"So Death...you got any ideas how we're going to do this?"
The pair were currently stood out back of the Leaky Cauldron, in front of the brick wall that would allow them entry into Diagon Alley. It wasn't until Harry stood in front of the portal that she'd come to a worrying revelation - she hadn't gotten her vault key. On top of that, they had no way to contact Dumbledore and request that the key be sent, and they need the key to get money to buy an owl to send out a request for it.
"Well, my love; mayhap it will be as easy as telling the goblins that you were never given a key?" Death suggested. She tapped the bricks with her index finger, and the bricks jumped out of the way, allowing them entry into Magical Britain's shopping district.
It was that easy. Goblins must have some special way of knowing who everybody is because all it took was Harry saying "my name is Harriet Potter and I don't have my key" and they were immediately told to find a seat and wait while a new key was issued. Harry was nonplussed and even Death looked a little taken aback, despite her being the one to suggest doing exactly what they just did.
Even their wait wasn't long, fifteen minutes at most; Harry couldn't help but be incredibly impressed by how competent the goblins were at their jobs and how streamlined everything was inside of the building, not that she particularly liked goblins, no, the horcrux hunt in her last life soured her to them.
"Hey Death, what do female goblins look like?" It was a random thought that had just popped into her head as they were being escorted to a cart. With her awakening to the world of pleasure and physicality, she found her mind wandering nearly all day in regards to females of all species. 'What would it be like with a female goblin? What about a mermaid? A veela?'
It was their goblin guide who answered her question in his gruff voice, apparently having better hearing than Harr had thought, picking up her whispered question from several feet in front of the female pair.
"Slimmer than any of the goblins you've seen. Not like males, not stocky. A bit softer features, but every bit as vicious as the rest of us."
"Are females not allowed to work in the bank?" Harry asked, directing her question directly to the goblin this time, both because he'd have more knowledge on the subject and because he seemed more open to answering her questions than she'd have thought he would be. Goblins really didn't give off the impression of being talkative.
"They can. Don't want to though," he answered, motioning them to enter the cart that had just sped up to the platform. "They prefer to stay home, taking care of children."
That was the end of their conversation because next thing they knew, they were flying down the tracks towards Harry's vault at ridiculous speeds and words spoken would likely be lost to the wind. It was a short ride though, and before long they had taken a sizeable chunk out of Harry's respectable but not incredible mound of galleons, sickles, and nuts, and then without wasting any time were on their way back to the bank's lobby and out into the Alley to shop.
"I guess we start with robes since the shop is closest, and just work our way to the Cauldron?" Harry phrased it as a question, but she was already making her way towards Madam Malkins.
"It shouldn't take us long to get everything you need," Death motioned down the Alley. "This place is nearly deserted - just the normal daily shoppers - I suppose that's an upside to being so late to gather your supplies."
"Are you sure I even actually have to go to Hogwarts?" The younger of the pair asked, turning her wide green eyes onto her companion as she stepped over the threshold of the clothing shop. "It'll be so boring 'learning' all of this stuff."
"Hogwarts, dearie?" They were interrupted by the store's owner.
"Yes please; robes and casual muggle clothes if you sell them," Harry responded, gesturing at the large and in poor condition clothes she was currently wearing as if to stress the absolute need for something else to wear.
Rather than say anything, Madam Malkin just directed her to stand on the very same platform that she had stood on the first time she had ever come into this place, where she had first met Malfoy; oh joy, she forgot that she'd have to deal with him all over again, too.
While she was being measured, she thought about what to do with the little blonde shit. He was a child, sure, but even all of her years didn't help Harry develop much patience for people like him and he grew up without really changing. Trying to talk him out of acting as he did would do no good so she was going to have to get drastic. And petty. As she walked out of the store with bags of clothes in hand, she idly wondered if Draco would make a good girl.
Her next stop was to buy a trunk, and that only took a few minutes to get a trunk and get her initials embossed on the lid, and then after that, it was the stationery store for quills, ink, and parchment and then potions ingredients. By then, she was ready to be done shopping, but they couldn't stop yet so they picked up her schoolbooks, and then they found themselves in the Magical Menagerie.
"Hedwig is likely still here if you wish to reunite with an old friend," Death said. "I would also urge you to perhaps get a snake."
"I'm definitely not leaving without Hedwig," Harry nodded, eyes scanning the shop for what was once her best friend. "But why a snake? I don't think we're even allowed to have them at Hogwarts, or at least I've never seen anybody with one there."
Death indicated that Harry should follow her as she made her way deeper into the shop, to a section full of cages and perches, all with an owl occupying them. Sure enough, there was Hedwig, the beautiful snowy owl sleeping with her head tucked under a wing.
"I didn't take you for one to follow the rules so closely," Death laughed, knowing full well that Harry did not in fact care for most rules. "A snake is easy enough to conceal, regardless. As to why I think you should have one? Well, you can speak to them and you may find yourself wishing the company of somebody or something that you can talk to without worry or your secrets being spilled."
"I suppose that's fair enough. I wouldn't know what kind of snake to get, though. I really don't know much about them."
She was intrigued though. Death made a pretty good point and so Harry allowed herself to be pulled along to end up standing in front of several large glass aquariums, all teeming with life. She had to tune out the multitude of voices coming from inside as she contemplated which to get.
"Something smaller, I would imagine," Death helpfully supplied. "Easy to hide. I would also suggest not getting a magical breed or a venomous one. A common variety would be for the best so that if you do get caught with it you have the defense of it not being dangerous."
"This one here, then?" Harry pointed towards one of the displays. "Smooth snake, non-venomous, sixty to seventy centimeters max size. That's still quite large, but I'm not sure we'll find anything smaller here."
With a smile and a nod, Death scooped the snake out of its enclosure and sent Harry off to collect Hedwig while she herself hunted down everything they'd need to care for an owl and a snake. The clerk looked positively relieved to see Hedwig go. They stuffed what would fit into Harry's already full trunk and Death held onto everything else while Harry found herself entering Olivanders alone.
She'd expected a different wand maybe, or that the creepy old man who seemed to always know more than he should, would call her out on her strange reincarnation and time-traveling adventure, but everything happened exactly the same as it did last time she was in his shop, 'how curious' speech and all. When she got and paid for her familiar holly and phoenix feather wand, she wasted no time getting out of there and meeting back up with Death.
Arms laden with supplies, and exhaustion setting it to Harry, they exited Diagon Alley, went through the brick wall, and apparated into the Dursleys back yard from there. Even though she'd hardly seen hide nor hair of the Dursleys since she came to this reality, Harry expected yelling and screaming about bringing her freakishness into their home.
Harry breathed a sigh of relief when they walked in the back door to a silent house. The Dursleys spent as little time as possible in their home since Death revealed herself to them, and while Harry did feel just the tiniest bit bad for them being chased out of their own place, he was happy to not have to deal with their vitriol on a daily basis.
"So...now what?" Harry breathed out a sigh of relief as she threw herself onto her bed.
"Oh my love, I'm sure I can think of something to keep us busy," Death leaned over the bed, bringing her face to Harry's and displaying a tantalizing amount of cleavage.
"Not that, please!" Harry laughed. "I'm too tired; I'm afraid I would fall asleep and leave you hanging."
Death just laughed with Harry and leaned down further to give her a sweet kiss. Her ever-present black dress was gone from her body in an instant, leaving her naked. The goddess crawled onto the bed and sat up against the headboard, giving Harry a smile and patting her lap.
Harry wasted no time at the invitation, stripping herself down to her newly purchased panties and laying her head on Death's lap, sighing in pleasure as fingers wound through her hair and massaged her scalp.
"I was being serious, by the way," Harry's voice was morose. "I really don't want to go back to Hogwarts."
"Do you not wish to see your friends again?"
"I-I don't know. One on hand, yes, but on the other...well they're not really my friends, are they?" Harry looked to Death, hoping that she somehow had an answer that would lift the worries from her mind, but no answer came, just a look of ad understanding. "On top of the fact that they wouldn't be the friends that I shared all of those experiences with, that brought us together in the first place, they're children and I don't think I'd be able to connect with them."
"And another thing," Harry continued. "We probably should have talked about this before, but to be completely honest I was afraid to even bring it up, but what about you? I don't want to leave you. I can't leave you. I need you, Death."
"Don't worry, my love, I'll be with you the whole time."
"You promise?" It was a question that reeked of desperation because Harry truly did need Death. She was Harry's rock, and despite Harry's true age and experience, she needed a rock in this new world that honestly still worried her.
"I promise, flower," Death leaned down for a lingering kiss. "I promise you that I will not leave you."
Hearing the words put Harry's mind at ease and with her thoughts no longer running so rampant she found herself relaxing and her eyes drifting shut. When Death started humming a lullaby of some sort, Harry lost the battle of keeping them open and fell into a blissful sleep.
\\\\\\\\\\\\
When Harry woke, it was to an empty bed and she had a moment of panic as she felt the loss of her lover's presence. The same thing happened nearly every morning. Death would leave the house while Harry slept to get breakfast, Harry would wake up and freak out, and then Death would return food in hand to calm her down. The trend continued and as Harry was working herself up, Death entered the room, set the food down on Harry's desk, and then pulled Harry into a hug.
It was like flipping a switch; Harry's heart slowed and she stopped shaking and was all smiles within seconds of being embraced. She knew she needed to get a grip on herself, that it wasn't healthy, but honestly, she just couldn't find it in herself to care.
As they sat down to eat their breakfast sandwiches, Harry's mind was back on the Malfoy problem. She really was thinking about doubling down on her plan of completely emasculating Draco and bringing out his more feminine side. The Harry of a month ago would have abhorred the idea, but the Harry that had spent a month with Death whispering into his ears was all for it. But how to go about it without being caught?
"Hey, Death?"
"Hmm?"
"You got any ways to turn a boy into a girl?" Harry really hoped that Death, being a fucking goddess, would be able to do it with but a thought, as she was able to do so many other things.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can help you there," and Death truly did sound sorry, likely because she was all for the idea. Death was like that, sometimes. "I'm sure there's some potion or spell out there that does what you're looking for."
"Oh, that's a shame. I suppose any of those would be illegal to use," Harry thought aloud, blowing a stray strand of hair out of her face. "Not that that would stop me, mind you, just that they'd be hard to find because of it."
"Who is it that you wish to change, if I may ask?"
"Draco Malfoy."
"A child?" Death smiled. "I truly am corrupting you, aren't I?"
"You know you are," Harry laughed. "I'm becoming a bad person."
"You'll never become a bad person, my love, just a questionable one."
Harry laughed again, throwing herself at Death for a tight hug.
"The real question is this, though," Death took on the iconic thinking pose, chin rested on her fist. "Do you want him to become completely female, or only mostly?"
"What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that I think it'd be much more fun to turn everything about him female, except his cock."
"So like, boobs and a dick?" Harry gave Death a somewhat dubious look. "That just sounds like a gift, honestly. Best of both worlds, and all of that."
"Only if his dick is useable." Death had been smiling throughout the conversation, but now it turned shark-like. "If we were to stop it's growth now, no woman would be interested in a child-sized dick, or if we want to be especially cruel we could let it grow to a respectable size and take away his ability to get it up."
"Oooh," Harry was smiling now too. "That's going to be a hard decision to make. Not saying I am for sure going to do any of what we talked about. Just food for thought."
"You might not do it, you say? So the thought of turning little Draco into a sissy doesn't make you hot under the collar?"
There was a moment of silence, both of them looking each other into the eyes before both nodded. Fuck it. Draco would get one warning, and one warning only and after that then all bets were off. Deciding to get started on figuring out how to do it, Harry fed Hedwig a treat and sent her off with a letter to Borgin and Burkes, asking for anything related to body modification; after all, she really couldn't imagine Flourish And Blotts having anything on the topic.
Now they had nothing to do but wait. There were only a few days before term started and there really was nothing to fill them with. She could read her schoolbooks, but there wouldn't be anything in them that she didn't already know and she couldn't exactly practice magic without getting in trouble. She glanced at Death out of the corner of her eye, watching Harry in return. Well, she supposed, there was something to fill the time with.