Title: A Convergence of Angels

Author/Artist: rons_pigwidgeon

Prompt: : Being the Angel of Death becomes quite boring after a couple of centuries. Nobody can see you except for those who are about to die. And so Severus begins talking to one Harry Potter who will die just after having killed Voldemort. Severus finds himself in the unfortunate position of taking Harry's life, a person he's grown to care deeply for.

Pairing: SS/HP

Creature: Angels

Word Count/Art Medium: 3,556

Rating: PG13

Warnings: non-magic AU, complete and unashamed disregard for canon, possibly offensive to conservative Christians (Although I have no idea why conservative Christians would be reading a slash story in the first place.); my beta also thought it would be prudent for me to warn that, though I personally like to think it all got resolved and they lived a happy life together with lots of sex and harp strumming, the ending is actually ambiguous.

Disclaimer: This creation is based on characters and situations created and owned by J. K. Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made, no copyright or trademark infringement, or offense is intended. All characters depicted in sexual situations are above the age of consent.

Notes: Thank you very much to DL for the super-speedy beta! On a side note, this story is an non-magical AU set mostly in the 14th Century. Harry is a sort of Templar Knight, though not exactly, which is why his Christian name is Harold, rather than the canon Harry.

Severus sighed quietly as he followed the elderly woman down the street. She was hunched over, weighed down by a bulky cloak and knitted shawl that more closely resembled a blanket than an item of clothing. She leaned heavily on her walking stick as she slowly, very slowly, hobbled toward the marketplace. Severus had listened to her son chide her that very morning for stubbornly refusing to stay at home, and he had silently agreed. Had she remained home, she would have prevented the accident that was about to occur, and she would have lived another decade before finally succumbing to heart failure at the ripe age of eighty-two

"All right lad, if you're going to follow me, you might as well walk next to me and let me look at you," the woman said, pausing and turning to him.

He forced a smile and obliged her, knowing she would not move on to her accident site without him. He was due to his next assignment in an hour, and getting this woman up to the Gates might take that long if he didn't help her along. "How may I assist you?" he asked apathetically.

"You're a tall one, aren't you? What do you want, then? A young man doesn't follow an old lady without a reason."

He raised an eyebrow at her description. "I can assure you, madam, that I precede you by several centuries. You are near death, and I have been assigned to transport you to your final resting place."

"Near death, am I? Glad I wore my good dress, then. How do I go?"

"I am not at liberty to say. If you could continue about your business, you will soon find out."

She peered at him for a long moment as though judging his honesty, before shrugging her hunched shoulders and hobbling past him. "If you say so, lad."

Mere moments later, she was on the ground, having caught her walking stick between the cobbles and lost her balance. She hit head on the edge of a stall table and was dead before she reached the ground. Severus was there to help her spirit stand. She stared at her body, the pool of blood slowly seeping out in a halo around her head, and the crowd that gathered around her, before turning to Severus. "My dress is going to be ruined."

"It no longer matters. Come along, we haven't much time."

"I want to see my son."

"You are dead, and scheduled to meet Judgment. I am to take you there. I do not take sentimental detours. Come." Severus took her arm and directed her away from the scene, ignoring her protests. He took her through the door between worlds amid her protests. Four hundred years of incessant whingeing had made him deaf to all complaints. He dropped her off in line to speak with Peter, happy in the knowledge that he was unlikely to ever see her again. Heaven was vast, and Severus very rarely visited.

Severus' next assignment was not the usual monotonous pick-up and delivery. The boy he would be taking this evening was Chosen, a crusader for God, tasked with eliminating one of the most despicable human beings on Earth. Harold Potter of Godric's Hollow had spent his entire life fighting under the Christian flag against an evil emperor, Lord Voldemort. At twenty-three, he was about to end Lord Voldemort's life. Unfortunately, Severus was not tasked with Lord Voldemort's soul, but Potter's own. He was to take the life of his enemy, but his own life would be forfeit in the process. Severus wondered if the boy would go through with the murder if he knew the consequence.

The Chosen was preparing for battle in a tavern in Hogsmeade village. Severus found him alone in the back room, seated on a stool, polishing his sword. When his eyes fell upon the young man, Severus' breath caught in his throat.

Harold Potter was strikingly beautiful, more so than any human Severus had ever seen. His green eyes held a determination uncommon in men of his age. His hair was black as night and curved around his face in waves; it looked as soft as spun silk. Severus found himself longing to touch it. His simple black tunic was unlaced, exposing his throat and a glimpse of his sculpted chest. Black leggings clung to his thighs and calves, defining them so that Severus' imagination needed little effort to envision him without them. It was the first time in Severus' long life that he had ever desired to see another unclothed. It shook his despondency and made him want to look deeper into this young knight's soul.

"Are you an angel?" Potter asked, setting his sword on the table and standing.

Intelligent, as well as beautiful, Severus thought. He answered, "Yes, I am here to accompany you on your final journey."

Potter's eyes fell to his boots. "I'm not to live through this fight, then. Will he die, as well, or shall I die a failure?" When he looked back up at Severus for the answer, his eyes were full of sadness.

Severus paused. He did not make a habit of informing his assignments of what was to come, but this young man's defeated spirit spoke to his own listless soul. He could not help but answer. "You will take him with you. There will be peace after this night, for a time."

Potter smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. "Peace. I know it not."

"Perhaps you shall find it in the afterlife. I cannot say with certainty what your Judgment shall be, but it is rare that a Chosen does not meet the Almighty."

"Chosen? What's that?"

"A Chosen is a human being who is Chosen by God to serve. You are holy, exalted. Special."

Potter sat back on his stool, the exhaustion visible in the set of his shoulders. "Chosen by God, am I? I do not wish to offend, but I would have wished for a choice of my own. I have spent my entire life fighting. My family and my friends have all been lost to this fight. If God had thought to exalt me, perhaps he could have thought to leave me a loved one."

"You shall see them soon enough." Severus found himself sitting across from this enigmatic young man. He could not keep his eyes from the knight's face.

"That is little comfort if I must die first."

"If it is any consolation, you shall die heroically in battle. Ballads shall be written of your fight, songs, legends. You shall be remembered for the rest of human history."

"Is that worth a man's life?"

"I cannot speak to that, but it is rare. I have seen hundreds of thousands of deaths. None have meant what yours will."

"I would have preferred sons."

Severus did not know what to say, and so he said nothing.

After a moment, the young knight snorted a laugh at himself and rested his elbows on the table, then his head in his hands. "Of what nonsense do I speak? I would never have found a woman to wed, let alone one with whom I could have born children. If I am to leave a legacy at all, I suppose the legend of a thousand generations shall have to do."

Severus frowned, unsure of what Potter meant. "I do not often dwell on what could have been, but you are young, strong, and you must know of your physical attractions. You could not have had difficulty finding a young woman who would have you. I would find it a surprise if you did not find several."

"Thank you, but that is not the difficulty. I have never successfully... bedded a woman. There have been opportunities, but I... could not. I do not find them... appealing." He looked up through wavy fringe at Severus, hesitant and clearly embarrassed. Severus saw no reason to be. He was made by God, Chosen for a higher calling. Nothing he could do or be should be anything near an embarrassment.

"Not all of God's creatures are meant to reproduce. You were given a higher Calling. You will fulfill that Calling tonight. I understand that your society believes that your inclination is an abomination, but they are incorrect. You were made perfect and remain perfect. You are Chosen. You were made exactly as the Almighty intended."

"Is that true?"

"I am not in the habit of lying."

Potter smiled, the light that Severus could see was inside him shining out of him for the briefest of moments before it fell to sadness. "It matters not. I die tonight, without having bedded anyone. I should cease this stalling of the inevitable." He stood, straightening his tunic as his sadness disappeared, replaced by determination. He lifted the chainmail shirt that had been draped across a chair back and pulled it over his head, the noise of the steel loops brushing one another filling the otherwise silent room. "Are you able to assist me with my armor? If not, I shall call in the serving maid."

"I will assist you." To touch you, I would do almost anything, young knight, Severus thought as he stood. Potter was already pulling on a shin plate, bent over with his perfect arse on display for Severus to admire. Severus had never found himself attracted to anyone before, human or angel, but he could not help but feel a connection for this knight. Severus took his time, savoring the close contact, the warmth of the battle-scarred skin as it briefly bumped against his. He did not want this time to end, though the impending battle weighed heavy on his mind as he worked.

"I will succeed," Potter said, straightening in his gleaming armor. He took the sword from the table and faced Severus. "I know not your name, though you have done much to comfort me in my last hours of life."

"I have lived a long, joyless existence. These hours spent with you, Sir Potter, have meant more to me than all the rest strung together. It will be my honor and pleasure to be at your side to the very end."

"I am called Harry, or at least I have been called so in the past by those whom I have loved. I wish you to call me by my name." Harry smiled, his fingers reaching out to smooth a wrinkle in Severus' long robes.

"Harry, then."

"I know not what you are called."

"I am Severus, Angel of Death."

"Severus? That is a nice name. It suits you."

Unable to stop himself from one last touch, Severus brushed a lock of hair from Harry's face. "It is time, Harry. Lord Voldemort rides here as we speak."

Harry nodded solemnly. "You will remain with me?"

"To the last moment, and after, for as long as I am able."

"Thank you." He turned from Severus and walked deliberately to the door. Within moments, they stood upon the hill, Harry in a fighting stance with his sword in hand, ready for battle. Severus stood several feet away under a copse of trees. When Lord Voldemort arrived on horseback, alone but heavily armed, Harry looked back at Severus before stepping up to fight. In that moment, Severus' heart broke. His young knight would not see the end of battle, except as a soul free of his body. Severus would have to deliver his soul to the Gates soon, unlikely to ever see Harry again.

Harry's spirit wore no armor, but he did not need it to look knightly. His soul glittered like the sun. It was the most beautiful sight Severus had ever witnessed. He regretted bitterly having to part with this perfect being, only to return to the monotony of his existence. If only he could take Harry with him, he could be happy. But alas, fate was not on his side.

Harry stood on shaky legs, eyes locked with Lord Voldemort's dead body. "It is done. All the pain, all the struggle, and in the end it was just he and I. I know not what to feel."

"I could not tell you what you should feel," Severus answered, his eyes on Harry.

Harry turned to him. "Thank you for being here. I know that you must be here, but even so, it is a comfort to know there was a witness to my victory." He smiled, a tired pleasure in it that warmed Severus.

"You did well. They will talk of your battle for centuries to come."

Harry glanced back at the bodies and frowned. "Where is his soul? Should you not take it as well?"

"He sold it several years ago to Lucifer. Only your soul remains. Though I do not wish to, we must be going. There is an appointment you must not miss."

Harry turned to him. "Will I see you again?" he asked.

Severus frowned, uncertain. "I do not believe so. I am rarely permitted to return to Heaven, and I may never find you again when I am."

"Then, I shall do this now." He reached up on his toes and kissed Severus, fingers curling around his neck to pull him closer. Severus froze in shock. He had not been kissed in over four hundred years. For a moment, he forgot how to do it. A tiny moan escaped Harry's lips, and Severus could do nothing but touch him. He slipped his arms around Harry's waist, fingers digging into his tunic, and returned his kiss with all the emotion he felt for his young knight. They stood atop the hill, invisible to the slowly gathering crowd, kissing, until well into the night.

Eventually, duty forced Severus to pull away. "I would keep you with me for all of time, but I have not the power. We must be on our way now."

"Is there no way for us to be together? I have never felt such emotion for another. I do not wish to part from you."

"Nor I you, but we must. I will request more time in Heaven, and I will find you, I swear it." In that moment, he felt a conviction in his soul that he would see his young man again. They shared another kiss and pulled away.

"Where do we go, then?" Harry asked. Severus took his hand and led him forward, through the invisible door. Harry looked around cautiously at the entryway to the Gates, eyeing the line of souls before turning back to Severus. "What if I am not sent to Heaven?" The uncertainty and fear made Severus' chest ache.

He framed Harry's face in his hands and looked seriously into his eyes. "You are Chosen. You will be." He could not resist a final kiss. Harry melted into his arms, clinging to his robes. A woman in line gasped at their show of affection. Severus glanced in the woman's direction and noted she was the elderly woman he had helped earlier that day. He glared at her before returning his concentration to Harry's sweet mouth.

They pulled away with a final chaste press of lips. "Remember, I will find you."

Harry nodded understanding, and turned from him to join the line of souls waiting to be Judged. Severus stood watching him for as long as he was able, but his duty soon alerted him that he must go. There were other souls to take and guide.

Months passed, then years, and the monotony of his work became such that he found it difficult to remember the light of Harry's soul, the feel of his strong body under Severus' hands, the sweet taste of his lips against Severus'. Another century passed before he was able to return to Heaven, and though he searched, his young knight was nowhere to be seen.

The Black Plague set in and there was little time to think of his lost love. For the next century, he saw little else but disease and despair. He lost hope of ever finding his love again. As the centuries passed, he became more despondent, bitter, and yet more unsympathetic to the sorrows of the souls that he took. His world grew dark and dank, a cave of loneliness and heartache that seemed to never end.

Then one day, a millennium after all hope had left him, he found the light. Or rather, the light found him. Severus arrived at the bedside of a young woman giving birth to her first child. Though modern medicine had done much for protecting the health of mothers and infants, this young mother was not to see the face of her much-desired child. He had steeled himself to deal with the resulting emotional upheaval when his thoughts were interrupted.

"Severus! I knew we would find each other again!" a voice cried a moment before he was enveloped in a set of arms long forgotten and yet so familiar that it made him want to weep.

Harry, his Harry was embracing him, standing on tip-toe to reach him, his light brighter than ever. Severus stood in shock, unable to process what was happening to him. He pulled back to look upon the face of his love, unbelieving of what he saw. "Harry? How…?" he asked in bewilderment.

Harry was grinning, his eyes dancing in joy. "I am here for the babe. I am to be her Guardian Angel. She is Chosen, as I was, and will need guidance. It is divine intervention that you should be here. How I have dreamt of seeing you once more since the day we met."

"I looked for you. I lost hope that I would ever find you," Severus said, still shocked. A sharp pain went through his body, and he turned just in time to pull the mother from her body before her soul was lost forever. In the time that he had been focused on the wonder that was his Harry standing right in front of him, he had nearly forgotten his reason for being there.

"What's going on? Where's my baby? Who are you? What's happening?" The woman's voice grew shriller as she looked around herself, watching the doctors frantically fighting to save her life.

"I am sorry, but you were not meant to make it through childbirth. I would take you to be Judged now, but I do not wish to leave yet. You may have time to look upon your daughter and say goodbye." He turned from her without another glance, even as she collapsed in a fit of tears.

Harry's face fell as he watched the young woman, unable to help as he was visible to only Severus and the infant, wailing her own unhappiness on a table across the room as she was examined and cleaned by a nurse. "This is what her life will be, then," Harry said with sadness.

"What do you mean?" Severus asked him, taking his hands, unable to resist touching him while he still had the chance. He was as stunningly beautiful as he had been when Severus first set eyes on him, and all Severus wanted to do was pull him close and never let him go.

"The babe, she is destined to live a life in which everyone she loves dies. I am to be her guide through the tragic turns of her life. She will be a great spiritual leader, but there is much sorrow in wait for her."

"Is this why there is no trace of you in Heaven?"

"Yes. Peter chose to anoint me a Guardian Angel. I walk with the Chosen through the struggles of their lives, as you walked with me through mine. I have never been more grateful for anything than I was for your company that night." He reached up to caress Severus' cheek, warmth meant only for him in his eyes.

Severus stepped closer, hands drifting to his waist. "I have lived for nearly two millennia, and yet the only happiness I have ever found was with you." He took Harry's lips in kiss, made sweeter for the length of time he spent wishing for it.

"There must be something that can be done. I do not want to separate from you again, now that I have found you. Surely, God would not desire us to spend all of eternity alone," Harry whispered when he pulled away, eyes never leaving Severus'.

"I will find a way. I know where you are now. I will return for you."

"I have faith in you. I will be with the child until you do."

Severus kissed him once more before letting him go. "I love you," he said with all the sincerity within his heart.

Harry smiled in return and kissed his cheek. "And I you."

Severus turned from him, heart clenching as he did, and walked to the sobbing mother. He coaxed her from her child, consoling her that there was an Angel watching over her babe, a Guardian who would protect and care for her. It was enough to convince her to go. He left her at the Gates and walked inside. He would speak with the Almighty. He would never allow circumstances to take him from his love again.