Introduction – Part 2: The In-between
Maeve groaned as she came to. Then she was surprised that she had the ability to come to. She looked around confused as she saw what appeared to be a pure white void, gradually details appeared and she was looking at a pure white version of King Cross Station.
She looked around briefly before looking down at herself. She was surprised but not necessarily bothered by the complete lack of clothing she found. It wasn't like there was anyone there to see her anyway.
Just as she finished the thought she heard the sound of a throat clearing.
With a yelp she spun around and saw a man sat calmly on one of the benches as if he was simply waiting for his train. He spoke quietly, not looking at her just simply stating "This place works on will, if you will your clothing to appear on your body, they will"
"Thanks" she said as she did as instructed and her clothing appeared as it had been before she woke up here. Looking closer at the man she saw he was an older man, dressed in a simple black suit with a walking stick lent by his side. "Um… I don't suppose you can tell me where I am?"
"You are in the in-between. This is where the souls of the dead come to before moving on to where ever they are going" the man explained "Most don't stop here long enough for it to manifest fully, but, you are a special case, I wanted the opportunity to speak to you"
"And who are you?" Maeve asked, bluntly, but not rudely.
"I am Death" the man stated simply.
"Hi?" she said with a little wave, was there a correct way to greet an interdimensional being.
"Hello" the man said with a slight tilt to his lips as he gestures to the bench beside him.
Maeve walks over and takes a seat; she looks around for a moment before focusing on the man beside her "Why is it you wanted to speak to me?"
"There are not many people in this world that can surprise me" Death started "You humans have predictability to you that, after a millennium of guiding souls, becomes very apparent. In the last stretch of time there have been few souls that have surprised me. The others not in a good way"
"Voldemort?" Maeve asked hesitantly.
Death nodded once "He had taken many precautions in order to avoid me. He should have been within my realm over a decade ago on the night your parents died in fact. His precautions saved his life and he has managed to avoid me ever since" Death explained "About a year before you were born a true prophecy was given. It declared you as the one that would defeat Voldemort. It completed itself that night. However, the prophecy became 2 men's obsession; Voldemort's' and Albus Dumbledore's"
"Dumbledore refused to believe the prophecy had been completed as Voldemort still lived in some form. He had planned your entire life until your death, which if he had had it his way would have been at the hands of Voldemort in a few years' time" Death explained "In his glorified fantasy, you would have weakened him and died trying and Dumbledore would have swooped in and finished him off. You would have been hailed as a fallen martyr and he would have been heralded the champion of light once more"
"I take it he was throwing a bit of a tantrum after that Halloween. I must have taken the Hero title away from him. That explains a lot actually" Maeve hummed more in realization than actually seeking confirmation..
"You were always smarter than any of them gave you credit for. Yes, after the prophecy completed and you were declared the Girl-Who-Lived Dumbledore was no longer the Hero everyone looked to. So, from the time he placed you at the Dursleys he used you fame as your supposed Magical guardian to keep himself at the forefront of the magical community. You are not surprised which is to be expected after all, you always doubted him" Death nodded "He planned to condition you. The Dursley's would make your life there unbearable and then you would look to him as a hero who would again and again take you away from there. He never expected you to have the level of survival instincts that you do nor did he expect for you to blame him for your constant return to them"
"He miscalculated a lot with me" she agreed, before releasing a sigh "Wasn't enough in the end though was it"
"This is where I come in" Death admitted with a nod "You have assisted me a great deal and I wish to offer you something in return, should you wish to take me up on it. Voldemort couldn't be taken by me until you had destroyed his precautions, which you did through pure grief over the loss of your godfather. I could not interfere in any realm that involves creatures who are the subjects of free will, so this was a great favour to me even if you didn't know that at the time"
"Okay, normally, I would take a guess but you're the personification of death so I don't really think I have any idea the extent of what your capable of even with my imagination" Maeve sheepishly admitted.
"True" Death agreed with an indulgent smile "Your options are these; you can either move on as normal and be with your Parents and Godfather or you can create a new life, in a new world. I will point out that barring drastic changes to your personality the first option will be there once you've lived out your second life"
"What's the catch?" she asked curiously.
"In this new world there is magic, but it is wilder" Death started to explain "Very few have the ability to wield it. The ones who can are blunter with its usage, utilising it for concentrated telepathy and telekinesis. There are no witches or wizards in this world in that way you will be unique"
"Due to the excess of wild magic in the specific town I plan to send you to, there is an alternate pocket dimension that has become a hellscape version of the same town. There are a few monsters to fight but they are not specifically going after you unless you choose to get involved, which knowing you, you will" he smiled "In this town you will have a house and all the money you gathered from Gringotts will be deposited in an account with some investments set up. This money will be more than enough to keep you going for the rest of your life without ever having to work unless of course you choose to. You will find a family, not a conventional one but one you make your own in this world and you will be able to find your soul mates there without the stigma of the Girl-Who-Lived attached to you"
"Soul mates, as in plural?" Maeve asked with curiosity. She didn't know much about the concept except what she had read in fiction books and they seemed rather strange.
"Yes, I'd wager you'll end up settling for two with the size of you magical core like your mother did" Death stated before explaining "The concept of soul mates gets romanticised in stories but the fundamental rule that all of us have to follow is we can't interfere with free will. The selecting of a soul mate on behalf of you humans would be a direct violation of that very rule. There are many potential soul mates out there for each human; the actual bond can only form with the help of magic through one of the members. Only once you have gotten to know the person or persons and both sides accept the bond does the bond form"
"So, I potentially have two soul mates in this new world but unlike the stories I get to choose who they will be and who I find worthy of being" Maeve clarified, she thought about her parent relationship and then thought about what their loss did to Sirius, it made sense.
"Yes, this new world will not be without some hardships. However, given what I know of you the hardships will not outweigh what you will gain" Death agreed "It might take a year or so to start up but it is nothing beyond what you will be capable of handling"
"Okay" she nodded thinking for a second "Any other catches I should be made aware of?"
"You will still be 16, all memories and everything intact. You will be an emancipated minor and all the paperwork will be waiting for you. I will heal your body of its malnutrition so I imagine you will be taller, I will leave it up to you whether I remove your scars or not. I will also fully unlock your family magic's which are currently still blocked off from you" Death smirked "Oh, you'll also be about 14 years in the past but I don't think that would affect you very much given the magical world is about half a century behind the times"
"Ha!" Maeve barked "True, It would be downright modern for me. As for my scars leave them, I have never really bothered with them anyway I don't see the point of starting now... Except perhaps the one on my forehead. What family magic's do I have?"
"Of course. Naturally you have the ability to be an Animagus, transfiguration magic's have always run strong within the Potter family" Death explained "You are naturally powerful and with access to the mind magic's from your Black blood you will have the control enough to cast through pure will, wandless and wordlessly. Also through the Black blood you have the ability known as Metamorphmagus. Finally your mother had an ability called Mage Sight, which allows you to see and sense magic. You will find looking at people a little disconcerting at first as magic is the spark of life so we all carry it within us, most people call it the soul. It will give you insights into people, things you will understand about them without ever having to say a word"
"Okay, I like that. And the first option will just happen naturally whenever it's my new time to die?" she asked.
"Yes" he nodded.
"Okay" Maeve nodded before a thought popped into her head "Hang on, how does time work here?"
~*8*~
As it turned out time didn't work here. It was a place where time simply did not apply, so she asked for a favour. Now, some might think her slightly insane, asking a favour of Death, but this was too good of an opportunity to let pass without taking the chance.
She asked if she could spend some time here with her parent and Godfather.
Death had smiled at her, like he was proud, and agreed. He told her he would slow the healing process and allow her to stay here for an extended period of time and he would come back to get her once it was done. Although time doesn't pass normally it can still be counted so he set up a clock, she had the timeless equivalent of 5 years.
It had been wonderful.
During those five years her body healed, she grew to the height she had always meant to be and her body filled out slightly, although she was still very slim. Her eyes had been healed and her scars although not removed were significantly fainter. She felt stronger and seemed to have more energy, along with a clearer mind. And as promised the cursed scar had been removed from her forehead.
The time spent with her parents had healed her in a different way. She felt calm, she let go of the betrayed, fearful and angry girl she had been and was ready to fully embrace the opportunity presented to her. She knew no matter what she did her parents would be proud and they would be right here waiting for her when it was time for her to return.
Finally, she was going to live, rather than just survive.
Her Father and Godfather had taught her how to embrace her Animagus forms, she had been surprised although they had not when it turned out she had two. A magical and non-magical form; a shadow phoenix and a black panther. They also taught her how to channel the animal aspects through her human form, she adored shadow travel and the enhanced senses weren't anything to scoff at either.
She had also been taught duelling technique's. How to utilise transfiguration in a duel, and how to fight a little bit dirty. Using the terrain to her advantage and using your opponent's attacks against them.
Having been the head of the Potter family, her dad also taught her about politics, his own Slytherin tendencies shining through as her taught her to use her silver tongue to get what she needed and how to twist people to her way of thinking.
Sirius had been adamant on teaching her how to ride and maintain his bike. Making her promise to do a flying night-time ride to commemorate him every year in the 3rd November. He also taught her how to flirt and how to be insulting without the other person realising they were being insulted.
My mother on the other hand was where she knew she had gotten her Slytherin predisposition from. This woman knew how to survive, or if she was going to die ensure those she wished would live long after her.
They studied and debated runes and arithmancy, finding unique uses for different charms and spells. She finally learnt how to properly use, manipulate and create potions. She was taught the spells needed to create her own Grimoire and started the creation of a charms bracelet, that she could wear at all times with various spells or items linked to the charm they represented.
A woman in her life was obviously something she had needed on a deeper level than any had been able to provide as she grew comfortable with her own femineity. Learnt how to use that against people and to be open without feeling vulnerable. With her mother she had opened up like she never had before, accepted the things she had lived through and put the blame in the rightful places that she had been conditioned to place on herself.
Together they all helped her master her own mind. It was a veritable fortress of traps with in traps and a labyrinth that even the most foolhardy minotaur would have trouble navigating. She had gone from a hardened and isolated person who barely knew herself to a strong woman, who knew her own self and was open to the future and what it held. Including the love that she had never experienced before.
She also trained her in her mage sight. The Slytherin in her appreciated the insight it gave her into people. combined with her mothers teachings in how to read, understand and anticipate peoples motive and reactions she knew it was very unlikely anyone would ever be able to trick her again.
The years flew by, it was over too quickly but it was a gift she had never expected to receive. She wasn't naive, she knew the gift Death was giving her had a cost attached but she was ready. She would face whatever was coming and she would live a good long life, and when her time came she would greet death again and live out her eternity with her family, new and old by her side.
Death smiled as he materialised before them as the clock counted down the last five minutes of their time here. Maeve smiled a small sad smile, and she remained huddled in the centre of a group hug that was just a little too tight. As it counted down to the last minute they released each other with a couple of deep breaths and not a dry eye to be seen.
Maeve stepped away from her family, approached Death and gave him a hug too. He was startled, that much was obvious before he cautiously patted her on the back. "Thank you" she whispered into his black suit before she pulled back.
He smiled slightly, still shocked before they turned and headed down the platform where a train appeared to be pulling in. Maeve took a moment to look back to the other end of the platform where her family stood, and smiled. They quickly waved as she boarded the train and then she heard the last whispered words from her Godfather.
"Live a good life Pup, We'll be here when you get back"
~*8*~
Hope you like the new chapter. Please read and review. MidnightRose xo