On Punching Gods and Absentee Dads
Enigmaris
Chapter 52: Lily Potter Gives the Best Hugs
Summary:
In which Harry's yule vision comes true and he is left with a grave choice.
Notes:
Ya'll. There are so many words in this update. I had to do get this whole thing done for you. No more cliffhangers, at least no more today. Please enjoy the fluffy feels.
(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text
There was white all around him.
A white nebulous fog curled around him, it was soft and he could taste sugar on his tongue.
Slowly Harry sat up, rubbing at his head.
"Where am I?"
The last thing he'd known he'd been fighting Voldemort, he'd been winning. He'd felt it in his bones he'd been so close. Voldemort had been nearly cornered and his sword had been hot in his hand ready to land the final blow. But then Hermione had been in danger and…
Oh.
Harry looked around more closely but there was really only the fog around him. This wasn't the realm that Harry and his dad had rescued Sirius in. The fog felt different, less oppressive. It was lighter somehow. He reached behind him to grab for his sword and found that not only was his sword missing but he was also without a shirt.
And trousers.
He blushed bright red and tried to magic up some clothing. The blush faded as he realized that his magic was….gone? No that was the wrong word. It was still there, within him, but it felt dormant. Like it had decided to rest. But that still left him naked in the middle of nowhere. He wished he had something safe to wear, something to cover him. Tyr and his dad both would kill him if they found out he was going around without anything to defend himself with.
Abruptly a set of Asgardian clothing appeared next to him and Harry blinked at the pile of neatly folded clothing.
Okay.
Harry picked up the clothing and found it felt exactly as it should. He put it on and accepted that he was going to lack boots. He wiggled his toes against the soft floor. Then he decided to try again.
I really really want my sword.
Next to him on the ground the Sword of Gryffindor popped into existence, or at least a copy of it did. He carefully picked up the sword and let the now familiar weight settle into his hand.
Around him the world had begun to change. It was no longer a blank white but formations had begun to take shape. He looked around as the world changed to look like a park. At least he thought it was a park. Color began to bleed into everything as the floor grew green grass and trees began to sprout brightly colored fruit. The sky turned a nice summer blue and a breeze began to slowly push the fog away.
In the end Harry found himself standing in the middle of a dirt path, clearly worn away by hundreds of feet taking the same route with care. There were bushes filled with berries and trees filled with fruits, spring and summer and fall fruits and berries all mingled together. Harry began to walk forward, carefully stepping around rocks and kicking up a light bit of dust. He heard some sort of sniveling in the distance, it almost sounded like a child crying.
He moved towards it, the world around him helpfully providing a near direct path towards the noise. The sunlight filtered gently through the leaves overhead, creating spots of bright warm yellow light. If it weren't for the strange crying noise everything would feel quite soothing and calm. The path turned sharply, and Harry followed it to find a clearing. He found himself standing on the top of a hill, in front of him was a beautiful vista of rolling hills and flowing grass and flowers.
It was unlike anything Harry had ever seen. The flowers were brighter and crisper than they would be on earth. The colors unlike anything he'd ever known. The air tasted like honey now, honey and the spice used in his dad's favorite biscuits. The grass on the hills flowed in the breeze like something out of a movie.
To his left he could hear the sniveling more clearly, he ripped his eyes from the beautiful sight in front of him and saw to his horror there was a sickly-looking child, hiding itself beneath a low hanging branch. Harry rushed over to the kid but when he got closer, he saw that it wasn't right. The skin was too white, white as bleached bone, and its limbs were too long, its eyes were horribly blackened.
Harry stared at the crying creature, it looked like some sort of mutant version of those creatures he'd fought when he'd rescued Sirius. Smaller and somehow even more malformed. Yet he still felt some sort of strange connection, something in his chest told him he knew what this was. His magic was still dormant and with it, most of his magic sense was gone. He focused as best he could, crouching down to be more at eye level with the creature.
"Oh." He said. "You're it, aren't you?"
And the thing flinched at the question. Harry slowly moved away, getting up and leaving the horcrux in its hiding place. Part of him wondered if he needed to stab the child-like thing. Not that he wanted to. He thought it might be unnecessary anyway, if they were where Harry suspected they were. He turned back to the rolling hills and saw something new had appeared. On the next hill over was a bright yellow blanket, the heavy sort someone would lay out for a picnic. There was someone sitting in the center of the blanket, red hair flying behind them in the breeze.
"Mum."
Harry dropped his sword and started running towards her, sprinting with all of his might down the hill he was on and then up the other. The person heard him coming, and turned around as he approached.
"Harry." She said, smiling at him.
She looked exactly as he'd seen in her photos. Unbearably bright green eyes nestled in a heart shaped face. There were freckles placed gently along the bridge of her nose and the tops of her cheekbones. Her red hair hung long and straight around her looking almost like fire. Harry kept running, falling right into her waiting arms.
"Mum."
"Oh Harry." She said. "My baby boy."
She hugged him impossibly tight to her chest, falling down to her knees and bringing them both down onto the blanket. He felt her pepper kisses in his hair. Harry clung to her with all of his strength, hiding his face in her neck and resting there.
She smelt like almonds.
"Mum." He said again. "Mum."
"You did it baby. I'm so proud of you. I've been watching the whole time dear. I've been with you, every step. I love you so much my baby."
Harry listened as him mum poured affection into his every pore, with her words and with her arms. Her hugs were better than any Harry had ever had. Feeling surrounded by her was better than quidditch even. Harry never wanted to leave. His mum continued to coo at him, telling him how brave and kind and wonderful he was. Something in Harry's chest, something cracked began to knit itself shut. He listened to his mum and he began to cry into the hollow of her neck.
"Oh honey, it's going to be okay. Mum's got you, she's not going anywhere this time. It's just fine darling. Just stay right here with me until you feel better, that's alright, let it all out. I know it's been so hard for you, I know. It's okay to cry, I'll hold you as long as you need."
Oh, it felt good to cry. The weights on his feet were gone, totally gone. He didn't have to save to world or fulfill a prophecy. There was nothing he had to do at all. Nothing but hug his mum and let it go. His worries about the world, his fears for the future, the pain he'd carried, the uncertainty. The leftover wounds from the Dursleys, from Dumbledore, from Voldemort. It all flowed out of him as his mum promised to carry him through it.
And she did.
She held him and rocked him and made him feel safer than anything ever had. He'd not even felt this safe and comforted in Asgard. And it was made all the better by knowing it didn't have to end.
Eventually his tears slowed, and he felt something close to peace wash over him. He relaxed into his mum's hold and let his breathing slow until there were no more hitches in his breath.
"Feeling any better, baby?"
"Yeah." Harry said. "Thanks mum."
Even just saying it made his eyes water. He pulled back a little to see that she'd also been crying some as she held him, he reached up and gently wiped the tears away with his thumb while she did the same to him.
"There you are." She said. "Oh, you've gotten so handsome."
"Mum."
"It's true. My son is the most handsome demigod in existence."
"I'm the only demigod in existence." She gave him an amused look and then pressed a kiss to his forehead.
"Even if there were dozens, you'd still be the best. And don't argue you with me, I'm your mother and I know these things."
"Okay." Harry agreed, totally mystified. "Where are we?"
"This is…an in between place. It looks different to everyone I've spoken to. For me it looks like a beautiful park." His mum said. "I've been stuck here since I died because of my sacrifice for you. It tethered me to you and allowed me to watch over you. Most people who die don't stay here very long, they either go forward into…the next life or they go back and become ghosts."
"But you've been here?"
"It's not that bad." She said, smiling at him, and carefully reaching out to cradle the back of his head. "I've been watching over you, its probably what I'd be doing anyway even if I had moved on fully."
"Oh." Harry said, deciding that was alright. "Have you…did you really see it all?"
"Harry I was there when you did your first bit of accidental magic." She said holding his face gently in her palms. "You were three and it was cold and dark in your cupboard. The lightbulb had broken, and you didn't know how to fix it. In your fear your magic sparked out for the very first time and created the first and as far as I'm aware, only magically powered lightbulb in all the world. And while I was so furious that my sister and her walrus of a husband had put you in that situation, oh Harry was I was so happy that your magic was there and it was strong."
"So, you know about…"
"I do." She said. "And trust me. When Tunie gets here she and I will be having words about her treatment of you."
"Mum."
"No. Harry." She said. "She abused an innocent child for years. I would have never treated Dudley like that if our positions had been reversed."
"But don't you…dad always said we were alike, that you were kind too."
She lowered her hands to his shoulders and smiled at him, her pink lips curving into a shape Harry had only ever seen in pictures. It was even more beautiful in person. Before Harry could even wonder what she would say she leaned forward and pressed another kiss to his forehead, as if she couldn't stop herself, and spoke.
"Harry, I'm not afraid of myself."
"What?"
"I'm not afraid of my anger or my power." She repeated gently. "I know that you are, honey. You grew up in a world where everyone more powerful than you hurt you and you started to fear being powerful. That makes sense, I understand why you're afraid of it. I was there when power hurt you, time and time again."
"But-"
"Harry, I am kind. Or at least I try to be." She said. "And I am that way because I act like it as often as I can. You are kind because you choose to protect and help others every chance you have. You gave up your life for Hermione in an ultimate act of kindness and love."
"What does that have to do with Aunt Petunia?"
"When you do kind things, earnestly and frequently, you become kind on the inside." His mum explained gently. "And then, once you are kind, the world's injustices are going to anger you. Think about how you've been just this past year Harry? How frustrated you were with the state of the school, with the British ministry, with your father? You were angry because you are kind and the world and the people around you weren't being kind back."
"So?" Harry asked stubbornly. "Mum I don't see what you're getting at."
"Honey, when a good man goes to war, you know he fights for goodness. When a soft man goes to war you, you know he fights to protect softness." She said. "When I finally get the chance to yell at my sister and do whatever else to her I'm going to do for her treatment of you, I'm doing it to protect you, to protect people like you. To protect the good and best bits of the world. Honey, when you stand up to wrongs, when you fight Voldemort, when you use your power to tear down injustice, you aren't abusing anyone. You wouldn't, it's not your nature. Your nature will always be to protect the good things inside of you, the things you want to see in the world."
Harry felt something shift on its axis as he listened to her talk. His mum knew him, knew him better than Ron and Hermione, better than his dad. She'd been by his side, an unknown source of support since the day she'd died. She'd witnessed every cruel thing, every cold and hungry night, every moment of hopelessness, every bruise and cut. She'd seen it all and she was telling him he was good, that he'd chosen to do good things, over and over again and become good and kind and wonderful.
"The first example you can remember of being an adult is Petunia and Vernon and you have spent so long fearing you were like them, baby." She said. "You're not. You won't treat anyone like they did you. It's not who you are, who you've chosen to become. You grew past what they tried to turn you into, and I could not be more proud of you for it."
"Oh." He said sniffing.
"So." She said. "When I yell at Petunia, what is it?"
"An act of love, for me."
"Yes." She said, smiling. "It's love. The most powerful thing in any world. And when your father enacted justice on Umbridge? What was that?"
"Love." Harry said, his voice taking on more and more confidence. "He was loving me, and the other kids, protecting us. Protecting the world."
"Good boy." She said praised. "Love takes so many forms, baby. But when you love people as much as you do, you can trust yourself that when you stop injustice, you're doing it for love. If you'd killed Voldemort, it wouldn't have been an act of hate."
"It would've been love."
"Exactly."
"I'm not like Dumbledore." Just saying it felt revolutionary. He knew it should be obvious, but for some reason the idea felt new and exciting. He wasn't like Dumbledore. He hadn't acted out of pride and obsession for power. No. He acted out of love.
"No, Harry, never."
"Not like Vernon either." He loved things, Vernon didn't love things, not even himself. Harry couldn't believe he'd never thought it before. All this time people had told him he was kind and good and part of him hadn't taken it in. He hadn't believed it.
"Not for a single moment."
"I'm not like Petunia." He wasn't. He was good. Good! The lurking fear in the back of his chest that he would be like her, that he could, was finally being brought into the light and his mum was burning it away. Because she knew him, she knew him, and she knew he was good.
"Couldn't be even if you tried."
Harry snorted at that and looked up at his mum, she was smiling a smile he'd not seen in any of her photos. It was achingly gentle. He realized as he looked at it, he had seen the smile somewhere before. On his own face. That was the smile he had for his friends, for the people he loved most in the world. Harry rushed forward and hugged her again.
"Thank you, mum."
"Anytime baby." She said hugging him back immediately. "Anytime."
Harry pulled away again and finally moved so that he was no longer awkwardly sitting on his knees. His mum followed suit and they settled more comfortably on the blanket, his mum wrapping an arm around his shoulders and hugging him to her side.
"Why are we still here?" Harry asked. "If it was me holding you back then…then why haven't we both…"
"Moved on?" She asked. "I'm not sure sweetheart."
"That would be my doing."
Harry yelped in shock and turned towards the voice, immediately throwing out both arms and moving his body to shield his mum from the intruder. Standing to their right was a woman, or at least Harry thought she was a woman. Her face and body were constantly changing shape and color, swirling through alien and human faces in a nearly incomprehensible manner. The longer Harry looked the more he felt like he saw a face he recognized in the swirling mess. The only thing that remained constant was her height and build, which was tall and bone thin.
"Who are you?" Harry demanded.
The woman tilted her head at Harry and smiled.
"I'm Death, Haraldr. May I take a seat?"
"Death?" Harry repeated stupidly.
"Yes." She said. "I am the personification of Death. I represent and direct the flow of living souls into the afterlife and have done so since the beginning of time."
"Oh."
"May I sit?"
"Yes." His mum said. "Of course, there's always room on the blanket."
And so, Death took a seat. Harry watched her do it, bending her far too thin limbs down so that she sat with her legs crossed in front of the two of them, her face still merging between five different ethnicities and species. Harry was starting to get a headache looking at it and so he looked down at his mum's lap instead.
"Would you like some tea?" His mum asked. "Normally when I have a picnic out here, there's a basket full of the best tea and nibbles."
"No." Death said. "I'm afraid I'm not here for pleasantries. But perhaps another time, Lily."
"Oh." She said, she didn't sound afraid. She sounded stubborn. She sounded like Harry. "Then what can we do for you?"
"Haraldr." Death said. "I'm here to speak with you and offer you a choice."
"A choice?" Harry asked looking up. Thankfully Death had decided on a face, her skin was green with silver lines along the cheek bones and brow. She looked alien and strange but at least she wasn't headache inducing.
"You are in a very unique position." Death explained. "Your blood runs through the veins of Tom Riddle. Because of the ritual Tom used to create his new body, your soul, your life force is tied to his own."
"What does that mean?"
"That means he can go back." His mum figured out. "He can live again."
"As long as Tom Riddle lives, there is a path back for you Haraldr." Death confirmed.
"So that's the choice? I can go back or stay here with mum and move on with her?" Harry asked, hugging his mum slightly tighter.
"No. Well yes, but there's more to it than that." Death said. "You must understand the implications of your choice fully before you make it, so that you can be free to choose what is best for you."
"Okay." Harry said.
"Did your father ever explain to you what gods were?"
"They're people who can access special parts of the Yggdrasil, the most diversified kinds of magical energy." Harry answered. "They're connected to it and it gives them the best control over that part, they can do more for longer than anyone else when it comes to the part of the Yggdrasil they're the god over."
"Just so." She said. "Did he explain how a being becomes a god?"
"Uhm." Harry said. "No. He just said that I had the potential for it, because I made my flame."
"Odin is the king of the gods, the god of gods." Death explained. "In his youth he made a deal with the Norns themselves so that he would have the ability to name new gods. He drank from the waters of Mirmir and gained a divine sense of godhood. From there it fell to him to anoint potential gods and goddesses to their true positions. Of course, since then he has only anointed Asgardians but that is irrelevant to our discussion."
"So, Odin can make any one with the potential for godhood one?"
"No. Odin merely names them. The power comes from beings like myself. Usually the norns assign the gods their positions, but other personifications can act as they see fit."
"Why are you telling me this?" Harry asked.
"So, you can make your choice." Death answered. "Gods play a significant role in the health of the Yggdrasil. They are flow points for energy that has diversified too much. The energy becomes sluggish and pools and turns viscous in the Yggdrasil. This blocks the flow of energy and damages the tree overall. A god, who utilizes their power responsibly, moves that sluggish energy on and keeps the Yggdrasil healthy. Some gods play even greater roles for the health of the Yggdrasil, depending on what they are the god of. Frigga for example, is the goddess of fate and she acts as the mouthpiece for the norns."
"You want Harry to be a god." His mother said.
"I want him to be my god." Death corrected. "The god of death."
"What?" Harry coughed out. "You're crazy!"
"I am not crazy, I'm omnipotent."
Well that shut Harry up. His mum comfortingly rubbed his arm and he settled into her hold.
"Odin named another woman the goddess of death, and I thought it an appropriate choice at the time." Death said. "She was powerful, ruthless, she had mingled with blood and death so much it had become part of her, I was a part of her. I thought she represented me well. But I misunderstood her relationship with me. Yes, she gloried in me, but she did not respect me. She wished to cause death and destruction everywhere she went and failed to understand that if death happens too rapidly, then the balance of the Yggdrasil is destroyed. Odin had her banished and she has languished in Hel since. You met her once, when you went to rescue your godfather."
"That creepy woman?" Harry asked. "She's the goddess of death?"
Harry remembered how she'd taunted him about the prophecy, how frightening and off putting he'd found her.
"She knew you had a horcrux, it is her power to know. She knew you had to die to fulfill the prophecy. She was offering you a clean and easy death." Death explained. "She was also trying to remove a competitor for her power."
"Oh."
"The goddess of death has been twisted by her isolation. She is not a friend to anyone, she cannot be, not without much healing. Healing I doubt she would accept even if it were offered." Death said. "And she saw the potential you had to replace her. She believed that if she killed you, then you would no longer be a threat and that you would get what you wanted, Voldemort's defeat."
"Okay." Harry said. "So she's crazy, got it."
"Which is why I'm offering you the chance to ascend, to become the new god of death. I will take her power from her and give it to you. You will be immortal, like Idunn is. And you will represent me until the end of time. When there are beings who try to trick me, like Tom Riddle, it will be your duty to destroy them so that they cannot damage the Yggdrasil. When there are beings who commit mass genocides and great evils, your job will be to remove them like the infection they are." Death said. "You will ascend to power far greater than any other god. And as long as you use that power wisely, you will keep it. If you fail in this task, I will remove your godhood from you and give it to another."
"So, if I come back to life." Harry said. "I'll become truly immortal, the god of death. And I'll live for eternity, fighting bad guys and protecting the universe from destruction. That's your offer?"
"That is one half of my offer." Death said. "If you choose to die, fully die, then you and your mother will move on into the afterlife and there you will be placed as a ruler. You will be in charge of comforting newly dead souls when they arrive in my realm. You will rule those who were good and brave, those who lived kind lives. You will offer comfort and guidance to them. You will live in luxury and comfort, knowing no pain or hardship. You will have happiness and be among all your mortal family who has passed on."
"My mortal family?" Harry asked. "What about…"
"The gods do not enter my realm when they die." Death explained. "They become one with the Yggdrasil, their souls entering into a cycle of death and rebirth. Even when your father, uncle, and grandparents die, they will not go to the afterlife, their souls will rest in a place called Valhalla and they will wait to be born again after Ragnarök. If you choose to die, you will never see your father in the flesh again. If you choose to live, your mother will move on and you will never see her again. She will see you, but you will not be able to speak to her."
"That's…that's not fair!" Harry said. "You can't make me do that!"
"My original plan was to make you a god without your consent." Death said. "I thought you might appreciate this way more."
Harry shook at the cool look in Death's eyes. He couldn't see a spark of comfort or empathy in them. She was offering him a kindness in this choice, at least she believed so, but it wasn't a choice. Neither option was acceptable.
"What happens on earth, if I don't go back? Does Tom lose?"
"Yes. Your father will kill him." Death said. "The Death Eaters and all they stand for will fall, and the world will be better for your sacrifice. Your father will never cease mourning you, but he will heal some, enough to do as you asked of him, even if only a little. I will find another to bear the burden of my mantle to replace the current goddess."
"And if I go back?" Harry asked.
"You will have the power to slay Tom where he stands." Death said. "What you will do after that will be your choice."
"You're making me choose between my mom and my dad." Harry said. "The world will be fine no matter what I do."
"If you choose to see it that way, then yes." Death said. "You may have long as you wish to decide. Time does not exist here as it does outside of it. If you choose to live, merely take this path."
She motioned to her left where another dirt path appeared.
"If you choose to die, take this path."
And then a path on her right emerged from the grassy ground.
"Can you leave us?" His mum asked, her voice harder than it had been before. "I think Harry would like to think about this, alone."
She said that in a tone that made it clear she meant 'without you'. Death nodded and disappeared in a blink of an eye, leaving behind only the two paths for Harry to take. Once they were alone his mum hugged him to her chest and spoke.
"It's okay Harry." She said. "I'll be fine."
"What are you talking about?"
"Harry, I'm practically a stranger to you." She said sniffing. "And I understand if you pick your father. I'll still be able to watch you like I always have. I won't be mad or upset."
"But you'll be alone."
"No, no I'll move on and be with my parents. I'll…I'll be okay."
"Mum you're crying."
"I'm not." She said, hugging him tighter so he could only hear the tears in her voice and not see them. "You don't have to worry about me honey. You don't."
"Mum I don't want to leave you." Harry said, his voice also turning ragged. "I just found you."
"Harry."
"We could go. Be happy." Harry said almost desperately. "Just relax and be with each other forever. Dad'd be okay, Death said so."
"Oh baby." His mum said. "That sounds so nice, it really does. But would you be happy with that? Knowing you left James behind?"
"How could I be happy leaving you behind?" Harry shot back. "This isn't fair!"
"No." She said, hugging him all the tighter. "No, it's not."
They sat there, wrapped up in each other, Harry let his mind mull over the problem Death had dropped into his lap. He didn't really want to be the god of death. It didn't sound bad per say. He'd get to be a hero and do good for eternity. It was hard to hate that, even if it might be difficult. But he'd never get to hug his mum and now that he knew what her arms felt like he never wanted to leave them. Dying fully would be easier, he'd be happy, Death had promised. He'd get to help people too, in a gentler way. He'd have his mum, but he'd lose Thor and his dad and Odin and Frigga and Tyr.
It was impossible. Neither choice would make him happy. He'd always have a piece missing. It wasn't fair. It wasn't right. He was trapped with two awful choices. He hugged his mum tighter as he considered what it would be like to leave her. To know her and then lose her. Before it had been hard, so hard to miss her. But it would be so much worse now. But in the same vein, he loved his dad.
He couldn't choose either. He couldn't.
Wait.
"Mum." Harry said. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course, honey."
"Then come on." Harry said. "I know what to do."
He got up out of her arms and held out a hand to pull her up.
"Harry?" She asked.
"Follow me." Harry said. "We've got to be quick, before she figures out what I'm doing and stops us."
"What are you talking about?"
"Mum. If my life force is tied to Tom's, then so is yours." Harry said his eyes brightening up. "She said I could only have one or the other, but there's always a third choice mum. Come on. Let's go trick Death."
"Oh Harry." She said. "You really are your father's son."
Harry giggled and laced his fingers into his mum's.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Ready." She confirmed.
"Then let's run." He said. "As fast as we can, I'll do my best to pull you along."
She nodded, sending her red hair down in a cascade. His mum gripped his hand tighter and then as one they started sprinting, faster and faster. With each step down the path, his magic began to wake up and so Harry called on it in the way his dad had taught him. He called on the soul magic and commanded that his and his mum's souls would move. Around them the world began to fade back into white fog, and sensation began to leave his fingers. Harry gripped his mum all the tighter.
Then the world disappeared.
Harry opened his eyes with a gasp to see Hermione kneeling over him with tears in her eyes. To his left he heard his dad's voice.
"You killed my son."
"Harry?" Hermione whispered.
"Hey 'Mione." Harry whispered right back.
"Harry!" She shouted, diving down to hug him. Harry winced at the pain, apparently coming back to life hurt.
"Impossible!" Voldemort shouted. "Avada Kedavra!"
A bright green light was shot right towards both of them and Harry growled. He brought up a hand and a shield of harsh purple light formed between him and Hermione and Voldemort' The killing curse crashed into it and was immediately swallowed up, like it was nothing. Harry slowly sat up, Hermione moving to the side as she stared at him. Harry got to his feet and cracked his neck. He was beginning to glow with power as Death's mantle settled on him.
"Hey Tom." Harry said. "Miss me?"
"No." And oh Harry could hear the disbelief.
"Oh, come on. You didn't think a killing curse would work a second time, did you?" Harry asked. "You can't be that stupid."
"What is it going to take to kill you, Potter?"
Harry rolled his eyes and looked over at his dad, who was staring at him in shock. The god was swaying in disbelief and Harry tried to send him a comforting smile. He turned back to Tom. The battle around them was slowing, all of the gods and Asgardians could recognize what was happening to Harry. The evolution a god was something they knew the taste of intimately. Everyone else on the battlefield, muggle or not, could feel the energy of it, like a wave of blistering heat passing over them. They all stopped to watch as Harry walked towards Voldemort, the grass beneath him withering beneath his boots.
"You can't kill me, Tom." Harry said. "You never could."
"What are you?" He demanded, fear finally threading itself into the man's voice.
"I'm Harry Potter, God of Death. And it's time for you to stop running from me Tom."
The fight didn't last long after that. Harry summoned his sword to his hand and he got in close just like Tyr had taught him. He was able to shield against the torture and killing curses Tom sent at him in a way he hadn't been able to before. And even though Tom had his blood running through him didn't mean he knew jack shit about using it. In an attempt to augment his power, Tom began to call upon those he had marked with the Dark Mark. All of the human Death Eaters fell to the ground in pain as their magic was forcibly drained from their bodies into Tom's. Tom began to glow as he was filled with his ill-gotten magic.
Around them Death Eaters rapidly began to die as his fight with Voldemort continued. Harry didn't hold back and continued blocking and redirecting Voldemort's attacks. With each strike Tom was forced to block from Harry more and more power was wasted. Now that his three go-to spells were off the table, he was scrambling to recover. Harry own aura was acting as a shield, any spell Voldemort hit him with was killed the moment it touched his skin, the energy dying and going back into the Yggdrasil as if it had never been. Harry didn't even feel it.
Voldemort began to teleport, trying to get distance between them, but Harry just followed him. His magic guiding him around, following Tom's scent like it was blood in the water. Tom would snarl every time he saw Harry appear, fear and exhaustion was slowing him down as Harry continued to hunt him.
The fighting had stopped almost entirely. Now that the Death Eaters could no longer use their magic, Harry's side was able to banish the dementors to the far side of the battlefield, and burn the vampires and inferi. The Asgardians had taken to the task of killing giants and trolls with an enthusiasm Harry had only ever seen them hold for quidditch. The grounds of Hogwarts were littered with bodies and Harry rapidly followed Tom's every retreat, like a menacing shadow.
It ended nearly where it had begun. Tom had apparated to a spot near the castle, obviously hoping to find some cover, and Harry had timed it perfectly to land right in front of him.
"Gotcha." Harry said, before lifting his sword and swinging it hard.
Snick.
Voldemort's head and body fell to the ground with two dull thuds. His red blood began to pour and spurt into the earth. Harry took a few steps back, consciously trying to pull his magic in like his dad had taught him. It took a couple of seconds but when he managed it, he turned around to see the crowds staring at him. More than half the Death Eaters were dead and most were completely prone on the ground, their magic nearly gone. The Aesir, Avengers, Order Members, and his friends all stared at him. Slowly Harry lifted his bloodied sword in victory.
Cheers began to fill the air. Victory was theirs. The war was won! Harry had done it!
Harry looked through the crowds obsessively, searching everywhere for a flash of red. She should be here. It couldn't have gone wrong. But she wasn't to be seen. His dad teleported right to his side as Harry was hit with a very stupid realization.
Of course, his mum wouldn't be here.
"Starlight!" His dad shouted, ready to pull him into a hug.
"We've got to go." Harry said. "Now."
He grabbed his dad's hand before his dad could ask for an explanation. He pulled them both forward, teleporting them to the cemetery in Godric's Hollow. His dad stumbled at the abrupt travel and began to ask Harry what was going on. Harry didn't answer, pulling his dad forward into a sprint, right towards his mum's grave.
When they got there, the newly minted god of death fell to his knees and began to dig. His dad watched in bewilderment and Harry's hands and fingers dug into the compacted dirt and pulled out clumps rapidly. Harry's magic helped as he desperately dug as quickly as he could, sending more and more dirt onto the piles on either side.
"Harry." His dad said. "Harry stop."
"No!" Harry said. "I'm almost there. It worked. I know it did."
He reached the casket in record time, digging down six feet within what felt like moments. He didn't hesitate to rip open the casket, cracking the aged and rotten oak in his hands.
"Mum." He breathed.
Lily Evans Potter began to cough and sputter as she finally got a breath of fresh air. She was wearing a nice robe, it looked formal and slightly itchy. Her limbs were skinny, and her cheeks were sunken in, even if she'd been brought back to life it didn't change the fact that she had been dead for some time. Harry reached out and grabbed her hand, his magic flowing into her and further restoring her body back to what it had been when she'd died.
"Sorry mum." Harry said. "I was almost late, had to kill Voldemort before I came for you."
"Only that?" She asked. "Did you pick up some milk too?"
"Nope. I forgot." Harry said with a grin.
"Lily." His dad fell to his knees. "Lily."
"Hello James." His mum said smiling up at him. "Want to help me out of here?"
His dad fell into the poorly dug out grave. He reached out with shaking hands towards his mum, when his hand touched her shoulder, he nearly collapsed in on himself.
"It's you." He said. "It's really you."
Harry couldn't even pretend to be disgusted when his mum and dad both rushed forwards and kissed each other. He just grinned as they held each other tightly.
"Careful." His mum said. "Still human."
"Oh Lily, not for long." His dad said, a serious undercurrent in his voice. He didn't turn to look at Harry when he spoke, too mesmerized by the sight of the love of his life. "How? Harry what did you do?"
"I might have tricked Death." Harry said shrugging. "But I thought it was fair since I got saddled with doing a bunch of her work for her."
"He's your son, James." Lily said, before kissing his dad's laughing lips. "Now come on. Get me out of here."
"With pleasure, my lady." His dad said, carefully pulling her out of the casket and into his arms. He cradled her softly to his chest as he jumped out of the grave. Harry got up and followed them as his dad carefully put his mum down to test to see if her legs would hold her. They did, although she did sway in shock a bit.
"We should go back." Harry said. "We sort of left everyone in the middle of the fight."
"Odin and Thor can handle it." His dad said almost carelessly.
"Are you sure?" Harry pushed.
"He's right." His dad sighed. "Are you fit to come with us, Lily?"
"Harry fixed me up just fine, James. Although, I would like to have my wand back."
"I just so happen to have it." His dad said snapping his fingers and conjuring the wand from wherever he'd stored it. "Here you are dear one."
His mum took the wand into her hand with a smirk.
"Take us back." She said as Harry stepped over to his dad's other side, his family finally, wonderfully whole.
Notes:
Once again thank you all so much for the wonderful support you've given me as I've written this story. It has been an absolute blast. We're not done yet of course! Still a few chapters to go but the main plot has been finished!