90. Look at this

Death sat in quiet patience atop of a lonely hill. She awaited Harry's entrance to begin their little outing. The location of their date had been kept secret to her, no doubt in an attempt to woo her.

His need to impress her was a cute quirk of his that he never outgrew from his childhood. Pausing at that thought, she reminded herself to stop equating him with childishness. It could only injury his pride.

Still she always felt rather flattered by the efforts he went through for these occasions. Simple dates had a great a charm, and perhaps she preferred that, but spectacles like today didn't hurt every once in a while.

The glare of the Sun was getting to her so she adjusted her umbrella to blot out the light. Thankfully Harry wasn't here to poke fun at her 'vampire tendencies'. Her beloved could be as much of a cheeky idiot as a charmer. But it was a nice spice to things. A warm smile grew on her lips.

Things were so good right now and she would work to keep it that way for as long as she could. Death peeked from beneath her umbrella when she noticed the telltale magical presence of Harry.

Standing mere feet from her now was Harry dressed in tasteful dark green trousers and a fitting white dress shirt.

"You took your sweet time," she teased, amusement bubbling up when he began to look flustered. The widening of her smile assured him of her words' playfulness.

He coughed to collect himself. How adorable. Before he even said anything, his eyes widened as she moved by his side and she mentally patted herself. Green eyes roamed intensely over her figure. Death wore a slim black dress with short sleeves and a laced up back. All of his attention was on the exposed portions of her back.

Good. It would've been a waste of a dress if it couldn't have this much sway over him.

His expression grew embarrassed as her preening thoughts reached him. She smiled gently to encourage him to continue and apologize for tripping him up.

"We'll be riding Hedwig," he said with renewed energy. He gestured towards an enlarged Hedwig with an admittedly comfortable looking saddle.

From the miffed expression on her face, Hedwig wasn't completely sold on being their ride for the day. Was this the pride of an insulted princess? The Avian King was a lot more open minded than his daughter apparently.

"Please Hedwig. You promised. If you follow through, I'll give you double your normal weight in bacon, no matter what your royal physician says," Harry whispered in a near panic. A sigh of relief escaped him when Hedwig lowered her body to the grass.

Harry took her hand and a soft wind surrounded them. Death allowed his magic to take effect against her natural defenses and rose with him. The saddle was as comfortable as it appeared. It felt like silk pillows.

Though unnecessary, she felt a touch frisky. She scooted behind Harry and wrapped her arms around his waist. Harry stilled only for a moment before relaxing. Death snuggled against his back and inhaled his cologne that tickled her nose. Normally she would push further, but she didn't think Hedwig would appreciate it, a shame really.

They broke through the clouds.

Harry pointed to their side.

Against expectations, the sky at this altitude was teeming with life. A veritable stream of flying beasts roamed from the peaks to the valleys of the clouds. Creatures mystic and mundane alike weaved peacefully between one another into a canvas of colors. Small dragons swirled between flocks of phoenixes that dove beneath a legion of eagles. It was a dance of wildlife that Death couldn't help but be enamored by.

She was tempted to weave her hands through the flocks but dared not break the beauty before her. Death had been there for each of these creatures when they first burst into the living world and this was a moment they relished dearly.

There was little need to disrupt that.

"We've made it to Tir na nÓg," Harry said, his words breaking her out of her contemplation. He pointed to an island rich in natural beauty.

Hedwig dipped into a soft decline and landed on the raised island. Death could feel the tension in the owl's body ease as Hedwig made a sound of contentment. There were no others as far as normal eyes could see, but Death knew better. Her eyes drifted to a castle engulfed in vegetation yet shined true.

"The castle isn't open right now, but we're allowed to walk the paths," Harry said as he slid off Hedwig's back. Once on the ground, he opened his arms out to her.

Taking the hint, Death rose from her position and leapt at him. She was pleasantly surprised when he managed to not only catch her, but hold his position. Death twirled her fingers on his chest, "A woman could get used to this."

Cracking a smile, Harry placed her on her feet, "I want to show you something amazing."

She reached out and held his arm to her chest, "Lead the way. I'll be in your care." Death snuggled to his side and shared a smile with him.

Their trek was sedate but enjoyable. Trees of all sizes grew by the cool cobbled path. Harry delighted in telling what he knew of the magical trees.

If given a chance, he would get lost in the sights so she had to nudge him a time or two for good measure, but it was interesting all the same.

Birds continually flew through the island and sang their sweet songs that could lull the restless to peaceful sleep. Death hummed in tune to the cries and Harry couldn't help but join in. She was sure that he scared some of the birds with the tune he was trying to hum, but she was too pleased to care.

This was still better to their early time together where he was nearly obsessed with trying to incessantly impress her with either his demeanor or maturity. It was nice to see the silly wizard in him come out.

The path led to a picturesque pond with a depth that could consume mountains whole. Streams of fishes freshwater and saltwater alike swam freely. Mere steps away from the pond, there was a grove of trees that shined with a hazel hue. Each tree was ripe with a bounty of apples, pears, cherries, apricots, and many more fruits, all of which were gold, silver or bronze.

"This looks like a very confused tree. Do you suppose it couldn't make up its mind?" Death rubbed her chin as she stepped away from him.

Harry shot her a disbelieving look, "Really? It's a tree beaming to the roots with magical and who knows what energy and that's your first thought?"

She fluttered her eyes innocently, "Some beings can't handle too many choices. Careful with that look, your face might get stuck that way."

"You slay me every time," he said.

Death snorted and kissed him on the cheek, "You have such a way with words. It's no wonder I fell for you. You've got that magical charm."

"Please stop that. I have the distinct feeling that the rest of the day is going to devolve into puns if I let you."

"Oh? Devolve, you say? You started it."

Harry shook his head and walked towards the tree, "I'm not having this conversation. I'm too focused on climbing."

Death took that as forfeit and chalked another point in her victory. Teasing him was becoming a hobby. There was just something so much more pleasing about teasing him when he recognized her words for what they were though there was something to be said for the time in his youth where he gobbled up everything she said.

Tempering her amusement, she watched as Harry nimbly climbed the tree. She had seen him often enough climb up high surfaces. His years of experiences showed. He hardly every slipped anymore.

Harry reached over to a couple of fruit and leapt down by her side.

"Sometimes I think the trees are where you really belong," she mused aloud as she brushed a few stray leaves from his already unruly hair.

"Have you tried some before?" he passed her a golden apple to her while he kept a bronze apricot.

She had tried a myriad of things in her existence. Since she didn't always care to keep track of little occurrences like that, it was very possible that she probably had. Still, there was no need to burst his bubble. This would be the first time she partook of the fruit in his company, "I shall eat in anticipation."

Her first bite was interesting to say the least. What touched her tongue wasn't an exquisite taste but a whole experience. She consumed the whole of flight, the rises, falls, and the very human exhilaration. These were experiences not her own for she recognized some of the sensations coming to her. There was the sight of Hogwarts from a steep height, and even the grip of a new broom in her hands.

Peeking at him, she saw a pleased rise of his lips as he took a bite of the apricot and his eyes grew wide.

"So?"

"I felt that first sprout of a seed in a nearly infertile land. That was… astounding. Do you always experience the world so intensely?" he marveled.

"Well, when you've been around as long as I have, you experience quite a bit. You'll build up your own experiences in time. I rather enjoyed your love of flight, too," she reassured. "I will admit Mr. Potter, you know how to show a girl a good time. A fruit that allows one to empathetically share the experience of another is rather novel." Death took another bite, savoring the joy Harry felt in the night sky.

"I'm glad you liked it. I live for this you know?"

"Hmm?" she took another bite and she was swerving dangerously close to the castle walls. Harry always was a touch reckless with his flying but she couldn't deny the intoxicating thrill invading her heart.

"There's so much I want to do with you. I take pride and happiness in every happy moment I can share with you. I hope one day that this fruit would have us share so many happy moments of our time together that even you burst. Yes, that's a goal worth living for."

Death consumed the last bit of her own fruit, her eyes tearing up from his experience flying in Hedwig's body mixing with her own touched heart.

"We'll reach that one day, I'm sure of it," she caressed his face. "Let's add one more experience, shall we?"

Death pulled him into a kiss that grew deeper and deeper still and stole his breath away. Her hands grew roaming and invited him to do the same.

Harry had no complaints.