A/N: Got nothing to say except I can't wait to hear your reactions to this chapter.
My Cheating Heart
By: tweety-src-clt9
Chapter Twenty-three: The Master of Death
When Harry heard about the ICW Medical Research Department's plans during his dinner with Hermione, he tried to keep a calm and collected demeanor. Deep inside, he was very nervous. He was afraid that he was not powerful enough, to support whatever it was they needed, to be able to lift the curse. Aside from wanting to do all he possibly can, to help find the cure for the children, he is doing all this for Hermione. He understands that it is her life purpose to not have another patient die on her again. So, should he prove to be not powerful enough, Hermione might end up losing fifteen patients – all of them children. He cannot allow that to happen. Because he is certain that it will only break her fragile heart even more. He owed it to her to offer all his help, no matter what it takes.
Now here he is, anxiously waiting in his bedroom. When Hermione returns, with the necessary equipment for all the testing she will conduct on him, he would know just how much power he possesses. They will know if the tasks her teammates seem to believe he is capable of is possible or not.
Hermione told him that he could come to visit her at St. Mungo's tomorrow morning or during the afternoons, depending on his availability. They decided to conduct the tests tonight since he told her he was busy the next day. He had some work to do with the aurors. New plans on how to go about Hermione's security. Also, he would be in touch with the ICW Hit Wizards for any updates on their espionage. They need to nail the 'Red Triangle' syndicate as soon as possible.
According to Hermione, the premier potions expert of their team, Deputy Abimbola Omenuko, will come to Britain on Thursday so all tests on himself must be completed by then. To be honest, it feels kind of irritating to be harvested for what essentially is going to be used as potions ingredients – they are planning to use his blood for Merlin's sake. But if it will help cure all those kids, then so be it.
Hermione is knocking on his door, so with a wave of a hand, he opened it for her. She entered his room dressed in a tank top and comfy striped pajama pants. Parchment, quill, ink, a book, two flasks were levitating in front of her. She was holding her wand in one hand and her emergency kit in the other.
"Hello, Harry. I do hope you're ready", she greeted him.
"Well as ready as I'll ever be", he sighed.
"Alright, so I am conducting two tests on you. One the EMI for your magical power. Two, I'll be extracting some blood so we can run some analysis on it. Third, well, it's more of a personal theory that I want to test out", she said the last one a little sheepishly.
"What theory?", he was curious.
"Remember that I was in some sort of magical coma after the accident?" He only nodded in reply. How could he ever forget that incident? He was so worried that she won't ever wake up.
"I met Viola Lily during the coma. And well, she told me something interesting", she began.
"I see. Where did you meet her in that dream state?", he wanted to know since he too had a bout of near-death after Voldemort cast the killing curse on him at the Final Battle. During that crazy experience, he found himself talking with Dumbledore in a replica of King's Cross Station.
"I met her in the Trinity College Library. Which sort of makes sense since it was my most favorite place as a little girl. And it remained to have been my favorite until I visited the Bibliotheca Alexandrina", she chuckled.
"Okay. So what did our dear darling daughter say?", he was amused. Viola Lily Potter always talks about the most interesting things about her experiences and the people she meets in the afterlife.
"She told me that 'Mister Death' wanted her to memorize a particular message for me. This message is related to you being the bearer of the Deathly Hallows", she added.
"Alright. What's the message?", he knew that whatever she is going to say will be something very important.
"The mistress of death need only offer hers and the master's allegiance to the service of the afterlife in their passing. Pledge allegiance in a ritual. Only then can your heart's desire come true", Hermione stated in a voice that was loud and clear.
"I see. Well, I think you have some sort of interpretation about this", that was his only reply.
"It just reminds me about Osiris and Isis", she thoughtfully muttered.
"The Egyptian gods?", he was surprised.
"Yes. You see, the ICW has these secret archives of magical text. Think Department of Mysteries but bigger. Anyone who works in any type of research gets access to these archives. Anyway, as a muggleborn, I've always loved mythology. One day, I discovered a tome there that talked about Osiris and Isis, as well as the other Egyptian gods. It turns out, they were a bloodline of very strong witches and wizards. The reason why history thinks of them as gods are because their subjects were non-magical. Seeing their rulers who can perform extraordinary feats of magic, they were deified to be gods and goddesses. Anyway, Osiris is the god of death and his wife and sister Isis is the divine mother of all things magic. The magical tome says that the Egyptian gods, Osiris, and his ancestors were the first to be entrusted with the responsibility of being the Master of Death. When their descendants prove to be abusive, ancient Egypt suffered many trials. After that, the hallows seemed to fall into the hands of the Greek gods, Hades in particular. Anyway, the point is, along the way, an unknown wizard met the Peverell brothers who gave them each of the hallows", she narrated.
"Okay, so how does this relate to the message from Viola?", he may be so much more powerful than her, but he's never going to be as smart as her. So he was still missing the point.
"You are the Master of Death. As your wife, making me the so-called mistress. We both want a second chance to save our daughter. So, to turn back time, we have to perform a ritual of some sort. A ritual that will have you and me pledge our allegiance to the incumbent 'Mister Death' that you and I will take over from when it is our time to die. You see, the book sort of implies that the power to protect the spirits in the afterlife, belongs to a magically gifted and divinely blessed family – with the matriarch and patriarch being the master and mistress just like Osiris and Isis. They were the first to do this, and the only pair to have maintained the role successfully since their descendants enjoyed some time of abundance in their mortal lives until they abused the gift. The Greek gods never were successful in taking over the role because Hades and Persephone were not compatible as a couple. Also, Zeus overshadowed Hades since he was described by the book to be more charming, making the latter jealous. Hence, the whole chaos among them. Anyway, the point is - if we perform the ritual, we get a second chance for Viola Lily", she explained.
"Wow! This is a lot to take in. I don't suppose you have an idea as to who the current 'Mister Death' is?", he had a feeling that she somehow knew. Hermione never brought things up when she is uncertain or clueless about a particular topic.
"I believe the current 'Mister Death' is Merlin himself. He is the one who gave the hallows to each brother separately. Merlin never married so he can't pass the responsibility to his descendants like Osiris and Isis. Merlin never got together with who was presumed to be his perfect complement in magic", she answered.
"Who?"
"Morgana Le Fay. She was his magical apprentice and at some point, they were lovers. But she was chaos and eventually turned dark. Merlin could never accept her because of that. He did not compromise. Osiris and Isis worked well together because Osiris was dark and Isis light. The caretakers of the afterlife should complement each other for legend says that one manages the entrance to eternal bliss – heaven. While the other, regulates eternal damnation – hell", she told him.
"Okay. So, er, is there anything else?", he was astounded by all that he learned.
"The master of death is always more powerful than the mistress. The EMI while popularly named after Emrys Myrrdin or Merlin, is actually of Egyptian origin. The spell is Arabic. It is believed or as the book I read says, that whoever is the Master of Death should be as powerful as Osiris and Merlin", she informed.
"Bloody hell! So that means I have to score 1000 on this test! Great. No pressure at all", he said sarcastically. Hermione chuckled.
"Hey, it doesn't have to be like that. It's just what the book says. Besides, we still have to find what rituals to use. And it could be nasty. Either a sex ritual or a blood sacrifice ritual. That's usually the case for some sort of magical communion", she tried to placate him.
"Hermione? If all these things are in some book in the ICW's archives, then I don't understand something. Why then, did Dumbledore, who was Supreme Mugwump at some point in his life, never knew about all this?", he asked.
"I'm sure he must have read the books. Maybe he just doesn't agree that it should be a couple like Osiris and Isis. Or maybe it's another greater good thing for him you know. Or it could be that he just doesn't believe what the book is saying. I mean if you ask me, it seems rather far-fetched. When I read it before, I thought it was just some sort of magical fairytale with a little bit of truth in it. Hearing Viola's message though, it makes me believe in it. Even just a little", she admitted.
"Do you want to try being Mistress of Death, Hermione?", he wanted her to be sure.
"I'll do anything for our daughter, Harry."
"Okay. Let's try calling Merlin's spirit. Maybe he'll come to us. You know just to ask", he said as he looked at her with intensity. He needed to know if she was sure about this. When she gave him a firm nod, he summoned the resurrection stone. Turning it three times, he thought about Emrys Myrrdin…
Five minutes passed and nothing seemed to happen. He was about to give up, when a tall blue-eyed spirit with long dark brown hair, wearing some kind of medieval tunic, trousers and boots floated in front of him. Oddly though, the spirit was focused on Hermione.
"It is my immense pleasure to meet the brightest witch alive", the spirit bowed to Hermione in a very gentlemanly manner. Harry couldn't help but snort at that. If this is 'Mister Death', Viola seems to be right! He does fancy Hermione, he thought with amusement.
"Emrys Myrrdin?", Hermione stammered.
"Yes, it is. Emrys Myrrdin. Current protector of the gates of the afterlife. At least until this blind idiot over here takes my place in his death", Merlin pointed to Harry.
"I'm right here you know", Harry huffed.
"Oh, I am so sorry to have offended the last descendant of Gryffindor", Merlin said sarcastically and Hermione laughed.
"Viola's right! You are annoying", Harry rolled his eyes.
"Ah well, the little dear is amusing in her own right. Loves her mother a great deal. Which I can perfectly understand", Merlin winked at Hermione which made her blush.
"You know if you tone down the flirting, you'd be of good use to us", Harry complained.
"First off, Hermione's theories are right. I always knew you were brilliant. Just like your many times' great aunt who likes to claim you as a granddaughter, so yeah. Brightest witch since Rowena Ravenclaw indeed. Anyway, what do you like to know?", Merlin asked Harry.
"Well, I don't know. I'm just – wow! This is weird", Harry was astounded.
"Mr. Merlin?", Hermione asked.
"Just call me Merlin dear."
"Right. So, er, if we do the ritual, how long is the service tenure as protectors of the gate of the afterlife?", she inquired.
"Hmmm… I'm not sure. Osiris and Isis held the title for thousands of years. I'm at my seven hundredth year. I plan to retire soon. Too difficult to manage both heaven and hell on my own. If only Morgana and I worked out. Now, it pains me to see her punished for all eternity when she could have been happy with me", Merlin said with pain and sadness.
"Oh, I am so sorry to hear that", she apologized.
"Sir?", Harry asked.
"Yes?"
"If the Master and Mistress of Death serve the afterlife when they pass on, what are the Deathly Hallows doing in the land of the living?", he wanted to know. After all, should everything turn out alright, he wouldn't want to burden his descendants with three highly coveted mystical items.
"It's seen as some sort of physical symbol of the family being blessed. The Creator who made all things blessed Osiris to find the Deathly Hallows. When he and his wife offered their service, their descendants were anointed. Blessed by the Creator to prosper in their lives. When the descendants abused their blessings, the Creator took the hallows and it called to another. Should you decide to fulfill your calling, your descendants will be greatly blessed in life for your faithful service upon your death", Merlin replied.
"Thank you, sir", he respectfully said.
"I see. That makes sense", Hermione remarked.
"Now I know that you two still have some issues to resolve on your own. I do hope you make the right choice. I believe you will make a fine Master and Mistress of Death just like Osiris and Isis", those were the last words of Emrys Myrrdin before he disappeared.
"Well that was helpful", Harry remarked. Hermione sighed.
"Do you think we should do it?", her voice was small and uncertain.
"I will do it for our daughter", he said with sincerity.
"Me too", she said with determination.
"Alright then. That's settled. We'll find the right ritual. Turn back time and this time around set things right. But first, you need to run those tests", he tried to keep a semblance of normality despite the very bizarre things they've seen tonight.
"Here you go", she handed him a note.
"What's this?", he asked when his eyes read some sort of spell.
"The spell for the EMI. It's Arabic. Must have originated from the times of Osiris and Isis' rule. Read the spell and master the correct pronunciation. It's all there. There is no wand movement. Just hold your wand, cast the spell, and the score will appear. I know that the spell is hard to say so please take your time. I'll extract some blood sample in the meantime", she replied.
"Okay. Kushif Quat Quti", he muttered.
"Roll your sleeves up and sit on the bed", she instructed and he immediately complied.
Hermione summoned an injection needle from her emergency kit. He was busy mastering the pronunciation of the EMI spell but she could feel her hands sterilizing the part she'll be drawing blood from. When that was done, she extracted the sample and stored it in one of the flasks. She then cast a healing charm on the tiny incision the needle punctured.
"Harry, have you tried using all the Deathly Hallows at once?", she asked.
"No", he looked up from the parchment.
"Why don't you try it right now? I just want to check something", she encouraged.
"But the Elder Wand is in Dumbledore's tomb", he told her.
"Just try", she insisted.
"Fine", he raised a hand and the cloak of invisibility came to him. The resurrection stone which he placed on his nightstand before sitting on the bed, he simply inserted into his ring finger. He closed his eyes and concentrated. When he opened them, the Elder Wand is now in his right hand.
"Okay why don't you try wearing the Cloak, holding the Elder Wand, while the stone is on your finger", she told him.
"Sure", he shrugged. He wrapped the cloak around his shoulders, held the wand, and she was right! His magic felt so much more potent when he was wearing all three of the hallows. Considering how connected he was to his magic, the potency he feels now is something indeed.
"Oh my!", she gasped.
"What?", he asked.
"Your eyes! They're glowing!"
"Really?"
"Yes. And I can feel your magic radiating."
"This is rather creepy", Harry gave a nervous chuckle. He shrugged off the cloak. He saw Hermione summon a parchment and quill as she scribbled some notes.
"Er, what are you doing?", he asked.
"Writing down my observations. This could help in – "
"Now I feel like a guinea pig", he sighed.
"Oh. I'm sorry Harry, it's just – "
"It's alright. I understand Hermione. I just wish I could be normal you know", he dropped down on his bed and rehearsed the spell.
"I'm sorry for making you feel like a test subject", she sat beside him and gently held his left hand.
"Kushif Quat Quti did I say that right?", he wanted to make sure.
"Yes. Are you ready now?"
"Ready as I'll ever be", he slowly stood up. Taking a deep breath, the Elder Wand in hand, "Kushif Quat Quti."
His bedroom was immersed in bright white light. A number floated. 1000.
"I guess that confirms my theory then", Hermione muttered.
"You know Hermione, I wish you could be wrong this time. But well, at least we get our chance to be with Viola again", he said in a resigned voice.
"We have to hide all these facts though. I'll think of something to cover up the secret of you being the Master of Death", she reassured him.
"Thank you for being with me in all this", he said with sincerity. To his surprise, Hermione ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Don't worry Harry. We'll get through this. For Viola Lily", she whispered.
"For Viola Lily", he muttered as he kissed the top of her head. And for you, so that I get my second chance to correct all my mistakes…