8 A Freedom Earnt

Unknown time - Unknown Location

"Master...." a whisper suddenly sounded, jolting me out of the grogginess I felt, as I found myself in an unfamiliar place.

I was surrounded in perpetual darkness, with four bright pinpricks of light in the distance being the only source of light for as far as I could see.

'Ugh, not this again.' I groaned, already feeling tired and annoyed of suddenly appearing in unexpected places.

After processing what I just heard, I couldn't help but recall the myths surrounding the three objects that were in [Soul Dimension].

'Wait...' I thought, 'Master? Could it perhaps be...', as my eyes focused again on the pinpricks of light shining in the distance, realisation dawning upon me: I was inside my [Soul Dimension].

'Could it be the Hallows? Is the story in The Tales of Beedle the Bard perhaps adopting the classic strategy of hiding in plain sight?' I though, as the urge to try something I once read in a HP fanfic overpowered any rationale I had remaining.

"Death." I whispered, doubting that anything was going to happen.

*CRACK*

'Why did I tempt fate for, my god.' I jumped in surprise.

Suddenly, space warped around me, as a tear began to form in my [Soul Dimension]; skeletal hands clad in black smoke emerging from it, reaching for me: The eyes on the cadaverous face behind them widening before I felt myself suddenly being pulled away.

3:40 PM - Gryffindor Tower, Hogwarts

I awoke, cold sweat covering my back as I jumped up, looking around to see where I was: On Harry's bed in Gryffindor tower with curtains covering all four sides of it. Relief flooded my mind, washing away the feelings I had moments before.

'Was that a dream? How could the Hallows possibly be Death's creation? Isn't that a bit too fantastical, even for the standards of the wizarding world?'

I couldn't help the shiver that crawled down my spin as I remembered the hands and face appearing in my [Soul Dimension]: The hands that felt so frigid, the terrifyingly cold chills they radiated penetrating my skin; and that face, oh god, what was that face. I stopped the panicked scream that I felt bubbling up my throat, breathing in and out, gradually calming my mind.

'Wait... [Soul Dimension].'

I looked inwards, perception snapping towards my [Soul Dimension] instantly: I saw a crack mending itself. 'What, so it wasn't a dream? Did I literally have Death attempt to grab me from within my own soul?' I though in disbelief, looking towards the stars representing the items stored inside.

I had to instantly cover my eyes, as the three stars representing the Hallows were shinning so bright, pulsing in harmony, as energy so luminous, so dense, streamed out of them, out of my soul, and into my energy channels.

Unlike my magic, which radiated a feeling of warmth and comfort, this energy felt apathetic, unemotional, cold; a feeling of power, stoic power, emanating from it. From the reaction it had when entering my channels, it served to augment all aspects of my being to ridiculous proportions.

I followed along the energy as it entered my channels, making its way to my core, but before it could reach it, [Realities Blessing]'s ability activate: A tendril of energy, one I was so familiar with at this point, grabbing a hold of it, devouring it with such fervor, not an iota of it remained. It then continued towards the stars representing the Hallows in my [Soul Dimension], wrapping around them excitedly, as it sucked, and sucked, and sucked, until they blinked out of existence, nothing remaining of them any longer.

Suddenly, inside my core, an energy similar to the one given off by the Hallows appeared, bubbling and endlessly being produced. It appeared to be extremely incompatible with the magic already in it, both wrapping around each other as if lifelong enemies meeting, attempting to choke the other out of existence; yet, before they could do any damage, another tendril of energy shot out from my soul and into my core.

It took a hold of both, beating them into submission, coercing them into a spiral form, as they gradually began to fall into a perpetual chase behind one another, bright green interwoven with gold, falling behind light grey, the symbol they eventually formed, and the feeling they radiated, reminiscent of the Yin and Yang symbol: A mixture of dark and bright.

'What on earth-'

My thought suddenly stilled, as the resulting shockwave of energy produced by their mixture evaporated the magic already in my channels, re-filling them up with a different type of it. It felt heavier, more weighted, much more denser than the magic in it before, yet it managed to remain warm and comforting as before, albeit with a tinge of chill mixed inside, as if a lukewarm liquid.

I turned my sight outwards, back into the dormitory where I was situated in, wanting to experiment with this new type of magic, as I pulled on the only star remaining in my [Soul Dimension]. My Holly and Phoenix feather wand appeared in my hand, its song trilling at the back of my mind, as I thought of a simple spell to try out.

'Why don't we have a go at the classic charm taught to all first years.'

"𝘓𝘶𝘮𝘰𝘴." I excitedly intoned, as a small stream of the new energy was directed through the core of my wand, another stream being directed to my eyes at the same time.

Instantly, as if I were moved across dimensions again, I was surrounded in perpetual white.

'Huh, what... why am I back here?' I thought. 'Didn't Guardian already... wait,'

"𝘕𝘰𝘹." I said hurriedly.

I was suddenly back in my bed, wand held in my hand, coughing from the smell of burning cloth, as the curtain around my four poster bed frame were charred a great black.

The light emitted from the Wand-Lighting Charm was so strong, it bathed my surroundings in light so bright, momentarily looking to me as if I had returned to the void in-between realities, while at the same time instantly vaporising a layer of the curtains drawn around my bed. The only reason my eyes hadn't melted in their sockets instantly, I now realised, was due to the small tendril of energy that reached out and shielded them moments before the spell could be released.

'Wow, I need to visit the Room of Requirements to test out the limits of this thing,' I thought, feeling a bit peeved at the effect a small stream of the energy had on the spell.

'Ok, know that that is out of the way, what's the plan? Lets focus on one thing at a time' I thought, 'Lets focus on training with this new energy for the time being. Well, after I deal with the mess waiting for me outside.'

'Wait, it feels like I'm forgetting something?'

'What about the Hallows, what happened to them?' I wondered, my mind instantly recalling all the adventures I had under my Invisibility Cloak.

'Were they destroyed?'

As if responding to that thought, the energy inside me bubbled to the surface of my skin, a thin layer of it wrapping around my body and clothes, and spreading over the wand in my hand. Fascinated, I twisted and turned my hands in the air, wondering why this was happening.

'Odd.'

'Wait, wasn't the thought of me being under the Invisibility Cloak that caused this energy to appear?'

Experimenting again, I recalled the feeling of the Elder Wand in my hand; an electrifying feeling rushed through my body, as spells unheard of appeared at the forefront of my mind; spells meant for the utmost destruction of my enemies in everyway I could possibly imagine, spells that could cause reality around me to screech in pain, twisting it, make it conform with what ever shape I want it to take; spells that could heal: It would seem that every single spell ever cast through the Elder Wand was remembered by it, and since I had absorbed it, was now remembered by me in turn.

Then, I recalled the feeling of the resurrection stone, remembering it in my hand as I (Harry) had summoned the shadows of my parents, Sirius, and Remus back in the Forbidden Forest.

Instantly, a tendril of energy left my body and extended out into the surroundings, connecting to something that was beyond my sight, and after a second, pulling back as if it had latched onto something.

Information, and names, all of them belonging to the people I had thought of, rushed back through it, as it waited for my consent to drag them from wherever they were, but I decided against calling them back a second time.

'Ok, so it seems all the abilities of the Hallows have been absorbed into my soul, now and extension of my being. Is it-' I immediately stopped my train of thought there, not wanting to tempt fate.

'Let's find out what really happened with the Hallows.'

"Ignotus Peverell," I intoned, as the tendril snapped back, dragging along with it a shadow. Before me appeared the shade of an old decrepit man, his face gaunt, but his eyes, his eye shining with great wisdom.

"Oh, what have we here? It has been a long time since I was last summoned by that cursed stone?" Said the old man. "But, why do I feel comfortable being back in the realm of the living?" He whispered, eyes snapping towards mine, inquiring as to the reasonings behind his apparent comfort and summoning.

'This is not the first time he has been summoned it seems. Alright let's get to it.'

"Hello Mr. Peverell. My apologies for disturbing your rest, but I have some questions to ask." I said, deliberately disregarding his question.

"Who are you young man, and what question could possibly force you to summon a shadow as ancient as mine?"

"I am Harry Potter." I replied, "And I would like to know the origins of the Hallows."

Suddenly his eyes turned several shades darker.

"That is knowledge better left alone, boy. You having that cursed stone is already unfortunate enough."

"Why is it unfortunate?" I asked.

"It is unfortunate because if you are to use the Hallows once, ITS eyes are placed upon your soul forever, judging it, deciding whether you are worth of it or not, and if IT ever decides the latter, boy, well, let's just say I will find myself with a new companion." He continued solemnly. "Well, except for the Invisibility Cloak."

"What, IT? Do you not mean Death, the being that gifted you and your brothers the Hallows." I asked in surprise.

"What gift? Death? No, that is absolute nonsense. The Hallows were summoned to this realm by a power hungry organisation, called Secretum Foedus, that existed during my time. Its leader wanted to bind the objects under his control in order to gain unimaginable power: And he would have, if he had not been too greedy. It judged him unworthy, and ripped his soul from his body."

"Where they have been summoned from, and what happens to those that wield them upon their death, well that is for you to find out when your time has come. I am not permitted to reveal that knowledge." he said, eyes becoming solemn.

"What about the Master of Death. Whosoever unites the Hallows shall become him. Is that true?" I asked.

"Master of Death. Such a childish term, yet the concept it embodies so vast, incomprehensible in its entirety to the human mind. Yes, you could say so; that is if IT judges you to be worthy of them."

"But know this, for if there is ever to be a Master of Death, it means IT is amused, or too powerless to stop it from happening, and both the former and the latter have never occurred since the beginning of reality" he warned.

"How did you and your brothers get a hold of them, then, if it was summoned by some organisation?"

"Well, in our heyday, us brothers were law enforces of sorts, heavily reprimanding those that used magic to harm those without it. One day we received a call about the weather suddenly taking a turn for the worst in a neighboring village."

"That was where we met him, the man calling himself Dauði: He began a great tale, of how he was going to summon objects of unfathomable power, using them to smite his enemies and those that stood against his organisation, beginning the motions of a ritual. But, before we could stop him, he was turned to ash by the very objects he summoned: A wand, a cloak, and a stone." he said, eyes clouded with nostalgia.

"Upon his death, the objects shot towards us, floating around, as if wanting to be taken. I advised against us taking the items, seeing what had happened to the person who had tried to take them, but my brothers ignored my warning."

"So, my oldest brother, Antioch, who was a combative man, reached for the wand, grasping it with fervor, gasping as it was clasped in his hands: My second oldest brother, who was an arrogant man, reached for the stone, eyes tearing when it was nestled in palm; And I, not really having much of a choice took the cloak, and put it over my body. And the rest was history." he said.

"Now, as comfortable as I may feel, I don't liking dwelling amongst the living for long. I'll have to excuse myself, young Potter. May your soul never be damned."

The tendril of energy that was hooked around him was instantly broken, snapping back to my body. I settled my magic as it attempted to establish a connection with him again, as what had just occurred was still reverberating in my mind

'Huh, that was hectic.' So many questions answered, and yet still causing me to come up with more. 'Well, there will be a time for answers.' I thought. 'Plus, the curse Ignotus mentioned, I feel won't apply to me.' I thought, after remembering how [Realities Blessing] absorbed the Hallows powers into my soul.

Stepping out of my bed, I waved my wand around the drawn curtains, the Repairing Charm rushing out and returning it to its original state. Making my way downstairs, I walked through the common room, empty as it was, and straight to the prefects bathroom.

After a very warm bath, I made my way back to my room, rummaging through my truck to find a pair of clean cloths to put on, dreading what was about to happen when I made my way out.

Clothing myself in respectable jeans and and a polo shirt, I made my way out Gryffindor tower, walking towards the great hall. Along the way, plenty of cheers and pats were sent my way from teary eyed students and parents, gratitude radiating from them all.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, I arrived at the entrance of the great hall, the destruction wrought by the fight that had just occurred surrounding its entrance in rubble.

A streak of brown barreled towards me, causing me to lose my breath as it collided with my stomach. I looked down at the face belonging to the arms that were wrapped around my torso.

'Hermione.'

"Harry!" she squealed in delight.

"Its Harry, he's back." Suddenly, it seemed as if all the inhabitants of the great hall descended upon me.

"Are you feeling refreshed, Mr. Potter?" asked Professor McGonagall, appearing from within the crowd.

"Yes, Professor."

"Good, because you are going to need it to get through this." she said, turning towards a bunch of reporters waiting to side, gesturing them to move towards us.

'Ugh,' I groaned mentally. 'I should have seen this coming.'

"Mr. Potter-"

Before anyone of the reporters could get started with their questions, I put my hands up to indicate that I wanted their silence. I gestured for Hermione to move aside, as I faced towards them.

"Look, no question alright. I'll make a general statement. The rest you can ask the others, who I'm pretty sure saw everything that has happened here today."

I took a deep breath in.

'Lets make this as grand as possible, shall we.'

"Voldemort is dead. And not by my hand entirely, not at all. The death of Voldemort was a collective effort by all of Magical Britain, the sacrifices its people made, the plans its great protectors put in place, all of that, allowed me to do what I have done today. And I'm very much grateful for it."

"I give my condolences to the families and friends, to all that have lost loved ones over the course of this vicious war. And to all those that can hear me, that can hear my voice, know this, for as long as I breathe, you shall have no reason to cower in fear, no reason to fear walking amongst your people, for you have overcome a great tribulation, and have every right to hold your head up high, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it stays that way."

"And remember, remember today not as a day Harry Potter won, not as a day I won, but as a day we won together, the day we earnt our freedom."