the rage after all. It was his life that got screwed up.
"How do I know that the other three...well Me's won't die from being around me?" Harry reasked his question. Death smiled. Both of them knew the decision Harry had made.
"Simple really. You stop being Harry Potter. Pick a new identity for yourself," Death told him. "Besides, I imagine it will get quite confusing for there to be three Harry James Potters in a group," Death chuckled at the face Harry made. Confusing indeed. Harry was already confused and he was doing his best not to think about it.
"A new identity huh?" Harry mused, taking a sip of his tea and finishing the glass. This time when he sat it down it didn't refill. He thought about what he could use as a name. Something that could define who he used to be and who he soon will be. It took him a few minutes, various ideas running through his mind but each one was the name of someone he had lost before and it just didn't feel right to use their names. He stared at the wall, deep in thought, before inspiration hit him.
"So what will it be? What is the name of my new Master?" Death asked. Harry caught sight of a smirk from beneath the hood.
"Skull. Skull De Mort," Harry said. Death's smirk widened into a smile.
Wow. This chapter was long. Four pages long. I've surprised myself. Hopefully I can make the other chapters just as long. I'll admit, I stared at this page for the longest time trying to figure out how I was going to start it. In the end, I just said screw it and skipped a bit to the actual conversation with Death. Halfway through I decided to go back and fill in the beginning when I finally had an idea for it. Made my life so much easier because it allowed me to avoid the usual writer's block I get when I get stuck.
So here's a funny story for you guys. I get on the internet to look something up real quick. The app opens to where I closed it, which was on Pinterest. I spend the next 20+ minutes browsing on Pinterest. When I'm done browsing I close the app. In the process I see the story I was supposed to be working on before I needed to look something up. "Ahh crap. What was the thing I needed to look up again?" I think as I reopen the internet app to google the thing. Repeat the entire process another two or three times before I actually manage to search for the reason I got on the internet in the first place. This happens to me all the time and I thought it'd be something fun to share with you all.
Thank you to everyone who has Reviewed, Followed, and Favorited! I'm super happy you all enjoy this story so far, even if I (to borrow a phrase from one of my reviewers) "stabbed you in the heart with a barbed knife" during the first chapter. I hope this chapter makes up for it!
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