A/N- This is a long one folks, but this is the last section of the prologue. A lot of things will become clear in this chapter. This chapter is pretty heavy as well. There is direct mention of rape at one point, so be warned.

As always thanks for all the reviews and follows, it means a lot! I'm amazed at the love this story is getting so far!

Prologue to the Return

Chapter 4: The Choice

July 31st, 1998

"At last, we're all together."

Within the tent a man was sitting at the same table the three of them had sat around months prior. His form was hidden by the late evening shadows, but the voice was definitely male. His chair was turned away from the table and towards them, sitting with his legs crossed and his elbow propping his arm up, his head resting against his hand lazily. His nonchalance about having their wands trained on him was disconcerting.

Hermione's powerful mind was simultaneously trying to determine who this could possibly be, as well as how much of a threat he was when her heart stopped. From the shadowed form of his face, his eyes began to glow a deep crimson.

Without even glancing at each other Harry and Hermione released simultaneous blasting curses towards the figure in the tent, filling it with light. To their surprise, and to their horror, the figure simply waved his hand casually and the two curses froze in mid-air, bathing the canvas walls in fiery orange light.

"Come now," He drawled, "I think you'll find that kind of thing unnecessary." With another flick of his wrist, the curses vanished as if they'd never been there. Hermione's blood froze, and Harry cursed softly. In the fading light Hermione could see a smirk on the man's face. Without even the slightest movement from him both of their wands shot out of their hands and settled on the table next to him.

Harry grabbed Hermione's hand, fully intent of disapparting and getting them both the hell out of there, but stopped short. All the air left his lungs and he looked to his right at her, the terror and panic in her eyes answering his question before he could even speak.

He couldn't draw on his magic. Neither could she.

"This isn't possible." Hermione choked out. Nothing on Earth, no spell or curse could completely sever a witch or wizard's connection to their magic. Suppress it certainly, perhaps limit it, but never sever it.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, perhaps you'd like to come inside and sit down?" The man asked. His voice was deep and smooth, and there was a hint of mirth in the way he spoke. He was enjoying this. Finding his courage, Harry finally spoke.

"Who are you?" He growled. He'd never been this afraid before in his life. They were completely helpless. He couldn't even draw on his newfound ability to perform wandless magic to fight back or get away. All it would take is a split second and they could both be killed, and Harry could do nothing.

"Ah yes." The man said, straightening up in his chair. "Perhaps introductions are in order." He snapped is fingers, and all at once the candles in the tent were lit and a fire roared to life in the woodstove.

He was a younger man, perhaps in his late twenties to early thirties. He had dark hair of medium length. His eyes, despite having stopped glowing were blood red. He was dressed in a simple, although expertly tailored black suit with white gloves on. His expression was one of mild amusement as he watched them.

Hermione gasped and the smile on his face widened.

"You can't be!" She said, shaking her head. "That's not possible!"

"It seems your reputation is well earned, Ms. Granger." He purred. "But let us not ruin the surprise for young Harry." He said. Raising his arm, he gestured over to the two chairs opposite him at the table. "Put yourself at ease, Mr. Potter. I have no ill intentions towards your or the lovely young lady at your side. In point of fact, I've come to help you. Have a seat and all will be explained."

Warily the two made their way to their seats. Harry stole a glance at Hermione. She'd never looked so terrified before, not even when he'd liberated her from Bellatrix's torture in Malfoy Manor. She was shaking and had broken out into a cold sweat. He was shaking as well. When they were both settled into their seats the man shifted his chair so he was facing them, then leaned his elbows onto the table and laced his fingers.

"I can tell you both are quite frightened." He said casually. "But I meant what I said, I have no intention of doing either of you any harm. I have come here this evening to do something that I've never done before."

"And what would that be?" Hermione managed to ask.

"I wish to set things right, Ms. Granger." He said, leveling his red eyes on her. Hermione couldn't help the shiver that ran up her spine. "To set things right," he repeated, now meeting Harry's eyes, "for both the two of you and myself. In order to do that, I'm going to need your assistance, and you'll need mine."

"Tell us who you are, dammit!" Harry said, his voice rising with each word.

"I am surprised you haven't figured it out yet, Mr. Potter. Ms. Granger has, after all." He drawled. "I'll give you a hint. You and your family have been putting my cloak to use for quite some time now."

Harry looked confused for the briefest moment before he froze, mouth hanging open and eyes wide in shock and fear. A whimper slipped out of Hermione.

"That's right Mr. Potter. I am Death." He said, eyes glowing crimson as he spoke.

Death allowed them both a moment to collect themselves before he started speaking again.

"As I said, I've come here to help the two of you. The grand plan, so we shall say, has been interrupted. Events have come to pass that should not have, and events that should've happened have been prevented. It is, therefore, my duty to see them fixed." He said.

"I don't understand." Harry said, finding his voice again. "Why now? And what is it that you need to fix?"

"Dumbledore." Hermione spoke softly, earning another smirk from Death.

"Top marks again, Ms. Granger. Albus is the root of it. His actions have caused the world to deviate from the path the fates have set for it, in ways that the two of you know and ways that you couldn't possibly." Death said. Harry opened his mouth to speak again but Death held up his hand in a silent command of silence. "Patience, Mr. Potter." He chastised. "Before I can explain to you why this is happening, you both need to understand what has been happening to the two of you so far."

"It was you, wasn't it?" Hermione asked.

"Correct, Ms. Granger."

"What was him?" Harry asked. He was by no means an unintelligent man, but he was so overwhelmed by what had happened over the last hour that he could barely process what was going on.

"The feeling I had. The strange force that's been driving me since this morning." Hermione said, turning slightly to him. "This morning it felt like I came out of a fog suddenly, and I was filled with a compulsion to leave. The same thing happened when I apparated to this forest and made my way to this spot." She said softly, glancing back at death. "It was you. You freed my mind and brought me here."

"Indeed. I also am responsible for the instinct that caused you to flee from Hogwarts at the climax of the battle, Mr. Potter." Death said. "Had I not intervened then, and were I not intervening now, things may have been lost to us. Certainly, both of your fates would've been sealed."

"What did happened when you fled the castle Harry?" Hermione asked. "All I know is what Dumbledore told everyone."

"That is a story for another time, Ms. Granger." Death interjected. "Right now, I feel I must reveal to you both all that has been done to keep you apart, and to keep you weak and pliable." He said, shifting in his chair to get more comfortable. He waved his hand and a tray with two cups, a kettle, and cream and sugar appeared on the table before them. "Please help yourselves. This may take a bit." The two teens hesitated, so death merely waved his hand again and everything on the tray levitated, floating over to them. A moment later two finished cups of tea sat before them, each made precisely to their preferences. Harry's with a fair amount of cream and plenty of sugar, Hermione's black as tar with just enough cream to make it look less like stew. "Drink." He commanded softly, and the two of them complied, moving robotically.

The tea did its work, after a few sips each they both began to calm down, fear diminishing to wary curiosity and confusion.

"I'll start at the beginning." Death spoke after a few moments. "As I'm sure you've both realized, Albus Dumbledore is the darkest wizard in this world's history. He has lied to and manipulated every single person that he's every met, and he's done so masterfully." He said. "From the time he was a young man, and in due part to what happened to his sister, Albus has dedicated himself to the subjugation and eventual elimination of muggles as a species. He and Gellert thought they could manage it if they gained possession of my wand, but their earlier plans didn't quite work out. Albus wanted to get rid of muggles using magical means, perhaps by manipulating magic itself, and Gellert wanted to do so by simple and sheer force of arms. Eventually the two split, which inevitably led to their famous duel."

Harry and Hermione listened intently.

"Eventually, Albus discovered something. Something he shouldn't have been able to." Death said softly, brushing his fingers through his neat hair. "He discovered a ritual. One that he believed could destroy all non-magical human beings on the planet."

"My god." Hermione gasped, horrified.

"Indeed." Death said. "Thankfully, the key to this ritual has been hidden for centuries. Most recently, It was deep within the department of mysteries, though they know not what it was."

"Was?" Harry asked sharply.

"Yes. I think you're beginning to understand. Albus needed access to the department but was denied. Even with his grand reputation as the leader of the light, there were still things he was denied. So a plan was formed. A plan that came to fruition the moment he met young Tom Marvolo Riddle. He knew that he had to destabilize the magical government from within in order to gain control, and her remembered quite vividly how the public had demanded he take leadership after he'd defeated Gellert."

"Why didn't he just become Minister of Magic then and there? Wouldn't that have given him what he'd wanted?" Hermione asked.

"Even the Minister is forbidden from access to some things in the ministry. No, in order to find his prize Albus had to take complete and utter control of the government. And to do so he would create a dark lord even more terrible than Gellert. He nurtured Tom Riddle's madness and pushed him over the edge. Never directly of course, but Tom was deftly manipulated into become the monster that he was. And Albus used the fear from Voldemort's rise to gain more power and influence." A cup of tea appeared in front of him and Death took a long, slow sip before continuing. "Things did not all go according to plan though. Voldemort gained power faster than Albus had anticipated. Eventually he became powerful enough that he could've been a real threat to Albus, So Albus had to take action."

"The prophesy." Harry said, barely audible. Death nodded.

"He manipulated the truth regarding the prophesy intentionally. He knew full well Severus Snape was listening that night, and he allowed him to return to Voldemort with his tale. Then all he had to do was influence Tom one last time to choose young Harry Potter as his threat over Neville Longbottom, as well as imperious James and Lily Potter to choose Peter Pettigrew as their secret keeper and not Sirius Black."

"He knew Voldemort would kill my parents." Harry said, shaking with rage. If it weren't for Death somehow preventing their magic from coming out, Hermione knew Harry's would be raging.

"Yes. He also knew Voldemort would be destroyed in the attack, because he is the one that secretly taught Lily the blood magic that protected you." Death said, a hint of sadness in his tone.

"Oh Harry." Hermione said, placing her hand on his shoulder.

"It gets much, much worse I'm afraid." Death said. "Albus was fully aware that Voldemort was making horcruxes, so he was aware that he would survive, after a fashion. Still, it bought Albus enough time to reset the board, and to do so in his favor. Albus hadn't intended you to become a horcrux, Mr. Potter, but it played into his hands perfectly. He amended his plans, intending to take full advantage of you to destroy Voldemort."

"He knew I was a horcrux from the very beginning, didn't he?" Harry asked. Again, Death nodded.

"Your entire life has unfolded as Albus wanted it to, Mr. Potter." Death said, pausing to allow his words to sink in. "He intentionally left you at the Dursley's home, knowing full well that they would abuse you. He placed a seal on your magical core, preventing you from becoming as powerful as you should've been. He used a trusted agent of his to continue to manipulate you once you were old enough to attend Hogwarts: Molly Weasley."

Harry began to feel sick. So did Hermione.

"Molly found you at the platform and positioned her son perfectly to become your most trusted friend. She and Albus had predicted your fragile mental state and had fully expected you to latch onto the first friend you could. From the moment you met him Ronald Weasley has been reporting on your every move to his mother and acting upon her orders." Death said. "At first it was for gold; Albus had promised Molly access to the Potter fortune, as he was your legal guardian as far as magical law is concerned. Then it became something much more vile. You see, once again something Albus hadn't predicted happened." Death's gaze shifted to Hermione. "You, Ms. Granger."

"Me?"

"Albus had taken precautions against everything, except for you. He hadn't expected Mr. Potter to meet his soul mate on the train, that September."

"SOUL MATE?" They both yelled at once. Death chuckled softly.

"Yes, soul mate. The two of you are meant to be together, and nothing should have ever interfered with the two of you finding each other."

"But somebody did, didn't they?" Hermione asked, her stomach churning. She knew the answer already.

"It was during your third year that the two of you began to have feelings for each other. The moment Albus found out he obliviated the two of you and instructed Molly to begin dosing you both with potions. Love potions, to be precise."

"Oh god…" Hermione began.

"Molly and Albus amended their agreement. The new plan was for Harry to be pushed to Ginny, eventually getting her pregnant and allowing Molly legal access not only to the full Potter fortune but to their lands and tittles. You Hermione, were potion to fall in love with Ron, to both keep you close so you couldn't interfere and so that Ron's obsession with you would be satisfied. They played a skillful game, dosing you both slowly as time passed to it both felt and looked natural to the outside world."

"I'LL KILL THEM!" Harry roared. Hermione had turned green.

"They stole our childhoods from us." She whispered. "They stole our happiness. Oh god…" She choked out, tears running down her face.

"Indeed." Death said sympathetically. "With your bond with each other effectively neutralized Albus once again had complete control. But he made one fatal error."

"The ring." Harry said.

"Yes. The Gaunt family ring that he put on was cursed and should have resulted in his death, had he not have been so aggravatingly clever. He'd taken precautions. That night on the astronomy tower he allowed Severus to kill him, knowing full well he'd survive. Albus had learned from Voldemort and made a Horcrux of his own."

"What was it?"

"Ironically, it was his own ring. The ring he was given when he became Headmaster of Hogwarts. He made sure that it fell into the hands of his most trusted lieutenant, Severus. And when the time was right, he had his servant resurrect him using the same exact ritual that Riddle used. He returned as a homunculus, the same as Voldemort, and just as Voldemort had he returned twice as powerful as he was before. Albus was reborn the night of the battle."

"When did they perform the ritual?" Hermione asked, confused. "Snape died in front of us that night.

"Did he?" Death asked, eyebrow quirking.

"I asked you what you remembered about the battle Hermione." Harry said quietly. Hermione looked at him, confused.

"It's still foggy, but I remembered Snape giving you the memory as he was dying. Then we went to the Headmaster's office…" She trailed off. "That was it wasn't it?" She asked, somehow feeling even more nauseous that she had before. "They modified my memory."

"That's right." Harry said. "Snape was still alive when we went up there. He caught me completely off guard. He attacked me, bound me, then performed the damn ritual. Except instead of his hand the crazy git threw his whole body in, so Dumbledore came out looking human. I suppose if wormtail had done the same Tom would've looked normal." Harry bit out. "Dumbledore told me this was all his plan and that I had to go face Voldemort with him to fulfil the prophecy and end it. So I agreed to meet him in the forbidden forest. He never came and Voldemort killed me in those woods."

"I never knew Harry. Dumbledore told everyone he'd faked his death and had been in hiding. When he joined the battle everyone rallied around him."

"If it's any consolation Mr. Potter, Albus had to use the imperious curse to get you to go into those woods. You didn't believe him." Death said.

"I'd assumed as much. The memory never felt right." Harry said, running his hand through his hair. "Hagrid carried me back to the castle, so when I came back from the other side I was able to fight Voldemort. Once it was all over Dumbledore took me back up to his office, but something didn't feel right. He kept telling me that everything that had happened was for the greater good, but I refused to listen. He wandlessly disarmed me, taking back the elder wand and I think he was about to kill me, and I'd almost resigned myself to it when I felt this overwhelming instinct to run. I summoned my old wand back to me from his desk and used all my power to blow the old bastards office sky high. I didn't think I'd actually be able to kill him but it gave me the chance to escape. I went to Godrics Hollow, found the backpack, then came here."

"So that's why you attacked him." Hermione said. Her memory had slowly been returning as they'd been talking."

"The desire to run was my interference." Death said matter of factly. "I freed your magic when you were at the crossroads, and when you went up to Albus's office I sent you the compulsion to run. I did the same for you this morning Ms. Granger, both with the compulsion and your magic." Death leaned forward towards them. "And now we've finally arrived at the heart of the matter. Had I not intervened, the two of you would be lost to fates worse than death."

"What would've happened to us?" Hermione asked, terrified of the answer.

"You, my dear, would have the worst fate I'm afraid." Death said, pity in his voice. "If I hadn't lifted the compulsion charms and the effects of the potions from you, you would've continued to be abused by Ronald Weasley. A year or so from now, he would discover that his abuse of you had rendered you infertile, and he would have you locked away in the dungeons of Potter Manor, by then renamed Weasley Manor. He would continue to use you, but by then he'll have stopped giving you potions so your consent will no longer be present. He will rape you on an almost daily basis, until you mind can no longer handle the abuse and you go insane. After a while he'll allow other to use you as well, and not just sexually. Until your last moment you'll be tortured and abused."

Hermione pitched to the side and vomited on the floor next to them.

"And you, Mr. Potter," Death continued, talking over Hermione's retching. "You would have been taken captive the night of the battle. Albus would have locked you away in Azkaban, where you would be tortured daily, mentally and physically. By this time Ginny Weasley will have given birth. The child isn't yours of course, but she'll convince everyone it is and that the two of you swore wedding vows before the battle, thus allowing her to claim the tittle of Lady Potter, Black, Peverell, and Weasley. Her family will take everything from you, and she will regularly come to lord it over you. Worse still, Ronald Weasley will actively take part in your torture, including bringing Hermione to the prison and raping her in the cell across from you while you are forced to watch."

Harry was numb.

"Eventually, Albus will succeed in obtaining what he needs to perform the ritual. From the top of what was once the astronomy tower he will use Hermione as the sacrifice, killing her, and force YOU to watch Harry." Death said, pausing to allow his words to sink in. "And that is why I'm here. Normally the fate of mortals is not something I interfere in, no matter how gruesome. But that ritual cannot be performed. It won't just kill muggles." Death said heavily, leveling them both with a hard stare. "If Albus performs this ritual, all life on this planet will cease to exist."

It was Harry's turn to vomit now. Death waved his hand, just as he had earlier when Hermione had gotten sick, and it vanished from the floor. Hermione was struggling to speak but Death cut her off.

"I will not give you information as to how and why this would occur, simply know that this piece of celestial magic is meant for the end of all things, and is to be cast by Fate herself when the time comes. The rituals purpose is for Fate to absorb all life and magic so it can be renewed again elsewhere. This is the grand design for all worlds. Somehow Albus has discovered part of this ritual and believes he can control it well enough to only kill non-magical humans. He will fail. When he does this planet will be reduced to a barren wasteland devoid of all life. He will absorb of it into himself become a god, but on a barren world. Unable to leave, and unable to die."

"Earlier, you said the key to it WAS hidden?" Harry asked after a few moments, his voice shaking.

"Albus found it a few months ago. He has been studying it, and withing the next year he will discover it's secrets. Once he has, he'll have everything he needs to end the world." Death said.

"How can we stop this?" Hermione asked.

"As of now, it cannot be stopped." Death responded cryptically. Hermione's eyes narrowed.

"As of now?" She asked.

"He means to send us back in time, Hermione." Harry said. Hermione's eyes widened.

"Correct Mr. Potter." Death said, straightening up again. "This is my proposal to the two of you: It is withing my abilities to send you both back in time, roughly three years. This would put you in the summer before your fifth year at Hogwarts. I would send you back with your memories intact and your magical cores unlocked. Your sole purpose will be to defeat Tom Riddle, in keeping with the original design, and to kill Albus Dumbledore before he can succeed in his plan. I'll also send you back with a few gifts from myself as well, but we can get into those later."

"And if we refuse?" Harry asked. He couldn't help himself. After everything he'd heard all he wanted to do was grab Hermione and run. He knew it would be pointless, but he couldn't think of anything else.

Death had known what he was thinking.

"You cannot run from this fate, Harry Potter." He said, eyes glowing. "Neither of you can. I interfered on Fate's behalf so we could all be here and have this little chat, but if you refuse the river will return to it's proper course. Even now the web I wove is unravelling."

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, gripping the edge of the table to keep herself upright.

"There is a tracer spell on you Ms. Granger, placed there by Molly Weasley. How do you think they found you at your parent's former home even though you placed charms on it? I've been blocking it from the time you arrived in the forest until roughly five minutes ago. Molly will be here soon, and Albus will be coming as well. I'd say we have another ten minutes until the find this place, considering the fidelus is about to break down as well."

"YOU BASTARD!" Harry roared. "YOU'RE TRAPPING US HERE!"

"Not at all, Mr. Potter. As I said, if you refuse fate will simply correct itself. You're both only free because I interfered in the first place." Death said calmly.

"So, what you're saying is either we agree to this and go back in time, or we stay here and die horribly? Is that about right?" Hermione asked, an uncharacteristically sarcastic bite to her words.

"Just about yes." Death said, taking a sip of his tea.

"We don't have a choice then." Harry said, sitting back down. His shoulder sagged in defeat. "I'll never have control over my life, will I?" Harry asked aloud, to no one in particular.

"Take heart Mr. Potter. If you do accept you will be able to TAKE control. The conditions of this agreement only specify the fates of Riddle and Dumbledore. This is not a fairy tale and we both know a knight in shining armor is far from what's needed right now."

Harry and Hermione both felt something dark twisting and uncoiling within themselves at Death's words.

"Revenge?" Harry asked.

"It is sweet, Mr. Potter."

Silence filled the tent for what seemed like an eternity. The only noise to be heard was the crackling of the fire in the woodstove and the breeze outside. Finally, Harry took a deep breath and stood, Hermione standing with him.

"I want revenge. I want to make everyone who had a hand in any of this suffer." He said darkly, his gaze on the floor. He took another deep breath and looked at Hermione. A moment later he met Deaths gaze again. This time Red met unwavering green, determination shining on Harry's face. "But I can't let Dumbledore destroy the world either. Maybe it's my 'saving people thing' talking here, but I won't abandon the rest of the world."

"I'm with Harry." Hermione said, her voice no longer wavering. She took Harry's hand as she spoke, squeezing tightly. "We'll get out revenge, of that there is no question. But even more importantly we WILL stop this. We'll stop them. Together. even if it costs us our lives. There's too much at stake." She said. Her eyes showing the same determination as his.

Death smiled. For the first time in a very, very, very long time he felt some hope for humanity. These two were far from perfect. There would be blood on their hands, lots of it before things were done, and there was darkness in them. But he knew better than most. Without Darkness there could be no light, and without light there could be no darkness.

"Then let us begin."

Raising his left hand, he snapped his fingers.