Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/689846.
Rating:
Explicit
Archive Warning:
Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Category:
F/M, F/F, Multi
Fandom:
Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Smallville
Relationship:
Harry Potter/Kara Zor-El, Harry Potter/Karen Starr, Harry Potter/Chloe Sullivan, Clark Kent/Lana Lang, Clark Kent/Lois Lane, Talia al Ghul/Bruce Wayne
Character:
Harry Potter, Kara Zor-El, Clark Kent, Karen Starr, Chloe Sullivan, Lana Lang, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor, Lionel Luthor, Tess Mercer, Bruce Wayne, Brainiac, Davis Bloome, General Zod, Ra's al Ghul, Dick Grayson, Darkseid, Talia al Ghul, Lily Evans, Jor-El
A war of a different kind breaks out post-Voldemort and three years later, it leaves Harry Potter the last surviving magical user in Europe. Death visits him, and informs him of his role. Starts Smallville Season Seven. Harry/Kara/Chloe/Kara(Earth-2).
Chapter 1
Chapter One: Herald.
Green eyes looked onto the charred grounds of the village of Hogsmeade. The broken and battered bodies right near his feet, as he stepped right over them.
"Did you succeed?" asked Aberforth Dumbledore, as he sat against the walls of his own pub, a large hole in his chest.
"Define success," said Harry coolly.
"Is the uprising over?" coughed Aberforth as the blood splattered out of his mouth.
"I killed them all," said Harry, as he faced Aberforth Dumbledore, with indifference.
"Then you've won," said Aberforth as he drew breath. "Do not allow my brother's dogma about how people deserve second chances taint you from beyond his grave. His second chances got many killed. Four wars in less than a century, our world is in ruin."
Harry nodded, in a solemn manner. He stepped over, as he clutched the Resurrection Stone in one hand, the Elder Wand in the other, and the Invisibility Cloak was over his back.
"Could I bring it back?" asked Harry. "I'm supposed to be the Master of Death after all. I have the Hallows."
"Well, just don't bring me back," whispered Aberforth in a stern voice. "I see the light, I'm going home. My sister is waiting for me. You can move on in life, you've always been versatile."
"Thanks Aberforth," muttered Harry as he watched the old man die.
Harry stood, the Hallows in his hand and walked forward, up towards Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It resembled the ruins that Muggles would have seen now more than ever. Harry continued to walk through the hallways of Hogwarts, no one had been here for a long time. People died, but in the end, he found himself ready to move on.
The moment Voldemort was killed; he thought a new chapter of his life began. Two years and ten months ago, they had a few moments of happiness. Then, the sins of the past war caught up and a new threat manifested itself.
Harry walked up to the Gryffindor Common Room and pushed the ripped portrait back. He sat on his old bed. The Resurrection Stone held in his hand and Harry looked at it, thoughtfully.
"I wonder," whispered Harry, as he held it and turned it around three times. "I wish to speak to...Hermione Granger."
The form of Hermione Granger appeared right in front of him, a twisted distortion of herself. A frown appeared on her face as she faced Harry.
"Harry, this better be good, pulling me out of the afterlife like that!" yelled Hermione in a frantic manner.
"Just never got to say goodbye," said Harry, as he looked at his friend with a smile.
"You don't realize the dangers do you," muttered Hermione. "How much of a danger we pose to living people, just by being here?"
"Hermione, I know you're not going to take over someone's body and rob them of their life," said Harry.
"Harry, you can't...I'm not Hermione, I'm just an echo," said Hermione, as she looked at Harry with a frown. "You risk a lot by bringing me here."
"Hermione, I got her, I got the person who killed you," said Harry.
"Harry, I'm glad, I know you would eventually," said Hermione as she looked around frantically. "I can't believe..."
"The Ministry caused it, and Umbridge, people like her," said Harry as Hermione nodded. "We never did find all of your body."
"Is there anyone left?" asked Hermione.
Harry pondered that one. "That's a good question actually, come to think about it."
"Send me back, Harry, before I get tempted to steal someone's body," said Hermione. "Being a disembodied spirit, it hurts too much, and...unless its life or death, promise me you won't recall anyone ever again."
"Hermione, I won't, but I just..." said Harry.
"The dead should stay buried, Harry," said Hermione. "The world needs you still; I don't know how I know, just send me back. Now let me go."
"Good bye, Hermione, rest in peace," muttered Harry, as he sent his best friend back to the afterlife for the final time.
Harry sat and pondered what to do next.
"I wished there could have been a third option years ago when I had the chance," the Boy-Who-Lived managed in an off handed manner.
No sooner did those words leave his mouth where the world disappeared around him. Harry reappeared in in a large dark hallway. With the wand out in his hand, Harry stepped down the hallway. He came face to face with a figure in a large black robe.
'Dementor,' thought Harry. 'No it can't be...'
The hood lowered. Harry turned to face a woman with long dark hair and purple eyes. She gazed upon Harry.
"Greetings Harry Potter, welcome to my realm, where I judge mortals for passage," said the woman, with a shadow of a smile. "I must say, it is high time you accepted your role."
Harry stared at the woman, confused.
"Just who are you?" demanded Harry, as he braced himself for a battle.
"Oh, I have many names," she said in amusement, clutching a scythe. "The Angel of the Afterlife, the Keeper of Souls, the Grim Reaper, but you may to refer to me as Death."
Harry blinked and looked at her. He just gave a chuckle.
"You're Death?" asked Harry, as he looked at the woman. She nodded.
"Sorry, I just can't see it," said Harry.
"Mortals never see through my disguises," said Death as she tapped the end of her scythe on the ground. "Any form I choose at any time, this is just what I intended to present myself as."
Silence filled the air, and then she added, "An attractive woman makes it much easier to bring in the elderly men, for the reasons you may have guessed."
Harry's expression remained blank, as he tried to figure out what her little game was.
"We have wasted too much time on who I am," said Death. "The subject of this interview is you Harry Potter. You are the Chosen One."
Harry looked at her and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, congratulations, you just missed the bus on that one about three years too late," said Harry, as he took a step forward. "The prophecy, Voldemort, who is dead I should note..."
"That infant Riddle was mere child's play," said Death. "He was merely phase one of my plans for you. Phase two was the three year war you had with the uprising that his actions and the actions of your foolish Ministry caused. When you were ready to accept your fate, I would come for you. Then again, for a thousand years, I waited for this moment. The entire Wizarding World never could have been saved. Much like the Mayans, the Romans, and other lost civilizations, they had their time and now it has ended."
Harry looked at her. He had a hunch this might be going in a direction that he did not like.
"It was merely one scheme until the time was right for you to unite the three keys," said Death.
"What three keys?" demanded Harry, as he took after step forward. Death stepped back and conjured a white board.
"The Cloak of Invisibility," narrated Death in a dull voice, as she showed Harry's Invisibility Cloak.
Next, a familiar stone appeared right in Harry's view.
"The Stone of Resurrection," narrated Death.
Then the stone disappeared and a wand appeared.
"The Wand of Eternity," concluded Death.
"And here I thought it was called the Elder Wand," said Harry.
"Do not correct me on the things I name," said Death as she tapped her fingers. "You have the three keys, mastered them, and combined them."
"So, the Deathly Hallows?" asked Harry.
"Yes, if that must be what you mortals have dubbed them," said Death. "Yes, for lack of a better term, you have united the Deathly Hallows."
Death remained pensive.
"These Deathly Hallows, and their role in that children's fable you once heard, are as close to the truth as mortals will ever again," said Death. "The truth of the matter is I placed the Hallows into the hands of those three brothers with a purpose. Do not think for one second that mere mortals could fool me."
She reflected on the incident. "The oldest idiot decided to brag he had the ultimate wand. As a result, his throat was slit and the wand stolen. The middle idiot tried to bring back his girlfriend. He got an echo that seduced him to the afterlife. The youngest idiot was the smartest of the three. He remained out of sight, until he was bored. Then he followed me peacefully."
A slight smile appeared on her face at the memories.
"In the end, only idiot wizards could go on some fanciful quest for some curse stick of wood for centuries," muttered the woman, as she recalled every moment of the struggles for the Wand of Eternity.
"So the wand's cursed," said Harry, as he wondered what he had been drafted into.
"Harry Potter, I would not as foolish to put such a powerful weapon up to chance," said Death. "Only the one worthy to hold it would be able to access its capabilities, once he was ready."
Harry had a bad feeling where this was going, but he took things in stride until he knew for sure.
"The Wand of Eternity is unbeatable in the hands of those worthy of holding it," said Death. "Yet, all who have held it up until you have been unworthy. Therefore, they got sent into my waiting arms one by one."
Slowly, Harry nodded.
"So, since I united all three Hallows, that makes me the Master of Death," said Harry.
"Only death can master death, Harry Potter," said Death. "It is a fundamental law of the universe."
She then added, "You are the Herald of Death. You have powers, in addition to the magic you learned in the past several years. Further explanation will come shortly."
"I'm thrilled," said Harry in a dead pan voice.
"Yes, I'm certain," said Death.
"So, this is a choice I should have made three years ago," said Harry.
"Three years ago, you may have not been ready, even if I could have trained you," said Death. "I would not have allowed you to move on. You can know that for certain."
"How can you not allow it?" asked Harry.
"Harry Potter, your purpose is far greater than your emotional attachment to those you had lost," said Death, as she moved over. She motioned for Harry to sit down, but Harry refused. "Fine, you can stand."
"I can find a way to bring them back, undo what is done," said Harry. "Time travel..."
"No, time travel past a period of twenty four hours would damage the fabric of existence," said Death. "While it is my capability to send you back to your body, you would be just an observer. Like someone viewing a program through a television set. Each decision you made would be the same way. You would be yelling at yourself to do something else, but it would fall upon deaf ears."
There was silence, as Harry looked at her with thinly veiled contempt.
"You set me up to fail," accused Harry.
"Define, failure," said Death.
"Do not use my own words against me!" yelled Harry as his temper flared up.
"Melodrama, it's too bad you cannot channel that into power, you might have already usurped me," said Death as she filed her nails, before shrugging. "I may have spent too much time as a woman."
She hummed a funeral march, as she looked at Harry, and continued. "Get it out of your system."
"I hate you," said Harry.
"That's nice, dear," replied Death in a bored voice. "So did I set you up for failure? Not really, it was written in the stars the Wizarding World was on borrowed time. The entire purpose of it was to set the stage to find my Herald and groom him for the task at hand. The Muggleborn uprising you fought was not the only conflict in Europe. Other magical governments were devastated, but none had you. So therefore, very few survivors were left."
"You just relish this, don't you?" asked Harry.
"I cannot feel attachment towards mortals," replied Death. "The Stone of Resurrection you hold be careful with relying on it. I may decide to start killing children if you pull souls out from underneath my nose too often."
"What if I don't care?" demanded Harry.
"What if you do?" retorted Death, calling his bluff. "Hermione did explain to you the consequences. You did defer enough to her when she was alive. Although, you finally managed to stand on your own two feet, but it only took her dying for you to do so."
Harry glared at her, as he took a step forward and grabbed her robes.
"I don't care, if you're Death," said Harry. "I honestly don't, because if I can't die, that means nothing you can do can hurt me."
"Death can hurt, but there are far worse fates," replied Death mistily, as she shifted out of Harry's grasp and appeared out of his reach.
"My entire life's just been one big set up for you to groom me to be some Herald of Death," said Harry. "I..."
"Be silent," said Death. "Your life may have been a lie, but life could very well be the biggest lie in existence. And magical users will soon be an endangered species with very few left."
"There were survivors," countered Harry.
"Not for long, I'm afraid," said Death. "I'm going to be blunt with you. There's no Ministry. There's no Gringotts. You did the intelligent thing and converted all of your money to Muggle currency. Wizards without a government or without a bank to call their own will have to function in the Muggle World. Given their ignorance, I will be seeing them sooner rather than later."
"A thousand years, just to put these keys in my hand," said Harry. "And how many people..."
"All of them had to die, so others may live," said Death. "Another fundamental rule of existence you shall understand the hard way."
"Did anyone else figure out who or what I was?" asked Harry.
"Yes, some might have taken a guess," replied Death. "The prophecy involving you and Riddle indicated me that it could be no one else. The timing was right and you fit everything. Others had ideas naturally, and tried to futilely impede your quest."
"Let me guess, Dumbledore and Voldemort," said Harry.
"Correct on the first, not so much on the second," said Death. "Tom Marvolo Riddle was mostly ignorant. He had one of the keys in his grasp, yet he used it as a means to cheat me. He was supposed to die years ago. Finally, I found him and now I'm making up for lost time."
Harry hazarded a guess Voldemort's afterlife might not have been the most cheerful.
"Albus Dumbledore guessed enough," added Death. "Therefore he tried to steer you into his own vision. Yet, in the end, I dealt with him. The moment he touched the stone, it set off a chain reaction that would kill him. He tried to mold you. Even after death, he refused to let go. He wanted to believe he had not been mistaken. He wanted to believe that those in your hidden world could be redeemed."
Death folded her hands over her robes. "Even after his hourglass ran down, Dumbledore believed he had you where he wanted you. His afterlife, I shall spare you the details of."
Harry wondered, but decided not to prod Death any further.
"Your mother and potentially your father knew much," said Death. "Lily Potter had much knowledge, given connections her family had. She had access to information dating back through the annals of time. Once she heard the prophecy, she understood everything. In fact, she understood her role was to die. She walked off peacefully. She did not struggle, she accepted."
Harry decided to get some information. "What did Mum know?"
"Much," replied Death in a cryptic voice. "She left a journal behind, but it had been lost the night Riddle attacked. It's not my place to tell you the contents, but yours to find her journal."
The personification of the afterlife leaned back against a wall.