It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live."
— Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
The War was over, the Battle of Hogwarts came to an end. The battle was won, but so many innocent lives were stolen from the living, both the enemy and the allies.
Brave souls, laid on the ground lifeless. Both the young and the old, the faces of their last smiles, laughs and tears itched into their stone-cold faces.
Harry tore away from the crushing hug of his two best friends to observe the destruction that went down on their school. Teachers, parents and others alike scattered across the damaged courtyard-turned battlefield. Flowers bloomed on the crushed remains of the courtyard garden, a blistering yellow and orange daffodil, a new beginning, to all but him.
There was a big and bright light— like the Killing Curse, malodorous and pernicious, but beautiful in a sickening way. Unlike the Killing Curse, this light.. was peaceful, benevolent and all-knowing. Harry felt warm, something that came rarely to him, like a giant warm blanket... made out of wool and cotton, soft like his mother's eyes when she first gazed upon him through the Mirror of Erised, like his father's smile that dawned upon him in his foggiest, first memories.
He felt it, like a crashing wave of both sadness and happiness... then everything went black.
"Hello there, Young Harry." He was awakened, like a stream of freshwater dumped onto his head. Eyes fluttered open upon his request, as his vision cleared, like a tidal wave looking for his final resting place.
"Who are you?" It took all his courage to respond, he shouldn't be afraid, should he? He buried that fear down. He looked down on his hands, they were... pale, both warm both cold... like something he shouldn't have. He wore white, like everything around him, was this heaven?
"I am the Keeper of all, Time, Space, Future, Past and Present. I am Life and Death itself, though I much prefer you refer to me as Panton." He could see clearly now, the figure in front of him was a tall woman in white, a flower crown adorned on her black hair. She didn't look opposing at all, across her face was a veil, masking her eyes... they were pale, yes, oh so very pale... like their surroundings, pale and... calm.
She smiled, "I have a request, young Harry Potter, a request I don't believe you want to refuse. I won't force you, it is by your choice." She sat down, with such elegance Harry didn't know was real or not, but she was kind... too kind.
"What can I... do for you? Miss.. Panton?" He learnt to never be too aggressive, but aggression was a trait he understood, along with silence. He looked at her pupil-less white eyes, they were like blank canvases, ready to be painted with color and.. Life.
"This... world, this time... it has lost many lives... lives that have the potential to be saved.."
"Lives that you... young Harry Potter could save. If... you choose to listen to my words, will you?" She tilted her head at him, feeling his heart race she looked down upon her pale hands and waiting, as a small yellow flower bloomed in her hands. She was truly life... He thought.
Harry thought for a moment... he thought hard, of all the lives he's lost all throughout his life... his mother, father... Sirius, Remus, Tonks, Hedwig, Cedric, Colin... Snape.. He wanted to save everyone, everyone who didn't deserve to die.
"Yes, Lady Panton.. I will listen. Please, tell.. how I can save... everyone.." He was kneeling now, lowered to his meet the powerful... entity's kind and gentle gaze. It made him feel calm.
"I have watched you, for a while now... I think, it is your fate. I will give you, the opportunity to live this life once again, to fix... what others have failed to fix... you must save everyone you hold dear to your heart.. It is by no means an easy task, young one... but.."
"I have seen things, that implore me to task you this. I believe, you are the right soul. Time is a beautiful thing... but it is a cruel, painful thing. Unlike Albus Dumbledore, you have the good and truest of heart to be given this task." She held the boy's hand, sending a flicker of cold throughout his body.
"Though… your parents, I am unable to reassure you they can be saved… because the part of me that is Death… they are fated to die that night.. young one. I am saddened to great lengths that it is truly the case." He saw the embodiment and Keeper of All frown deeply, like the nightly constellations upon the midnight sky.
His throat clenched tightly, "Can you… promise that everyone else has the opportunity to be saved? Saved from Death?" She nodded, smiling but still.. deep inside, he knew she felt sad.
"Everyone has an equal chance to be saved, young Harry. Since I have yet to decide whether their deaths have been fated or they were mere accidents caused by ripples of my own judgment." She answered him, that eased him, for some unexplained reason.
"Can… can you promise that?" He asked, in a smaller voice now, bubbling sadness down in his throat once again.
"Indeed I can, because they were as innocent as you are in the eyes of my judgement, young one."
"Okay, then I accept."
The goddess lady closed her eyes, smiling as her wavy black hair draped across her lap. He looked down, and everything went white again.
A voice he would never think he'll ever heard hear again registered in his ears,
"Welcome to the world, Harry James Potter.." He watched his mother smile at him, her green eyes and bright hair swayed as his father kissed his mother on her forehead.
They were happy, his infant form twitched.