Chapter Text
At 29 he had already had a long-lived life. Already became tired and jaded from everything that had happened in his life so far. All the events that led to who he was today and the way he had missed everything.
He'd missed the signs. The warnings.
Used and abused from the moment they had placed him on that damned doorstep to even now. He wished he could have said to have known better, but then he would be lying to himself. That was one thing he would never do. Not anymore.
Still... he wished he had opened up more to those who actually cared about him. The ones who were concerned about his health and safety rather than diving headfirst into things that should have been handled by adults.
Now he was backed into a corner. He was shoved into the box that everyone wanted him to be in.
Twenty-nine years old and he was Head Auror.
It was a desk job. One where they could easily reach him and drag him here and there. That they could force him into a corner with interviews and publicity stunts. Shoving his face in front of cameras and crowds that always swayed from love and hate.
It was nothing that he had dreamed his life to be.
Back when he was still so small... so afraid of the world that was just the size of the closet under the stairs, he had dreams.
He'd always imagined himself starting a family when he was old enough to escape. That he would be able to settle down and have a house of his own with children running in the yard. A house of warmth and love and everything he wished he had when he was still little and filled with hope.
Now the only escape he could get was when he ran off to the Department of Mysteries. He often his in the large Atrium that held the Veil.
At first he had gone there to mourn his Godfather, but then he stayed for the warmth. The way the quiet was so loud and yet so calming. Hushed whispers running across his mind with a soothing tilt to the words. A language he knew, but couldn't form into words.
It felt like home.
"You should." A dainty hand rested on his shoulder and he leaned into the touch. Of course Luna would show up when he needed her most. She was always there for him even when he didn't know he needed it. "You deserve rest." Luna said softly and he took her hand in his, smiling at the radish and onion rings on her fingers. Still ever the same, Luna looked at him with eyes that saw past him and a bottlecap necklace that sat firmly around her neck.
It was all he needed to tug her into a tight hug, burying his face into her hair as his eyes burned. "Everything goes to you, Neville, and Teddy in my will." His voice was quiet as they stood in front of the veil, neither wanting to be the first to let go. "Take care of Teddy and... if anything happens, run. Leave this place. Go explore the world in safety." Harry pulled away regretfully and tilted her chin up.
Tears pooled in the corner of her eyes, but there was a smile on her lips. They'd always been able to read each other. To tell what the other was thinking and when they would break.
He gently pushed her towards the doors. Luna couldn't be here when he left. The thought of her watching him vanish beyond the veil was... too much for him and it would make things harder for her. He didn't want the wolves attacking his sister in that way.
She nodded quietly and handed over a necklace to him. Bottlecaps and radish's.
Harry slipped it over his head and watched as she left. He waited until the door shut behind her before letting his eyes slip closed. This was the peace he was looking for. The freedom that he longed for and the chance to simply be.
His steps led him to the veil and he turned to look out into the atrium one last time... then he leaned back, falling into the arms of darkness that enveloped him sweetly.
Home.
It was almost as if he was finally home. Finally in a place where he truly belonged. He was wrapped in warm arms and surrounded with the feelings of comfort and safety. Even though he couldn't see anymore, couldn't move his body, he still felt everything in him release.
His magic wrapped around him lovingly and Harry let himself simply be at peace.
It felt like both an eternity and a second when he felt a set of arms wrap around him in an odd way.
The arms were slender until they weren't. Long then short, but still warm and comforting and safe. Warmth brushed across his being as a chuckle echoed in this dark place. It was... it was musical and rough. Like waves crashing against rocks and a stream flowing through a garden.
Everything and Nothing.
"I was wondering when you would return to me... my little Master." The voice was quiet and loud. Soft and hard. It pulled him in and wrapped around him with a surety he had never felt before.
It was home.
"Who..." His own voice was soft and quiet in the darkness. He knew... however distantly it felt for him, he knew who the other was. What they would say to him, but he couldn't accept it. Not until it was said aloud and confirmed.
"Ah, have you forgotten already?" Amusement bled into the soft tones and he felt himself being guided along. It was... an odd feeling. "That is of no consequence... you will know me as I know you. Come. Open your eyes and be welcomed."
Harry took a breath and squeezed the large hand that wrapped around his before opening his eyes. All at once he felt his feet on solid ground and the air leave him as he looked across the lands.
He didn’t understand… they were atop a dark castle that sat in soft rolling hills and planes. There was a village, large and cheerful within the walls of a castle. His castle. He could hear the music and see the streamers and paper lanterns that floated softly around the village… all bearing the same symbol.
A circle with a triangle... bisected by a single line.
"The Deathly Hallows." Harry softly spoke as he drew in on himself in confusion. The last he had seen or heard of it was simply a children's book. Even if it had been real, he had negated it.
The ring was lost in the forest, the wand snapped in half, and the cloak hidden amongst his things in Grimmauld Place.
"Easy..." A warm hand covered his own and he was pulled back against a sold form. "I simply brought you home, little Master. This place... I made for you. Somewhere for you to learn and grow. A place where you could decide on what you want to do and where you might wish to go." The voice was soft in his ear as they looked out over the lands.
Harry felt his throat tighten and his eyes burn. The feeling of honesty and safety and *home* was overwhelming. He had never... he'd never had someone care so much to go to such lengths for him. To provide him with a place where he could choose his own path. Kingdom aside... it was the fact he was given options that got to him the most.
"Who... who are you?" He may have asked the question, but Harry was sure he already knew the answer. Even so, he still moved closer to the darker being.
He could feel a smile against his neck, all sharp teeth and dark amusement. "I am Death and you, Hadrian James Potter, are my chosen Master." The being said possessively and Harry just leaned into the tighter hold feeling oddly safe with the proclamation. "You are home now."
A soft sound escaped him without him meaning to and he felt his eyes burn and his breath catch in his lungs.
Home?
Had he ever really had a home? He couldn't recall ever feeling safe anywhere. Hogwarts had once been home, but after the war was through...
His body shuddered and he turned in the arms, burying his face against what he thought might be a shoulder as the tears started to fall. It was embarrassing to cry like that in front of this deity, but he only felt acceptance and affection.
If this was what home felt like... what it meant to be welcomed wholly and completely, then he never wanted to leave it. To think Death would be the answer he was looking for all this time.
"Shh... it will be okay, my little Hawk." Death spoke and Harry felt himself being lifted up in strong arms. He still couldn't really make out the figure that was carrying him, but he was too tired to think hard on it. "Come, let us get you in bed. Tomorrow will be another day and we can speak more." The being spoke softly and pulled them through the shadows.
Harry couldn't say how he knew what was happening... but he could feel it. They were in the veil of darkness one moment and then the next they were in a lavish bedroom done up in blacks and copper tones.
Death kindly deposited him onto the bed and Harry sunk down into it, pulling the soft covers around him. It was easy for him to quickly kick off his shoes and ensconce himself within the warmth and comfort of the large bed. After everything he had gone through... it was just so comforting.
He would ask his questions tomorrow... he was sure that he would.
Harry was asleep the moment he shifted on his side, half buried into the pillows and blankets as they day caught up to him.
--
Death smiled as they watched their little Master sleep. It was quick to turn into a vicious frown, however, when he felt an unwanted presence skulking around their castle. There weren't that many beings that dared to encroach upon his domain and even fewer that would be so bold to come unannounced.
It was enough to infuriate the being.
They vanished in one step to the next. Slipping through the shadows with an ease that came with eons of experience.
Arriving in his throne hall to the bright colors of the being they hated most... nearly set him into a rage. It was barely reigned in as they showed themselves to the other deity and clearly displayed the annoyance he felt.
Truly, the other wouldn't be so bold to threaten them.
"Where is he." The words were hissed in anger and spat out like venom. They were followed by the sound of heels on the marble floor as the more feminine deity approached.
"Where is who, exactly?" Death rumbled out and they raised a brow, letting their shape settle into something more masculine. More human.
"You know! Harry Potter! My toy!" The other spoke harshly, hair puffing up like an angered cat.
Ice cracked around the floor, the temperature dropping rapidly. Hoarfrost settled into the bones of the room and Death crossed the distance in a whisper.
Blackened claws grabbed the other deity around the throat, trapping them in the pathetic form they had chosen to take. Death lifted them up and surrounded the other in his own power and let them feel the cost of threatening what was theirs.
"Insignificant little ant." They whispered in quiet rage. "Harry Potter belongs to me alone. I have claimed him as my Master long before you decided to play god among men."
His tone was mocking and his claws slipped deeper as he tightened his power around the other.
"He has been marked from birth. You thought you could steal him away from me? Truly you have been blinded, Fate. You have forgotten who I am. Who you are." The hand tightened further and he could feel cracks begin to form along the edges. "Death ends all. Even Fate itself."
Death released them and watched them fall boneless to the floor. They scrambled for control as they tried to breathe under the weight of Death's gaze. It was the first time in millennia that another deity was reminded of the touch of Death. The cold feeling of inadequacy.
Fate looked up at them from where they sat, eyes wide and skin a sickly pallor. "I... I understand..." They said and then vanished from Deaths Halls.
Death doubted that would be the end of it. As the humans said, Fate was a bitch.
It was enough to satisfy them, however, and they walked to their throne. A crystal glass appeared in their hand filled with red wine, long fingers seemingly holding the air around it rather than truly touching.
A toothy smile pulled their lips apart as they sat, "Well, now to see just what the little Master wants in life... or in his case, Death." They said in mirth to the empty halls. Amusement filled them to the brim as they relaxed further and they found themselves excited. Death had never been so filled with emotion until his little Master was born.
A gift of Life... an Olive branch. One he held onto dearly and selfishly.
---
Harry groaned as he slowly came to. Sunlight filled the room he was in, brushing against his face like a warm kiss. He stretched out like a cat, clawing up to the headboard with a yawn splitting his mouth.
He sat up slowly, rubbing his face as he started to slowly come to. It was with the fog of morning that he slowly came to realize he had no idea where he was. It then took longer still for him to be bothered enough to care. He was in a comfortably bed, warm and safe.
Unfortunately, his curiosity called to him alongside his hunger and he slipped out of the bed.
Out of the three doors in his room, one was to a bathroom the size of the Dursley's house... the other was a closet of equal proportions, and as he went to open the third, he was relieved to see a room similar to his common room back in Gryffindor.
A warm feeling filled his chest as he padded around the sitting room. His fingers brushed against the soft couch cushions and it took everything in him not to simply curl up in the recliner near the fire.
He hummed softly to himself and slipped inside the room once more and shuffled over to the closet. Harry dug around until he found a soft black shirt and a pretty green vest etched with vines and leaves.
With clothes in hand, he walked to the bathroom with a bit of a bounce in his step. He was intent on enjoying what was offered with a childish glee he never thought would be rekindled.
While he didn't count the time that passed in the bathroom... Harry was sure it was longer than he had ever spent in a bathroom. The water never went cold and it seemed to take away all the stress and pain and tenseness that had always plagued his bones.
It took him even longer to get dressed and then longer still as he stared at his reflection. He had never thought... not even in his wildest dreams he would ever be so well dressed. That he would look so refreshed and relaxed. It was almost... like looking at a stranger.
He took a deep breath and left the bathroom, heading back towards the sitting room. Harry could have sworn he'd seen another door during his exploration and he wanted to see more.
Death seemed to have other plans.
Harry stared at the dark being that was sprawled across his couch.
His first reaction was confusion. It took his eyes time to adjust as the deity's form shifted from feminine to masculine before settling into something more neutral. The only thing he was certain of for the beings appearance was the bright green eyes that watched him.
"Death..." Harry was startled at his own voice and the warmth that left it. He hesitated only a moment before shuffling over to the being and sat down right next to him, almost cuddling into their side.
"Harry," Death responded in kind and shifted so they were both closer, content with each others presence. "I know that you entered my veil hoping to move on... however, as my Master I cannot allow that. Instead, I offer you a home. I offer you a chance for new beginnings and the opportunity to learn and grow. To be able to visit different worlds and realities as I do and become the person you always wished to be." They said and wrapped a comforting arm around his thin shoulders.
For a moment, he was startled at the offer. Then a flash of sadness and grief settled into his chest as he thought of everyone he had already lost. It was... a lot to take in. The thought of never being able to visit those he'd lost. Never to see his parents or Sirius or Remus.
"Did you... have any ideas?" He asked softly and curled into the comfort that was being freely offered to him.
"One or two." Death smiled with sharp teeth. "There is a world more ocean than land. Prejudiced and led by self-centered men and women who think themselves gods. A military force called the Marines that answer to them... and Pirates both good and bad. It is a world filled with choices and freedoms. Of course these lands will follow where you go should you ever get tired of it all."
It seemed like an interesting world... if not overly chaotic with the way it was described.
A small laugh left him and Harry nodded slowly. "Alright... then I will go there, but not right now. I want to just... relax for a bit." He said and leaned further into the comfort of both the couch and his companion. "Maybe learn a few more things as well... self-defense and maybe swordsmanship? Draco... he said my father would have known it and taught me if he had lived."
Harry rubbed at his chest at the thought. He hadn't been good friends with Draco. They really only became more involved after they were done with school and that was because the other had become a healer... Harry was always needing healing and it just made sense for them to go to each other after everything.
In the end even the blond had been taken though. Radicals who wanted to kill everything tied to the Death Eater name.
Death nodded and they grabbed Harry's hand in a calming grip. "Of course, little Hawk. You will have all the time in the universe and I will always be at your side." The tone was soft and spoke of promise.
It was enough for Harry to finally give in to the sorrows and stress that had always followed him. So he turned into the embrace and cried silently... mourning everything he had lost in life... and in death...