Chapter 1
Spells, curses, and jinxes flash bright and vivid in the battlefield. Harry makes his way through it all unflinching. Somehow none of the chaos and panic touched him. Harry feels numb. A sinking resignation in his bones. Harry looks at the death and destruction, he looks again and feels angry. This is home and here these sycophantic stuck up adults barged in unwelcome and uninvited to hurt children.
Disgust and disappointment weighs heavy in him. A ugly emotion rises and he recognizes it as hate. Harry turns away his killing curse green eyes blazing, he walks to where he knows Voldemort will be waiting. He fiddles with the ring on his finger, absently twisting it a few times, he feels a vague sensation of approval, anger, worry, and pride. Pocketing the ring he advances forward dodging a few stray curses with the ease of many years of practice.
Piercing green meets dark ruby red. Voldemort smiles, ugly and broken, his slit for nostrils flaring. They continue to stare at each other the tension thick and heavy with intent.
Harry regards Voldemort in his sad pitiful state.
§You are broken.§ He hisses in a language spoken by them alone.
Ruby eyes darken in rage. §What.§
§You could have been great.§ Harry says without thought but knows this to be true. §You are no longer whole. In fact your so fragmented I am more Tom Riddle than you.§
Voldemort hisses loud and angry and all who hear him flinch except for Harry. §I have no need for Tom Riddle, he is a weak disgusting wizard who died!§
§He's dead alright.§ Harry agrees there. §But he was greater than you'll ever be.§
Something in Voldemort's gaze changes then as he looks around and a glimpse of recognition, disappointment, and resignation flashes quick.
§It is too late Potter.§ Voldemort and the last vestiges of Tom whisper.
Harry risks closing his eyes feeling anger, sorrow, and understanding at the refusal of the olive branch he offered.
§ I'm sorry.§ Harry whispers to the once brilliant man. Red eyes harden and close off but Harry knows that Voldemort is aware. The madness that was momentarily gone makes a return and Harry steels himself. "Shall we, Potter?"
Every single thing Harry's pushed off builds up and surges, blood pumping, determination, resolve, and anger renewed, Harry glares in defiance and shoots, "Incendio!"
Fire blooms rapidly and he doubles the blast with a cooking spell, handfuls of flour summoned touches the fire and it explodes the huge radius widening further.
"Extinctus!" Voldemort shouts, the fire disappears but many Death Eaters didn't avoid or escape the blast. "Reverusque Opprimere! Tegora deripunt!"
"Protego! Protego!"
Harry points to the ground in between them, "Reducto! Wingardium Leviosa!" Harry catches the rocks and hurls them towards Voldemort.
Voldemort flicks his wrist and they blow up into smaller pieces. Losing control of the spell Harry plants a trigger prank jinx and 'drops' the jinxed rock near Voldemort.
"Intermissum." Voldemort hisses.
A scorching vivid violet spell speeds towards him and he drops tumbling forward. Heart rapidly pounding Harry fires off his own counter curse. Things continue in this vein, building and building till it reaches peak.
"Expelliarmus!" Harry cries tired but so awake and vitalized.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The spell hits true.
He stumbles not immediately dead but quickly fading. Dropping limp, dull eyes gaze at the blue smoke covered sky.
"Finally." Harry closes his eyes and feels peace.
'NoT Yet HarRy pOttER.'
Dragged back to consciousness Harry sees and feels nothing.
'Do you know why you are here?'
'Because I'm dead?' Harry quires to what he thinks is Death.
'You are not dead. The Master of Death cannot die.' Harry's mind blanks and he doesn't stare so much as unseeingly looks at nothing. 'I'm... the Master of Death?'
'Yes.' The entity answers. 'And you have a choice to make. Are you ready Harry James Potter?'
'I want to see them.'
Colin, Fred, Remus, Lily, James, Sirius, Regulus, and Hedwig appear. Tears bubble in his eyes and Hedwig hoots already fluttering on his shoulder, and plucking his hair into something more manageable.
Lily and James smile but don't speak, there eyes saying everything. Fred smiles waving, he gives Harry a quick but warm hug before disappearing after one last wink. Remus pats Harry's unoccupied shoulder, gaze sad but so kind. Moony's eyes glow liquid gold and he scents his cub for the final time, Remus blinks away tears and kisses Harry's forehead, silently fading into wisps.
His parents engulf him and it was perfect. It was enough. They step back trembling smiles and tears trailing down their face as they too leave in a blink of light.
A shadowy wisp appears in the corner of his eye and he sees Severus Snape in the distance. They hold eye contact. Cordially Severus nods, his eyes soft in a way they never were in life. Harry nods back feeling an increasing sense of warmth and loss.
Sirius and Regulus hover near by Harry with gentle, fond, mischievous smiles exchanged between the two.
Regulus shakes his hand before Sirius forcefully envelops them in a hug. The three stay for awhile just absorbing the warmth. Eventually and reluctantly, Sirius draws back and Regulus let's go of Harry stepping back into the misty fog. Two pairs of small, somehow reassuring, identical smirks align Sirius and Regulus's face as they step further back and fade transparent but stay.
Moving away the pair reveal Colin Creevey slowly stepping forward from the clouding mist.
Surprised Harry stares at the face he instinctively knew but didn't accept as dead.
Colin tentatively smiles stepping forward gradually. Wrapping his arms around Harry he grins when Harry returns it. Pulling back a bit a sentiment and shared something passes between them before the hug fully releases. Colin leans in a little and mouths 'I don't blame you.'
Relief crashes and he swirls in dysphoria finding himself once again before Death.
'Have you decided?'
Harry gazes at Death firm. 'Yes.'
-
Harry wakes up 3 years in the past on a sunny day in a disgusting too similar 'perfect' town.
Still in his 17 year old body Harry steals away to hide.
Miles away memories and people assimilate and wake up knowing.