Alright here's the next chapter for you guys, like I said gonna have a lot of crossover stuff, and you'll see why here in this chapter. There'll be a lot of exposition this chapter, but it'll help to set the stage going forward. This is probably gonna be the slowest chapter but we need to get it out of the way. Let me know what you think, and next chapter should be up pretty quickly. Enjoy.
Chaos Born: Destiny Undone
Chapter 6: Why I Matter.
He silently made his way through the darkened halls of Hogwarts. He was able to see with perfect clarity in the darkness, all he had to do was lift his eye-patch and his right eye pierced the darkness.
He also came to a new revelation as he made his way through the halls, and that was that his cloak didn't seem to be affected by the anti-magic qualities of his right eye.
This revelation touched at his mind for only a few brief moments as he swiftly made his way through the halls. He was nearly running now, eager to find her, to meet the one who had saved him from those dark powers that awaited him after his death. He knew it was her, knew that it had to be her. He closed in on her position, noting that she was alone in one of the halls.
Harry rounded the corner, and he spotted her. There, standing alone in complete darkness was the girl from his dreams. Unlike the others, she looked almost exactly the same as he remembered her. Maybe a bit shorter, her hair not as long, but otherwise, she was the exact same.
A smile tore across his face as he approached her. She was staring off away from him, staring into the darkness. It didn't immediately register in his mind that it was completely black in these halls. Without a source of light, she'd be standing in absolute darkness.
He made it a few feet behind her and stopped, his body freezing as a realization touched his mind. The same one that he had noted when dealing with Tracey, Daphne, and Fleur. These weren't the women from his dreams. They may look like them, but they weren't them. They were simply dreams. It was the same with this girl.
He took in a deep breath and tried to settle himself. His heart was pounding in his ears, as he tried to calm down.
Slowly, she turned around, her silvery-blue eyes passing over him, and coming to a halt in his direction.
He took in a breath, as another realization dawned on him. If she was actually Death itself, then she could see him. She could see him, even under an invisibility cloak.
"I can hear your breathing." She spoke, her voice soft, almost dreamy.
Harry blinked at that, and almost let out a laugh. So, she couldn't see him? He blinked again, and slowly pulled off his Invisibility Cloak.
When he did, he saw her face light up with a smile, that same smile that he'd come to adore in his dreams.
"Hello Harry Potter." She greeted him.
Now out from under the Invisibility Cloak, Harry could perceive the nature of her magic. His right eye had always been able to see magic, no matter which form it was in, either channeling the Beholder's power or the Basilisk's. It was currently focusing the Beholder's power meaning it should be canceling out any magical energy he focused his gaze on.
That was not the case for this girl, for Luna Lovegood. Her magic was unlike everyone else's. Most of the magic he perceived was some form of blue. Sometimes it was bright, sometimes it was dark, but almost always blue. Certain magical artifacts that he'd found in Grimmauld Place had much darker magics, blacks, dark Grey, purple, and even red, but for the most part, most people's magic was blue. This girl's magic though, was a silver color. Radiant, and mesmerizing. It was one of the most beautiful colors Harry had ever seen.
His anti-magic gaze didn't seem to affect this silver magic at all. His eyes were locked onto her, and nothing seemed to happen to her magic.
It took him a moment to realize that several seconds had passed and he hadn't responded to her greeting.
"Uh… Hi…" Harry muttered out.
"Were you looking for me?" She asked him.
"Y-Yeah… you know who I am?" He responded, and then immediately felt like smacking himself. Even if this wasn't the same girl from his dreams, of course she'd know who he was. He was Harry Fucking Potter, the most famous boy in the country.
"Of course, I know you. I've known you for a long time. I'm happy that we finally get to meet in person. I hope you are doing alright. You've been through a lot lately, and people haven't been making it easy for you." Luna said to him, causing Harry to blink several times as he digested her words.
"Wait. What do you mean by that? What do you mean you've known me for a long time?" Harry asked her.
"From the moment you were conceived if I'm being exact. I've been watching you for a long time, I hope I haven't been a bother to you when I visit your dreams." She answered back.
Harry blinked several times, as he took in her words. Finally, he let out a laugh, as he understood what she was saying. "You… know about my dreams? You… visit them?" He asked, feeling his excitement growing.
"Yes. I'm sorry if I made you nervous. I couldn't help myself you see. I've been waiting to meet you for such a long time. Finally getting the chance to interact with you, I guess I just followed what the others were doing, or what they wanted to do. I hope I wasn't too bold. It wasn't my intention to make you uncomfortable." She said to him, her smile dimming just a bit as she seemed to turn pensive.
"It's you… it's really you? I mean… you know? You remember my dreams. You… You're Death, aren't you?" He finally said, quickly realizing from all that she was saying that he was wrong. At least in her case, she very much was the girl from his dreams.
"Yes. I am." Luna replied, causing Harry to let out another laugh. He then ran his hands over his head and smiled brightly at her. His smile caused her to smile brightly.
"I have so many questions…" Harry began.
"I understand. Shall we go somewhere and talk?" Luna asked him.
"Absolutely." He said a bit too quickly.
Luna nodded and then took his hand. Shivers ran across his skin, and Harry nearly let out a gasp. In an instant he felt it. That cold comfort washing over him. Luna guided him through the halls, seemingly able to see in complete blackness. Her small hand grasped at the mummified flesh of his right hand, and despite the general aura given off by the arm being one that chilled the air, he could feel the cold of her body through his hand.
He couldn't escape his excitement. For the briefest of moments all of his worries were pulled away. He felt safe, he felt certain. She was Death, she was the one who'd saved him from those dark things when he'd died. She was here now, watching over him, even at Hogwarts. He had so many questions for her, so many things he wanted to know.
She led him deeper into the castle, stopping before an old statue. She then turned to him and smiled, releasing his hand and slipping behind the statue. Harry followed behind her, finding a tight alcove that was barely big enough for the two to sidestep through. It went on for a dozen meters or so before opening into a passage that they could comfortably walk in. Once there, she took his hand again and guided him down the tunnel.
Harry followed her, eager to see where she was leading him.
A few moments of walking later, and the two arrived at a small stone door. Luna released his hand once more and pushed the door open. It was revealed to be a secret passage that opened up onto the Hogwarts grounds. The two stepped out of the darkness into the shadows of predawn.
Again, she took his hand, and the two walked across the grounds and into the Forbidden Forest. They proceeded deeper and deeper, walking for nearly ten minutes before they entered into a clearing.
For the last time Luna released his hand. She stepped a few feet away from him and then turned to face him. She still carried that dreamy smile, that Harry found to be so comforting.
"Ask me whatever you want Harry, I'll tell you what I know." Luna said to him, opening the floor for him to finally get some more answers.
"Okay… well, first off… you are… Death, right? Like 'the' Death?" Harry asked for clarification.
"Yes. I am Death. More accurately, I am the conscious embodiment of Death." Luna answered.
"What does that mean?" Harry questioned.
"I walk with all things given life in all of existence. I am a companion who travels with all things living from the moment they are born to the day they die. All things that are recognized by the conscious mind, all things that have a beginning, also must have an end. I am that end. I am the conclusion to the story. I am the last moment. I am the final verse in the song of life. What I am, is difficult to describe, what you see before you, is much easier. If death is a force of nature, then what you see before you, is Death made manifest. I am the conscious will of Death. I am a part of a much greater whole. The first breath of something, far grander in scope." Luna explained to him, her explanation almost sounding poetic to Harry's ears.
"You're Death's consciousness? That's what I'm getting from this. But… I'm not quite sure what that means." Harry said to her, earning a slow nod from Luna.
"Hmm… perhaps it's best to simply start at the beginning. My story isn't a long one. In truth I've spent most of my conscious life simply waiting. I came into being at the moment of the first death in all of existence. Since that moment, I have existed. Every person, every animal, every plant, all living things are my companions. I walk with them from the moment they are conceived. The living are not the only things in my domain. Worlds, places, structures, even ideas and thoughts, fall within the realm of death. If a thing can be recognized as having existed, and its existence can end, then I have been bound to it. From time immemorial, this process, my existence, has been a subconscious act, a function of the universe. I had no thoughts, or feelings, no wants or desires, I didn't even acknowledge my own existence, I simply… was." Luna began to explain. Harry hung on her every word, digesting her explanation and trying to wrap his head around it.
"One day, a long time ago, something happened. An event, that caused me to wake up. Three men went walking through the forest one day. They came to a river, and that river should have been their end. They were meant to die there, attempting to cross that river. But these were not normal men. They were wizards, and powerful ones at that. They changed their fates, undid their predestined demise. Without so much as a thought, or an acknowledgment to the feat, they disrupted the great plan. Such is the power of magic, and it wasn't the first time it had happened. In truth, there wasn't much special about these men, at least by wizard's standards. Still though, something about their act of defiance, the simple act of circumventing their fate, had caused a reaction in me. I watched as they made a bridge over the river with their magic, and for the first time in my existence, I felt something. I felt cheated, I felt angry, I felt annoyed. You know the tale of these men, and you know how I responded don't you Harry?" Luna continued, Harry nodding in response to her question before replying.
"The Tale of the Three Brothers, and the Deathly Hallows. You gave each brother a gift, a gift that would eventually lead two of them to their deaths." Harry noted.
"Yes, though it wasn't my original intent to give them a gift at all. You see, that moment was the first time I have ever manifested. It was the first time in all my existence where I took a shape, I became something conscious. When I looked at those three men, I saw something in them, something bound to their blood. I knew that one day, a descendant of these men would come along and become the Master of Death. I knew it, and I understood it without really knowing why. So, I offered each of them a gift. It was the hubris of the older brother and the despair of the middle that drove them to their deaths. I had no greater hand in it. The youngest brother wisely chose to hide from me, but he had nothing to fear. Yes, I was following them, but it wasn't to collect on their lives, it was to keep watch and await the Master of Death. That is… ultimately what I spent my time doing since then. I watched the Peverell line and all of their descendants waiting for the moment when the Master of Death would be born. That day came nearly fifteen years ago, when Lily Potter became pregnant for a second time." Luna continued on with her explanation, earning a cautious look from Harry.
"Me? I'm the Master of Death?" Harry questioned with confusion.
"Yes." Luna replied, smiling as she did.
"Why me?" Harry asked her.
"You are the one who will unite the Deathly Hallows, the one who will walk beside Death and treat it as an old friend. From the moment you were conceived your destiny became a fixed point in time. You are the one and only. The Master of Death is a companion that I have yearned for all my life, and also one that has been with me since the beginning. It's difficult to explain Harry. I am a being that predates simpler concepts like time and space. The flow of time is not a linear thing for someone like me. The simple fact that you'll become the Master of Death one day, makes you the Master of Death to me. There is no then, there is no future, there is simply that truth. To me, you have been the Master of Death since the moment I realized that you even could exist." She explained to him, her gaze turning pensive for a moment before filling with admiration.
"What does that mean though? What does it mean to be the Master of Death?" Harry questioned her.
"It means that you are the one who will be my companion. The one I will follow for all of time. You are the only one, Harry, that I hold claim to. The only life, the only existence to have ever existed that I myself, hold a claim over. I am Death, it is the death of things that matters to me. You are the only living thing that I care about. From you I will learn how to live, and I will follow you wherever you go. You are my companion, and my guiding force. I go where you go, and I'll do whatever you want me to do. Making you happy is the only thing I want." Came Luna's response. Harry seemed confused, or at least a bit uncertain about that. He made a face and then blinked several times before speaking again.
"Why would you want that though? I mean… why choose to follow me? Don't you have any other wants or desires? Why choose to bind yourself to someone without knowing if they'll give you a good life?" Harry asked her.
"What is a good life, Harry?" Luna asked him, a small smile touching at her lips.
"I'm afraid I don't understand the question." Harry asked in response.
"What do you consider a good life? I can tell you that whatever answer you give will be my answer. I can tell you that whatever life you do give, will be one I am happy to take part in. I told you how I was in the beginning. It was my meeting with the three brothers that awakened this part in me, and it was seeing you, in them, that made me realize that I could be something more. I don't care what that something is. I just know that you'll get me there, and for that, I will follow you anywhere. I cannot truly repay you for such a kindness. You are the one who will shape me into something more than a simple force of existence. I've waited for this day for centuries. It seems like such a long time for you, but for me, it was less than a blink of the eye. Whether you lead me to a life of conflict and misery, or you choose to run away with me, and we live together in some far-off place in peace. Whether I am your friend, your lover, your wife, or even just a challenge that you pit yourself against to improve upon yourself, no matter what I become to you, I will have gained something more valuable and meaningful to me than anything else. Through you Harry, I can live. That… to me, is a good life." She expressed to him, her words carrying what could only be described as hope, and passion.
Harry stared at her, finally grasping just what it was she was saying.
It was difficult to imagine, to be this thing, this force of nature, and then suddenly, just out of the blue, you gain sentience. As she said, most of her existence took the form of this unconscious act. Being death wasn't an intentional thing for her, it's simply what she was. Then one day, she gained this consciousness, and began to have thoughts and feelings. She saw in the three brothers, someone who would eventually teach her what it means to be alive, to be a conscious, thinking, creature. That being, the Master of Death, was a guide for Death itself and was meant to teach her what it meant to live. Often in his dreams, he couldn't help but note that Death's relationship with the larger demon seemed almost familial. The way she sat on its lap, balanced on a knee, almost like a child would balance on the leg of their father.
Friend, lover, wife, she had said. Distinct possibilities that perhaps hinted towards her desires in regard to him. She intended to follow him, to walk with him in this world, and be his companion forever more. There was something comforting in knowing that, and he sensed no deception from her. He still had a few questions though surrounding this in particular.
"Alright, I think I'm grasping what you're trying to say. You want to spend your life with me, follow me, learn from me. I understand that part, even if I still don't know why you chose me…" Harry said to her.
"I didn't choose you Harry. This wasn't a matter of choice. It's much simpler than that. It simply 'was' you. From the moment I met the three brothers, it was you who'd be my master. I didn't conscientiously seek you out, nor do I believe I in my entirety, had anything to do with you being the Master of Death. Maybe it was destiny, or fate, maybe it was simply who you are. I can't really explain it as I don't know why it was you, only that it is, and has always been you." Luna offered to him.
"Okay. Seems there's some things not even Death knows." Harry surmised.
"There's actually a lot I don't know, Harry. I'm omnipresent, not omniscient, or omnipotent." Luna pointed out, earning a thoughtful look from Harry before he nodded in understanding.
"I guess that makes sense. If you spent most of your life basically without consciousness, I guess you wouldn't really recall most of it. Wait, if that's the case, how old are you actually?" Harry inquired.
"Well based off how long I've been conscious of myself, only a few centuries. I met the three brothers early in the thirteenth century, so about eight hundred years, but I spent most of that time waiting for you and doing nothing much else. So, when it comes to my collective knowledge and maturity, I'm actually closer to something akin to this body." Luna explained.
"And what is this body?" Harry asked.
"This is the body of a young girl who died when she was caught in the backlash of a failed spell her mother was trying to invent. The real Luna Lovegood was put into a death-like state due to the spell, and her spirit chose to follow her mother's into the beyond. She died, essentially, but her body remained alive. Because she was technically dead, but also still alive, it presented an interesting opportunity for me, so I took it. I placed my consciousness inside of her body. Taking her place in this life. Many of my feelings, and emotions are shaped by the person she was turning into before her death. It's helped me learn how to feel a great many things, and of course, I knew she would end up going to Hogwarts at the same time you were, so I'd get the chance to meet you in person. Without this body, I would have had to wait for you to die for us to interact, and that would have only been briefly, in the time it took for you to regenerate." Luna answered his question.
Harry found her honesty to be absolutely refreshing. He was so used to people hiding things from him, or simply not telling him things, that getting full and precise answers to his questions was like a breath of fresh air.
"So, you've only actually been like this for a short time, not even her… your whole life?" Harry surmised.
"Precisely." Luna answered him.
"Alright. That's a bit tragic, but I guess it's not my place to fuss over it. Okay… so… you're not all knowing, but it was your conscious self that rescued me from those 'things' after I died, right?" Harry asked her.
"Correct." She said to him.
"So… what was that? What happened there, and do you know why I suddenly have four different women bound to me? Wait… I was told at Gringotts that I had heir access to the Lovegood account as well, does that mean that you're also bound to me by a slave brand? Also what about the Deathly Hallows, what purpose did they serve? If the true reason for your interest in the Peverell family was me, then why give the three brothers those gifts?" Harry started listing off more questions.
"Well, I guess starting with the easiest question, the Deathly Hallows were all meant for you. They were special artifacts I created, the first things I've ever made, and they represent a sort of Anti-life to them. Since they were made by my power, and also created in exact conflict with my nature, they hold very special properties. You see, as Death, I'm not supposed to make things. I am the end of things. Creating things goes against all that I am, so the nature of the Hallows is wholly unique, as they are objects that were forged against my own nature. As for why I gave them to the three brothers, it was so they could spend time gathering power. You see, each of the three objects has been growing in power ever since I bestowed them onto the brothers. They each drain a form of power out of the user, and use it to enhance their own powers. The Eldar Wand devours the lifeforce of the user and whomever it kills. It's why despite it being the most powerful wand in the world, eventually the one who carries it will be defeated, as they slowly weaken over time. The Stone constantly drains the will to live from those who carry it, eventually driving them to suicide. Finally the Cloak, it takes in power from those who use it in order to survive. The longer someone lives with the Cloak, the more power it accumulates upon their death." Luna explained to him.
"All three of them were meant for me?" Harry repeated, blinking in surprise.
"Yes. They were my gifts to you. Or meant to be, I should say. The Deathly Hallows have been gathering power for nearly eight centuries, feeding off of life itself. Those that have possessed them could only use their most basic powers, only you can use them to their fullest extent without any of the drawbacks." Luna expressed.
"But I don't even know where they are. The Deathly Hallows are considered a myth by most people." Harry shook his head.
"Well, they're not, I can assure you. You already have the Cloak of Invisibility. The Resurrection Stone and the Wand are also not far. I've seen both of them in your memories, or more accurately, yours and Voldemort's." Luna informed him, causing him to blink a few times, and turn his gaze towards the cloak that he had inherited from his father.
This was 'the' Cloak of Invisibility? He blinked several more times and almost groaned. How had he not noticed that? Invisibility cloaks were rare enough as it, why hadn't he considered for a moment that his might actually be one of the Hallows? Probably because he didn't know whether they were real or not.
He continued staring down at the Cloak for several seconds. After a few moments he began to notice just how much like her it felt like. He hadn't really noticed it before, but now that he was focusing on it, being wrapped in the Cloak almost felt like being in her embrace. He had grown so accustomed to the feel of the Cloak that he simply hadn't noticed before.
"You said that the Wand and the Stone weren't far. Where are they?" Harry asked her.
"Dumbledore has the Wand, and he uses it regularly. A testament to his power, even after having it for so long, he's still one of the strongest wizards alive. He truly would have surpassed Merlin had he not chosen to carry the Eldar Wand. Alas, after carrying it for so long, any hope of that happening has long since passed. As for the Stone, it is contained within the Gaunt Family Ring, one of Voldemort's Horcruxes." Luna informed him.
"So Dumbledore's wand is the Eldar Wand, and the Resurrection Stone is held in the Gaunt Family Ring? I can go and get the ring, and thus the Stone any time I want, but stealing the Wand will be much more difficult… you said that I had access to the full power of the Hallows, what did you mean by that?" Harry questioned.
"Most people who know of the powers of the Hallows, only know of their most basic powers. As I said, the reason why I left the Hallows with the Three Brothers was so that they could gather power over the centuries, and evolve and unlock their full powers, so they'd be ready by the time they made it to you. The Cloak makes the wearer invisible to all magical sensory abilities, even Death cannot see what lays beneath the Cloak, beyond that though, the Cloak also confers the ability to protect and preserve the spirits of others from Death's grasp. With the Cloak in your possession, you can protect others from Death by binding their spirits to you. Any spirit bound to you will go to you when it dies, rather than into death. This process repeats for as long as you live." Harry was astounded by her explanation. With the full power of the Cloak, he had the ability to keep other's souls from passing on. It went unsaid but he assumed then that he'd be able to recreate the bodies of those that had died and essentially bring them back to life.
"What about the Stone and the Wand?" Harry inquired, peeling his eyes away from what he now grasped was one of the Deathly Hallows.
"The full power of the Stone grants the user the power to manipulate spirits, spiritual energy, and the energy of death. While the Cloak merely lets you protect one's soul from the Death, mastery of the Stone grants one complete power over the spirit. With such mastery the soul becomes like a playground for the Master of Death, able to be reshaped, and manipulated with an ease that only the most powerful and studied could hope to emulate. It also allows you to control and use the unique powers of the soul, and the magic of death. Things like Necromancy come easier to you, and your powers over the dead are greatly increased. The Wand is in truth, a living weapon. As I noted earlier, it feeds on the lifeforce of those that it kills, consuming them and growing more powerful. The essence of the Wand may be transferred into any weapon or tool that the Master of Death desires, a sword, a spear, a random stone if you feel so inclined, it can even transfer it's power directly into the body, if you felt like killing someone with your bare hands. As an added benefit, the Eldar Wand, in whatever form it takes, is capable of granting True Death to whatever is killed by it. Since it devours the souls of that which it kills, even entities such as spirits or daemons can be completely destroyed by it. Meaning they can't regenerate after death since their soul is completely devoured." Harry was deep in thought as he digested all of this. With all three of these tools in his possession, he'd have complete power over death itself, and even the ability or at least an important part of resurrecting someone from the dead. He could manipulate souls, change them, alter them, he could keep them from passing on or even destroy them completely.
In theory, he could take the Eldar Wand and use it to kill Voldemort, and it would do the job, even with his Horcruxes still around, that part of his soul would be destroyed. Did that also mean the Eldar Wand could be used to destroy the Horcruxes themselves?
"As for your other questions, yes I am bound to you, the mark of the Deathly Hallows is my way of bonding myself to you through this body, even if we're connected far more deeply than just a slave-master relationship. As for the other four, they're gifts that were given by the Dark Powers. You see, when Abigail McTash used her Chimera Ritual to bind those spirits to you, she inadvertently bonded you to the Dark Gods themselves. Allow me to explain…" Luna continued with her explanation moving on to his other questions, earning back Harry's attention.
"The Dark Gods, Chaos Gods, Dark Powers, are entities that live within the Immaterium. The Immaterium is a realm of pure energy that was born as a direct backlash to the spawning of conscious thoughts. It's a realm of pure magic, and psychic energy, that is directly tied to the thoughts and feelings of all living things. It's given shape by these entities, and it's colored by their feelings. Within this dimension are entities that are comprised of this energy, and they're born from the feelings of living things. These entities are emotion, and emotional energy given shape and form. Long ago this realm became corrupted, and chaotic, and the entities that live within it became evil and twisted. The Chaos Gods are four of the most powerful entities within the Immaterium. The oldest is Khorne the God of Blood and War, representing hatred, wrath, rage, honor, strength, and murder. After Khorne comes Tzeentch, the Changer of Ways, representing evolution, mutation, intrigue, knowledge, ambition, deception, and sorcery. Then comes Nurgle, the Plaguefather, representing disease, despair, decay, destruction, death and rebirth. Finally of the four, is Slaanesh, the Prince of Pleasure, representing pleasure, pain, hedonism, excess, perfection, pride, and decadence. These are the four primary Chaos gods, and the four to which you were unwittingly bound. You see, when McTash summoned those four entities and tried to bind them to you on a spiritual level, she didn't fully grasp what those entities were. She assumed them simple spirits, but in reality, daemons that serve the four Chaos Gods are actually extensions of them, they are living pieces of their power that have been removed from the whole and granted some measure of freedom by their creator. Despite a physical separation, the connection between these daemons and the Dark Gods remains pure, so when she bound those daemons to you, she also bound you to the Four Chaos Gods, tying your soul to theirs." Luna offered as a brief outline to the nature of the situation he had found himself in.
If he was understanding her correctly, then he had been accidentally bound to these higher beings, through their servants that he was forced to absorb. Meaning when he died, his soul probably tried to return to the four of them, but it couldn't because it was bound between the four, instead of just one.
"So that feeling I had when I died, that feeling of being pulled apart… that was them, these Chaos Gods?" Harry inquired.
"Yes. When you died your soul tried to go to them, but it couldn't. It got stuck between the four so they each tried to grab onto it. I intervened before they could get a full grasp on you and tear you apart." Luna answered him.
"Yeah, I remember that. I remember feeling your presence, how you saved me. I felt them too, these Chaos Gods, I felt them communicate with you, and… it almost seemed like they respected you…" Harry noted.
"You could call it that. You have to understand, they are different from me. They are emotion and magic given form by conscious and subconscious thought, I am the direct consequence of an event. They are, at their most basic description, Warp Entities, while I am, more akin to an Aspect. I am no god, as that word doesn't truly do what I am any justice. I simply am. There's no greater way to explain it than that. They were made by the thoughts and feelings of living things, and they represent these things, as they are shaped in the subconscious mind of all living beings. For example, Nurgle is the God of death, he represents death on an emotional level, people's thoughts and feelings surrounding death. I AM Death. For as long as they have existed, I have simply been a force in the universe. A constant, that went on unchanging. I was a certainty, one that even they acknowledged as their eventual fate. But then you happened, and I appeared to protect you. It goes without saying but they were very surprised to see me." Luna said to him, laying out the nature of her relationship with these entities. From the sounds of it, they were like their own pantheon of gods, representing things tied to the physical realm. Meanwhile Luna herself, was something greater, yet also much simpler, she was Death. As she said, a force of nature.
"So what did you discuss with them? You said that they enslaved those girls as 'gifts' for me?" Harry questioned with rapt attention.
"When we spoke, I explained to them what you were, and what I was. Once they understood they recognized that no one held claim over your soul but I, and you held claim over me. They could try to fight over you, but I would do all in my power to protect you. Could they have beaten me, of course, but they could never truly get rid of me, and one of them would seize the opportunity to ally with me, and earn my favor, which would disrupt the balance of power shared between them. You see, the four of them actually despise one another, well three of them do. Tzeentch actually finds the others amusing, but he's strange like that. The four of them are engaged in an unending war with each other as they try to conquer the Immaterium with their vast armies of daemons. They call it the Great Game, and they all recognize that if I sided with one of them, the others would lose. I am Death, and having Death itself as an ally rewrites all they thought to be true. So needless to say, none of them wanted to try and take you, and risk me siding with the one who offered to help rescue you. So instead we struck a deal. You are still bound to them, your spirit is connected to them, just like one of their Daemons would be. I told them that I didn't care about their war, or who eventually won it. All that mattered to me was you, and if you wanted to side with any of them, that was your choice, and I'd follow you without complaint. I told them that if they wanted to, they could try and convince you to join them, but only on a set of conditions." Death explained to him.
"So what were these conditions?" Harry questioned her.
"Firstly, they couldn't directly control you, or command you. You were to remain free, even if you decided to follow or join one of them, you were ultimately free to come and go as you pleased. After that, I allowed them four attempts, to try and ply you for your allegiance to their various causes. I told them they were only allowed to influence one of your emotions apiece, and they could match the number of gifts I have given you. I created the three Deathly Hallows so they could give you three gifts themselves. Once those gifts were given, the only contact they would have with you was going to be through the emotion they chose to influence. They would then only be allowed to make further contact with you, if you chose to pursue that path, if you embraced these darker gifts and walked that path. If you chose to go down that route, than they were free to open communications with you, or offer further gifts to try and gain your allegiance. You are the Master of Death, they want you on their side. In truth each one hopes you'll join them specifically, but all of them are hoping you'll embrace the new nature of your soul, and cast aside the binds of a human. They want you to become a champion of Chaos, even if it is Chaos Undivided, meaning you'd serve all of the Dark Powers as a whole, rather than devote yourself to one aspect." Luna laid it all out for him.
"So, they can manipulate one of my emotions each, I'm guessing making me feel something more strongly. My guess is Khorne is affecting my anger, making my rage and aggression more acute? And one of the three gifts they each gave me was a slave that bares their independent marks, am I right?" Harry surmised.
"Yes, and that sounds about right in regards to Khorne. I don't know exactly which emotions they chose to influence. You see, they can't make you feel things, you have to feel them yourself, they can only enhance your feelings once you feel them. So in order for Khorne to enhance your rage, you must first feel rage. I have no doubt that they'll try and affect your emotions in order to allow you a glimpse into their realm, into their way of life. Khorne encourages you to act on your impulses, he does also represent survival of the fittest, so encouraging your anger is his way of getting you to act on that anger." Luna agreed with him.
"Hmm… so no doubt each of them will stick to an emotion that falls within their domain of influence. I guess I'll just have to pay attention to how I'm acting and feeling. Come to think of it, I think Slaanesh may be affecting the way I feel pleasure. I remember how tasty the food was in the Great Hall a few weeks ago, it was like nothing I'd ever experienced. Still kinda bums me out that I couldn't keep eating." Harry noted.
"There's also your dreams. You do feel great pleasure from them, so if Slaanesh is targeting your sense of pleasure, that could explain why they feel so good." Luna pointed out, causing Harry to blush.
"Does she know everything about me?" Harry thought with embarrassment, as he recalled how he always felt that Luna knew what he was thinking when he saw her in his dreams.
"Yes I do Harry. As I said earlier, I've been with you since you were conceived. I was there for every moment of your life up until I entered into this body. Since then I've simply kept my thoughts turned towards you, allowing me to hear what you're thinking, and see your memories if I so choose. It's how I know the things that you learned from Voldemort's memories." Luna spoke up, causing Harry's blush to deepen and he grimaced in annoyance.
"Whelp… no hiding anything from her. Best try and keep my thoughts clean." Harry thought to himself, only for his mind to immediately recall her naked form standing before him. Harry shook his head and rubbed his temples. He heard a giggle fill the air, causing his gut to sink.
He glanced at Luna and found her smiling at him, this playful allure in her eyes.
"Before me move on, my dreams… what are they?" Harry asked her.
"The Truth. They are a pure reflection of your feelings. It's also a pure showing of how the others see themselves." Luna responded.
"What does that mean? I guess, what I'm asking is, are you real in my dreams, is that really you, or am I just imagining it?" Harry corrected himself.
"Of course it's me. It's all of us really. When you dream, you all share a space with one another. Remember what I said earlier about the Immaterium being a realm of imagination, emotions, and thoughts. When you dream you touch that place, and when all of you dream at once, you all go there." Luna explained.
"So… what I'm seeing, it's actually them… all of them? When they tease me, that's actually them doing it?" Harry asked for clarification, as he remember some of their actions, namely his sister's.
"Not consciously of course. They're still dreaming Harry. They tease you for the same reason you'd pursue them if you could move. They're attracted to you, and find you enticing, so they playfully tease you, or engage in their desires. Your wants though, manifest in your true self, and it acts on those thoughts and feelings, just not immediately." Luna answered.
"My true self, you're talking about the creature. The thing that's in every one of my dreams. Why can't I remember what it looks like?" Harry questioned her curiously.
"Because it's form and shape isn't set. Unlike the others who's spirits have already taken form, your true self is still in motion as your future is not set. We already are what we are. What you see when you look at us in your dreams is a reflection of our true self, it's simply hidden away in these human bodies. With your true self things are different, because what you are is not set in stone. You are still changing, still evolving. You're uncertain of where to go, or which paths to walk, and because of that, the shape of your spirit is constantly changing. It's why you can never remember what it looks like. When you remember it, you see it as it is currently, not how you remember it. These two images clash preventing you from truly grasping it's form. One day it'll settle, one day it'll take a shape that is familiar to you. Until then it will remain illusive." Luna answered back, allowing him to finally understand why the creature was always so hard to perceive.
"So, in my dreams… that's actually them, just their dreaming minds. But they don't recognize me…" Harry noted with confusion.
"Don't they? Neither one approached you, but both Tracey and Daphne believed you immediately when you questioned why they were in your dreams. They were dreaming of someone, and both of them knew it. They also mentioned a creature, one that you didn't discuss with them. Of course neither would want to talk more about the creature, after all, you've seen what it does to them, imagine it from their perspective. Your conscious and subconscious mind exist separate in these dreams. The creature represents your spirit, your soul, your subconscious, while the you that watches is the conscious mind. When we look at you we see different things I'm sure. I see you as you are now, Harry Potter. What they see when they look at you in the dreamworld isn't known to me. Obviously they like what they see, otherwise they wouldn't tease you." Luna countered, smirking as Harry began to blush.
He could recall how each one of them would tease him, flaunt their bodies around him, or even grope at him. He could just barely remember the softness of their flesh as they touched at him, or made him touch them. Even Olivia… his sister. He vividly recalled the swell of her breasts, the heat of her body and her sex, as she pressed her body along his arm, he could clearly see her amazing ass as she walked away from him. He knew he should be sickened by these thoughts, that he should be absolutely appalled, but he couldn't summon up those feelings.
Instead all he felt was excitement and arousal. He was growing hard again and he could do nothing to stop it. All this time he'd been telling himself that the images of these women were just his imagination, just a false interpretation born of the Slave Brand, and that it had nothing to do with who they really were. Now though, he knew he was wrong. It was them, their subconscious minds at least, their dreaming selves. The beings he saw in his dreams was who they all were underneath the conscious mind. Olivia a warrior, Fleur a lover, Daphne a scholar, and Tracey a mother. Then of course, there was Luna, who he was beginning to understand had much deeper feelings for him than she was letting on. Her actions in the dream, if made consciously pretty much sealed it.
She seemed to read this realization on his face and turned her gaze away bashfully.
A moment passed, and Harry blinked several times. It quickly dawned on him that they were now standing in complete silence so he chose to continue his questioning.
"You said each of these Dark Gods would give me three gifts to try and tempt me. One was these four girls, why? And what other gifts did they give me?" Harry asked, hoping the question would draw his mind away from his lewd dreams.
"Each one of them has a certain connection to the Dark Gods. I don't know exactly what that connection was, but it allowed them to place these Slave Brands without needing to directly connect with any of the four of them. The Slave brands are slowly transforming their souls, changing them into Daemons and binding them to their various patrons. The rules of our deal state that they can't influence you directly, but they can try to influence them, and use them to influence you. I believe it's their hope that these four will encourage you to side with Chaos, and then they can act as your lieutenants and advisers. As for the other gifts, well that's a bit harder to explain. They are all powers, or items that have manifested already or will manifest when you die again." Luna expressed.
"When I die again?" Harry repeated, before wincing. That was something that hadn't really set in yet. If he was right about the Phoenix tears granting him the power of resurrection that meant that no matter what happened to him, he'd always come back, and Luna was hinting that him being Master of Death was a permanent thing, as in he wasn't ever going to stop existing. Even if he was able to fully die, that wouldn't be the end for him. From the sounds of it, he was in this forever.
"Yes. As I said, they each want to tempt you to join them so they gave these gifts as a means to do so. They even played off of each others gifts to enhance the potency of their own or limit the effects of the others. I'll start with Khorne, his second gift is an inborn ability that will empower you, based off of the blood you spill when you kill something. In essence, anytime you kill something, your physical abilities will increase based off of a percentage of the victims total abilities, corresponding to the amount of their blood you spilled in the act of killing them. Basically, say you went and killed a normal human man. If he lost half of his total blood before the moment of his death, than your physical abilities would improve by half of a percentage of his physical abilities. This power is tied to your strength, speed, agility, reflexes, stamina, endurance, toughness, and even your fighting skill and ability. The more blood you spill in the act of killing, the faster these powers will grow. Now of course there is a small caveat. Khorne hates magic, so when you kill things with magic the power boost you would have gotten is halved, while if you kill them without magic you gain the full amount. Also due to Khorne's hatred of magic, if you kill a magical being, you gain double the power boost, though it's still affected by whether you use magic or not." Luna began, causing Harry to blink, his eyes widening in surprise and disbelief.
"Wow…" Harry muttered in amazement. He knew he should be disgusted by such an ability, but the idea of being empowered by those he killed was an interesting and exciting prospect. He vividly recalled how he was already able to lift a full grown man off the ground with one hand, as he had done with Nott Sr. so the idea of getting even stronger was one that really interested him. He didn't immediately recognize why that was, all he could imagine was how strong he could become after dealing with all of his enemies, how he'd not only gain satisfaction from their deaths, but also become stronger from it.
"Khorne's third gift is a power called the Arsenal. It's basically a storage and summoning power that allows you to store all forms of martial arms and armor into a pocket space, and summon them at will. Swords, wands, axes, armor, basically any weapon you can imagine could be stored within the Arsenal and summoned at will. All you need to do is get your hands on the item first, and then you can store it in the Arsenal. This power will manifest when you die again, while the other you already have. I should note that Olivia will be able to store and summon items as well, and she will also gain a power boost like you will, just to a lesser degree. I'd reckon about half of the power boost you get, she will also get. And of course, as your slaves, due to them being bound to you like an extension of yourself, anyone who is killed by any one of us, will also grant you and her this benefit." Luna added in, bringing his attention back. He shook his head and let out a laugh at that. The ability to store any weapon or martial item within his own pocket space and summon them at will, that was an incredible ability, and it was a power shared between him and Olivia, and she'd also gain a physical power boost just like he would.
"Next is Tzeentch and his gifts. The second gift is an event that will occur each time you die. When you die, your spirit, and possibly the spirits of those bound to you will be transferred to another place and or time. You will be forced to remain in this place for as long as it takes for you to resurrect in this, or your original reality. In essence, in the time it takes for your body to turn to ash and reform, your spirit and possibly ours will be sent to a random place of Tzeentch's choosing and we'll be forced to remain there until you revive. The only rules are that time must flow in this place that we are sent to, meaning that we'll eventually be able to leave it, and the time dilation cannot keep us separated from our original place for more than then nine decades, as that is Tzeentch's sacred number. Tzeentch can choose to send us anywhere he wants, and we'll be able to interact and exist in that place as if it we were actually there. He also decides if it's just you, or if it's all of us. I don't believe he can pick and choose, it's either one or all. We can live in these places, explore there, fight there, die there, all in the span of time it takes for you to revive here. Tzeentch can even choose to forgo sending you anywhere, if he finds what's going on here and now more amusing. We could end up in a place for only a few seconds or minutes before returning here, or we could be there for years. The idea behind Tzeentch's gift is to allow us the chance for sudden adventure and to embrace alterations of fate and destiny. It also gives you more chances to exploit the other gods gifts and your actions in these other places will have little to no negative repercussion here. In truth no one here in this reality will even know that it happened." Luna explained Tzeentch's second gift to him.
Harry hummed in thought as he considered that. From the sounds of it, this Tzeentch was a bit of a trickster, who enjoyed playing around. He seemed to be in it for amusements sake, rather than for something greater like victory. So every time he died in his base form, his spirit and possibly that of his five slaves would be whisked away to another reality where they'd have to stay for as long as it took him to revive in his original body. While in this place, he'd live like normal, he could even die in these places, and it sounded like his deaths there would basically be normal, he'd die and revive, and not be repeatedly whisked away to other realities. Once he was in a place, he stayed there until he revived in his original form, then it reset. This Changer of Ways could send him wherever it wanted him to go, send him on 'adventures' as Luna had put it. And of course, because these were alternate realities, times, and places, his actions in these places would hold no bearing on his real life, so he could really do anything in these places. Go on adventure, laze about, live a normal life if he wanted to, or live like an absolute bastard, and there would be no real consequences, or at least no negative ones. Not to mention the fact that he may not go alone. In fact, she said all five of his slaves could be sent, that meant Olivia as well. He had a chance to meet his sister, and all he had to do was die. Considering he knew what would happen when he died, and he had long since lost any aversion to pain, that didn't sound like a bad deal. Meet his sister, and go on adventure with her, that sounded pretty good.
"Tzeentch's third gift will appear on Daphne's person when you die again. It's a black book. This book can answer any question asked of, so long as you have energy to offer it. The book itself will be tied to a ritual that you can perform. It's basically a sacrificial ritual. You sacrifice things to Tzeentch, and he'll grant you a certain amount of power based on the sacrifice. You can then exchange that power for answers from the Black Book, and it will answer any question asked of it, and answer it truthfully. The Black Book is tied directly to Tzeentch himself. He knows almost everything, so there's pretty much nothing you can ask that the Black Book cannot answer. The ritual to gain such power, need only be sacrificial in nature. You need only offer something, usually body parts, to Tzeentch. So long as it's in the form of a ritual, it'll work, but the nature of design of the ritual is entirely up to you. As with Khorne and Olivia, Daphne will be able to also ask the Black Book any question she wants, and she'll gain energy as well from each sacrifice, just to a lesser degree, but the two you will have your own energy pools that are independent from each other. The Black Book is infinitely long, so it has no end to it, and you can keep asking it questions forever if you wish, you only need the sacrificial energy to make it work. I should note that it takes more energy to answer more difficult questions, but aside from that, it's a relatively simple process." Luna carried on.
Now that, that was a tool Harry was eager to get his hands on. The ability to ask this Black Book any question he could think of and receive a truthful response, that was a gift almost without equal. Considering Harry was someone who valued the truth and wanted people to be honest with him, having such a tool at his disposal would be life-changing.
"Next is Nurgle, his second gift surrounds the idea of rebirth as that is part of Nurgle's domain. Essentially, whenever you die, your remaining magic and life force will be consumed and used to enhance you when you revive. Basically, if you are killed outright, or murdered, your full measure of magical power will be used to enhance you. In essence, if you walked to the top of the Astronomy tower and threw yourself off of it, because you didn't expend any energy or magic you'd use all of your power to enhance yourself, basically causing all of your abilities, physical and magical to increase. The downside to this power comes in the forms of Tzeentch's gift, and Slaanesh's which I'll get to in a moment. But yes, essentially whenever you die, your total power will be increased by whatever was sacrificed from you when you die, and this trait is shared by Tracey. Essentially, your life force is sacrificed to empower your rebirth, making you stronger each time you resurrect. Beyond that, is Nurgle's third gift, which will appear on your person when you die again. This gift is a bell that gathers in some of the life force of everything that dies around you. Every time the bell is rung, it weakens the barrier between realspace and the Warp. Because the Warp is raw magical and psychic energy, using the bell will strengthen all magic users, and Warp-based entities, which will include you, Tracey, Daphne, Olivia, and Fleur. You'll gain a momentary power boost, but so will those who are also tied to the Warp, so keep that in mind. The more power the bell gathers the stronger this tear in reality will become, and thus the more you'll be empowered by it. More energy when used, means a deeper portal, a larger one, and one that lasts longer." Luna continued on.
This was a unique set of gifts. It ensured that Harry was stronger after each of his deaths, growing in strength and power based on how much life force he still had when he died, so essentially if he died tired, he only got a small amount of power back, but if he died quickly without exerting a lot of energy than he'd come back a lot stronger. It allowed for him to increase his power very rapidly, but from the sounds of it, Slaneesh's gift would help to temper this one, preventing him from just repeatedly throwing himself off of the Astronomy Tower until he had enough power to decimate the entire planet. The bell was an interesting artifact as well. One that he could use in a moment of distress to strengthen himself, or his allies, not just in battle, but perhaps for other magical purposes such as rituals and the like. It was an interesting one, definitely something he could see a use for, but he'd have to experiment with it when he finally got it.
"Finally we reach Slaanesh, his second gift to you, is an ability known as the Pursuit of Perfection. This gift is a double-edged sword that grants two abilities to you. The first is that every time you die and are reborn, you are more bonded to the various parts of your body. In essence, each time you come back, you'll have a deeper connection to the various creature parts that you were bonded with during the Chimera ritual. The second part of this gift though, is where it becomes a double-edged sword. Every time you are killed by something, you gain a part of it in your rebirth. Meaning if you were killed by an Acromantula here in the Forbidden forest, you would revive with something taken from the Acromantula. Maybe you'd have poisoned fangs, or eight legs, or the ability to shoot web out of your butt. Who knows, it's completely random, but it's true for all things, even humans, or objects, even yourself. If you kill yourself, you'll gain a new random quality taken from what you already have. The point of this ability is to forever be evolving. Your current powers will be more ingrained in you with each evolution, but something new will be tacked on each time, ensuring that you will never attain true perfection. It'll always be a journey, with a destination forever on the horizon. Also of note, this power, or at least the curse part of it, is carried by each of your slaves, so if they die, you'll gain something from whatever killed them, so it may not just be one new thing when you die, it could be many if they die a few times before you do." Luna threw in that last part with a bit of discomfort.
Harry let out a sigh at that. That definitely was a double-edged sword. On one hand, his mutations and deformities may begin to fade after each death, but something new, and random would be added from whatever killed him. From the sounds of it, this new part could literally be anything from whatever killed him, even if he killed himself. It definitely tempered Nurgle's gift, ensuring that he didn't just kill himself repeatedly for the boost in power, as each death would mutate him further. It went unsaid but Harry picked up on it, that 'perfection' didn't mean 'human'. He wouldn't return to normal each time he died, he'd simply further bond with the various parts of his body. What did that mean? Only time would tell. He also noted how Luna mentioned that the death's of his slaves would also affect this power, meaning they could die and be brought back as well, and each time they died, he got something added to the list of things tacked onto him when he died again. So if he wasn't careful and didn't protect them, he could wind up reviving with three or four new mutations rather than just one.
"What about Slaanesh's third gift?" Harry asked, letting out a sigh as he did.
"His third gift is shared between you and Fleur and it's the ability to be empowered by your own pleasure. Essentially anytime you feel pleasure, you'll slowly empower yourself, getting stronger and stronger. It's a slow, minuscule addition but it happens whenever you feel pleasure, and it increases corresponding to the level of pleasure you feel at the time, and this is accumulated between all of us, so any time any of your slaves feels pleasure, it empowers you. It's a constant and permanent boost, even if it is slow, it doesn't require anything other than the act of feeling an emotion. Any form of pleasure will do, the power received corresponds to the pleasure felt. Pleasure from food, drink, happiness, joy, carnal pleasure, pride from success. It's pleasure in all it's forms. If you feel it, you receive the boost in power. Like I said, it's a small thing, but it's always active." She explained the final power gifted to him by the Dark Gods. It was rather simple, but considering it made him stronger by simply being happy, it was by far the most pleasant to have.
"So… these are all the gifts that were given to me to try and win over my allegiance. Many are active right now, but a few of them would need me to die, or require my death in general. Like the book and the bell I need to die again in order to gain?" Harry surmised.
"Yes. All of them were given to you while you were dead before, but not all could be activated then. They'll fully activate when you die again, and due to Tzeentch's gift, when you die you'll be taken somewhere new so you'll have free reign to test out your gifts as much as you want." Luna answered.
Harry was silent for a good long while as he considered all that he'd just learned. These things, these Dark Gods, wanted him to join them, wanted him to become their champion. Ultimately, each one wanted him to serve them specifically, but they'd settle for him choosing their side as a whole, serving Chaos Undivided as it were.
They wanted him because he was the Master of Death, and could give their side something no one else had, the aid of Death itself. Death had no interest in their conflict or their war, but she also wasn't against any of them. If Harry chose to side with them, than so would she, and she'd do so without complaint, happily, in fact. In the end, the choice was Harry's. It was up to him, but these things wanted him on their side, and they'd given him plenty of gifts to try and ply his allegiance.
All his life he'd been told he was a freak, that he was a monster, unworthy of love, or care. Only recently did he learn the truth, learn that he was special, and yet, even then, it was for something he had no hand in consciously doing. That too, turned out to be a lie. The whole 'Boy-Who-Lived' concept was just a story, told by Dumbledore to the people of Britain, all to hide the real savior, the one who'd actually been responsible for Voldemort's death. He was propped up by a lie, a lie that he was certain was designed to place him in danger.
Now he was being named as special again, again for something beyond his control, and yet this time, it was different. He was wanted for what he could bring, he was wanted for Death itself. These dark gods wanted her, and they needed him to do it. She couldn't be bribed, but he could.
At the very least, this was something grounded in reality, not stories, and peoples own assumptions. These entities were real, he knew they were real as he had felt their pull, felt their presence.
So… what did he do? From the sounds of it, these gifts were given as a bribe, but these entities couldn't fully control him. They could manipulate his slaves though, and they could also manipulate specific emotions of his. What did serving these Dark Powers entail? Certainly nothing good.
Still… did that necessarily matter? These last few months he had been noticing more and more how he enjoyed the darker aspects of life. Imagining the deaths of those he hated, imagining them suffer. He enjoyed watching it, and he wanted it to happen. Did that make him a bad person? He had murdered his own family out of anger and vengeance and he felt no guilt for it. Dudley may have been older than he was but he was still a child, and Harry had killed him without remorse.
When he thought on his acts of violence and murder, he felt only joy, and pride. He felt no remorse and would happily repeat the acts he'd committed. Maybe he was a bad person, maybe he was meant to follow these Chaos Gods? One thing was certain, if nothing else, he liked not feeling so vulnerable anymore. He liked feeling powerful, and having control over his own life.
"So… what happens now?" Harry inquired softly, his gaze returning to Luna.
"Whatever you want Harry. I'll follow you wherever you go. You wont be alone anymore, that's my promise to you." Luna offered in response causing a smile to spread across Harry's face.
"Thank you Luna. I really appreciate that. I don't really know how I feel about being the Master of Death, but I promise I wont ever treat you poorly. I'd prefer it if we were friends." Harry said to her, gaining a bright smile from Luna in return. He definitely could use a friend right now, considering all of his other friends had abandoned him.
"I'd like that. I don't have any other friends." Luna admitted.
"Well I'd be happy to be your friend. I think the sun's about to come up, should we head back to the castle?" Harry inquired as a bit of morning light began to peak through the trees. He hadn't realized that it was basically dawn already.
"If you don't have anymore questions, than sure." Luna responded.
"I'm not quite sure what to ask anymore. I've got a lot to think about." Harry responded as the two began walking towards the castle.
"Well if you ever need someone to talk to, feel free to ask. I'd like to think I'm a decent conversationalist. Papa says so, at least." Luna replied thoughtfully.
Harry gave her a curious look but chose not to vocalize his question. He found it a bit odd how she addressed her parent in a familiar manner, despite it not actually being her real parent. Then again she had mentioned how a lot of her emotions were tied into the person that Luna Lovegood was, so that meant she had an inborn affection towards her father. It was something worth pondering, but he didn't feel the need to question it now.
"I'd like that." Harry offered after a few moments, unable to think of anything else to say.
Harry walked Luna to Ravenclaw tower, or more specifically she led him there, before the two departed.
"See you later Luna." Harry offered in goodbye.
"See you soon, Harry." Luna replied, gifting him with a gentle smile before she approached the doorway to her Common Room and answered it's riddle to gain entrance.
A pleasant smile spread across Harry's face. There were few things that were certain in Harry's life but one thing he was sure of was that meeting Luna had been a good thing. The one who'd saved him from after death, the one who'd fought for his freedom and his right to choose his own fate. These dark entities wanted him on their side, but the choice to serve them, was his, and it was all thanks to her.
Freedom, the chance to choose, it was something he'd never had before, but he certainly wasn't going to let this opportunity go to waste. With one last smile, Harry turned and headed back to the Room of Requirement, eager to enjoy a short nap, and perhaps see Luna again. He knew that he'd have to take these good times as often as they came because as his short life had proven, there was always more trouble waiting just around the corner.
-Malfoy Manor-
"This cannot be allowed to carry on Cygnus…" Lucius spoke, staring down the lord and lady of House Greengrass, while the lord and lady of house Davies sat off to the side.
"I'm aware, Lord Malfoy. What would you have me do? You know that if I act directly against Potter, the Slave brands may choose to retaliate against my actions. As important as this alliance is to us, I will not risk the death of my daughter." Cygnus responded with a cold and direct tone.
"Nor I. Potter must be made to pay for this, for enslaving our daughters and binding them to his dying house, but not at the cost of our own children." Thomas Davies, the Lord of house Davies spoke with a darkened glare plastered on his face.
"There are ways of circumventing such retaliations. I'd be willing to offer my assistance, in exchange for certain, guarantees." Lucius said to the two men.
"What sort of guarantees Lord Malfoy?" Cygnus asked with a critical gaze, meanwhile lord and lady Davies shared a look with one another.
"Your cooperation during the next election for Minister of Magic. Fudge's time is coming to an end." Lucius answered the question.
"And who is it, we'd be throwing our support behind?" Thomas questioned, earning a clever smirk from Lord Malfoy. The two lords and their wives easily understood the unspoken answer.
"So be it. How do you plan on getting rid of Potter?" Cygnus questioned.
"He is the last of his house. When he dies, his house enters into collapse. Any remaining blood connections to other houses may be too thin for these newly formed Slave Bonds to transfer, especially since they wont be fully cemented until Potter comes of age. That should free your daughters from his disgusting control before any more harm can be done." Lucius answered in a not so direct way.
"I see. What do you need from us?" Cygnus asked.
"Have your daughters invite him to Hogsmeade, there someone will be waiting for him. They will make sure Potter is permanently removed from our affairs." Lucius responded before taking a sip of tea.
The Greengrasses and the Davies shared looks amongst each other before nodding. The murder of a child, even one so vile as to enslave their daughters, wasn't an easy pill to swallow, but they'd see it through. This boy had made a mistake coming after their families, and he'd now pay the price. The Boy-Who-Lived wouldn't live for much longer.
-To Be Continued-
Hope you were able to follow along with all of that. Harry has some new inborn gifts and will have access to a few unique powers going forward. Some he has right now, some will have to wait until after he dies again, and some will are tied to his death and the deaths of his slaves. He's also got Death itself on his side, interesting to see what'll come from this. Like I said, next chapter will be up soon.
