Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Rise of the Guardians except for any and all OCs.
"W-What? Past decade, that can't be right. I've only been here for a couple minutes at the most-"
Manny interrupted once again. "You technically should be dead, but we've been waiting for a long time for you, Master of Death. Centuries in fact."
"Master of- but I dropped the Resurrection Stone in the Forbidden Forest, that makes me no longer the Master, right?"
"You were chosen as Master of Death a long time ago, we merely had to wait until you were ready. That's how you survived the Killing Curse, you weren't to die until you officially gained your title and willingly greeted your death. Physically holding them doesn't matter then as they are attached to your soul. Now as Master of Death you can finally fulfill your role and permanently relieve the old Master. Or, you can stay in peace at this park forever."
"So… I wouldn't be able to join my parents or friends, ever?" whispered Harry as he hugged himself tightly.
"I'm sorry Harry, but it's not what you're meant to do." murmured a solemn Manny.
Thinking deeply, Harry knew which option he'd end up taking, even if it wasn't much of an option. Though the idea of peace and normality sounded amazing, he knew, and apparently Manny knew as well, that Harry would get bored at the lack of adventure and adrenaline filled moments this park would offer.
"What would my job entail… if I do happen to accept?" Manny beamed, an interesting sight for a being seemingly made of moonlight.
"As Master of Death and one of my chosen Guardians, it will be your duty to guide and protect the spirits of the children to the afterlife safely. The journey is often frightening and dangerous to them, and many an evil spirit that would love nothing more to prey on their spirit, thus a good fighter and even better protector is needed to aid those who died too young."
"Okay. And, um, what happened to the previous Master of Death? Did they die from one of those creatures you mentioned?"
"The final blow was a creature yes, but the fatal blow in truth, was loneliness."
" Then how do you expect me to avoid the same fate?" Harry shouted, eyes flashing in anger. "Are you purposefully dooming me to another fated death, forcing me to become your self-sacrificing hero for the Greater Good, until there's nothing left of me. Until you find another unfortunate fool to take my place?" Harry raged at the being before him. He refused to spend the rest of his miserable existence, an eternity, as a slave and tool to another higher being, just so that they could watch him squirm and suffer once more. Manny merely smiled at Harry before doing something that shocked him: he gave him a hug.
Stunned, Harry didn't try to struggle. All throughout his life, Harry rarely had any affection thrown in his direction, not from Ron's half-hearted one-armed hugs, Hermione's smothering chokeholds, Mrs. Weasley's overbearing hugs, and definitely not from his relatives. Even when he was suffering from the loss of Sirius or other deaths in the war, those that swore they cared about him would always smile and keep their distance, none truly bothering to comfort him.
Manny spoke in a low soothing tone while slowly rubbing Harry's back, causing him to fall limp and snuggle deeper into Manny's arms. "Sweet Harry, I won't let you die. The old Master of Death and I have made it so once you accept the role, it will create a link, a link between you and your soul mate. Also, depending on your mate, you will have the ability to carry offspring." Manny softly chuckled at the sight of Harry cuddled into him like a kitten.
"I could have children? And a family?" whispered Harry.
"Yes."
Harry nodded in acceptance. "I'll agree. For the protection of the children, and the possibility of having a family of my own."
"Very well, you'll go through a slight transformation first." said Manny before kissing Harry on the forehead, right above his trademark scar. From where lips touched his skin, a tingling feeling spread throughout his body and he felt his hair lengthen while watching scars on his body disappear along with his clothes. Surprisingly, he didn't feel embarrassed or awkward being naked in front of Manny. At a nod from Manny, Harry conjured a mirror wordlessly. In shock at his wandless and nonverbal magic, Harry opened his mouth to ask Manny until he got distracted by his reflection, stepping closer to stare at the ethereal being before him.
Gone was the scrawny, malnourished 5'1 body of Harry James Potter. In his place stood a figure of 5'9 with flawless porcelain skin. His raven black hair tamed by its heavy waist length and so dark it had hints of blue, easily softened the sharp angles of his aristocratic face, enhancing his Black and Potter ancestry. He had a slim physique with slight muscles, and slightly flared hips to easily aid in pregnancy, completing his androgynous figure. However, the most stunning feature in this creature were its eyes. Once a lovely shade of emerald green, Harry's eyes were now Avada Kedavra bright in intensity, as equally deadly and startling as the spell itself. His lightning scar, right where Manny had kissed, was but a memory.
"This is your base form so any changes you still desire to make, merely think about to gain results as you no longer need a wizard's focus. The ring on your right finger will be the only amplification you'll ever need, with practice of course."
Glancing at his hands, Harry saw a ring on both his left and right ring fingers. The ring on his right was made of simple platinum with a series of amplification runes engraved on it. Set in its center was an emerald to help his magic become clear and pure. However, the ring on his left hand was made of pure silver vines that seemed to wrap snugly around a clear gem. It was a beautifully crafted ring, but to Harry, it felt...incomplete, missing something essential. Shaking off the strange mood the ring put him in, he decided to add the finishing features to his form. Running his hands through his hair, streaks of dark crimson red followed his fingertips before he pulled it into a low ponytail, using a pale crystal clamp in the shape of a crescent moon to hold it, adding a satisfying weight to his head. On his upper arms and shoulders, Harry imagined two miniature dragons, a British Venomdart and Norwegian Stormcrown, wrapped around on his skin; one with blues and silvers and vivid yellow eyes, while the other created of multiple shades of green with silvery white eyes. The two dragons wiggled and then seemed to literally crawl off his arms, becoming living, miniature dragons the size of a terrier.
'Hello Master.' they hissed in unison. 'What do you wish of us?'
Unfazed at the fact that the dragons came off his arms or were mentally communicating with him (he's seen weirder), Harry bent down to stroke the two, who then purred in pleasure like felines.
'There's no need to call me Master, my name is merely Harry. What are the names of such majestic creatures?'
Puffing up at Harry's flattery, they two dragons glanced at each other before replying.
'We have yet to be given a name-' began the blue one.
'-shall Master Harry name us?' finished the green one.
Inwardly sighing at the 'Master' part, Harry thought of fitting names.
'How about Soreth for you, and Talath for you?' Harry said, first pointing to the blue Venomdart and then towards the green Stormcrown.
'That is acceptable.' the newly named dragons replied in unison before climbing back onto his arms and melting into his arms as tattoos.
Standing up once more, Harry finally decided to put clothes on. Envisioning a dark smoky gray tunic trimmed in silver over a white undershirt, as well as black loose pants that allowed maximum movement and still clung to his legs, held up by a red sash. A simple black robe went over his outfit to complete the look, well complemented by the black dragonhide combat boots. Once done, Harry looked towards Manny who had been calmly staring up into the sky until Harry had finished. Now that he was done, Manny walked over in front of Harry and out of nowhere, pulled out a long package and placed it in Harry's hands.
"Those dragons will be loyal to you alone, and as you've probably already noticed, you have a mental connection to them. You're connected through your magic ring, so take that off and you won't be able to hear them anymore. Oh, and one more thing before I forget. This, along with the ring on your left hand, are the last gifts from the previous Master of Death who wanted his successor to receive in order to ease the burden. The ring will change to its true form when you finally meet your soulmate, and once you both willingly accept and complete the bond, a similar ring will form for your soulmate. They will both gain protection magic and give you two a mental bond, the stronger your trust, the stronger your bond will become. And in this package, the weapon traditionally used by the Master of Death, though once you take it, it will also choose one more weapon form for you to wield."
Unwrapping the cloth, Harry found in his hands a beautifully crafted scythe, its blade over five feet in length in a strange shiny black metal that smoothly joined to the pole, seven feet in length, pale silver, and nearly light as air in his grasp. Giving a few experimental swings made a lovely whistling noise through the air, and Harry smirked in delight, though he gasped when the scythe glowed blue (think of Soul Eater) and transformed into two-foot length daggers made of the same material as the scythe, though they both had an onyx stone set in the hilt, the Deathly Hallows insignia in white on the stone.
"To switch its form just send a pulse of magic through the weapons and they will go to their opposite form, don't forget to give it a name. As a final note, you'll notice that you have more powers that will aid in your duties, but you'll have to explore and train them on your own time. Also, once every century, for that's how long it'll take for my gifts to reach you, I will send you something that may help you. Here's is your first gift from me, the ability to speak and understand any and all languages that ever existed, or will ever exist, especially the 'dead' languages in the mortal and spirit world. Alas, now is the time to send you off into the past where your predecessor faded and into your new life as…"
That was the last Harry heard as his surroundings started morphing and he sunk into a comforting darkness.
"Farewell, Merith."
AN: Self-edited 9 July 2016