Her last brief thought was of Harry... and then nothingness was all around her for what somehow felt like an both an eternity and only a few seconds.
But Pansy's awareness began to change. She couldn't see or hear anything, but she felt a presence that was both warm and comforting. Then came a memory of a smiling face that she hadn't seen since she was a small girl. The sound of a voice singing a French lullaby. She could feel a pull trying to accept her, but she could not... she would not leave him.
The presence accepted her choice, and she was resolved to find her way back to Harry.
She just wasn't sure how she was supposed to do that.
Harry had known terrible pain before, and yet he awoke to find that dying didn't hurt nearly as much as he would have expected it to. He climbed to his feet and saw that he was still wearing the same clothes he had been earlier that day, although thankfully he was no longer covered in blood.
He looked around and saw that he was still in the lobby of the ministry building, but that all color had faded away and there were no other people around him. Looking over at the fountain, he could see the bubbling water seemed to be stuck, unable to move. He was different though- so he walked over to it and tried to stick his hand in... but it waved right through the surface without making contact.
"Weird," he muttered. "If this is the afterlife... it's more boring than I thought it would be."
Weren't there supposed to be other people in Heaven?
Or Hell, for that matter? He had killed a lot of people after all, and while Harry couldn't remember most of the ten commandments that he'd briefly heard about many years ago, he was pretty sure that 'Thou shalt not kill' was one of the biggest of them.
Not that he'd been much of a believer in anything during his short life. He'd occasionally mused that someone had it out for him, whether that be a cosmic power like fate, an unfriendly deity, or just some really awful luck. Other than that, all he'd ever really believed in was-
Pansy.
He believed in her and their love, and he wished more than anything that he could be back with her. It felt like a dagger to the heart and he leant over and tried not to hyperventilate. What could he do now?
"Be at peace, Harry Potter."
The voice that spoke was like nothing he'd ever heard before, although he wasn't sure if it was truly sound that his ears experienced or something that went directly into his brain. Did he even have a brain anymore? His body seemed to be intangible when he tried to touch the water. Was he a spirit?
"Who said that?"
"Are you truly ready for an answer, mortal?"
'Oh shit,' Harry thought. That couldn't be a good thing.
"I don't know," he replied. "I wasn't ready to die today. I don't guess most people really are ready to die. Maybe someone old with a terminal disease, maybe they've accepted what has happened and are somewhat prepared to move on. I'm still only fifteen. I want to go back, to have a chance to live my life with Pansy."
"And what would you give for a chance like that?"
Almost immediately, Harry began to say 'anything,' only to force himself not to speak. He didn't want to make some sort of deal with the devil that ruined everything he wanted. It wouldn't matter if he got back to her only for her to suffer some terrible fate.
"Do not fear me, Harry Potter."
"Who are you?" he asked the voice and an overwhelming amount of pressure forced him to his knees. His head was pounding and he couldn't keep his eyes open- the image of the ministry had been replaced by something indescribably dark. He imagined it was how space might have looked to the astronauts, only with a million times more existential dread at the idea of being so incredibly tiny in the greater scheme of things.
"Sorry about that."
He was sure he actually heard this new voice and he sat up, one eye peeking open and seeing a rather distinguished looking older gentleman in a fancy three piece suit. He had grey hair and he was smiling but the light somehow didn't reach his eyes.
And they were a very familiar shade of green.
"Can I help you up, Harry?"
The older man reached out a hand and Harry took it as he was pulled back to his feet.
"As for who I am, that's not a question easily answered. I have taken this form to make communicating with you easier." He waved a hand behind him and conjured himself a chair, sat down and then looked back at Harry and nodded at another chair that appeared a few feet in front of him. "Why don't we sit down? We have a lot to discuss."
"Thanks. What exactly do we have to discuss?"
"Let me begin by answering your original question. I am a representation of Death."
"A representation?"
"As a human being, you are only capable of interacting with Death on a certain level. Why do you think it felt so strange when I took this form? You got just a tiny taste of the true vastness of reality. I would guess it wasn't too pleasant."
"Yeah, it felt pretty awful there for a second."
"I'm sure," the old man grinned. "I suppose if I was feeling more theatrical, I could have gone with the old skeletal figure holding a scythe, but we have too much to do to bother with all that. Plus, I still don't exactly understand the fascination with the scythe. It was a tool, not a weapon, and beyond that, the entire fearful notion of 'reaping souls' has always made me chuckle at the silliness of it."
"Death chuckles," Harry said with an incredulous look.
"I'm translating here. Don't take everything too literally or we'll never get anything done. Now, why do you think I've chosen to make this appearance before you today, mister Potter?"
"I would guess it has to do with Voldemort," Harry replied with a shrug.
"That fool?" Death scoffed. "Please, give me a little more credit than that, Harry. Tom Riddle is insignificant in the larger scheme of things."
"Really?"
"If he had half a brain, he could have used all sorts of nasty things from the normal world and left behind a smouldering wreckage instead of a planet full of life. His disdain for 'muggles' as he calls them limits him greatly. But instead, he chose a form of madness in his quest to chase immortality.
"No, Riddle is not why I am here meeting with you. Have you ever heard of the Peverell brothers?"
"No."
"I shouldn't be surprised," Death said with a smile. "Things would be so very different if you had grown up in the magical world. But I assume that we would have never met in this way, so it's all for the best. The Peverell brothers are the main characters in a popular children's story in the magical world. It is said that they defeated Death by using their magic to make a bridge over a river that would have killed them otherwise. Supposedly, Death was angered by this and confronted them, where he tricked them into taking gifts from him that would inevitably lead to their doom. It's rather annoying really."
"Annoying? Why?"
"Because of how it makes Death out to be evil, a villain who wants to ensnare everyone. Can you not see why this might vex me?"
"Um, yeah, I guess so. Most people don't think of death as being a good thing," Harry replied.
"Most people are governed by fear, and death is unknowable to the mortal world. For the most part," he said with a strange look on his face. "But beyond that, it is also disappointing to see how the truth has been perverted into such... Never mind, no need for me to go off on that old rant." Death stopped and sighed. "It's certainly not your fault, after all, and mister Potter, I would like to see the two of us be able to converse pleasantly. Let me get to the crux of the story. Each of the three brothers received a magical item from Death. The first brother received the Elder Wand, said to be the most powerful wand ever created, unable to be overcome in battle. The second brother received the Resurrection Stone, an item capable of calling back those who had died. The third brother received Death's own invisibility cloak, as he wanted merely to escape from Death and live the rest of his life in peace. It is a morality tale about not wanting too much power. The first brother's arrogance leads to him boasting after defeating a rival in a duel, and his throat is slit in the night. The second brother is overcome by despair after he summons the ghost of his lost love and he commits suicide. Are you with me so far?"
"Yeah," Harry replied. "The idea is we shouldn't be too arrogant about thinking we can defeat death. We all die in the end."
"And yet, another part of the story is the mythology that has grown around it," Death continued. "There is an idea that if someone could unite all three of these items, the so-called Deathly Hallows, that person could become the Master of Death itself. Does that seem likely to you, Harry?"
He felt like wilting under the old man's gaze, which had become much less friendly during the last few minutes. The answer seemed obvious, but he hoped there wasn't a trick here that he wasn't seeing.
"Um, no, it doesn't seem like a mortal could have power over Death itself."
"A fair answer," the old man nodded. "A cosmic force cannot be enslaved to the whims of a simple creature like a human. However, at the same time, the story gets the nature of Death so completely wrong. Death is not cruel. Death is not evil. Death, like Life or Time or any other massive idea that you cannot possibly understand... Death merely is.
"But that's not all. The story does get a few things right," he admitted. "And those three items do all exist."
"Really?"
"Indeed," the old man grinned at Harry's surprise. "You have personally used one of them and, though you do not realize it, you have witnessed a second. Care to take a guess?"
"I... my cloak?" Harry wondered. "I haven't seen anything like a stone that can summon the dead, and my wand was made by Ollivander, so it must be my cloak."
"Correct. And your professor Slughorn has mentioned the Resurrection Stone to you, although you may not remember it. He himself would have been shocked to realize that he had seen it many years ago without realizing it. But we'll get back to that later. As for the Elder Wand, it lies in the hands of Albus Dumbledore."
"Professor Dumbledore? But... if he has an unbeatable wand, then why didn't he defeat Riddle all those years ago?"
"That is a good question," Death mused. "However, I do not have all the answers today, Harry. What I do have is knowledge for you to gain, and potentially, a bargain."
"What sort of bargain?" Harry asked, not liking the tone of that last word.
"We'll get to that later. Let us begin with another piece of the puzzle. The story suggests that two of these magical items are cursed, with only Death's cloak being safe for a mortal to use. And yet, this is not true. Only one of them is actually cursed. Can you guess which one?"
"I don't know... the wand maybe, but the headmaster doesn't seem cursed, and he's lived a really long time. The stone I guess?"
"Yes, the stone. People like to think that the Elder Wand was cursed, that all who wielded it became violent, dangerous, and prone to arrogance. Hah!" the old man snorted. "Mankind has always had plenty of violence and arrogance without any of my influence. No, the wand can be safely used, but many wizards over the years have been tempted by their own desires and greed to want more and more power. That leads them to their doom, not the Elder Wand.
"On the other hand, drawing spirits back from the afterlife is something that mortals should never do. The Resurrection Stone is cursed. That's why the story has the second brother commit suicide. The stone causes everyone who uses it to succumb to its lure, and they all are drawn to their deaths. Using it is to call to Death itself, and that folly means that a mortal will not be able to resist. No matter how benign the intent, even if you merely wished to speak with your parents, for instance, you would not really speak with them. The apparitions that you would contact would tell you to join them, using whatever means necessary to convince you that your death would be not only necessary, but a good thing. Maybe that by dying, you would spare others pain. Or that you could save the life of someone you love.
"I must stress this to you, mister Potter. The Resurrection Stone must never be used. Once you gain control of it, I would suggest hiding it where no one may ever find it."
"Gain control of it? But, I'm dead, right?"
"That remains to be seen," the old man chuckled. "You are... close to Death. Obviously," he grinned as he motioned to the two of them. "But you do not have to truly cross over into the afterlife today. First though, let me reveal our other guest."
Harry heard a whimper from some tiny voice and he saw the old man stand up. He followed as they walked over past the fountain towards the lifts where he saw it. A hideous deformed thing that reminded him of the slimy form that Riddle had taken before his rebirth in the graveyard. And it was trying to crawl towards the lifts.
"You're not going anywhere," the old man said as he strode over towards the thing. He waved his left hand and a table appeared before the thing was lifted up, floating over and landing on top of the table. "Do you know what a horcrux is, mister Potter?"
"That's... is that thing what was in my scar?"
"A horcrux is a gamble. The ultimate gamble, in fact. And when mortals gamble with Death, they always lose."
"What do you mean?"
"A horcrux could work to create immortality. Hypothetically. But once it fails, the consequences are... dire."
"How dire?" Harry asked.
"You now have proof that there is an afterlife. No matter what you may have believed before, you must see that dying is not the end, correct? In fact, there is not one afterlife, but many. An almost endless amount of possibilities. Heaven would be the one most recognizable to someone from England like yourself. Reincarnation is another possibility that I believe you may have heard of.
"But for one that has torn their very soul apart, there is nothing. Utter and complete oblivion."
"That- yeah, that's pretty dire," Harry said with a gulp.
"Indeed. And that is all that lies before this fool Tom Riddle. But before this little piece fades away into nothingness, I thought you might want to take a look. But," the old man grabbed Harry's hand and forced him to look at his face. "Only a look, mister Potter. Do not touch this abomination, alright? It took the correct circumstances to separate the two of you without a tremendous amount of pain and suffering. We don't want this little parasite leeching off of you any longer."
"Right," Harry agreed. "What should I be looking for, exactly?"
"I believe that you've learned a bit of what wizards call Legilimency," Death replied. "This little slice has answers that you need. Answers about where the other pieces are. As a piece of the whole, it is still connected to the others for the moment. By gazing into it, you will be able to see where the others are right now. When you go back, that could be very useful knowledge to have. Not to mention, much better than relying on guesswork and luck to see you through.
"Oh, and one other thing," the old man was grinning widely now. "I believe your girlfriend would be quite disappointed if you lost the ability to speak to snakes. As I said before, Death is not cruel."
"Yeah, um, thanks," Harry said with a blush. "Do I need my wand?"
"You don't even truly need your wand in the mortal world," the old man scoffed. "It might be helpful, but you are no longer restricted by things like that here. Merely gaze into this thing's mind and take what you need."
"Alright." Harry leaned over and peered into the bloodshot eyes of the thing that was unable to wriggle away. Knowledge seemed to rush into him and his head buzzed with the strain as if something was trying to force its way free of confinement, but after a moment the sensation settled down and he saw visions of several items. A ring in a ruined shack. A cup sitting on a shelf in a vault. A tiara in an enormous room stuffed with old junk.
And finally a locket being stared at sadly by a miserable looking house-elf- one that he recognized in fact. Kreacher. He even sort of recognized the locket that sat inside a glass cabinet in the drawing room at Grimmauld Place.
Well, that one should be easy enough to deal with.
"I've got it," Harry said as he straightened up.
"Are you sure?"
"All four pieces," he nodded. "I know where they are."
"Good, but let's check the other bit as well." Suddenly a snake was laying on the table next to the remains of Riddle's sliver of soul, which let out a little moan.
"Hello," Harry hissed, hoping that it worked.
"Hello, sssspeaker. What are you doing here?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Harry admitted with a shrug.
"Success!" the old man shouted with a laugh. "See, Death isn't cruel. Now, you've got almost everything you need to deal with Riddle when you go back."
"So, I'm not dead then? I can just go back and-"
"Not quite yet, mister Potter." The old man held up his hand and with a wave the snake and table disappeared. The horcrux, on the other hand, dissolved before his very eyes and Harry could still hear an echo of its last pitiful wail. "I know you wouldn't have any inclination to move on when you've got a life planned with your chosen partner. But we need to discuss a few things before you go."
"Do we have time?" Harry asked before clarifying. "I mean, is Riddle killing other people while we sit here and talk?"
"Nothing to worry about there, mister Potter. We are not constrained by time here. Think of us as being trapped in a moment in between moments, if you will. When you return, it will be but a few seconds after you were hit by the killing curse.
"Now, one last thing about Tom Riddle. Keep in mind that at his core, he is nothing more than a coward and a thief. No matter what amount of power he may have gained over the years, the inner being is a coward and a thief. He is completely terrified of meeting me, and as you've seen by the folly of his horcruxes, with good reason. He is also afraid of you, Harry. He is afraid that there is something about you that continues to stymie him. That is why he so desperately wanted to gain the prophecy.
"But he is also a thief. Every one of those items you saw were things he stole from others, even murdering his own family in the process of gaining possession of one of them. Just as he also stole your blood as a part of the ritual that gave him a new physical form. Keep this in mind, Harry."
"I will."
"Good. Next, I want to call attention to something I don't think you've noticed yet. Let me show you something."
The old man waved his hand and Harry's eyes burned with pain. He shut them tight and rubbed at them for a moment before the feeling went away.
"That hurt."
"I apologize, but my power is not exact when it tries to duplicate the magic of humans. Try looking at yourself now."
Harry opened his eyes and saw a faint glow that surrounded his entire body. As well, he saw two strands of light that stretched out into the distance. Both of them were green, although one seemed more solid and a bit darker than the other.
"What are these?" he asked.
"Those are the bonds that tie you to Pansy and Dobby." The old man sighed. "They are the next thing I wanted to make you aware of before you return to the land of the living.
"The lighter line is your bond with Dobby. It is fairly standard between a house-elf and a family member it serves, only in this case we have the added complication of not only his immense sense of duty to protect you but also the fact that you are, at the moment, the only member of the Potter family. For the most part, this bond is a good thing, but if you died today, Dobby would not be able to live without you. He would see himself as a failure and he would give up on life."
"But what about Pansy?"
"That is where things get much, much more complicated. You see, Pansy used old magic to tie herself to you. One could even say that she manipulated the very nature of magic itself. I can understand her desire to flee from her father, but unfortunately, that has led to her very essence being tied to yours. If you die, she dies. There is no way to free her from this bond."
"Then I need to do everything I can to live a very, very long life," Harry replied.
The old man chuckled and began to smile again. "I thought you might say something like that. Would you change the course of your life to insure that she lives?"
"Yes. I want to spend my life with her."
"Even if it meant that you gave up the chance at adventure?"
"I think I've had enough adventure these last few years," Harry snorted.
"I can see why you would think so." The old man closed his eyes and sighed. He sat in silence for a moment before continuing. "This is where we get to the bargain I have to offer you. I can help you, but my help will require a price."
"What do you mean?"
"I am a representation of Death itself Harry. If I were to take form in the mortal world, almost anything would be possible. Both good and bad. But let me explain something else first. Close your eyes for a moment. Hopefully this won't feel too unpleasant for you."
Harry did as the old man asked and he felt something shift around him. There was a sense of pressure that felt like it did when the old man first appeared, only not quite as overwhelming.
"Alright now you can open them."
What Harry saw was mind-blowing. The entire Milky Way galaxy lay stretched out before him, yet it all looked tiny. Hundreds if not thousands of other galaxies surrounded him on all sides. Even down, he realized, as Harry was standing- or floating maybe- in the middle of the cosmos.
"Do you have any idea how boring it can get being Death?"
Harry looked up and saw the old man sigh again.
"All I have to do is watch over life as it exists and wait for everything to die and cross over. It can be incredibly tedious. For example, in your galaxy right now there exists some form of life on seven hundred and thirteen planets. Let me show you one of them."
The image of the galaxy zoomed in as if under some great magnifying lens and suddenly they stood on the surface of a planet that was obviously not Earth. The reddish sky made that clear enough. A small lizard-like creature was crawling along the muddy ground.
"On this planet, far away from Earth, this is the most developed creature that has evolved so far. Now, maybe in a few million years, it could become something interesting, but so far it is as simple in nature as a fish living deep in the sea. True, it is an example of the beauty and glory of life beginning anew on this planet. But I have witnessed that so very, very many times, Harry, that it no longer matters to me.
"Humans, on the other hand, are quite fascinating." The view around them shifted again and Harry got a slight headache from the sensation. He looked and saw that they were on Earth again, judging by the sight before him of three young men playing instruments in a garage. "In many ways, this is just as simple. A human being is still a creature that is defined by biological needs for food, water, air to breathe, etcetera. But unlike many other living things, you humans have evolved to the point where you come up with so many fun ways to pass the time. All of the arts spent searching for meaning- music, literature, painting, countless others, not to mention your philosophic musings- as well as being ways to entertain yourselves, of course. Humans have imagination, and a few of them are truly spectacular in the ideas they've come up with. Compared to that little fellow we saw a moment ago, you humans are glorious."
"Thanks. I guess we entertain you in a way too?"
"Indeed." The old man turned to him with a smile before looking back at the people in the garage and chuckling. "Not necessarily these three, mind you, but maybe in a few years they could be doing something wonderful. Unfortunately, of all seven hundred and thirteen planets with life, humans are currently the only ones in your galaxy that are capable of keeping my attention for more than a few brief moments. Oh, how I miss the Vorlons," he sighed before smiling again. "But that does mean that you matter more to me than some of the others. And thus, we get to the bargain."
The view shifted again, and this time they were back in the lobby of the ministry, sitting down in a couple of comfortable chairs.
"Within a few months, you should be able to gain possession of all three of the items known as the Deathly Hallows. When doing so, you will not become the mythical Master of Death. However, if you agree to my proposal, you could become my... avatar of sorts."
"Avatar?"
"You would grant me a way to interact with the mortal world more freely than I currently have."
"Why would I want to do that?" Harry asked before gulping and adding, "I mean, um, no offense."
"That's quite alright, mister Potter," the old man chuckled again. "It takes a lot more than that to offend Death. The reason is simple. Humans are currently doing so much damage to their ecosystem that they are almost certainly bound to become extinct, or close to it, in the relatively near future.
"You see, this is why I am so frustrated by this erroneous notion that Death wants to extinguish all life. If everything died, I would have absolutely nothing to do. Tedium is one of the worst parts of the cosmos, Harry. I adore life. Life gives meaning to Death, and vice versa. Therefore, I want to see you humans continue to thrive for as long as possible. Or at least for the next forty or fifty thousand years anyway- by then I suppose the beings on Kepler-442b should have at least have started using tools and developing sapience."
"So, you want to help us just so you don't get bored?"
"Among other things, yes."
"Um, can you explain this bargain a bit before I decide?" Harry asked, hopefully without sounding disrespectful.
"The bargain is simple. I will make sure that you and those you love are under my protection, and thus you will be assured of enjoying a long life. I could even help you with Riddle, although I don't think you'll need it. You should have enough clues to put everything together and deal with him by yourself.
"In exchange, you will allow me to use you as a... I suppose as a bridge of sorts- a conduit into the mortal world. I will do what I must to make sure that humanity thrives as much as possible. There will be those I will need to remove as well as those I will need to protect in order to help things along for the best possible outcome. You will be the catalyst that allows me to do what is necessary."
"You're going to use me to kill people?"
"Some people need to be killed," Death answered. "Don't you agree? The Death Eaters killed, raped, and tortured hundreds of witches and wizards. Your entire magical society in the United Kingdom has been greatly weakened by all that damage. Isn't it better to kill one serial killer in order to protect his dozen victims?"
"Yeah, I can see that."
"I know, Harry," the old man looked at him with a soft smile, and this time there was a sad little twinkle in his eyes. "Because of all your experiences, you are very well suited to my request. You have seen death and pain, and you understand the necessity of removing those who would cause more of it from the world."
Harry sat back and thought for a moment. "If I become your avatar, what will that mean for me personally? Will you use my body? Try to control me?"
"It is possible that I may need to do so from time to time, but I will do my best to make that a rare occasion. There is one specific time coming fairly soon that I will need to channel power through your body, but it is several years away."
"Can you see the future then?" Harry wondered.
"Not exactly," the old man replied. "It would be more precise to say that I experience Time much, much differently than you do."
"Will it cause me any problems in my personal life?"
"It should not. The greatest danger is the curse upon the Resurrection Stone. If you manage to deal with that safely, then I don't foresee any other problems. But you must take specific care of the stone, and I would further recommend that you keep it far away from the Lovegoods. They are what some would call 'true believers' and your friend Luna would be sorely tempted to call her mother back."
"I can understand that," Harry nodded. "But you won't help me with Riddle?"
"I can step in if need be, but I believe you can handle him by yourself. You will need to destroy his pieces before you finish the body. And I won't be able to help you directly until you have gained possession of all three items. There should be a good opportunity for that coming up in the summer. You'll know it when it happens."
"Okay." Harry closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He imagined what he would do when he got back, and the plan came together with a brilliant clarity unlike anything he had experienced before. He stood up and looked back at the old man.
"I'll do it."
"Excellent, mister Potter." The old man smiled again and stood as well before offering his hand. "Do we have a bargain?"
"We do." Harry shook his hand and felt an immense sense of relief wash over him.
"Then good luck, and I will hopefully see you again in a few months."
When Albus stepped through the floo and appeared in the lobby of the ministry, his worst fears came true. There was Voldemort himself, casually batting aside the curses Harry was throwing at him as he taunted him and strode forward.
Dumbledore saw that he wasn't the only one who had arrived though, with a crowd gathering to watch, yet none of them seemed to want to draw their wands and do anything to help. One of them was actually taking pictures, and if he hadn't already been disgusted by the Daily Prophet and their priorities, Albus would have been horrified.
Instead, he pushed through the crowd and took aim just as he saw the green light flying from no more than twenty feet straight at Harry.
He tried to conjure a slab of marble to block the path of the spell, but he was too late. Harry had already fallen.
"Ah, Dumbledore, it seems that I may have a chance to rid the world of my two greatest foes in one fell swoop. Excellent. Come and face your end!"
Albus already had his wand in motion as he animated the statues from the fountain and had them charge towards his former student.
Riddle destroyed them with a powerful blasting curse before turning back to face him, with a spell of his own as the Dark Lord went on the offensive.
"Avada Ke-"
"Diffindo!"
But at the same time, a miracle occurred. Harry Potter literally rose from the dead and fired a cutting curse at Riddle's back. Tom was fast as he spun to dodge, but it still cut off a few fingers from his right hand.
He snarled as he raised his wand and conjured new digits to heal his wound.
"You should go now while you still can, Tom," Harry said calmly. "I believe Barty has an orb to deliver to you."
"We'll finish this soon enough, Potter!"
Voldemort apparated away, and Albus breathed out a sigh of relief.
Before the crowd could move towards him, Harry let out a wave of magic that shoved them all back a few feet as he stepped forward and kneeled down to look at the bloody fingers he had removed. Dumbledore's eyebrows raised in confusion as Harry pulled an empty vial out and scooped up some of the blood.
Luna had been terrified for Pansy when she had fallen, and her tears had come back with a fury. If she lost her father and her best friends today, she didn't know what she would do. Hadn't her mother's death been enough? Must she lose everyone she loved?
But then Pansy's eyes fluttered and she gasped for breath.
"It's alright, sweetie," she said as she sat up with a smile. "Let's go get our guys."
Luna felt Pansy's hand wipe her face before she kissed her on the cheek and stood up. She ran through the floo, and Luna could hardly believe it. All she could do was to follow after her best friend.
When she arrived at the other side, she saw Harry kneeling down and looking at something as Pansy shoved her way through the crowd that was watching him.
"Harry!"
He stood up and turned as she ran towards him, catching her when Pansy leapt into his arms. Her legs went around his waist, his hands went under her bum, and they immediately began snogging like there was no tomorrow, completely ignoring their audience.
The photographer kept on taking pictures.
Luna smiled in relief before looking around and then saw the group of walking wounded coming out of one of the lifts. Her father was leaning against Sirius Black and/or Stubby Boardman, who also seemed to be in pain. She got closer and noticed that Susan was also heading their way even as she sighed while briefly looking over towards Harry and Pansy.
They were still oblivious to everyone, even as Dumbledore tried to get their attention and the rest of the throng then moved forwards and yelled out questions.
"Daddy!" Luna smiled when she got close enough to hug him. She felt a tremor and backed up. "Are you alright?"
"I am now, sweetheart." He grimaced after a moment. "A visit to the healers would probably be for the best though."
The voices were getting louder behind them and Luna turned to see Harry and Pansy pushing forward to join them, walking hand in hand and both with huge smiles on their faces. Harry let go as he stepped in front of Parvati, who was still holding Dobby's unconscious form.
"Thanks for all your help today," he said. "I'll take him from here."
"To St. Mungo's?" Pansy asked as she looked over the others while Harry cradled their little friend. Sirius nodded and Tonks let out a bang from her wand and stepped forward to clear a path to the floos across the lobby.
"Are you sure you're alright, lad?" Alastor asked as they tromped through the crowd, most of whom were still shouting questions.
"Never better."
Luna wondered just what Harry's grin meant even as they made it to the nearest fireplace and Sirius went through first.
The trip to St. Mungo's was very simple and peaceful compared to everything else that had happened that day. More than anything, Harry felt calm. He could see the steps he would need to take. There had been some wounds that day, but nothing too permanent other than a new slash on Alastor's forehead, an addition to his vast collection of scars.
Harry knew that was a price the legendary auror would gladly pay for such a large victory.
Amelia had apparently been in good enough shape to stay behind and take charge of things at the ministry. Understandably, she didn't trust Fudge to not screw everything up once again. Tonks had told one of the healers that they would need someone to go to the ministry to take a look at her just in case. Harry guessed that meant she must be a pretty good boss for one of her troops to respect her that much.
Luna was more attached to her father than usual, staying by his side as they were shown into a private room, with Sirius next door and Moody just past that down the hall. Apparently, spell damage was more easily treated when there was less contamination from other possible injuries. The magic would be less likely to interfere with other things in close proximity. That was something he hadn't considered before. It made him think that he would like to pick Madam Pomfrey's brain once he was back at Hogwarts.
The healer was a middle-aged woman with light brown hair that was up in a bun, and she had to ask Luna for some space so that she could take a look at Xeno. Luckily, other than a few charms to clean up some superficial wounds, all that was prescribed was a couple of potions for pain relief and plenty of bed rest.
"Excuse me," Harry said, still carrying Dobby around. "Is there someone who can take a look at my friend here?"
"He's a house-elf," the healer replied, making Harry scowl. "Is he yours?"
"Yes."
"Hold on a moment." She cast a couple of spells, waving her wand over Dobby's unconscious form, and then nodded. "You have a strong bond with him, mister Potter. He will be fine after some rest."
"But-"
"As your house-elf, he draws strength and magic from you. Knowing what I do about you, I would think he'll be up and around very shortly. Just give it a bit of time."
"Alright."
Once the healer walked out and went next door to check on Sirius, Winky popped in quietly. "The healer lady was correct, mister Harry. Dobby will be alright." She snapped her fingers and a blanket appeared. "If you want to let him rest here, Winky will make sure Dobby doesn't overwork himself again. Dobby should know that working too hard is as bad as not working at all. Dobby might not be able to work for his family for a day... or even longer!"
She gasped at the terrible thought and Harry stifled a grin.
Pansy took the blanket and helped Harry settle Dobby into one of the chairs beside the bed.
"Thank you, Winky. I will greatly appreciate your help. If you ladies will excuse me for a moment, I'm going to check on Sirius and Alastor."
"Tell them thank you for me," Xeno croaked out. "I owe you all a debt for today."
"Well, you're partially responsible for bringing Luna into the world," Harry grinned. "So, you don't owe me anything."
Xeno chuckled and nodded slightly. "She does make the world much more wonderful, doesn't she?"
"I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Want me to come with you?" Pansy asked.
"I won't be long. Why don't you stay with Luna? She's had a rough day."
Harry was soon opening the door to the nearest room and he heard laughing as Sirius told a very dirty joke about a randy widow and a centaur to the healer, who was shaking her head even as she cleaned a cut on his left arm with her wand.
"You are incorrigible, mister Black," she playfully scolded the old dog. "Aren't you supposed to be a good influence on mister Potter?"
"I like to think we are bad influences on each other, actually," Harry interjected, causing Sirius to bark out a laugh. "I can probably keep him in line, if you need me to."
"The main thing you'll need to do is make sure he doesn't take this second dose for at least an hour," she replied as she sat a potion vial on the table next to Sirius' bed. "Other than that, and his roguish behavior, I believe he'll make a full recovery."
"I don't know," Sirius teased. "I might need a sponge bath later."
"Then you'll have to conjure a sponge and do it yourself," she responded with a grin. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to take a look at Alastor again. With how often he's been in here over the years, you would think he might fancy me."
"See you later Esther." Sirius waved as she left.
"Do you know her?"
"A little bit," Sirius replied. "She's been working here for at least twenty years. When I was first working out all the enchantments on my motorcycle, I might have had a bit of an issue with the flight controls, and I might have ended up here once or twice. Esther was the one who fixed up a rather nasty scrape I had back in seventy-nine."
"Oh. Small world I guess." Harry thought for a moment before raising an eyebrow at his godfather. "Aren't you engaged to be married one of these days? What would the lovely miss Nott have to say about you flirting with the healer? A woman nearly old enough to be your mother, I may add."
"If Kathryn were here, I would have been asking her for the sponge bath," Sirius snorted before he got a far off look in his eyes. He sighed before turning back to Harry. "Merlin, I'm glad to be alright after everything today. And how are you alive, anyway? You got hit with the killing curse. Again!"
"Old Tom never learns his lessons," Harry scoffed. "That's a sign of insanity, but I think we already knew that about him."
"Harry-"
"I'm fine, really. We were both hit with Unforgivables today, and I know for a fact that the Cruciatus hurts a lot worse."
"Are you sure?"
"Don't worry, Sirius." Harry grinned. "Maybe I should go see if I can contact Kathryn and have her keep an eye on you. I think Andi and Tonks were right- someone clearly needs to."
"I... I'd like that, actually."
"Really?"
"In spite of everything, somehow I'm actually looking forward to getting married," Sirius said with a small smile. "Maybe have a couple of little Sirius juniors running around someday, you know? In fact, after today, I think I might not want to wait much longer."
"Wow," Harry replied. "That's not what I thought you'd say."
"Besides, you've seen her, Harry. She's smoking hot."
"Okay, now that sounds more like the Sirius I know." They both laughed, but Harry reached over and picked up the vial. "I think I'll give this to your fiancee if I can get in contact with her. You should have a few minutes to come up with a particularly heroic story to tell her. I imagine you'll want to make yourself look good."
"I won't have to make anything up this time."
"Yeah, I guess not. I'll be back in a few minutes."
"Thanks, Harry."
"You too, Sirius."
On his way out, he heard Alastor and the healer talking from the next room. He went downstairs and found a floo he could use. Harry felt kind of odd summoning his godfather's intended, especially as she looked upset when he told her they were at St. Mungo's. She came through quickly, and he tried to explain that everything was okay, but she wasn't certain until they made it back up to Sirius' room.
He was happy to see that she really cared for the old dog. A moment later, after handing over the potion, he left as Sirius began his tale of derring and heroism.
He knocked next door and heard Alastor call out for him to come inside.
"How are you doing?" Harry said as he stepped inside.
"I've had worse," he chuckled grimly. "You're looking particularly healthy after everything that happened today. That's especially strange since I saw you take a killing curse to the chest from up-close. Most people don't get back up from that sort of thing."
"That's true," Harry grinned. "But I thought everyone knew the story from when I was little. I am famous for surviving it once before."
"I was never sure if that was true or not," Moody grumbled.
"I'm not either," Harry admitted with a shrug. "I was too young to remember it properly."
"So, what happened today, then? Another bloody miracle?"
"Maybe so."
"They'll be looking at you for even more of them then, Harry."
"Yeah," Harry sighed. "That probably will suck."
"Hah! Oh, I definitely think it will suck for you, lad. You'll have sycophants cozying up to you even worse, I'd bet. Did you see the photographer that showed up just before your little resurrection? Don't be surprised if you're front page news tomorrow. And it won't be the last time either."
"Come on, Alastor. Give me a little credit. I'm sure I'll do something so that they'll all turn on me one of these days."
"The public is fickle, that's true. I think that's why it is pretty much only bastards that go into politics. Someone with more ideals would be disgusted by too much of the mess they'd have to wade into." He reached over and took a long drink from a glass of water. "Fill that most of the way up for me, would you Harry?"
"Sure."
One charm later and he handed the glass back to Moody who had summoned his coat over and pulled the still bloody, viscera-covered magical eye out of one of his many pockets. He dunked it in the water and set it aside.
"I won't feel right until I can get that properly cleaned and back in place."
"I guess you've gotten used to it over the years."
"It's almost like breathing now," Moody agreed. "I've only got one question though. Why did you let Riddle go? I could tell that you didn't want to kill him when you got back up. I know you're not the type of fool who would show mercy to a monster like that."
"No, you're right. Let's just say that I wouldn't have been able to truly kill him today, so I wanted to wait until it would be permanent."
"Right," Alastor nodded. "Say no more then."
"Want me to do anything else for you?"
"I'll be alright for now. I might need your help springing me later though. I won't feel right sleeping somewhere so unguarded as this place."
"I'll see what I can do," Harry said with a grin.
"Alastor," Dumbledore said as he opened the door. "Oh, and Harry as well. I'd like to speak with both of you, if I may."
"I'll go first then. Give the boy a chance to go be with his friends," Moody replied.
"Can it wait until tomorrow, professor?" Harry asked. "I've got people to take care of, and I've had a pretty long day." He frowned as he thought for a moment. "I missed lunch too."
"As you wish, Harry," Albus chuckled. "I'm glad to see you're doing alright after everything that has happened . Perhaps tomorrow afternoon then?"
"Yeah, that sounds good."
Between the headmaster and his former Defense professor, Harry definitely felt like he was being dismissed as he left the room.
He peeked next door, but seeing as Kathryn was leaning over and kissing Sirius, Harry decided to leave them be and went to see Xeno and Dobby. His house-elf was still resting in the chair and Winky was watching sternly over both of her charges.
"Where are the girls?" he asked as Xeno saw him enter.
"They went to get some tea. I asked for some as well, but mostly I was hoping it might help calm their nerves. Luna's had a rough day. Did she tell you that Pansy collapsed just before they joined us at the ministry today? She was very worried over her."
"They didn't tell me, but I'm not surprised."
"You already knew," Xeno stated. "Did you cross over then? What did you see? Was it your parents? Or maybe the rumored angelic being known as the Almighty Whale?"
"The Almighty Whale?"
"Oh yes, it is said to swallow all who die, drinking you in as if you were water before purifying your soul and sending you out through its blowhole on towards your final destination."
"Um, no, sorry to disappoint you, but I didn't see anything like that." Harry should have known he'd never be surprised when talking to Xeno. It made him smile. Where did the man come up with these things he wondered. "I didn't see my parents either."
"Alas, I suppose I won't find out any answers for some time yet," Xeno sighed before going silent. He looked over at the wall before closing his eyes.
"Are you alright?"
"Harry, I..." Xeno opened his eyes again and turned back around. "I want you to promise me something, please. If anything happens to me, if something like today... if I don't survive this war, please take care of Luna for me. I would hate to leave her all alone, and today's events brought that all too close to happening."
"Xeno..." Harry thought for a moment about how to best reassure the man.
"You know, when Pansy and I talk about Luna, we call her our girl. None of us has siblings, so I can't exactly say that she's like a sister, but she's more than just a best friend. Regardless, I can promise you this- no matter what happens, she will always have a place by our side. Any Potter family home will have room for her, if she needs it or if she's just visiting. I'd never turn away the godmother of my future children, after all.
"However, you have to promise me something. You have to promise me that you will take care of yourself and live a long, happy life. Because someday, Luna will meet someone amazing and she'll need her father to walk her down the aisle. I'd offer to do it if I had to, but it wouldn't be quite the same. And I imagine Pansy will be her bridesmaid, so she'll be busy too."
He hadn't heard the door open as he was speaking but he soon felt a pair of arms wrapping around him as Luna hugged him from behind.
"I think I can agree to that, Harry," Xeno said with a smile.
Within a couple of hours, Harry, Pansy and Luna found themselves back at Hogwarts. Dinner was already underway, and thankfully they found room to sit down together as Harry started piling a plate full of food.
"Hungry, are you?" Pansy teased.
Harry just shrugged and passed the roasted potatoes over to her.
"Everything is different now," Luna said in that dreamy tone she often used, looking around the Great Hall at everyone enjoying their meal. "None of them really know it, but everything changed today. Harry is different. You're different too, but not as much."
"What do you mean, sweetie?"
"I don't know how to explain it."
"I understand," Harry said. "But I'm starving, so it will have to wait."
"Hey Harry," Parvati said as she hurried over to join them. "Are you really alright?"
"Yeah. I didn't see you at St. Mungo's."
"I didn't have anything that needed treatment, so I used the floo to go back to Hogsmeade. I knew my sister would be worried to death over me. Plus, if you didn't hear yet, there was a Death Eater attack in the village this afternoon. Luckily, no one was killed, but the headmaster had to stop Fiendfyre from raging out of control."
"It was probably meant to slow down any response to what was going on in the ministry," Pansy said as Harry was digging into his food. "Was your sister alright?"
"Yes, she wasn't hurt thankfully. The worst damage was to the bookstore. Several students and the owner were injured by a blasting curse. Hermione broke her arm."
Harry looked up and scanned the table, seeing her towards the teachers and speaking to Neville.
"It looks like she's alright."
"Madam Pomfrey was there almost as soon as it happened," Parvati explained. "She and professor Flitwick stayed to look after everything in the village when the headmaster followed us to the ministry."
"He got there right in time too," Harry chuckled. "He almost missed my most recent miracle."
"Harry, are you... I mean, I saw you get hit. How are you, you know?"
"Not dead?" he finished her thought.
"Yeah, that," she said with a grimace.
"Maybe it's a miracle," Pansy suggested. "He's been known to pull one of them out of his arse a time or two before. As the wonder babe, then as the protector of the school from those soul-sucking demons. I guess you're up to three of them, Harry. You know, I think you'd be qualified to become a Saint in the Catholic Church."
"Saint Harry," Luna giggled. "I don't know if I could handle that. I know too much about Harry's private life."
"Maybe you really are the Chosen One," Parvati said with a dreamy sigh. "I know I'd choose you."
"Keep it in your pants, Patil," Pansy snorted.
"If I must." She turned to Harry, who was still eating. "No deeper thoughts from you?"
"Too hungry," he said between bites. "Apparently coming back from the dead takes a lot out of you. I feel like I could eat a horse."
"Just don't let your manners slip," Luna pointed out. "We wouldn't want you to annoy Pansy, now would we?"
"Certainly not."
"You're really okay?" Parvati asked once again, reaching over and grabbing Harry's arm, as if touching him would reassure her that he was really there.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Can you tell me about it? Like, did you see anything?"
"There's not much I can say."
"That's too bad." Parvati let go of his arm and stood up. "I guess I'll talk to you later then."
"Thanks for everything today," Harry said. "I owe you one."'
"Well, I probably owed you my life for the dementors, so I think we can say we're even," she grinned. "I'm just glad you're alright."
She winked at him and turned to go back to Lavender. As much as Harry liked her, telling Parvati about what he'd really experienced when he was briefly dead- or almost dead, maybe- would probably mean that everyone in the school would soon know.
His brush with Death would just have to remain a mystery for the time being.
He would tell Pansy, of course, but he didn't think he should say anything to anyone else. He had specifically been warned about Luna's potential reaction to the Resurrection Stone being confirmed as real, and he definitely didn't want anything bad to happen to her. It could be too tempting for her to use it.
Not that he was sure when he would see it himself, but he was fairly certain that it would all come to pass soon enough. Death had said it would be a few months. Harry could wait that long.
After dinner, Luna had retired to her dorm but she had also informed them that she would be making use of Winky's help in order to spend the night with them. Pansy felt similarly, and Harry agreed that they could all use some extra comfort in knowing that the horrible day was finally coming to an end.
Plus, Pansy was going to be crampy and cranky, so sex was off the table anyway. Harry might have been slightly annoyed otherwise.
When Luna appeared, she was already changed and ready for bed.
"I hope you guys don't mind if I sleep with you tonight," she said. "I don't want to be alone."
"I understand sweetie," Pansy smiled. "There are much worse things than having someone extra to cuddle with, and it has been a long day. It's just too bad that Dobby is still worn out. Otherwise, you could experience an amazing breakfast in bed."
"Don't tempt him," Harry smirked. "I had to order him to rest all night and he looked like he wanted to cry."
"Where does he sleep when you're here at school?" Luna wondered.
"I have no idea," Harry shrugged. "He's been happy apparently, and from what I've seen, house-elves don't like it when we fuss over them too much. They think that's their job to watch over us and not vice versa."
"Yeah, Winky is like that too."
"Considering he saved my life today, probably at least twice, I'm willing to let him do whatever he wants. As long as he's healthy and happy. And once he gets some rest," Harry looked around, knowing that Dobby was almost certainly listening in, "I'm sure Dobby will be capable of taking such good care of us again."
"Dobby has done so much for us over the years," Pansy agreed. "There's a reason I trusted him to watch over your back today, even more than people like Sirius and Moody. That reminds me of something I was wondering though- how useful was Parvati at the ministry?"
"Very."
"Why don't you tell us the story while you and I get ready for bed?" Pansy suggested. "We need to change and brush our teeth and everything."
"I already did," Luna said. "But I'd like to hear about everything too."
"Okay."
Pansy led the way into the bathroom, grabbing sleepwear on the way. Luna pouted a tiny bit when she was told that she wouldn't be allowed to watch them change, but Pansy went to the sink first as Harry began to talk.
"We had a plan to try to start things off by attacking them before the Death Eaters could try to curse us. They had a hostage, but only I could grab the prophecy orb. I used that as leverage. Dobby and I went in to rescue Xeno first, and the others were all disillusioned and surrounded them. While I distracted the Death Eaters with the orb, Dobby grabbed Xeno and got him out of the way right when everyone blasted the nearest bad guy with the nastiest curse possible. In that first blow, we got four of them immediately.
"Parvati took out Dolohov." Harry turned to Luna and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "He was the one who had tried to kidnap you when Xeno got in the way. I thought you should know- he isn't out there anymore."
"Thanks, Harry."
"You're welcome."
"I wonder how many of them are left," Pansy said as she finished washing her face and reached for her toothbrush. "There can't be too many, can there?"
"The only one I know of is Barty Crouch Junior," Harry answered. "He and Bellatrix Lestrange seemed to be leading things today. I gave him the orb and he ran off with it while the others started trying to kill us. All of the others went down during the fighting at one point or another."
"Your dramatic presentation is once again lacking," Luna sighed. "Come on, Harry. Start the story over and make it exciting this time."
"I'll do my best," he chuckled.
Several minutes had passed while Harry told a more thorough (and more entertaining version) of the battle. Then Luna was shooed out of the bathroom while Harry changed out of his clothes and got ready for bed.
Pansy quietly opened the door and placed a finger in front of her lips.
Harry nodded and cast a silencing charm at the door before turning back to finish brushing his teeth.
"She was more tired than either of us," Pansy said. "I imagine she'll be all snuggly, even in her sleep. I can sleep in the middle, if that will make you more comfortable."
"I don't mind," Harry shrugged. "At least this time she won't surprise me by waking up with her boobs pressed up against my back."
"Poor Harry, getting molested in his sleep by a naked blonde," Pansy snorted as she looked at him in the mirror. "You must have been so traumatized. Sirius would be so disappointed in you."
"Only in that I didn't immediately try for a threesome," Harry scoffed. He rinsed his face off over the sink.
"Yeah, probably," Pansy chuckled as she stepped up behind him, wrapping her arms around him and leaning into his back. "You died today, Harry. I felt it too, or something like it. I... I think I felt my mother. Just for a moment, it was like I knew she was there, and...
"She was happy for me, Harry. She didn't blame me for what happened, she didn't make me feel guilty, she just..." Pansy sighed and let go of him, wiping at her eyes. "She just wanted me to know that she wanted me to be happy. It was such a relief.
"Then, I just had to figure out how to get back to you." Pansy waited while Harry turned around so she could look him in the eye. "What happened to you?"
"I didn't see my parents, if that's what you mean," he replied. "Part of it would be really hard to explain. I'll tell you tomorrow, once I've wrapped my brain around it. Plus, it's kind of a long story, and..."
"And what?" she prodded.
"I don't want Luna to hear about it."
"Why?"
"That's part of the long story. I promise I'll tell you, but the important part is that I came back, and everything is going to be okay."
"Everything? Even though we've still got a madman like Riddle out there?"
"The war is already over. Tom just doesn't realize it yet."
"Really?" Pansy asked, seeing the calm look on Harry's face.
"Trust me," he smiled reassuringly.
"I do. And you are right- the important part is that you came back to me."
"Of course," he grinned. "I wouldn't come back for the dead for just anyone, you know."
"Well, I suppose that deserves some sort of reward then," Pansy smirked and pushed Harry back up against the sink, then reached over to grab his wand and cast a cushioning charm on the floor. "I wouldn't want you to think I don't appreciate your miraculous return."
She sunk to her knees before him and pulled his pants down.
"Oh god yes!" Harry moaned triumphantly as she took him in her mouth. "This day just got so much better. Maybe I should come back from the dead more often."
Pansy stopped for a moment and looked up at him. "You know this will be a lot harder if you keep trying to make me laugh."
"Shutting up now!"
"Good boy."
Harry closed his eyes as well as his mouth and relaxed, enjoying the sensations. Pansy was amazing.
Several minutes later, he was smiling lazily as he leaned against the wall while Pansy rinsed her face off and reached for the towel.
"We can have a more thorough victory celebration in a few days," she said when she finished drying herself.
"I'll be looking forward to it," he said as she pulled him down for a kiss.
"Ready for bed?"
"I think so, but I should probably tell you something first. I don't want you to hear it from anyone else." He sighed, knowing she might get mad, but he didn't want to lie to her. "When we were riding in the lift going down to rescue Luna's dad, Parvati all of a sudden grabbed me and kissed me."
"I see," she said quietly.
"She said that if she was going to die today, that she didn't want to do so without kissing me first."
"I suppose I couldn't have taken my displeasure out on her if she were dead. Why are you telling me this now?"
"Well, I wasn't going to say anything while you were in the middle of an awesome blowjob. I'm not that crazy."
Pansy snorted and leaned over to hug him.
"You're not mad?" Harry crossed his fingers, hoping for the best.
"Compared to everything else that happened today, I suppose it doesn't really matter." Harry exhaled as she sighed against his chest. "Who was with you at the time?"
"Alastor, Amelia Bones, and Sirius. Oh, and Dobby, of course."
"Okay," she said before looking up at him. "If word of this gets out, I will have to do something though. We can't have every girl brave enough to start grabbing you trying to kiss my boyfriend all of the time."
"So, you'll protect my virtue?"
"What little of it there is left," she scoffed before smirking at him. "Sirius might think it was a funny story though."
"Yeah, that's why I didn't want you to hear it from someone else."
"Let's just not make a big deal about it. Compared to death, and battles, and Dark Lords, jealousy seems kind of pointless at the moment."
"I love you."
"I know."
Harry sighed and relaxed as they held onto each other. It had been one of the most overwhelming days of his life, but everything was back to how it should have been. Still, it was a good thing they still had Sunday left of the weekend. He was pretty sure they would all be sleeping in. Maybe even Dobby.