And then he greeted Death as an old Friend (and equals they departed this life)

He laid facedown, listening to the silence. He was perfectly alone. Nobody was watching. Nobody else was there. He was not perfectly sure that he was there himself.

A long time later, or maybe no time at all, it came to him that he must exist, must be more than a disembodied thought, because he was lying, definitely lying, on some surface. Therefore he had a sense of touch, and the thing against which he lay existed too.

He wondered whether, as he could feel, he would be able to see. In opening them, he discovered that he had eyes.

He lay in a bright mist, though it was not like mist he had ever experienced before. His surroundings were not hidden by cloudy vapor; rather the cloudy vapor had not yet formed into surroundings. The floor on which he lay seemed to be white, neither warm nor cold, but simply there, a flat, blank something on which to be.

He stood up, looking around. There was nothing here except for the mystical, unformed mist and he felt strangely at peace. Was this death? It wasn’t bad, he had just imagined it to be more… fulfilling. None of his loved ones, who he had summoned before, were here to greet him.

“You’re nearly there, very close”, his father had said. Has he not died? Again? One would assume, that Voldemort had gotten quite good at killing, but apparently not in his case.

“You are an interesting one”, an ominous voice sounded and Harry swirled around with a start. It was a tall figure, completely covered in robes, that shone in any shade of white, grey and black.

“Why?”, Harry asked cautiously. “I think you know”, they answered. The strange feeling of peace, that had formed in his gut was gone in an instant.

“Where am I? And who are you?”

The figure chuckled darkly. “Haven’t you figured it out yet?”

Harry had hundreds of questions swirling in his head.

“Alright, I’m not that patient. I’ve waited long enough for this. You are my master, Boy-Who-Lived.” “Don’t call me that”, Harry said immediately. “And what do you mean, ‘Master’?”

“It is interesting, how opposing that title is to our nature”, they mused, completely ignoring Harry’s second question. “Almost ironic.”

“Who are you?”, Harry stressed each word carefully, trying to not sound as scared as he was, because he had just noticed, that he had no wand to defend himself here.

“I can only tell if they already know.”

“What?”

The figure kept silent. Harry searched in his brain for any information, that could help him with this. How could he know who this was? – He didn’t even know where he was! But… maybe he did. He died, he was pretty sure of it. And none of those who he had known when he was alive were under that hood, he was sure of it.

And suddenly a thought came to his mind. It was silly, really. Nothing more than a child’s fantasy. Fiction. – Although maybe it was as much fiction as he had once thought magic to be.

And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.

“You are Death”, Harry said with amazement. “I am”, they replied plainly.

“So… this wasn’t just a fairy tale? I thought it was something those brothers invented to be feared…“ “You never thought that.”

Harry wanted to argue. “Don’t deny it, Boy-who-Lived. I know you. Just like you know me. Why do you think you never doubted the truth of the story? Because you were there, several hundred years ago. And you chose those three boys and gave them their gifts-“

“I thought, that was you”, Harry interrupted them.

“It is not much of a difference, I would say. You are Death, just like I am you. It’s what makes you my Master.”

“I’m not Death!”, Harry argued immediately. “Why would you think that? I died! I died willingly, I- I’m a human, how can I be Death? You are!”

Something blinked under the black hood, maybe teeth. Did Death have teeth? It somehow seemed rude to ask.

“I am. And you are. And you are not. You are nothing more and nothing less than who you are, and that is all that’s important.”

Harry bit back a groan of frustration. It felt a bit like talking to Dumbledore. Getting answers, but being unable to make anything of it. “What does that mean?”

“You’ll find out. Now, I am awaiting your wishes, Master.”

“What?”

Death looked at him. Although he couldn’t see if they even had eyes, Harry felt their hard glance on him, expectantly. It felt rude to ask if they had eyes. “What do you wish to do?”

It was such a simple question, but so difficult to answer at the same time. Harry couldn’t remember when someone had asked him that the last time – if anyone had ever asked him that at all.

What did he wish to do?

It left so much room for interpretation. Was he free to go? To go see his parents? To go see his friends? Would that be seen as rude? He decided he didn’t care. If Death wanted to be unhelpful und vague, then he would not pay any mind to their feelings. – Did Death even have feelings? It seemed rude to ask that as well.

“I want…”, he stopped. He had been about to ask to see his parents, but if he did, would that mean he was dead for good? Or would he have a chance to return, to finish Voldemort off for good? Would they even be really here?

“You can see your parents”, Death said as if they had read his thoughts. Harry was about to say something, but was interrupted by a blinding light and closed his eyes quickly. When he opened them again, he gaped at the two figures in front of him.

“… Mum? Dad?”

They smiled and Lily sobbed, trying to strangle the sounds by pressing her hand on her mouth, but it was in vain. Harry felt his eyes tear up as well. When he glanced at James, he saw the man eyeing him from head to toe, his eyes similarly glistening. He swallowed.

“You are so big”, he brought out with a strangled voice and that was the last straw and Harry couldn’t help himself but to throw himself into his father’s arms.

To his surprise – or not surprise, somehow he had known James would be solid – he was no ghost and wrapped his arms around him, pulling him as close as possible and resting his head next to his, as they were the exact same height. Harry sobbed at the warm feeling, that embraced him and that he had longed to feel for such a long time.

His father’s hug wasn’t nearly as bone-crushing as Mrs. Weasley’s nor nearly as energetic as Hermione’s, but it felt warm and right and… like he had always imagined.

He opened his eyes slightly to see his mother, full on crying now, and he opened his arm to welcome her into the hug as well. She didn’t hesitate at all and embraced him with the despair and love only a mother could. He couldn’t hold back his tears anymore and let them fall freely, sobbing silently alongside his parents.

“You are so brave”, his mother said with a teary voice and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “And kind and selfless and loving and-“

Harry felt his father laughing before he heard him. His laughter sounded just like his own did.

“Give him a break, Love. He’s had a long day.”

Harry inevitably smiled at that, although it wasn’t funny at all. They loosened the embrace, but stayed close nonetheless.

“Look at you”, James muttered, more to himself than anyone else. “You’re all grown up…”

“I know”, Harry said stupidly and his father laughed, caressing his cheek. “Yes, you are. And we’re sorry we couldn’t be there for you, but… you know, we’ve been kind of busy being dead.”

“James!”, Harry’s mother reprimanded him immediately, but Harry couldn’t help himself but chuckle. This was everything he had ever wished for. To his parents laugh and banter and smile and cry – with him. Always with him.

“I love you”, it burst out of him, just like that and his parents stopped their quiet argument. His mother was on the verge of tears again.

“We love you too”, she whispered and pulled him into another embrace, “So, so much. You should have seen Ja- your father, when he first held you, he was so scared to drop you, but he couldn’t stop smiling and he wouldn’t put you down for the entire day.”

Harry chuckled and looked up to see his father scrunch up his nose in distaste. “Way to ruin someone’s manliness”, he muttered, but couldn’t ban the bright smile off his face.

Then a sudden thought came to Harry’s mind. “Are Sirius and Remus here too?”

His father grinned. “Of course they are. They are dying to see you again”, he chuckled at his own joke and Harry beamed – he wasn’t sure himself if it was because of the bad joke or the fact, that they were here as well.

And then another bright light appeared and when Harry opened his eyes for a second time, he saw another two people standing there, grinning at him.

“Took you long enough to call us here”, Sirius said and Remus elbowed him in the side, but wore a wide smile, that fit him great. Both of them looked just like they had looked when he had called them in the forest only a few minutes ago – young and carefree and happy.

He ran up to hug his godfather after two years of separation and it was incredible to hear him laugh again. Tears came to his eyes once again. Sirius groaned by the full impact of Harry’s body. “You’ve grown even more”, he said with a raspy voice and Harry laughed. “Dad said the same thing.”

Silence set over them for a moment, all of them lost in their own thoughts. “I’m sorry about what happened”, Harry muttered. “’twas my fault, that-“

“Don’t you-“ “James”, his mother interrupted his father gently. Sirius loosened his arms around him and looked him over. “It is not”, he said firmly. “It’s not your fault. It’s not Remus’ fault”, he said with a sideway glance at his old friend, who shifted uncomfortably, “It’s no one’s fault, except my own”, he thought about that for a moment, “I guess Bellatrix may have had a hand in it, but first and foremost it was my own fault”, he said. “I decided to go there. I knew there was the possibility of death – even of going back to Azkaban if someone caught me there - but I did it. And not to spite someone or to get what I wanted, but because I wanted to help, Harry”, Harry tried his best to hold back the tears. He didn’t think he had cried as much in his entire life as he had today. “And I ask all of you to respect that.”

Harry couldn’t hold his gaze and nodded, then was pulled into another hug. “’m sorry nonetheless”, he muttered and he felt Sirius smile sadly. “Me too.”

Then when they let go of each other, Harry immediately went to hug Remus as well, who apparently hadn’t expected that.

“I never thanked you for everything you did for me”, he said. It was kind of weird to hug his former professor, but Remus had always been more to Harry than that  - a bit like a trustworthy uncle most of the time.

“You don’t need to thank me for that.”

“But I want to”, Harry simply said and grinned. Remus smiled softly. “What is this place exactly?”, he asked then. “I have so many questions, I-“

“Your questions will be answered, Boy-Who-Lived.” Harry jumped and his family was caught off-guard as well by Death’s low, raspy voice. “All in due time.”

“Death”, Harry said dumbly. “What does this mean? Am I dead or not?” Death tilted their head. “You are and you are not. You are who you are and that is-“ “-everything that’s needed, I know”, Harry interrupted them impatiently. “You already said that. But what does hat mean?”

Harry felt his mother’s grip on his shoulder tightening. “You are not ready to know yet”, Death said mysteriously and Harry bit back a frustrated groan. “Then why did you do all this? Why did you send them here if I’m not ready? – And for what am I not ready?”

Death made a step towards him and his mother pulled him backwards, giving his father the opportunity to step in front of him.

“What do you want from my son?”, he asked, his voice firm and not wavering in the slightest. Death actually stopped. “I want nothing from your son, James Potter”, they said in their monotonous voice. “The question rather is, what he wants from me.”

Harry felt all their eyes landing on himself. “You’re telling me, that you will do anything I wish for?”, Harry probed and Death nodded silently.

Harry felt dizzy. This kind of power seemed too much to bear, for anyone. “And that is why it is you who must bear it”, Death said. Harry frowned. “Can you read my thoughts?” “You are my Master”, Death simply said, as if that explained everything.

Harry felt like doing something daring. “So, if I asked for…”, he swallowed the lump in his throat, “Fred to still be alive-“, Death snapped and there was a blinding light and Harry knew, that it had worked.

Images, of how Fred woke up in the Great Hall, confused, in midst of his family, clouded his mind and a cold shiver ran down his spine.

“And Tonks-“, Remus made a small sound from behind him and Death snapped again. Another blinding light and it had worked again. Harry felt as if in a rush. “Remus”, he said and turned around to look at the man, who vanished with a snap of Death’s fingers. His parents and Sirius gasped. “He really is back?”, the latter asked, but Death didn’t answer to him. “Yes”, Harry whispered with absolute certainty, then turned back to Death, determined. And he began to list names.

Dobby, Mad-Eye, Collin, Lavender, Dumbledore, Sirius, heck, even Cedric. And Death listened to those and many more names Harry threw in his face and made it happen. It was exhilarating.

Out of breath he was standing in front of Death, whose face was still hidden under the black hood, and whose eyes were firmly fixed on him.

“Harry-“, his mother began, but Harry cut her off. “Why do you do this?”, he asked Death. “Why do you-why-“

“Because you are my Master”, Death answered again calmly and Harry felt anger rise in himself. “I’m not your Master! I don’t know what I’m doing here and what’s happening! I’m not Master of Death or anything like that! I never wanted to be!”

“And that is the reason you are”, Death answered, not in the slightest taken aback by Harry’s anger, who felt like doing something drastic. He turned and looked at his parents, who were still standing behind him and made a decision.

“My parents”, he said softly. “I want my parents to be alive, that they had never been murdered.”

Harry felt his mother’s grip tighten on his shoulder again and his father inhaled loudly. But nothing happened. Death merely looked at them, but didn’t snap their fingers.

“Go on!”, Harry challenged them. “You said I was your Master! Then do it!”

“I can’t”, Death said to their surprise, their voice curiously emotional. “I can’t change James and Lily Potter’s death.”

««»»

Harry cursed and yelled directly in Death’s face. The figure was completely unfazed. Meanwhile James and Lily watched their son.

“He got that temper from you”, James said. Lily threw him a nasty glance and he shrunk back. “Thought you ought to know…”

“Harry”, Lily said softly and he stops for a moment, his breath going quickly and heavily, his eyes blown wide. “Stop. This isn’t getting us anywhere.”

“Nothing is!”, Harry retorted with a wild expression. “We are dead!”

“You are not dead”, Death said immediately and Harry blazed around to face them. “What do you mean I’m not dead? I died!”

“You did.”

“So… I’m dead.”

“No, you’re not.”

“I’m getting tired of this…”

“Me too”, James agreed. With a snap of Death’s fingers he and Lily vanished and Harry started to panic. “Where are my parents? Where did you send them? Are they okay?”

“Relax, Boy-Who-Lived. I wanted to talk to you in private.”

“About what?”

“Our proceeding from here.”

“Which is?”

Death bared their teeth in – maybe an attempt at a smile. “Entirely up to you.”

««»»

“Let me make this clear; You are offering for me to go back. But not to the battle; before that.”

“You are correct.”

Harry exhaled heavily. ”Why would I want to do that?”

“I think you know the answer.”

Harry paced the white floor, his eyes lowered to the ground in deep thought. “Let’s just say, that I would consider it… how does it work? Do I get to keep my memories?”

“Of course, there wouldn’t be much sense in sending you back otherwise, would it?”

“Just making sure… And are there any limitations to what I can do – what I can change?”

“I’m sure you will find, that there are always limitation to what someone can do in the limited time they have, but considering your case… No, I don’t think there are any limitation to what you can achieve, if you set your mind to it. I have to warn you though, that all actions have consequences – ones you may not consider at the time you’re changing something. But you already know, that time is a fragile thing, don’t you?”

It was a purely rhetorical question, but Harry was very much tempted to answer it, Hermione’s shrill voice in the back of his mind.

“Besides, I know how much you hate it to be kept waiting. So, I am awaiting your decision.”