Chapter 4: Death's Lair

When Harry awoke he heard quiet voices talking nearby.

"-will be able to see for yourself. I have never had any reason to lie and I will not change now," a distinctly male sounding voice said. Though it seemed to echo somehow.

"...Alright. But I certainly won't encourage him."

Was that... his mother? But how was that possible, she always vanished once he was unconscious, didn't she?

"Of course not. Just explain what is necessary and let him decide for himself."

A door was closed just as Harry sat up, noticing that he was lying in a quite comfortable bed and as the blanket fell down he saw that he was wearing black pyjamas. Fitting black pyjamas that felt very soft, now that he thought about it. He was very sure he didn't own any fitting clothes though, so what was going on?

Looking around, he could see that the bed he sat on was located at one side of a circular room. The walls were made out of some dark wood, as was the floor, and he could see four shelves, two full of books, two empty. On the opposite side of the room was a fireplace and a couch standing in front of it, but everything was quite blurry...

Harry realized his glasses must have been removed and as he looked around for them he noticed a figure standing by the door, which was located at the wall on his left.

"Harry, you are awake!" the voice of his mother said.

He nodded, before finding his glasses on the bedside table and putting them on, happily noticing that the world was sharp again. And really, the figure standing at the door had been his mother who was walking to him now.

"How can you be here already?" he asked the first thing on his mind once she stood next to him.

She smiled slightly. "Death summoned me. He said you would probably feel better if you weren't alone when awaking at a foreign place and I must agree with him there."

Well... Harry guessed that this made sense.

"What happened...?"

"I'm not sure... after you took Death's hand shadows shot out of the ground, enveloping both of you... And then you must have passed out, because I was back with James. I did not tell him about your encounter with Death by the way, I think I will wait for your final decision in that matter. Oh, and when Death summoned me you were already here. I think this is the house that belongs to him but I have no idea where it is located. I just know that it doesn't seem very normal, the sky outside looks like it would at twilight, but I haven't seen the sun yet" she explained.

Harry stayed quiet, thinking about everything that had happened. It was almost too much, first he had been defending his parents against Aunt Marge's accusations, then he had run away, met Death and agreed to think about becoming his apprentice... In the course of only a few hours!

Looking around again he noticed his bag standing next to the bed and he opened it, pulling out a slice of bread. He didn't know the time but he felt hungry so he probably had slept for at least a few hours.

While he was chewing each bite carefully he thought about everything again, wondering how his mother could help him with this decision. She didn't seem to like Death much and Harry could somehow understand it as he was a little scared himself, but he was still alive and well and he had even been sleeping in a real bed! It was... confusing.

He had used the rest of his bread to think about his weird situation a bit more. He had no real solution, but at least he had thought of a few questions.

"...Mum?" he began after a moment, causing Lily, who had been staring out of the window, to turn her head to look at him.

"Yes?"

"What do you think of Death...? I mean, the person, not the thing that happens when someone dies."

She blinked as if is question surprised her.

"Well... He is... difficult. I don't dislike him, but... you should be careful. He can be quite cunning and I do believe that he only does things for other people if there is something he would get out of it... But goblins do that too and that doesn't make one a bad person. And really, can death - with a lower-case 'd' - be good or bad?"

Harry frowned. "But your death was very bad!"

"The murder was very bad, yes, but it is the intention of the murderer, not the death of the victim, that is bad, don't you think so?" Lily explained and Harry thought about it. That was really complicated! "Anyway, if your question was probably meant to make me explain why I behaved so... different around Death... I was mostly wondering what he wanted to gain out of that deal. After all, I do only want you safe, especially after that fiasco with Vernon yesterday."

Harry cringed as he remembered it and touched his cheek. But surprisingly, it didn't hurt anymore. Normally, the bruises Dudley and his friends gave Harry lasted for a few days and the slap had hurt a lot, but... it felt fine...

"I think he healed your cheek," Lily offered as an explanation and Harry looked at her, eyes wide. "Yes, there is something like healing magic. While Reparo cannot be used for it, there are other spells, but these are much more difficult to learn, so I didn't tell you about them before."

"Wow..." That sure was nice from Death... even if he only did it because he wanted something. Which reminded Harry of something... "Um... what about my clothes...?"

Lily looked at the pyjamas he was wearing.

"I don't know, you were already laying in bed when Death summoned me. But I guess he either shrank and transfigured your old clothes or conjured new ones... They suit you, though, even if they make you look paler than usual. But black is the usual colour for wizards, so I wouldn't worry too much." She smiled at him and he couldn't help but smile back. "So... how about practising for a bit? It might help you organize your thoughts and you can continue thinking about the offer afterwards?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically. A bit of the routine they had established over the last months certainly sounded good!

When Death opened the door to Harry's room later the latter sat on his bed, staring hard at a ripped piece of paper which slowly repaired itself until it looked as if it had never been torn.

Harry jumped slightly as he heard the clapping sound indicating that Death had returned - his mother never clapped after all, she preferred cheering - before looking at him, smiling shyly.

"Thank you."

"My pleasure. Now, have you decided what to do?"

Harry coked his head.

"Well... yes, but I wanted to ask you two questions beforehand..." Harry said cautiously, wondering if it was alright.

Death didn't seem bothered. "Go on."

"Um... the first question would be: What kind of things could you teach me? Magically, I mean? And the second... What would happen if you decide that I'm not a good assistant after all? Or if I think it is too much for me?"

Lily had helped him going through all the pros and cons of Death's offer and they had decided that the answers to these questions would determine if it was safe to accept the offer or not.

"Very good questions," Death acknowledged, before thinking about it. "I would teach you how to control your powers better, since you only seem to know part of it. I would teach you the basics of Herbology and Potions, of History and Magical Creatures. Though most things I will teach you will not be on the Hogwarts curriculum, because really, if I taught you everything about it you would never learn anything new at school which would make your years there very boring. Instead, I would stick to the convenient knowledge that may or may not be taught in Hogwarts but is actually helpful and not silly magic like Cheering Charms or Tripping Jinxes. Though I do think that it is important to keep up with the times, so there would be some non-magical lessons too. The wizarding world has stagnated for too long, never noticing that non-magical people have achieved big feats while they try to convince themselves that non-magicals are barbaric. And finally, I would teach you how to part spirits from bodies. Because that would be the main thing you would help me with. But I do not think that you would be ready for that now, so do not worry about me sending you out for things like these very soon."

Harry couldn't help but stare almost unbelieving at Death. So many things to learn that sounded so interesting...! He was basically interested in anything, really, especially if it was connected with magic, but to hear it listed... it was incredible.

But of course, Death wasn't finished yet as there had been another question. One, that would influence Harry's decision the most. "Regarding your other question: Considering what I have seen of you yet, I do not think I would be disappointed. But should that happen or should you want to leave, I would basically do the same I told you I would if you declined. I would delete all of your memories of your time with me - including any lesson you had - and drop you off in Diagon Alley. But I think I know how to properly prepare your mind to take in your apprenticeship."

That... sounded surprisingly fair. Harry could understand that the knowledge he might gain here was something Death didn't want to get out and if Harry wanted to get out of a deal he had previously agreed to it would only be fair to pay a price for that. And if it was true that Death never lied - his mother had explained it to him, since it simply wasn't necessary to lie in that position - then...

"Okay... Then I guess it's alright," Harry said after a moment.

"Are you sure?" Death asked and he nodded.

"Yes."

"Alright. Then I may officially welcome you to my lair." Death spread his arms for a moment. "I will devise a plan for your lessons and other activities this night. Also, I will craft a wand for your as your wandless magic might be impressive but a wand will make casting much easier."

Harry didn't know what to say to that, it sounded pretty neat. He had heard from his mother what kinds of things one could do with a wand... he would love to try it himself! Thankfully, he didn't need to say anything, as Death continued to talk.

"Since you will be living here for now, would you like a small tour? My lair might not be the biggest, but it's unique all the same."

Harry nodded, now quite curious how the rest of the house would look like, and Death motioned for him to follow.

Death's lair turned out to be the coolest place Harry had ever visited. Sure, he hadn't visited all too many places as of yet, but still...!

Ironically, it was basically shaped like a cross, Harry's room being on the left end of it. Next to it was a big bathroom, bigger than the one the Dursleys had, with a huge bathtub. Everything was mostly black or other dark colours, but Harry guessed that it was understandable, death was most often associated with that colour after all. At least as far as he knew.

The long hallway was also made out of dark wood and there were no windows at the wall, only candlesticks that burned but did not smoke.

On the right end of the 'cross' was Death's personal study. Death didn't show it to him, saying that it was his private room - him being what he was meant he didn't need to sleep (or eat), so a study was perfectly fine for private chambers - and that Harry must not ever open that door as long as it wasn't a life and death emergency. And even then it would be better to search for him everywhere else before. Death didn't explain why, but he said he would do that later. For now, Harry just needed to know that no one should disturb the room ever, even if it appeared as if Death wasn't home.

Harry was really curious what might be in that room but Death looked very serious when warning him, so he promised himself never to open that door without permission. And Death had said he would tell him why he wasn't allowed to go in later, so maybe that would explain it.

They continued their walk. The lower end of the 'cross' led to a dining room, behind which a kitchen was located. Harry was surprised, wondering why Death needed these rooms if he himself never ate anything, but that explained itself after they entered the room and found two small creatures with huge, round eyes and big, bat-like ears standing in the kitchen, preparing something looking like raw flesh.

After some bowing from them Death explained that these creatures were called house-elves and were a great addition to every household because of their incredible powers and the fact that they loved cleaning and cooking and other housework as he himself had no time for that. The elves almost cried in joy as they heard that and Harry easily believed it. Death told him these two were called Hugin and Munin and they were special house-elves, as even though the average lifespan of house-elves was about two hundred years they were both way older. Serving Death obviously had it's advantages. Though after they had left Death also explained that one had to be very careful with house-elves. They were very loyal and powerful, but bound to their families. If the family treated them badly - a surprisingly common sight these days - it wasn't unusual that this family had quite a bit of bad luck in their lives. Few children, if at all, a bad reputation... things like that. House-elves could be downright vicious, but it was often overlooked as they were bound to follow the orders of their masters. Too many wizarding families didn't believe beings like that had a lot of power. Oh how wrong they were.

After that small digression they continued their tour. They passed the middle of the cross again, Death mentioning that each of the corners held a guest room, complete with an own bathroom, though these rooms went by mostly unused, after all, how often was it that Death had visitors? Though he told Harry he could name a few humans who were visiting him sometimes. Sadly, he didn't tell Harry their names and continued walking towards the last end of the 'cross' he had not seen yet. It contained the entrance hall, another circular room, just like every room in the house. Harry wondered if Death didn't like corners? But he didn't dare asking about it, so he just continued to look around.

"That's the last room. As I've said, the house isn't very big, but it's more than enough I'd say. Do you like it?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically and even Lily looked placated though she had mostly held herself back. "It's great!"

"Glad to hear that," Death said. "Though there is one more thing I should show you as it does belong to my... property."

Harry's curiosity was piqued again and he followed Death outside as he opened the door.

'Outside' was a weird description though, as Harry wasn't really sure if it even was outside. Now he understood what his mother had talked about. Sure, he had caught glimpses of it out of the windows that were located in all of the circular rooms, but... to actually be there was different again.

It was pleasantly warm, not too hot and not too cold, but he couldn't see the sun. The sky was tinted in reddish colours, mostly some light orange that made the time of the day really look like twilight, but he also couldn't see any clouds or anything. Still, grass was growing under his feet and they seemed to stand on a meadow that went on as far as he could see.

Harry frowned. "Where are we?" It certainly wasn't Little Whinging anymore, that much was obvious.

"Well... I think, the most fitting description would be... my realm. It is not anywhere on earth, more like another dimension. But from here, you can easily appear anywhere on earth, it is certainly the fastest way to travel, faster than actually travelling with human means. You remember the shadows I called yesterday?" Harry nodded. That certainly wasn't something he would forget soon. "That is the only possible form of travel to use to get here. But it is also only able to bring you here and take you back. You cannot travel from one point on earth to another using the shadows."

Still, Harry thought it was pretty wicked... But he wasn't sure if he would be taught that all too soon, if at all...

He had just opened his mouth to ask when he noticed a dark spot at the sky that seemed to get bigger quite fast. He stared.

"Ah, it's time for them to be back, I almost forgot," Death said once he had followed Harry's gaze. "All the better, I can show you the main inhabitants of these fields now."

By now, the black spot had become so big that Harry could actually recognize it being a flock of horses. Winged horses. Though their wings looked leathery and they overall seemed more skeletal with dark skin, not the way he had imagined flying horses. He always though of them being like normal horses but with feathery wings...

He continued staring at them as they approached faster than he had thought possible, easily landing on the soft grass before trotting over to Death, seeming just as curious about Harry as Harry was about them. But nothing could have prepared him for what happened now.

The horse in the front looked at Death and whinnied - or at least Harry thought it was, it sounded more like the shriek of a weird bird - and at the same time Harry simply knew that it had just asked: Who is that boy next to you, master?

"This is Harry, he will be living here starting today," Death answered, somehow seeming to have heard the voice too.

The horse looked at him, cocking its head. Do you have any flesh with you, little one?

"N-No, I'm sorry..." Harry stammered, overwhelmed.

Do not worry, we don't bite humans. The horse... said, just as Death spoke up again.

"As you have obviously just noticed, you are able to understand a few magical creatures, mostly those that are closely connected to me. You seem shocked, I should have probably warned you before, I am sorry."

Harry just slowly shook his head. He didn't think he would have really believed anyone who told him he would be able to understand winged horses. Still, Death wasn't finished yet. "These horses are called Thestrals and can only be seen by people who have seen death. That is, witnessing a person dying, not seeing me in person. It is probably slightly overwhelming, but as they said, they are mostly peaceful creatures as long as you don't deliberately anger them. They still are powerful and, in my opinion, also quite majestic horses."

Well... now that Harry's shock slowly faded he could at least see a certain beauty in them. It probably helped that they seemed to have taken a liking to him, discussing how they loved the colour of his hair and his eyes with the colour of a nice meadow. It was still a bit disturbing, but at least they were saying nice things.

"Do you want to go back inside or meet the rest of my helping force? I can't promise no more shocks, though," Death said, looking at him.

Harry thought about it, but in the end, decided to get it over with now. At least he would be able to process it afterwards.

So after he told Death they said good bye to the group of Thestrals and Death led him around the house. On their way Harry could see even more Thestrals, some were arriving, some departing and others simply grazed but he was still wondering how many of them were living here. Still, after a while he noticed that there weren't just Thestrals there. He could also spot a few big, black dogs. They looked wild but were playing with each other, happily jumping around in the grass.

That was when Death clapped his hands and suddenly, a few of the dogs stopped playing and ran to him.

"These aren't normal dogs either if you were wondering, but Grims," Death explained, causing Lily to gasp in horror. But again, he wasn't finished yet. "I know popular belief has it that a person who has seen a Grim will soon die, but that's a lie. A Grim is more intelligent than any normal dog and thus they help me with my task of splitting soul from body. So yes, Grims are actually seen more often than not near people who either have died or will die soon, but it's not as if they are the reason people die. Except if a person gets a stroke or anything because they have seen the 'omen of death', that is."

That made Lily calm down slightly, but she still looked warily at the dogs - or, well, Grims...

As the first Grim barked, asking Death why Harry smelled curiously like him Harry at least wasn't just as shocked as before, having figured that this was the reason why Death had asked if he wanted to continue. But hey, it was kind of cool to be able to understand some animals. Creepy, yes, but cool.

So he promised himself he'd try talking with a few more of the creatures once he was a bit more comfortable with this strange ability. And who knew, maybe there was some interesting knowledge he could gain through it?

But for know, it was dinner time - Death had told him the house-elves had been overjoyed when he had told them before they would be able to cook dinner for him - and Harry would probably go to bed afterwards. It had been an eventful day and he was still a child after all, even though there were a whole lot of things currently happening around him.

So... of course Harry accepted. It is a unique opportunity after all.
(Oh, and should someone wonder: I know that Thestrals are carnivorous, but think of the grass more as something inbetween, like a snack. They are horses, after all. And about the Grims [for my story]: The wizarding world seems to think that there is only one Grim, because they have never seen two of them together as all Grims live with Death and help him alone. I hope my explanation is sufficient, otherwise feel free to ask)

I hope you liked the chapter (and I'm sorry if people would have preferred Lily to teach harry, but don't worry, she won't stop appearing just like that).
Though I apologize that it has needed much more time than the ones before, but I'm currently doing an internship and my time to write was heavily limited. As in, my only time to write is at the weekend and I'm quite busy there too. But I'll see what I can do.

The next chapter will involve a few interesting plans Death has with Harry... Any guesses?

And last but definitely not least: thank you all again for your reviews! 100 already! I'm surprised how many of you seem to like the idea and hope I'll keep up to your expectations. I'll do my best! :)

Regards, Violet-san