Deaths Hand
DEATHS HAND
Harry's POV
I feel the wind on my shoulders well maybe it's not the wind. My passed loved one's beside me and those whom I care for even a few whom I don't know there support at my back a stabilizing wall despite what I know I have to do. Walking in front of the man the tyrant I wait patiently. Time a blur around me as the words he says blend around me seemingly wholly unimportant. Despite having wished for the end I had hoped it'd be at my own decision of course I cannot even have that the old man who orchestrated this whole thing not even allowing me that. I think I'm glad he did not show up at the resurrection stones call I do not know what I would've done but I do not think it would've been pretty.
The light hit's me it feels like nothing then suddenly i'm plummeting through an abyss I keep falling then I land crumpled on my knees in kings cross 9 3/4's. looking around only to hear crying looking around for it on instinct -because no child should be left alone to try and take care of themselves trust me I knows what it feels like to have to take care of yourself when you can barley reach what you need to do so.
my eyes land on a rather deformed looking bean it lets out another rather pitiful if I'm being honest cry. Getting to my feet I go over to the bean and scoop it up cradling it to my chest cooing at them and rocking them like I did with teddy to try and calm them down. There slow to a stop I breath a sigh of relief looking down into their eyes i'm met with surprise, wariness, and guarded hope. It breaks my heart a little because I know that look the belief no one will help you the belief your on your own the surprise when you get support and they help you. A bitter part of my mind acknowledges that I should've been more warry they hurt me in the end those I thought I could trust stabbed me in the back and then still forced me to play their savior the martyr.
A voice breaks my line of thought a voice I know all to well I feel like I'm going to be sick to my stomach hearing that voice the one that chained me like a blood hound like a dog muzzled me and took away my freedom to be whom I wanted to make my own choices and have my own voice to be my own fighter.
"Harry my boy. The bean in your arms is a fragment of HIS soul I know you only desire to help which is honorable but he is beyond helping."
A spike of rage fleets through my mind my words firm and harsh as they leave my lips like spit fire. "Dumbledore, I'm NOT your boy not after your betrayal. I do not care that the bean in my arms is his soul because everyone deserves comfort which he's CERTAINLY NEVER felt before in fact HOW do you know he's beyond helping you NEVER in ANY memory tried to help him in fact you only ever attacked him!" The steel in my voice had become a snarl through my tirade I would not back down. Suddenly a hand tugged at my war haggard jacket.
Looking down I saw the fragment gone instead stood a 6-7 year old tom riddle. My face softened as I looked at him understanding that he had made a mistake and that this wasn't fully his fault it was a result of the hell he lived through and the way others treated him just like with me and how i've acted. getting down on my knees in front of him I said in a soft and welcoming tone "hello there. Is there anything you need?" In his eyes I see shock and wariness It only serves to anger me and break my heart I quickly look at dumbledore a snarl on my face and a look of hatred in my eyes I know It must look vicious because the man flinches.
smoothing my face over back to a calming look I look back at tom this time he's about 10 still gazing at me with that wary look of hope I humm a small note hoping for a continuation on whatever he wanted.
"why are you being so nice to me?"
I humm softly before responding "because there's no reason what so ever to treat a child violently because no matter who you are you were the victim of an environment you shouldn't have experienced and the man before me should have NEVER been the one sent to you. He was cruel to someone whom just needed guiding and if he did you might've been raised like me some martyr whom was controlled this whole time." then under his breath harry whispers while turning his head to the side missing the look of astonishment on both dumb as a door and tom "If only... IF ONLY I had been born during grinwalds war maybe I'd have found you as an adult or student maybe I would've been able to show you the love and care you deserved as a kid if only SOMEONE had done it so a hurt kid wouldn't have been turned down a wrong path so they would've known what love was and how it was meant to be shared."
Dumbledore disappeared into the mist at this knowing there was no changing harry's mind on this.
suddenly there was a hand on my face turning my head back towards toms this time I'm met with diary tom who's eyes are looking at me softly before yanking me forward into an embrace suddenly before speaking up I lay my head against his chest turning my ear towards his heart hoping to hear a soothing beat surprisingly I do.
"darling I'm sorry for what I condemned you to in fact yours might've been worse than mine actually show love only to have it all yanked beneath you feet and shown as a trick chained to play a game for two twisted individuals and not protected as you should've been NO ONE should've expected you to fight a war. YOU WERE ONLY A CHILD. An extremely powerful one yes but still a child with no where near the experience to take on someone decades older then you."
I felt like breaking right there and then because NO ONE had EVER told me that not even sirius though I knew he felt that way. My breathing felt erratic and I curled into tom even more hand coming up and clenching the fabric of his shirt heavy sobs heaving from my chest as everything as of late really came crashing down like a tsunami my reality finally crumbling as I clung onto the person who was supposed to be my enemy but was really the only one to ever comfort me this way. I felt tom's hand run soothingly up and down my back as he let me break down in his arms feeling strangely safe despite who It was supposed to be.
Suddenly an oppressive DARK presence Entered the station head wiping up with my tears still streaming down my face and tom's arms tightening I'm met with a mass of shadows that seem to form a vaguely humanoid figure. A deep raspy masculine chuckle emits from the figure. before a velvety smooth voice emits from the figure. "Hello children I'm death you may refer to me as such or mortem."
I look at death for a second then decide I'm to tired to be scared of this bean when it was inevitable anyway that I'd likely meet them. "Hello death. Am I dead or is this a limbo of some sorts..?"
"well little Azrael(angel of death) I'm here to offer you a choice as the rightful one of all 3 hallows I will help you and you will be my companion my equal when It comes to death in a way."
I sit there processing this shock setting my systems in override at the information I've just had dumped on me before toms arms once again tighten around me before rocking me back and fourth a bit slowly as if to get me out of my stupor. Looking up at death I ask incredulously "What choice?"
"You can ether go back leave limbo finish playing martyr then decide to do whatever you wish if that's burning magical britain to the ground or learning anything you want so be it. Next you can pass on be with all your family I'll go finish off voldemort and you'll have tom with you and settle and well just talk on occasion. Then last but certainly not LEAST you can go back but there's a catch if you do."
Tom made a noise behind harry something told harry that if he asked he'd get something akin to nothing as a response so instead of chasing that endeavour he looks at death and asks "what kind of catch?"
"There would be some key differences in this world which I will not specify but they aren't bad and there not that big just some small stuff then you also wouldn't get to keep your memories BUT there will be a vault with the important things and a brief for when you turn a certain age the vault will contain the 3 hallows it will ALSO contain a certain memories in potion vials there will be a note on how to consume them to get the memories back."
Thinking it over I couldn't help but be more convinced but instead of immediately accepting I turn back to tom. "Tom what do you think about it? I ask softly. "I think that if it ends with you being happy I'd be willing especially if the mistakes are corrected that it's worth it."
mortem intervenes at this "Tom will also have a vault at gringotts with some memories harry's vault will contain how to merge horcruxes and there affects on sanity as well as few other .... choice .... books."
I cut in snarkily "You mean barley legal or totally undeniably illegal?
deaths smile was telling enough that harry didn't even bother proding for a response.
I shake my head huffing I look at death's outstretched hand and grab it firmly "yes. yes I'll do it."