Disclaimer - I own nothing you recognise.
Challenges listed at the bottom.
Word Count - 994
He Had Hope
"Did you tell everyone? That was supposed to be a secret!" Harry hissed at Hermione, glaring between her and the two unspeakables.
"You said I could look for answers!" she replied, looking hurt.
Harry immediately felt bad, because he knew she was only trying to look out for him, and he softened his gaze.
"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I just… this isn't something I want to get out, that's all."
"We are rather known for our discretion, Mr Potter," one of the unspeakables assured him. "And we believe we have an answer for you."
Harry's eyes widened. "Really?"
The unspeakable nodded, leading both Harry and Hermione into a small room off the corridor. The other unspeakable followed, closing the door with a quick click behind them.
"You're the first and only known human to own and join the Deathly Hallows," the unspeakable said. "We have no way of knowing the end result of that, but we believe it's the cause for your…" he gestured a hand to Harry's face.
"Still looking twenty when you're actually forty five," Hermione filled in with a playful huff.
Harry rolled his eyes at her, fiddling with the arm of his glasses. This… wasn't what he wanted to hear.
"Is there a way to fix it? Like, if I destroy them or —"
"You cannot destroy them, and if you attempt to give them away, they will find their way back to you. You are the true Master of Death, in a way that nobody else has ever been. We believe that could manifest itself in an inability to die, as it were."
"You mean… I'm immortal?" Harry asked, swallowing hard with disbelief.
He was surprised. Sure, he'd found his apparent non-ageing to be weird, but he'd always been weird and he'd chalked it up to that, expecting something easily remedied. This was beyond all of his expectations.
The unspeakable gave him a sympathetic look. "We suspect so."
…
"Harry, you can't keep doing this!" Ginny shouted. "I know what the unspeakables said, but they could be wrong! You're going to provoke the wrong person one day and then where will you be?"
"Still alive," Harry muttered sullenly.
The worst part of this repeated argument was that he knew she was right. He was being reckless, putting other people in danger when he threw himself headlong into it, because as Auror's, they worked as a team.
Except… he had to sit by and watch people his own age gain wrinkles and speckles of grey around their temples, all the while retaining the youth he'd apparently always have.
"I know you're struggling with the not ageing, Harry, but please, just stop this," Ginny begged quietly. "If they're wrong… I don't want to lose you."
Harry tugged her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her temple, apologising quietly. He understood what she was saying, but that was the issue. He knew, as sure as he knew anything, that he was going to have to watch her die one day. He was going to watch his children die.
He was going to lose everything, and not be able to do a damn thing about it.
…
Ron was first.
Tears fell silently down Harry's face as he held Hermione up with one arm and Ginny with the other.
…
Hermione followed her husband, and Ginny not even a year later.
…
Albus was the first to die of his children, and the pain was like nothing Harry had ever felt before. That he knew he'd have to feel it twice more was unimaginable.
…
The florist smiled at him. "This is a lot of flowers."
He nodded sadly and paid for them silently, leaving the shop with his arms weighted down.
He left flowers every week, using a different florist every time. He placed a bundle on every gravestone, saving the biggest and prettiest for Ginny, the love of his life.
When she'd been dying, she'd told him it was okay to love again. He'd silently disagreed with her then and he still disagreed with her now.
She'd been his one.
His only.
…
Harry watched Minister's come and go. He saw new laws get passed and others fail. He watched his grandchildren and even their grandchildren grow up and get married and have children of their own.
He watched it all from the edges, terrified to get too close because he didn't think he could cope with any more loss.
He'd already lost everything, he couldn't afford any more.
…
The log fire crackled cheerfully, spitting off tiny pieces of wood.
"We need you to help," the current Minister, Michael Wood begged. He was a descendent of Oliver, and Harry could see some resemblance to his friend. "We don't know what else to do."
Harry nodded. "Okay."
…
He saw off three more Dark Lords. He didn't fear death, in fact he craved it, and that made Harry dangerous.
Each of them thought they could be the ones to finally end him and he wanted them to succeed. Not that he'd tell them that of course but…
Harry just wanted to be done.
…
Harry watched his name die out.
It was strange to see his last remaining descendent marry into another name. He was almost three hundred years old, so he supposed the Potter name had had a good run.
He went to the wedding under the invisibility cloak, and he smiled when he heard the "I do."
It reminded him of his own wedding, the bride's red hair taking him back to happier days.
He still had hope, that one day, he'd find a way around being the Master of Death. He had hope that one day, he'd dance with his Ginny in his arms again.
…
Harry sipped at his coffee and watched the sunrise, thankful that despite his many years alive, and the many years in front of him, some things never changed.
Written for;
Amber's Attic - 1. Someone losing everything
Angel's Arcade - ST6; An Immortal
Cheese Board - Wine; Malbec - HarryGinny
DOTY ; 67. Leaving flowers on a grave
Winter - Log fire
Birthstones; Garnet - "Did you tell the world? That was supposed to be a secret!"
365; 2. Provoke
1000. 285. HarryGinny
Herbology - Glasses / Issue / Surprised / Sunrise
