Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine

A Tale of Death

A Tale of how Death came to be happy and content with his existence.

The first time Death met Harry Potter. Harry Potter had been a fifteen month old child. The Child had looked at him directly; it was like the Child was scrutinizing him.

Death felt a bit unnerved, because no one, no one had ever seen him (except for the Peverell Bothers, but they had not seen him if he had not let them see him). But the Child was looking right at him, and obviously knew he was there; Saw him there.

Death looked into the green eyes of the Child, waiting for the Childs reaction to him (since Harry Potter was scrutinizing him). Death was a bit surprised when the Child grinned and smiled at him, cooing and making positive sounds to his presence.

That made Death interested in the Child, more than others he had met before.

Death had been called to the house because of the death of Childs Father, and he had missed the death of the Mother in his fascination of the Child, therefore he never moved away from the Child and the Killing Curse that was meant for the Child; hit him instead of the Child. But since he was Death he could not die; and it was sent back at the one whom cast it.

And the Soul of the Man split, a part of it making its way to the Child, connecting with him, the other part (and the main one) fled, but not before Death saw that this was not the first time the Man had split his Soul in a vain attempt to escape him.

Death turned back to the Child and placed a Kiss on his brow, claiming him as his, before collecting the Souls of the Mother and the Father and leaving the Mortal sphere again. The Child would come to him when it was time for him to be there, and until that time he was Blessed by Death.

Over the next ten years Harry Potter often visited Deaths realm. Or at least his Door. But he turned the Child back every time. Because the time was not right yet.

But Death knew that when the Horse Woman, the Whale Man and the Elephant Child came to his domain they would not get the peace they wanted, because they hurt his Blessed One, his Favorite.

He was already looking forward to when they would come him, and used his time between his duties to amuse himself with new ways to torment them.

Harry Potter was eleven, almost twelve the next time they met face to face.

When the Child laid eyes on him, Death had seen no fear in him, just an acceptance of his presence. The Child had closed his eyes with an almost peaceful expression overtaking his features and spoke to Death in a small whisper: "Have you come to take me?"

Death felt a brief moment of warmth, before it was gone again.

He slowly leant over the Child and with his finger traced the Childs cheek gently.

"Not yet Child."

And again he turned away from Harry Potter, picked up the Soul left for him, the Teacher, and left once more.

The third time Death saw Harry Potter, the Child was twelve almost thirteen, and was almost dead due to the venom of the Basilisk. But once more Death did not let him Cross the Door.

He stood in the Chamber and looked at the Child.

"Be patient Child, it's not time yet." He slowly leant forward cupped the Childs face in one of his hands looking him into the eyes. "Let me teach you a lesson, Child; every Gift comes with a Demand. I turned you away from my Door once more, now you have to give me something I can take with me in your stead."

Harry Potter looked uncertain for a second, but Death looked pointedly at the black book on the floor, and the Child followed his gaze.

And Understood.

Death got his fare, a part of the Split Mans Soul and the basilisk Soul for a pet, while Harry Potter left with the Girl and his own life safe for now.

The next two times Death met Harry Potter, he was just observing from the distance.

But both times the Child took solace in his presence in the moments of his despair.

The first was when Harry Potter was thirteen almost fourteen, and fought against the some of the Servants of Death, the Dementors. They had originally been Necromancers who believed themselves capable of controlling Death, but they soon learned that no one controlled Death, except Death.

This Lesson whispered Death in his Childs ear, when Harry Potter called forth the Guardian to drive the Servants away.

The second was when Harry Potter was fourteen almost fifteen, and saw his friend be killed and was used in a Ritual to resurrect the Man with the Split Soul. Death saw how bravely his Child fought against his foe, how bravely he stood in the face of Death, never showing any fear, just the same acceptance as he always had.

But again Death whispered in his Childs ear and caressed his neck with his Cold fingers; "It's not time yet." And the Child learned his Third Lesson; to always accept Death, but not to give up before it was Time.

Once more Harry Potter left Death alive. And Death himself left with the Soul of the Friend, Cedric Diggory.

Sometime later a Dog Man came stumbling into Deaths domain without his permission or approval. But there was nothing Death could do, because the Dog Man had stumbled through the Gate and from beyond the Gate there was no way back.

Death wished to see how the Dog Man came to be in his Domain, and left to the Ministry of Magic, where he was witness his Childs distress.

That Eve he tried to console his Child, the now fifteen soon to be sixteen year old Harry Potter.

But Harry Potter just yelled at him and cried.

"Give him back to me! Give him back!" The Child Demanded, blind in his grief.

"I cannot, it was his Time." Death tried once more to settle his Child, but the Child was not console able. And in his anger, grief and despair Harry Potter denied his acceptance of Death, and Death was forced to leave.

Over the next two years Death roamed Earth more often than he had the last few years, collecting the Souls of the Fighters on the warpath.

Sometimes he saw glimpse of his Child, but the Child ignored his presence, angry at Death, and let his resentment towards Death known.

Death felt a bit sad that his Child, the One he had Blessed, had turned away from him. That Harry Potter had forgotten the Lessons he learned him.

The Lesson of Nothing was Given without something Taken back.

The Lesson of no one controlling Death.

And the most important one; the Lesson of accepting Death as part of Life, and therefore Living Life to the fullest until it was his Time.

Death had been so sure that Harry Potter had been the one He had waited for, but it seemed like it would not be. And this made Death sad indeed, because he had let himself Hope.

Suddenly one day Death could feel Someone between the Gates, and he knew with a chill that Someone had collected his Gifts to Earth and Combined them making it possible for that Person to travel Deaths Domain, without him being able to do anything.

Death knew that the Person who had become what the Mortals called the Master of the Deathly Hallows (or more often the 'Master of Death'), was Harry Potter; his Child, his Blessed One. And a feeling of dread made the way into Deaths being.

As the One with all the Gifts given to Earth, Harry Potter could make a lot of problems for Death.

Problems like stealing his Souls with the Ring, or think he was Invincible with the Wand, or hide from Death for all time with the Cloak. And there was nothing Death could do, because he had Gifted these items to Earth, and then made the grievously mistake of losing them out of his Sight.

Death was uncertain of what to do.

The seventh time Death met Harry Potter he was no longer a Child. Harry Potter was just seventeen, nearly eighteen, but in his eyes and mannerism Death could see his Age.

Harry Potter stood in Deaths Chambers in Deaths Domain. On his left hand he wore the Ring. In his right hand he held the Wand, and the Cloak was draped over his shoulders. He was a powerful figure and presence, but all Death saw was the weariness behind his eyes.

And then Harry Potter spoke to Death; "I know I have wronged you by Denying the Truth of Life: we all Die sometime." He spoke clearly and looked Death directly into his eyes. Not backing down, not hiding anything from Deaths gaze.

"You have many times told me that it was not Time yet, and I did not push or dubbed your judgment those times. But this Time I beg you; Please let me take my Place by your Side, my Place as your Companion, Friend and Lover as I was meant to do." Harry Potter walked forward until just a few centimeters separated him from Death.

"I have waited for you to come and Claim me, as you Promised at our First Meeting, but since I made the grave mistake of Denying you, I decided to come to you. Please My King, My Friend, My Beloved, I am Yours."

And Death gave in, since this was after all what he himself Wished for after all.

Death Claimed his Chosen's lips in a Kiss and Bonded them Together as Companions, Friends, Lovers and Beloved.

From that Time on, Death and Harry Potter collected the Departed's Souls, took them to Theirs Domain and gave the Souls the Chance to be Reborn if they wished to.

They were Both Happy and Content Together, like They were meant to be since the Beginning.