Harry Potter was tired. He had lived for over 175 years, and had just finished visiting his final friend's funeral. Neville had been the one who lasted the longest apart from him, finally dying of old age at 176. Harry himself was 175, his 176th birthday in just over 6 hours.
He sighed, wandering down through the Ministry of Magic, following a path still seared into his mind from all those decades ago. He had already written his will and filed it with both the Ministry and Gringotts, stating that all his gold was to go to his friends' families, their children and grandchildren. He chuckled bitterly, it wasn't as if he had any children to spoil.
"Level 9, Department of Mysteries." The elevator stated, jerking Harry out of his thoughts. He walked down the corridor that even now occasionally plagued his nightmares, forcing him down the path of 'what-if', what if he was quicker, smarter, more powerful that fateful day.
He made his way to the door at the end of the corridor, entering and watching the room spin around, before stating his destination to the empty room.
"The Death Chamber." He stated with a tone of finality, a door to his left swinging open, as if beckoning him in. Harry walked through the doors as if he was walking to his death.
He walked down the steps, keeping his eyes locked onto the stone curtain, the fabric swaying in a wind only it felt, otherworldly whispers filling the room that seemed to emanate from the other side of the curtain.
Harry made it down the steps and stood in front of the curtain that had claimed the life of his godfather decades ago. He listened to the whispers for over half an hour, building up courage to go on to the so-called 'Next Great Adventure.'
Harry had realised around his 60th birthday that something was different about him (as always). While all his friends were starting to gain wrinkles and the odd grey hair, he seemed to have stopped ageing around his 30s, seeming to be stuck in the prime of his life. Truly even now, just before his 176th birthday, he looked the same as ever.
Harry, Ron and Hermione, the old Golden Trio, had researched why he didn't seem to be ageing and had come to the conclusion that he must have been affected by his usage of the Deathly Hallows, seemingly granting him the moniker of 'Master of Death'.
Harry hadn't liked that, and had admittedly gone slightly insane, searching for a way to die when he wished to. Nothing worked, he had been shot in the head by crossbows, bullets, a cannon when a prank went REALLY wrong. He had the Killing Curse used on him by rogue Death Eaters, and even experimented with random poisons.
He had just been knocked out for mere minutes by what should have been killing blows, the killing curse just seemed to be ABSORBED into his skin, Harry even feeling more powerful when that happened, and his body even metabolised the poisons, nothing seemed to kill him.
Harry had been despondent by the end of his experiments, realising that he seemed to be 'blessed' (cursed more like, he thought) with immortality. He had had to use his, admittedly minor, metamorph abilities to give himself wrinkles and gray hairs, to fool the rest of the world that he was indeed ageing.
When he finally acknowledged that he was the Master of Death on his 70th birthday, he found Dumbledore's old wand, the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone, and his old cloak, the Cloak of Invisibility, all lying on top of each other on his bed. When he picked them up, they seemed to shimmer before sinking into him.
After that his magic seemed easier to control, allowing him to use wandless magic and making his wanded magic much easier to cast and much less tiring. His body healed quicker, broken bones only needing minutes to heal and his mind felt more protected than ever before. All of his Aurors had attempted to break into his mind and said that it was like they had met a diamond wall forbidding entry. His metamorphic abilities had increased tenfold as well, allowing him to nearly equal Tonks ability to change forms, although it was quite tiring holding a different form for longer than a week.
With these 'gifts' came a curse though. He couldn't have children. 'Seems the Master of Death can't make life' he had thought back then rather bitterly, deciding instead to ensure his friends' families were kept safe.
For over 100 years he kept his friends safe, stopping rogue Death Eaters, random muggle attacks, and even healing them from diseases. The one thing he couldn't cure though was old age, and he was forced to watch his friends slip away quietly in their sleep, ensuring that at least they went peacefully and without pain, always passing away on their terms and with a smile on their face.
After he buried Neville he had finally decided enough was enough, and decided to see if the Death Chamber could allow him to go on.
He stood there now, still listening to those whispers. He closed his eyes, exhaled a last breath, and stepped through the curtain.
He awoke in a familiar place, the whitewashed Kings Cross Station he had briefly visited back at the Battle of Hogwarts, when Voldemort had killed him.
Harry looked around, quickly conjuring clothes for himself, simple robes for comfort. He walked down to where he could see a single black robed figure sat on a white bench, feeling no fear, his multiple near death experiences making him lose all fear for danger.
He sat next to the figure, letting them make the first move.
"Harry Potter. Welcome to the Midden." the figure stated, their voice whispering like the voices in the curtain. They seemed to be, if not friendly, then at least neutral. Harry didn't feel any danger coming from the cloaked person.
"Who are you? Have I finally managed to die?" Harry asked, more interested in the second question than the first. He remembered Dumbledore stating that there was a train ready to take him 'on', and he had instead picked to go back to the battle and fight for his friends.
"You have not died Harry Potter, you are currently in Limbo as many people would say, stuck between Life and Death. Your current title and gifts make your journey to Death impossible." The figure explained, crushing Harry's hopes. He wished that he had never opened that snitch to get access to the Stone.
"My name is unable to be spoken in your tongue, however many people know me as Death, the Grim Reaper, Anubis, Hades and so many other religious figures. In truth I am all of them, I guide all souls to the afterlife they deserve after their life experiences. A good Christian person may see me as an angel, an evil Christian person may see me as a demon, and so on, my form ever changing depending on said person's religions and beliefs." Death further explained, shocking Harry with each word spoken.
"So why are you speaking to me if I'm not dead, and why here?" Harry questioned, having a suspicion that it was his status as Master of Death that was forcing this to happen.
"Your current status is to blame for this, if you had not picked up the Hallows on your 70th birthday then you would have lived and died peacefully on your 156th birthday. Instead you have had the unfortunately named title thrust upon your shoulders. I will admit, I am not pleased at someone being my master and so I have pulled you here to offer a deal of sorts." Death said, looking at Harry, his hood ensuring that Harry couldn't see his face.
"What deal?" Harry asked, ready to say yes if it meant he could join his friends. He had missed them all terribly and was thankful for the Stones gift of protecting his mind, allowing him perfect recall of all of his friends and their memories together.
"I am proposing a trade of sorts, a game almost. I will send you on to a new universe, filled with new possibilities and adventures, and friends that will live as long as you. In return you give up your Title of Master of Death, and your Cloak of Invisibility. I loathe the idea of anyone calling themself my Master when I have functioned for millenia without one. I would also take my Cloak back as, to be frank, it would be rather useless where you're going and I do not want anyone else hiding from me." Death stated his idea, getting wide eyed looks from Harry at the thought of a whole new universe.
Another reason he had wanted to move on was that he had started to run out of things that interested him, slowly turning his life more and more boring. A new universe to have adventures was thrilling for the old gryffindor, and the idea of friends living as long as himself was icing on the cake.
"What about the Wand and the Stone? How would you get them back? And how long would I live?" Harry asked rapidly, wanting all the information before locking his answer in.
"I would get them back upon your death, in around five billion years. One of your potential new friends lives that long, and another potential friend has the potential to live even longer." Death said, seeming very calm about stating that Harry would live for five billion years. Harry reasoned that to an ageless being like Death, five billion years probably didn't seem that long.
"The stone will ensure you keep your memory throughout that time and keep you in good health until your death date, and the wand will ensure you keep your physical and magical strength to the very last second, ensuring you die with dignity." Death further explained. Harry was getting more and more excited at this deal.
"I will warn you, this universe will be very different from the universe you know. There will be no wizarding world, the universe running more on science and technology. You will be considered the last of an extinct race, and it will hold many dangers, yet also many wonders. You will most likely have the most terrifying but exciting times of your life. If you get hit with a killing blow, your body will fall unconscious for a few minutes, but you will always revive." Death finished speaking and looked Harry dead in the eye, raising a hand up as if to shake on the deal.
Harry thought over the information, it all seemed amazing. Sure there was danger but he had been in dangerous situations since he was a year old, danger was an old friend at this point.
Before Harry could agree to the deal however, a golden light burst through Limbo.
Both turned to look at the glow, the light condensing into the form of a human, a blonde woman who looked as if she was barely reaching her twenties. The golden light dispersed, leaving the woman dressed as a normal 21st century woman in jeans, a jacket and little makeup. The only strange thing about her that told Harry she wasn't a normal person was her golden eyes, seeming to still glow with the light from before.
"Lady Time, this is my domain. What are you doing here?" Death asked, seemingly cordial but Harry could feel the temperature of the station start to drop.
The woman, Time, smiled and walked over to the two, golden eyes fixed on Harry.
"We have just reached the time of my Birth Lord Death, and I have a need for the Master of Death within my current domain. My host is currently dying and the Time Lord was knocked unconscious from a blast. I need him awake so he can take the Vortex from my host and allow her, and me, to live on."
Harry blinked, looking between the two deities. He was tempted to point out he did not want to be the Master of Death, however he did not want to be the target of the woman who seemed more dangerous than Death itself.
We were just about to make a deal. He would give up his Title and the Cloak of Invisibility, in return I would drop him in a new universe and I would take back the other two Hallows upon his death in five billion years.
Time smiled sharply, as if she had just spotted a weak point in Death's argument.
"If he is still the Master of Death then he could just order you to put him in a new universe, you were hoping to take advantage of his ignorance over his title and gain back your Hallows with very little effort for yourself."
Harry could feel Death getting more annoyed, ice slowly starting to form on the ground.
"You go too far Bad Wolf. What I do within my domain and with Harry Potter is NONE of your concern."
Time, or Bad Wolf just grinned, seemingly ignoring the ice creeping towards her.
"I have come here Death BECAUSE of Harry Potter. I have come to offer him the position of the Champion of Time."
Harry could feel the room getting even colder and could see Times' eyes starting to glow brighter and was afraid they'd forgotten he was actually there. He felt the need to speak up about his own fate however, his old Gryffindor courage not allowing him to be the meek and passive boy of his youth.
"What would happen if I was your Champion, Lady Time? I lived the first 17 years of my life being ordered around by those who claimed better knowledge and I don't want to start a new life doing all of that again." He could already hear his survival instincts screaming at him to stop being confrontational with a GODDESS OF TIME, but he would not live a life like his childhood again.
Time smiled at Harry, eyes dimming slightly.
"You would become a Protector Harry Potter, protecting one of my favourite children. He has saved his universe thousands of times and will save it thousands of times in the future. He has given his life to protect the most ordinary of people and stopped his own people from destroying the universe from a war of their own creation. He has had dark times in his past and will have darker times in his future and I would have you ensure there was always someone he could rely on."
Harry could see that Time truly wanted Harry's help with her child. He was leaning towards helping her but wanted to know what would happen to him.
"What can I do? I'm a talented wizard sure but Death already said that it was a universe run by science and technology. Where would I be put? How much danger will I be in?"
"Your magic would be an amazing gift within my host universe. You would be placed just before your protectee regenerates. My host is currently in danger of being burnt to ash from my power coursing through her veins and your protectee is the only one who can stop her from dying. I would ask you to wake him up and allow him to take the Vortex away from my host, allowing me to be free to take my full power. He will die, but regenerate into a new form. I would ask you to protect this new man as he recovers and become his friend, his partner, and protector."
Harry quite liked this so far but thought it sounded too good to be true.
"Are there any conditions? Anything that is demanded of me? Would I just be a servant to this man?" These questions were all asked rapid fire to the goddess.
Time grinned, as though sensing how close Harry was to agreeing.
" There are conditions, yes. The first condition would be that you protect the Time Lord known as the Doctor to the best of your abilities. The second condition would be for you to ensure Time is protected. No paradoxes or events like my host caused saving an already dead man. I shall explain more once you are placed within the universe.
You will not be a servant. You will be a protector and friend. If the Doctor does something that damages Time I will ask for you to incapacitate him to the best of your abilities. No one is allowed to harm Time, not even the Time Lords, or you. Should you damage time then I will know and I will be … displeased."
Before Harry could ask what would happen if Time was displeased, her eyes flashed and Harry was flung into a vision.
Flames. Pain. Fear. Burning. Horrific creatures with scythe like tails bearing down on humanity and destroying them, nothing being able to stop them.
Harry gasped, eyes flying open again. He looked around frantically for the creatures, before realising he was back in Kings Cross, Death and Time watching him. Death looked calm while Time looked serious, fully conveying just how dangerous it would be if he deliberately tried to harm her.
"...noted" Harry said weakly, catching his breath. He could see why Death called her Bad Wolf, it definitely felt like he would be hunted down by a powerful animal just being pinned under those eyes that spoke of unfathomable power.
"So Harry Potter, Master of Death, do you agree to become my champion? Take as long as you need, I froze Time here so you can truly think on this decision. Beware that once you make your choice, you cannot go back on it." Time asked, acting as if she never showed him an apocalypse filled with demonic creatures.
Harry sat back on the bench. It was pretty much the same as Death's offer, a new universe with new people and no expectations placed on him. Besides, if this Doctor is as good as Time says then he seems like a good man to be friends and partners with.
There was still something to be sorted though. "What about my Title? I don't really want to introduce myself as Harry Potter Master of Death after all." Harry questioned.
Time and Death looked at each other, a whole conversation seeming to go on in that second of eye contact. Time looked victorious afterwards while Death sighed and nodded.
"We have come to the agreement- " here Death snorted while Time glared lightly back at him. "That you will keep your Title, however your newest Title of Champion of Time will take precedence. If, or rather when, you are killed then your other Title will take precedence and will ensure you return to the land of the living quickly. Your Title of Champion will allow you to be able to tell when something is messing with Time. I expect you to take full advantage of this ability to help ensure Time flows smoothly. You will still die within five billion years and after that you will be released from your duties as my champion."
Harry nodded, he could agree to that. Before he could stand up however, Death spoke up.
"I will ask for my Cloak back, Harry Potter. Master of Death or not, the Hallows do not belong in the universe you are going to and I do not wish for anyone from that universe to have power over me. I barely tolerate you holding the Title and it is only because of your distaste for the power that you may hold onto it for now."
Harry nodded, his old Cloak shimmering into view in Death's hands.
He stood up and walked to be in front of Time, raising his hand to shake.
Time grinned and her eyes glowed slightly, showing her happiness as her hand also came up to shake Harry's.
" The deal has been made. Go now Harry Potter and do your new duty." Death stated, swinging his hand towards Harry.
Harry blinked before suddenly dropping, a hole suddenly underneath him that was being lit up by a golden trail of light.
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Sorry to anyone that was expecting an update to Rediscovered. A new idea grabbed hold and demanded I write. Will try and get it updated within this month.