This chapter is dedicated to aernbsss on Instagram, whose been a huge fan of the story and always comments on my posts and stories, thank you so much for your support and enthusiasm for the story
—-
It was impossible. This shouldn't be happening. Old, withered hands gripped the pensive tighter. Trembles going up and down his arms. No matter how many times he watched the memory, it didn't fade, or change. He wasn't imagining it.
Death's master stands sentry…..
His eyes missing their usual twinkle closed tightly, willing his brain to shut out the words which he had heard in the morning, words which he had been obsessing over constantly.
Strands of fate changed intermittently….
Was the room spinning? Why were the words echoing constantly? That shouldn't be happening, not now, not again. He had gotten it under control. His eyes closed as the words he tried to forget kept coming back continuously. How has it changed? Why has it changed? Sybill had given only two prophecies till now, both to him, both apparently about the dark lord, atleast about change. And yet, they were contradicting, the first spoke of a chosen one, of a fate's favourite, someone who would stop the Dark Lord, yet this other one, this one spoke of one someone changing fate, someone capable of controlling fate? No, there were no records of such a person ever existing, the only entity which even had records of even having a master was Death.
Death's master….
No. He forcefully stuffed the words into a box and stuffed that box behind the deepest of occlumency barriers. Was it unrelated? No. It had to be related. Everything he had read and researched about prophecies stated that they were only heard by people who needed to hear it, people who were subject to the prophecy, who were integral to its fulfilment. And how possible was it that he was integral for two separate prophecies about two separate incidents?
It could also be heard by people who needed to be warned.
He could hear his brother's voice in his head, taunting him, goading him. An irritated sigh left him, as he combed through his why would he need to be warned? He had always worked for the greater good, for the betterment of the society. Dumbledore collapsed into his chair, his head in his hands.
Greater Good, isn't that what Gellert used to say? Greater Good, for the betterment of the society….
"Not now Abe." he muttered. Great, he was going crazy now, talking to voices in his head. He hadn't even spoken to his brother in a while and yet he had a way of always being around him. When they had been younger, he had always been able to bounce ideas off of his brother, for all his appearance of being just a simple barkeep, his brother had always been exceptionally bright, just not as bright as him. He shook his head, dislodging thoughts of his childhood and arrogance, this wasn't the time for that.
Fate had a way of working itself into loops that no one could unravel. Anyone who tried, they were handpicked by fate to help guide it or were well, they were twisted into one of fate's webs. He always thought, presumed, had been sure that he wouldn't be a fly, that he had been a spider, one of the few intelligent enough to have to do whatever it took to make sure society remained in balance. He had to be a spider right?
Why do you have to be?
He had to be. What else would he be? He hated it, loathed it, but there was no other option. Someone needed to be there, as a stopper, as a reminder, and unfortunately there was no one else who could do it.
And you can?
He closed his eyes in pain, Aberforth had asked that of him once, when he had stated that he had to do this, had to accept the responsibility of being a leader because there was no one else more suited to it.
He dislodged his thoughts, coming back to the main topic of his thoughts. This didn't make sense. He had an answer, he had a way to fight off Voldemort, all the while setting up another leader of the light, someone who could uphold the correct ideals. Harry was, Harry was perfect, Harry is perfect for that. From a light family, powerful, brought up by people who looked up to him, someone who he could impart his ideals to.
But they haven't been too impressed with you lately have they Al?
Aberforth's voice had always been his sounding board, his consciousness. But right now, he was turning into a nuisance. The Potter's had been cold to him since his past transgressions, since he had mistakenly thought Sirius was the traitor, since he had been convinced they had been inferius, that October night. Add onto that, his argument with Lily before the Longbottom debacle, and his latest argument with Sirius on the twins birthday.
Maybe he should set up another meeting with them, try to explain his view point again and maybe he could try to connect with the kids. Just to be close to them, not with any ulterior motive. He did want to leave some sort of familial legacy apart from a dead sister and an estranged brother.
Harry lay in his bed, unseeing eyes focused on the canopy above his bed. His eyes subconsciously tracing the lines of folds. He had woken up as soon as the door to his room had closed after his parents had left. The warm reassuring weights of his siblings nestled into his side, his hands curled around them, guilt eating away at him. He felt like a terrible elder brother, at every turn it seemed like something more was going wrong with him that pulled more attention away from them and towards him. He had lived that way, he had lived being sidelined, being forgotten, the second thought and he never wanted his siblings to feel that way, he didn't want them to resent him. He wondered what he could do to make it better, would it be better if he left? Disappeared? He was more than 17 afterall, technically, maybe. He wasn't even human.
Faint rustling brought his attention to the golden head on his left. "Harry?" The childish voice tinted with sleep asked as huge blue eyes blinked up at him. "Hey Ivy." Harry wishered even though he knew neither twin was ever awake or asleep for long without the other.
"Harry okay?" Leo's voice asked from his other side. "Yeah I'm okay kiddo. Sorry did I scare you both?" He winced as he tried to scooch up and sit. The twins scrambling to sit and cuddle into his sides. "Iss okay." Ivy intoned from where her head was buried in his shoulder. "We scared you protect us-"
"You scared we protect you." Ivy finished Leo's statement. Harry felt his brother's head nodding from where he too was again falling asleep against him. Love surfused in Harry for his siblings, they were so young yet were so beautifully kind already. So innocent and kind and perfect. He pressed kisses to their foreheads as they succumbed to sleep, his emotions a riot.
"You shouldn't feel guilty." A soft voice whispered through the darkness. Harry's eyes didn't move from the blonde and brown heads even as he replied, he had been aware when Regulus had entered the room.
"I'm five, why would I even feel guilty?"
Regulus snorted. "Please, you're a Potter, you are made up of sugar and warmth and all that gooey stuff, of course you feel guilty, your age notwithstanding."
A rueful smile spread across Harry's lips, that was by far the best comparison to being a Potter."How can I not?" He replied.
The ghostly being didn't say anything, just moved closer, interested eyes looking down at the three kids piled in the gigantic bed. They did look cute, Regulus noted. Harry looked up into the translucent grey eyes. "Everything seems to always be about me, how can they not resent me when my mess is sidelining them?"
"Aren't you rather presumptuous and self-interested?" Regulus's voice was tinted with sarcasm and faux pity. Harry just shot him a look of annoyance.
"I'm not being presumptuous. I just want them to be able to grow up loved and normal without the mess their older brother keeps dragging their family into, is that bad?"
Regulus rolled his eyes at that. Merlin were all Potters so self-sacrificing and kind? "Oh boo hoo, bad things happen to me outside of my control, what did I do to deserve this? My parents and siblings love me too much and want to help him through everything, my life is so hard."
Regulus crossed his arms across his chest. "For Merlin's sake, you have a family who loves you, who is accepting of everything weird or different about you and yet here you are crying about it. Your kid siblings love you so much they snuck into your room because they're scared for you. You do not get to do them the disservice of thinking so low of them that they would hate you for it. You have something most people wish for their whole lives yet never get."
With every word of his, Harry could feel himself get smaller and smaller. He had been doing that hadn't it? He had been planning an exit strategy since the very start, wondering when he would have to leave or be abandoned because the metaphorical shoe dropped.
Regulus could see that his words had had an impact, and the gloom he had seen from the past few hours was dissipating.
"Thanks, I guess I needed to hear that." A sheepish grin graced Harry's face. Good that meant he could now ask the question which had been bugging him for ages.
"Good, now can you explain to me why the Master of Death is masquerading as my bother's godson?"