Legal Disclaimer: I own my stuff, but not the original source material. That belongs to whoever. Also, the opinions and interpretations I use here may not reflect the same in said whoever that owns the source material. Look, I'm just a poor college librarian. Suing me isn't going to get you anything but tears.

Warning: This work may be offensive to some readers. There is canon typical violence and one character death on screen. There's also references to the death of another one (but he gets better). Feel free to back out if need be.

Author's Note: Yeah, I've got no explanation for you. Have some super sassy Harry and more than hints at Cedric/Harry (and maybe even pre-Cedric/Harry/Death).

Submitting Info:
Stacked with: Hogwarts (Term 12); MC4A
Individual Challenges: Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Slytherin MC; Magical MC (x3) (Y); Ethnic & Present; Rian-Russo Inversion (x2); Old Shoes (Y); Short Jog; Bucket Listing (Y); Eating Cake; Green Ribbon
House: Slytherin
Assignment No.: Term 12 – Assignment 9
Subject (Task No.): n/a
Other Hogwarts Challenges: Insane Prompt Challenge [16](Timid); 365 [321](Undeniable); Geek Pride [Yu-Gi-Oh](A Duel)
Other MC4A Challenges: Sp Bingo [2A](Green); Tr Bingo [4E](Back from the Dead); Ship [Sp Medium 1](Acts of Service); Chim [Doug]('Human" by Rag'n'Bone Man)
Representation(s): Master of Death Harry Potter/Cedric Diggory; Harry/Death QPR; Pre-Poly Ship; BC Use
Primary & Secondary Bonus Challenges: Mouth of Babes; Tomorrow's Shade; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Persistence Still; White Dress; Found Family; Nontraditional; Zucchini Bread); Chorus (Odd Feathers; Fizzy Lemonade; Machismo; Peddling Pots)
Tertiary & Generic Bonus Challenges: SN (Rail); LiCK (Poppy; Amaranth; Narcissus; Yarrow)
Word Count: 1371

(^^)
Bow to Death
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Harry ducked behind a tombstone. He rolled with the force of his landing. When a hex made the already dubious cover of the tombstone explode. A piece of the sharp stone cut his check as it flew past. His heart was pounding as he rolled again, somehow managing to keep both his wand and his glasses. He ended up on his back with the cloud covered sky stretching over him. The incoming storm had already tinged the darkening gray a sickening green.

Across the graveyard, Voldemort laughed. It was just as chilling as the one that played through Harry's memories whenever a dementor got close. Harry shivered as a ghost of association froze his blood. He could almost see his breath condensing in the air. The scent of mums and rotting leaves hung thick and heavy in the air like a reaper's shroud.

"Come out, little Potter," Voldemort called out. His voice cut through the silence like a scythe. "There is no dishonor in recognizing a superior opponent. All must bow before Death eventually—well, all except for myself, of course."

It wasn't the first time Harry had faced death. Sometimes, when he thought back on his life both before and the four years at Hogwarts, he couldn't help the surprise that filled at the realization that he was even alive. Why were the places that everyone told him were supposed to be safest were where he always had to fight for his life?

Then again, hadn't he always had to fight just to continue existing?

He forced himself to his feet and to face his enemy. Voldemort's eyes glowed red, visible even with the distance between them. Harry raised his chin and his wand as he met that gaze.

"Bow to Death, Potter," Voldemort commanded.

"You're not her, Tim," Harry said before he could think better of it. Voldemort's face twisted in rage.

"It's not Tim, you insolent brat! It's Tom." Voldemort seemed to realize what he had just snapped in his rage and rushed to correct himself. "Also, it's not Tom at all! It's Lord Voldemort!"

"You know what I never understood," Harry said conversationally as he gestured with his wand. "Why don't you pronounce the T at the end? We both know it's nothing but an acronym. As an acronym, the whole thing should be pronounced exactly as it is. Are you really so pretentious that you're pretending to be French? I'm offended on the behalf of francophones."

"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Voldemort roared.

Harry didn't even think as he channeled his magic through his wand in silent desperation. The bright green of the Killing Curse collided with the violet of whatever spell that Harry was using. The magic latched onto each other, forming a connective rope between the tips of their wands. A ball of bright light formed where the rope connected. Harry gritted his teeth as the whole thing started to vibrate.

Acting on some instinct that he would never be able to explain, Harry braced his feet and began to push his all into the rope. The ball swirled with shades of lavender before beginning to move closer to Voldemort in fits and starts. Grinning now, Harry let more of himself loose along the line.

"You cannot defeat me," Voldemort shouted. His bone white face seemed to be tinged gray with his growing fear. The ball was now three-quarters of the way to the tip of Voldemort's wand.

"Whatever you say, Tim!" Harry called back. He let out a laugh at the undeniable expression of frustration on Voldemort's face at the repetition of the misnaming. Harry's magic just pulsed even stronger through the cord connecting their wands, showing no sign of reaching its limit.

"I AM LORD VOLDEMORT!"

"Acronym," Harry mocked in a sing-song. There was hardly any sign of green along the line now, only the purple of Harry's magic. Voldemort tried jerking his wand away as the ball closed the last little bit. Instead of releasing, the cord of magic moved with the motion and like half of a rope turner, Harry moved, too. "That wasn't nice, Tim!"

"It's Lord Voldemort, you insolent whelp!"

"What-ev-er," Harry replied as Voldemort proceeded to actually shake his wand. Harry rode out the motion like he was riding a bucking hippogriff that would maul him if he fell off. "You know, a guy might think you didn't want to be connected to him!"

"Who would want to be connected to you?" Voldemort snarled. Harry laughed again.

"But we have such a profound bond, Timmy dear!"

"You will die!"

"Maybe," Harry agreed, "but I'm not afraid of Death."

The ball edged the final distance to the tip of Voldemort's wand. The yew wood began to give off a gray-green smoke that Harry could smell even from as far away as he was. It was the distinctive scent of burning blood. Only instead of disappearing into the sky like actual smoke would, the smoke swirled around the rope towards the center. It began to condense there like a strange spirit.

A very familiar looking spirit.

"This is the strangest trip I've ever had," Cedric said as he examined his ghost-like form. "What the hell did Fleur put in those brownies?"

"You know that she'll never tell you," Harry replied, drawing the slowly-solidifying Hufflepuff's attention to him. Cedric gave him the lopsided grin he favored when he was trying not to laugh. "It's really good to see you, man."

"It's really good to be seen," Cedric admitted just as Voldemort tried shaking his wand again. Without seeming to think about it, Cedric grabbed the rope with both hands. Bits of Hufflepuff yellow shone on both sides of where he was holding and between his fingers. A single line of pure black circled opposite of the still swirl smoke back towards Voldemort's end of the line. The sharp scent of burning blood intensified once the black reached the wand tip.

Harry jumped when hands landed on his shoulders. The smell of mums and rotting leaves overwhelmed the burning scent. He felt someone press against his back as the hands slipped down his arms to hold his wrists. Despite everything happening, Harry relaxed against the petite woman holding him.

"You are so much trouble, little master," Death whispered in his ear before bussing a kiss over his jaw. "You're not nearly as charming as you think you are."

"Excuse you," Harry protested even as he kept an eye on things. "I'm freaking adorable, I'll have you know!"

"Such an ego hidden under all that hair," Death teased. "What happened to my timid little master who would barely talk back to people?"

"Oh, this and that," Harry hedged, knowing that Death would not take kindly to how certain things had gone down in last year. "Made some new friends."

"And lost some old ones," she countered, unsubtlely letting him know that she knew what he had been trying to hide. She rubbed her cold cheek against his in apology. "Your little friend should be just about done now, and can I just say that I see what you like about his form? You have good taste, little master."

Sure enough, Cedric looked completely solid now. He was only a little bit paler beneath his tan than normal. The rope had turned entirely to Hufflepuff colors. Noticing that Harry's attention was on him, Cedric gave him a suggestive wink.

"Time to end things," Death whispered as she began to fade away. "Just snap and twist before casting. You have the control here, not the abomination."

Harry waited until she was completely gone before addressing Voldemort.

"Bow to Death, Tim," Harry announced. He snapped his wand downward with a twist, dissolving the cord of magic. Before Voldemort could react, Harry had his wand back up and was casting. The Killing Curse was just as brilliantly green despite Harry not using the incantation. The Dark Lord was dead before his body hit the ground.

Cedric met Harry's eyes as the few Death Eaters that hadn't already fled began to drop to their knees facing Harry. Slowly and with that lopsided grin that Harry loved, Cedric bowed his head. Deep inside of head, Harry could hear Death laughing in delight.