Summary: Scarlett Potter vanquished Voldemort and won the war, but felt dead inside ever since. After being murdered by muggles, she finds out what the title of Mistress of Death really means and uncovers the many benefits that come with it. Starting again in a Universe where Grindelwald is the Dark Lord that killed her parents, what will Scarlett do differently?
Pairings: TMR/Fem!HP
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Some scenes were inspired by other fanfiction writers... if anything has been done before I most likely have gotten my ideas from there.
Part 1 - Chapter 4
The Bloody Baron floated behind the group of twenty or so ghosts, aimlessly listening to their conversation. They were discussing Peeves. Again.
"My dear Friar, haven't we given Peeves all the chances he deserves? He gives us all a bad name and you know, he's not really even a ghost…" Nicholas was trying to reason with the Fat Friar, the soft-hearted fool was always preaching about second chances.
The Baron was already bored with the discussion. They talked about Peeves every so often and never reached any conclusion pertaining to how to proceed with him. He'd only joined the other ghosts today because he enjoyed scaring the little first years. Their screams were like music to his ears.
However, as he passed through the wall into the waiting area where the students were gathered, the Baron froze, his companions all having a similar reaction. They hadn't felt it before because it was tightly concealed, but now, being so close to its source, how could they not feel Death's magic, which drew them in like moths to a flame.
The Baron vaguely registered a few children screaming at their sudden appearance, but all his attention was focused on one girl who was staring at them with curious eyes, green eyes the colour of death. As if in a trance, he flew right towards her until he was standing just in front of her. He absentmindedly noticed that all the other children rushed to get away from him, but she didn't move, simply looking at him with interest.
"Hello," she said sweetly.
The Baron just stared, dimly aware that the other ghosts had completely surrounded her, cutting her off from her peers. The girl didn't seem too bothered. She slowly raised her hand, to try and touch one of his chains he realised, and he prepared for the uncomfortable feeling of having something pass through his body. He gasped instead. He could feel the weight of her hand.
Almost without realising what he was doing, the Baron reached forward and grabbed said hand, lifting it just to make sure he could. A murmur went through ghosts and students alike. The girl just seemed bemused as she also observed their joined hands.
"Who are you child?" the Baron asked, his voice a hoarse whisper.
Before the girl could answer, they were interrupted by Professor Riddle who had come to collect the students for their sorting.
"What is going on here?" the professor asked coldly. "Get away from her," he demanded.
Reluctantly all the ghosts retreated and flew into the Great Hall, no doubt eagerly waiting to see where the child would be sorted. The Bloody Baron was reluctant to let go of the small, warm hand he was holding onto. He could feel the magic more powerfully now that he was touching the girl and it had been so long since he'd felt warmth.
"Let go of her," a menacing growl had him reluctantly releasing the girl's hand, but not before he brushed his lips over her knuckles, delighted to see her blush cutely and look up at him shyly. Professor Riddle did not seem at all impressed by the display and glared at him until he disappeared into the Great Hall.
The Baron couldn't help but chuckle when he saw the rest of the children's wide-eyed faces, a stark difference from the girl's whose eyes were sparkling in amusement.
"Potter, Scarlett."
There was complete silence before whispers broke out all over the hall. Scarlett could see everyone craning to get a good look at the Girl-Who-Lived.
Even the ghosts were leaning forwards now, realising exactly who it was that could touch them. They hadn't taken their eyes off her since she'd walked into the Great Hall. Scarlett would definitely be having a little chat with Death after the feast, a little warning would have been nice. It had at least proved amusing to see Riddle's reaction when he found her holding hands with the Bloody Baron.
Scarlett composed herself, blanking her face. She walked gracefully to the stool with an almost inhuman grace. To most of those watching, Scarlett looked like the perfect Pureblood Heiress. She moved forward with a small sweet smile adorning her beautiful face and many wondered at how someone so innocent looking could have been powerful enough to defeat the Dark Lord Grindelwald.
Then the hat fell to cover warm emerald orbs and Scarlett could see only darkness.
'Hmm... Difficult... very difficult... Plenty of courage I see... Immense power and talent... Oh my... and definitely above average intelligence... You have a nice thirst to prove yourself... you are prepared to work hard to achieve your goals and are loyal to those you deem worthy... I believe you would do well in all the houses...'
'Interesting,' thought Scarlett. 'So you would let me choose?'
'Well, I suppose if you have a preference... yes, I'll take that into consideration.'
'Wait though!' Scarlett thought mischievously. 'Give it a few more minutes, let the time pass, let them wonder what could possibly be going on...'
'With thoughts like that, I believe one House in particular wins out,' the hat chuckled.
'Yes, I think Gryffindor will do nicely,' thought Scarlett. She wanted to be in her old House again. She was happy to note that the hat was doing what she asked and taking its time. It must have already been two minutes since she sat down on the stool. It was only a shame that the hat covered her eyes so she couldn't see people's reactions to her lengthy sorting.
'Okay my dear, your sorting has been very enjoyable and you are right, their reactions are amusing... they seem rather impatient…'
Scarlett mentally sniggered.
'Very well then... I will look forward to seeing what you can achieve in...'
"GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted to the Great Hall.
Scarlett took the hat off with a shy, embarrassed smile at the roar of approval and walked smoothly towards the red and gold table. She was definitely getting the loudest cheer yet. Percy got up to shake her hand and the twins were chanting, "We got Potter! We got Potter!"
Scarlett sat down between Neville and Hermione, who she'd sat with on the train, and opposite Nearly Headless Nick who looked like all his Christmases had come at once. The ghost reached over to pat her arm and he looked completely in awe when his hand didn't go through her, smugly smirking at the other ghosts who seemed rather sullen at not having Scarlett in their Houses. The Bloody Baron especially seemed to be pouting in disappointment. Scarlett chuckled and turned to Neville and Hermione.
"Hi," she smiled brightly at them.
Dumbledore smiled happily from the Head Table as Scarlett Potter was made a Gryffindor. He'd been a bit weary that the Hat was taking so long to sort her, but he'd had nothing to worry about, she was already making friends with a Muggleborn and the Longbottom Heir. They would be a good influence on her for sure.
He'd also felt her magic when she first entered the Great Hall and it was pure white, untainted. That was good. It meant that she was less likely to be tempted by the Dark Arts; she would be disgusted by the feel of Dark magic.
Once the last student had been sorted and had joined his new housemates, Dumbledore stood up, waiting for silence.
"Welcome" he said. "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!"
Tom watched from the Head Table as Potter charmed her way through her Gryffindor peers. From the time he spent with her, he wouldn't have pegged the girl as a Gryffindor. He'd thought she might go to Slytherin or maybe Ravenclaw after seeing her buy her mountain of books, but then again, her sorting had lasted almost five minutes so maybe the hat had been torn between a few different options.
What Tom had been more interested in was Potter's ability to touch ghosts. He'd never met anyone who could do that. He mused that perhaps it had something to do with her surviving the killing curse, but at this point he couldn't be sure. It had definitely been a sight though! The small, delicate girl barely visible through the bodies of the ghosts that completely surrounded her, her peers all huddled in the corner to get away from them. This was the second time that Tom had seen Potter attract things to her like a magnet: first the wands, now the ghosts. What would be next, dementors? Tom mentally shuddered at the thought.
After their visit to Diagon Alley, Tom had thought long and hard about the puzzle that was Scarlett Potter. Part of him was reluctant to kill her, simply because she had so much potential and, despite appearances, he felt that she leaned more to the Dark than the Light. She would be a great advantage in the coming war, but there was no guarantee that she would choose his side, especially since Gellert was the reason she had no parents.
Tom hated to see such potential wasted, but the girl was too much of a threat, a threat that could not be allowed to become even more powerful than she already was. It was too dangerous to keep her around. He would wait, bide his time and he would kill her at the end of the year when he stole the Philosopher's Stone for Gellert.
There was also the issue of the soulbond. Tom refused to allow anyone that much control over him. He'd done some research on the matter and he'd discovered that the loss of one half of a platonic souldbond would not negatively affect the other. Complications would begin to arise only when the two soulbonded individuals became overly attached to one another, something which would not happen, so Tom had nothing to worry about on that front. Him, overly attached, it was preposterous.
And yet, Tom still hadn't focused on anything other than Potter, observing her as she laughed carefreely with her peers. He wondered if she was genuinely amused or if it was just a mask...
Suddenly Potter looked up and black eyes met emerald. She smirked slightly at him and he felt a wisp of magic, so subtle that he was sure it had gone undetected by everyone else in the hall, brush up against his own. He inhaled sharply. It was the blackest magic he had ever felt, it was deliciously Dark, even darker than his own, and he wanted to drown in it. Then Potter turned away and the foreign magic disappeared. Tom could almost convince himself that it had never been there. After all it could have only belonged to Potter and he'd already established that her magic was as Light as they come. He'd seen it with his own eyes in Ollivander's shop.
Dumbledore interrupted his musings when he stood up again to make his announcements.
"Just a few more words now that we are all fed and watered. I have a few start-of-term notices to give you. First years should note that the forest on the grounds is forbidden to all pupils. And a few of our older students would do well to remember that as well."
Tom saw Dumbledore look pointedly at the Weasley menaces who unashamedly grinned back.
"I have also been asked by Mr. Filch, the caretaker, to remind you all that no magic should be used between classes in the corridors. Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Anyone interested in playing for their house teams should contact Madam Hooch," Dumbledore continued.
Tom leaned back with a roll of his eyes at the mention of Quidditch. The sport was pointless and dangerous in his opinion. Who would want to risk dying for a stupid game?
"And finally, I must tell you that this year, the third-floor corridor on the right-hand side is out of bounds to everyone who does not wish to die a very painful death," Dumbledore concluded gravely.
Tom watched in amusement as the whole room looked unsure whether Dumbledore was being serious or not. Potter seemed as wide eyed and confused as everyone else, but she had a glimmer of curiosity in her eyes. Tom would have to keep an eye on her to make sure she didn't go on any life-threatening adventures. What was he thinking? He should encourage her to go looking for trouble, the girl had to die after all and it would seem less suspicious if her death was attributed to a tragic accident.
Tom groaned when he heard Dumbledore's next words.
"And now before we go to bed, let us sing the school song!"
Tom hated Dumbledore for making them go through this torture every year.
"Everyone pick your favourite tune," Dumbledore said happily as he flicked his wand, making the lyrics appear. "And off we go!"
"Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something, please,
Whether we be old and bald
Or young with scabby knees,
Our heads could do with filling
With some interesting stuff,
For now they're bare and full of air,
Dead flies and bits of fluff,
So teach us things worth knowing,
Bring back what we've forgot,
Just do your best, we'll do the rest,
And learn until our brains all rot"
Tom sneered in disgust as the school sang together in different tunes. This was one of the many reasons why Dumbledore had to die.
As everyone started to quiet down, a beautiful voice was heard singing the song to a slow, soft classical tune. Tom absently noted that everyone was looking at Potter completely mesmerised. She sang the last few words and the Great Hall fell into complete silence.
Tom tore his eyes away from Avada Kedavra orbs.
Scarlett Potter had to die.
Scarlett called for Death from the safety of her four-poster bed, her curtains drawn, silenced and completely layered in wards.
"Mistress, it has been a while," Death crooned with an exaggerated bow. "What can I do for you this evening?"
"You could start by telling me why I can touch ghosts," Scarlett demanded with narrowed eyes.
"Ah yes," Death chuckled rather sheepishly. "Some beings will be able to feel that your magic has been touched by… well… me. They might not realise what you are exactly, but your magic will call to them, even if you keep it completely hidden under Light magic. Although there will also be others who will be completely repulsed by it instead."
"I see…" Scarlett mused. "I guess it could come in useful, even if it does draw a lot of attention to myself… This will be especially troubling when I assume my Dark identity."
"I'm sure you'll manage to make this work to your advantage Mistress," Death said gleefully. "I am always happy to receive the souls of those who try to oppose you," it sighed rather dreamily.
Scarlett giggled. "Very well. I have one more question."
"Anything for my Mistress," Death sang.
"Is Grindelwald possessing Quirrell? I thought I felt my scar heat up when I looked at him earlier."
"He most certainly is," Death said with a cackle.
"And is our esteemed Professor Riddle aware of this?"
"He is not. Grindelwald wants to surprise his apprentice," Death said with another high-pitched cackle.
"Interesting... very interesting."
A/N: Scarlett can touch ghosts and Tom doesn't seem very happy about it! What did you think? I hope you enjoyed it! Leave a review if you can! They make me very happy! :P
Coming up: Classes, classes and more classes.