Chapter 1
'The highest tribute to death is not grief but gratitude' Thornton Wilder
Chapter 1:
It was Hallows night,1981, and the residents of Godric's Hollow were sat comfortably in front of the crackling fire. Upstairs, a mere babe of just one years old was wrapped snugly in its crib, the child, was Harry James Potter, son of James Fleamont Potter and Lily Jade Evans. At the moment all were content... blissfully unaware of the approaching darkness, a filthy greed for power was accumulating on the other side of the front door. A rabid hunger for death upon others, The Dark Lord Voldermort materialised...and if anyone bore witness to his silent arrival, one would have saw a sickening grin, showing too many teeth...pulling sharp lines from the crease of his blood red eyes. A bone white wand of yew hung loosely in his spindly fingers...and slowly...it was raised...
BOOM!
A powerful explosion shook the foundations of the previously peaceful cottage and its occupants startled. James was first to confront the intruder, sprinting down the hallway he was faced with the imposing image of their relentless pursuer. Black robes fluttering lightly from the explosion, a shoeless, pale foot crossed over the entrance, and sporting a vicious grin, Lord Voldermort entered...
Jaw clenched and eyes set on the dark figure, James stalked closer, arm straight, the tip of his wand resolutely pointing ahead. No fear or weakness was visible in the depths of his eyes, and Lord Voldermort only saw defiance.
"Lily! Go upstairs now! Protect Harry! I'll hold him back!" James didn't even need to look to confirm Lily's response to his order, for he could already hear her rapidly thundering up the stairs.
Lord Voldermort cast his amused eyes from the back of the fleeing woman, to the auror in front of him.
"James Potter...are you ready to meet death?" And with his unfeeling words, his wand was raised and out came a flash of green...
---
Upstairs Lily made quick haste towards her child's room. Her beautiful child. Her sweet and innocent baby, was stood up in his crib, eyes wide and unblinking at her unexpected entrance. Small, chubby fingers released themselves from the bars of the crib and reached desperately out to the weeping form in front of him. Looking up Lily cooed at the scrunched up expression of her son, instead of scooping him up, she made soft soothing strokes to his head, whispering words of comfort. She could hear spells being cast downstairs and her body shook with adrenaline.
"It's ok Harry...mummy loves you...mummy can't stay with you for much longer..." A cry erupted from her lips when she saw a flash of green light from the staircase, a heavy thump following.
"Daddy has gone away my sweet child...and now I must too... but do not cry my sweet baby....mummy and daddy will be watching over you for all of eternity..." Raising her wand she stared resolutely back at her sons emerald eyes, a mirror image of her own. Opening her mouth she began murmuring in Latin, never once taking her eyes off of her child...
"By the faith and resolute love for my son, I so solemnly swear to eternally watch over and protect my son, by the spilling of my own blood and sacrifice of life I call for the attention and guidance of the Deity of Death, I plea for the sparing of my child's life, so mote it be" At the golden flash of light proceeding her words, she cast a diffindo at her wrist and smeared her spilt blood over her son's forehead. Leaving her cut unhealed, she cooed at her crying babe.
"It ok...mummy will be ok...mummy will always love you my sweet sweet baby..." A creak on the landing made her spin to face her invader. Lord Voldermort stood, eyes gleaming in triumph and victory, casting her eyes off to his side, she was met with the crouching form of one snivelling Peter Pettigrew. Eyes dim and full of pity she stared him down.
"Oh Peter, why did you betray us?" Her question was left unanswered however, for Lord Voldermort stepped forward and raised his wand...
"Lily Potter you will step aside"
She remained resolutely still, her body placed protectively in front of the crib.
"I said STEP ASIDE"
"Over my dead body" She spat, eyes full of defiance and anger, ignoring the wide eyes of Peter off to the side, and the tentative fingers touching her back, a gurgled 'Mummy?' slipping from her child's lips for the first time, a tear fell from her cheek.
"So be it."
And green light flashed once more.
---
In the corner of the nursery, an invisible form watched with sorrowful eyes as the mother cast her own blood upon her child. Summoned by the powerful oath made by the woman he continued to watch as she comforted her child. Eyes narrowed he focused upon the child. The boy had a huge potential for power that was for sure, and no doubt the prophecy that lingered around him reinforced that. A boy, destined to defeat a Dark Lord, destined to fight him all his youth, such fate was not acceptable for any being and he pitied the child. The mother had made a powerful oath, that was for sure, strong enough to send whispered pleas across the dimensions to him, 'and such a powerful plea should not be left unanswered' he thought to himself.
Seeing a third and final flash of green light up the cottage, Death decided to step in, scooping up the soul expelled from the now motionless child, and cradling it in his withered palm. The soul was the colour of molten gold, and it burned brightly in the dark plane of existence it was brought to, waves of warmth radiated from the miniature sun, pooling in Death's palm. Yes it would most definitely be a waste to let this soul move on into the afterlife.
"Child you mother has made a big sacrifice for you, and it would be a waste to let it go all for naught... So live for now child and I shall meet with you again on the eve of your magical birthday."
The soul flashed in desperation and Death chuckled.
"Now, go back from where you came from little soul..."
And the soul returned to the motionless body, not a second after the green light flashed. The enormous re-transferring of the soul brought upon a powerful backlash, that swatted the sickly green light back to its sender. And a pair of shocked red eyes was the last to be seen before Lord Voldermort crumpled...and dissolved into dust, a bone white wand dropped to the floor and rolled beneath the crib, a black cloak fluttered to the ground... and Peter Pettigrew fled.
All was motionless, until the powerful stench of burning flesh reached the child's nose, and his cries echoed throughout the still house.
Looking over the crib, the boy caught sight of red tresses of hair on the floor, and he gurgled and reached for them, desperately stretching his arms to no avail.
"Mu'my! M'ummy! Mummy!" Gurgled cries fell upon deaf ears and nothing moved to comfort the crying boy, until...
A dark shadow rushed into the room and immediately fell to the floor at the sight of Lily Potter motionless. Heart-wrenching cries enveloped the house once more, ignoring the child in the crib, once more the shadow stood and rushed out of the house, never looking back....
A loud roar of a motorbike broke the silence once more and Harry was no later picked up by his godfather Sirius Black, hot tears fell upon the boys head and both cried in unison. Cold air hit soft cheeks, turning them a bitter red and Sirius Black was confronted with an approaching Hagrid.
"Peter betrayed us Hagrid! He told the address to Voldermort! He betrayed us! I'm gonna kill him!" At his words, young Harry was passed off into the arms of the sobbing giant and sprinted off into the darkness to track the traitor.
"Sirius wait!" Hagrid's cries stopped and he immediately hopped onto the motorcycle left by Sirius and took off into the sky to his mentor Albus Dumbledore.
---
Not an hour had passed in the night, before the midnight silence had been broken once more by the arrival of Hagrid and Harry by motorcycle. Privet Drive was a normal neighbourhood, cookie cutter houses lined the straight street, yards perfectly manicured and not a thing out of place. Number 4 Privet Drive, strived to be exceptionally ordinary, and no 'freakish' things were to be tolerated. And so when Petunia Dursley opened her front door to collect the milk in the early hours of the morning, her shriek could have been heard from 500 miles away. For on her doorstep was not only the milk, but the sleeping form of a child, a letter, fancily written, was clasped tightly in its chubby fingers. Vernon Dursley immediately appeared, comforting the shrieking form that was his wife. And then he looked down... And he shrieked too...
And so the letter had been read by a shaking Petunia, who sniffed in distain at the news of her 'freakish' sister's passing, and begrudgingly brought the boy inside. And from that place onwards, Harry Potter stayed.
---
6 years later
---
A flash of green light. "Harry!"..."Mummy loves you..."."So be it." A flash of green light." Little soul it would be a waste if you died..."Green. Green light. A flash.
"BOY! WAKE UP!"
A startled cry ripped Harry away from him nightmare, something that had been reoccurring for the past week, he suspected it was leading up to his birthday, since it was today after all, and if the dreams didn't stop Harry would try and mention them to Aunt Petunia.
THUMP
A loud bang against the door to his bedroom shook him from his thoughts and he rapidly changed out of his pyjamas in the tight, confined space before carefully climbing out of the cupboard under the stairs. Aunt Petunia who had been walking past immediately spotted him, in the midst of tying her apron on, her face wrinkled into a frown.
"Boy you are awake I see, good now get outside, I want the picket fence painted white today, and I will not have you slumping around my house....now... OUT!"
Not even bothering to go into the kitchen for food knowing he would never receive any by asking for some, he headed out of the house and straight for the shed round the side. Grabbing the tin of white paint and a brush he trudged over to the fence and began to work, a monotonous expression plastered on his face once more. But he didn't manage to paint for long, for he was soon distracted by the appearance of an old man standing on the sidewalk staring at him. Harry frowned, Aunt Petunia told him to stay away from strangers, lest he get her Duddykins taken, but the man showed no malice or shifty attitude and so he carefully set the paint can down, laying the paint brush on top before walking up to him.
Upon nearing closer Harry realised that the old man was extremely tall, taller than Uncle Vernon who he remembered boasting about having a height of 6ft. The old man had a very long silver beard that went down to his stomach, a neatly trimmed moustache topped off underneath his crooked nose. But what most attracted Harry was the large eyes of pooling white, he remembered the old lady from down the street, Aunt Petunia snarked that 'the old hag was blind, clearly shown by her white eyes', Harry frowned, the old man didn't look like he was blind at all, after all his head turned to follow Harry as he moved.
Stepping closer he tentatively made eye contact, and immediately felt safe and calm, something that he could in no way explain, but the man exuded familiarity.
Flash of green light. "Harry!" "STAND ASIDE!" "Over my dead body!"
Gripping his head in pain over the sudden awakening of memories and flashes of green light and red hair, Harry looked up to the old man who was still staring kindly down at him.
"Can I help you sir?" Trying to be polite as possible he smiled up at the tall man.
"Why of course, Harry James Potter, you are the reason I am here after all."
Harry's eyes widened at hearing his full name, Harry James Potter, that's my full name!?.
"That's my full name? I'd never knew it, you said I could help you? How?"
The old man gave a benevolent smile and reached a hand forwards, resting it on his forehead, he frowned when a saw a lightning bold marring it..."Well I did not expect this, the foolish man created Horcruxes."
"By letting me help you Harry, I see you have a couple suppressed memories of you're childhood and my interaction with your soul, so let me bring those memories back to you." And he pressed his fingers down, and Harry flinched upon receiving the assaulting memories.
Flash of green light. "I am Death little soul"." It would be a waste to let you die little soul". "A big sacrifice your mother made". " She loved you very dearly". "Mummy loves you so much my sweet sweet baby".
When Harry opened his eyes, he looked up to meet the sorrowful eyes of Death, the...being? God? Man?
"I am what you would call a God, little soul" The endearment caught Harry's attention and he couldn't help but smile.
"Little soul?" He questioned
Death chuckled "Yes little soul, that is my name for you, after all it has been a millennia and more since a soul has caught my attention this much, to leave my own plane and help you."
"And this is what you look like?" gesturing to his long beard and unusually tall appearance
"No. I came to you in this form to ease comfort and not cause distress, after all you are very important and I'd hate to see you immediately afraid of me."
Nodding his head, Harry jerked when he realised he was supposed to be painting the picket fence.
"Um...Death. I have to finish my chores..." He trailed off when he saw a frown adorning the God's face
"You are too young to be doing chores little soul. I shall have a...word with them. For you must live comfortably if you are to work for me." Harry frowned in confusion.
"Work for you?"
"Ah yes, I shall need to impart you with some very important information before I leave your world. After all, it is unwise for us to stay in your dimension for too long."
Smiling Harry grabbed Death's hand and lead him up to the front door, opening it he let Death in.
And the rest was history.