Master of Death
May 2th, 1998
“You again.”
Harry opened his eyes. He was again surrounded by the blinding white of Imaginary Kings Cross, which nicely contrasted the entirely dark figure in front of him. He had a suspicion of who it was that was welcoming him to Kings Cross.
”Death?”
The figure grinned. “Yeah, that’s me.”
”So I died again? Some Death Eater killed me, right?”
Death mused at him. “No, it was someone else.”
“What? Who was it then?” Harry asked in surprise.
Death hesitated. They looked like they didn’t really want to tell Harry, but finally said: “It was Ginny Weasley.”
Harry looked at Death in disbelief. “Ginny? No- that's not right-“
”No, Harry, it was her.” Death looked at him with sadness in their eyes. “I’ll tell you why she did it, if you want.”
”Tell me”, Harry said, still in shock.
”Let’s start at the beginning, then”, Death said, and sat themself down across from Harry, making themself comfortable. Harry got the impression this was going to be a long explanation. Ginny killing him certainly warranted one.
Death cleared their throat. “You know how Tom Riddle killed your parents, and you got a horcrux when he couldn’t kill you, and lost his body. But before Albus Dumbledore left you on Petunia Dursley’s doorstep, he did something to you. He placed compulsions on you, which made you trust him, distrust people like Snape and Slytherins, and made you stupidly reckless. He also blocked your family magicks.
Before you arrived at Hogwarts, Dumbledore got in contact with the Weasleys. He had plans for them to become close to you, and he promised them wealth and recognition if they did his bidding. Ron was going to be your best friend, and Ginny your wife, planning to steal your money and inheritances after you had defeated Voldemort. Dumbledore also got Hermione in on it, when he visited her before Hogwarts to introduce her to the magical world. He told her about the prejudice muggleborns face, and promised her status as the best friend of the Boy who Lived, and political power, to make up for her muggle origins.
Before you came to Hogwarts, Dumbledore sent Hagrid to begin conditioning you even more towards him, the light, and assured you would already consciously have anti-Slytherin bias. Well, it worked perfectly, didn’t it? He placed the Weasleys at the muggle entrance to Platform 9¾, assuring Ron would be your first friend, and make you want to go to Gryffindor.
While you got sorted into Gryffindor along with your new best friends, he planned the troll escape on Halloween, and the obstacle course for the Philosopher's Stone. While you and Malfoy, the evil Slytherin, became rivals, he and your best friends planned how they would keep you from anyone they couldn’t control, making you dependent on Dumbledore and his allies. He plotted Sirius’ escape from Azkaban, made sure you would have to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, and didn’t lift a finger to stop Dolores Umbridge taking control over Hogwarts. And so on.
Every plan he laid worked just as he intended, and why wouldn’t it? He had, after all, conditioned you to fit them perfectly.
Everything worked, up until this very moment. When you and Ginny got together in your sixth year, a legal marriage contract was set up between you two, which entailed that you were in reality forced to marry her, could not divorce, and should you die, even before you were married, everything would go to her, all your money, titles and possessions.
So right now, their plan has succeeded.”
Death looked at Harry, pity in their eyes. “I’ll give you some time to consider everything, before I inform you of your choices.”
Harry felt cold, and like someone had just emptied a bucket of ice water over him. His head was buzzing with all this new information, but at the same time, he felt like he could think clearly for the first time in his life. As good as everything he had ever believed in, was a lie. His best friends had manipulated him since before they had met, and his girlfriend had just killed him. Dumbledore, his mentor and trusted adult, who he had almost seen as a father figure, had orchestrated every bit of his life. He had placed him with an abusive family. He had deliberately gotten Harry in several life and death situations, and two literal death situations.
Harry took another minute to come to terms with this. What did this even mean for the people he had hated, like Snape and Malfoy? Or literally the whole House of Slytherin? If Ginny had just killed him, Malfoy might just as well be a saint.
Death had waited some time, but spoke up again.
”You have three choices for what you want to do now.”
Harry looked at them, surprised.
”You are not yet dead, as you are still the Master of Death. And that does warrant some… special treatment from my part. Your first possibility is to die. You can move on, discontinue the cursed life you’ve lived. Although it would mean Dumbledore's plan would succeed. But I’d more than understand if you’d want to leave this life behind. The choice is yours, of course.”
Death paused for a moment, considering his expression, before continuing.
“Your second possibility is to continue this life. However, there is the marriage contract to consider. You won’t get out of the life they have made for you.”
Harry silently shook his head, not yet being able to utter a word.
”You might like the third possibility more. I’m able to send you back in time, to a previous point in your life. There are a few criterias for which point I’m able to send you back to, but I believe the most convenient would be 16th of June 1990, the previous being in 1986, and the next in 1992. You would retain all your memories and magical abilities, but your magical core would adapt to your younger body, making you not quite as strong as you are now, but you would still have a significant advantage, compared to your first life.”
Death grinned at Harry. “Well, these are your options, I’ll give you a moment to consider.”
Harry shook his head.
“I don’t need time to think,” he said, having found his voice again.
“I’ll go back.”