Chapter 1
Holly opened her eyes which faced the great, white expanse before her. King’s Cross Station. With a soft groan she rubbed her eyes lightly, trying to recall whatever landed her back here again. The cold floors nipped at her knees, distracting her from the throbbing pain in her head. Her mind was startlingly blank.
“I was with… Ron- no Hermione. We were at the… ministry? No it was a ministry holding cell. But why…?” Holly mumbled to herself. Cold sweat accumulated as she strained to remember.
The ministry. A trial. The veil.
Her body shook with the realisation of what had happened. The ministry had turned their backs on her, cutting her string and her presence out of the wizarding world. The causal disloyalty of her own people bludgeoned straight through her heart.
She stood up numbly, with her mind spinning over the betrayal.
“I don’t understand, where did I go wrong? What did I do?”
Holly’s soft whispers were answered with a deep chuckle.
”It’s not where, young mistress. No it was much rather how.”
Her head whizzed around faster than a snitch, viridian eyes meeting a blackened abyss.
A cloaked figure hovered ominously a few centimetres off the ground. Its ‘face’ was obscured by a dark, shimmery fabric that would look beautiful were it not wrapped around a void like being. The voice of multiple beings, young and old, overlapped with every word spoken by the creature.
”You haven’t aged, my dear. No wonder the mortals found you peculiar. Even though 50 is considered young for wixen kind, it would be abnormal, even by their standards, when you kept the youth of your 17 year old body.”
It wasn’t hard for Holly to put together who this figure was. Her years at Hogwarts had shown her to expect the unexpected, but even then she struggled to shake off the shock that sank into her bones.
“You’re Death. From the the Tale of the Three Brothers. Because of course it was real.” She said a little hysterically.
”Deep breaths, I understand this is a bit of a shock.” It spoke, almost sympathetically.
Holly covered her eyes and breathed deeply, her dark curls bouncing with every shuddering breath she took. Once her thoughts quietened down, tension seemingly left her shoulders as they relaxed forcefully. The girl’s evergreen eyes opened, her frustration made clear through the crease between her brows.
“Explain,” she said boldly, “please.” added as an afterthought.
”In my defence, the explanation was already in the story, you collect the three items and you win my favour.” Despite the lack of face, it was clear from the tone that it was rolling its eyes.
“Becoming my mistress meant you were gifted with a few abilities, eternal youth becoming one of them. I suppose that may have made a few of your allies a little suspicious, especially with their past experiences with that darker soul magic.”
Holly blanched at that.
“They thought… I made a horcrux?” She said appalled.
“It would be the reasonable conclusion for those who never really had faith in you to begin with.” Death replied apathetically.
”Though I believe this could’ve all been avoided if you understood what being the ‘Master of Death’ truly entailed before you decided to collect my trinkets.”
“It’s not like I knew it was a true story! Ron even called it a bloody fairytale, and he grew up on it!”
”The devil’s in the details, my dear.” It responded.
Holly huffed and looked away.
“So what happens now? Do I just move on?”
The dark being chuckled once more.
“Why, that’s all up to you! You can move on and meet your loved ones on the other side or…”
“Or?”
“Or you can try again.”
“What does that mean?” Holly impatiently responded.
“You can do it all again! Wouldn’t that be wonderful, a chance to do things right, a chance to save the ones you couldn’t, armed with the knowledge you have now.” It proposed with its arm gestured wide.
Holly looked sceptical.
“What’s the catch?”
“There is no catch, you’re free to do whatever you want. I suppose you could see it as a reward for the hell you went through trying to get to this position in the first place. It’s all up to you, you could save them all, kill them all, who cares? You could just do it again and again until you’re satisfied!”
“I don’t know about killing anyone, but a second chance does sound appealing.” Holly spoke cautiously.
She mulled over the beings words, thinking carefully about her choice.
“What about my parents, Sirius, Remus? Will they still be waiting for me?” She asked tentatively.
“Time passes differently here. They won’t have to wait long to see you again. Besides, I’m sure your loved ones would wait a thousand years if it meant seeing you again.”
Holly rolled her shoulders and braced herself. Inhaling deeply through her nose, she calmed the racing thoughts, attempting to form a cohesive plan.
“When I go back, will I remain your mistress?”
”Yes. So long as no other unite the hallows.”
“Then I want to go back.”
The being’s hands clapped together in joy.
“I’m so glad you’ve made that choice.”
“Wait I haven’t even-“ she started but was interrupted by a sudden feeling of vertigo.
With a snap of its skeletal fingers, all the objections melted away from the girl’s mind, as her world spun into utter darkness.
She awoke with a sneeze, causing a cloud of dust to descend from the far too low ceiling. Blinking twice, she squinted in the dark, cramped space. She felt… different somehow, patting down her body confirmed that something had definitely changed. The shorter limbs and boyish, small body definitely belonged to her younger self.
“Get up girl! Up! Up!” Her aunt’s sharp voice, coupled with the harsh rapping on the door, startled her out of her dazed state.
The thudding footsteps marching above her established firmly as to where she was.
The young girl crawled out of the unkept cupboard and moseyed her way into the kitchen, bypassing her cousin’s irritating complaints and her aunt’s attempts at pacifying him.
Her mind went on autopilot, relying on her muscle memory to get through breakfast. She could barely feel the sparks of hot oil sizzling against her forearms, as she thought of a way to get herself out of the accursed household.
After her relatives sat down to eat, she rushed to get the post, and as expected, the red seal of Hogwarts greeted her. Holly quickly stuffed the letter down her shirt for later, and continued on with the usual Dursley routine.
Listening to Dudley’s whinging about his breakfast didn’t even annoy her as much as it did last time, instead she felt pity for the boy who had been mistreated as much as her, albeit in a different way. Slipping a pen off the table, she stepped into the kitchen.
‘Hopefully he matures a little quicker this time ‘round’ Holly thought privately.
She patiently waited to wash the dishes, sneaking a handful of bacon into her mouth, and escaped to the garden. She busied herself with the weeds and listened for the telltale sounds of Vernon’s car reversing out of the driveway. Luckily her aunt was out with the neighbours today and Dudley was with his friends, giving her the privacy to respond to the letter.
Holly flipped the admission letter over, and straightened out the creases on the blank back of the parchment. Tapping the pen against her lips, she thought carefully about her wording.
Dear Ms McGonagall,
Thank you for accepting me into your magic school! I can’t wait to start soon, but auntie Petunia said she’s never been to the magic shops before, is there someone who could take me to get my school things? I know the headmaster is very busy so I was hoping you could help me.
- Holly Potter
Simple, perhaps a little childish but it got to the point. She needed to play the part of an 11-year-old. Using Petunia also explained how a muggle raised Holly Potter would have such refined knowledge of the wizarding world, in case she slipped up in the future.
She looked around for hovering owls, a tawny brown one catching her eye. Its wiry talons latched onto the letter in her outstretched hand. With a hoot, it took off, leaving Holly behind in the loving care of her family.
With a sigh, she went through the rest of the chores, anxiously waiting for a response. Already, she had changed things by actually responding to the letter, and hopefully, she would get McGonagall’s
trust early on. This way, situations like the troll’s break in will (likely) have a more favourable outcome for Holly.
Nerves caused the not-so-young girl to hover around the door restlessly for days to come. Petunia eyed her suspiciously over the rim of her tea cup, but couldn’t prove that her niece was up to anything. She turned her nose up at Holly and turned her attention back to her magazine.
On the fourth day, the girl’s hope began to dwindle, as she rested her scarred forehead against the cool door. She hummed listlessly, tracing the wood engravings with her pinky, thinking of a plan B. A loud crack made her jump, belatedly recognising it as the sound of apparition.
She careened herself off the door and waited for the knock. Gathering her composure, she opened the door, excited to meet her beloved head of house once again.
Instead, she was met with a man (who looked much younger than she remembered!) with a dark suit, and greasy black hair. His stormy eyes looked faintly displeased, as he glared at her over his hooked nose.