Disclaimer: Oh, you want my autograph? Thinks really hard the following: Mustn't give away real name. Mustn't give away real name Suddenly develops evil/maniacal grin Well, why not! writes down the name "Joan Doe" Oh your welcome! Any time! &The Next Morning& La la la tra la la! Oh! It's the morning paper! opens to front page Evil Authoress Joan Doe Arrested On The Charges Of Plagiarizing The Wonderful Works Of J.K. Rowling. Sentenced to Death This Morning. Joan Doe Pleads Innocent And Very Confused. (continued on page 3) Shakily refolds paper Erm. . . I don't own Harry Potter. You know that . . . right?

smiles:)

Death's Sanctuary

Chapter Three

Grim smiled when he saw it. It was the most magnificently beautiful thing in the world. It called to him. It sang to him. It pleaded for him to come over there and hug it. It begged him to turn it on; to watch it as it worked it's ensnaring magic on his highly willing mind. It was the television, and Grim was relieved to see it. So relieved, that it was actually rather disturbing.

Twelve hours ago one of the most fundamental rules in his life had been broken. There were just certain things that he knew and knew with out a doubt. The grass was green, the sky was blue, his name was Grim (when the occasion called for it), and absolutely no living organism would be able to survive being hit with the Killing Curse.

His beliefs on all of the aforementioned subjects that he had held strong over the centuries were now blown all to hell by a mere mortal child. For all he knew now, the sky was brown, the grass was neon yellow, and he was originally named Seamore Bartholomew but had blocked the memories of having such an ill-given name because they were too painful to remember otherwise.

But now, after calming the hysterical Potter parents, sending them off to Heaven, filing that bloody long report, explaining to the Council that, yes in fact, the mortal did somehow survive the curse, and yes, he would keep tabs on the kid, and seeing that the child was safely sent to his relative's house by his own kind, well, it was a given that Grim was looking forward to spending some quality time with the love of his li- existence; the telly.

Grim threw his suitcase onto the bed, not bothering to unpack, and plopped down on the sofa in front to the television. He now had chestnut brown hair and deep gray eyes, totally human looking for the vacation occasion. He had also rented a very nice suit in a very expensive hotel. But of course, after the extremely LONG few vacation-less centuries, he deserved wallowing in luxury for a good long while.

Grabbing the remote, Grim began to channel surf, in hopes of finding something interesting to watch. His search promptly led him to a television station showing old TV shows, and guess what was on? Why, you guessed it, Grim was in for a fun filled, action packed episode of Leave it to Beaver! And Happy Days was coming on next! Grim was positively ecstatic. He loved those old classics.

Deciding that it was high time for some grub, Grim reached blindly towards the general location of the phone (he didn't want to take his eyes off the TV.), but his search was fruitless, as the phone was clear across the room on the bedside table. When the commercial came on, Grim raced to the phone and dialed for room service.

"Room Service, how may I help you?"

"Hi, I'd like to order the bacon cheeseburger, two orders fried cheese sticks, an order of tuna salad, an order of chicken salad, a large pepperoni pizza, a small sausage pizza, the filet mignion, medium raw please, an order oysters, three orders of the lobster tail with boiled vegetables, one chocolate brownie cake, the banana pudding, and a small caesar salad please. Delivered to room 311."

"Mm hm. Mm hm. And how many people will be dining tonight sir?"

Grim smiled into the receiver. "Only one ma'm. And could you add an order of buffalo wings to that as well. I get mighty hungry around mid-night or so. Insomniac wouldn't ya know."

Shocked silence on the other line. "O-of course sir, your order will be delivered within the hour. Would you care to order drinks with that?"

"Of course! I almost forgot. Thanks for reminding me. Yes, I would like a large pint of ale please."

"A-alright sir. Your total comes to $349.59. Should I add it to your room, or would you rather pay at the door?"

"Oh, just charge it to my room thanks."

"Yes sir, and thank you for your order."

"Thank you."

Grim hung up the phone and focused his attention back to the screen. Oh! He absolutely adored commercials! He laughed uproarishly when he saw the Geico commercial. Mortals could be so creative. All to soon for the Grim Reaper, the commercials ended and the show came back on. It was just getting good too.

"Aww, Beaver! Why'd ya do it?"

Grim's show was interrupted by a knock at the door. It was too soon for the room service guy, but maybe they were just extra fast around here because he had spent so much. Or maybe it was just a slow night and they didn't have any other orders. The knock persisted.

"OK! I'M COMMING!"

Sighing resignedly for missing the best part of the show, he pried himself from the comfortable sofa and made his way towards the persistent knock. Opening it, he was really quite shocked to see his most trusted friend, and the person supposed to be filling his shoes while he was away, Desdemona, instead of food, which he had hoped it would be.

"Desdemona?!? What the hell are you doing here? You're not supposed to be here! I'm on vacation for God sakes! Or at least I'm trying to enjoy myself!" exclaimed Grim exasperatedly.

Desdemona arched one delicate black eyebrow and crossed her arms. She really was a beautiful demon as demons go. Long black hair that fell to her waist, piercing lavender eyes, and three black horns adorned her head. Other then the horns, the pointed ears, and the slightly redder than average skin, she looked perfectly like a human, but she was well known around Heaven, Hell, and Headquarters for her dangerous temper.

"Now is that anyway for you to greet the demon responsible for your job, Mr. Grim?" hissed Desdemona dangerously. Grim did some serious back tracking.

Raising his hands in surrender, Grim began to plead, and take several steps backwards. Desdemona entered the room and shut the door. "Now 'Mona, don't get upset!" Desdemona growled warningly at him. She absolutely hated that nickname.

"I-I mean Desdemona. I was just a little bit . . .erm, surprised to see you, that's all. You know with all of the happenings going on these past few days, and the all the, er, last minute, erm, arrangements, and the events with that Harry Potter kid and all, well I'm just a bit stressed, that's all. You know how taxing it is having the responsibility of the title Grim Reaper, and you know how long I've wanted a vacation, so please forgive me if I seem a tad, er, exasperated. I'm really really sorry if I, erm, snapped at you, but I was just . . . just, SO surprised to see you at my door not an hour after I had gotten here, and--"

Desdemona raised her hand, halting Grim mid-sentence. "You're rambling Grim. Do try to exterminate that bothersome habit as it is quite annoying." Grim scowled. He wasn't used to being reduced to a bumbling, rambling idiot in front of anyone. Hell, HE was usually the one doing the reducing. But, unfortunately Desdemona had the power to do just that to him.

Suddenly, Desdemona burst into peals of giggles, losing the whole I'm-About- To-Kill-You-And-Use-Your-Intestines-For-My-Own-Personal-Jump-Rope aura. On contraire, the murderous demon suddenly transformed into a giggling schoolgirl right before his very eyes. Although, these sudden changes in attitudes was the thing that scared Grim the most about Desdemona, as they could happen at any given time.

"Oh Grim! Don't act like a scared little child caught with his hand in the cookie jar! I'm not really mad! I figured you'd be in a shitty mood if anyone DARED disrupt your oh so long awaited vacation," announced Desdemona with a cocky grin.

Yes, thought Grim, and I bet that is exactly why she decided to come.

"What exactly are you doing here, Desdemona? Couldn't it have waited until I've gotten back?" growled Grim. He wasn't in a very good mood anymore.

Desdemona blinked innocently at him. "Well Grim, word around the office was that you got to actually witness this little mortal boy actually survive the Killing Curse. Now, of course, me with my curiosity--"

Grim snorted. If Desdemona were a cat, she'd have died long ago.

Pretending not to hear, Desdemona continued. "And me just happening to be in the neighborhood--"

"What a second! Headquarters in clear on the other side of the planet! This is Hawaii! Do you really expect me to believe that cock and bull story about you "just happening to be in the neighborhood?"

Desdemona scowled at being interrupted and said icily, "And how do you think old Mrs. Kiwanis was going to get to heaven? Or Mr. Yakima to Hell? Hitchhike? Kayak? Fed-Ex? No! I have to carry them there you imbecile!"

Grim looked down and glared at the floor. He should have thought of that. She was, after all, playing the part of Death. And what does one responsible for seeing the dead to either Heaven or Hell do? Grim inwardly slapped himself for his ignorance.

"Now, what was I saying before I was so rudely interrupted? Ah, yes, I WAS in the neighborhood so I decided to pay a visit to my dearest friend and find out all the juicy facts from last night."

Grim raised his eyebrows, a smile playing at his lips. "Tell Santa Clause I said hello for me."

Desdemona found no humor whatsoever in that statement. She glared a glare that promised much pain in the very near future.

"Really Grim! Nicky and I aren't THAT good of friends! Besides, he lives up north, not in Hawaii. But I'm sure that pea-sized brain of yours can't comprehend direction that well hmm?" asked Desdemona sarcastically.

Ignoring the last comment, Grim exclaimed, "Oh come on Desdemona! You had an affair with the man! I don't think things between him and Mrs. Clause will EVER be the same!"

Desdemona frowned, "Well I always did think Barbara had a candy cane shoved too far up her ass. Lighten up! It was in the '60's! You know, spread the love? And besides, I'm a demon! It's my JOB to spread liberal amounts of chaos around the world! Where would those so-called "guardian angels" be if there weren't demons like me around? Out of a job, I tell you. Now, speaking of JOBS, if you want me to continue doing yours, then we'll drop this subject before it goes any farther. Deal?"

Grim smirked. Just bring up merry ol' St. Nick and it'll get her off her high horse any day. "Deal. Now why are you here?"

Desdemona crossed the room and plopped herself on the couch. Grim sat in the armchair over by the side of the couch, carefully watching Desdemona. Desdemona, for her part, had just realized that the television had been on. Her face twisted into disgust as she saw what he had been watching before she had graced him with her presence.

Turning off Fonzie and company, Desdemona said sadly, "Oh Lord Grim. I feel for you. I really do. What the hell have you been watching when I'm not around? You better be thanking me for showing up and saving you from this shit. Man, you have no life whatsoever."

Grim glared. "You're right, I have no life. I have an existence. Now, I repeat myself, why exactly did you decide to pay a visit?"

"Oh, you're no fun. You never have time to just sit and chat anymore," sighed Desdemona. Grim growled. "Desdemona . . . "

"Alright alright! My, aren't we uptight all the sudden. I just wanted to drop in and say hello. Is that too much to ask for? Oh, and I also wanted to find out how that mortal kid survived the Killing Curse. You know it's impossible. I know it's impossible, but apparently that kid didn't know it was impossible as he's still living, breathing, and shitting his shorts. Besides, you're the only witness available because you know good and damn well neither you nor I am able to get into Heaven. So therefore, I can't grill the parents for information."

Grim sighed and slumped into his chair. "'Mona I--"

Desdemona narrowed her eyes in irritation.

"If you positively INSIST on having a nickname for me, then call me Desie, not 'Mona. It makes me feel like some kind of whore from a porn flick," hissed Desdemona.

Grim smirked at that comparison. "Okay, okay! Desie, I have absolutely no semblance of a clue as to how that mortal child survived the Killing Curse with nothing but a cut."

Desie's pointed ears perked up, literally, at that. "What do you mean a cut?" asked Desie. Grim smiled slightly at the memory. It would be a pretty neat scar.

"Where the Killing Curse hit his forehead, it made a small lightning-bolt shaped cut. It bled quite a bit, but nothing a simple wave of my hand couldn't stop though. I didn't completely heal the cut, as I knew it was going to leave a scar, but I thought the scar might, I don't know, BE something. Maybe something useful for the lad in the future. I just had a feeling that I shouldn't remove it. And you have to admit, it's a cool scar."

Desie nodded, seemingly understanding Grim's warped logic. "What happened after he was hit? I heard that the kid somehow defeated that Dark Lord who's been running around lately, but you didn't have to fill out a report for him, so is he really dead?"

Grim shook his head. "No, Coldie-mart's spirit is still alive, probably possessing some poor little animal out there. He won't be able to possess more than a mouse for quite some time yet. As to what happened, well, I had to calm down the parents, I took them into Headquarters and found an angel willing to take them into Heaven. Then I went to the Council and told them all what happened. Those old farts told me it was my responsibility to see that the kid was well looked after, so I'm ordered to check on the kid every few months of his life and interfere if something proves to be potentially fatal to the boy's health.

They apparently know something about the child, but they didn't care to enlighten me. And after that, I went to watch over the child until someone had come to fetch him, saw him safely to his relative's house, and then it was off to the wonderful land of paperwork at the office. Seven hours and numerous pages of paper later, I arrive hear, only to be assaulted by one ill-tempered demon later on what had just happened," Grim finished with a pointed look at Desie, who just ignored him.

"Hmmm. Well that is interesting. But I still wonder what so special about the kid that he can survive the unsurvivable curse," mused Desie, more to herself than to Grim.

A sudden beeping noise sounded somewhere right in Desdemona's long black robes. Grim recognized the sound right away. It was the same beeping noise that was supposed to alarm him to a mortal close to death, and who would be needing his, ah, assistance soon. Desdemona, seemingly realizing what it was, reached into her robe pocket and took out the familiar scrap of parchment. Otherwise known as the Death List. Desie sighed.

"Argh. Not another one. It seems that more and more people are dying these days. You know, if I could, I'd totally find away to destroy all of the cigarettes, beer, and eliminate world hunger if I could. So many people would live so much more longer, and that would be less work for me."

"Well how do you think I feel?" asked Grim. Desdemona glared at him. Changing the subject, Grim asked, "Well, whom do you have to go pick up?"

"Hn. A middle-aged man who won't stop smoking. Hence the lung cancer. And a small child in Zimbabwe whose family is too poor to afford food. Oh, and some stupid teenager in Spain who was driving drunk."

"Well, I guess you'd better go and take care of them. The dead tend to be a bit moody when you're late," said Grim, who was barely able to contain the excitement in his voice of the prospect of company-less telly watching. Desie looked suspiciously at Grim, who seemed far too happy for her likings. She stood up, as did Grim.

"Yes, I guess I must . . ."

Grim gently led her to the door. "Oh yes you must! Why they get down right rude if you keep the dead waiting any longer than is absolutely necessary. Now have fun, be safe, stay out of trouble, don't do anything I wouldn't do, and don't come back anytime, hear? Buh-bye!" Grim slammed the door in a very confused and slightly angry demon.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Grim once again plopped himself on the couch and turned on the telly. Ah, I Love Lucy. His all-time favorite show. And of course, Grim's always interrupted during the best part of the show.

"Lucy! You got some 'splaining to do!"

Knock knock.

Grim grinded his teeth together. He wasn't going to answer that door. Desdemona had to realize that he wanted to be ALONE. Alone does not include her.

Knock knock knock.

Grim growled under his breath. The demon was the most stubborn, cocky, rude, cruel, manipulating . . .

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Grim jumped up from the couch, stalked to the door, and literally yanked the door off its hinges in his rage.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU WANT NOW?!?!?"

That poor poor room service fellow had never been so scared in his life. He literally soiled himself and then took off running straight in the other direction, without even pausing to see which door he had run through. Unfortunately, in his haste to get as far as possible from the raging man, he ran right through the door marked "stairs" and found himself lying at the bottom of a set of them, right on top of the bell boy, who was luggage laden as the elevators were temporarely out of order. Shame really.

Grim winced. He just might be seeing Desdemona sooner than he thought.

AN: Man, that took me a long time to write. 6 pages. Like, ten hours over a span of two days. I wonder why?

Oh wow! 40 reviews? That's alot for a new story with only like 4000 words. Wow. I am touched. Really, I am. Anyway, updates will be on the weekends until summer. Then I'll have a multitude of free time to work on ALL of my stories. Less than a month away. God, I'm excited. No, better yet, relieved.

Anybody know how to do italics or bold? I'd really appreciate the heads up.

How do you all like Desdemona? I'm personally happy with her.

QUESTION!!! Has anybody seen Van Helsing yet? I heard from a friend that it got bad reviews, but it seemed like a pretty cool movie from the previews, and I did like Underworld, and the same girl is in Van Helsing. I don't know anybody that's seen it yet, but I'd thought I'd ask you all. If you saw it, what did you think? Good or Bad? Scale from 1 to 10?

I also want everyone to know that it's a pain trying to get these chapters uploaded since I can't use my own computer.

I decided to add one of these:

& Next Chapter: Abandoned
Grim has some important decisions to make. Little Harry meets the Dursleys.

Please review and tell me what you think of the story so far. Thank you all for reviewing!

Thanks, Siripiritus