Chapter 34

The inaudible wailing of Daphne as she collapsed to the floor was the first thing to hit Harry's senses. His senses were so surprised he didn't even have the urge to process that they had lost. If Nott had Tracey and Astoria then someone was going to die, and it was going to be his fault. His fault that he hadn't protected Daphne's family. He was the most powerful sorcerer in the world, and he had failed.

The resurrection stone was such an obvious answer to his questions. He had consulted with his dead relatives on a regular basis since he had pulled the Hollows from his safe. Why hadn't he thought to summon Nott? Ask him who killed him? Fuck. Is this how Dumbledore felt when he made mistakes that cost people their lives? No wonder the old coot-

SLAP

He heard the blow before he felt it. His shock was still setting in as his mind reeled with what should be done.

SLAP.

The second blow snapped him back to reality, and a furious looking Hannah Abbott was staring at him, "Harry I know this is a lot to process, but Daphne needs you. We all need you. If we are going to save lives tonight we have to move now. Maybe we can get to both of them."

"Both of them?" Harry asked snappishly, "I don't know where one of them is, how in the name of Merlin are we going to find both of them?"

Hermione was at his side next, "Nott said there was a right answer. Harry that has to mean something. I need you to think. Think about the games we have played so far, the games that the others have played. There is a right answer. What does it mean?"

"I don't fucking know Hermione! I didn't see this coming, much less do I understand what this asshole is thinking or planning."

Ron was at his side next putting a hand on each of his shoulders, "Harry, Daphne really needs you right now. You got us through the last war, you defeated Voldemort. Between the three of us we pieced together the Horcrux puzzle that baffled the minds of witches and wizards a lot cleverer than us. We may not be able to save both of them, but dammit we have to save at least one of them. Forget about choosing, let's just find one or those girls that are family to Daphne, or they are going to end up looking like Neville. You are one of the greatest aurors our world has ever seen. Now where do we start looking for Tracey and Astoria?"

At the mention of Neville Harry turned his eyes to his best friend of the last several years. His breathing still seems labored, and uneven from the pain he had endured. He seems to wince every few seconds, and his silent groan of pain started a fire in his stomach. This bastard had hurt his friend.

His eyes shifted to Daphne who was being comforted by Cho and Luna. They were whispering into her ear trying to assure her that the Head Auror would have a plan. The young Master stared at the woman he loved as she cried into her hands sobbing inconsolably. His friends were talking at him trying to get his attention, but he only had eyes for one.

His magic pulsed and his friends all took a step back from him quickly, while Daphne's eyes shot up to meet his blood red from the tears. He knew what he had to do. Slowly he stepped towards the woman, and gathered her hands in each of his, "I know what I have to do. I just don't know if I am strong enough."

Daphne sobbed lightly, "Just bring my sisters back to me Harry…Please."

Locking eyes, blue on green, an understanding passed between the two. Leaning forward Harry kissed the girl on the forehead, "It will be done. Just trust me."

Standing to his feet he took a deep breath as he closed his eyes focusing his magic. Slowly the Elder Wand slid into his hand, the cloak of invisibility formed into a cape around his neck that turned into a hood that went over his head, and the resurrection stone shot into an archimedes sphere like necklace that seemed to materialize from nothing. His clothes shaped into a darker construct, and suddenly he felt a cold power coursing through his veins, "Everyone stays here. No one leaves Potter Manor until I return."

No one moved or said a word as he immediately turned and walked through his silent apparition that took him all the way back to London. He stood at the top of a tall tower in London that he knew was one of the most haunted places in Europe. The grounds at this time of night were empty, and Harry stood looking over the great city of London, and closed his eyes as he reached out to the foreign power that coursed through him. Black magic fell off him in waves as he reached out to the universe. Magic resisted him at first, but after its feeble resistance failed Harry pointed his wand to the sky and let out a blast of dark waves of energy into the sky, where immediately the world seemed to comply with his wishes.

"My aren't we feeling dramatic tonight…my master."

Harry spun on his heel to face an eldery white man in an all black suit. The man was wrinkled, and appeared very old, while he sat in his chair hardly moving. Harry glared at the man, "Why did you resist my call?"

The man put his hands together and stared at Harry unflinchingly, "You have been beaten in the game of mental strategy all across this once great nation. I was starting to lose faith in my…liege."

Magic pulsed off Harry in rage, and the man flinched sharply, "A monster is trekking through this country using the darkest magic since Voldemort himself defied you, and you didn't even give me a warning? What do you think this is? Do you think we are friends? Partners? I am the Master of Death. You answer to me, and I assist you in the greater aims of the Universe. How the fuck am I supposed to do that when you are letting half bit necromancers run across my lands wrecking havok. Killing my friends and family. Now I need your help tracking this son of a bitch, or so help me God I will burn these stupid fucking hollows right here, and take my chances with my Phoenix and Holly feather wand."

The man in the chair frowned at his anger rising to his feet calmly dusting his suit off dramatically, "If you needed my help why did you wait so long to call for me? Why do you hide my objects away in a safe built by your ancestors to hide my greatest power? YOUR GREATEST POWER."

At the end the entity was practically dissolving into shadows with rage, and his eyes were burning embers of fire. Harry however didn't even flinch as they stood nose to nose, "Then let's compromise."

The deity lifted his eyebrows at the suggestion, "I'm listening."

"We hunt this son of a bitch down. We make him pay for abusing your power without paying homage, and then I will take possession of your items full time, and show the world just what the Master of Death is capable of."

The man looked greatly intrigued by the offer, "No more hiding?"

Agreeing immediately Harry stared at the suited man defiantly, "No more hiding. IF, we save both of my friends tonight. You have seen the games. Can it be done?"

Death locked his black eyes on his superiors, and an understanding passed between them. A mutual agreement. When Harry had won the war against Voldemort he had met Death, but in the end he didn't need the deity for anything at that point. He had risen to a power that no man could match. Even without the hallows he was a monstrous magical Titan. Now though there was a mutual need for one another. A need for the two to stand together, and be true master and servant. A unique role where the positions could be flipped often given the circumstances. Harry had avoided calling death in his time of using the hallows, but he couldn't avoid it any longer if he was going to avoid a death toll.

Death looked at his young master with a grin, "Oh this is going to be fun. You know what we have to do?"

Nodding in understanding Harry lowered his occulmency shields where he immediately felt the presence of the familiar cold power enter his mind, and allowed him to see everything he had. Hours passed in his mind, but in the real world only seconds passed before Death nodded, "If we are to save them we have no time to lose. I will go to Falmouth and exterminate these parasites, and then I will meet you in France in 1 hour to make this Necromancer pay in blood."

As the older gentlemen turned he stopped suddenly, and Harry looked to the deity in question. Before he could voice his question the ancient speaker said, "Betray me young master, and I assure you that your loved ones will pay for it. We should exercise a symbiotic relationship where we both prosper…or we won't. Heed my warning."

Giving only the slightest indication that Death had been heard, Harry nodded his head. Death motioned with his hand to follow, and Harry immediately did so as the man melted into the shadows. Closing his eyes he immediately sought to follow the man, and when he reappeared he knew he had traveled a long way. The entire climate had changed, and he had a feeling he wasn't even in Britain anymore.

"France." Harry whispered as he looked behind him to see familiar ocean waters. The magic was strong where he was, and he closed his eyes as the Elder Wand slid into his hand once more, and he felt the energy around him thrum in anticipation for what was to come. Death had dropped him inside a very powerful ward scheme, and he knew a fight was coming. The Nott's would know an intruder had passed through their walls, but his family cloak would conceal him until the fighting began.

Not wasting a moment longer the Master of Death strolled forward calmly as if he were a sturdy ocean current flowing through the sand, and into the grass. Magic seemed to be continuously building up as he strided forward laying eyes on a family manor home. Dozens of magicals were lying in his wait, and he knew blood would follow his arrival.

A trio of wizards were standing outside the home with their wands in hand surveying the area, and casting detection charms rapidly trying to locate their intruder, but for them it was too late. With graceful fluidity Harry stepped through the shadows once again, and appeared much closer to the surveying wizards. With a flick of his wand dark black pulses of magic devastated everything within twenty five feet, easily snuffing out the lives of the three wizards.

The thrill of battle overtook him at once as a dozen spells came searing towards him. In the blink of an eye he apparated away from the spellfire landing close enough to a pair of wizards to surprise one with a killing curse so fast the second wizard had only enough time to apparate away to dodge Harry's follow up curse. Unluckily for him, Harry detected the man's magic, and followed the apparition landing within a few feet of the fleeing man, and waving his wand in a slash like motion turning the man's vocal chords into metal. The panic washed over the man as Harry disarmed him, and began walking towards his next victim as his previous target fell to his knees gasping for breath.

The next group of Wizards had all decided to go back to back in hope of locating him, but the green eyed man merely apparated about fifteen feet above them, and rained blasting curses on them forcing them to scatter, and separate. Before they could regroup he had liquified two of his enemies, before engaging in a rapid fire duel with the others. Both were talented, but neither could keep up with Harry's speed or ingenuity. One attempted to flee, but quickly he was trapped in an anti-apparition ward that was summoned on the fly, and then he was brutally cut down by cutting curses from Harry. The other fell to his knees begging for mercy, as he refused to look his killer in the eye. The young man merely walked past him as he erupted into fire screaming for death that would surely follow.

More attempted to get in his way, but before they could mount a defense he had breached the ancestral home of the Notts. Pushing his way into the dining hall the room was only lit by braziers from torches lining the hall. A cage sat in the middle with the form of Tracey Davis lying unconscious. Harry could instantly tell the girl was close to joining his domain, and detecting no magical users he began to stride forward.

Before he could inspect the girl however, a creature surged from the darkness with unholy speeds barely allowing Harry to blast the monster away from him. Grunting from the magical backlash of the spell the young man locked eyes with his opponent briefly, and a pang of regret hit him as he recognized Blaise Zabini once more. No mask covered his horribly disfigured face now, and his old classmate charged once more at him. This time Harry apparated away, but before he could launch an offensive he was struck from the side by a shriveling hex that he barely had time to counter.

Blood poured from the wound the spell had caused, and Harry had his wand flashing around in hopes of finding his attacker, but no one revealed himself. He also had no time to get comfortable as Blaise was nearly on top of him once more, and throwing a fire spell at the creature served only to piss it off. Having to apparate once more he found himself under spell fire attack again, and he was forced to continue moving expending a great amount of effort as he hopped from place to place dodging his would be attackers. The pain in the rage however seemed to fuel his fire, and when he was struck by yet another shriveling hex he roared in pain, and blasted the ground with black magic throwing Blaise backwards much harder than before as he quickly repaired himself, and set about trying to locate the phantom in the room.

The wards of the home were definitely overriding even his own power. Whoever his attacker was, they were in complete control. He had no hopes of lighting this room up without destroying it. He could also detect the full power of the wards that were stopping him from grabbing Tracey and running. He would have to defeat the enemies in the room if there was any hope of saving her. Those odds seemed to decrease more and more by the moment.

A cold laugh rang throughout the room that emitted a dark feeling that was not so different from the magic Harry wielded as the Master, "So this is the moment. The moment Death takes a new apprentice. You have played my games admirably, and thanks to Ancient One you chose correctly. Having only lost a few people along the way I must say I am impressed. I thought I would have killed all your friends before we met at this moment, but here we are."

"Why are you doing this Nott? You were never some Death Eater fanatic like the rest of your family. Why go after the survivors of the battle?" Harry spat as he watched Blaise pace back and forth like a caged animal.

At the mention of his name a man in dark robes stepped from the shadows. Brown wavy hair, brown eyes, and a handsome face not yet corrupted by his dark deeds. They were the same age, but vastly different paths in life had been chosen. The young man held his hands out, "Harry, I hope you don't mind me calling you that. After all we have been through I think we can be on a first name basis… This has all been for you. I have been absolutely obsessed with you since you took down the Dark Lord. I thought Lord Voldemort was going to be our savior, but there was a chosen one meant to far surpass his abilities." The way Nott said the chosen one made Harry immensely uncomfortable, but he merely watched as Nott moved about the room, "I had to kill a lot of the Dark Lords former followers before they began to listen to me. Before they began to see that I held an immense power, but little did they know it was merely my audition to you. That night my followers nearly killed you was one of the most disappointing of my life. I never suspected a couple dozen random thugs would take down the chosen one. Then you survived, and I knew it was time to begin the true test. Time to see if any of your friends had the strength to stand beside us when you assumed your true power. Bones was the biggest disappointment. Such fine blood, such amazing power, I thought she would be standing here with us at this moment, but she wasn't strong enough."

"She would've crushed you like a bug in single combat. Instead it took you scores of witches and wizards to take her down. She was worth ten of you." Harry spat angrily. Circling around to be near Tracey's cage in case he had an opening to get her out.

Nott however just smiled, "Perhaps, but she isn't here to prove her worth anymore. Instead here we are, and you see my creation that has taken over the body of my oldest friend. You saw the ancient magic I summoned to kill that oaf Longbottom. I admit your use of blood magic surprised even me, but then it just made me realize I was right to support you. In the world we will run, all magic will be accepted by society. With you as Master of Death, and I as your greatest acolyte we will change everything."

Harry shook his head while looking around for an escape, "You're a mad man. Why even bother with Tracey too? She had already survived your game. She proved to be strong enough to survive. Why-"

"Because I volunteered." A voice said from behind him.

Spinning around Harry saw Tracey on her feet with a sad smile on her face, "I volunteered to bring you here Harry. Astoria is in no danger. She will survive her game, as will Daphne. My game changed me, and I now see that only the strongest will survive. People like Finnegan aren't worth the gift of magic, and without it he was nothing. Not us though Harry. We are the real survivors, and if we want to move forward as a society we will need more than a leader, we will need a Master. A master unafraid to display whatever it takes. A master guided by the oldest force in the Universe. Harry…when I heard who you really were…I was shocked. Then I understood just how you became so powerful though. I understood how you survived the Dark Lord, and how you became who you were. You were born for this, and the chosen one in more ways than one."

Harry couldn't believe his eyes. Tracey was no longer in the cage. She strolled right past him to stand next to Theodore. Of all the things to do she smiled at him, "You don't have to be afraid anymore Harry. The tests are over. Daphne and Astoria will pass them, and together we can all bring in a new world."

"How…how did this happen? How did he get to you?" Harry asked hoarsely.

"It was after my game." Tracey explained seemingly unphased by how disturbing the series of events was, "Theo came to me. Told me how proud he was of my abilities, and then…he confessed his love for me, and told me how he knew all along how strong I was. How he knew his game would bring out my own strengths in ways I never imagined. I admit I was in shock for a while, but suddenly everything was clearer than they had ever been. I found my purpose Harry. Thanks to you."

The feeling of being sick overtook him for a moment, but he fought the nausea, and tried to remain focus, "But…you would sentence your own best friend through a similar game to what you went through? Tracey…Daphne loves you. She told me to come out and save both her sisters when she found out you had both been taken. How could you wish such pain on her?"

"Because I know it will set her free. Harry, I know you are having a hard time understanding right now, but when we come out as a united force under the flag of the Ancient One it will all make sense."

"You're crazy." Harry whispered, shaking his head.

"Many of my followers throughout history have been Harry." A voice said from a few feet away, "I apologize master. I came as soon as I finished my business in Falmouth. Ms. Greengrass has been returned to Potter Manor."

Nott immediately dropped to his knees at the arrival of the elderly man, and Tracey followed suit at once, "My Lord."

Harry watched Death's reaction thinking he would be pleased, but instead he looked disgusted. Like how he would look at a roach crawling around in his kitchen, "I admit this is further than I have ever seen acolytes of mine go in recent history to get my attention."

Nott wouldn't even raise his head as he spoke, "My Lord, what do you think of the monuments I have built to you? The greatest bits of dark magic in recent history. The perfection of a necromantic summons, and the creation of a parasite that feeds on the magical ability of a witch or wizard until they join your domain at their weakest."

The pale man stared emotionlessly at the kneeled wizard before speaking with an even voice, "You defy my natural law, and expect me to think of them as monuments to me? They are abominations of magic, and the natural order. I would see my master wipe you from the face of existence for such crimes against things far older than even I."

Nott raised his head looking shocked for a moment before fury overtook his countenance. Death however took one step forward, and turned his back on the man that had slowly begun to rise to his feet. Before Nott could do anything however Death spoke again, "Master I grow tired of these games. Let us dispose of these fanatics, and move on."

Nott spluttered at these words, "Dispose of us? Your most faithful? I don't understand, I did all of this for you two. To prove my worth."

Death looked amused for the first time turning to look at the boy once again, "To prove your worth? Very well. I see you may yet be a worthy master, but not a worthy acolyte. No you have defied my current master too much to be an acolyte. I fear if you ever wish for us to bond you will need to defeat my current master in single combat. Even now I feel his hatred for you swelling. You forget you killed one of his greatest friends. A woman he loved deeply. You will never serve him, and as long as he lives you will never serve him or me."

Death then stepped to the side, but not before winking at Harry. Single combat. Harry understood immediately. If Nott really wanted a chance to be the Master he would have to beat Harry without the help of his creation. Tracey looked worried over Death's proclamation, and she flinched when the Nott lords wand fell into his hand, "Is this true Harry? Can you not see my devotion to you? To our cause? Can you not make the Ancient One see our way?"

"There is no 'our' way Nott." Harry growled allowing the Elder Wand to spark dangerously, "You killed my friends, and hurt people I see as family. There was only ever one outcome to this."

A black pulse shot out of Theo's wand into the ground as the wizard raged, "After everything I have done for you…"

Death then spoke the words that ignited the fight, "Fight to the Death."

Not even bothering with formalities Harry took the words to heart, and released a barrage of powerful magic forward causing Tracey to scream as she was disarmed and tossed aside like a rag doll by the aggressor. Nott found himself on his back foot immediately, but disapparated into the darkness. Without having to worry about the angry necromanced body of Blaise this time however Harry settled into his magic sensing the world around him. The wards were powerful, but they couldn't hide Nott when he was focused. Turning and walking into the shadows Harry immediately disappeared only to reappear seconds later tossing Theodore by robes backwards while raining spellfire down upon him. In a panic Theo summoned Blaise to fight at his side, but before he could a cutting spell struck him in the neck, and he fell to the ground headless.

Harry turned to fight the animated corpse again, but instead the creature merely collapsed on itself. The wards around the house fell immediately, and Harry lit the room with casual flicks of his wand as Death walked forward to examine the headless body, "Such a pity. He could've been an excellent acolyte if he was not so unhinged." Turning to see the stunned body of Tracey, Death turned towards Harry, "What will you do with the girl?"

"Take her back to Potter Manor. Explain what happened. See what everyone else thinks before making a decision." Harry said, looking at the downed girl with a frown.

Death nodded, "Very well. The girl you sent me to rescue was unharmed by the way. She was in the arms of her sister, and very confused when I released her. I used your form, but did not say any words to her. They are likely to be a little…shaken when you return."

Harry wanted to groan, but he knew Death had done him a great service today, "Very well. Thank you for what you did today."

Death gave him a slight bow, "Don't forget your promises young master. This is only the beginning of a very symbiotic relationship. I felt your power when you dueled with that monster. You used nothing from my arsenal, or your family's power, and you were still an unstoppable force. Together nothing and no one will stand in our way of maintaining the natural order."

With that the man turned and walked towards the wall before disappearing on the spot. Harry knew he had made a deal with the devil in a way, but it meant that Daphne's loved ones would live to fight another day. She wouldn't have to bury anymore family, and to Harry, that was worth it.

(A/N) Guys we just have 1 chapter left. I wrapped this all up much faster than I intended. Mostly out of fear that the story would be left on hiatus, so I rushed it a little, but I hope you will be satisfied with the conclusion. I have left this open for a sequel, but it seems unlikely that one will follow. Never say never though, and I have to admit I greatly enjoyed writing this story, and look forward to sharing more of Fleur De Lis, Rise of House Neptune, and Cost of Freedom with you all soon. Cheers my friends!