Author's Note:
Hello again. 2018 was evidently not the year that I had hoped it would be for my writing. But I enjoy doing this too much to stay away from it that long – even if life made this past year obnoxiously difficult to try and make time. Hope that you enjoy this chapter and continue to enjoy where I take this. But I do want to thank you all very much for just reading anything I wrote.
This chapter explores more of the other side and finishes some of the background that I feel I need to introduce before the story picks up in the next chapter.
Also, does anyone want to be a Beta for me? Mainly looking to bounce ideas off of and make sure things are coherent before I post.
Here is my disclaimer that says I do not own anything Harry Potter related. Everything belongs to JK Rowling, except in universe 47837. Probably.
The ornate, wooden door to Death's office closed behind him as Harry walked over to where Mikhail stood patiently in front of Kathy's desk. Both the older Angel and Death's office manager had a similar, wistful look on each of their faces – like they too still remembered their first encounter with the man.
The evidence of which was still plastered all over Harry's face and also in the way that he continued to awkwardly walk towards Mikhail.
"That bad, huh?" Mikhail smirked.
Though he did have an understanding look in his eyes and extended his arm to rest on Harry's shoulder.
"I'll admit," Mikhail continued in a more pensive manner, "it was a bit overwhelming for me as well. For all of us really, I imagine. But he isn't too bad, great boss to be honest."
Harry had heard the words but they hadn't really registered.
Nevertheless, his eyes blinked and he started to come back to the conversation. Little-by-little his encounter with Death was becoming more and more like a dream.
"Definitely still a bit shell shocked," teased Mikhail.
Harry took a deep breath and looked into Mikhail's yes.
"I never imagined that I would have gotten to see all of that – to watch as the world formed and life as we know it came to me. The beginning… it's almost more than I can process or even wrap my head around."
Mikhail nodded and squeezed down comfortingly on Harry's shoulder, drawing the younger and shorter Angel closer to him. Mikhail's head was tilted slightly downwards and to the side and his eyes were now only inches away from Harry's.
"Yeah, I don't think that you'll ever really be able to get over that feeling of grandeur or amazement. But the rest," Mikhail raised his eyebrows and his cheeks smiled warmly, "isn't all that bad, all things considered. You'll get used to your purpose in time and the rest just sort of falls into place."
The hints of gold in Harry's green eyes reflected the closeness of Mikhail's face.
"Speaking of which!" Mikhail blurted out and the sudden rush of his outgoing breath brushed up against Harry's cheeks, "I'm sure that Death gave you an overview of your upcoming assignment, right?"
Harry nodded his head at the continuing reminder that there was very serious and important business to attend to.
Meanwhile, a small part of his mind lamented that he couldn't more fully appreciate the closeness of the other boy. Something was always happening or going on in his life where it had become almost impossible for him to just enjoy a single moment without the weight of a thousand others trying to barge in. For instance, he had rarely been allowed to just exist and explore in the momentary comforts, exactly the sort that came with being so close to a certain individual that he happened to find very appealing.
Though, that same part of Harry's mind quickly reminded him that there were bound to be some moments in the near future where he could more fully explore his newfound attraction to the other boy considering that Mikhail had been assigned by Death to help him with his task.
Mikhail wasn't prepared for the sudden appearance of the large and enigmatic smile on Harry's face, however.
It caused him to momentarily lose focus, but he managed to regain his composure in the next instant.
"Perfect," Mikhail recovered with a curious expression of his own lingering on his face.
"Well, Kathy here manages the various assignments that Death gives his Angels and she will be your point person for status updates and the like. For example, she will now provide you with your very own ledger."
With that Mikhail tore his eyes away from Harry and directed his attention to Kathy's meticulously organized desk.
"This will be just like my book, the one that I had when we first met in the In-Between and it'll provide you with updates on your various tasks and whatnot to make sure you have most things needed to perform the job. Or at the very least some idea as to where to start."
Kathy greeted Harry's sudden attentiveness with a small but distinctly devilish smile.
The woman's eyes were alight with mirth and she could barely contain the excitement building behind her smile.
"Of course, Harry," she purred, "I have Death's assignment right here for you."
Without taking her focus off of Harry she rummaged under her desk and produced a large, nearly identical tome that Mikhail had used to dive into Harry's past.
Kathy's eyes were still shinning gleefully as she set the book down in front of Harry only to next lay down an identical one in front of Mikhail a fraction of a second later.
Her eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets now.
"Death seems to have scheduled both of you on the same case!" she squealed in delight.
"It looks like the two of you will be spending an awfully large amount of the foreseeable future together. And considering the assignment before you, I would imagine that there are going to be a lot of late nights and close contact."
Kathy's eyebrows danced again and her pointed stare caused Mikhail's cheeks to take on a reddening hue. Harry, meanwhile, remained mostly unaware of the not-so-subtle innuendo being implied towards the pair of them. In fact, Harry had always been rather behind the curve in picking up on these sorts of things and sometimes needed them to be quite literally spelled out.
Case-in-point, he was too busy thinking about explaining Death's reasoning to Mikhail to even notice some of the telling color beginning to leave the boy's cheeks.
"I'm relieved, really," Harry now finally clarifying the cause of his earlier smile, "Death said that since this mission was so important to the cosmic balance, he would prefer that I didn't handle this all by myself. You know, to make sure that everything goes smoothly."
Harry beamed at Mikhail, looking forward to both having the help and getting the chance to know the other Angel better.
"Isn't it just Splendid!" Kathy clapped her hands together. Her fuchsia nail polish sparkled as the ends of her fingers caught the overhead light.
Mikhail, who was equal parts stunned and ecstatic about the opportunity, just nodded his head and tried to keep a smile on his face. Because while he was truly looking forward to spending more time with Harry he was terrified that this could cause problems.
Harry was just the sort of person that he had been waiting for all of these years and a rather large part of him was entirely too fixated in worrying that Harry wouldn't return his growing affections. As the day had progressed he had hoped that they would be able to take things slowly and gradually work their way up to something, should that be an option down the road. Which would only make the hours and hours that they would have to spend in each other's company that much harder – especially in this line of work.
The magic, the death, the sheer power of what they could harness, day in and day out, could sometimes alter the choices a person made. Merlin knew that he had acted in an uncharacteristic manner once or twice because of the rush that had been surging through his veins only seconds before.
He didn't want that to happen with Harry and he could feel himself getting sucked into this deeper and deeper well of continually overthinking the situation until he didn't know what to think anymore. He was just about to lose himself down that dark little rabbit hole when he managed to catch a glimpse of Kathy's face staring directly at him.
She was leaning forward in her chair and her chin was propped up with the palms of her hands that were themselves supported by her elbows that rested on her desk. Her manicured hands framed her round face that was simply having too much fun giving a piercing and knowing stare at Mikhail.
She was in heaven.
Mikhail cleared his throat that signaled his return to the present.
Kathy chose that same moment to insert herself into the conversation once more and save Mikhail from the awkwardness that was coming off of the poor boy in waves.
"I'm sure that Mikhail will walk you through everything that you need to know about how to use your book; now, here is your employee identification card. Don't lose this, you hear? This will let you into all of the regular and restricted areas here and we can't have just anybody getting access to that. Again, I'm sure that Mikhail will provide a more than adequate overview."
Harry was barely prepared to process this barrage of new information again so quickly after everything he had learned from Death, but did his best to force himself to pay attention as Kathy continued.
"Your ID also gets you on the employee meal plan in the cafeteria and can be used in the Land of the Living just like a Muggle credit card. Mikhail will explain the process for reimbursement for meals, housing, and resources needed for the mission. Let's see, what else?" She tapped her chin expectantly and handed Harry the card that had a large, moving picture of himself on it.
Except that this Harry staring back at him on the ID was nothing like the Harry that he was used to seeing in the mirror. All of his features appeared to be the same but at the same time looked enhanced as if they had been brought out to their full potential. In fact, Harry was having almost the same reaction looking at himself now that he had upon meeting Mikhail.
He certainly never remembered looking like this.
Focusing on just one feature wasn't enough to change the overall impression but considering them all at the same time was enough to make him blink several times in rapid succession.
"Oh that's right," Kathy interrupted, "it'll also give you access to the supply cabinet. By the way, I've made an appointment for you to get fitted for your scythe in one hour."
"Uh, great… thanks," Harry stammered without looking up from his newfound appearance.
It took some effort but he eventually managed to smile back and convey his gratitude.
"Yes, thanks, Kath," Mikhail added.
"Will give us just enough time to grab a bite to eat and go over the basics of the book. I owe you one."
Harry gathered his new belongings while Kathy looked pointedly between Mikhail and the oblivious Harry.
"I can think of a way you can pay me back."
Her smile looked predatory and her eyes danced back and forth between Harry, who wasn't paying attention, and Mikhail who knew exactly the sort of sordid little details that the woman was after.
Mikhail smiled embarrassedly at her and showed Harry the way to the cafeteria.
On the way there he began to describe the book that Harry was closely examining the cover of.
"Your book is not all knowing Harry and it can't tell you everything since who has time to read every little detail about a person. It will, however, provide just enough to fill you in on the relevant parts of your assignment, who the major players are and some of the noted difficulties. Very helpful in getting you started, though, and you can always request further information if needed. Why don't you open it?"
Harry slowed his pace but kept walking side-by-side Mikhail as he grabbed the intricately designed cover and turned it over.
On the first page he saw a table of contents that listed the various individuals who had wronged him over the years and noted on which pages he could find more information on them.
Since Albus Dumbledore was the first name that he saw he quickly flipped over to page number eighteen.
There was a large picture of the old wizard on the left and to the right and underneath were some very interesting highlights that caused him to stop dead in his tracks.
Name: Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Race: Human Wizard
Current Status: Alive
Date of Birth: August 12th, 1881
Anticipated Date of Death: June 30, 1997
Anticipated Cause of Death: Killing Curse from Severus Snape
Anticipated Location of Death: Astronomy Tower, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Known For: current Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, former Transfiguration Professor, former Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, defeat of the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald, magical prodigy and student of Alchemy, discovered twelve uses of dragon blood, former possessor of 2 Deathly Hallows (Elder Wand and Cloak of Invisibility)
Known Associates: Lord Voldemort (former student, mortal enemy), Harry James Potter (former student, former Boy Who Lived, current Angel of Death), Ariana Dumbledore (sister, deceased), Aberforth Dumbledore (brother, alive), Gellert Grindelwald (lover, estranged), Severus Snape (former student, Hogwarts' faculty member, and Order of The Phoenix spy)
Angel Assigned to Case: Harry James Potter
Assignment: Reverse significant damage done to Life/Death balance on account of gross negligence re: Tom Marvolo Riddle (AKA Lord Voldemort/Dark Lord) and his creation of Horcruxes
Difficulties: Genius level intellect and will sacrifice anything for the greater good (or what he believes the greater good to be)
Notes: Soon to be infected with the Curiosity Killed the Cat Curse (soon-to-be possessor of Resurrection Stone), greatest weakness is power
"Dumbledore went out with Grindelwald!" Harry's mouth gaped open.
"This can't be right."
Mikhail didn't even need to look at the page. Not because he knew that the book never lied but because he had previously needed to deal with some of Grindelwald's mess personally and thus was intimately familiar with some of the events in the boy's youth.
"Oh it's true all right! The two became very close for a few short years around the time of graduating from their respective schools of magic. Now that I think about it I would imagine that we will have to revisit some of the circumstances surrounding what brought them together since it probably relates to some of the things that we have to fix going forward. But I'm getting ahead of myself."
Harry looked up from the page and focused his still-gaped expression on Mikhail.
"You think?" was all Harry could say; he honestly thought all of the major surprises would have been over after his conversation with Death and everything.
Mikhail shook his head and put his arm around Harry's back and pushed him forward.
"I know that it is a lot to take in and more so for you than what most Angels have to go through. It really is very unusual for the first assignment – or any assignment, come to think of it – that an Angel is involved with to be something with such a strong personal connection to. Normally we Angels deal with things far removed from any semblance of the life that we used to live, but in your case you are being sent straight back towards the very people that caused you so much pain in the first place."
Mikhail's voice became lower as he led them into some open and unused space right outside the cafeteria.
"I should have seen this coming," he apologized.
If he hadn't of spent so much time being distracted by Harry's beauty and his own internal longing he might have been able to do a better job of preparing the new Angel for the realities of his job. He needed to do better; he was going to do better.
He took a minute to gather himself and reconsidered how the rest of the day should go.
"Maybe we should take a break from thinking about what's ahead and focus on some of the easier and far less complicated dealings of being an Angel with some food. From their we can get you fitted for your Scythe and then depending on how you are feeling we can either stop down in Level One after I explain what it will entail or return to the mortal world and come back to interrogate Voldemort's soul tomorrow. I keep forgetting how real and personal this is or must be for you and I don't want to make that mistake again."
There was sincerity in Mikhail's eyes and Harry was thankful for that. He was just starting to really wrap his mind around what he had gotten himself into when he stopped and decided that Mikhail's suggestion of food was both needed and necessary.
"Now that you mention it I am kind of hungry," Harry replied.
"And you don't have to apologize, it's sort of becoming expected to find myself in these sorts of unexpected situations. Sometimes I'm really bad at not thinking things through all the way through."
"So I read," Mikhail lightly teased before leading Harry properly into the cafeteria.
At once the smell of food hit his nostrils, only while it certainly satisfied his current hunger it did not compare to the feasts at Hogwarts that smelled a lot more appetizing.
Harry followed Mikhail to the buffet line as he made note of what people were eating at the tables that they passed. However, what truly captivated him was that every single person looked to be savoring each and every bite.
Harry held onto his comments as they collected their food and sat down at an empty table near the back of the cafeteria. Harry eyed Mikhail intently as he twirled some spaghetti around his fork and placed it in his mouth, and noticed that his reaction was not the same as the others.
Harry soon unfurled his own utensils and soon tasted something very bland and non-memorable. A few bites later and he decided to finally comment on it.
"Is it just me or does everyone else seem to be enjoying their food more than what is normal?"
Mikhail looked up from his plate and saw that Harry was genuinely confused about this.
"Well, I did mention that these were all people from Level Four and were working here to try and get an honorable mention transfer into Level Five, and the food here is from Level Five."
"You mean this is good food?" Harry asked before realizing that he would have been very happy eating something like this at the Dursleys. Which then caused his mind to fully consider the situation.
"Never mind, I can see that the quality of the food that one receives is tied to the level that a person ends up."
Mikhail swallowed his last remaining bit of pasta.
"To be fair, I've never had any of the food in Level Four but I bet it gives these people a taste of what being good at their jobs will get them."
"So do you eat all of your meals here then?" Harry asked before returning to his plate with a new sense enthusiasm and gratitude.
"I eat here when it is convenient," Mikhail said. "Of course, I much prefer cooking my own food when I can but it's not always the easiest considering the odd hours that we sometimes have to work."
Harry continued to eat while Mikhail talked about the flat he had in the mortal world, though he did mention there were accommodations here as well that they could use.
It was a nice change of pace and gave Harry a much-needed respite from anything too serious.
When Harry was finished Mikhail took both of their trays and placed them on the belt that carried them back into the kitchen to be cleaned and reused. Then he led Harry out of the cafeteria and across another large space filled with cubicles before coming to a door that was marked 'restricted access.'
Mikhail showed Harry how to swipe his badge and after walking through the door directed Harry through a short hallway with doors spaced out every few meters or so. They turned left at the end of the hall and went through the first door on the right.
Immediately Harry was reminded of Ollivanders and in fact the room was similarly laid out. Various scythes were stored around the room, and it was easy to see by how they were arranged that some were larger and others were much shorter. Not only that but the blades differed as well with some being a single curve and others being more intricately dangerous-looking.
And just like the involved process of selecting his wand Harry thought that at one point he had held every single scythe in the room. The attendant was a lot more flustered than Ollivander had been but with only a few more to try Harry's magic finally connected with one of them.
Only, it didn't just connect with the strong but incredibly light handle and blade, it was more like they bonded together. It was such a strong sense of belonging and rightness that Harry honestly questioned how he had even managed to live without it.
Harry's green eyes sparkled with pure and unadulterated contentment and Mikhail couldn't help but smile and think back to when he first received his own reaper of souls.
There really was no good way to put how this experience felt into words but as the two Angels left the store they shared a look that managed to do just that.
The feeling carried both of them as they walked back into the main workspace and towards the elevators. Only, just as they were a few feet away Mikhail stopped and turned to Harry.
"So here is where you have a choice. First I will explain to you what we are going to do and then you can decide whether you feel up to tackling it now or returning to the mortal world before coming back tomorrow."
Some of the shine retreated from Harry's eyes as he did his best to calm his mind and prepare himself for Mikhail's attempt to provide more of the specifics so that he had a better idea of what to expect.
"Shoot."
"As I explained earlier, while the book is very helpful in providing a framework for the issues it doesn't necessarily provide a great deal of context as to who a person is – which can be very important in these cases when trying to counteract the damage they have down. And while we are on the subject I want to mention that the information provided in your book is the same information that you would receive upon looking at a person but there is one very important distinction. You can only receive that knowledge mentally from a person if the individual is deceased, which basically means that you are on this side of the divide and looking at their soul."
"However," and with this he slowed his speech as a point of emphasis, "situations like the one we currently find ourselves in come with exceptions and therefore Life provides for us the information about those that are still living, like Dumbledore, that will be of great importance in deciding how to fully deal with something. Now normally when we are reaping magical souls we don't have an immediate need for this information since the deed is simple but it will appear in your book because you will need it for filing the paperwork and making sure all the i's are dotted and all the t's are crossed."
"Do you understand me so far," Mikhail inquired.
Harry was following quite closely and nodded his head.
"Good. The final thing to note then before I explain where I am going with this is that there is a blank page in the back of your book that you can use as a search in case there are any deceased individuals that you think could provide relevant information for you to investigate further that haven't already been provided. If the name you enter is from a person still alive then you will have to provide a justification for Life to authorize the release of that information, and even then that doesn't mean you will get it."
"Still with you," Harry interjected when he saw Mikhail pause again.
"The purpose of laying this all out then is that in order to gather more information than the book provides we have one final tool at our disposal, which is to directly interact with the souls of the deceased."
Mikhail was watching Harry's face intently.
"This allows us to see what they saw and to know what they knew, and thus provides some context for what they did and why they did it."
Going into a conversation more mentally prepared had allowed his mind not only a chance to follow this discussion but to be able to anticipate where it was that Mikhail was going. Of course, it also helped that the Horcrux was no longer taking up a portion of his mental resources and so Harry was able to fully apply himself in this moment.
"So what you are saying and trying to prepare me for is that even though we have information in this book on what Voldemort did up until his soul fractured the night that he killed my parents, we could visit that portion of his soul and immerse ourselves more fully in what he did and why he did them?"
"Which means," Harry swallowed, "that we would have to go to Level One and find him. Isn't that right?"
Mikhail nodded slowly.
"It isn't the most pleasant of places, obviously, and after what happened earlier I wanted to make sure that you were fully informed this time as to what we were getting ourselves into. We can always come back tomorrow and do this but at some point we are going to have to go down there."
Even though that experience wasn't something that Harry was looking forward to, he didn't see the point in delaying it until later. By this point it had been an extremely long day and he just wanted to put this next experience behind him so that he could finally begin to adjust to his new life.
"No," Harry shook his head, "let's get this over with now."
"Are you sure Harry?"
"I'd rather not have this hanging over my head, and since we are here anyways…" he shrugged his shoulders.
"Best to get on with it then," Mikhail finished in agreement.
"Very well," the older Angel continued and led them over to the elevator.
"Now, the first thing to know about visiting any of the different levels is that while we are in this form," he indicated with a back and forth gesture of his hand, "we will remain unseen. If, however, we were to transform into our true forms as an Angel of Death – you know, the one with the wings and everything – then the souls will be able to see us and at that point we will be able to enter into them to see and know what we need to."
Mikhail saw the question begin to form on Harry's face and answered it before Harry even opened his mouth to ask.
"For the most part Death would prefer us to remain as inconspicuous as possible when in the various levels and not to disturb the souls unless we have a really good reason to – I think our presence makes them nervous and can affect the rest of their existence."
But that was not the question that Harry was going to ask, though that did answer something he would eventually have questions about.
"And what about interacting with the various people here?" Harry motioned towards the rows and rows of cubicles that surrounded them in a semi circle of sorts.
"Ah," Mikhail nodded with understanding. "Here is different because these souls are working for Death and therefore have been allowed to interact with us in a more comfortable setting. Again, our true form can make them nervous but I suspect the real reason is because Death prefers to not assume his true form unless he has a really good reason for it."
Mikhail glanced around their surroundings for a minute and then whispered conspiratorially to Harry, "if you think our true forms are different than how we are dressed now, just imagine what it would be like for Death. My knees gave out the first I saw him, like really saw him."
Harry's eyes widened minutely as he tried to imagine Death looking any more intimidating than his first experience with the man.
"I'll make sure I'm sitting down then," Harry quipped with an uncertain smile.
"That would be most wise," agreed Mikhail.
Just then the elevator beeped and the door opened. After they stepped in Mikhail pushed the button for Level One.
"So the plan is to find where Tom Riddle's soul is and then transform. From there we will dive into his mind and get a better understanding of what made the man tick. After that we can return to the mortal world and begin to plan for how we are going to return balance to the world."
Harry nodded and steeled himself as the elevator descended and they approached their destination. He wasn't exactly ready for this but at the same time he didn't think he would ever be ready. Plus, he kept telling himself that getting this out of the way would save him the bother of dealing with the effects of thinking about it too much. Dreaded anticipation was a thing and Harry hated it.
So he was doing himself a favor really, and it was that thought that he held onto when the door opened and they stepped out into Level One.
Everything about this place was unpleasant and visceral; the screams, the torture, the smell, it actually made him feel pity for a brief moment for those subjected to endure their punishment for all eternity. However, he had been gradually coming to terms with everything that led to this moment and his next thoughts were that people were only ever committed to this fate because they had earned it.
They had done this to themselves, no matter the reasons. Which made the forced starvation for this person or the continuous and never-ending labor under the hot sun for that person a lot easier to stomach.
And Harry quickly came to realize that what most people were subjected to forever had a huge psychological component.
For instance the man to their immediate right as they walked forward on the path that led off to many separate forms of hell for a specific individual was emaciated as he sat in front of this sumptuous feast in front of him. Except that he was alternating between sobbing into his hands and using them to try and grab as much food as possible. Only, whenever he managed to bring something close to his mouth it disappeared just as he was about to place his lips around it.
The information that downloaded into his mind from looking at the thin man told him his name and that the reason he was being subjected to this specific form of punishment was that he had withheld food from his servants every winter and watched them starve to death while he had feasted in front of them.
Thus, his punishment was to continually starve to death – only that whenever he died from a lack of nutrients his body would revert to the overweight form it had been in when he had died and the cycle would start all over again. Without end.
The information flitting through Harry's mind also made it clear that there was no option for parole in this case.
It soon got to the point that Harry did his best not to look directly at anyone down there and instead he focused on the ground at his feet, a strategy that nearly all Angels, including Mikhail, employed when they came down here.
But since it was his first time, Mikhail reached out to grab Harry's hand and squeezed. Harry immediately squeezed back and appreciated the comfort and the forewarning he had received before coming down here.
He was very glad that he had not put this off because he was looking forward to putting this behind him as quickly as possible and only returning when it was absolutely necessary.
They continued on for a little while before Mikhail led them to their destination, which was a chamber that looked like any other. Except that when Harry glanced upwards and into this personalized hell he saw what had to be a younger version of the Tom Riddle that had come from the diary back in his second year.
It struck Harry as odd how normal the scene in front of him was until he began to really immerse himself in what this form of Voldemort's punishment was.
The information that soon began to transfer into his mind as he continued to watch it helped him to understand that while on the outside this seemed rather subtle and more lenient than anything else he had seen or heard since being down here, it was the perfect torment for someone like Tom as it slowly broke him.
For every day, Tom would reawake in the orphanage from a dream of what his life would have been like at Hogwarts, what it had been like in Hogwarts and beyond. He would awake knowing how much better and superior to everyone else he was supposed to be, only he would come to find that throughout the day he had no recourse for the bullying he endured from the other children. He had no magic to save him and his mind was not what it had been like in the dream either. And everyday Tom would slowly realize that he was pathetically average and dull and nothing about him stood out. Each day would end like the one before as Tom's world became a lifeless grey that soon wasn't worth living.
As it was, they were able to witness just how broken and dejected Tom became. While Harry would have imagined the man being tortured for all time, he found that after several minutes of quite contemplation that there was no greater punishment for Tom than not being able to access any of the exceptional talents that he relied on; that made him what he was or knew what he could be.
To witness Tom lose the will to live or fear what his life would be like without his magic and intelligence was satisfying to Harry, even if a small part of him wished to see him being tortured just like he had done to so many others. That knowledge of what awaited Tom for the countless years ahead caused Harry to understand that each of these individual hells were tailored solely and specifically to the people experiencing them.
Harry then turned over his shoulder to glance backwards at where the starving man was and inferred that he had treasured excess and waste while others went without and had subsequently lorded that over others.
What his mind smartly and rightly connected then was that knowing what a person suffered through here in this place gave him fundamental knowledge about that person.
It further helped prepare him for what was to come as he glanced at Mikhail now.
"So how do we get inside? How do I transform?"
"Not only do you have to think about your wings coming out but you want to picture the Scythe in your hand and desire to serve Death. You want to channel him and his power and unleash that on the world."
Mikhail's face was serious and a split-second later Harry had needed to shield his eyes because Mikhail had morphed into his true and mighty form. Harry was speechless for a moment, both because of the spectacle in front of him and because some part of him couldn't imagine ever being equal to the powerful and sinfully handsome instrument of Death in front of him.
Mikhail raised his eyebrow expectantly and Harry closed his eyes and focused everything on what the man had said.
He struggled for a minute before his mind caught hold of a hidden power inside of his core. It was green and black and brimming with a force of infinite potential. For a moment he was apprehensive about unleashing it but in the next moment he saw it burst and explode outwards.
Harry gasped as the change went through him and when he opened his eyes his skin hummed with a strength that he had never felt before; it was intoxicating and positively the best feeling that Harry had ever experienced.
When he tilted his head to the side he saw that Mikhail's mouth was parted and that his eyes were busy searching over his body. It took Harry little time to realize that he was dressed exactly as the warrior in front of him and he stretched his wings to their maximum width because it became hard for him to simply stand still.
His body was literally itching to move and there was a hunger in his eyes.
"Wow!" Mikhail breathed softly next to him.
Harry's attention returned to the Angel next to him and this time it was Harry with an eager look on his face.
Mikhail took a difficult swallow.
"Now, all we have to do is approach Tom and touch him. At once we will connect with everything that he is and experience his life in a way similar to watching a memory. It's not the easiest to explain but soon you will understand."
With that Mikhail tore his eyes away from Harry and walked into the room where a depressed and utterly wrecked Tom laid with lifeless eyes that no longer treasured being in this once-exceptional form.
Harry followed him and quickly repeated the other Angel's motion that led his finger to connect with Tom's head and his mind was instantly transported to a place where he soon came to understand Tom Riddle better than anyone ever had.
Harry brought the steaming cup of tea up to his mouth and welcomed the warmth that spread through his center upon swallowing the hot liquid. It was soothing and exactly what he needed after that much exposure to the inner workings of Tom Marvolo Riddle.
It had been about as bad as Harry expected it to be and he was having trouble processing all of the terribleness that he had seen over the course of the man's life. However, he was absolutely positive that it had not only been the right decision but that it would also be indispensible knowledge for them to have moving forward. Having insight into why Tom acted the way that he had would be so useful in dealing with the man still out there that Mikhail had already mentioned several ways that they would be able to use it before they had even Shadow Traveled to the mortal world.
And as Harry sat there in a Muggle pub, sipping his Earl Grey, he couldn't help but agree with what Mikhail had said.
Even though they had come here to eat a large dinner and relax after that sojourn into the Dark Lord's mind, Harry couldn't help but relive some of what he had recently learned. Thankfully, Mikhail was not letting there be much quite time and literally forced Harry into a conversation about topics that had absolutely nothing to do with magic and death.
It had struck Harry as odd given what they had just done but the more time that passed as they ate their meal and talked about meaningless topics the more Harry came to understand that it was essential to separate some of the darker aspects of being an Angel of Death, if only for his sanity.
It also helped that he had spent a great deal of time as the Boy Who Lived doing just that, especially after being forced to deal with Umbridge this past year and having to compartmentalize reality in order to just make it through her class. Or just living his life.
By the time the waiter had brought treacle tart, Harry was doing much better than he had upon leaving the Land of the Dead. It allowed them to have a conversation about their immediate future. The most important thing was to return Harry to Privet Drive and then the next day they would begin to put a plan together for the coming year in earnest.
Harry was not looking forward to saying goodbye to the other Angel for the night and was apprehensive as the man said his goodbyes and disappeared into the shadows leaving Harry to stand there alone in the park near the Dursley's house. Only, now that he was alone for the first time since transitioning to a new existence he became aware of just how significant the change within him had been. A change that, in this moment, had nothing to do with the awesome new powers and responsibilities that he had been granted with.
For the first time he felt powerful and ready for the path ahead. Hell, he had come face to face with Death and now had some portion of that very same power flowing through his veins. He was changed but in a way that stood in stark contrast to the broken and beaten boy who had just returned from Hogwarts the previous day.
So much had happened in such a short amount of time that Harry felt like a new person as he walked through the front door. He suddenly felt like years had passed since the last time he was here. It was almost foreign to him as he glanced up the stairs and didn't have the urge to immediately sneak upstairs without being seen. Instead he decided that he wanted another cup of tea and proceeded into the kitchen to do just that.
Only, Vernon who was sitting in his oversized chair that hold his oversized bottom was clearly disapproving that Harry thought he could do as he pleased in his house.
"Boy!" he barked, causing Petunia and Dudley to glance up from their show.
"Boy, get in here this instant! I will not have you coming and going at all hours of the night!" he shouted.
"Hang on; I'm fixing myself a cup of tea."
The casual and almost bored voice that Harry had used did not sit well with the man. The house shook briefly as the man got to his feet and thundered into the kitchen.
"Now you listen to me, boy," the man threatened by jabbing his sausage-like fingers in Harry's direction.
His eyes widened in rage when Harry continued to ignore the man and simply focused on pouring the recently boiled water into his teacup instead.
"Did you suddenly become deaf?"
Vernon's raised voice caused an agitated Petunia to trod into the kitchen.
Her cheeks were flushed and she glared at Harry for daring to cause such a scene that the neighbors might hear.
"Answer me, boy!" Vernon raged.
His face had now taken on a purple hue and the large vein on his forehead pulsed with every heartbeat.
Harry finished pouring the water and returned the kettle to the stove. He next began to steep his teabag and took a seat where Vernon normally sat.
"No," he said simply as he drew the cup near his lips to savor the smell.
Vernon looked like a car had hit him.
"What do you mean, no? You sorry, no-good freak."
But Harry just continued to stare at the man in an easy and unthreatened manner.
"I said no, meaning I am not going to answer you. I don't have to answer you and will never have to answer to you ever again."
For a moment Harry thought the man was going to have a stroke, but it was Petunia that Harry's words had affected the most.
"You ungrateful little child. How dare you talk to us after all we have done for you!"
Harry's amused smirk while sipping his cup pushed them further over the edge.
"That's it, boy. I'm going to beat you so hard you'll never smile again."
Vernon began to thunder around the table before stopping dead in his tracks.
There was a spark of something terrifying and inhuman in Harry's eyes and Vernon felt a chill work through his insides.
For the first time Harry felt completely natural and in control and even he was mildly caught off guard with his new behavior.
But he supposed that a person couldn't go through what he just had and not be irrevocably changed. Besides, the task in front of Harry would be far more difficult and challenging than simply trying to enjoy a cup of tea in peace.
It had been all too easy for a small and miniscule amount of his new power to flash through his eyes and give him the continued confidence with his new attitude.
"You know, I've always wondered how any rational and intelligent person would make it a point to continually and repeatedly abuse and antagonize someone they knew could perform magic when they themselves could not. Even though you think I might not be able to perform magic outside of school until I graduate, what reason did you think would limit me from doing something when I was finished with Hogwarts?"
Harry paused to sip down more of his quickly cooling beverage.
"It would seem to me that you are either confidant that I would never do such a thing or that you lack the foresight to think your actions through in what effect they will have. You must then think I am either a person with unlimited patience and understanding or you think I'm a coward, or you are an idiot."
That unnatural power danced in Harry's eyes once more.
"In any case, you are wrong about all of them and I would strongly… encourage… you to think through your actions from now on."
Harry set down the empty teacup and stared down Vernon before looking over to Petunia where Dudley's large shape failed to hide behind his mother's bony frame.
It wasn't that Harry cared about them, because he didn't after how they had treated him all these years but he couldn't exactly walk away from them knowing what he knew. Chalking it up to the part of his mother that resided in him he gave them some parting advice as he stood up from the table.
"Not that I care about what happens to any of you but you really should think before you act about the type of person that you want to be remembered as because I for one am not going to be walked over anymore or intimidated by the likes of you. Do with that bit of advice as you will."
His voice was strong and distant, but not entirely cold since he wasn't the sort of person that wished misfortune on anyone. He had always believed that a person was responsible for his or her own actions but now he had a greater appreciation for knowing that they were also responsible for whatever consequences those actions brought.
He wasn't exactly leaking them inside information about his knowledge of their future but he wanted it to be clear that their abuse of him ended this very moment.
Harry didn't even look back to see their faces as he left the kitchen and headed upstairs to the smallest bedroom and went to sleep. And his comfortable and restful visions were filled with the attractive person that he would meet with the next day.
Thoughts? Next chapter speeds time up just a bit. I would rather Mikhail and Harry work through their plans in the background and jump right into executing them so that this trainwreck off a fic can get down to business.
Also, I guess happy holidays are in order.