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As Harry and Bellatrix fell through the Veil, Harry saw a faint flash of purple, a faint scream, then silence. The next thing he knew, Harry landed on a hard, stone floor and then let out a groan as Bellatrix fell on top of him. How that happened, Harry would never know.
Pushing Bellatrix off of himself, Harry stood up and looked around. It was a long hallway, stretching who knows how many meters. Every few feet, Harry noticed Arches similar to the Veil, but different. In each gateway, a different color haze was swirling: Some red, some blue, purple, black, and green. And each of these gateways were made out of a different material: wood, stone, brick. Harry even saw one made out of what he assumed was Emerald.
Curious Harry turned and looked at what the Veil looked like and was shocked. It was broken, cracked and worn looking. Nothing like what it looked like on the Ministry side. Upon closer inspection, Harry noticed a sign at the top that read: Broken out of Service - Azrael.
'Well that can't be good.' Harry thought. As Harry approached one of the portals, possibly to see if he could look through it, he heard a voice.
"I would advise against that." the voice said.
Harry turned to see who had spoken to him. It was a tall figure, shadowed in a dark cloak that seemed to sway as if a breeze was blowing. In one hand was a scythe, as large as he was tall, with a blade that seemed to glow. In the other was a clipboard.
The being let out at sigh. "Really Mr. Potter. If you are done staring, come following me. Oh and bring that one with you as well. You have brought me more problems than a care to deal with now."
The Being turned and started to walk off, Harry having an idea of who this might be, picked up Bellatrix, with some difficulty he might add, and followed the Being. Soon they came to a stop in front of a door. Upon entering Harry saw a white room, with a lavish desk and chair and two normal chairs.
The Being sat down and gestured for him to do the same. Harry following the prompt put Bellatrix in one and sat in the other.
"Ok Mr. Potter as you have probably surmised, I am Death, well Azrael. But you get the idea." The Being, well Death stated. Harry just nodded he had guessed correctly.
"Before we get started, let me wake this one up." Azrael took the scythe and tapped Bellatrix on the head and with a jump, woke up.
"Who? What? Where? POTTER?!" Bellatrix started to say and tried to lunge for him but was unable to as the chair had chains sprout out from it and anchor the struggling woman down.
"Keep still and be quiet. I don't have much time and have much to explain." Death said. The ferocity in which Death spoke caused Bellatrix to freeze and Harry to shiver. "Good. Now Harry, take out your wand, cloak, and the stone that are in your pocket."
Harry did as was told. He knew about the wand and cloak, but he didn't know about any stone, though he did see it when it fell out of his cloak, and place them on the desk.
"Good. Short and simple, these are the Deathly Hallows. Owning all three, makes one Master of Death." Hearing this Harry's eyes widened. Of course, he knew nothing of what Death was talking about, but he understood the importance of a title like Master of Death.
When Bellatrix heard this, she looked ready to flip out, but couldn't really say anything.
"Now to clarify. The tools may make you the Master of Death, but I, Death, have no master. All it does is make it where I can't kill you, without permission. Do I make myself clear." Death spoke in a tone that left one with no desire to question it.
"Good, now this is where my problems start. Since this bitch here," Death pointed at Bellatrix, "dragged you through the Veil. She indirectly tied herself to you and in doing so, I can't reap her soul and throw it in Hell. But we'll come back to that."
Death sounded pretty pissed when they said this, not that Harry could blame Death. Hearing this Bellatrix went pretty pale, the actions of her past were catching up with her and Harry guessed whatever sanity left in Bellatrix's head could understand what was in store for her.
"Also because of you coming through the Veil, your soul was cut out from your world. And because you came in from a broken gate, it cut you from your reality. I can no longer throw you in any form of that reality. Now I must ask you, do you wish to move on or will you continue living in a world that could use your assistance in the future?"
Death asked this while leaning forward, finger crossing as it stared at Harry. Harry seeing this was his time to make a decision thought. He was currently shocked that this was happening to him. Was he surprised? No not really his luck had always been shit.
"Will I be able to see my family if I go to this world of yours?" Harry asked.
"When your time comes: Yes." Death replied.
"Very well." Harry sighed. "Might as well try to enjoy life this time."
"Good, now to explain where you are currently at. This is the Nexus. It is the central hub for all the portals in the cosmos. A Portal Network if you will. Each of those portals you saw earlier will take you to a different reality, similar but different to yours. If you had entered one earlier without my permission you would have been Erased. It's not fun stuff. Most of the morons that come through your Veil try it and give me more work. Not to mention Heaven wont give me the funding to fix the damn thing. Fucking pricks."
Harry snorted at that, it sounded like Death had everyday problems as well.
"Yes well, that aside. The world I am sending you to is fairly simple and has simply folk living there. Unfortunately, an error as formed in the world and for some reason the defense mechanism is turned off. Your responsibility when you get there is to survive in the world. And just make sure it runs smoothly. Now you will be taking the role of Survivalist, Terrain Explorer, EVolutions, and Ecosystem Maintainer or S. .E. for short. Now you will be working in tandem with the Harbinger of Eerie Realms, Overseeing Blocks, Roaming In Nether Environments or H.E.R.O.B.R.I.N.E. you will never directly interact but there will be some overlap. Yes the title is foreboding but H.E.R.O.B.R.I.N.E. will mostly ignore you or play the occasional prank. Any questions?"
Harry listened to everything that was told to him. It seemed fairly straight forward. "Um will I be given any kind of guide for this Realm?"
"Yes you will. I will be giving you a bag with necessary supplies to start." Death responded.
Harry nodded his head, "Ok I can do this. Thank you for all the work that you do for us."
"No thanks needed Mr. Potter. It is my job to sort out souls. Speaking of Souls. You, Bellatrix Lestrange, are a problem for me." Death said, and with a snap of its fingers the restraints on her fell off. "This is what currently awaits for you in the future should Mr. Potter chose to cast you aside."
With that said, Harry watched as Death took its scythe and tap Bellatrix on the head. When this happened, Harry saw Bellatrix's eyes flash faintly. Then the next thing that happened was Bellatrix started to cry and ball, like a child.
"Please Potter. . . Harry, please, don't cast me away. I'll do anything, servant, slave, concubine. ANYTHING?! Please don't let me be put through that!" Bellatrix cried as she tackled Harry and cried.
"What just happened?" Harry asked. He was very confused. One second the Left Hand of Voldemort was ready to kill him and now she was literally begging him to save her.
"That Harry is what happens when one is shown what awaits them on the other side. All actions have to be answered for when the time comes. Bellatrix was shown what murder and torture provide for one who had not been redeemed." Death calmly explained. "Now the decision rest with you. What will the Fate of Bellatrix Lestrange be?
Harry, hearing those words, felt a heavy presence bear down on his shoulders. He knew that Bellatrix had done alot of wrong in the world of the Living. What she did to the Longbottoms was enough to know she deserved it. But could he really condemn a person?
Harry looked down at the still weeping Bellatrix and could only sigh as he ran his hands through his hair.
'Damn me and my saving people thing.' Harry thought to himself.
"You said that you showed Bellatrix her fate should she not be redeemed. Right?" Harry asked. "Well is there some way for her to be redeemed? Like something she can do to counter what she was shown."
Hearing this, Death tapped its finger on the desk, in such a way that it seemed to be thinking, but Harry thought it might have been trying to hide a smile.
"Well I might have something in mind. That is if Bellatrix wants to do it?" Death spoke while rubbing its chin.
"YES! Yes. Please, I'll take it. Anything!" Bellatrix all but yelled as she stood up and begged Death.
"Well, Harry, your position as S.T.E.V.E. does have an opening for an assistant, conveniently enough. The opening is the role of Assistant, Liaison, and EXplorer or A.L.E.X. for short. Giving this position means that Bellatrix Lestrange will be your assistant and bound to you till your end of days. Essentially a pseudo-soul bond. Can you accept this responsibility?"
Hearing this Harry's eye gave a slight twitch. He knew Death was fucking with him now. Not only that he was sure it was silently laughing at him.
"Do it." Harry told Death flatly. "Don't make me regret this Bellatrix."
"Thank you Po- Harry. I promise you." Bellatrix told Harry as she tried to not start crying again. For the feared Bellatrix Lestrange to become like this Harry really didn't want to know what she saw.
"Great!" Death exclaimed. "Now forewarning. There is no magic in this word. At least not like you are familiar with. So Harry, in exchange for the Deathly Hallows, I am willing to trade you for three other items that will benefit you in the other world.
"WHAT! No magic?" Bellatrix screeched. Harry could see that she was already starting to panic. Well he couldn't blame her, she was used to the Wizarding World, doing anything without magic was baffling.
"I have no issue with giving you the Wand or the Stone, but the Cloak. . ." Harry trailed off. It was true he had no issue giving away the first two, but the cloak was the connection with his family and reminder of the adventure he shared with his friends. It was harder to part with.
Sighing in defeat, "I understand. Its time to part with it freely and give it to an old friend."
"Very mature of you Mr. Potter. Very similar to your ancestor. He too freely parted with the Cloak when it was time and greeted me like an old friend. So here is what I will do for you: In exchange for the Elder Wand, I will give you a Elder Beacon. The Elder Beacon will allow you to more efficiently gather resources and any creatures you find will be more cooperative in the radius of the Beacon's location. Also the Beacon can be upgraded as time passes. Over time the upgrades can be fully completed with more resources. In exchange for the Resurrection Stone, I will give you access to the Dead Enchanting Language. This Language will allow for an easier understanding of any books, maps, or items you find. Plus when you start enchanting, you'll be able to understand what the language tells you. You'll understand more when you get to that point. Now the Cloak of Invisibility. In exchange for your most prized possession, I will give you that world's equivalent, the Ender Cloak. When you have this equipped, the Ender Cloak will allow you to teleport short distances, similar to Apparition, and when you meet the creature species, Endermen, they won't kill you outright should you slip up."
Harry nodded his head. These items all sounded useful and will provide a great boon to helping assist him in this world.
"Also I'm going to alter your appearances, slightly and make some needed corrections." Death said then tapped them on the head with its scythe. "Mr. Potter, I am correcting your eyes and bone structure, healing you of a poor childhood and Horcrux exposure. You'll look around 18."
"What exposure?"
"Don't worry about it. And you Bellatrix Lestrange, I'll make you younger around mid 20s that way Mr. Potter is only slightly younger than you."
When Death was done, Harry looked himself over, he felt more muscle mass on him and felt taller. Harry then turned and looked at Bellatrix, and damn. Bellatrix clearly got the better end of the deal. Where before, she had the gaunt look from being in Azkaban, Bellatrix now looked healthier. Her body was filled out and the dark clothing that she wore now showed a body that was seductive and nothing but trouble. It left little to the imagination, and Harry didn't know which was worse on her tight hourglass frame: the breasts that were just dying to break free of the tight corset, the plump ass, or the legs that seemed to go for days. All in all Bellatrix Lestrange could give Veela a run for their money. Harry wondered if Death did this to torture him somehow.
"Very well. If there is nothing else and no more questions. Let's get moving." Death then stood up and led them out of the office.
As the group reentered the NEXUS, Death led them past many different portals. Each of the portals were all made out of many different materials, and while some seemed similar, Harry could see subtle differences in the material.
After a few more minutes, they finally came in front of a portal made of what looked like oak wood. The Gateway was no more than 5 meters tall and about 4 meters wide.
"Alright Harry Potter, this is where we part ways. Before we do though, I have a few things to tell you. First all your friends made it safely out of the Department of Mysteries, and have lived happy peaceful lives. Though you were missed, they all continued to live prosperous lives. Sirius Black was pardoned and was a key person in bringing Magical Britain to the modern age. Though Ms Granger may have played a small role on that front." Death chuckled.
Harry grinned at that. He could see them doing something like that, though the role from Hermione certainly was not small.
"Also I took the liberty of having a will created for you so that it said the Weasley Family got a portion of the funds in your Trust Vault, while the rest went to orphan's and those in need managed by Ms Granger and Mr. Black."
"That's good. The Weasley's always treated me right and Hermione would certainly ensure the money wasn't abused. But Death, I don't understand, you said Trust Vault." Harry asked.
"Yes indeed. What you never got a chance to learn was that the Potter Family was very old and had a Family Vault. The Family was considered one of the top economically financial family in the Magical World. Plus Lily Potter's investments tripled the vaults worth. You would have been made aware of the Vault on your 21 birthday."
"What?!" Harry exclaimed. That was some serious wealth. "Well what happened to it?"
"Well Harry, do you remember about a week or so ago when you and Miss Granger went a little too far in the Room of Requirement?" Death coyly asked.
Harry's eyes widened. Of course, Harry remembered, it would have been impossible to forget that.
"Good. Well Fate felt that since you gave so much of yourself to right a wrong and made sure to do what was right over what was easy. That some memories of your family would stay in the world. So in other words, Fate intervened on the Contraception Potion Miss Granger took the next morning and it was made ineffective due to an error in the potions brewing process. Though Miss Granger ranted about faulty products, she was quite happy about the results. A pair of twins: boy and a girl. Hadrian James and Lily Luna Potter."
"I'm sure she did. Was she well taken care of and the children?" Harry said with concern.
"Yes. She had a veritable army looking after her and the children. Sirius Black was a literal guard dog. When people heard that she was expecting, donations from all over were sent, enough money to rebuild Potter Manor and erect wards that rival Hogwarts. Though there was no trouble for them at all. Everyone left the little family alone. They felt it was the right thing to do after all you had been through. The children lived happy, peaceful lives."
"Though I am sad to not have been a part of their lives, I am glad they lived good lives." Harry said.
"Finally before you go. The supplies that I promised you." Death then tapped its scythe on the ground. Then two chests appeared in front of Harry and Bellatrix. The chest sat on a wooden platform that was in the shape of an 'L' and had two leather straps attached. "In these chests you will find books about each environment, animals, mobs and anything else you might think of, two weeks worth of food, and a couple of changes of clothes. Also the chests here have 27 slots, each item can be stacked into bundles of 64. You will be landing in a clearing that is a safe zone but it will only last for the duration of your food.
"Now time for you to get going. Safe travels, explore, and don't give me any extra work." Death called out to them, as the two picked up the chests and put them on their backs walking to a new future.
AN: Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Some cringe for some I know, but like I said before it will serve a purpose later.
Chapter 3 is now available on P(a)trean: TheLostLibrary.