Fate's Ripple

Chapter 3; A Lost Soul

Ten Years Later

Harry appeared within familiar halls that sent a jolt of surprise through his system. He'd never been sent to collect a soul from Hogwarts before and it came as a shock to him that it was him who had been sent here and not the former Death. Normally Death took the souls of Wizards since so many of them would recognise him. Perhaps since he was in Hogwarts it was a child, one that wouldn't easily recognise him.

In all honesty though it didn't really matter if the soul recognised him since they wouldn't be able to tell anyone. The rule was there really so that Harry wouldn't have to take the souls of those he had known even if Harry wouldn't have a problem overcoming the urge to protect them since he knew what he was doing was right. He had been taking souls for twelve years now though he wasn't sure on the exact time and had taken tens of thousands of souls to the Other Side in that time, some were easy some were trickier in their circumstances especially when magic was involved.

The draw was pulling him down the passageway and he followed it to the sounds of a struggle. A seventh year Ravenclaw student was crouched over the two fallen forms of two first year Gryffindors. Twins if he had to guess though he only felt a pull to the nearest of them.

"Looks like your parents will be too slow after all. If you'd only lasted another minute you might have been saved but then again what could two foolish Gryffindors do to hold out against me for that long?" The seventh year chuckled. Harry ran his hand through the older boy's chest and through his heart to find it cold. The boy was destined for purgatory on his current path. The boy shuddered as Death touched his soul but pressed the feeling down and started to chant under his breath.

The two Gryffindors glowed and Harry felt his connection to their souls attach themselves to the seventh year boy's soul just like a Dementor did before administering the kiss. "Avada Kadavra!" The green light shot into the nearest of the two boys and Harry prepared to take the soul on to the Other Side like he had down countless times.

He could only watch in shock however as the soul streamed from the boy's lifeless corpse and into the Ravenclaw. "Death!" Harry shouted out and instantly another form materialised beside him. His face was shocked as he consulted with the pull to find out what had happened.

"This is wrong." Death frowned. "The Soul should have passed on not been absorbed."

Harry materialised his list and read the name for the first time as it reluctantly faded from the list. "Zacharias Weasley." It vanished before his eyes and Harry glanced up at Death in surprise. This Ravenclaw boy had circumvented Destiny and captured a soul that should have passed on to the Other Side.

"Avada Kadavra!" The second curse was spoken with an elated tone but the curse was still the same. In an instant Harry checked with his list before seeing that the other Weasley's name wasn't on it. Harry was across the room in seconds and materialised in the path of the curse. The boy's eyes widened as Harry became visible to him as a ghostly figure that absorbed the curse without effect. Harry's eyes narrowed as he stepped forwards ignoring the laboured breathing of young boy behind him.

"Who are you?" The Ravenclaw growled out as he overcame his shock of Harry's appearance and survival of the Killing Curse.

"The rightful custodian of that Soul you now possess." Harry spoke quietly hating the fact that he knew instinctively that there was no way for him to claim the soul now. Silence met his answer but Harry could see the wheels turning in the Ravenclaw's head as he took in Harry's messy hair and facial features. It wasn't hard to see Harry Potter in his features even without the scar and with only pictures in texts books to go by.

It was just as obvious who he was when two very familiar people ran around the corner followed by what seemed to be every staff member in Hogwarts. Harry looked at their shocked faces before he concentrated on vanishing from sight. After the successful stunning of the Ravenclaw and the questioning of the surviving Weasley twin and the murderer it was clear only that the Ghost of Harry Potter had returned to save his best friends' son from the killing curse yet again proving that only Harry Potter could ever survive Unforgivable Curse.

To Harry, Death and the Angels of Destiny however it was far more complicated. Harry's actions had prevented more damage being done to the Grand Design but they hadn't been able to save the soul of Zacharias Weasley from what had happened.

Harry and Death both appeared before the three Angels of Destiny who stood in silence before them with glowing golden eyes that showed that they were using their powers to probe the Grand Design. Harry and Death waited patiently for them to finish.

"We are concerned by this event." The woman told Harry and Death. "You were right to take the action you did, it prevented further damage to the Grand Design and gave a plausible reason to the survival of the Killing Curse thus minimising the exposure risk. The damage already done is minimal and will soon be repaired." Harry succumbed to the urge to look down at his list and saw that Zacharias Weasley was back at the top of his list as well as a newly added Paul Seccomb who hadn't been there before.

"Why was Destiny circumvented?" Harry asked with a frown.

"We do not yet know but there is only one type of being that can do so without our prior knowledge." The older man told him.

"A Deviant," The younger man concluded.

"What's a Deviant?" Harry asked though by Death's face he already knew.

"A Deviant is a very old being, there were three originally created by the old powers to cause chaos." The woman explained him. "We were able to destroy two and banish the third to the lowest reaches of Hell. It is possible that he has found a way to the world and is using his limited abilities to influence mortals to free him."

"Could he manage it?" Harry asked.

"Not easily. The mortal would have to become very powerful." The older man told him. "He'd have to absorb the souls of many mortals to be able to cross into hell without becoming trapped and then sacrifice more to escape with the Deviant."

"Be careful, you two are the only things that stand between their hording of souls. You are their enemy." The woman told them both. "Return to your tasks but keep vigilant. One of you will be present when the Deviant attempts his next move but if history teaches us anything then we can be sure of only one thing, the Deviant grows in power every day he has influence over mortals."

Harry and Death both bowed lowly before vanishing from the white expanse and to their next charges. Harry appeared in the Wizengamot trial room after what was obviously a time jump and found himself standing beside the chained up Ravenclaw in front of the entire Wizengamot.

"Mr. Seccomb, we find you guilty of one account of murder and one account of attempted murder against Zacharias Weasley and Luke Weasley." The woman in head chair spoke coldly. "Due to the horrifying nature of these crimes, your status as an adult in the Wizarding Community and the fact that without the timely appearance of Harry Potter you would now be being tried for two murders we have unanimously voted to administer the Dementors Kiss."

A Dementor floated into the room and the temperature dropped suddenly as the boy beside him groaned in horror. Harry was unaffected as he turned to look at the boy as the Dementor closed in from the other side.

"You promised to protect me!" Seccomb groaned loudly enough to surprise everyone.

"Your master cannot help you now." Harry told the boy becoming visible only to him.

"No! No! Keep away from me!" Seccomb twisted away from Harry and to the shock of the entire room he pulled towards the Dementor favouring his oncoming death to that of his tormentor.

"I told you I was the custodian of that soul you have captured. Now I will have it back as well as your own." Harry smirked unkindly at the man. Even if Death and Harry were neutral that neutrality didn't spread to cover acts that countered the Grand Design which they were charged with protecting.

The Dementor swooped down on Seccomb and almost instantly Zacharias Weasley was standing beside Harry looking around in confusion and shock. "Welcome to your rightful place, Zacharias." Harry told the boy kindly before greeting the newly standing Paul Seccomb who was very pale at seeing a fully corporeal Harry Potter and his own murder victim.

Zacharias dodged behind Harry in fear and Harry half turned to him before taking all three of them to the Ghostly Plain. The room turned greyish green and was suddenly just an empty chamber. "You have nothing to fear from him any longer. He won't be able to touch you where he is going." Harry spoke kindly before turning to Seccomb. "Enjoy the hell that your master has suffered for an Age." Harry swept his hand in a violent jerk and Seccomb sunk into the ground and into hell never to be seen again.

"You're Harry Potter aren't you?" Zacharias asked him. Harry smiled at the eleven year old. "My mum and dad told me all about you! They said you were a hero!"

"I used to be Harry Potter but now I am called Death. I guide souls like yours on to the Other Side so that you can rest in peace with loved ones." Harry told him without preamble. "You'll be able to see your Uncle Charlie for the first time and see you Grandfather again. Would you like that?"

Zacharias nodded happily before he got a concerned look on his face. "Will I ever see Luke again?"

"You'll be able to watch him all the time, as well as your mom and dad, and your little sister, Lily." Harry assured him. "Now it is time to go. Give me your hand."

Harry stood with the boys hand in his own and they both walked into the newly opened vortex where they parted ways.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

San Francisco; Two months later

Harry could feel magic in this house, it was a house where magic had been an integral part of life for generations. Harry didn't have a charge at this moment and his next one would be ready for him in the early hours of the morning but he still felt a pull to this home. He knew the family from their reputation though he had never met them before, a family of Wicca Witches with enough power to do almost anything. Two generations in this home with the most power magical mortal alive with another two branches that lived in the area that would back them up in an emergency.

His attention was drawn to a small girl of fifteen who seemed to be ready for school along with her two older brothers of eighteen and twenty. The mother, the oldest of the Charmed Ones and the father were both in the other room and even though they represented some of the greatest powers in the world they couldn't sense him nor that he could feel a pull towards the soul of the girl. He checked the list again but didn't see any Halliwell on the list.

Harry decided to follow her and keep an eye on her as much as possible, at least until he needed to go for the first soul on his list. "Miranda!" Piper's voice came from the other room, "You need to leave if you want to get to school on time."

"I could always orb you to school you know." The eldest and most powerful whispered to her.

Miranda just shook her head before jumping off of her seat and out the door with her school bag over her shoulder. Harry looked over the two boys calculatingly before making a decision. "She's in danger." Harry whispered in both their ears and they looked at each over as concern for their younger sister came over them both. Obviously they knew enough about magic that they knew not to pass off a feeling like this lightly. They were out of the door within a minute and Harry only waited long enough to make sure they did as he wanted.

He transported himself to where he could feel Miranda walking along a deserted street towards her school. The road was unnaturally quiet and Harry would have been worried if he wasn't immortal to anything that mortals or demons could come up with. He stood in the middle of the road as Miranda came to a sudden halt with a worried look over her shoulder.

Harry had to hand it to her reflexes as she ducked the knife that should have struck her in the stomach but she was simply too small and too spooked to be able to dodge as a figure appeared from the shadows and grabbed her around the neck. The Warlock grabbed chanted the same words as the Ravenclaw had and Harry felt his blood boil.

The Warlock finished the enchantment with a satisfied smirk on his face and the girl glowed silver for an instant and Harry once again felt the tug of her soul as it was bound to the Warlock's own. The knife flew from the wall it had imbedded itself into and the Warlock grabbed it before he held it against the skin of Miranda's neck.

Harry concentrated for an instant and appeared to both of them. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Harry snarled. "You'll upset the balance and your life isn't important enough for me to spare."

"Death!" The Warlock snarled, a crazed look passed over his face. "Move and I'll kill her."

"You were planning on that already but I'm afraid she isn't on my list so I can't allow that." Harry held up his hand and the knife burst into smoke trail that flew to Harry's hand before materialising back into the knife. Harry closed his hand on it sharply and it exploded into nothing. "You Master isn't here to help you but I can. Yield to my questioning about his motives and I might spare you."

The Warlock didn't even consider it and Harry was about to transport himself and Miranda temporarily into the Ghostly plain to protect her when the two Halliwell sons appeared around the corner. The Warlock loosened his grip without realising it and Harry flashed his skeleton as he transported to Miranda and then away into the Ghostly plain.

Harry studied the surprised girl with a small smile. "It wasn't your rightful time to die." He told her before transporting her home while he stood within the Ghostly plain as he called for Death.

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

The next day

It was still dark out, probably around two o'clock in the morning if Harry had to guess and he had just sent his one soul through the vortex, a woman who had died in a car accident leaving her son an orphan, hence why Harry had been given the job rather than Death.

Harry had been about to track down his next charge when he felt like he was being pulled in all directions at once. He frowned as he resisted it but whatever was calling him was more powerful than him unless he decided to call on Death's help. In the end he simply transported himself back along the incoming magic and found himself appearing in the middle of an attic in San Francisco.

The three woman and two men before him were instantly recognisable and Harry raised a sarcastic eyebrow at them. "It's rather arrogant of you to summon me that rudely." Harry told them as he looked over the Charmed Ones and the two younger Wicca Witches. Three of them were half-Whitelighters whilst the other two were fully human.

"We need to ask you some questions." The eldest, Piper asked. "To do with my daughter."

"And if I say no?" Harry asked them though he had no intention of just leaving them. Miranda had been targeted because of her relationship to them, it was possible that the Deviant would do so again. The Angels of Destiny had already given him permission to hint towards a power out of Destiny's control.

"We could make you!" The eldest of the two boys told him with a smirk as he raised his hands. Pressure enveloped him restricting Harry's movements to only his expression. The boy, Wyatt, seemed smug but the expression vanished from his face as he found himself flying backwards through the air and into, and through, the door.

"I'm Death, you can't make me do anything." Harry told him simply before snapping the restraining magic from him and taking a half step forwards to prove his freedom to the others. "As long as there is death in this world I cannot be harmed by you.

"We've met Death though." Piper told them.

"I know you have but one Death does not live out through all eternity, they cycle through." Harry told them.

"So you're new then?" The youngest of them, Christopher, asked.

"I've been taking Souls since before you went to school and before that I fought in a magical war." Harry told them as he narrowed his eyes at them all to prove that he wasn't just a child. "What is it you want from me?"

"Why did you save my daughter?" Piper asked him.

"Because she isn't on my list." Harry shrugged.

"So she wouldn't have died anyway?" Christopher asked him.

"I didn't say that, if I hadn't of warned you that something would happen she might have and if I hadn't saved her she would have died and her Soul would have been captured by the Warlock." Harry told them with a serious expression. "And used to free something from the depths of Hell. That was why I was given permission to interfere."

"I thought Death never interfered." Wyatt stated more than asked as he brushed himself off with a wounded expression.

"We are charged with the protection of the Grand Design where Souls are concerned. Her Soul's eternal imprisonment would have been detrimental to the Grand Design and therefore I stopped her death from happening." Harry lectured as if it was obvious.

"As horrible as it would be how could it happen if it wasn't Destiny. I thought people only passed on according to your list." The last sister, Phoebe, asked.

"Normally they do but there is a power building that is capable of circumventing Destiny." Harry told them.

"What is it?" Christopher asked.

Harry instinctively knew not to say any more or they would try to actively fight it now and die whereas they were meant to help more at a later time. "That isn't your concern. We are the guardians of Destiny. It is merely your place to live it out."

"Wait!" Wyatt yelled as Harry made to leave. "Thanks for saving her."

"I didn't save do it to save her life, I did it to preserve the Grand Design. I am neutral, I take whatever action is needed to keep the balance even if that is construed as Evil." Harry vanished in the usual way leaving the impression of his bones in place for an instant longer than the rest of him.

Wyatt turned to his mother and aunts with a confused look on his face. "What did he mean by 'used to free something from the depths of hell'?"

"I don't know but if it has Death and the Angels of Destiny worried then we should talk to the Elders." Piper sighed.

"I can't believe I just heard that from you." Chris raised his eyebrows. "Are you feeling ok?" He teased.

"I'm fine!" Piper growled at him. "Whatever this thing is it managed to almost kill Miranda while it's still locked up in Hell. We need to know what it is so we can fight it."

"Agreed." Paige nodded. "Jacob!"

A cloud of Orbs appeared a few seconds later as the aforementioned Elder appeared in the centre of the room with a confused look on his face. He was always the one that dealt with the Charmed Ones, especially since they didn't actually have need of a Whitelighter any longer, but they rarely called him. "What's the matter?"

"We just summoned Death." Chris told him rather bluntly and by the shocked look on the Elder's face they had had no idea what had happened.

"Why?" Jacob asked.

"Death saved Miranda from a Warlock yesterday morning." Piper told him seriously. "We summoned him to find out why." She and the other launched into a complete description of what had happened, from the feeling on concern that he brothers had gotten in the kitchen all the way to his leaving remarks.

"We have not been told anything about this." Jacob admitted. "The Angels of Destiny have been unusually silent as of yet even for them and this is the first time we have heard of Death interfering in the mortal world but we were made aware that their was a second Death and that only happens before a great event. Perhaps this is leading up to it."

"Who could this thing trapped in Hell be?" Paige asked.

Jacob paused to collect his thoughts before he began. "There is a story from long before any of the current Elders were born of a war that waged between the greatest powers on Earth. An Evil trio called the Deviants worked to destroy our control over Destiny by trapping and absorbing souls to heighten their power. They killed the current Death to do it but after hundreds of years of fighting two of the three were killed and the third was weakened and locked into the furthest reaches of Hell. It is unknown to us how they were defeated or even if the tale has any truth behind it since no record of the battle has ever been found."

"What do we do about it?" Wyatt asked.

"Nothing for now." Jacob told the shocked five. "If the stories are true then we must await orders from higher powers since we could not stand against them ourselves. Do not go looking for trouble."

"There isn't really anything we can do if it's still trapped in Hell." Phoebe pointed out logically.

"How do we know that is even the case?" Chris asked.

"I have a feeling we'd know if it had gained its freedom." Jacob told them in a sad tone. He turned into orbs with a finally warning. "Be careful."

XOXOXOXOXOXOX

End Chapter