Ouroboros

This time, Harry did not see who killed him. All he saw was Neville’s shocked face and a green flash. Well, that sure put a damper in his triumph. Killing Lord Voldemort was not as enjoyable when you were dead too. King Cross was just how he remembered it.

It was strange how calm he was. It was almost like being dead again did not bother him. He just had to wait for Dumbledore to show up again and then he would be back in no time. Harry sat down on the bench where he had found his Horcrux last time, but Dumbledore did not appear. Did not deem it necessary now that he did not need Harry to save the world anymore

 
Nobody appeared for a long time, giving Harry plenty of time to reflect. Did he even want to go back to his life? Sirius, Remus, His parents, they were all dead. He would much rather start a new life. One where he could actually learn something, instead of being worried about his safety all the time. In fact, he could not believe Dumbledore let that happen. He was only eleven when he first had to face off against Lord Voldemort.

Was it not Dumbledore’s job to keep his students safe? Maybe Lucius Malfoy had a point, saying that he was a bad headmaster. No, Harry did not allow himself to follow that train of thought. Dumbledore had always been there for him, protected him. Did he protect Harry by sending him back to the Dursleys every summer even though he knew how horribly he was treated there? He had to. It was the only way to sustain his mother’s protection. As long as he could still call that place a home, Voldemort could not harm him. Only until the fourth year. After that, it made no difference.

Harry shook his head and tried to press those thoughts into the back of his mind. He just had to wait for Dumbledore, and then everything would be resolved. Unfortunately, the tall figure that appeared behind Harry was not Dumbledore. Even though hood covered the figure’s face, Harry was certain that it was death.

“Master.” Death’s voice was different than Harry had expected. It was thick, smooth, and strangely hypnotic. “Welcome back.” Death’s voice sent shivers down Harry’s spine. “I’m afraid you can’t stay here.” Harry was slightly taken aback. At least Dumbledore had given him a choice.

“Are you sending me back?” Realizing he had no choice made Harry see just how much he did not want to go back. He did not want to be “The boy who lived” or “The man that defeated Lord Voldemort”. He did not want to be a hero. He had never wanted to be a hero. He just wanted to be free. Free of everything Dumbledore had loaded on his shoulders. Free of the burden of saving the world. Free to live. Free to laugh. Free to-

“Only if you want to”, Death interrupted his train of thought. Harry looked up at the shadow underneath the hood. “You may also start over. Return to any point in your previous life and start over.” Harry had to admit, that sounded tempting. He could save Sirius, Remus, and everybody else. Maybe it was not entirely Dumbledore’s fault that he wanted to save the world. “Or you can start your life as someone completely different.” That was exactly what Harry was looking for. That is what he wanted. “You be randomly reborn at any point in history to live your next life.”

Shit. That already sounded less appealing. He really hoped he could choose his person. He was the Master of Death after all. That had to count for something. Which gave him an Idea.

“Can I restart this life, but without being ‘The Boy who Lived’?” Death seemed to contemplate that for a second, but Harry could not be sure. Death stayed silent, hopefully looking for a way to make that happen.

“The prophecy can be taken to mean either you or another boy. Lord Voldemort could have sought out to kill the other boy that night. That would make it his duty to fulfill the prophecy.” Harry could not believe he was even considering this. He was not. He could not do this to someone else.

“Who is the boy?” Harry’s voice was quiet and he hated himself for even asking that question.

“The other boy is Neville Longbottom.” That settled it. Harry would never do that to Neville. As brave as he might have been in the Hogwarts battle, in their first year he had just been a small, insecure little boy. On top of that, Neville was his friend. What Harry had lived through was not something he would wish on his worst enemy, much less his friend.

 
“Before you make your decision, there is someone here to see you.” Finally! Dumbledore arrived. But when Harry turned around, disappointment hit him like a bludger.

“Expecting someone else?” Harry did not think he would ever see those cutting cheekbones again.

“Tom.” Harry held back the urge to massage the bridge of his nose. Tom riddle was about sixteen-years-old. The same age he had been in the diary. Harry turned to Death. “What is he doing here?”

“Because the Dark Lord deployed a piece of soul inside of you, you now share a unique bond", Death explained. "He will be reborn along with you.” Fucking Hell. There go his hopes of a peaceful life.

“Well, not a unique bond.” Tom pointed at Nagini, who was lazily draped around his neck. Harry took a step back. How had he not noticed the huge snake before? “The gist is, that if you decide to go back in time” Tom caressed Nagini as he continued talking. “To undo the huge mess you caused.” The huge mess he- Harry took a deep breath. No need to assault teenage Tom Riddle, he was dead anyway. “I’m going to replace Voldemort at that same point in time.” Harry looked baffled, so Death interjected.

“Since Tom Riddle made his first Horcrux at sixteen, the only way to return him with an unharmed soul is to replace the current Lord Voldemort with his younger self.” Voldemort with no Horcruxes. Harry could not say he was not intrigued to see what would happen. There was just one question he needed to clear up first.

“What happened if I die?” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Tom shifting his attention to Death, awaiting his response.
“If any of the three of you die, you will await the rest at the station before you continue the circle.” They were doing this forever?! Well… Harry trod carefully with his thoughts. Well, in that case, it might not hurt to mess around a bit. Just this once. He could forget saving everyone and just let Tom do his thing. He did not even have to feel bad about it, because if it ended in mass murder and disaster, he could always go back and fix it. He deserved to have a little fun.

“I would like to go back to the day I received my first Hogwarts letter.”